After six consecutive rounds of golf, including two rounds in a single day, the championship match finally arrived. Throughout the week, emotions began to shift and tensions rose as teams began to drop. What once started out as 30 teams competing for a shot at history, was now two final rosters who […]
After six consecutive rounds of golf, including two rounds in a single day, the championship match finally arrived. Throughout the week, emotions began to shift and tensions rose as teams began to drop.
What once started out as 30 teams competing for a shot at history, was now two final rosters who lasted out the rest. As the Cowboys and Cavaliers headed to the first tee, the atmosphere was completely different compared to the rest of the week.
No speaking. No smiling. Just business.
Both teams had one goal in mind and it was just 18 holes away.
OSU freshman Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson and Virginia freshman Maxi Puregger kicked the day off as the first match. After Fahlberg-Johnsson walked away with a birdie on hole one, he never looked back.
Puregger faced his largest deficit just before making the turn, where he went down by three holes after making his first bogey of the round. He tried to make a push taking holes 12 and 13, capitalizing off a bogey and double bogey from Fahlberg-Johnsson.
However, it wouldn’t be enough to get within reach. Puregger made two costly bogeys on 15 and 17, officially putting the first match away with one hole left.
“They are just tough and have confidence,” said Oklahoma State head coach Alan Bratton. “They’ve been resilient all year.”
The second match was the only pairing to go to 18 holes, which ended up deciding the winner of this year’s championship.
Match three was written up to be the most sought out round of the day with both teams’ top players facing off, OSU sophomore Preston Stout and Virginia junior Ben James.
However, it never quite lived up to the hype. Both players parred the first hole before the match got out of hand. Stout didn’t have his best coming out the gates, causing him to bogey the second and third holes. This led to a two hole advantage for James.
Despite having all momentum on his side, he decided to take it a step further. On hole four, short par-4, James holed out for eagle from under 100 yards out, giving him a three hole lead through only four holes.
Stout responded with a long birdie putt on hole five, attempting to bring back some momentum to his corner. This was erased immediately when James birdied hole six to cancel out the lost hole.
Stout knocked in a birdie on hole 11 to cut the lead to one, but that was essentially where his brief run ended. Stout nearly holed out from the back bunker on hole 16, but his shot for birdie lipped out. This put the match away as both competitors made par, while James secured the victory with a three hole lead.
The total match was tied up at this point, 1-1, as match four would be the next to round up.
OSU sophomore Gaven Lane and Virginia senior Paul Chang both found themselves in good positions to win during their match. Chang took advantage of a bogey from Lane on hole one, and held his lead until hole nine.
Lane erased a two hole lead, by making birdie on holes eight and nine to make the match all square. After two tied holes, Lane put his foot on the gas by making par on hole 12, a 245 yard par-3, while Chang finished with bogey.
At this point, Lane took full control by winning the next three holes and concluding the match with a birdie on hole 15. This match ended the earliest as Lane won by four holes with three to play.
“What a performance by Gaven Lane,” Bratton said. “He had struggled and hadn’t won matches the last couple days, and he was kind of down on himself…I was hoping he would do something special today and he did.”
The two quicker matches left match two to be the potential deciding round. OSU sophomore Eric Lee and Virginia sophomore Josh Duangmanee exchanged blows all day, never allowing the match to get out of reach.
Duangmanee had momentum throughout the majority of the front nine, but could never extend his lead by more than one hole. Lee managed to birdie hole eight to take a one hole lead, which would be his first lead of the round.
“To be honest, I didn’t hit the ball great today,” Lee said. “I knew that as long as I was chipping it well or putting well even if I missed greens, I’d be able to win today.”
Lee found his largest lead of the day on hole 12, after Duangmanee bogeyed the lengthy par-3. After a tough loss, he willed his way back into the match by winning back to back holes. After being tied up heading onto hole 17, Lee rolled in a clutch birdie to put the odds back in his favor.
“We stick to what we do best and don’t add any additional pressure,” said OSU sophomore Ethan Fang. “ Since we are all young, freshmen and sophomores, there is no pressure on us honestly.”
Lee proved to have a clutch factor Tuesday night by sinking a putt on hole 16 to win the playoff hole, which sent the Pokes into the title match. He demonstrated once again his ability to perform in clutch scenarios by running his third shot into the slope of the green, which allowed it to roll just past the hole. This essentially forced Duangmanee to make his putt and hope that Lee would miss.
The silence filled hole 18 of La Costa as everyone knew a national title was on the line. Duangmanee addressed the ball and started his putt on a great line. As it tracked towards the hole, it stopped breaking at just a few feet out and just missed on the left side of the cup.
After such a close call, this sealed the deal for Oklahoma State and brought them to the promised land once again.
“I don’t think I can even explain it in words,” Lee said. “It feels unreal. It’s going to be pretty emotional. I’m going to try to soak it in.”
Fang and Virginia junior Bryan Lee had a hard fought match as well, but fate had already been decided at this point.
“We played very solid golf from what I saw, but they just happened to play a little bit better,” said Virginia head coach Bowen Sargent. “It’s a game of inches at this point and they came out on top.”
This marks the second consecutive NCAA DI Men’s Golf National Championship held at Omni La Costa Resort. However, Carlsbad will have the privilege of hosting this tournament through 2028, keeping the highest level of collegiate golf in San Diego for the next three summers.
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian police said Monday there were no injuries after shots were fired near an Under-20 World Cup women’s water polo game between China and Canada in the city of Salvador. China won 12-8 on Sunday — the opening day of the tournament — but footage showed the game being briefly interrupted […]
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian police said Monday there were no injuries after shots were fired near an Under-20 World Cup women’s water polo game between China and Canada in the city of Salvador.
China won 12-8 on Sunday — the opening day of the tournament — but footage showed the game being briefly interrupted as players got out of the pool, laid down and took cover by a small barrier after hearing gunshots outside the water polo venue in the Pituba neighborhood. China led Canada 3-2 at the time.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Story Links Coming off of its first-ever Big West regular season title, Hawai’i will open its 2025 season with a nonconference match at Long Beach State on Thursday at 4 p.m. HT. Following Thursday’s season opener, the Rainbow Wahine will head up the California Coast to take on Pepperdine Sunday at […]
Coming off of its first-ever Big West regular season title, Hawai’i will open its 2025 season with a nonconference match at Long Beach State on Thursday at 4 p.m. HT.
Following Thursday’s season opener, the Rainbow Wahine will head up the California Coast to take on Pepperdine Sunday at 9 a.m. HT. UH trails the all time series against both schools (3-10-4 vs. LBSU, 0-6-1 vs. PEP) but won the last meeting against The Beach with a 1-0 victory in the regular season finale last year.
| HAWAI’I (12-8-1, 8-1-1 Big West) at Long Beach State (6-9-3, 3-5-2 Big West) // Pepperdine (12-4-5, 6-1-3 WCC) | ||||
| Date / Time | Thursday, Aug. 14 Hawai’i at Long Beach State — 4:00 p.m. HT Sunday, Aug. 17 |
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| Location | Long Beach, Calif. | Malibu, Calif. | |||
| Live Stream | Thursday | |||
| Live Stats | Thursday | Sunday | |||
| PDF Notes | Hawai’i | Long Beach State | Pepperdine | |||
| Social Media | @HawaiiWSoccer  | #HawaiiWSoccer | @HawaiiWSoccer  |
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HEAD COACH MICHELE NAGAMINE
At Hawai’i: 86-115-25 (14th season)
Collegiate Record: 110-145-26 (17th year)
SERIES VS. LONG BEACH STATE
Overall: LBSU leads, 10-3-4
Last Meeting: Oct. 31, 2024 (UH won, 1-0)
Streak: W1
SERIES VS. PEPPERDINE
Overall: PEP leads, 6-0-1
Last meeting: Sept. 19, 2010 (PEP won, 2-0)
Streak: L2
ON THE PITCH
DID YOU KNOW?
2024 Big West Midfielder of the Year Nalani Damacion finished tied for third nationally and first among all freshmen with seven game-winning goals. Her seven game-winners were also the most by any NCAA freshman since 2015 (Cece Kizer, Ole Miss).
REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS!
Hawai’i is coming off of a magical 2024 season in which it captured the program’s first ever Big West regular season title. The Rainbow Wahine dominated the Big West regular season, going 8-1-1 and setting a school record for conference wins while finishing with 25 points – the most by a Big West school since 2016. The regular season title gave UH the right to host the semifinals and finals of the Big West Championship, however, the ‘Bows saw their historic season come to an end with a semifinal loss to CSU Bakersfield.
» Set a school record with a nine-match unbeaten streak that ran from Sept. 12-Oct. 20.
» Seven match winning streak was the longest in a single season and tied the overall program record.
» Outscored teams 12-6 in 10 league games, with all eight wins coming by one goal.
» First Big West team to start 5-0 in conference play since 2010 (UC Irvine).
RAISING THE EXPECTATIONS
The Rainbow Wahine enter the 2025 season with lofty expectations following last year’s conference regular season title. UH was picked first in the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll, marking the first time since 2008 that the program has been tabbed as a preseason conference favorite. It’s also the first time since Hawai’i joined the Big West that it has been picked to finish atop the conference. Additionally, Amber Gilbert and Nalani Damacion each earned Preseason All-Big West recognition.
FAB FRESHMEN TO SUPER SOPHOMORES
A huge key to last season’s Big West regular season title run was the contributions UH got from a number of freshmen. The Rainbow Wahine’s group of eight sophomores combined for three Big West All-Freshman honors and eight conference player of the week recognitions a year ago as freshmen and will be counted on to play key roles again in 2025.
» Kennedy Justin earned Big West Goalkeeper of the Year honors last year as a redshirt freshman.
» Justin became the first freshman ever to claim that honor and matched a school single-season record for goalkeeper wins with a record of 11-8-1.
» Nalani Damacion was named Big West Midfielder of the Year after leading the team with seven goals.
» Damacion became the first freshman ever to claim the honor.
» All seven of Damacion’s goals were game-winner, ranking third nationally and first among freshmen.
» Alice Davidson earned Big West All-Freshman honors after finishing with four assists (T-1st on team).
» UH earned six total Big West Freshman of the Week honors (Damacion: 5x; Laule’a Ah Mook Sang: 1x)
RAINBOW RELOAD
The Rainbow Wahine will welcome in a talented group of eight newcomers to compliment their deep pool of returnees. UH brings in three players out of the transfer portal while adding five freshmen to the mix in 2025. Defenders Rikako Hayami and Solala Nasu will fill some key roles on the back line while three-year Division I goalkeeper Julia Ortega gives UH depth in the net. Isabella Kaemmerer, Karissa Kira, Saira Johal, Montana Longcrier and Sophia Nygaard make up the group of five incoming true freshmen.
» Hayami spent the 2024 season at Arizona and previously was an NJCAA All-American in 2023.
» Nasu returns home after spending freshman season at South Dakota State; was the three-time HHSAA State Tournament Most Outstanding Player from 2022-24.
» Ortega has totaled 137 saves in 29 career starts in goal at Southern Utah and Arizona State.
» Kaemmerer and Kira were high school and club teammates, winning an ECNL U17 national title in 2024.
Olivia Ekponé made her return to Aggieland to join head coach Pat Henry’s staff at the start of the 2024/25 season. Since landing back in College Station, she took on the role of athletics assistant for the Maroon & White, helping in multitude of roles for the track & field program. Assisting on the track, she […]
Assisting on the track, she aids both Coach Pat Henry and Coach Kurt Henry with the decorated 400m and sprint groups for practice and meet day preparation. Her experience as an athlete helped those groups, as she contributed to the men’s programs fifth NCAA Outdoor National Title and first SEC Indoor Championship during the 2025 season.
Her groups on the men’s side accounted for 10 points at the NCAA outdoor championships and eight points at the indoor championships. Collecting honors throughout the season, Ekponé’s squads tacked on 13 All-America accolades and three conference medals. The women’s team also saw success through her leadership, with 19 All-America honors and three league medals.
As an athlete, Ekponé was a four-year letterwinner and 12-time All-American for the Maroon & White. She played a key role in securing the women’s team’s fourth NCAA outdoor championship in 2014 and the program’s first SEC outdoor team title in 2013. She also anchored the women’s 4x100m relay team to a national title at the 2014 outdoor meet, winning the final in 42.80. Her outstanding performances won her SEC Runner of the Year honors in 2014, and helped guide the team to another trio of top-three program finishes during her time as a student-athlete.
She also etched her name in the Aggie history books, as Ekponé remains the school-record holder in the women’s outdoor 200m with a time of 22.23, as well as ranking in the top-10 in both the indoor 60m (7.25) and outdoor 100m (11.11).
Following her graduation, Ekponé stayed in the track & field world, as she worked for MileSplit and FloTrack in a sports media roll covering athletes from the youth to professional levels.
Saturday will mark the start of my 20th year here at SBJ. Twenty years since I shifted away from a career as an attorney and into sports journalism — and I’ve never looked back. Research. Data analysis. Writing. Editing. Podcast hosting. Moderating panels. Even playing beach volleyball in my suit jacket and pants alongside Olympian […]
Saturday will mark the start of my 20th year here at SBJ. Twenty years since I shifted away from a career as an attorney and into sports journalism — and I’ve never looked back.
Research. Data analysis. Writing. Editing. Podcast hosting. Moderating panels. Even playing beach volleyball in my suit jacket and pants alongside Olympian Kerri Walsh Jennings. I’ve tackled a number of duties and responsibilities at SBJ. Now, it’s time for my next role: sports media beat reporter.
As many reading SBJ Media will know, I’m no stranger to this area, having written about TV viewership for years. Now, I’ll formally expand on that expertise and take on all intersections of media and sports business.
I’m champing at the bit to start this next challenge. Thank you to so many in the business that have already reached out. I look forward to working with all of you!
And I want to hear from all SBJ readers. What are you paying attention to? Who do we need as a guest on the SBJ Sports Media Podcast? Got a tip? Email or call anytime.
SBJ remains the tip of the spear for those seriously tuned in to sports business, and I’m incredibly honored to be taking on this new role.
Let’s rock!
Story Links Montana State’s Champ’s Kids Club has announced a new partnership with The Future Fan, as the Bobcats prepare for the start of the 2025-26 sports season. The Future Fan is a U.S. company based in Arkansas that partners with other colleges and professional sports teams around the country to fulfill […]
Montana State’s Champ’s Kids Club has announced a new partnership with The Future Fan, as the Bobcats prepare for the start of the 2025-26 sports season.
The Future Fan is a U.S. company based in Arkansas that partners with other colleges and professional sports teams around the country to fulfill their exclusive membership programs.
This season’s Champ’s Kids Club membership ($50) includes an exclusive club t-shirt, mini-pennant, stickers, lanyard, and credentials, along with free admission to all home volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball games, and men’s and women’s tennis events. An additional perk is discounts on birthday parties at volleyball or basketball games and exclusive kid’s club events throughout the year.
The Future Fan will ship Champ’s Kids Club kits directly to your home. Fans should expect their kits within two weeks of ordering. To sign up for Champ’s Kids Club, sponsored by Billings Clinic, go to msubobcats.com (Fan Info).
The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), in conjunction with Visit Lincoln, is bringing the excitement beyond the court this summer with the AVCA First Serve Block Party, a free three-day celebration in Lincoln’s Railyard outside Pinnacle Bank Arena, Aug. 22–24, 2025. Fans can look forward to live entertainment, interactive activities, special guest appearances, and a […]
The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), in conjunction with Visit Lincoln, is bringing the excitement beyond the court this summer with the AVCA First Serve Block Party, a free three-day celebration in Lincoln’s Railyard outside Pinnacle Bank Arena, Aug. 22–24, 2025. Fans can look forward to live entertainment, interactive activities, special guest appearances, and a festival-like atmosphere leading up to—and during—AVCA First Serve, the nation’s premier collegiate volleyball showcase.
The AVCA First Serve Block Party transforms the Railyard into volleyball central with attractions for fans of all ages, including:
Check out this map with more info on the Block Party grounds and booths.
Daily Highlights:
Volleyball fans won’t want to miss the Rally Towels Giveaway for the first 200 fans each day and ticket giveaways at every watch party located at the stage.
“Lincoln is known for its incredible volleyball community, and the Block Party is the perfect way to connect fans, athletes, and the sport in a fun, energetic setting,” said AVCA CEO Dr. Jaime Gordon. “We’re thrilled to bring the excitement outside the arena and into the heart of the city.”
For more information on AVCA First Serve, including match times, go here.
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