Editor’s Note: Today we continue our summer offseason prep football package detailing area teams in the mid-valley region. We are working to compile data for our annual locker room tab in August and have sent out email communications to area football coaches and administrators. What we need from our community partners is emailed responses to three questions sent out to all area football coaches, as well as a photo shoot date response sent to A-D Photographer Angela Guglielmino at angela@appealdemocrat.com. Also please update Appeal-Democrat Sports Editor Jeff Larson at jlarson@appealdemocrat.com and Editor Chuck Smith at csmith@appealdemocrat.com if any coaching and/or administrative changes have occurred since 2024.
Sports
How have coaches hired under Chris Del Conte fared?
Danny Davis, Austin American-Statesman | Hearst – Austin Transition Last Friday, the Texas softball team announced that it had added Arizona transfer Kaiah Altmeyer to its roster. Altmeyer, a utility player, spent her first three years of college at Arizona. During the 2025 season, she hit .365 with 55 RBIs and 50 runs while earning all-conference […]

Last Friday, the Texas softball team announced that it had added Arizona transfer Kaiah Altmeyer to its roster.
Altmeyer, a utility player, spent her first three years of college at Arizona. During the 2025 season, she hit .365 with 55 RBIs and 50 runs while earning all-conference honors in the Big 12.
This is not the first time that Texas has turned to someone with Arizona ties to help out its softball program. Bella Dayton, a star outfielder on UT’s 2022 and 2024 Women’s College World Series teams, was once an Arizona transfer.
Then there’s the story of the Longhorns’ coaching search in 2018.
As Texas celebrated its national championship during a June 7 ceremony at McCombs Field, athletic director Chris Del Conte shared a story about how Mike White became the Longhorns’ head coach. Back in the summer of 2018, Connie Clark — the only person to lead the Texas softball program — revealed she would not be returning for a 24th season.
Because he once worked as an associate athletics director at Arizona, Del Conte reached out to then-Wildcat coach Mike Candrea for advice. Who was the best softball coach in the country, Del Conte asked. Candera retorted that aside from him, the answer was White. White was coaching Oregon at the time, and his nine-year run with the Ducks included a 435-111-1 record and five College World Series appearances.
“If you can get Mike White to come to Texas, you’ll win a national championship,” Del Conte recalled Candera telling him.
So, Del Conte got White to come to Texas and White eventually made Candera’s prediction come to fruition. On June 6, Texas bested Texas Tech in the decisive game at the Women’s College World Series to secure the 30-year-old program’s first national championship.
That title wasn’t just significant for the softball program. It also spoke to Del Conte’s ability to hire. White was the second coaching hire made by Del Conte, who took over the UT athletic department in December 2017. Track and field coach Edrick Floréal and White, who were hired within two weeks of each other during June 2018, have since combined to win three NCAA championships.
How have Chris Del Conte’s coaching hires fared at Texas?
During Del Conte’s Texas tenure, the athletic department has hired 12 head coaches. Just two of those coaches — men’s basketball coaches Chris Beard and Rodney Terry — have been dismissed. (These numbers do not reflect Erik Sullivan, the volleyball assistant who directed the startup beach volleyball team in 2023 during its first year of existence.)
Those hires have won four national championships. In addition to Floreal’s two titles and White’s softball crown, Bob Bowman secured a national championship this past March during his first year with the men’s swimming and diving program. A fourth coach, Bruce Berque, led Texas men’s tennis to NCAA supremacy in 2019 as an interim coach.
- Edrick Floréal (track and field, hired June 2018): Won a national championship with the Texas men’s indoor team in 2022 before he led the UT women to an outdoor title at Myers Stadium in 2023.
- Mike White (softball, hired June 2018): Under White, Texas has compiled a 316-93-2 record with a national title and three appearances in the Women’s College World Series.
- Bruce Berque (men’s tennis, hired May 2019): In the wake of Michael Center’s involvement in the Varsity Blues scandal, UT won a national championship with Berque serving as an interim coach. Five years later, Texas was the NCAA runner-up.
- Vic Schaefer (women’s basketball, hired April 2020): Since Schaefer’s hire, Texas has won conference titles in the Big 12 and SEC. This past season, UT reached the Final Four for the first time since 2003.
- Steve Sarkisian (football, hired January 2021): The Sarkisian era has featured 38 wins, a Big 12 championship and two appearances in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.
- Chris Beard (men’s basketball, hired April 2021): Went 29-13 but Beard was fired in January 2023 following his arrest on a third-degree felony domestic violence charge.
- Rodney Terry (men’s basketball, hired March 2023): Terry went 40-29 in two full seasons after leading Texas to the Elite Eight as an interim coach. He was fired following the 2024-25 season.
- Stein Metzger (beach volleyball, hired May 2023): Hired to build a beach volleyball program at Texas, Metzger led the Longhorns to a conference title and a NCAA Tournament win this season.
- Bob Bowman (men’s swimming and diving, hired April 2024): Lured away from Arizona State to replace the legendary Eddie Reese, Bowman immediately made a splash by winning the program’s 16th national title in his first season.
- Laura Ianello (women’s golf, hired June 2024): Texas concluded its first year under Ianello with a quarterfinal loss to Oregon in NCAA match play.
- Jim Schlossnagle (baseball, hired June 2024): Texas won 44 games and an SEC title in its first season with Schlossnagle, a Texas A&M defector. The Longhorns, however, were upset in an NCAA regional that they hosted.
- Sean Miller (men’s basketball, hired March 2025): Needing to replace Terry, Del Conte turned to Miller. Miller arrives in Austin with a 487-196 career record at Xavier and Arizona.
Chris Del Conte has often chased the top coaches to fill vacancies
Del Conte’s conversation seven years ago with Candera was foreshadowing of how Texas would handle coaching searches. By asking around about the country’s best softball coach, Del Conte signaled that Texas would go big-game hunting with him in charge.
Of the 12 coaches that Texas has hired during Del Conte’s time in Austin, three — Bowman, Ianello and Metzger — won a national championship before they got to Texas. Beard, Floreal, Schaefer and Schlossnagle had each led schools to runner-up finishes. Most of those hires had also just been head coaches at major schools with Berque, a championship-winning interim coach who had previously been the head coach at Michigan, and Sarkisian, a highly-regarded Alabama assistant who had led the programs at Washington and USC, being among the few exceptions.
So, what can a sales pitch from Del Conte sound like?
After replacing Ryan Murphy last summer, Ianello was asked just that. The ex-Arizona coach said that Del Conte randomly called her while she was in her office and told her that he was looking to make a coaching change. He then said, “I want you to go home, talk to your husband, talk to your family and you just let me know probably in 24 hours if it’s a thumbs up or a thumbs down.”
Sports
Spikin’ In the Street brings 88 teams to town | News, Sports, Jobs
Journal file photo Hundreds of tons of sand will transform Minnesota Street into beach volleyball courts for 88 teams and thousands of spectators at the third annual Spikin’ In The Street Sand Volleyball Tournament Friday and Saturday. NEW ULM — Much of downtown New Ulm will become eight sand volleyball courts and sand wrestling mats […]


Journal file photo
Hundreds of tons of sand will transform Minnesota Street into beach volleyball courts for 88 teams and thousands of spectators at the third annual Spikin’ In The Street Sand Volleyball Tournament Friday and Saturday.
NEW ULM — Much of downtown New Ulm will become eight sand volleyball courts and sand wrestling mats for the third annual Spikin’ In the Street.
The Rolling Thunder Sand takedown wrestling tournament starts at 6 p.m. on Minnesota Street sand Friday. Age divisions are kindergarten through grade 12.
Rolling Thunder board member Shanna Kent said 38 male and female wrestlers from the Twin Cities to Wabasso were entered in the tournament as of late Monday afternoon.
New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Sarah Warmka said the Rolling Thunder wrestling club asked if they could participate in Spikin’ In the Street after last year’s event.
“They wanted to be part of the fun. It sounds fantastic. Why not use the sand for another thing?” said Warmka.
She said 60 to 70 dump truck loads of sand will be dumped on Minnesota Street Friday.
It’s a rain or shine event barring lightning or a tornado.
Volleyball games begin at 7 a.m. Saturday and continue until about 10:30 or 11 p.m.
Warmka said a number of volleyball teams from New Ulm and Mankato are entered plus teams from Lafayette, Sleepy Eye, Morgan, Redwood Falls, Stewart, Sioux Falls, Hutchinson, St. Cloud, Plymouth, St. Louis Park, St. Paul, Vadnais Heights, Dakota City, Ne., Madison Lake, Eagle Lake, Duluth, Mapleton, Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Faribault, Jackson, Truman, St. James, St. Bonifacious, even as far away as Crestview, Fl.
Division B champion Team Thrivent of New Ulm returns this year.
There are cash payouts for all levels of play. The event is sponsored and planned by many local businesses. Funds raised will go to promote New Ulm and the New Ulm Business & Retail Association, a committee of the New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce.
Warmka said she doesn’t have a figure on the amount of business the tournament brings to town but said it has a significant economic impact.
“We know our restaurants, bars and stores will be busy this weekend. The big picture is big events like this help businesses recruit and retain employees,” said Warmka.
Spectators are welcome. Bring a lawn chair. No coolers will be allowed. Food and beverages will be available for purchase on site.
Six food trucks will be downtown Friday–Legacy BBQ, Lola’s, Simply Made Right, Sleepy Bison Grill, Ruhland’s Strudel Haus and The Sugar Shack.
Ten food trucks are scheduled for Saturday–Jersey’s Food Truck, Legacy BBQ, Lola’s, NU Franklin Mobile, Reve Coffee Co., Sleepy Bison Grill, Chick-fil-A, Pronto Pups, Ruhland’s Strudel Haus and The Sugar Shack.
Downtown bars and restaurants have extended their liquor licenses into the street. The alley near the B & L Bar is a designated smoking area.
Warmka said volunteers are still sought for the tournament.
For more information, call the Chamber at 507-233-4300, email chamber@newulm.com or visit www.newulm.com.
Sports
Triple gold-medallist Isabel Lowry makes spectacular world junior sprint canoe debut – OttawaSportsPages.ca
~~~~~~~~~ Advertisement ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ Advertisement ~~~~~~~~~ By Martin Cleary Gold. Gold. Gold. There’s no more succinct way to describe Isabel Lowry’s three-race performance during her International Canoe Federation world U23 and junior sprint canoe championships debut in Montemor-O-Velho, Portugal. Whether paddling solo, in a double or a four, the Carleton Place Canoe Club junior paddler […]

~~~~~~~~~ Advertisement ~~~~~~~~~
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By Martin Cleary
Gold. Gold. Gold.
There’s no more succinct way to describe Isabel Lowry’s three-race performance during her International Canoe Federation world U23 and junior sprint canoe championships debut in Montemor-O-Velho, Portugal.
Whether paddling solo, in a double or a four, the Carleton Place Canoe Club junior paddler experienced a 10-month goal with her own determination and execution as well as sharing it with her Canadian teammates.
A former member of the Carleton Place Water Dragons swim club, Lowry and Amelie Laliberte of Otterburn Canoe Club combined to win the women’s junior C2 200-metre final on Saturday in 46.05 seconds. They defeated China by a decisive 1.52 seconds.
The championships concluded Sunday and Lowry continued her gold rush. In the C1 200-metre final, she held off powerful Ukraine paddler Yelyzaveta Vozniuk with a time of 49.31 seconds. Vozniuk stopped in 49.54 seconds, while American Audrey Harper was third in 49.57 seconds.
About 20 minutes later, Lowry, Laliberte, Grace Theunissen of the Banook Canoe Club and Madeleine Beauregard of the Rideau Canoe Club worked in unison, found another gear late in the race and scored a comeback victory in the C4 500-metre final in 1:56.98.
The team from Ukraine was 1.64 seconds back in second place, while powerhouse Hungary took third at 1.71 seconds behind the Canadians.
Lowry, 17, labelled her world championship experience ‘surreal,’ according to an International Canoe Federation press release.
“It’s so amazing to have these feelings and to share it with my family and community from my country. It’s great,” said Lowry, who had a loud cheering section led by her mother.
“I was feeling confident coming into today. The competition for the 200 metres was insane, but the C2 gold yesterday (Saturday) definitely helped me. There was only a 20-minute turnover for the C4, but it turned out to be awesome.”
Pat Lester, who has coached Lowry for the past six to seven years at the Carleton Place club, set his alarm early to anxiously await and watch his athlete’s medal races on the Internet.
“It was pretty emotional,” said Lester, who has invested a lot of time as head coach with his athletes. “It’s rewarding. I was tearing up. I got goosebumps.”
After the end of the 2024 season, Lowry sat down with Lester to not only review her latest year on the water, but also to look ahead to 2025. She finished strong with gold medals in the women’s U17 C4 over 200 and 500 metres at the Olympic Hopes Regatta in Szeged, Hungary, which is considered the mecca for sprint canoe racing in the world.
The Olympic Hopes also is seen as a precursor to the world junior championships.
By winning double gold at Olympic Hopes, Lowry figured she could make a statement at this year’s world junior championships by winning a medal. But the gold medal was in her vision.
“I believed Izzy would be in a fight for a medal. I was confident. But you don’t know at this age about the competition,” Lester said.
“We knew about the European champion from the Ukraine, the girl from China and there were some unknowns. But I was confident she had the ability to put herself in the conversation for medals.”
Lester didn’t apply to Canoe Kayak Canada to be one of the coaches for the national team to the U23 and junior worlds in Portugal. He had planned to do that for the 2026 worlds, when Lowry was in her second year of junior eligibility and possibly achieving her first gold medal at that time.
“There are a lot of contributing factors (to her success),” Lester said about Lowry, who will enter Grade 12 at Notre Dame Catholic High School in Carleton Place in September.
“In the last eight months, we’ve had preliminary meetings, and she has increased her focus on the quality of workouts and has taken care of herself (nutrition, sleep, etc.). She has an awesome training group. The athletes make it easier for each other to get up at 5 a.m. for practices.”
When Lowry and her peers aren’t doing off-season strength and conditioning sessions at the club, they also are cross-country skiing on the Gatineau Hills trail system.
Lowry, Evie McDonald and Dyllan Redwood-Wheeler were welcomed home Monday night at the Ottawa international airport by a group from the Carleton Place Canoe Club.
The club’s annual Pep Rally will pay special attention to Lowry’s success as well as the paddling of McDonald and Redwood-Wheeler, who made three and two A finals respectively.
The success of Lowry and her canoe companions allowed Canada to finish in a tie for second place in the Nations Cup standings for juniors. Canada had three gold and one bronze medals.
In the U23 standings, Canada tied for sixth place with seven other nations with one gold medal, which was delivered by Toshka Besharah of the Rideau club. She won the women’s K1 200 metres in 41.76 seconds by a 0.69-second margin over Italy. She also was eighth in the 500-metre final in 2:02.11.
McDonald and Ruby Muhl of Rideau formed half of the women’s U23 C4 boat, which was fifth over 500 metres in 1:58.14. As a double, they were eighth in the C2 200 metres in 50.36 seconds and ninth in the C2 500 metres in 2:14.49.
Muhl ended her championships with Rideau’s Peter Bradley in the C1 U23 mixed relay over 5,000 metres. They placed sixth in 24:45.67.
Redwood-Wheeler and Frederick Brais of Rideau were fifth in the men’s K4 junior 500 metres in 1:30.98 and eighth in the K2 500 metres in 1:39.67.
In other A finals, Callie Loch of Rideau placed fifth in the women’s K2 U23 500 metres in 1:50.09 and Kate Osborne of Rideau was eighth in the women’s K4 junior 500 metres in 1:47.72.
UNBELIEVABLE ROUNDS OF GOLF PLAYED ON LOCAL COURSES
There have been plenty of phenomenal golf performances in Ottawa and area over the past several days from back-to-back holes-in-one to back-to-back 59s to a round of golf that destroyed a pair of records.
Playing on their home Greensmere Golf and Country Club course, Lyle Alexander and Jim Read needed only a single shot each to tame the 154-yard, 12th hole on the Premiere layout.
Alexander was the first in his foursome to hit on the 12th hole and stroked a perfect shot for the seventh career hole-in-one in his 65 years of golf. When the initial excitement died down, Read followed with an equally magnificent shot for his first career hole-in-one, which he said was his equivalent of running a four-minute mile.
“It’s now my turn, and I said ‘Well, this is a tough act to follow,’” Read told CTV Ottawa. “So, I pulled out my trusty wedge, landed it and all of a sudden my ball disappeared. It landed on top of Lyle’s. We were still celebrating Lyle’s when mine went in.”
As Read’s ball was rolling towards the hole, someone in the group said, “No way.” Yes, way.
“We were in absolute shock,” Alexander said about back-to-back aces. “Jim was in shock. It was his first hole in one. I was so excited for him. He was extremely happy.”
The odds of making a hole in one on a par 3 hole are 22,500 to 1, according to Hole in One International. But the odds of making two holes-in-one back-to-back on the same hole are 156,250,000 to 1.
The Commissionaires Ottawa Open presented by Lepine Apartments featured even more rare golfing moments. A pair of up-and-coming Americans carded two unbelievable rounds of 11 birdies, one eagle and six pars for matching scores of 13-under-par 59 at the Eagle Creek Golf Club.
On Saturday, Philip Barbaree Jr. eagled the 18th hole to break the course record and register the second 59 in PGA Tour Americas history. That rare round put him on top of the leaderboard entering the final day of the 72-hole tournament.
Brett White was seven strokes behind Barbaree at the start of the fourth round, but his magical play produced a second Ottawa Open 59 and left him in a three-way tie for first place after 72 holes.
In the three-player playoff with Americans Danny Fisher and Nathan Frank, White marked birdie four on the 18th hole both times for the title and the $40,500 first prize.
Isaiah Ibit of Camelot Golf and Country Club was the only amateur in the field. He tied for 58th place with four consecutive rounds of three-under 69 for a 276 total. It was the first pro-am tournament for the Kent State University sophomore.
Ibit is in a six-way tie for sixth place, after the opening 36 holes of the 120th Canadian men’s amateur golf championships, shooting matching rounds of two-under 68 at Rivermead on Monday and the Royal Ottawa on Tuesday for a four-under 136 total. He is two strokes behind leaders Jager Pain of Woodbridge (66-68-134), Ryan Vest of Vernon, B.C. (67-67-134) and Andre Xhu of Richmond Hill, ON, (63-71-134).
On the opening day of the Canadian men’s amateur, Quebec junior men’s champion Thomas Grenier of Thetford Mines was in a record-breaking mood.
Grenier’s eight-under par 62 (six birdies and one eagle) not only lowered the Rivermead club record by three strokes, but also was the lowest single-round score ever recorded at the national men’s amateur championship. The previous best of 64 was achieved multiple times.
OTTAWA ULTIMATE TEAMS DOUBLE UP TITLES AT HOME MASTERS NATIONALS
Local teams swept the open and women’s divisions to win hometown crowns at the 2025 Canadian Ultimate Masters Championships at UPI Fields in Manotick.
The STILL team had a relatively smooth run to the championship game of the open division with five wins by at least four points, but needed a dramatic finish to win gold over AFC Carbon. Trailing 13-11, the local side scored the final three goals of the match, with Scott Westwell tossing the tournament winner to Greg Ellis. Ellis and Karl Loiseau led the scoring for STILL, which received goals from two dozen different players.
A balanced attack was also key to StellO’s victory in the women’s division, and the championship game was their closest match as well when the local team prevailed 11-8 over Sage.
OT LOSS GIVES ONTARIO NATIONAL WOMEN’S U18 FOOTBALL SILVER
Ontario won the silver medal at the U18 women’s national tackle (6 vs. 6) football championship in Calgary, after losing 27-19 to Alberta in overtime.
The Ontario roster had five players from Ottawa: quarterback Maelle Parthenais, offensive lineman Julia Beumer and defensive lineman Taylor Hodges, all from the Cumberland Panthers, and receiver Qiawna Grant and defensive lineman Sagu Eke, both from the St. Joseph High School Jaguars.
Ontario reached the final defeating Alberta 21-10 in its first game and Saskatchewan 43-26. Parthenais ran 73 yards for a touchdown against Saskatchewan.
OTTAWA PLAYERS ATTENDING HOCKEY CANADA TRYOUTS
Three OHL major junior A hockey players from Ottawa are in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for the world junior summer showcase, which will help the Canadian coaching staff determine the roster for the 2026 world men’s junior championships Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Defencemen Henry Mews of the Sudbury Wolves and Owen Protz of the Brantford Bulldogs and forward Cole Beaudoin of the Barrie Colts were named by Hockey Canada to its roster of four goalkeepers, 12 defencemen and 20 forwards for scrimmages and exhibition games against Finland, Sweden and the United States.
Hockey Canada has invited five players with Ottawa connections to its national women’s U18 selection camp Aug. 6-9 in Calgary. The final team will compete at the 2026 world U18 championships Jan. 8-18 in Sydney and Membertou, N.S.
Aiming to make the team are forwards Maggie Hughson of Ottawa U22 Elite, Aniston McCrann of East Ottawa U22 Elite and Jaylee MacKinnon of Clark’s Harbour, N.S. and East Ottawa U22 Elite as well as defenders Avery Jones and Kate Viel, both from Ottawa U22 Elite.
University of Ottawa head coach Alison Domenico has returned as head coach of the Canadian women’s development hockey team for a second straight season. She will lead the team in a three-game national series against the United States in Lake Placid, New York, from Aug. 13-16.
END NOTES
· Skate Canada’s NextGen team has 44 singles, pairs and ice dancers, including Reese Rose of Gananoque, who trains with Darlene Joseph of the Gloucester Skating Club and Ottawa’s Brianna Dion, who is paired with Jacob Cote of Halifax. Former Nepean Skating Club athlete Paul Parkinson is the coach for women’s singles skaters Hannah Quinn of Toronto and Lulu Lin of Mississauga.
· Canada’s women’s field hockey team will play for fifth place at the Pan American Cup in Montevideo, after finishing 1-2 in its preliminary pool games. After blanking Paraguay 7-0, the national team lost to defending champion Argentina 4-0 and Uruguay 2-0. Canada reached the fifth-place match, following a forfeit win over Trinidad and Tobago. Ottawa midfield player Kenzie Girgis and goalkeeper Rowan Harris of Ottawa are on the Canadian roster.
· Brooklyn Plomp of the Capital Wave has been named to the Canadian women’s junior water polo team for the World Aquatics women’s U20 water polo championships Aug. 10-15 in Salvador, Brazil. Canada will play South Africa, China and Australia in its preliminary pool.
· The Ottawa-Nepean Canadians will have three players in the 14U minor Canadian Premier Baseball League prospects game on Sunday in Dorchester, ON: pitcher Dante Sacca and outfielder Teddy Rouleau on Team Black and infielder Matteo Akowe on Team White.
· Adam Griesbach of the Ottawa Rowing Club at the Canadian men’s eight team finished sixth in the B final for 12th overall at the 2025 World Rowing Under-23 Championships in Poland.
Martin Cleary has written about amateur sports for 51 years. A past Canadian sportswriter of the year and Ottawa Sports Awards Lifetime Achievement in Sport Media honouree, Martin retired from full-time work at the Ottawa Citizen in 2012, but continued to write a bi-weekly “High Achievers” column for the Citizen/Sun.
When the pandemic struck, Martin created the High Achievers “Stay-Safe Edition” to provide some positive news during tough times, via his Twitter account at first and now here at OttawaSportsPages.ca.
Martin can be reached by e-mail at martincleary51@gmail.com and on Twitter @martincleary.
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Corn Flakes: Fall Camp and B1G Volleyball Media Days
We are edging closer and closer to Husker Football and Volleyball! It’s almost August and we are only a few weeks away. I cannot wait to see if the performances live up to the hype. Nebraska Raiola Named to Maxwell Award Watch List – University of Nebraska – Official Athletics Website Huskers Open 2025 Fall […]

We are edging closer and closer to Husker Football and Volleyball!
It’s almost August and we are only a few weeks away.
I cannot wait to see if the performances live up to the hype.
Nebraska
Raiola Named to Maxwell Award Watch List – University of Nebraska – Official Athletics Website
Huskers Open 2025 Fall Camp – University of Nebraska – Official Athletics Website
Fall Stories of HUSKERS FOOTBALL: Archie Wilson Is Going To Be FUN – Corn Nation
Huskers fans are hoping – PRAYING – for a sharp uptick in special teams improvement. Punter was actually solid in 2024. We could still be looking at a huge upgrade.
Emmett Johnson taking on challenge of mentoring Nebraska football’s young running backs during fall camp | Husker Red Zone | hastingstribune.com
LINCOLN — While Monday’s start of fall camp was a new experience for many on Nebraska’s roster, veterans like Emmett Johnson have been through it all before.
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Here are storylines to watch during Nebraska’s Big Ten Media Day and Dani Busboom Kelly’s first Big Ten Media Day
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Ryne Sandberg dies at 65: Hall of Fame second baseman spent 16 years in MLB, primarily with the Cubs – CBSSports.com
The Hall of Famer was one of the greatest second basemen in MLB history
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Rivers Set To Jump At USATF Outdoor Championships
Story Links 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships Page 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships Live Results OSHKOSH, Wis.- The two-time defending NCAA Division III long jump champion and division record-holder in both the indoor and outdoor events, Joshua Rivers (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) will compete […]

OSHKOSH, Wis.- The two-time defending NCAA Division III long jump champion and division record-holder in both the indoor and outdoor events, Joshua Rivers (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) will compete at the USA Track & Field (USATF) Outdoor Championships on Friday (Aug. 1).
The USATF Outdoor Championships, the second national meet of the year for Rivers following his fifth-place performance of 7.96 meters at the indoor championships in Staten Island in February, will be hosted by Division I Oregon at Hayward Field in Eugene between Thursday and Sunday (July 31-Aug. 3) and will be broadcast both live and on demand on NBC. The live stat
“We are all extremely proud of Josh and all that he has accomplished with the program in his career,” stated head men’s and women’s track and field coach Justin Kinseth. “Josh is one of very few student-athletes that can say they have won four individual national titles and competed at two USATF championships as a collegiate athlete. He is a shining example of the continued excellence of both our track & field program and our athletics department in Oshkosh”.
The men’s long jump is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. pacific time (6:10 p.m. central) on Friday.
Rivers set both the indoor and outdoor Division III long jump records this season at a pair of home meets. He leapt 8.13 meters at the Early Bird Open & Multi on December 7 and 8.04 meters at the WIAC Outdoor Championship on May 2. The now four-time individual national champion with two indoor titles and a pair of outdoor crowns over the last two seasons, is the only long jumper in Division III history to surpass the eight-meter mark.
When asked about what it means to be able to compete at such a high-profile meet, Rivers said, “I am honored to have the opportunity to represent UW-Oshkosh track & field at the USATF Championship for the second time this year after competing at the indoor championship in Staten Island back in February”.
The 2025 World Athletics Outdoor Championships will be held in Tokyo, Japan between September 13-21.
Sports
Tia Shum – Women’s Volleyball
ECU • Helped lead Pirates to two consecutive Super 16 appearances at the National Invitational Volleyball Championship • Averaged 14.5 digs/match in 2023 season • Totaled 633 digs in 80 matches over three years in Greenville, N.C. • Secured starting libero role with team bests in digs (359) and digs/set (3.86) as a freshman. BEFORE […]

ECU
• Helped lead Pirates to two consecutive Super 16 appearances at the National Invitational Volleyball Championship
• Averaged 14.5 digs/match in 2023 season
• Totaled 633 digs in 80 matches over three years in Greenville, N.C.
• Secured starting libero role with team bests in digs (359) and digs/set (3.86) as a freshman.
BEFORE COLLEGE
• Led Saunders Secondary School to first provincial title as a sophomore with a 55-2 mark, while not losing a set in the tournament
• Averaged 12 digs/match as a senior leading team to city and Western Ontario titles
• 2020 Team Ontario Elite member
• Silver medal-winner for Team Ontario at the 2019 USA VB High Performance Championships
• 2017 gold medal winner in the U16 competition of the Volleyball Canada Indoor National Championships in 2017
PERSONAL
• Daughter of Sandra Lee and Wayne Shum
Sports
Prep football 2025 | Sports
Editor’s Note: Today we continue our summer offseason prep football package detailing area teams in the mid-valley region. We are working to compile data for our annual locker room tab in August and have sent out email communications to area football coaches and administrators. What we need from our community partners is emailed responses to […]
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Youtube3 weeks ago
The Twins squeeze out a walk-off win 👀
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High School Sports5 days ago
100 days to men's college basketball
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Youtube3 weeks ago
It’s almost time 🎮🔥