PORTLAND, Ore. — Ryan LaVigne forgot an all-conference team would be announced at Sunday’s Northwest Conference Championships.
LaVigne, a women’s rower at Portland-based Lewis & Clark College, waited with her teammates for the team awards to be announced at the end of the championships. When they started to announce the eight-person all-conference team, she thought for a second, “Oh, that’d be cool if I got it.”
She did get it.
LaVigne, a transgender woman, received the all-Northwest Conference honor by helping Lewis & Clark’s No. 1 varsity-eight boat to second place Sunday on American Lake near Lakewood, Wash. The all-conference recognition, the first of her college career, made her feel accepted.
“There is no difference between me and anybody else in the conference, and that’s a really nice feeling,” said LaVigne, who also identifies as a lesbian.
The Lewis & Clark Pioneers finished third as a team with 35 points. Pacific Lutheran, the No. 7-ranked team in NCAA Division III, won the Northwest Conference team title with 40 points.
LaVigne, who initially talked publicly about being transgender in 2016, competes from the fifth seat in Lewis & Clark’s 1V8 boat. The boat completed Sunday’s 2-kilometer race in 7 minutes, 13.85 seconds.
“Coming in last year, I was really worried about how — not only the crew that I row for but the entire conference — would [respond to] one of the very few trans athletes in the nation,” LaVigne said Sunday in a phone interview. “This year, getting that [all-conference honor] and just having a really good race on the same day, it was just a cherry on top.”
LaVigne, a junior, was one of two Lewis & Clark rowers recognized Sunday along with Natalie Stroud, who LaVigne described as “really strong.” For the 5-foot-8 LaVigne, she said her own all-conference honor was possible because of being embraced by her teammates.
“The biggest thing for me is just getting to be a part of a crew, getting to be part of a team that I don’t have to worry about if I’m accepted or not,” LaVigne said. “I’m just one of the members on the team, and my successes are theirs and theirs are mine.”
Lewis & Clark’s next regatta is April 29 and 30 in Sacramento, Calif., at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships, which brings together NCAA Division I, II, and III teams from the west coast and serves as a qualifier for the NCAA Division III Championships.
“I’m excited to see how we stack up against everybody else,” LaVigne said.
Names in bold are people that have announced publicly they identify as LGBT.
Division I
Philip Batler (freshman, Brown men’s track & field) finished fourth in the 100 meters (11.04 seconds) during the Ocean State Invitational on April 15. He also earned fourth place Saturday in the 100 (11.25 seconds) at the UMass Lowell Invitational.
Chase Boyle (senior, Mount St. Mary’s men’s track & field) took third in the hammer (178 feet, 11 inches) and 11th in the discus (131-3 3/4) at Bucknell on Saturday.
Tim Cox (senior, Yale men’s track & field) took second in the 1,500 meters (4:02.65) on April 15 during the Harvard-Yale meet, which Harvard won 113-50. On Friday at the Virginia Challenge, he finished 44th of 50 runners in the 800 meters with a personal-record time (1:54.88).
Drew Davis (redshirt senior, Limestone men’s volleyball) returned to the court April 11 from his ankle injury for Senior Night, and he had nine kills and seven digs to contribute to the four-set win against Lees-McRae. Davis didn’t play in the postseason opener April 18, but he played two sets and had one dig in Friday’s season-ending three-set loss to Barton in the Conference Carolinas tournament semifinals. The Saints finished 13-11 overall. Davis finished second on the team with 113 digs and fourth with 97 kills.
Konrad Eiring (sophomore, Illinois men’s track & field) ran a personal-record 800-meter time of 1:50.41 to finish ninth in a field of 130 runners at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 14. He won the 800 meters (1:52.31) on Saturday at the Illinois Twilight for his first win of the season.
Chandler Frumin (junior, Tennessee women’s rowing) helped the No. 1 varsity-eight boat finish fifth in Sunday’s B final with a time of 6:38.3 at the Clemson Invitational. As a team, Tennessee finished 13th of 21 teams.
Emmonnie Henderson (senior, Louisville women’s track & field) won the women’s shot put with a throw of 59 feet, 0 inches to break her own school record April 15 at the Louisville Invitational. At that meet, she also took second in discus (168-2) and sixth in hammer (174-2). Her performance earned her ACC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week on April 18. She was also named ACC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week on April 11 for initially breaking Louisville’s five-year-old shot put school record.
Ayrton Kasemets (junior, Oakland men’s swimming) was selected to represent Estonia at the World University Games in August in Taiwan. Kasemets has dual citizenship with Estonia and the United States. Kasemets is scheduled to swim the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke.
Jake Leffew (sophomore, Yale men’s golf) finished 46th with a 36-hole score of 154 strokes during the 13-team Yale Spring Invitational on April 15.
Alexis Lewandowski (sophomore, IUPUI women’s track & field) finished fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (11:40.26) on Saturday at the Illinois Twilight meet, and on April 15 at Ball State, she ran the 5,000 meters (19:02.69) and finished seventh. Kelsey Tyler (junior, IUPUI women’s track & field) finished 41st on Saturday in the 1,500 meters (5:06.19) at Illinois. Tyler ran the 5,000 (18:41.16) on April 13 at the Bryan Clay Invitational, and on April 15, she finished 89th of 106 runners in the 1,500 (4:55.64) at the Long Beach Invitational.
Justice Lord (sophomore, Barton men’s volleyball), Michael Tyler (sophomore, Barton men’s volleyball), and Juan Varona (redshirt senior, Barton men’s volleyball) helped No. 1-seeded Barton win the Conference Carolinas tournament Saturday to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Barton faces BYU at 6 p.m. May 2 in Columbus, Ohio. It’s the program’s first trip to the NCAA tournament in its six years of existence. Tyler and Varona did not play in any of the three conference tournament matches. Lord played in the semifinal and championship matches, and he had three kills and six digs in the three-set championship win against Mount Olive. On Friday, Lord was named to the all-conference third team.
Jake Martin (redshirt senior, Ohio State men’s gymnastics) helped the Buckeyes take second place at the NCAA Championships on Saturday with a season-best score of 423.700. He finished ninth in the all-around competition (84.050), and his best event finish was 11th on high bar (14.250).
Cavender Salvadori (redshirt junior, William & Mary men’s track & field) took 14th in the 800 (2:01.28) and 16th in the 1,500 (4:03.83) at CNU on April 15. At the Virginia Challenge on Friday, he took 24th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:30.74).
Max Showalter (sophomore, Purdue men’s diving) competed with Zach Cooper at the USA Diving Synchronized National Championships on April 13, and they took fourth in the 10-meter competition with a score of 700.14. On April 14, he competed with Krysta Palmer in mixed 3-meter springboard, and they took seventh with a score of 255.24.
Jaron Thomas (senior, Colorado men’s track & field) won the 400-meter hurdles (51.61 seconds) and took fourth in the 110 hurdles (14.27 seconds) at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 14. At Stanford on Friday and Saturday, he finished second in the 110 hurdles (14.27 seconds) and third in the 400 hurdles (52.1 seconds). Thomas also announced on Facebook that he’ll complete his eligibility next season at North Texas while working toward a doctorate in audiology. Thomas has a season of indoor track eligibility remaining next year
Taylor Tvedt (senior, Lehigh women’s lacrosse) received the Patriot League Defender of the Week award on April 10. In the ensuing two weeks, she went 1-2 with the Mountain Hawks (10-5 overall). Tvedt made eight saves in the April 19 win against Lafayette.
Jenny Allard (head coach, Harvard softball) led the Crimson (18-16 overall, 9-6 Ivy) to a 7-2 record the last two weeks. With five consecutive Ivy League wins, Harvard sits a half game behind Dartmouth for first place.
Colin Christiansen (assistant coach, Maryland-Baltimore County softball) saw the Retrievers (19-24 overall) go 3-4 the last two weeks.
Randy Lane (assistant coach, UCLA women’s gymnastics) helped the Bruins take fourth place at the NCAA Championships on April 14-15. UCLA scored 197.2625, and Oklahoma won the team title with 198.3875. UCLA freshman Kyla Ross won individual NCAA titles on balance beam and uneven bars.
Nich Lee Parker (head coach, Columbia men’s lightweight rowing) guided his team to win the Subin Cup against Dartmouth and Mercyhurst on Sunday. Columbia came in second in the Geiger Cup battle Saturday. Columbia took third in its Dodge Cup competition April 15.
Simon Thibodeau (head coach, UC Santa Barbara women’s tennis) led the Gauchos (14-9 overall) to a 3-0 record the last two weeks. UC Santa Barbara has won seven consecutive matches.
Kirk Walker (assistant coach, UCLA softball) saw the No. 13-ranked Bruins (33-12 overall) go 5-2 the last two weeks. Arizona’s game at UCLA on May 6 is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPNU at 9 p.m. ET, and the Arizona at UCLA game on May 7 is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. ET.
Division II
Alanna Carvalho (junior, Alabama-Huntsville women’s lacrosse) scored two goals in Sunday’s season-ending loss in the championship of the Gulf South Conference Invitational to No. 1-seeded Young Harris. UAH finishes 14-5 overall. Carvalho’s 28 goals rank fourth on the team as do her seven assists. On April 19, it was announced Carvalho was selected all-Gulf South Conference.
Kylon Drones (junior, West Texas A&M men’s track & field) won the 110-meter hurdles (14.46 seconds) and tied for first in pole vault (14 feet, 7 inches) at Sunday’s West Texas Invitational. On Sunday, he also finished fourth in high jump (6-0), ninth in discus (101-4 1/2), and helped the 4×400 relay take fourth place.
Carly Muscaro (senior, Merrimack women’s track & field) made her outdoor debut Saturday at MIT, where she won the 400 meters (53.52 seconds) and provisionally qualified for NCAAs.
Austin Shupp (redshirt sophomore, Shippensburg men’s track & field) earned a provisional qualifying time for the NCAA Championships in the 400-meter hurdles (53.05 seconds) and finished second at Bucknell on April 15, and he also helped the 4×100 relay win that day and took 12th in the long jump (21-10). On April 19 in a five-team home meet, he set a personal record and won the long jump (22-11 1/4), and he won the 110-meter hurdles (14.77).
Lauren Lappin (assistant coach, Missouri-St. Louis softball) saw the Tritons (35-13 overall) go 7-1 the last two weeks.
Tony Nicolosi (head coach, Cal State East Bay men’s & women’s track & field) saw his runners sweep the 800 meters at the East Bay Invitational on April 15. Alberto Venegas won the men’s 800, and Sarah Perrin won the women’s race.
Division III
Michael Drougas (junior, Oberlin men’s tennis) went 1-1 at No. 2 singles and 1-0 at No. 2 doubles the last two weeks. Oberlin opens the postseason April 28 against Wabash College.
Jason Hadley (sophomore, Mount Union men’s track & field) took 12th of 50 runners in the 1,500 (4:14.86) at the Walsh Invitational on April 15. At Baldwin Wallace University on Saturday, Hadley came in second in the 1,500 (4:13.9. Josh Thorne (sophomore, Mount Union men’s track & field) finished seventh in the 1,500 (4:07.91) at the Walsh Invitational on April 15.
Sam Knollmeyer (freshman, Hamilton men’s lacrosse) saw the Continentals end their season Saturday with a 14-6 loss to Trinity. Knollmeyer, a goalie, did not play this season.
Paul Messana (senior, Pomona-Pitzer men’s track & field), Cal Neikirk (sophomore, Pomona-Pitzer men’s track & field), and Nick Vucovich (junior, Pomona-Pitzer men’s track & field) combined with Ryan Abele to win the 4×400 relay in 3:17.21, the seventh fastest Division III time this year according to Pomona-Pitzer, at the SCIAC Multi-Dual meet April 15. Messana also won the 400 meters in 48.3 seconds, the fifth fastest time in school history, and Vucovich took fifth in the 400 (51.44 seconds). Neikirk grabbed additional wins in the 110 hurdles (14.7 seconds) and the 400 hurdles (54.17 seconds), and his 110 time is the school’s fourth fastest time ever. Neikirk then took second in high jump (6-0 3/4), second in triple jump (44-0 3/4), and third on the 4×100 relay.
Lucas White Moon (freshman, Pomona-Pitzer men’s track & field) took third in long jump (20-1 1/2), third in triple jump (43-0 1/4), and seventh in the 400 (53.14 seconds) at the SCIAC Multi-Dual meet April 15.
T.J. Greggs (head coach, Agnes Scott women’s tennis) saw his team end the season with a 7-2 loss to N.C. Wesleyan in the USA South tournament April 13. Greggs announced this is his final season coaching Agnes Scott.
NAIA
David Gilbert (senior, Lewis-Clark men’s track & field) helped Lewis-Clark win the 3,200-meter relay (7:49.36) at the Whitworth Twilight Meet on April 20.
Jack Strickland (senior, Friends men’s track & field) took 11th in the 110-meter hurdles (15.05 seconds), 16th in the 400 hurdles (58.71 seconds), and 28th in long jump (18-11 1/4) at Wichita State on April 15. At the Kansas Relays on Saturday, Strickland took 19th in the 400 hurdles (57.04 seconds).
Junior College
Taylor Emery (sophomore, Gulf Coast State women’s basketball) received Friday the NJCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Player of the Year award from the NJCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee. Emery led the Commodores to the national title in March.
Erik Hall can be reached via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @HallErik or on Facebook. If you are an out LGBT athlete or coach and want your accomplishments recognized, please email Erik.
