Augusta, GA
Five AU Volleyball Players Honored on PBC All-Academic Team – Augusta University
AUGUSTA, GA — The Peach Belt Conference has revealed the 2025 Volleyball All-Academic Team, previously known as the Team of Academic Distinction. The teams are part of the PBC’s larger initiative to celebrate the academic achievements of PBC student-athletes. Five Augusta volleyball players were named to the list: Libby Nickels, Layne Witherspoon, Sydney Harrington, Mia Saavedra, and Lauren Posa.
In order to be eligible for the PBC All-Academic Team, student-athletes must meet the following requirements:
1) Participate in at least half of his/her team’s events and be either a starter or significant contributor
2) Achieved a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and
3) Student-Athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically
Transfer students are immediately eligible once they meet the above requirements. The Peach Belt Conference sports communications professionals oversee the program.
| PBC VOLLEYBALL ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | INSTITUTION | YEAR | HOMETOWN | GPA | MAJOR (MINOR) |
| Libby Nickels | Augusta | Sophomore | New Smyrna Beach, Fl. | 4.00 | Criminal Justice |
| Layne Witherspoon | Augusta | Junior | Wildwood, Mo. | 4.00 | Kinesiology |
| Sydney Harrington | Augusta | Junior | Albany, Or. | 3.75 | Business Administration |
| Mia Saavedra | Augusta | Senior | Tampa, Fl. | 3.80 | Business Administration |
| Lauren Posa | Augusta | Senior | Johns Creek, Ga. | 3.75 | Kinesiology |
| Cassidy Bloom | Flagler | Senior | Naples, Fla. | 3.74 | Business |
| Gracie Fleming | Flagler | Junior | Denver, Colo. | 3.5 | Marketing |
| Clare Sheedy | Flagler | Senior | Plymouth, Ind. | 3.97 | Political Science |
| Lexi Baum | GCSU | Sophomore | St. Petersburg, Fla. | 3.85 | Undeclared- Nursing Track (Global Health Studies) |
| Liv Diaz | GCSU | Junior | Snellville, Ga. | 3.66 | Undeclared- Nursing Track |
| Riese Johnson | GCSU | Senior | Cumming, Ga. | 3.61 | Biology |
| Sadie Parkerson | GCSU | Sophomore | Kennesaw, Ga. | 3.77 | Exercise Science |
| Hayley Shepherd | GCSU | Graduate | Kathleen, Ga. | 4.00 | Special Education (G)/ Psychology (UG) |
| Lexi Polychribes | GCSU | Senior | Adrian, Ga. | 3.51 | Undeclared- Nursing Track |
| Nya Warren | GCSU | Sophomore | Gray, Ga. | 3.86 | Undeclared- Elementary Education Track (Global Health Studies) |
| Sam Alwardt | Lander | Sophomore | Summerville, S.C. | 3.89 | Biology |
| Karson Browning | Lander | Sophomore | Boiling Springs, S.C. | 3.50 | Physical Education |
| Emmi Cheek | Lander | Sophomore | West Jefferson, N.C. | 3.68 | Biology |
| Ameila May | Lander | Sophomore | Vale, N.C. | 3.73 | Exercise Science |
| Katie Miller | Lander | Senior | Sugar City, Id. | 3.55 | Nursing |
| Alyssa Tegelar | Lander | Senior | Blairstown, Iowa. | 4.0 | Visual Art |
| Ryleigh Willard | Lander | Sophomore | Roebuck, S.C. | 3.73 | Exercise Science |
| Aubrie Beard | Middle Georgia | Sophomore | McDonough, Ga. | 3.61 | Nursing |
| Paige Collier | Middle Georgia | Senior | Winston, Ga. | 3.72 | Aviation Science & Management |
| Ellie Johnson | Middle Georgia | Senior | Canton, Ga. | 3.89 | Early Education/ Special Education |
| Noemi Combi | Salem | Junior | Castello Di Brianza, Italy | 4.00 | |
| Alli Bishop | USCA | Junior | Chesterfield, Mo. | 3.649 | Nursing |
| Chloe Duzenack | USCA | Sophomore | Loveland, Co. | 3.659 | Exercise and Sport Science- Health & Fitness Management |
| Sidney Hogan | USCA | Senior | Saint Louis, Mo. | 4.00 | Exercise and Sport Science- Allied Health |
| Ana Cate Loftus | USCA | Sophomore | Powell, Oh. | 3.554 | Mechanical Engineering |
| Avery Pearson | USCA | Sophomore | Wellington, Co. | 3.786 | Nursing |
| Lexi Rogers | USCA | Redshirt Sophomore | Moore, S.C. | 3.892 | Psychology |
| Anna Sommer | USCA | Senior | St. Louis, Mo. | 3.776 | Exercise and Sport Science- Basic Sciences |
Augusta, GA
Historic Masters landmark purchased and renovated by local resident
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Augusta, GA
Georgia governor candidate Olu Brown campaigns in Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Democratic candidate for Georgia governor Olu Brown visited Augusta on Friday evening, stopping near the Sand Hills Community Center as early voting continues.
Brown is one of six candidates in the Democratic primary.
Campaign priorities
Brown said his vision as governor would focus on three main areas.
“One, it’s affordability around health care and making sure we expand Medicaid and expand Peach Care and make sure we continue to make our rural health care systems healthy and vital,” Brown said. “Number two, we’ve got to address education in all of Georgia, making sure every kid in Georgia gets an excellent education, and we’re paying our teachers more. And number 3, we’re protecting the rights of all women. Folks in the Gold Dome shouldn’t be making decisions about their bodies or the choices that they make.”
Brown is running against Amanda Duffy, Derrick Jackson, Geoff Duncan, Jason Esteves, Keisha Lance Bottoms and Mike Thurmond.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
Augusta, GA
Augusta Prep student arrested over picture of LEGO gun, threat he called a joke
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – An Augusta Prep student was arrested on a charge of terroristic threats over a picture of a LEGO gun he posted on social media.
It happened Wednesday, according to an incident report from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
Eric Hedinger, the principal of Augusta Preparatory Day School, told deputies a student had uploaded a picture to Snapchat of a “pistol” with the caption “shooting up the school so I don`t have to take the stats exam tomorrow. Don`t come yall!”
The principal said he spoke to the student and his father about the photo.
The principal also provided deputies with the student’s address in Grovetown.
A deputy went there and was told by the student that the “pistol” was a LEGO set that he had built.

He also said the comment he made was supposed to be a joke because he was not looking forward to taking his Advanced Placement statistics test this week.
The student showed the deputy the box that the LEGO set came in, and how the set was already disassembled.
The deputy also looked in the boy’s room to make sure he was not in possession of any weapons.
The mother advised that there was one firearm in the residence but it was locked up.

The deputy contacted Judge Leslie Morgan and she issued a warrant for terroristic threats.
The student, age 18, was taken into custody and transported to the Columbia County Detention Center.
News 12 is not reporting his name or publishing his photo since the LEGO gun could not have actually harmed anyone.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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