Sports

Semifinal day at men’s water polo

Published

5 months ago

July 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Day 14 Schedule

Classification 7-8
Match 45. 16:00.

Classification 3-4
Match 47. 17:35.

Classification 5-6
Match 46. 20:00.

Classification 1-2
Match 48. 21:35.

Overview

In the classification 9-10 match, Romania came from 8-1 down at quarter time to force a penalty shootout at 16-16 but it could not survive with Japan finishing 20-19 in sudden death.

In the classification match for 11th position, Canada turned the tables on Brazil, winning 16-11 after losing the round encounter on penalty shootout.

Match Reports

Classification 9-10

Match 40, JAPAN 20 ROMANIA 19 in sudden-death penalty shootout. FT: 16-16. Pens: 4-3 (8-1, 4-3, 2-8, 2-4)

What an incredible match this was! For Japan to go 8-1 in the first quarter and then to allow Romania to win the rest of the match 15-8 and force a penalty shootout was truly remarkable by the Romanians. And then for the shootout to go to sudden death after the first rotation yielded two saves each was equally fantastic. A delight to watch.

The first quarter was like a tsunami with eight goals to one. That’s averaging every attack and the 4-1 score came before the four-minute mark. Yusuke Inaba plugged the first two for Japan; Daichi Ogihara had a pair, as well and Kiyomu Date scored three of the last four. Romania took a timeout at 4:20 but the Japanese responded with four goals. Centre forward Alexandru Gheorghe gained the first Romanian goal. In the second quarter, Romania came back into the fray and denied many Japanese chances. Francesco Iudean scored his 13th and 14^th goals of the tournament for 8-3 with Inaba picking up his third before Gheorghe repeated his first-quarter effort for 9-4. Three more Japanese goals came within a minute inside the last 1:40 before halftime, Inaba netting his fourth from a snappy six-metre shot and Date going on counter for his fourth.

Who would have thought that Romania would bring its A game in the third quarter, shooting five unanswered goals with more to come? That it did with Andrei Neamtu grabbing two. Japan called a timeout, gained an exclusion and Kenta Araki converted from the left post for 13-9. Levente Vancsik buried his shot and minutes later Inaba cherished a four-goal margin on counter. Neamtu and Vlad-Luca Georgescu, both on extra, narrowed the margin to two with two last-minute goals with the 12^th with four seconds on the clock.

The last quarter was a heart-stopper with traded goals from Andrei Tepelus in the first minute to Adachi at 16-14. Sebastian Oltean drilled from the top and Georgescu scored his most important goal to equalise on extra from the top right at 0:34. Japan had two shots covered and the shootout had been booked.

Japan started and missed its first two and Romania missed its second shot. The next three went in and Romania had its fourth shot saved meaning the match was tied at 18-18. The next two shots were successful, ending the rotation and sending the match into sudden death. Watanabe did what he couldn’t at the start, by scoring Japan’s 20^th goal and Georgescu had his shot blocked by goalkeeper Ren Sasano for the Japanese victory.

Match Heroes
Japan’s Inaba with five goals to finish with 23 in Singapore. Date collected four (12) while Watanabe’s one pushed him to 17. Captain Marius-Florin Tic stopped 14 shots for 60 in Singapore.

Turning Point
Japan’s 8-1 and then Romania’s relentless surge back to 16-16.

Stats Don’t Lie
Japan converted seven from 11 on extra and Romania a fantastic six from eight. There were two penalty goals for Japan and one for Romania. The teams stole the ball seven times each and Japan shot 38 to 34.

Bottom Line
Japan was 13^th last year and Romania 10^th in its first return since 2013 when it was 13^th. This year it will settle for 10^th. Japan was ninth in 2022 as well, a year after finishing 10^th at the home Olympic Games. It was eighth at this year’s World Cup, so is up there with the best. This was its third win here.

What He Said

Yusuke INABA (JPN) — Captain and Five Goals

On the close match:
“I have no idea how it became like that. We (conceded) a lot of goals in the third quarter and it was really a tough game, see-saw game. I don’t know, for us, it was a terrible game. We were leading by seven, eight goals, then they came back to tie and first we missed two penalties… it was wow, just wow.”

On what changed in the third quarter:
“In the third quarter, they changed tactics. They put two centres every time and we got many exclusions than goals, so they were really smarter than us. In the last 11 seconds, we really wanted to score because we knew that if we went to penalties, we would have a lower possibility of winning. Their goalkeeper Marius-Florin (TIC) is really good, so in the last 11 seconds, everyone really wanted to score, but we couldn’t. But after these 11 seconds, I said to everyone ‘Just think about victory’, and then we won, so it’s OK.”

On Japan’s campaign:
“We were really good here compared to the Paris Olympics. In Paris, when we played against Hungary, against Spain, we lost by 15, 14 goals, which is a lot. But this time, by five or six, so now, for sure, we are getting better. Step by step but it’s OK; we will continue to grow.”

Classification 11-12

Match 39, BRAZIL 11 CANADA 16 (3-1, 2-4, 1-5, 5-6)

Canada won the battle of the Americas, coming from 4-1 behind to win by five and back in the numbers after missing 2024 and finishing 12^th in 2023. These two teams met in the rounds and Brazil won 19-18 in penalty shootout on day six. Canada did not make that mistake twice. Head coach Pat Oaten is no stranger to international limelight coaching, leading the Canadian junior women’s team to the world crown at Calgary 2003. He also did a long stint with the senior women’s team and with Brazil women.

Brazil had the better of the first quarter at 3-1 with captain Gustavo Guimaraes with the first two goals — off the left-post position on cross and from deep right. Roko Pozaric replied for Canada on counter and Marcos Pedroso took it to 3-1 from centre forward, but about five metres out. Pedro Real gave Brazil a 4-1 advantage nearly three minutes into the second period and Nikos Gerakoudis replied, both from the same position at the top. Brazilian head coach Thiago Nacimento collected a yellow card. Guimaraes hit the penalty goal for a three-goal margin. Canada jumped back into the match with Jason O’Donnell from the top right. Aleksa Gardijan did not survive a VAR review for a violent action but Brazil could not convert the extra chance. Ali Oussadou converted a penalty foul and Reuel D’Souza brought up his 20^th goal from the top on extra for 5-5.

Canada’s dominance continued in the third period with captain Bogdan Djerkovic dragging one down off the right-post position on extra; Pozaric from the top left; D’Souza on penalty and then from the top right for 9-5. Lucas Farias broke the more-than-10-minute drought from deep right at 1:24. After a Brazilian challenge was rejected. D’Souza brought up goal number 23 from the penalty line and 10-6 at the final break.

O’Donnell grabbed his second with a cross-cage shot in the first minute of the final stanza. Goals were traded with D’Souza scoring a pair, including the first helicopter (360-degree) shot of the tournament off a six-metre free throw. Captain Djerkovic scored another from centre for 14-8; Luca Andrade scored twice for Brazil as his team’s leading scorer and Guimaraes finished all scoring with his fifth. On the other side, D’Souza converted a penalty for his seventh of the match in his first World Championships for eight years.

Match Heroes
Canada’s D’Souza, with seven goals, to make him the tournament’s leading scorer by far with 26. Guimaraes scored five goals for 12, one behind Andrade, who scored twice today. Joao Fernandes finished with 10 saves and an incredible 64 in Singapore.

Turning Point
Canada turning from 4-1 down and onwards to victory.

Stats Don’t Lie
Canada converted five from 12 on extra and Brazil four from eight. On penalties, Canada put away four and Brazil two. Canada made nine steals to three and shot a huge 41 to 29.

Bottom Line
Canada is now 11^th and Brazil up from 14^th in 2023.

What He Said

Reuel D’SOUZA (CAN) — Player of the Match

On the match:
“I’m really proud of my team. This was a big goal of ours today, to come out and beat Brazil by any means. We knew it was going to be a dogfight and I’m just really proud of how we took it one possession at a time; we chipped away and ultimately we did what we wanted to do.”

On what changed after trailing in the first quarter:
“We reminded ourselves what makes us a group. It’s our love for each other, love for the team, love for the country. That was the message, that was the motto. Chip away one possession at a time, play for Canada and play with heart. When push came to shove, we were the ones to bring the energy. A 9am game is not easy for anybody, even the best athletes in the world. We woke up today on a mission and we ultimately went out and did what we wanted to do.”

On scoring seven goals:
“This whole tournament, I’ve been telling myself that I just need to go out there and do what I’m capable of. I know what I can do and I just had to go out there and do it. For me, it’s not about scoring goals. It’s about helping my team win, about putting my team in the best position to win games. And I feel like if I can stay out of exclusion problems, stay in the water, I can contribute in a lot of ways, not just scoring goals. I’m very proud of what I did this week and I’m really proud of my team for our ability to recover from that first game and come back today.”

On Canada’s Singapore 2025 campaign:
“There were a lot of ups and downs. There were some games that we wanted to perform better and today, we did what we wanted to do, so today was the up. I think there were a lot of downs, but this is what we need. We need these games, we want to play these difficult games, we want to get put in tough, uncomfortable experiences and positions. As far as preparation for Los Angeles 2028 goes, we’re going to have to beat Brazil and Argentina to go. That’s plain and simple, so the more times (we get) to play Brazil, the better. Getting to play them twice this week is great for us. We’re really happy to end on a good note before we see each other again in December for hopefully Division 2 of the World Cup.”

Link

Sports

Knights cruise past Cornell 86-69; Yungtum records career-best 17 rebound double-double

Published

2 hours ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – Men’s basketball (10-2, 2-1 A-R-C) closed 2025 with an 86-69 road win over Cornell College (1-10, 0-2 MWC) behind a 29 point and 17 rebound double-double performance from Ethan Yungtum.

Game Summary

First Half
- Wartburg jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the opening minutes after five points from Ethan Yungtum and two from Gabe Trujillo
- Yungtum and Luke Ladwig each connected on three pointers along with a bucket from Austin Bienemann to take a 18-7 lead after six minutes of play
- Drake Wemark and Yungtum each scored four points over the next three minutes to keep the Knights in front 27-11
- After Cornell cut the lead to 10 points, Trujillo nailed a three pointer with 4:48 left in the half
- The Knights closed the half on an 8-3 run behind scores from Yungtum, Wemark and Kaleb Ferguson
  - Wartburg led 44-36 at halftime

Second Half
- Cornell outscored Wartburg 8-5 in the first three minutes of the second half after scores from Trujillo and Cael Schramm
- Wartburg brought the lead to 57-38 following three pointers from Yungtum and Ladwig and a score from Bienemann
- Lyle Olsen connected on another Wartburg three pointer as the Knights held a 64-45 lead with just over 10 minutes left to play
- The Knights continued to hold their lead over the next three minutes as both Trujillo and Bienemann scored four points each
- Bienemann had back-to-back dunks for Wartburg to push the Knights’ lead to 77-58 with 4:46 to go
- The Knights continued to match Cornell’s scoring in the final minutes as Yungtum, Bienemann and Ladwig combined for nine points to close out an 86-69 win for Wartburg

Top Performers

Notes/Streaks

Wartburg moves to 2-0 over Cornell this season
- First time with multiple wins over Cornell in one season since 2018-19

10^th double double of the season for Yungtum

Four blocks is a career high for Schramm
- 12 blocks over his last five games

10 assists ties Ladwig’s career best
- Fifth career game with 10 assists (second this season)

Career high in rebounds for Yungtum (17)
- Most by any Knight this season

Third time this season with 10+ threes made as a team

Seventh 20+ point scoring performance for Yungtum this season

Next Time Out
The Knights are back in action on Saturday, Jan. 3 for a home matchup against Nebraska Wesleyan University at 4 p.m.

Link

Sports

Meet the 2025 Huntsville Times All-Region volleyball team

Published

2 hours ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Huntsville area volleyball teams were well-represented in the AHSAA Elite Eight championship tournament with 11 teams earning spots this season.

Class 5A Guntersville won its sixth state championship while Class 6A Hazel Green advanced to the championship match before falling to Spanish Fort and Austin finished in the Class 7A final four.

Other teams winning to the final eight were Class 7A Bob Jones, which was the only team to push class champion McGill-Toolen to five sets since a Sept. 4 five-setter against Class 6A champion Spanish Fort. Class 6A Hartselle, Class 5A Arab, Brewer and Boaz, Class 4A Madison County and West Morgan and Class 3A Elkmont also earned Elite Eight spots.

The Huntsville Times All-Region team is compiled by the AL.com high school sports staff with input from coaches.

AL.com named Player of the Year, Attacker MVP, Defensive MVP, Setter MVP and Coach of the Year. Award winners are listed separately, but considered first-team selections.

HUNTSVILLE ALL-REGION VOLLEYBALL TEAM

(Players listed alphabetically)

Adily Alberti, Danville

5-8, Sr., Outside Hitter/Defensive Specialist

358 kills, 21 blocks, 332 digs, 24 assists, 36 aces

College: Undecided

Charlie Barnes, Austin

5-11, Sr., Outside Hitter

484 kills, 48 blocks, 408 digs, 42 assists, 76 aces

College: Bevill

McKenzie Doner, Elkmont

Jr., Outside Hitter/Middle

283 kills, 29 blocks, 374 digs, 23 assists, 72 aces

College: Undecided

Caroline Coulter, Decatur

5-10, Sr., Outside Hitter

441 kills, 21 blocks, 303 digs, 21 assists, 31 aces

College: Undecided

Aylah Duvall, Hazel Green

6-0, Jr., Middle

268 kills, 72 blocks, 191 digs, 22 assists, 27 aces

College: Undecided

Blakely Faulkner, Brewer

5-8, Sr., Outside Hitter

557 kills, 18 blocks, 653 digs, 82 assists, 84 aces

College: Undecided

Emani Green, James Clemens

5-4, Sr., Libero

402 digs, 277 assists, 44 aces

College: Alabama State

Riley Green, Lindsay Lane

5-4, Jr., Setter

1,020 assists, 54 kills, 299 digs, 52 aces

College: Undecided

Addy Gustafson, Madison County

5-8, Sr., Setter

1,194 assists, 61 kills, 35 blocks, 426 digs, 40 aces

College: Undecided

Layla Hanvy, Decatur Heritage

6-0, Jr., Middle

254 kills, 35 blocks, 210 digs, 32 assists, 33 aces

College: Undecided

Rylee Jo Harbin, New Hope

5-4, Jr., Libero, 44 kills, 0 blocks, 483 digs, 80 assists, 40 aces

College: Undecided

Layla Hendrix, Arab

6-0, Jr., Middle

435 kills, 35 blocks, 91 digs, 69 aces

College: Undecided

Maddy Johnson, Hartselle

5-7, Sr., Setter

Region second-best 1,518 assists, region-best 24.48 assists per match, 181 kills, 22 blocks, 421 digs, 68 aces

College: Undecided

Kalyn Jones, Lindsay Lane

5-10, Jr., Outside Hitter

Region second-best 654 kills, region-best 13.91 kills per match, 20 blocks, 333 digs, 27 assists, region second-best 102 aces

College: Undecided

Mya Lacey, Bob Jones

5-10, Sr., Right Side/Setter

396 kills, 479 assists, 59 blocks, 344 digs, 79 aces

College: AUM

Carleigh Lanford, Madison County

5-10, Sr., Outside Hitter/Defensive Specialist

574 kills, 34 blocks, 529 digs, 52 aces

College: Undecided

Abby Langlois, Priceville

6-1, Sr., Outside Hitter

435 kills, 96 blocks, 325 digs, 43 aces

College: West Florida

Italey May, Guntersville

5-8, So., Outside Hitter

451 kills, 29 blocks, 295 digs, 40 assists, 19 aces

College: Undecided

Brenna McReath, Hartselle

5-9, Jr., Right Side

523 kills, 62 blocks, 396 digs, 59 assists, region second-best 109 aces

College: Undecided

Kennedy Moss, Huntsville

5-8, Sr., Outside Hitter

376 kills, 38 blocks, 270 digs, 14 assists, 42 aces

College: Undecided

Bekah Mouser, Madison Academy

5-6, Jr., Outside Hitter

314 kills, 26 blocks, 392 digs, 30 aces

College: Undecided

McKenna Phillips, Buckhorn

5-8, Jr., Outside Hitter

359 kills, 65 blocks, 329 digs, 11 assists, 44 aces

College: Undecided

Brooke Reeves, Grissom

6-0, Sr., Outside Hitter

262 kills, 40 blocks, 205 digs, 29 aces

College: Calhoun

Elizabeth Rohling, St. John Paul II

5-10, Jr., Setter

188 kills, 22 blocks, 378 digs, 836 assists, 70 aces

College: Undecided

Shayna Russell, DAR

5-8, Sr., Outside Hitter

476 kills, 22 blocks, 453 digs, 52 assists, 69 aces

College: Snead

Olivia Saint, Hazel Green

6-3, Sr., Right Side

306 kills, 55 blocks, 103 digs, 18 assists, 18 aces

College: Freed Hardeman

Haniyah Standridge, West Morgan

5-7, So., Outside Hitter

Region-best 723 kills, region second-best 12.25 kills per match, 35 blocks, 335 digs, 53 aces

College: Undecided

Ka’miah Walker, Athens

5-8, Sr., Outside Hitter

425 kills, 6 blocks, 255 digs, 17 assists, 56 aces

College: Calhoun

Amari Woods, Austin

5-10, Jr., Outside Hitter

374 kills, 39 blocks, 329 digs, 57 assists, 45 aces

College: Undecided

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

AHSAA Volleyball 5A Championship — Guntersville’s Mary George Vandergriff sets the ball against Montgomery Catholic during the AHSAA Class 5A volleyball state championship at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Vasha Hunt | preps@al.com) Vasha Hunt

Mary George Vandergriff, Guntersville

5-8, Sr., Setter

Region-best 1,671 assists, region second-best 24.22 assists per match, 135 kills, 39 blocks, 426 digs, 86 aces

College: UAH

ATTACKER MVP

AHSAA Volleyball — Bob Jones’ Kendall Buckley celebrates point against McGill-Toolen during Class 7A play in the AHSAA state volleyball tournament at the CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Vasha Hunt | preps@al.com)Vasha Hunt

Kendall Buckley, Bob Jones

6-0, Sr., Outside Hitter

476 kills, 57 blocks, 424 digs, 33 assists, 73 aces

College: UNA

DEFENSIVE MVP

AHSAA Volleyball 6A Championship — Hazel Green coach CoCo Tate Crutcher works with Camryn Collier during the AHSAA Class 6A volleyball state championship against Spanish Fort at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Vasha Hunt | preps@al.com) Vasha Hunt

Camryn Collier, Hazel Green

5-7, Sr., Libero

568 digs, 132 assists, 23 aces

College: Calhoun

SETTER MVP

AHSAA Volleyball North Super Regional Tournament — Austin’s Maggie Jae Marsh sets the ball during Class 7A play in the AHSAA North Super Regional volleyball tournament at the Finley Center in Hoover, Ala., Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (Vasha Hunt | preps@al.com)Vasha Hunt

Maggie Jae Marsh, Austin

5-8, Jr., Setter

1,174 assists, 195 kills, 56 blocks, 380 digs, 82 aces

College: Undecided

COACH OF THE YEAR

Melissa-Paul Gardner, Guntersville

HONORABLE MENTION

Outside Hitter/Right Side: Sydney Jarmon, Guntersville, Sr.; Emma Guffey, DAR, So.; Isabelle Sutton, Madison Academy, Sr.; Sydney Wallace, New Hope, Sr.; Mackenzie Martin, New Hope, Sr.; Makenzie Irmen, Brewer, Sr.; Emma- Glenn Roby, Decatur, Jr.; Lyndie Springer, Hartselle, Sr.; Abigail Preuitt, Hartselle, Sr.; Rhyan Holloway, St. John Paul II, Sr.; Aliyah Hollingsworth, Boaz, Jr.; Ella Watts, Bob Jones, So.; Julia Celani, James Clemens, So. ; Destiny Burns, Athens Bible, Sr.; Emma Underwood, Elkmont, Sr.; Caroline Cofield, Boaz, Jr.; Alice Morrison, Lindsay Lane, Jr.; Harper Jane Douglas, Decatur, Sr.

Middle: Izzy Fearnside, Madison County, Jr.; Lilly Roberts, Guntersville, Sr.; Shiloh Stanley, Guntersville, So.; Breanna Gentry, Boaz, Jr.; Raygen Muse, West Morgan, Jr.

Setter: Josie Childress, Priceville, Sr.; Madison Moore, Grissom, Jr.; Kylie Murrell, Athens Bible, Fr.; Lily Nelson, Hazel Green, So.; Brooklynn Gonzalez, Buckhorn, Jr.; Sarai McKenzie, Buckhorn, Jr.; Millie Lackey, Arab, Jr.; Rose Garner, Decatur Heritage, Jr.; Gillian Head, DAR, Jr. ; Sarah Bacon, Madison Academy, So.

Defensive Specialist/Libero: Isabella Grant, St. John Paul II, Jr.; Alley Emerson, Brewer, So.; Kayden Gronczniak, Arab, Sr.; Aubree Lagunas, Athens, Jr.; Paige Bradshaw, Madison County, Fr.

Link

Sports

H.S. INDOOR TRACK & FIELD: GLOW region athletes shine in RWTL meet at Nazareth University | Sports

Published

6 hours ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

State

Zip Code

Country

Link

Sports

LANE ONE: Projecting the top stories of 2026 (10 to 6), with questions about Russia, Israel, esports, doping, college chaos and, of course, track & field

Published

7 hours ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ TOP STORIES of 2026: 10 to 6 ≡

The post-Olympic year of 2025 is done and a Winter Olympic year is getting started in 2026. What will the top stories be in the new year? Time for predictions, or – let’s say – projections of the issues that will garner attention and interest. Some good and some not good at all.

10. Russia, Israel and access to sport
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022 and is still fighting its war of aggression. Hamas, the ruling body in Gaza, massacred more than 1,200 Israelis in a coordinated attack on 7 October 2023 and took 250 hostages and Israel responded with a comprehensive attack, leading to a fragile “cease fire,” in effect since 10 October 2025.

In 2022, the International Olympic Committee declared quickly that Russian and Belarusian athletes should not participate in international competitions, including teams. An IOC plan to allow “neutral” individuals who have shown no public support for the war was developed at the end of 2023 and implemented for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In December, the IOC decided that Russian and Belarusian “youth” competitors and teams can compete internationally without restrictions, subject to federation rules and procedures.

In October 2025, Indonesia – after giving assurances earlier – refused to allow Israeli athletes to enter the country to compete in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. The IOC ended all discussions about future events in Indonesia and the government has still not said it will allow Israeli participation in the future.

At the Olympic Summit on 11 December 2025, the Olympic stakeholders “reaffirmed that athletes have a fundamental right to access sport across the world, and to compete free from political interference or pressure from governmental organisations.”

So what happens in 2026? Russia and Belarus appear to be in a re-entry phase, but what about Israel and other IOC-recognized countries that have been refused visas, such as Kosovo? And what of the increasing scrutiny on entry into the United States, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June and July?

9. The IOC and esports?
A 12-year deal between the IOC and the Saudi Arabian National Olympic Committee to create and stage a new, “Olympic Esports Games” was announced with great fanfare in July 2024.

In October 2025, the deal was dead, with the announcement noting in part:

“The IOC, for its part, will develop a new approach to the Olympic Esports Games, taking the feedback from the ‘Pause and Reflect’ process into account, and pursue a new partnership model.

“This approach will be a chance to better fit the Olympic Esports Games to the long-term ambitions of the Olympic Movement and to spread the opportunities presented by the Olympic Esports Games more widely, with the objective of having the inaugural Games as soon as possible.”

What does the IOC do now? Under prior President Thomas Bach (GER), a link to the e-sports community was created, but has stalled. As he noted at the time, the structure of competitive gaming is much different from Olympic sports, with commercial publishers instead of International Federations.

There are perhaps more than three billion active gamers worldwide, but many fewer registered professionals. Will new President Kirsty Coventry’s IOC seek out engagement, as Bach did? Find a blend with active sport contested online, a la the World Rowing Indoor Championships? Do nothing?

Remember this line in “The Godfather” from 1972? Looking to the future, consigliere Tom Hagen told his boss, Vito Corleone, “if we don’t get a piece of that action, we risk everything we have; I mean not now, but ten years from now.”

8. Collegiate sport still in chaos
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee stated that “75% of U.S. Olympians will have competed collegiately as part of their journey to Team USA” for the Paris 2024 Games and that the American collegiate system is a bedrock of the U.S. athlete development program.

In 2025, collegiate athletics surged into chaos as pay-for-play was fully implemented, firstly and mostly for college football and also significantly impacting college basketball for men and women. The now-legal payments to players, and barely-regulated booster pay on top of that, plus the costs for coaches, support and facilities, threatens to crowd out all other sports, including Olympic mainstays such as track & field, swimming, wrestling, volleyball, gymnastics and many others.

The NCAA is looking to Congress for legislative support and some collegiate conferences and the USOPC are beyond the SCORE Act, which requires that the large football-playing schools maintain a 16-sport program which will ensure continued funding of non-revenue sports, which are essentially everything other than football and basketball at most schools.

But the SCORE Act (H.R. 4312) and competing bills have not made it across the finish line yet and do not appear to be close. The Trump Administration is in favor of a Congressional fix to the college sport mess, but has many other priorities.

There is a wide agreement that collegiate sport’s structure is broken, but how to fix it is not clear. We’re here to help: The Sports Examiner proposed a comprehensive fix in 2024, detailed here.

7. What about the Enhanced Games?
Under the leadership of then-IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch (ESP), the World Anti-Doping Agency was formed in 1999 to take the global lead against doping in sport, on competitive, ethical and medical safety grounds.

In 2025, a new competition was announced, doing away with doping tests and encouraging “enhanced” athletes to compete in a showcase of “superhumans,” titled the Enhanced Games, planned to be held at Resorts World in Las Vegas, Nevada in late May of 2026.

Widely condemned, the event is to feature a small number of sprint events in track & field and swimming, plus weightlifting, all trying to break world records set by athletes who have competed in competitions which follow the World Anti-Doping Code.

Each event is to have a $500,000 prize purse, with $250,000 for the winner; world-record bonuses will pay $250,000 except for the 50 m Free swim and 100 m dash, which will have $1 million payouts for records.

WADA and many other organizations have labeled the event dangerous and unethical. The promoters have had trouble signing up athletes, who will be instantly banned from Olympic and International Federation competitions. So far, nine swimmers, three track athletes and two weightlifters have agreed to participate, and the Enhanced Games had a lawsuit alleging restraint of trade against WADA, World Aquatics and USA Swimming was dismissed.

But the Enhanced Games got a $40 million lifeline in a complex transaction in November, with the promise of more, with a product line to follow which would be the basis of the business going forward.

Will the Enhanced Games be held? If so, will anyone care? Many in the Olympic world have disowned it, but there will be attention paid to see what happens – if anything – in May.

6. Will ATHLOS succeed where Grand Slam Track failed?
One of the big questions of 2025 was whether Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track would succeed. It did not, staging only three of its planned four meets, selling less than 65,000 tickets across eight meet days and staring at $31.4 million in debt at the end of 2025.

Now in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in Delaware, Grand Slam Track is trying to settle its debts – it owes its athletes about $7 million – and get re-energized with new funding. It will have an uphill climb to regain any trust within the track & field community. But it is trying.

Getting ready to enter the fray, apparently, is ATHLOS, a project of Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who staged two showy, end-of-season meets in New York in 2024 and 2025, with a limited event program, strong athlete pay and integrated concerts which had more fan attention than the meets.

Ohanian has promised an ATHLOS “league” beginning in 2026:

“The ATHLOS League introduces a team-based competition model designed for and by the modern athlete. Taking place after the conclusion of the World Athletics season, ATHLOS will feature multiple meets hosted in major cities, culminating in a final championship event.”

The ownership is to include athletes such as Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas and Tara Davis-Woodhall. That’s all there is to say at present. The details, with Grand Slam Track’s experience as a cautionary tale, will be fascinating.

Coming New Year’s Day: our projected top-five stories of 2026, including a fight over science and two of the world mega-events.

Rich Perelman
Editor

★ Receive our exclusive, weekday TSX Recap by e-mail by clicking here.
★ Sign up a friend to receive the TSX Recap by clicking here.
★ Please consider a donation here to keep this site going.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

Link

Sports

Texas A&M Volleyball makes USA Today’s Top Women’s Moments list

Published

10 hours ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Dec. 31, 2025, 8:16 p.m. CT

When it comes to recent college athletics, few stories can match the rise of the Texas A&M volleyball program—a team that went from unranked three years ago to national champions. Their remarkable climb just earned major national recognition, as one of the country’s biggest publications placed their title run among the top women’s sports moments of the year.

On Monday, USA Today released its 2025 Top Ten Women’s Sports Moments, highlighting the most unforgettable achievements across the country. Women’s athletics delivered countless headline‑worthy performances this year, but when it came to upsets, nothing topped Texas A&M’s five‑set stunner over No. 1 Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament.

The Aggies toppled the undefeated favorite on its home floor, in front of a sea of red, to punch their ticket to the Final Four—then dominated the rest of the field on their way to the program’s first‑ever national championship.

Under head coach Jamie Morrison, A&M’s fast‑paced, aggressive style overwhelmed opponents all season. Just as important, Morrison instilled a belief in his team that they belonged on the sport’s biggest stage—and that they were capable of winning it all. The Aggies played like it, too.

Their takedown of the sport’s juggernaut didn’t just shift the tournament. It put the entire volleyball world on notice. And now, that moment has been cemented nationally, earning the No. 10 spot on USA Today’s list of the top women’s sports moments of the year.

Link

Sports

2025 Volleyball Year in Review – UCF Athletics

Published

10 hours ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

A PERIOD OF FIRSTS AND MILESTONES

Botsford had to wait just over 100 minutes to secure his first win as head coach at UCF, as the Knights disposed of Chattanooga in four sets in the 2025 season opener. The contest commenced the Black and Gold Classic and an 11-match non-conference slate. It was also the first glance at the swarm of depth present at The Venue, with five Knights registering five or more kills.

Sweeps over Norfolk State and UC Riverside preceded the first road trip of the slate at the 305 Challenge in Miami. UCF demolished Statson in the first contest, outscoring the Hatters by 40 points across just 66 minutes of action. A Saturday night tilt with eventual NCAA second-round participants, Miami, saw the Knights beaten by a combined six points, a learning opportunity for the squad and a glimpse of the level of competition expected in the Big 12.

The weekend capper against hosts FIU featured 13 aces from UCF and the first breakout from English, who boasted eight and the most by a Knight since 2021. From then, the FGCU transfer never left the NCAA national rankings while widening her gap as the active leader in division one.

Returning home for three matchups before opening Big 12 action with Baylor, the Black and Gold produced their most complete performance of the season to open the Knights Invite, sweeping a red-hot Arkansas State team behind a formidable defensive display. The ‘Nauts then took care of business against Florida Atlantic in their first space match of the year in four sets. However, the highs of the past 48 hours were erased after a difficult defeat to Brown, a disappointing result with conference play just two days away.

The Big 12’s most historic program, Baylor, handed the Knights a three-set loss, with a contested third-set still supplying indications of future ranked contests. Before the rest of league play resumed, UCF ventured to the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, striving to bounce back into the win column.

English was at the forefront of a well-rounded display against Memphis, tallying a career-high nine aces, tied for the second most by an athlete in a four-set NCAA match this season, to set the tone. A day later, the Knights disposed of the hosts in another four-set clinic, with first-year’s Haley and Porter playing substantial time in the contest. With Botsford’s first non-conference slate with the Knights completed, a 9-2 clip underlined the first sign of growth compared to a 7-3 record a year prior.

Link