EMPORIA, Kan. — Tusculum University freshman Caley Sosnowski and sophomore Theresa Green-White each earned All-America honors on the final day of the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championship at Francis G. Welch Stadium.
Sosnowski placed second in the women’s javelin and Green-White took sixth in the women’s 100-meter hurdles to help the Pioneers finish in a tie for 21st place in the final women’s team standings with 11 points. They are the second and third women’s All-Americans in program history, joining Nicole McMillen who was sixth in the steeplechase in 2019.
Sosnowski entered the meet as the co-top seed with Keilee Johnson of Missouri Southern at 49.05 meters, but settled for silver behind freshman Olivia Vanderweide of Pittsburg State, who entered the meet seeded 19th in the field of 21 throwers but outdistanced Sosnowski by just over a foot to take the upset gold. The Oxford, Florida native is the first Pioneer athlete, male or female, to earn a top-three finish at an NCAA Division II Track & Field Championship.
Vanderweide competed in the first of two flights for Pittsburg State and came up with a mark of 51.93 meters (170 feet, 4 inches) that was more than 20 feet beyond her previous season best of 45.48 meters (149 feet, 2 inches). Sosnowski went in the second flight and hit a career-best throw of 51.60 meters (169 feet, 3 inches) on her second attempt.
In the finals, Sosnowski threw 51.54 meters (169 feet, 1 inch) on the first of her three attempts, but came up several feet short of Vanderweide’s mark on her final two throws. Sosnowski was the only competitor to break 51 meters on two throws during the competition, and had two of the five throws that surpassed 50 meters.
About 20 minutes before Sosnowski wrapped up her silver medal, Green-White competed in the 100 hurdles finals. She entered the race seeded fourth in the field of eight runners, and ended up sixth with a time of 13.88 seconds. The Stafford, Texas native broke 14 seconds six times this season after having a career-best time of 14.24 seconds entering the 2024 outdoor season.
Denisha Cartwright of Minnesota State breezed to the championship in the 100 hurdles with a time of 12.37 seconds, easily outpacing runner-up Nicole Warwick of Azusa Pacific who was clocked in 13.24 seconds.
Sophomore Daryl Smith Jr. competed in the men’s triple jump on Saturday and placed 16th in a field of 19 athletes with a mark of 14.67 meters (48 feet, 1 3/4 inches), the fifth-best of the season for Smith and the eighth-best in program history.
Pittsburg State swept the team championships, scoring 78 points in the men’s meet to beat out West Texas A&M (64 points) and Harding (50 points) and collecting an even 100 points in the women’s meet to beat out Adams State (72 points) and Azusa Pacific (44 points).
Tusculum’s women were one of 60 programs to earn points at the national championship, and the Pioneers’ 11 points were second in the South Atlantic Conference and in the Southeast Region to Lenoir-Rhyne, which placed ninth with 26 points.
FOOTBALL Robustelli Signs With CFL Team
REGINA, Saskatchewan — Tusculum University wide receiver Joe Robustelli has signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.
Robustelli, a 6-2, 220-pound native of Sarasota, Florida, appeared in eight games for the Pioneers last season where he led the Pioneers with six touchdown catches. He finished second on the team with 20 receptions for 475 yards and averaged a team-best 23.8 yards per catch which is the fifth-best average in program history.
Robustelli made five catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns in Tusculum’s 27-21 win at Carson-Newman. He followed with two receptions for 114 yards in a home win over UVA Wise which included a 73-yard TD catch. He tallied four receptions for a season-best 127 yards and two touchdowns including his 68-yard score in the fourth quarter at Emory & Henry.
Robustelli, who majored in communications, was a member of the Tusculum Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.
Robustelli becomes the 33rd TU football student-athlete to sign professionally and seventh with a Canadian Football League team. The last Pioneer to sign with a CFL club was Dee Alford who signed with Winnipeg and helped the Blue Bombers to a second Grey Cup Championship. Alford later signed with the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL Wingo All-American
Deklan Wingo of Tusculum University men’s volleyball was named to the inaugural Off the Block Division II All-America Team, composed of 21 players across the country.
The Off the Block Division II All-America Team honors the top players during the season from NCAA Division II men’s volleyball teams. It also is the first All-America Team in the history of college men’s volleyball solely comprised of Division II players.
Wingo was also named the Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (IVA) Offensive Player of the Year and to the all-tournament team last month.
Wingo, a native of Chester, Virginia, won the league’s offensive player of the week honors an incredible four times throughout the season. The junior outside hitter averaged 3.47 kills per set on a .231 hitting percentage. Wingo has accumulated 371 kills, 20 assists, 16 service aces, 150 digs, and 33 total blocks (15 solo, 18 assists). He notched a career-high 24 kills in the five-set loss to Thomas More on the Pioneers’ Senior Night, tallying at least 20 kills in four matches.
For his career, Wingo is second in kills (723), kills per set (2.70), attack attempts (1,680), hitting percentage (.221), points (855.5), points per set (3.19), and each blocking total: solo (34), assists (89), and total (123). He also ranks third in aces (54) and service attempts (877) and fourth in digs (277), sets played (268), and matches played (76).
The Pioneers (8-23) rounded out the season with a third-place finish at the IVA Tournament on April 13.
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