This Memorial Day weekend, the last four Brandeis student-athletes will be competing at their respective NCAA Championships.

Starting on Friday, first-years Sarai Sealy of New York, New York, and Peterly Leroy, of Malden, Massachusetts, will be competing at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the SPIRE Institute in Cleveland, Ohio. Sealy enters the meet as the second seed in the triple jump, while Leroy is ranked fourth nationally in the 400-meter dash. The meet starts today – Thursday – with Leroy’s preliminary race coming on Friday afternoon and finals on Saturday. Sealy’s event takes place on Saturday as well.

Meanwhile, senior Bhakti Parwani of Ahmedabad, India, and junior Rebecca Suarez of New York, New York, will be competing at the NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championships at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Claremont, California. Suarez will compete in both the singles and doubles competitions, while Parwani is her doubles partner. Opening round action starts on Saturday at 9 AM Pacific (12 Eastern) for the singles tournament and 3 PM Pacific (6 Eastern) for doubles. 

With the championship fields announced after finals had concluded the Judges have been using their extra time in a variety of different ways.  Rebecca has been getting additional exercise at times that feel more natural, while Bhakti took advantage of the nicer weather to hit as many tennis balls as possible.  Sarai, who battled injury during the season, has been able to focus more on her recovery after practice. For Peterly, the break has afforded more time to work on the mental aspect of racing. “I’ve been visualizing my race, setting clear intentions for what I want to achieve, and making sure my body is fully rested and ready to perform at its best,” she said. The need for rest is one that each of the Judges said was a key component to maximizing their time.

This is a repeat performance for all four Judges. The tennis players went to St. Louis last year, where they fell in the first round in doubles, while the track stars competed at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Rochester in March, where Sarai placed fourth in the triple jump and Peterly was 14th in the 400 meters. They will all bring lessons from that previous trip. Rebecca struggled with injuries in 2024, so she’ll work on maintaining her peak physical performance. Peterly will focus on her performance without worrying about rankings or seedings, and being able to stay in the moment. Bhakti and Sarai each mentioned feeling the nerves or pressure of the moment last time around. Bhakti will try to treat this match like any other, while Sarai learned that it’s important to have fun at the meet. “Seeing the other competitors talking to each other between jumps and making jokes showed me that it’s okay not to take things so seriously.”

Last time out, with the NCAA tennis championships in St. Louis – a University Athletic Association city that many Judges get to visit in their careers, but not the tennis team, who play their championships in Florida – Bhakti and Rebecca both found their trips around the city – to the Gateway Arch and on a boat trip around town – a memorable moment. Sarai enjoyed getting to bond with her teammates, Leroy and Garret Rieden of the men’s team, while the overall camaraderie and energy of the meet was among Peterly’s favorite things.

One of the most important aspects for the quartet is the opportunity to represent Brandeis on the national stage. It’s a goal for all Judges, not just these four, but it’s one that they’ve been working hard for, as they see it not only as a chance to represent themselves and the school, but their programs, and their teammates who also put in hard work all season long. “It means the world, really,” Rebecca said. “I’ve been telling [coach] Pauri [Pandian] how I’ve wanted to compete at NCAAs in singles and doubles, and after three years, I’ve accomplished a goal I’ve had since I was a first-year.”

The Judges are all looking for All-America finishes as they compete for national championships. “I feel confident about our chances going into the tournament,” said coach Pandian of his tennis players. “Rebecca and Bhakti have played better and better as the season progressed, and they are peaking at the right time. I’m also excited to have them back for a second year in a row. You learn a lot of lessons your first time, and I know they will apply those lessons.”

“I am very excited for Peterly and Sarai’s first NCAA Outdoor Championshipa,” said head track and field coach Miles Ketchum. “It is an extremely competitive field, but they are both as talented and capable as anyone at the meet. They are both competitors who can embrace and respond to the environment, and they are feeling prepared and ready to do their best.”

No matter what happens, the Judges will give their best as their seasons come to a close. “I want to focus on the things that are under my control,” Bhakti said. “I also want to enjoy my last college tennis tournament, since I graduated a few days back!”

Watch the action live by visiting https://www.ncaa.com/liveschedule/. Live Results from track and field are at https://results.leonetiming.com/?mid=7852, and women’s tennis are at http://webapps3.cmc.edu/livescore/.

Some sports sponsorships just make sense, like Reese’s and Angel Reese or Rao’s and Tommy DeVito. Add Bic Soleil and the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) to that list.

The razor brand served as the title sponsor of the PVF’s championship tournament, formally called the 2025 Bic Soleil Pro Volleyball Federation Championship, in Nevada earlier this month. The deal came together in part because of a volleyball play called a “bic,” short for “back-row attack,” in which a player attacks the ball from the back of the court. Beyond the obvious synergy in the name, the play is a bit of a metaphor for the Bic Soleil brand, Karen Schwartz, global VP of blade excellence at Bic, told Marketing Brew.

“The bic is designed to surprise opponents,” Schwartz said. “You don’t see it coming, and that’s sort of like our Soleil razors. We’re a little bit understated. We don’t spend as much on marketing…as some of the other brands out there, but when women use a Bic Soleil, they love it.”

Plus, there’s no shortage of exposed legs and armpits in volleyball, “so the benefits of the product are on display,” she added. While Bic Soleil’s deal with the PVF was exclusively focused on the championship this year, it’s part of a broader push into emerging women’s sports for the brand, and Schwartz said it might not be the end of Bic Soleil’s presence in volleyball.

Bump

The bic play wasn’t the only aspect of volleyball that stood out to Schwartz and her team when the PVF approached them with the idea for the sponsorship. Schwartz said she took note of the growth of women’s volleyball around 2023, when the University of Nebraska women’s volleyball team set a record for attendance at a women’s sports event. She also has some young volleyball players in her family, and appreciated the fact that the sport is popular at the youth level, she said.

Bic Soleil has been working to get in on the ground floor with women’s sports leagues, targeting sports that seem to be more up-and-coming rather than leagues that are already established in the mainstream. The brand recently renewed its partnership with the Professional Women’s Hockey League for a second season, which was its first-ever sports deal, Schwartz said.

“For us, it’s really about those unsung heroes,” she said. “As we looked for places to start and learn about women’s sports, we really wanted to get in on some of these sports that were taking off early…because we see the potential of where they can go.”

Set

In addition to the championship title sponsorship, Bic Soleil’s deal with the PVF included signs around Lee’s Family Forum arena, digital and social ads, and a campaign that ran on CBS Sports Network and the jumbotron promoting the brand’s “Set a Bic, Score a Bic” sweepstakes that offered audiences a chance to win Bic x PVF merchandise every time a team set a bic during the tournament.

Bic Soleil also partnered with a couple of the athletes who competed in the tournament, Ally Batenhorst of the Omaha Supernovas and Mia Tuaniga of the Atlanta Vibe, since a lot of the content pro volleyball players post on social has “felt very authentic to the Bic Soleil brand,” Schwartz said.

Both Batenhorst and Tuaniga posted multiple times in the leadup to the tournament, including GRWM videos using Bic Soleil razors, explainers about the back-row attack, and promos for the sweepstakes.

Spike

Reach was a major KPI for the sponsorship, according to Schwartz, and her team is also tracking market share and sales of the Bic Soleil Glide razor, the product featured in the campaign content. Within a few days of the campaign debut, Bic Soleil generated more than 150,000 organic impressions and saw an average engagement rate of 3.7% on its PVF social content, according to the brand.

Ahead of the tournament, Schwartz expressed interest in potentially expanding the deal if the initial sponsorship performed as her team expected. They’re also eyeing other women’s sports that are seeing “growing surges of popularity and chatter,” such as Olympic sports and international soccer, that could help the brand stand out by demonstrating its uses realistically, Schwartz said.

“It’s not about these beautiful, photoshopped moments of shaving, but really, how can Bic Soleil support [women’s] on-the-go lifestyles…whether that’s on the ice, on the court, or in her day-to-day life.”

Stephen F. Austin State University announced Thursday it was cutting its men’s and women’s golf programs at the end of the academic year.

CAA Well Represented Amongst Individual Qualifiers For NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminaries

5/23/2025 8:30:00 AM

Ben Kane

WOMEN’S QUALIFIERS | MEN’S QUALIFIERS
 
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (May 23, 2024) –Thirteen programs earned individual qualifiers for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminary by the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country Committee.
 

The regional qualifier list includes 28 women from 10 programs, while 24 men were selected from six institutions. North Carolina A&T was the only program to have relay teams qualify, with two selected from the men and one from the women.
 

For the women, A&T led the way with six individual qualifiers while Monmouth had three and Hampton two. William & Mary had three including the conference’s lone steeplechase qualifier Catherine Garrison. The CAA’s Most Outstanding Track Performer, Towson’s Cristal Cuervo, also made the cut, qualifying for the 400m. CAA Title winners Elon had two individuals qualify in the distance events, Mikayla Jones (5000m) and Madison Synowiec (10000m).
 

For the men, the CAA Champions North Carolina A&T dominated with nine individuals earning a spot alongside two relay teams. The Aggies had qualifiers across the board with Isaiah Taylor’s name being called on twice in both the 110mH and the 400mH hurdles. After a strong season, UNCW claimed six spots with the CAA’s Most Outstanding Field Performer Ivan Poag earning a spot in the Triple Jump. Northeastern took four spots, with Monmouth the only other program to post more than one qualifier.

The first-round competitions are scheduled for May 28 – 31. The University of North Florida, in Jacksonville, Florida will host the east first round. The qualifiers out of these two regions will compete in the NCAA DI men’s and women’s outdoor track and field championships held June 11-14 in Eugene, Oregon.

 

Women

Campbell: Ticora Gaskin (Long Jump)

Delaware: Emarie Jackson (Shot Put), Olamide Ayeni (Discus Throw)

Elon: Mikayla Jones (5000m), Madison Synowiec (10000m)

Hampton: Jordan Mozie (800m), Dejah Grant (400mH),Damali Williams (Discus), Rochele Solmon (Discus)

Monmouth: Yasmeen Tinsley (100mH/400mH), Veronica Chainov (High Jump), Rett Schnoor (Long Jump), Vanessa Wood (Shot Put)

N.C. A&T: Fajr Kelly (800m), Lucheyona Weaver (100mH), Spirit Morgan (High Jump), Olivia Dowd (Triple Jump), Julieth Nwosu (Shot Put/Discus Throw), Taylor Reagor (Shot Put), 4x100m Relay Team,

UNCW: Jordyn Robbins (Javelin)

Northeastern: Savannah Blair (100m/200m), Camryn Cole (High Jump)

Towson: Maya Tucker (100m), Cristal Cuervo (400m), Leeann Redlo (High Jump), 

William & Mary: Arianna DeBoer (10000m), Catherine Garrison (3000m Steeplechase), Elizabeth Strobach (Pole Vault)

 

Men

Campbell: Mekhi Dupree (200m)

Hofstra: Abraham Longosiwa (10000m)

Monmouth: Ahmad Brock (Long Jump), David Strong (Long Jump)

N.C. A&T: Xavier Partee (Triple Jump), Brayden Hodgest (Shot Put), Nakhi Benjamin (200m), Elijah Thomas (400m), Caleb Gurnell (400m), Dyimond Walker (800m), Isaiah Taylor (110mH/400mH), Thomas Smith IV (110mH), Xzaviah Taylor (400mH), 4x100m Relay Team, 4x400m Relay Team

UNCW: JT Allen (110mH), Cameron Wright (110mH), Donovan Lara (High Jump), Bryson Robinson (Long Jump), Ivan Poag (Triple Jump), Miles Higgins (Javelin), 

Northeastern: Brunner Williams (200m), Ethan Exilhomme (110mH), Cameron Rogers (400mH), Nicholas Pisciotta (Hammer)

Stony Brook: Collin Gilstrap (1500m)

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – South Carolina is bringing a former world champion to lead its beach volleyball program.

José Loiola was announced as the incoming coach of the Gamecocks on Friday.

Loiola was most recently an assistant at UCLA, where he helped lead the Bruins to a 30-6 season last season and a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. He’s also had stops with the Team USA Volleyball Development Program, the 2012 Men’s International Volleyball Federation and the 2015 U21 Junior National Team.

“José Loiola’s background and knowledge in beach volleyball is unmatched,” USC Athletic Director Jeremiah Donati said in a statement. “His success as a player, coach and leader in the sport speaks volumes as to the caliber of coach we are bringing to Columbia. His passion for the sport will build a positive culture in the program. I am excited to have José as our beach volleyball coach.”

Loiola, a native of Brazil, won the 1999 Beach Volleyball World Championship partnering with Emanuel Rego. He also finished second in the 2001 event with Ricardo Santos and represented Brazil in the 2000 Summer Olympic Games.

Loiola also coached several beach volleyball professionals like Sarah Hughes, Kelley Claes and Summer Ross, all of whom went on to win titles in national and international volleyball championships.

Loiola said he is excited to start building a top program at USC.

“I am super excited for the opportunity to become head coach of this program,” he said in a statement. “I feel like everything I have done up to now – going back to get a degree, coaching all different levels of athletes – have led me to this point. The University of South Carolina has a beautiful facility for student-athletes. With my passion for this sport and commitment to develop the player and the person, together, we will make this a place where potential becomes legacy.”

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