Connect with us
https://yoursportsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/call-to-1.png

Sports

#B1GFirstServe – Rutgers Volleyball At Big Ten Media Day

Published

6 months ago

on


 

Opening Statement:

CAITLIN SCHWEIHOFER : Year four, wow! I can’t believe it. It’s gone fast. It’s my sixth season, headed into my sixth season at Rutgers, and it’s remarkable how much this program has really shifted over the past six seasons, and I’m really excited to be here to obviously let Lexi and Kenzie talk about their experience this past spring as well as what the team is — what you’re going to be experiencing as a Rutgers team in the fall. Thank you all for being here and being part of this media day experience.

Q. Coach, I want to ask as you head into 2025 and continuing to build what you’re most looking forward to and wanted to showcase with this particular squad this year.

CAITLIN SCHWEIHOFER: Yeah, this team last year was incredibly young. We started four freshmen, a couple of sophomores. We only graduated one key player. Obviously, she was a major contributor, but we feel like we’ve been able to definitely replace that position through the transfer portal. So I’m just excited that we’re able to use the experience that we had in unfortunately being defeated in some really tight matches last year, but actually having had the opportunity to play in those matches in the past, we’ve never really had that experience to go to five sets in so many matches that we did. Unfortunately, losing them at the end, I think came down to a little bit of inexperience and just team leadership as a whole, but obviously I gained the opportunity to learn, and the rest of my coaching staff to learn how to move forward and really get over the finish line in those matches. I think you’re going to see a bit of a different Rutgers team but also the same — it’s kind of hard to explain. We obviously have some new people in some key positions, but a lot of returners as well.

Q. I’ll ask the players what you’re looking forward to and what you want people to know as you go through summer workouts about what this 2025 Rutgers team is going to be like. KENZIE DYRSTAD: I just really want people to know that we are a very close-knit team and we’re working on fixing the little things and we’re really working on coming together and being able to play well with one another.

LEXI VISINTINE: I would say we’ve been working extremely hard in summer workouts and lift and practice and that we’re ready to compete and play against the best.

Q. Talk about Lauren Wilcock, a transfer, also a Master’s biomedical sciences major. How does that match with the volleyball training schedule?

CAITLIN SCHWEIHOFER: I’ll talk about the educational piece first. We have one of the best degree programs in biomedical sciences. I’ve learned a lot about that graduate program. But the dean of that program has had multiple athletes come through, so they know how to work with the schedules. Rutgers, being such a large institution, we offer a lot of classes at different times. One of the things we’re doing this year is shifting our practice block a little bit later in the day. We practiced earlier in the day in the past, but moving to a little bit later in the day. It’s always my goal to have local talent on the team. Lauren was in the ones pair at Washington. She was also in the ones pair before that at South Carolina and something that really stood out to me about her was she typically had a partner that was younger than her. So from a leadership standpoint, I thought she would be a wonderful add, help support our passing unit. And there’s been a transition for her obviously taking the game from outside to inside, just the speed, but I got to watch her do some training during camp last week, and I thought she really has meshed nicely. Q. Can I ask the players what that transition is like? Do you notice when someone has that primary beach background?

KENZIE DYRSTAD: Yeah, we mess around with Lauren, especially when we’re sitting kids at the camp was like, oh, isn’t that a carry though when she was setting, and she’s like, I’m working on it. So she’s definitely working on that. Obviously, setting in beach is a little bit different, but she’s working on that and then a few footwork things. And she said diving was a lot different. She got pretty bruised up the first couple weeks of open gym. But she’s meshed really nicely with us, and I’m super excited to be able to keep playing with her.

CAITLIN SCHWEIHOFER: I was joking with her because obviously Lexi has a really strong jump top spin serve and Lauren was like, well, I did it on the beach. I was like, that’s a free ball. We’ve got to be better at that. She was like, I just have to figure out how to hit the indoor ball a little bit harder.

Q. What is your mindset coming into the upcoming season?

KENZIE DYRSTAD: For me personally, my mindset is we get to play against the best of the best day in, day out. There’s not a lot of conferences where you get to say that you play top-25 teams back-to-back nights. Really just enjoying the moment and trying to remember that it’s so cool to be able to play some of the best athletes in the country and really focusing on that.

LEXI VISINTINE: I would say something similar. Going into my senior year, I really want to make this my best season and enjoy every moment.

Q. Coach, how do you determine playing time, and what are some factors considered for freshmen coming in?

CAITLIN SCHWEIHOFER: Well, playing time. We train for about 25 days before our first game. Obviously, we have the opportunity to see these players on more of a year-round basis. Summer access would be wonderful, but we get to see them play a lot. We also were able to go on a foreign trip this year, so I got a little bit of an early insight. We were able to bring one of our freshmen, Imani Howell on that trip with us, so got to see how she meshed with the team. I think playing time comes from a few things. You can perform well in practice but can you replicate that in a game, and there’s certain players who can and there’s certain players who can’t. We learn that over time of just getting to know them and experiencing. It doesn’t mean that’s every night, but that definitely is something that goes into it. I think competitive personality, how you hold yourself under the pressure, under the big lights, the fans, how do you recover, are you taking care of your body correctly. So we play back-to-back nights sometimes, and are the players that are able to repeat their Friday night skill level on Saturday night. Then last but not least, obviously, experience. As you get older, you get more comfortable, so that goes into it as well. We haven’t really had that much opportunity to really have a lot of experienced players out there, so this will be the first year where I think we have a junior and senior class that is able to really hold their own and it’s not just all freshmen out there, freshmen and sophomores out there.

Q. For the players and coaches, how do you guys process game film? Do you watch the Big Ten Network? Do you listen without the sound? How do you take in a game?

KENZIE DYRSTAD: Usually, before games, we’ll break down film through volley metrics, so we’ll look at hitting tendencies, serving tendencies, all that type of stuff. We really break it down to what are people’s very specific tendencies so we can try and like help prevent what they’re really, really good at or things like that.

LEXI VISINTINE: Yeah, we usually take it in offense. We focus on that and scout their offense, and then their defense, which makes it easier to digest. Then we form a game plan about what we should do.

Q. How do you guys know when you watch the game? Do you watch broadcast? How do you watch the game?

CAITLIN SCHWEIHOFER: So I have this saying where I’m like, are we watching it as a player, are we scouting this, or are we watching this as a fan. It’s totally okay to watch games as a fan. They’re both from states that are big volleyball states and they might just want to turn on the television and watch the game as a fan. But it’s a very different mindset when you’re watching it to prepare for a team. I wouldn’t recommend that they just turn on BTN and just watch the game and say, hey, we’re prepped. No, it’s not like that. We’re on the road sometimes and we’ll turn it on at night just in the hotel when we’re eating dinner or whatever if it’s a game after hours. But when it comes to film breakdown, our technical director does an unbelievable job of creating small videos for the players. We break down practice film so they can see themselves playing. We break individual reps. This year — I think in the past having a young team we really force fed a lot of the scouting report to them, and they did a great job of memorizing set 1. We did a lot better job — won a ton of set 1s. We didn’t do a great job of being able to transition into when the other team made an adjustment in set 2, 3, 4. We almost needed to have a whole ‘nother practice to learn about that. So we are spending more time less team specific things and more about player tendencies, and so that’s an area they want to focus on this year. They do small group sessions. A lot of film.

Q. Coach, you alluded to the foreign travels that you guys had. I think this was the first time ever and for all three of you, tell us what that does for your program, chemistry, competition, et cetera.

CAITLIN SCHWEIHOFER: Yeah, our main two donors who really helped fund that trip aren’t going to want to have their names announced, but we were very supported when it came from a donor relationship to really drive that trip. It was a goal of mine when I first was hired that I wanted to do that trip and wait for the right timing of it. We’ve had an opportunity actually to do this probably for the last three years but I wasn’t sure the team dynamic, everything was exactly where I wanted it to be that would really jump start the next season. I felt after this spring — actually after last fall of knowing we were retaining the majority of our team, having the opportunity to train for the extra 10 days before that trip and then go on that trip, the relationships, and then the growth from a player development that we were able to create. So again, yes, it was the first trip Rutgers has ever done. I was able to do a foreign trip with some of my previous institutions and I just saw how successful those seasons are. Actually one of the ways we got the trip pushed through is we had to do some research about the success of other programs on years after foreign trips. There really is a trend that’s related to that, so that was a driving factor for those donors to really push through that trip. But I had a wonderful time. I got to know my players a lot more on a personal level. My daughter was able to go, my mother was able to go, so they got to see that side of my life more. It was a lot of together time, but I was actually honestly — maybe you guys can explain how we got through that trip, but I was shocked how there really was no fighting. Everyone seemed to really still enjoy being around each other at the end of that trip, and that was pretty cool.

KENZIE DYRSTAD: Yeah, it was so cool to be able to experience new cultures, especially we have a girl on our team, Ema, she’s from Serbia, so to be able to experience her culture, her home, it was so cool. Just all the new experiences and being able to create new memories, especially with the new people, that just makes your team so much closer. It’s going to really translate to the court hopefully.

LEXI VISINTINE: I would just add that it was also interesting to see the different styles of play. I feel like every country had their unique way of playing. I think it was a great experience for us to grow.

CAITLIN SCHWEIHOFER: For a player like Lexi who is going into her senior year and potentially what’s next, do I stay playing volleyball, do I go into the workforce, what do I do. I think opening her eyes and kind of putting words in your mouth, but she had a wonderful foreign trip, and the doors that opened from just other teams getting to see her play and different countries that might not have been their first thought about a 5’10” outside hitter, they got to see how successful she was against really quality players. We played the U-21 Italian team and she had an unbelievable hitting percentage against them, so it was just really interesting. Q. What keeps you guys motivated when things get tough in volleyball?

LEXI VISINTINE: I would say there’s a lot of younger girls who looked up to us, and I think that’s the main thing that keeps me motivated, is playing for my younger self and playing for younger girls that would love to be in my shoes.

KENZIE DYRSTAD: For me, same thing as Lexi. Playing for younger me who loved the game. I still love the game. Really, just focusing on my joy for the game just really keeps me going.

Q. Caitlin, how has the House settlement impacted your team management? And for the players, is that a topic of conversation or are you discussing that? Is that on your mind of how the sport is growing and evolving?

CAITLIN SCHWEIHOFER: Yeah, the House settlement is interesting. Obviously, I followed along the whole process for the past several years. I don’t know how much they’ve followed along the ins and outs of it. But I think a lot of coaches will say that’s not the reason they got into coaching originally was because of where we’re at now, but I do think after really trying to process and ask the questions as to why we got to this point, I understand. I see how much is on their plate and how much is on all the players’ plates in all different sports and how much they really do represent these institutions in such a high-quality way that it is only fair that they’re able to be compensated for their time and what they bring to the table. However, what they probably will realize is it’s a tough ask for every institution, not only Rutgers, but every institution. I was just talking to the head of our booster club, and she’s involved with the Women in Finance group at Rutgers, and they did an entire overview of how all the Big Ten teams would fare when it comes to paying out this amount of money year after year after year. The reality is it’s going to be tough for pretty much 98 percent of institutions. How that translates, I think Rutgers is doing a wonderful job of trying to keep the experience the same for all of out athletes regardless of what sport they play, and we’ve been able to be at a point where I have fought for the past several years when I took over this program so make sure that we were operationally funded the same way other teams in the Big Ten were, because in the past the volleyball program was not. And so in order to be successful we need to remain at that level. Obviously doing things like selling tickets for the first time ever in program history was a big deal, and that’s something that I pushed for for several years, and now I want to show that we have this fan base that’s able to generate some income back into the university, and it just shows how invested the region is in the sport of volleyball. Again, when it comes to player-to-player, those are individual conversations, and Rutgers is part of that mix for volleyball. Obviously, we’re going through some administrative changes, and we don’t need to get into that, but we’re going to figure out who’s leading the charge, and that is whoever that may be. Obviously, we’ve had wonderful interim athletic directors in the meantime, but whoever full-time leads the charge, they know that volleyball needs to be a priority sport because it is in this conference.

Q. Have you had conversations on the player level at all?

KENZIE DYRSTAD: I like to ask Caitlin questions about it. I see a lot of it, especially on Twitter I’ll see people post about it. Most of my conversations have just been asking Caitlin, what does this mean, what is this, stuff like that.

LEXI VISINTINE: Pretty much the same.

CAITLIN SCHWEIHOFER: It’s really important to me that I treat my players as if they are professional athletes because they basically are professional athletes. So I want to make sure that they’re part of their own process and that I’m as transparent as possible with the decisions I have to make and how it affects them. I don’t want to hide anything from them. Obviously there’s things they don’t need to be privy to that don’t affect them immediately, but I think it’s important that they’re aware of decisions that not only the NCAA is making, not only the ABCA is making, but also that Rutgers is making and I am making that will affect them in the near future.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about what went into your decision to bring Kenzie and Lexi to media days this year?

CAITLIN SCHWEIHOFER: Sure. Well, Kenzie has been a captain for us. She was captain as a sophomore, which I think is really — maybe a rare thing. I don’t know how many teams have a sophomore captain. But she was our libero full-time last season. She has a ton of experience. But we have a family tree growing in the Dyrstad family, so it’s something she has really invested in this Rutgers process and growth process. She was one of the first true commits that I had for the class of 2023, and she opened the door for us in the Nebraska market, and now that’s growing exponentially year after year, the interest. I thought it was really important she represent this team and this program. Lexi is a really unique story where she came in as a walk-on, as a freshman, and I didn’t know exactly what role she would fill. She played more of a utility player, but she has taken every single bit of feedback that I have given her, that the rest of the staff has given her in great stride and now she is a player we can’t take off the court. So I felt like she really earned that honor to represent this team, and it just shows that just like this program that we’re trying to create as a whole, that sometimes it takes time to meet your goals. It doesn’t always happen overnight, but the reality is if you stick with something regularly, good things can happen.

 


 

Follow Rutgers women’s volleyball on Facebook, X and Instagram.

 – RU –





Link

12
Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Former Alabama Volleyball Standout Alyiah Wells Rejoins Crimson Tide as Assistant Coach

Published

8 minutes ago

on

January 12, 2026

By


TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Former Alabama standout player Alyiah Wells has rejoined the Crimson Tide as its newest assistant coach, it was announced Monday by head coach Rashinda Reed.

“It’s an honor and a blessing to return to Tuscaloosa, where I committed to at just 15 years old,” Wells said. “I spent five years helping to grow this program on the court and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue to do so from the sidelines alongside the same staff who believed in me from the very beginning.

“I’m incredibly thankful for Coach Reed’s mentorship over the past four years. She pours her heart and soul into developing this program and its players every day, on and off the court, even long after they leave the Capstone. During my time playing for her, we always discussed building a program people would be proud to be a part of, creating a winning culture and leaving a legacy. Now, I’m even more excited to bring my loyalty and passion for Alabama into a new role.”

Wells played at Alabama from 2019-23, accumulating 987 career kills over 117 matches played with the Tide. She was an SEC All-Freshman team selection in 2019 and finished her career with a .312 hitting percentage and 411 blocks. Following her graduation, she played professionally in Europe with the Elite Féminine league in Sens, France for Sens Volley 89 in 2024-2025 and the Hungarian first division for MÁV Elore Foxconn in Székesfehérvár, Hungary serving as team captain 2025.

“Thank you to Coach Reed, Greg Byrne and the entire compliance and administrative staff who watched me grow from an 18-year-old student-athlete into someone ready for this opportunity,” Wells said. “I’m proud to be home with my family after my professional career in Europe.

“Thank you to my parents and grandparents for your endless support of a little girl chasing her dream of becoming a professional athlete and always putting me in the best position to be successful. I would not be here without my village! I can’t wait to get to work and be back in Foster Auditorium this fall. Bama has always had my heart. Roll Tide!”

  • Memphis, Tenn. native

  • 2018-19 Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year at Briarcrest Christian School

  • 2019 SEC All-Freshman Team

  • Finished her Alabama career (2019-23) with 987 kills, a .312 hitting percentage and 411 blocks over 117 matches played

  • Played professionally in Europe for the Elite Féminine league in Sens, France for Sens Volley 89 in 2024-2025 and the Hungarian first division for MÁV Elore Foxconn in Székesfehérvár, Hungary serving as team captain 2025



Link

0
Continue Reading

Sports

Rising Phoenix: This Week In Elon Athletics

Published

22 minutes ago

on

January 12, 2026

By


ELON – The Elon women’s tennis team is set to begin its spring season at Charlotte this Friday. The Phoenix is coming off of the 2025 CAA Championship win over William & Mary at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center last spring. 

Each Monday, Rising Phoenix will preview the week ahead in Elon athletics. Here is a look at each Elon team competing this week.

Men’s Basketball

After trailing the entire contest against Campbell on Saturday night, the Phoenix prevailed, going on a 10-0 run to defeat the Camels, 83-82. Kacper Klaczek and Chandler Cuthrell paced the team with 20 points each, followed by Randall Pettus II and Ja’Juan Carr, who scored 17 apiece. Pettus II scored the go-ahead layup to secure the victory. The Phoenix will spend the week on the road, facing Northeastern in Boston on Thursday at 7 p.m. and Hofstra in Hempstead on Saturday at noon.

Women’s Tennis

For the first time this spring, the Elon women’s tennis team will take the court, facing off against Charlotte on the road Friday. The Phoenix returns with junior Simone Bergeron, the 2025 CAA Player of the Year, 2025 CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player and member of the All-CAA First Team in both singles and doubles. Also returning is Bergeron’s doubles partner junior Mariana Reding, seniors Helen Sarikulaya and Madison Cordisco and sophomore Lisa Kranec. Elon welcomed three newcomers this offseason in Cornelia Kack, Nathalie Marinovitch and Alexis Nyborg.

Men’s Tennis

The Elon men’s tennis team earned its first victory of the 2026 season against St. Joseph’s on Saturday, 6-1. Elon secured the doubles point via victories from Rafael Ymer and Jack Curtis on Court 2 and Veljko Krstic and Nikola Parichkov on Court 1. Krstic, Ymer and Parichkov, as well as Charles Pilet and Oskar Antinheimo, also earned their first singles victories of the season. Elon heads to Durham to face No. 17 Duke on Friday at 5 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

The road slate continues for the Elon women’s basketball team, who will face UNCW on Friday at 7 p.m. and College of Charleston on Sunday at 1 p.m. Against Campbell last week, Ashanti Fox scored a career-high 14 points with a career-high and team best four steals. LaNae’ Corbett led the team with 17 points and one block.

Track & Field

The Elon University track & field team will compete for the first time in 2026 on Saturday at the Mondo College Invitational in Winston-Salem. At the Liberty Kickoff, Jasmine Young took home first place in the 5,000 and Winter Oaster also placed first in the mile. In Boston for the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener, Sarah Petitjean ran a personal-best 9:49.97 in the 3,000 while Hannah Weber ran a personal-best 16:29.00 in the 5,000.

 

‘Rising Phoenix’ is a student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department’s various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on X (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Sydney Spencer at sspencer9@elon.edu.

–ELON–



Link

1
Continue Reading

Sports

What to know about the 2026 NCAA Convention

Published

38 minutes ago

on

January 12, 2026

By


The 2026 NCAA Convention begins Tuesday in the Washington, D.C., area, where all three divisions will gather for the annual event, which includes education sessions on important topics, action on legislative proposals and celebrations to honor the achievements of many people in college athletics. 

The event runs through Friday. Roughly 3,000 attendees from member schools and conferences across the country are expected to attend. Below is a snapshot of the event. View the full schedule here.

New championships

All three divisions will vote on recommendations to make stunt and acrobatics and tumbling NCAA championship sports. If the measures are approved, the two sports will host their first championships in spring 2027. They would also join the following sports to earn NCAA championship status through the Emerging Sports for Women program: rowing (1996), ice hockey (2000), water polo (2000), bowling (2003), beach volleyball (2015) and wrestling (2025).

Additionally, Divisions II and III will vote on proposals at their business sessions to create division-specific championships for women’s bowling (Division II) and women’s wrestling (Division III). If approved, both division-specific championships first would be held in 2028. 

Division I

Division I will hold a full membership vote on a proposal that would add three units each to the men’s and women’s basketball distribution funds: one unit for each team competing in the respective championship games and an additional unit for each national champion. If approved, teams competing in championship games during the 2026 tournaments will begin earning distributions that will be paid out to conference offices starting in 2027.

The Division I Cabinet is expected to consider a proposal to allow additional commercial logos on uniforms, apparel and equipment — except during NCAA Championships. The measure would become effective in August. The Cabinet also will consider proposals to create National Collegiate Championships for women’s stunt and women’s acrobatics and tumbling and may introduce women’s flag football to the Emerging Sports for Women program. Additionally, the Cabinet will review proposals from oversight committees in several sports — men’s and women’s basketball, track and field, wrestling and men’s ice hockey — to adjust notification-of-transfer windows in those sports.

The Division I Board of Directors will receive an update on the Decision-Making Working Group’s recommendation to decentralize certain regulatory areas of NCAA rules and will consider a proposal that requires a supermajority to approve changes to Division I membership requirements, effectively preventing the autonomy conferences from unilaterally acting without the support of at least one other voting member of the Cabinet or board.

Division II

Division II’s Convention week will include key committee meetings, impactful education sessions and its business session. 

The business session Friday will include 17 proposals, with 11 membership-sponsored proposals and a resolution specific to the Division II Football Championship date formula. The Division II Official Notice and Question and Answer Guide provide details on all the proposals. In addition, the winner of the 2026 Division II Award of Excellence will be announced during the business session. The finalists were revealed last week. 

The Division II Executive Board, Management Council and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will also meet individually and collectively during the week. 

Division II will hold division-specific education sessions on topics covering business models and enrollment strategies, the future of Division II championships, strengthening the Division II academic and compliance framework, and the impact of Division I decisions on the Division II landscape. 

Additionally, Eric Gaynor from Bentley will be recognized at a reception Thursday as the 2025 Dr. Dave Pariser Faculty Mentor Award recipient. Also at the reception, Division II will celebrate 20 years of Division II faculty athletics representative institutes, which provide professional development and education.

Division III

Division III will vote on legislative proposals and continue its divisional analysis. The NCAA’s largest division will focus on the betterment of student-athletes and its schools and conference offices.

Key legislative proposals for Friday’s business session include establishing a Division III women’s wrestling championship, redefining how a season of eligibility is used, permitting multiple automatic qualifiers for conferences and requiring use of the Transfer Portal. Dive deeper into the proposals.

The Presidents and Management Councils and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee all will gather. During those meetings — as well as the Presidents and Chancellors Forum and the Issues Forum — delegates will engage in initial discussions of the Division III analysis the Presidents Council is undertaking.

The Division III educational sessions include “Connecting With Generation Z,” “Building Campuswide Relationships for Athletic Success” and “How Technology Can Help an Athletics Department.”

The annual Special Olympics event will occur Wednesday afternoon, and the Division III LGBTQ of the Year Award celebration will be held that evening. This celebration recognizes those in college athletics for their service and leadership. Division III delegates are encouraged to attend these events.

For more information, visit the Division III Convention resources page.

Awards

Several student-athletes, coaches and administrators will be celebrated during the Convention for their success on and off the field, as well as their positive contributions to college sports and society. 

The NCAA Honors Presentation will be livestreamed from 5-6:30 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday. The following award winners will be recognized during the event, which will also include the State of College Sports address from NCAA President Charlie Baker. (Livestream)

  • Theodore Roosevelt Award: Dikembe Mutombo, Georgetown men’s basketball.

  • NCAA Woman of the Year: Sam Schott, The University of Texas at Tyler softball.

  • Silver Anniversary Awards: Nick Ackerman, Simpson men’s wrestling; Drew Brees Purdue football; Tamika Catchings, Tennessee women’s basketball; and Dr. Lauren Witmer, Millersville women’s tennis. 

  • Gerald R. Ford Award: Charlene Curtis, Radford women’s basketball.

  • Pat Summitt Award: Nikki Franke, Temple fencing.

  • Inspiration Award: Francesca Loiseau, Marymount (Virginia) women’s tennis.

  • Award of Valor: Alex Guerra, Radford baseball. 

  • Impact Award: Ella Brissett, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women’s tennis; Mia Levy, Yale rowing; Brayden Long, Slippery Rock football; Aino Martikainen, Franklin Pierce women’s soccer; Micaylon Moore, Nebraska men’s indoor and outdoor track and field; and Matt Wrather, John Carroll football. 

Featured Association-wide sessions (all times Eastern)

The Power of Partnership: Leveraging Team IMPACT To Transform the Student-Athlete Experience (2:30-3:30 p.m. Tuesday): This panel will highlight how NCAA member schools are partnering with Team IMPACT to create life-changing experiences for children facing serious illness and disability while enhancing student-athlete development. Panelists will share best practices, outcomes and stories that demonstrate the profound influence on community engagement and the leadership development of student-athletes. (Livestream)

Sports Betting (10-11 a.m. Wednesday): This session will educate attendees about prevention and harm-reduction strategies related to gambling and sports betting in collegiate athletics, including educational and mental health resources available for member schools. Experts will also discuss integrity trends and social media abuse research and monitoring techniques. (Livestream)



Link

0
Continue Reading

Sports

Week Ahead: Monday, Jan. 12 to Sunday, Jan. 18

Published

2 hours ago

on

January 12, 2026

By


By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. — Here’s a look at the week ahead (Jan. 12-18) for the Bridgewater State University athletics teams:

WEDNESDAY

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, at Anna Maria College, 5:00 PM: The Bears travel to Paxton, Mass., for a game against the AMCATS.

Anna Maria is a new member of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference after moving from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.

The AMCATS are 4-7 overall and dropped their lone conference game to Salem State, 71-67.

BSU, after a 1-9 start in non-conference games, are 2-0 in the MASCAC with wins over Fitchburg State and Salem State.

MEN’S BASKETBALL, at Anna Maria College, 7:00 PM: BSU takes on a MASCAC newcomer on the road.

The teams played non-conference games the past two seasons with the Bears winning both. They opened the 2023-24 season with a 119-110 overtime win on the road and defeated Anna Maria, 89-64, in a game played at Wheaton College last season.

The AMCATS are 4-8 overall and 1-1 in the conference with a loss to Salem State and a win over the Mass. College of Liberal Arts.

BSU is 3-10 overall and is 1-1 in the MASCAC, defeating Fitchburg State and losing to Salem State.

FRIDAY

MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD, at the Bates Invitational & Multi, 10:00 AM: Ryker King and Drew Alves will compete in the heptathlon at the two-day meet held at Bates College’s Merrill Gymnasium.

The University of New Hampshire finished first last season while Bates was second in the seven-team field.

SATURDAY

MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD, at the Branwen Smith-King Invitational, 10:00 AM: The Bears will take part in the meet held at Tufts University.

Last season, BSU was third in the six-team field with Kevin McBirney winning the 1,000-meter run, breaking the school record with a time of 2:29.42.

MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD, at the Bates Invitational & Multi, 10:00 AM: King and Alves will wrap up their two-day stay at the Bates College meet in Lewiston, Maine.

WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD, at the Branwen Smith-King Invitational, 10:00 AM: The Bears compete in the meet at Tufts University.

Kiara Abrantes led BSU by winning two events last season, setting a school record of 25.26 seconds in the 200 and placing first in the 60.

Serenity Sands was also first for BSU in the high jump, helping the Bears wind up third overall.

WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING, at home, Brandeis and Keene State, Noon: The Bears have their first competition since Dec. 6 when they host a tri-meet against the Judges and the Owls.

BSU lost to both Keene State, 166-133, and Brandeis, 165-121, in a tri-meet in New Hampshire last year.

MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING, at home, Brandeis and Keene State, Noon: The Bears return to the pool for the first time since hosting the BSU Invitational on Dec. 6.

In a tri-meet a year ago in New Hampshire, BSU split a pair, defeating Keene State, 145-112, and losing to Brandeis, 184-77.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, at home, Mass. College of Liberal Arts, Noon: The Bears close out January with four of five games at the Tinsley Center, beginning with a matchup with the Trailblazers.

The teams are meeting for the first time since Feb. 3, 2024.

WRESTLING, at home, Williams College, 12:30 PM: The Bears will host Senior Day at Kelly Gym as part of the final home match of the season.

BSU lost at home to Williams a year ago, 42-9.

Williams was No. 3 in the last New England Wrestling Association rankings.

MEN’S BASKETBALL, at home, Mass. College of Liberal Arts, 2:00 PM: After playing just two home games in the opening two months of the season, the Bears will be playing four of five games at the Tinsley Center to finish January.

BSU and Mass. College split two games last season, each winning at home.

The Trailblazers begin the week 3-8 with three straight losses and are 0-2 in the MASCAC.

SUNDAY

MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING, at Bentley University, 1:00 PM: The Bears will be in Waltham, Mass., to face the Division II Falcons.

Desmond Ng led BSU last season against the Falcons, winning the 100 breaststroke and placing second in the 200 freestyle. the Bears were defeated at home, 173-50.

WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING, at Bentley University, 1:00 PM: The Bears compete in the first of two straight road meets, traveling to Waltham, Mass., to take on the Division II Falcons.

BSU lost at home to Bentley, 189-99, a year ago.



Link

4
Continue Reading

Sports

VOTE for the 2025 Las Cruces Sun-News Female Athlete of the Year

Published

2 hours ago

on

January 12, 2026

By


Updated Jan. 11, 2026, 1:02 p.m. MT

This post has been updated to correct a duplicate nominee.

Voting is now open for the 2025 Las Cruces Sun-News Female Athlete of the Year award.

100 nominees have been chosen by the Sun-News across Las Cruces-area schools, including Las Cruces, Mayfield, Organ Mountain, Centennial, Mesilla Valley Christian, Gadsden, Santa Teresa, Chaparral and Hatch Valley. They have been chosen from volleyball, basketball, softball, soccer, track and field, cross country, wrestling, golf and tennis teams from all nine of those schools.

The nominees represented themselves, their schools and their communities in the best possible way they could during their respective seasons. They each accomplished something notable and made their friends, family, coaches and loved ones proud. They were All-State players, All-District players, strong performers at state championships, or members of the Sun-News’ Super Teams.



Link

4
Continue Reading

Sports

UNC Bears volleyball’s busy offseason

Published

3 hours ago

on

January 12, 2026

By


The UNC volleyball team’s fall season ended a little more than a month ago, and the Bears are already moving on toward 2026

In a rare occurrence, two freshmen will join UNC this month with the start of the spring semester. The program also said good-bye to associate head coach Pi’i Aiu, who announced his retirement in December.

Freshmen Gillian Walton and Riley Taylor were among six players to sign for 2026, the program announced in November. Walton and Taylor are expected to be on campus for the start of the spring semester Monday with both athletes opting to graduate a semester early from high school.

UNC has since announced the signing of three transfer students in setter Emily Bruss, middle blocker Summer Snead and outside hitter Kylie Cackovic.

Walton was an outside hitter, defensive specialist and opposite hitter at Overland Park High School in Overland Park, Kansas. Taylor was a right-side outside hitter at Green Level High School in Apex, North Carolina.

University of Northern Colorado head volleyball coach Lyndsey Oates, right, and associate head coach Pi'i Aiu walk off the court at Bank of Colorado Arena following a stoppage of play Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025 in Greeley. UNC defeated Montana State 3-0 for its first sweep of the season and to remain in a tie for second place in the conference standings. (Anne Delaney/Staff Reporter).
University of Northern Colorado head volleyball coach Lyndsey Oates, right, and associate head coach Pi’i Aiu walk off the court at Bank of Colorado Arena following a stoppage of play Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025 in Greeley. UNC defeated Montana State 3-0 for its first sweep of the season and to remain in a tie for second place in the conference standings. (Anne Delaney/Staff Reporter).

UNC, 17-16 overall in 2025, turned in one of its most successful seasons under head coach Lyndsey Oates.

After starting their nonconference season with a 3-9 record, the Bears turned things around during the Big Sky Conference season.

UNC won the conference tournament title on its home court, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. UNC then pushed nationally ranked Creighton to five sets in a first-round match on the Bluejays’ home floor in Omaha, Nebraska.

The match was the final one for Aiu, who’d been with Oates for seven years.

Aiu came to UNC before the 2019 season after 12 years at the University of Colorado in Boulder. He was promoted to associate head coach in January 2020, and was really a right-hand man for Oates.

She said this week the search for a successor will soon begin. Oates was aware of Aiu’s plans to retire long before the end of the season. She said she heard from several people on her coaching connection with Aiu as news of his retirement became public.

“I don’t know that I took that for granted,” Oates said of Aiu as a coaching colleague. “It is maybe true how much success the two of us had together in the last seven years.”

Oates said she previously had the same camaraderie with assistants Jenny Glenn and Tom Hunter, both of whom spent close to a decade in the program.

Northern Colorado Bears head coach Lyndsey Oates talks to her players on the court during the Big Sky Conference Volleyball Tournament championship match against Idaho State at the Bank of Colorado Arena on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
UNC Bears volleyball coach Lyndsey Oates talks to her players on the court during the 2025 Big Sky Conference Volleyball Tournament championship match against Idaho State on Nov. 26, 2025 at the Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley. UNC beat the Bengals in three sets to earn the Big Sky’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)

In the last seven years, UNC’s record is 150-64 with four Big Sky Conference Tournament titles leading to four NCAA Tournament appearances. In the same span, UNC also won a Big Sky Conference regular-season championship (2024). Also in 2024, UNC qualified for the National Invitational Volleyball Championship after a runner-up finish at the Big Sky tournament.

“It just shows you how valuable assistant coaches are,” Oates said. “I mean, they are doing a bulk of the recruiting and their training, and they create our culture as much as a head coach does.”



Link

5
Continue Reading

Most Viewed Posts

Trending