WAUKESHA — Parents are taking notice of class cancellations for the YMCA gymnastics program in Waukesha. Chris Becker, CEO of the YMCA of Greater Waukesha County, confirmed there have been staffing changes. “We had a recent change in program staff leadership and are in the process of hiring a new director. The Waukesha YMCA is […]
WAUKESHA — Parents are taking notice of class cancellations for the YMCA gymnastics program in Waukesha.
Chris Becker, CEO of the YMCA of Greater Waukesha County, confirmed there have been staffing changes.
“We had a recent change in program staff leadership and are in the process of hiring a new director. The Waukesha YMCA is highly committed to the developmental gymnastics and dance program as we seek new staff leadership and additional instructors. As we rebuild the staff talent, there may be class limitations offered on an interim basis,” Becker said.
Sam Seidel, executive director of the YMCA of Greater Waukesha County, also confirmed a change in leadership, which has impacted some class offerings.
“We appreciate your patience and understanding during this transition,” Seidel said.
Lauren Friestrom, a mom, said the Waukesha YMCA has had several staffing changes within the gymnastics program during the March-April term.
“This has resulted in several canceled classes, but the YMCA director has been very forward with information both calling and emailing parents with updates. They have even made an offer to refund the course or assist in finding another class the child would be interested in participating in. They are working hard to find more coaches to fill empty slots,” Friestrom said.
She said she received an email that her son’s classes will resume Thursday.
“While this has not been ideal since my kids missed several classes, with spring break as well and voluntarily missing, I appreciate that the YMCA is considering the safety of the children and not just making larger classes or having an untrained substitute start,” she said.
Friestrom said while staffing issues are frustrating this is nothing new.
“Everywhere is short staffed and we have come to expect it at restaurants and retail stores, as it moves into a more education setting it is unsettling as for what that means for the society, especially when parents depend on activities and camps for summer care for their school age children. All I know for sure is that the YMCA has been very open with their communication about the changes and has offered several solutions to the participants’ guardians,” Friestrom said.
Seidel said the staffing challenges experienced in the developmental gymnastics program stem from a combination of factors, including a recent leadership transition and the broader workforce trends impacting part-time and specialty roles.
“Like many specialized youth programs, gymnastics requires instructors with specific skills and experience, which can create occasional gaps as we recruit and train new team members. That said, gymnastics is no different than our other specialty programs when it comes to navigating these challenges — we have clear processes in place to ensure safety, quality, and continuity. When transitions like this occur, we adapt class offerings as needed and work quickly to rebuild our team and restore full programming,” Seidel said.
At the Waukesha YMCA, the developmental gymnastics program supports kids from 6 months to 12 years old. It includes:
Parent & Child Gymnastics (ages 0–3): Focused on exploring movement and developing gross motor skills in a social, engaging setting.
Preschool Gymnastics (ages 3–5): Builds balance, coordination, strength, and flexibility through fun, age-appropriate activities.
School Age Gymnastics (ages 6–12): Progressive classes that teach tumbling, movement skills, and more advanced gymnastic techniques.
“Beyond physical development, kids in these programs gain confidence, discipline, and perseverance. They learn teamwork, goal-setting, and how to grow through encouragement and structured progression — skills that benefit them in every area of life,” Seidel said.
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne’s Lillian Hurd and Boden Genovese qualified for the USATF U20 outdoor Championships on Thursday, June 19, in Eugene, Oregon. Hurd will compete in the 400 meter at 3:46 p.m. PT/6:46 p.m. ET on Thursday, with a chance to advance to the final on Friday at 4:56 p.m PT/7:56 p.m. ET. Live […]
Hurd will compete in the 400 meter at 3:46 p.m. PT/6:46 p.m. ET on Thursday, with a chance to advance to the final on Friday at 4:56 p.m PT/7:56 p.m. ET. Live results can be found here and the up-to-date schedule can be found here.
Hurd was a member of the 4×400 and 3×100 relays that won at the Horizon League Outdoor Championships earlier this year. She also won the 400 meter and 4×400 relay title at the Horizon League Indoor Championships and was named the Indoor Freshman of the Year. She had a personal best of 55.64 in the 400 at the Vertklasse Meeting on April 4.
Genovese qualified in the 1,500 meter and 800 meter, but will not compete in Eugene. Genovese had a personal best of 3:52.07 in the 1500 at the Spartan Invite and his 1:52.69 in the 800 at the Mount Union Last Chance Meet was his PR.
It is the third year in a row a Mastodon has competed in the U20 Championships. Austin Hall competed in the 10,000 meter in 2023 and Haylee Hile competed in the steeplechase in 2024. Hall took second in the 10K, only bested by Ethan Coleman of Notre Dame. This is the first year that student-athletes from both the men’s and women’s programs have earned a spot at the U20 Championships in the same year.
~ Feel The Rumble ~
Story Links Grand Canyon continued its reign atop the Western Athletic Conference with another historic achievement, securing its fifth consecutive WAC Commissioner’s Cup for the 2024-25 academic year. GCU registered 116.8 points to win the cup — awarded to the conference’s top-performing athletic department — for the seventh time overall. Lopes […]
Grand Canyon continued its reign atop the Western Athletic Conference with another historic achievement, securing its fifth consecutive WAC Commissioner’s Cup for the 2024-25 academic year.
GCU registered 116.8 points to win the cup — awarded to the conference’s top-performing athletic department — for the seventh time overall.
Lopes teams won seven conference championships including two programs that swept regular-season and tournament championships: softball and women’s basketball.
The softball team made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season. GCU debuted in the top 25, won an NCAA Tournament game for the third straight year and went 47-8 overall with a 21-2 mark in conference play.
Women’s basketball won its first titles in program history, posting a 32-3 season to debut in the NCAA Tournament with a tight loss to Baylor in the opening round.
In addition to those teams’ four titles, GCU teams also brought home tournament championships in men’s basketball and women’s tennis and another championship in men’s indoor track and field. Men’s golf earned an at-large selection into NCAA Regionals.
Since becoming postseason eligible in 2017, GCU has won all seven WAC Commissioner’s Cups for fully completed seasons (the COVID-shortened 2019-20 race only included nine sports). No other program has claimed more than three WAC Commissioner’s Cups.
Men’s tennis and women’s soccer also made appearances in the championships games of WAC Tournament play to add additional points to GCU’s ledger.
2024-25 WAC Commissioner’s Cup final standings
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|
| School | Points |
| 1. GCU | 116.8 |
| 2. Utah Valley | 104.5 |
| 3. Tarleton State | 94.1 |
| 4. Abilene Christian | 87.4 |
| 5. California Baptist | 87.3 |
| 6. UT Arlington | 79.3 |
| 7. Seattle U | 67.3 |
| 8. Southern Utah | 52.7 |
| 9. Utah Tech | 42.6 |
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Team Captains: Ashley O’Neill, Kasey Umlauf Record: 19-11, 9-3 Collegiate Water Polo Association (3rd Place) CWPA Championship: Third Place The University of Michigan water polo team put together a solid 2025 campaign in head coach Cassie Churnside‘s third season at the helm of the Wolverines program. The Maize and Blue finished the season with seven […]
Team Captains: Ashley O’Neill, Kasey Umlauf
Record: 19-11, 9-3 Collegiate Water Polo Association (3rd Place)
CWPA Championship: Third Place
The University of Michigan water polo team put together a solid 2025 campaign in head coach Cassie Churnside‘s third season at the helm of the Wolverines program. The Maize and Blue finished the season with seven wins against ranked opponents and came within one goal of a spot in the CWPA championship game. On an individual level, four Wolverines landed on a CWPA All-Conference team, highlighted by Ari Karampetsou earning first-team honors and Issy Jackson earning second-team honors.
Team Highlights
• The Wolverines finished the 2025 campaign ranked 16th nationally and third at the CWPA Championship.
• Michigan secured its biggest win of the regular season by defeating then-No. 8 Harvard 9-7 at the Aztec Invitational on March 16 in San Diego, Calif. Sophia Panossian and Karampetsou led the Wolverines’ offensive efforts with two goals each against the Crimson.
• U-M got the home portion of its 2025 season off to a strong start at the Wolverine Invitational, winning against all five opponents inside Canham Natatorium. Michigan knocked off each foe by a minimum of 10 goals.
• While hosting the Conference Crossover, the Maize and Blue celebrated Senior Day, defeating then-No. 20 Brown 17-11. Throughout the tournament, Michigan took a 24-2 win over Mercyhurst and closed out their home schedule with a 22-9 victory over Saint Francis.
Individual Highlights
• Freshman Karampetsou dominated in her first season in Ann Arbor, notching 106 points with a team-high 66 goals and 40 assists. She scored three goals or more in 12 games and scored in 22 of her 30 games played. For her efforts, Karampetsou found herself on the Peter J. Cutino Award Midseason Watch List as one of the top 20 women’s water polo players in the country. The Athens, Greece, native earned four separate CWPA weekly honors as both Offensive Player and Rookie of the Week.
• With 59 points on the season, Emma Gustafsson was a threat for the Maize and Blue. The sophomore was the second-leading scorer, recording 49 goals and 10 assists throughout the season. On April 25, Gustafsson tallied a career-high six goals in a victory over Saint Francis.
• During her junior season, Jackson played a pivotal role on both ends of the pool. The Auckland, New Zealand, native led the team with 39 steals while tallying nine field blocks. Offensively, Jackson notched 50 points, recording 27 goals and 23 assists. Her versatility earned her CWPA All-Conference and All-Tournament second-team honors.
• Freshman goalkeeper Sophia Bunnell was a defensive anchor for the Maize and Blue in her first season in the net. She started 23 games, collecting 196 saves and recording nine steals. Bunnell notched double-digit saves in nine games, including 15 in the CWPA Championship semifinals against then-No. 15 Harvard, and was named CWPA All-Conference honorable mention.
Honors and Awards
Collegiate Water Polo Association
All-CWPA (First Team): Ari Karampetsou
All-CWPA (Second Team): Issy Jackson
All-CWPA (Honorable Mention): Sophia Bunnell, Matilda Waugh
All-Tournament (First Team): Kasey Umlauf
All-Tournament (Second Team): Issy Jackson
All-Tournament (Honorable Mention): Sophia Bunnell, Brooke Ingram
Player of the Week: Emma Gustafsson (Jan. 21, March 24)
Defensive Player of the Week: Madie Ambrose (Jan. 21)
Rookie of the Week: Ari Karampetsou (Jan. 21, Feb. 12, March 5, March 24), Matilda Waugh (April 8)
Academic All-Big Ten
Riley Chapple, Jr., Communication and Media
Katie Delaney, So., Biochemistry
Claire Eusey, Jr., Cognitive Science
Emma Gustafsson, So., Communication and Media
Brooke Ingram, Jr., Sport Management
Issy Jackson, Jr., Sport Management
Kaia Levenfeld, So., Movement Science
Emilia Mladjan, So., Electrical Engineering
Ashley O’Neill, Sr., Neuroscience
Sophia Panossian, So., Applied Exercise Science
Maiken Pardon, Sr., Mechanical Engineering
Maddy Scarth, So., French; Political Science
Jillian Schlom, So., Economics
Jordan Schneider, So., Economics
Kasey Umlauf, Gr., Human Genetics
Story Links MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The West Virginia University cross country and track & field combined programs have been named No. 9 nationally in the Terry Crawford Program of the Year Award rankings, announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The USTFCCCA Program of the […]
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The West Virginia University cross country and track & field combined programs have been named No. 9 nationally in the Terry Crawford Program of the Year Award rankings, announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
The USTFCCCA Program of the Year Award honors the institution that has achieved the most success in each academic year, spanning the cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons. The award is based on the institution’s finish at their respective championships.
“For our group to have received this ninth-place ranking shows how incredibly consistent that we have been all year,” said WVU coach Sean Cleary. “I am very proud of this team and in awe of the level of performance that they have delivered throughout the past 10 months.”
In order to be eligible for the award, teams must qualify for each of the championships. Scoring is based on the team’s finish at each championship in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field, with the lowest total score for all three championships combined determining the award winner. Ties among school’s split points for positions taken.
West Virginia finished No. 2 in cross country, with two program of the year points, No. 23 in indoor track and field with 24.5 program of the year points and No. 24 in outdoor track and field with 24.5 program of the year points. In total, the Mountaineers finished with 51 total points.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUXCTF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The Morrill High School volleyball program is holding a “Swim Day” fundraiser on Saturday at the Morrill Public Pool from 1-7 pm. Adult admission is $5, kids under 18 years old get in for $3 while kids five years old and younger get in free! They’ll also be serving up a burger & […]
The Morrill High School volleyball program is holding a “Swim Day” fundraiser on Saturday at the Morrill Public Pool from 1-7 pm.
Adult admission is $5, kids under 18 years old get in for $3 while kids five years old and younger get in free! They’ll also be serving up a burger & chips meal for $5 with candy and soda also available for purchase.
All the money raised that day will go towards the Morrill volleyball team in fundraising for their upcoming season this fall.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Savannah Sutherland of the University of Michigan women’s track and field team has been named the 2025 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Women’s Track Athlete of the Year, as announced by the conference on Wednesday (June 18). It is her third straight year earning the honor, the first time in […]
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Savannah Sutherland of the University of Michigan women’s track and field team has been named the 2025 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Women’s Track Athlete of the Year, as announced by the conference on Wednesday (June 18). It is her third straight year earning the honor, the first time in program history a Wolverine has won three in a row.
Sutherland captured her second national title in the 400-meter hurdles and her third straight top-two finish at the NCAA Championships on Saturday (June 14). She ran a personal-best 52.46 seconds to finish 2.20 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher and set five records — the NCAA record, the NCAA Championship meet record, the Big Ten record, the Michigan program record and the Canadian national record. She earned first team All-America honors for her performance.
The senior is now just the second runner in NCAA history to break 53 seconds, with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone setting the previous collegiate record of 52.75 in 2018. Sutherland is also just the third athlete in program history to earn multiple individual national titles. The time comes in at No. 9 in the world on the all-time performance list and is tied for the second-fastest time in the world this season.
Sutherland also ran the second leg of the 4×400-meter relay at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, running 50.71 for the fastest second leg and second-fastest split of the race. The relay squad finished 19th overall with a time of 3:33.75 to be named All-America honorable mention.
The Borden, Saskatchewan, native capped an impressive career in her final season for the Maize and Blue, winning her third straight Big Ten title in the 400-meter hurdles before setting the NCAA East First Round meet record (54.39) for the second consecutive year. She also helped set the program record in the 4×400-meter relay twice this season and earned a third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships.
• Big Ten Release
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