Three area volleyball teams earned the prestigious Team Academic Award presented by the Indiana High School Volleyball Coaches Association.

Eastern Greene, Linton-Stockton and Shakamak were three out of 60 schools in the state presented with the award.

Teams with an average weighted GPA of 3.5 and higher for the entire school year are eligible to receive the award. This award emphasizes the importance of being a student first when it comes to being a student-athlete.

Sedgefield Water Polo Club’s U16 squad faced Morley in Leeds on Thursday, June 26, marking their first competitive outing of the year after the GCSE exam period.

The match kicked off with a rapid goal from Charlie, followed by another from Finley just 15 seconds later.

Morley managed to score one goal, but Sedgefield quickly took control, adding six more by the end of the first quarter, including a hat-trick from Thomas.

By half-time, Sedgefield had scored another seven goals, setting the tone for an upbeat team talk and a concerted effort to ensure all players made it onto the match sheet.

The third quarter began with Sedgefield leading 15-4, scoring again within a minute of the restart.

The game saw a display of skills and techniques honed during club training, as Morley scored four goals, but Sedgefield remained undeterred, entering the final quarter with an impressive 22-8 lead.

The final quarter was particularly remarkable, with Sedgefield netting ten goals, including one from goalkeeper Bram, ensuring every player in the team scored.

Thomas was the top scorer with ten goals, followed by Finley with six, Charlie with five, Fynn and Harry with four each, and Arwen and Leo with one apiece.

The final score read 32-8, a testament to the team’s exceptional performance and strong team spirit.

The club expressed gratitude to coaches Paul and Pete, and team manager Imelda, emphasising the crucial role volunteers play in providing competitive play opportunities for children in the region.

The club also announced the availability of player sponsorships at £30 per player for the season, offering regular advertising and promotion on their social media pages in return.

All proceeds will be used to help members develop their skills and provide necessary equipment.

Sedgefield Water Polo Club also offers beginner sessions at Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre on Saturday afternoons for those interested in trying the sport.

In addition to junior and senior sessions, these beginner sessions offer an opportunity for anyone to experience the excitement of water polo.

All sessions need to be booked in advance via the club’s app.

For more information and joining instructions, please visit the club’s website, email sedgefieldwp@hotmail.com, or contact 07579 030598.

The Big West is implementing a strategic reorganization of its staff structure and titles to accelerate the league’s growth and better serve its member institutions amid a rapidly evolving NCAA Division I landscape. 

 

“With significant change occurring across Division I athletics, The Big West must continue to be innovative in our approach and agile in our operations,” said Commissioner Dan Butterly. “This reorganization realigns our staff to seize new opportunities while reinforcing The Big West’s Pacific spirit, fearless innovation, enduring integrity, and bold activism.” 

 

Leadership and Operational Enhancements 

Kevin Rorke has been elevated to Chief Financial Officer. Rorke is responsible for managing the conference’s budget, serving as the primary financial contact, and leading all external financial audits. Having independently overseen financial operations over the past year, Rorke will now be supported by Dominic Drury, who will assist with daily operations and financial systems. 

 

Drury has been promoted to Assistant Commissioner – Basketball Operations and Finance. Now entering a third year with the league, Drury will continue to lead men’s and women’s basketball initiatives while expanding his role to include business operations and officiating. Drury will also remain tournament director for the Big West Basketball Championships. 

 

Tom Davis assumes the role of Chief Marketing Officer, shifting focus toward revenue generation, branding, and long-term growth initiatives. A Big West staff member since 2020, Davis brings decades of experience with national brands including DIRECTV, EA Sports, Qualcomm, and UCLA, and as founder of the Los Angeles-based marketing firm Caught Looking, Inc. 

 

Davis will continue leading Sara Perry, Director of Marketing & Digital Media, and Chloe Clark, Director of Multimedia Content, in sponsorship, marketing, ticketing, and publicity efforts. Together, the team will also drive strategic efforts to expand The Big West’s regional and national branding and broadcast presence. 

 

Jessica Lantz has been elevated to Chief Communications Officer. Lantz will continue to lead the league’s storytelling and media relations strategy alongside Kaiber Takamiya and Quentin Rodriguez, Directors of Communications. Their collaborative focus includes editorial content, social media, feature stories, awards reporting and championship coverage. 

 

Deputy Commissioner Kristi Giddings and Angie Allen, Assistant Commissioner – Compliance & Student-Athlete Engagement, will continue to manage The Big West Senior Woman Administrators (SWA) and Faculty Athletics Representatives (FAR), respectively, while directing and executing all aspects of governance, legal, compliance and student-athlete engagement. Cheryl Wong, Associate Commissioner – Championships & Sport Administration, alongside Tyler Huntley, Assistant Commissioner – Championships, will continue to lead The Big West’s championships efforts while working with the entire Big West administrative staff to manage sports and championships throughout the year. 

 

Operational Shift to Remote Work 

As of July 1, The Big West has transitioned to a remote work environment. Quarterly in-person staff meetings will be held in Irvine, Calif., during the 2025-26 academic year. This move reflects the conference’s commitment to strategic cost savings while maintaining exceptional service to member institutions. 

STAFF TRANSACTIONS 

BASSETT – It looks like they’ll be playing football and volleyball at North Central after all.

The Class D school – a co-op of Rock County and Keya Paha County – found itself in a tough spot after the coaches in both sports resigned this past season. Ryan Richey stepped down as the head football coach and Heather Painter moved on as volleyball coach.

An inability to fill those positions led the school to turn to social media in a last-ditch effort to fill the vacancies. Administrations at both schools had been actively engaged in the recruitment of coaches with little success.

A shortage of teachers also complicated the process as coaching duties often are assigned to educators. Administrators said they didn’t want to force coaching duties on teachers who are there to do exactly that – teach.

The Knights have received good news in recent days, according to Rock County athletic director Kayla Fischer.

“We’ve gotten responses from qualified people and we’re going to start the interview process soon,” she said.

It was getting to the critical stage as practice for both sports starts in about a month. School officials had said if coaches weren’t hired by Aug. 1 that the school district might be forced to cancel both football and volleyball seasons.

Fischer said she is thankful that won’t be the case.

“We’ve had assistant coaches working with the players,” Fischer said. “I don’t think the kids have been too worried about it because they knew we’ve been working hard to fill those spots.”

A response to a Facebook post asking interested applicants to apply drew a humorous response.

“The stands are usually full of coaches on game day, just use one of them.”

The schools are located in north-central Nebraska near the South Dakota border.

JULIA JOSEPH

Defender/Midfielder
Lake Oswego, Ore.
Portland Thorns Academy
Lake Oswego High School

About Joseph: Joseph enters the Banks from a strong Portland Thorns Academy side that reached the ECNL Final Four in 2024 and the Final 16 in 2023. She was also a member of the WPSL Thorns 2 team and was invited to train with the NWSL Portland Thorns, showcasing her development at the highest levels of club soccer.

At Lake Oswego High School, Joseph was a two-time All-League honoree and a four-year varsity starter, earning the role of team captain as a senior. Her team won the 2021 league championship and made the Oregon state semifinals and quarterfinals during her tenure. A standout in both athletics and leadership, she was also featured in the Lake Oswego Review.

Joseph is no stranger to the highest levels of the sport—her father, Miles, played in the 1996 Olympics, the MLS, and currently serves as Associate Head Coach at Charlotte FC. Her brother plays at Indiana. 

Why Rutgers: “I chose Rutgers for its high academics and the opportunities Rutgers provides both academically and athletically. I love the family culture of the soccer program and the amazing facilities. I grew up in the Northeast so Rutgers felt like home to me.”