ROUNDUP: Chris O'Leary joins Harbaugh's Chargers coaching staff

Feb. 15—Chris O'Leary has climbed from a standout football player at Terre Haute North High School to the NFL.

The 2010 North gradate, who later played for the hometown Indiana State Sycamores in college, has joined new Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh's staff. The NFL club announced his hiring Wednesday.

O'Leary will coach the Chargers' safeties.

As a player at ISU, O'Leary signed as a quarterback but shifted to wide receiver after an injury. He was a member of the Sycamore team that reached the NCAA FCS playoffs and won a postseason game in 2014.

O'Leary graduated and then joined the coaching staff of then-Georgia State head coach Trent Miles, the former Sycamores coach. Later, O'Leary worked on the coaching staff of former Terre Haute North and ISU standout Steve Englehart at Florida Tech. The Florida Tech defensive coordinator was Rick Minter.

Minter also was one of the new Chargers assistants signed by Harbaugh this week. He will serve as special-teams coordinator.

O'Leary most recently spent six seasons Notre Dame (2018-23). He worked as a defensive analyst his first two seasons with the Fighting Irish before spending 2020 coaching Rovers and then, ultimately, working as the coach of defensive backs and safeties from 2021-23.

In the 2023 season, O'Leary tutored safety Xavier Watts, a converted wide receiver, to lead the nation with seven interceptions and win the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is annually presented to the top defensive player in college football.

O'Leary also coached eventual first-round NFL selections in safety Kyle Hamilton and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, whom he tutored as rovers coach in 2020, to All-American recognition.

College track

—Staggs, Anderson tops in MVC — Indiana State swept the Missouri Valley Conference Field Athlete of the Week awards, with Will Staggs and Niesha Anderson earning the conference honors Thursday morning.

Staggs was tabbed the MVC Men's Field Athlete of the Week, with Anderson picking up MVC Women's Field Athlete of the Week honors.

Staggs continued his record-setting season at the Tyson Invitational, breaking his own program record in the pole vault for a second consecutive meet. Competing in the invitational section, which consisted of All-Americans and professional athletes, Staggs cleared marks of 16 feet and 11.5 inches, 17-5.5, 17-9.25 and 18-1.25 to place inside the top five in the field.

Staggs' record-setting mark placed him first in the MVC, second in the Great Lakes region and 11th nationally in the pole vault. His mark is also the best by an MVC athlete since 2001.

Anderson continued her strong season in the weight throw at the Tyson Invitational, placing in the top three with a mark of 67-3.5. She was the only athlete from outside the Power Five conferences to finish in the top five in the event, which consisted of multiple athletes ranked in the top 25 nationally. Anderson also competed in the shot put, finishing with a top mark of 41-3.75 in the event.

Anderson continues to lead the MVC in the weight throw, where she also ranks third in the Great Lakes region and 17th nationally. She also ranks fifth in the MVC in the shot put.

The weekly honor is Staggs' fifth MVC Field Athlete of the Week selection this season and the sixth of his career, as he also earned the honor once during the 2022-23 indoor season. Anderson's weekly honor is her second of the season. Indiana State has earned 10 MVC Athlete of the Week honors this season and has three weeks with multiple weekly winners this season.

Indiana State competes in its final meet before the MVC indoor championships when it plays host to the ISU Open on Saturday afternoon at the ISU Indoor Track and Field Facility.

College volleyball

—Woods men win — Saint Mary-of-the-Woods improved to 5-1 on Tuesday at Rockford University, winning 25-10, 25-22, 25-22.

The first set set the tone for the match, with the Woods taking a commanding lead of 25-10.

Despite a more competitive effort from Rockford in the following sets, the Woods won the second and third by identical three-point margins.

Boys basketball

—Robinson 72, Marshall 46 — At Robinson, Ill., the host Maroons won a Little Illini Conference game as both teams completed their regular-season schedules.

Owen Schmidt had a career-high 28 points for Robinson, while Cole Weber had 17 points and nine rebounds; Judson Pinkston 11 points and four assists; Noah Gilmore nine points, seven rebounds and four assists; and Duke Thompson seven points and six assists.

Payton McGuire scored 20 points and Avery Sheets added 10 for Marshall.

Both teams will host postseason games Monday, 13-15 Marshall against Paris and 9-19 Robinson against Vandalia.