Sports

2025 Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup

Published

9 months ago

April 4, 2025

The second-to-last Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup event of the 2025 season heads to another new venue on Saturday afternoon, and for the first time in series history, rain is in the forecast. The top-level series’ inaugural trip to Fuji Speedway will feature 30 of the best sim racers in the world, navigating the wet weather around the 2.83-mile, 16-corner circuit in Oyama, Japan.

Live streaming of the events will begin on Saturday at 18:00 GMT (2PM ET) via Porsche’s channels on YouTube and Twitch with the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup All-Star series, this round competing in the Porsche 911 GT3 R. The Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup pro drivers will take off one hour afterwards, at 19:00 GMT (3PM ET).

Last Race:

One week ago, the championship battle defined itself further as Cooper Webster (Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing) scored another Feature race victory at Thruxton Circuit. The battle wasn’t as easy as he would have hoped, as he only managed to qualify ninth for the Sprint. Luke McKeown (Apex Racing Team) scored the TAG Heuer Pole Award, the fifth different winner in five races of the pole position, and went on to win the Sprint. Webster wrangled eighth place away from Diogo Pinto, who started seventh, which allowed for him to invert to the pole and win the Feature race.

Last Season:

As Fuji makes its debut on the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup schedule, last season’s penultimate battle took to the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, better known as Imola, for the first time since the 2021 season. In the opening Sprint race, Sam Kuitert scored the TAG Heuer Pole Award and managed to wrangle the lead from Sebastian Job off of the grid. In the Feature, Cooper Webster inverted to the pole position and wound up holding on for the victory.

Track Facts:

First opened in 1965, Fuji Speedway has undergone numerous reconfigurations to get to its current layout. The fifth and most recent design, authored by the internationally recognized Hermann Tilke, clocks in at 2.835 miles (4.563 km) and features 16 turns. Its frontstretch is responsible for nearly a mile of that length, forcing drivers to push for top speed coming off of the final corner, Panasonic, before diving into Turn 1.

Since 1967, Fuji Speedway has been a frequent host of prominent endurance races, starting with the Fuji 1000 km that year and evolving into the Fuji 6 Hours in 2012. The track hosted its first Japanese Grand Prix in 1976, and the event returned in 1977, 2007, and 2008. The track has also been a longtime staple of the Japanese national GT and formula series calendars, and its application has been so diverse that it even played host to cycling in the 2020 Summer Olympics.

All Stars:

The PESC All-Stars are back in 2025 with one of the biggest star-studded lineups in series history. eNASCAR champion Casey Kirwan was victorious in the 2024 PESC All-Stars championship, winning his second title in a row, this time over Pablo “Pulpo” Lopez. Kirwan, Lopez, and other champions such as Emree and Quirkitized return in 2025, with many real world drivers taking part on occasion, such as Tony Kanaan and perhaps a few other surprises throughout the season.

Once again, the Porsche Factory Drivers stole the show at Thruxton one week ago. Both Laurin Heinrich and Ayhancan Guven were victorious, keeping points-leader Casey Kirwan back in third for both the Sprint and Main races. Kirwan has the opportunity to clinch a third-straight title in the series this weekend. He’ll have to do it from the comfort of the Porsche 911 GT3 R, the third different vehicle that the All-Stars have utilized this season.

Next Up:

After Fuji, the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup and the All-Stars will head to the famed Circuit de la Sarthe, the home of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, to crown the 2025 series champion.

The Le Mans action is scheduled for Saturday, April 12th, and will be live starting at 18:00 GMT (2PM ET) via Porsche’s channels on YouTube and Twitch with All-Stars on tap first. The Supercup races will take off one hour afterwards, at 19:00 GMT (3PM ET).

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For more information on the 2025 Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup season, visit www.iracing.com/pesc.
For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

Philippine Star – WELCOME TO UBE NATION! 💜 Professional…

Published

6 minutes ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

WELCOME TO UBE NATION!

Professional Volleyball League team Choco Mucho Flying Titans announced four addition to their team, Eya Laure, Jaila Atienza, Alina Bicar, and Caitlin Viray, for 2026 on Wednesday.

“The Choco Mucho Flying Titans welcome 4 new players to the team! They bring the grit, speed, and fire that will make every match unforgettable,” they wrote in their post.

This came after Royse Tubino, Bia General, Cherry Nunag, and Aduke Agunsanya ended their stint with the team. (Instagram/Choco Mucho Flying Titans)

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Blum outside hitter takes top honor on Texas 1A all-state volleyball team | Sports

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23 minutes ago

January 1, 2026

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Belmont Student-Athletes Have Another Impressive Semester in the Classroom

Published

39 minutes ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – – Belmont University student-athletes recorded another remarkable semester in the classroom as 2025 fall semester grades were finalized last week.

For the 2025 fall semester, the departmental grade-point average (GPA) was 3.530, which marked the 56th consecutive semester that Belmont student-athletes have earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher. In addition, it was the 12^th straight semester that the department GPA was over a 3.5.

“Our student-athletes continue to do an amazing job in the classroom,” said Scott Corley, Belmont’s Vice President/Director of Athletics. “That success is a credit to our student-athletes, coaches, and academic support staff who continue to maintain our department’s commitment to academic excellence.”

Highlights from the fall semester included:

64 percent of student-athletes achieved a semester GPA of 3.5 or higher

85 percent of student-athletes achieved a semester GPA of 3.0 of higher

15 percent of student-athletes earned a perfect 4.00 GPA

9 Bruin teams posted a team GPA of 3.5 or higher for the semester.

About Belmont University

Located two miles from downtown Nashville, Tennessee, Belmont University comprises nearly 9,000 students from every state and 33 countries. Nationally ranked and consistently recognized by U.S. News & World Report for innovation in higher education, the University offers more than 115 areas of undergraduate study, 41 master’s programs and eight doctoral degrees. With a focus on whole-person formation and data-informed social innovation, Belmont is committed to forming diverse leaders of character equipped to solve the world’s complex problems. For more information, visit www.belmont.edu.

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Great season for Italian women’s volleyball crowned with the world title – FIVB

Published

56 minutes ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

After winning the women’s Volleyball Nations League and the FIVB Volleyball Women’s U21 World Championship earlier in the year, Italy crowned a great season with the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship title. Turkiye reached a World Championship final for the first time in history and settled for silver, while Brazil completed the podium with bronze. The year’s top event was held in Thailand from August 22 to September 7.

The first World Championship under the new biennial cycle and with an expanded 32-team format marked a breakthrough moment for the sport, with unprecedented audiences across volleyball’s major markets. Volleyball World’s OTT platform, VBTV, added further momentum with more than 7 million views across the championship. The Italy v Brazil semifinal attracted 350 thousand viewers, while the final drew 250 thousand, underscoring the global appetite for premium volleyball coverage beyond traditional broadcast. Social media popularity of the competition was expressed in 7.8 thousand posts and 145 million impressions, as well as 48 million YouTube views.

The 32 participating teams were drawn into eight round-robin pools of four for the first phase of the competition. Reigning Paris 2024 Olympic champions Italy cruised through Pool B undefeated, dropping a set only in their match against Belgium. They went on to sweep their eighthfinal against Germany and their quarterfinal against Poland in straight sets. In a hard-fought semifinal against Brazil, the Italians came back from a set down twice before emerging with a 3-2 (22-25, 25-22, 28-30, 25-22, 15-13) victory. The gold medal showdown in Bangkok was also pushed to five sets. This time Turkiye came back from a set down twice to get closer than ever to the world title, but the trophy went to Italy after they prevailed in the tie-breaker, 3-2 (25-23, 13-25, 26-24, 19-25, 15-8). It was the second world crown for Italy, after their 2002 triumph. They also won silver in 2018 and bronze in 2022.

“I still can’t believe it,” Italian super-star opposite Paola Egonu said after the gold medal match. “I’m really proud of the team and incredibly happy. This is a moment I’ll never forget. It’s probably the last time for some of our players, too, and my heart is full now.”

Turkiye also reached the final undefeated. They did not lose a single set in Pool E, shut out Slovenia in the eighthfinals and beat USA in four sets in the quarterfinals. Another four-set victory, a 3-1 (16-25, 25-17, 25-18, 27-25) comeback in the semifinal against Japan, propelled Turkiye to their first ever World Championship final and secured them their first ever World Championship medal.

2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship silver medalists Turkiye

Brazil also won Pool C unbeaten, but only after coming back from two sets down to reverse-sweep their match against France. After a four-set eighthfinal victory over the Dominican Republic and a tight straight-set quarterfinal against France, they lost narrowly to Italy in the semis, but bounced back in the third-place playoff against Japan. A nail-biting 3-2 (25-12, 25-17, 19-25, 27-29, 18-16) win added the sixth medal to their World Championship collection. Brazil now have four silvers and two bronzes.

2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship bronze medalists Brazil

Japan, USA, the Netherlands, Poland, France, China, Serbia, Belgium, Germany, Thailand, the Dominican Republic, Canada, Slovenia, Ukraine, Spain, Sweden, Kenya, Greece, Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, Czechia, Colombia, Bulgaria, Puerto Rico, Egypt, Slovakia, Vietnam and Cameroon, in that order, took the places from fourth to 32nd in the final standings.

Italy’s 27-year-old setter Alessia Orro was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the World Championship. She also headlined the Dream Team, which featured opposite Melissa Vargas (Turkiye), outside hitters Mayu Ishikawa (Japan) and Gabriela Guimaraes (Brazil), middle blockers Anna Danesi (Italy) and Eda Erdem (Turkiye), and libero Monica De Gennaro (Italy).

The 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship Dream Team

Click here for the official FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship website.

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Boys Track Small but Mighty at Recent Meet

Published

1 hour ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Jasper Samuelson and Emmett Schumann on their way to first and third-place finishes in the freshman-sophomore 600-meter run.

A small crew represented Bonac boys indoor track at a crossover meet at Suffolk Community College in Brentwood on Dec. 21, but the track and field athletes who did compete turned in impressive performances.

Coach Kevin Barry said only half of the team was able to participate because of winter recess and illnesses. At least seven runners were out with the flu.

The highlight came from Eduardo Calle, who became the first Bonac long jumper to break 20 feet in 15 years, with a leap of 20 feet 1 inch — good for third place.

“This is his second winter track season,” Barry said. “He jumped 19 feet 1 inch last year and has been improving every meet so far. Twenty feet was the goal for him going into the season. Now he has new goals to set.”

Jasper Samuelson and Emmett Schumann finished first and third over all in the freshman-sophomore 600-meter run, with times of 1:31.89 and 1:36.41. Samuelson also won the 300-meter dash immediately afterward in 40.38 seconds. Samuelson is now the fastest sophomore in Suffolk County, while Schumann is the second fastest freshman, both in the 600-meter distance.

Sean Perez, a senior, finished the 1,000-meter run in 2:50 — good for fifth place.

Coach Barry called his athletes “very dedicated and hard-working,” and said they’ll keep at it over winter recess. “As a team, we are hoping to get some good work done during the holiday break and survive the flu that is going around to set us up for the big meets coming in January.”

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Blue Bell/TSWA Class 2A All-State Volleyball Team

Published

1 hour ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Blue Bell/TSWA Class 2A All-State Volleyball Team

Published 8:44 am Thursday, January 1, 2026

LONGVIEW – Division II state champion Iola earned the top two honors in voting for the Blue Bell/Texas Sports Writers Association Class 2A All-State Volleyball Team for the 2025 season.

Player of the Year honors went to Iola outside hitter Shaylee McKown, and Iola’s Jamie McDougald earned Coach of the Year honors.

Voting was conducted by TSWA members based on nominations from coaches and media members from around the state.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Jamie McDougald, Iola

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Shaylee McKown, Iola

FIRST TEAM

Middle Blockers: Kellen Weaver, Beckville; Camryn Powers, Crawford; Kennedy Slay, Tioga

Outside Hitters: Shaylee McKown, Iola; Keegan Kleiber, Mumford; Rayna Sadler, Leon

Setter: Riley Goodney, Iola

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Averi Bolgiano, Crawford

SECOND TEAM

Middle Blockers: Jacie Boles, North Hopkins; Sy Parker, Nocona; Channing Horne, Leon

Outside Hitters: Macey Hoelscher, North Hopkins; Cami Hoyle, Iola; Ava Johnson, Nocona

Setter: Landry Zapalac, Schulenburg

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Jenna Guentert, Schulanburg

THIRD TEAM

Middle Blockers: Katherine Lindemann, Garrison; Tatum Miller, Crawford; Camdyn Owen, Italy

Outside Hitters: Aubrie Kabisch, Nocona; Katelin Sullivan, Flatonia; Haylee Vacek, Schulenburg

Setter: Ainsley Anderson, Crawford

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Ava Bessette, Iola

HONORABLE MENTION

Middle Blockers: Darriyah Thomas, Omaha Pewitt; Ary’anna Mealing, Forsan; Reagan Dusek, Schulenburg; Christian Geary, Sterling City; Cadence Money, North Hopkins; Saylor Smith, Como-Pickton; Maud Poortvliet, Como-Pickton; Harlee Sevcik, Shiner; Kamiah Birmingham, Linden-Kildare; Whitney Arledge, Hamilton

Outside Hitters: Preslee Kittrell, Midred; Ella Connell, Crawford; Lily Bailey, Hawley; Kati Calvillo, Como-Pickton; Kaitlyn Jenkins, Rosebud-Lott; Camdyn Benton, Riesel; Greenli VanZandt, Schulanburg; Charlee Wolf, Windthorst; Anna Claire Cooper, Hamilton

Setters: Claytie Free, Leon; Eden Lewis, North Hopkins; Vada Kendall, North Hopkins; Mhia Garcia, Como-Pickton; Carli Tuttle, Beckville

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Kylynn Ramirez, Shiner; Karissa Fillingim, Windthorst; Avery Futrell, Leon; Tatum Thompson, North Hopkins; Journey Brumley, Como-Pickton; Kaidance Goldbolt, North Hopkins; Aubree Kleinhans, Nocona; Emery Parrott, Hamilton

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