WAC to Rebrand to UAC, Add Five New Members in 2026
Football 6/26/2025 9:01:00 AM Evan Nemec Story Links Abilene Christian University (ACU) is pleased to welcome five full-time members to its conference, which will rebrand from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) to the United Athletic Conference (UAC), beginning in the 2026-27 academic year. Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, West Georgia and Central Arkansas will […]
Abilene Christian University (ACU) is pleased to welcome five full-time members to its conference, which will rebrand from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) to the United Athletic Conference (UAC), beginning in the 2026-27 academic year.
Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, West Georgia and Central Arkansas will officially join the UAC on July 1, 2026, alongside ACU, Tarleton State and UT Arlington. The rebranding of the WAC to the UAC will also take place in the summer of 2026.
The UAC and Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) are forming a groundbreaking, strategic alliance that will strengthen and provide long-term stability for both conferences. The alliance allows two similarly situated conferences to resolve many challenges at once: better aligning membership; reducing expenses; collectively leveraging assets such as media rights; providing members of both leagues with nonconference games against regional opponents; and situating both conferences for streamlined decision making.
The UAC and ASUN will remain separate conferences, maintain independent governance structures and offices, and have their own automatic qualifying bids to the NCAA postseason for conference champions. Each will consider limited expansion opportunities in the future.
ASUN commissioner Jeff Bacon will serve as the executive director of the alliance between the UAC and ASUN. Bacon has served as executive director of the current UAC, a football-only conference consisting of nine teams from the WAC and ASUN. WAC commissioner Rebekah Ray will also assume a leadership role in the alliance.
All of ACU’s 15 athletic programs will be housed in the UAC. In football, ACU will continue to compete with Tarleton State, Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Central Arkansas and West Georgia. All seven teams are current members of the football-only UAC, and competed against each other during the 2024 season. Football-playing members of the WAC and ASUN have competed in a formal partnership since 2021.
“This is a strong move for ACU, greatly benefiting the university, our fans and all of our student-athletes, coaches and athletics administration,” said Dr. Phil Schubert, ACU president. “The United Athletic Conference and alliance with the ASUN reflect a commitment to excellence and innovation in an ever-changing college athletics landscape. Most importantly, this positions us well to continue developing student-athletes for lives of Christian service and leadership and competitive success.”
“I want to extend my deepest thanks to President Schubert for his outstanding leadership and steady guidance through the ever-evolving landscape of college athletics,” said Zack Lassiter, ACU vice president for athletics. “We are confident this new path best positions us for long-term success at the Division I level.
“The eight UAC members beginning in the 2026-27 athletic season are like-minded institutions, including two fellow Texas schools, reducing travel demands for our student-athletes during regular season play and maintaining our access to NCAA Championships in all sports. Our existing football partnership with these schools has already built strong relationships with these new conference peers, and we are excited to expand our competition to all our athletic programs.”
ACU has been a member of the WAC since July 2021 and of the football-only UAC since its inception in 2023.
“We are extremely excited about our transition to be a member of the UAC! This bold move positions our team to compete at a high level while aligning with dynamic institutions that share our competitive spirit and commitment to excellence. The geographic footprint of the UAC will provide a strong platform for recruiting, growth, postseason opportunities, and long term success for our student athletes.” – Julie Goodenough, ACU women’s basketball head coach
“We are excited about the next chapter for our athletic department and the opportunities to compete against some old rivals while establishing some new ones. We have a lot of momentum on campus and throughout our department. I’m grateful for our administration’s commitment to athletics and we feel like we are positioned for success across the board.” – Rick McCarty, ACU baseball head coach
“We are incredibly excited for the rebrand, and future membership of the UAC starting in 2026-27! This move represents a bold and strategic decision for our program, as it puts us in a competitive, forward-thinking conference. The UAC is a great fit for our vision and the culture we’re building. This will not just have a positive impact for our team, but for our university and student-athletes. I’m grateful for our continued upward trajectory and can’t wait to see what we accomplish next!” – Stephen Salas, ACU women’s soccer head coach
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WORCESTER, Mass. – Holy Cross field hockey head coach Lindsay Jackson is excited to announce the addition of six student-athletes that will comprise the class of 2028. The slate of new Crusaders includes Alexa Birch, Ainsley Clough, Rachel Egan, Martina di Gregorio Giralt, Maeve Kiernan, and Hadley Rand. Take […]
WORCESTER, Mass. – Holy Cross field hockey head coach Lindsay Jackson is excited to announce the addition of six student-athletes that will comprise the class of 2028. The slate of new Crusaders includes Alexa Birch, Ainsley Clough, Rachel Egan, Martina di Gregorio Giralt, Maeve Kiernan, and Hadley Rand.
Played four seasons of varsity field hockey at Northern Highlands under head coach Ali Ege.
Served as a team captain as a senior.
Helped team to a State Sectional Championship in 2024 and four-straight County Championships (2021-2024), as well as a Team of the Year honor in 2022.
Finished Northern Highlands career with 145 points on 48 goals and 49 assists.
Was named to the NEFHL All-Division First Team, BCWCA All-Bergen County First Team in 2023 and 2024.
Also earned North Jersey All-Star Team Group III, Top Junior Field Hockey Player NJ, All-New Jersey Second Team in 2023, and First Team All-County, First Team NEFHL All-Division honors in 2022.
Also ran track at Northern Highlands.
Played club field hockey for the New Heights field hockey club under head coach Ali Good, helping the team to No. 9 on the USAFH U19 Club Team rankings.
Played in the national NIT in 2023 and 2025, and NCC in 2021 and 2024.
Was on the honor roll all four years at Vestal.
Ainsley Clough | M | 5-6 | New Canaan, Conn. | Sacred Heart Greenwich
Played four seasons of varsity field hockey at Sacred Heart Greenwich under head coach Alexandru Gheorghe.
Served as a team captain as a senior.
Earned team’s Most Improved Player Award as a sophomore and Honor Heart & Hustle Award as a senior.
Named 2023 Second Team FAA All-League and Western New England Prep School All-Star and 2024 First Team FAA All-League and Western New England Prep School All-Star.
Helped team to four FAA Regular Season Championships, two FAA Tournament Championships (2021 & 2024), a 2021 NEPSAC Regular Season Championship, and the NEPSAC Tournament finals in 2021.
Earned 2024 NFHCA High School Impact Senior Team, NFHCA Southern New England All-Region Team, Max Field Hockey All-Northeast Region Second Team, and 2023 & 2024 NFHCA Southern New England All-Region Team honors.
Also played three seasons of varsity lacrosse and four seasons of ice hockey at Sacred Heart.
Earned the 2024 and 2025 Fairchester Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete Award, the 2025 Upperclassman Athletic Award, and the 2025 Four Year Three Sport Award.
Played club field hockey for AGH under head coach Alexandru Gheorghe.
Helped team to first place at the 2023 Regional Club Championship and fifth place at the 2023 U16 National Club Championships.
Played four seasons of varsity field hockey at Watertown under head coach Eileen Donahue.
Served as a team captain as a senior.
Helped team to a 92-0 record over the four years, winning four-straight MIAA D3 State Championships.
In 2023 and 2024, was named a Middlesex League All-Star, Middlesex League All-League honoree, MAX Field Hockey All-Region First Team, NFHCA Massachusetts All-Region First Team, Boston Globe All-Scholastic, and Boston Herald All-Scholastic.
Was also named the Middlesex League Most Valuable Player, Boston Globe D3 Player of the Year, and Massachusetts Field Hockey Coaches Association Best of 60 Senior All-Star in 2024.
Led Massachusetts and ranked fourth in the nation with 58 goals as a senior.
Finished Watertown career with 96 goals and 48 assists.
Also ran indoor and outdoor track at Watertown, serving as a team captain as a senior in both seasons.
Played club field hockey for Wizards Field Hockey under head coach Susan Caples.
Helped team qualify for NCC’s each year and placed second at RCC’s each year.
Martina di Gregorio Giralt | F | 5-5 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Colegio Santa Hilda
Played varsity field hockey at Colegio Santa Hilda.
Helped team to win the 2024 Interschool Tournament and place second in the ADE 11 Tournament.
Was selected for the 2018 and 2024 Norte Sur Tournament and the 2023 ADE Team that traveled to New Zealand.
Also ran track at Santa Hilda.
Played club field hockey for Hurling Club under head coach Ariel Montagnaro.
Helped team to win the Asociacion Amateur de Hockey Sobre Cesped de Buenos Aires league in 2024 and qualify for the playoffs in 2022.
Maeve Kiernan | M | 5-3 | East Greenwich, R.I. | East Greenwich
Played four seasons of varsity field hockey at East Greenwich High School under head coach Debra McMullen.
Served as a team captain as a senior.
Helped team to four Division I State Championships, winning twice (2021, 2023).
Finished East Greenwich career with 79 points on 24 goals and 31 assists.
Was named to the All-Tournament Team four times, and the
Named RIIL First Team All-Division, Providence Journal First Team All-State, Max Field Hockey Preseason Player to Watch, and Max Field Hockey All-Region in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Also named to the NFHCA All-Region Team in 2023 and 2024 and Max Field Hockey Senior Impact Team in 2024.
Played in the Nexus National Championship and Nexus Region 3 Selection Camp in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, was an AAU Junior Olympic Selectant and silver medalist in 2022, and was named to the Max Field Hockey Top 150 Players to Watch Class of 2025 in 2022.
Also played four seasons of varsity lacrosse and three seasons of varsity basketball at East Greenwich.
Played club field hockey for Patriot Field Hockey under head coach Patti Bossio.
Hadley Rand | F/M | 5-5 | Mendham, N.J. | Oak Knoll School
Played three seasons of varsity field hockey at Oak Knoll under head coach Ali Good.
Helped team to the 2022 and 2023 state finals.
Won the 2024 State Championship and 2022, 2023, and 2024 Union County Championships.
Was named to the 2024 All-County Second Team and a 2023 All-County Honorable Mention, as well as the 2023 and 2024 NFHCA High School National Academic Squad.
Finished career at Oak Knoll with 40 points on 16 goals and eight assists.
Also played for the New Heights Field Hockey Club under head coaches Ali Good, Jackie Fusco, and Tarek Kouta.
Helped team qualify for the National Indoor Tournament and National Club Championships from 2022-2025.
FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS Be sure to follow the Holy Cross field hockey team — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media! Twitter – @HCrossFH | @goholycross Instagram – @hcrossfh | @goholycross Facebook – Holy Cross Field Hockey | Holy Cross Athletics YouTube – GoHolyCross
Atlanta Gladiators Sign Forward Isak Walther | National
The Atlanta Gladiators announced Tuesday that the ECHL ice hockey club has signed forward Isak Walther for the 2025-26 season. Walther, a native of Södertälje, Sweden, was selected by the Nashville Predators in the 6th round (179th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. The 23-year-old forward joins the Gladiators after four seasons playing NCAA Division […]
The Atlanta Gladiators announced Tuesday that the ECHL ice hockey club has signed forward Isak Walther for the 2025-26 season.
Walther, a native of Södertälje, Sweden, was selected by the Nashville Predators in the 6th round (179th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. The 23-year-old forward joins the Gladiators after four seasons playing NCAA Division I hockey at the University of Vermont, where he scored 23 goals and 33 assists for 56 points in 128 career games with the Catamounts.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound forward scored 6 goals and 11 assists for 17 points in 33 games with the University of Vermont last season and is now entering his first season of professional hockey.
“Isak is a big body coming off a successful college career at Vermont,” Gladiators director of hockey operations and head coach Matt Ginn said. “He has very good hands and a good shot. Isak uses his size and strength effectively to get to the dirty areas on the ice. He is a very driven player, and we are excited to work with Isak this season.”
Hagens continuing to put in work despite hectic schedule
MINNEAPOLIS — James Hagens has had quite a year. The 18-year-old helped the United States win its second straight gold medal as the top-line center at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in January before following that up with a workmanlike performance as the No. 1 pivot at Boston College as a freshman last season. […]
The 18-year-old helped the United States win its second straight gold medal as the top-line center at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in January before following that up with a workmanlike performance as the No. 1 pivot at Boston College as a freshman last season.
He was starry-eyed watching actor Adam Sandler announce him as the No. 7 pick to the Boston Bruins during the 2025 NHL Draft at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater on June 27, gained great experience at Bruins development camp earlier in July, and then attended the premier of Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore 2,” where he met and conversed with the famed actor at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York on July 21.
Whew!
“You’re going from place to place, state to state, so it’s crazy but it’s just something you have to let soak in because it only happens once,” Hagens said.
He’s one of 42 U.S. players attending the World Junior Summer Showcase this week at Ridder Arena, looking to lead and make a difference as the Americans prepare for a possible three-peat at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship in St. Paul and Minneapolis from Dec. 26-Jan. 5.
“To have the whole thing behind him probably feels good and then to be drafted by Boston, in the same city that he’s playing college hockey, was probably exciting for him,” said Boston College coach Greg Brown, who is also serving as the assistant coach for the U.S. “I know it just seemed to be a lot … you’d see all the interviews he went through for the draft, and he’s trying to play well and do as well as he can for BC.
“I think now that the whole draft is behind him, he knows where he’ll be to start his pro career. He can concentrate on just playing hockey and that’ll probably be much easier.”
He looks laser focused on helping the U.S. win a third straight gold and do it on home ice for the first time. He has four assists in two exhibition games, playing center on a line with BC teammate Teddy Stiga (Nashville Predators) and right wing Brodie Ziemer (Buffalo Sabres).
“Creating culture is a huge part of this, you don’t want a divided locker room,” Hagens said. “Everyone here knows each other well. I think that’s something that really is helpful. It carries over a ton when you’re able to trust the guy off the ice, when you’re able to just go out there and play freely.”
Hagens tied for the U.S. lead with five goals in seven games to help his country win the championship at the 2025 WJC as the top center between Gabe Perreault (New York Rangers) and Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals).
He also centered Perreault and Leonard at Boston College, where he had 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 37 games.
“James had an unreal year. I can’t speak to the pressure he faced as a top pick in the draft, but I know it’s got to be a lot,” Stiga said. “I was his roommate, so I know what he was going through. It’s hard but I think he handled it well.
“He was a point per game player in college, and that’s hard to do playing with guys like Perreault and Leonard, who are really high skilled. Sometimes you saw him deferring to ‘Lenny,’ but you know he can score with the puck, he can pass the puck, do everything.”
Ryan Swanson's 'A Beautiful Shame' captures New Mexico's final season and underscores …
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NORMAN, Okla. – Texas Tech’s Charlie DeLong, Ben Gregg and Calum Scott were named 2024-25 Cobalt Golf All-America Scholars, revealed Tuesday by the Golf Coaches Association of America. To be eligible for a Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar nomination:
An individual must be a sophomore, junior, or senior both academically and athletically
must participate in 50 […]
NORMAN, Okla. – Texas Tech’s Charlie DeLong, Ben Gregg and Calum Scott were named 2024-25 Cobalt Golf All-America Scholars, revealed Tuesday by the Golf Coaches Association of America.
To be eligible for a Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar nomination:
An individual must be a sophomore, junior, or senior both academically and athletically
must participate in 50 percent of their team’s competitive rounds
own a stroke average under 76.0 in NCAA Division I, and maintain a minimum cumulative career grade-point average of 3.2
must also be of high moral character and be in good standing at their college or university.
Scott, a senior in 2024-25, finishes his Texas Tech career earning the All-America Scholar honor all three years of his career. DeLong, also a senior, took home the honor both seasons as a Red Raider while Gregg, a sophomore in 2024-25, earned the honor after his first year eligible.
In total, 556 NCAA Division I athletes from 190 schools earned 2024-25 Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar honors.
About Cobalt Golf
Cobalt is a direct-to-consumer golf brand focused on developing premium laser rangefinders for golfers who demand the best out of their gear. We take pride in producing highly accurate, durable, easy-to-use products and delivering high-performance optical quality at a better price. For more information, please visit www.cobalt-golf.com.
About GCAA
Established in 1958, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) is the professional organization of men’s collegiate golf coaches. The GCAA’s mission is to support its member coaches from six divisions, including the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA, by creating educational opportunities, providing resources, and promoting its members with the purpose of enhancing their overall performance as coaches, mentors, and teachers. The GCAA also recognizes the excellence and achievements of its members and their student-athletes in academic, athletic, and civic endeavors.