Sports

Dan Meske era set to begin with investment

Published

4 months ago

August 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Inside the athletics department’s decision and the impact this new era is having on women’s and Olympic sports.

Athletics director Josh Heird told The Courier Journal that U of L will invest in the following five sports: football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball and volleyball.
Nine schools, including U of L, expressly told the CJ they are investing revenue-sharing money into women’s volleyball.

The Dan Meske era of Louisville volleyball officially begins Friday versus Auburn as part of the Cardinal Classic at L&N Arena.

Friday also marks U of L’s first game of the revenue-sharing era, in which schools are allowed to pay athletes directly with a per-institution cap of $20.5 million (a number set to increase annually by 4%). While most schools will likely put the bulk of their $20.5 million into programs that turn a profit, athletics director Josh Heird told The Courier Journal that U of L will invest in the following five sports: football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball and volleyball.

“I think if you asked anybody around the country,” Heird said, “‘Are you giving rev share to football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball?’ There’s probably not a school that’s going to say we’re not at least giving something to those three. I think volleyball is a unique one.”

The Courier Journal asked 26 athletics departments (including Louisville’s) that sponsor college volleyball’s top programs whether they’re allocating revenue-sharing money to those athletes. Four of those 26 never responded to the inquiry. Thirteen either declined to answer or did not answer in their responses. And nine confirmed volleyball would receive a cut but did not share specific percentage breakdowns when asked to.

The following schools expressly told The Courier Journal they are investing revenue-sharing money into women’s volleyball:

Louisville’s logic as far as which programs to invest revenue-sharing money into came down to three factors: return on investment; external impact of on-field/on-court success, or good PR; and coaching staffs with proven track records.

Volleyball doesn’t bring in units like both NCAA basketball tournaments or TV money like football. But the program’s consistent top-ranked status shines a positive light on U of L’s overall brand, more so than a top-25 team finish at the NCAA outdoor track & field championship, as both Louisville’s men’s and women’s squads achieved this summer. For example, the 2024 volleyball national championship between Louisville and Penn State drew 1.3 million viewers, peaking at 1.9 million, according to ESPN. Viewership and visibility are valuable, if not easily convertible to exact dollar amounts.

While 2025 will be Meske’s first as head coach of Louisville volleyball, he served as Dani Busboom Kelly’s associate head coach from 2017-2024, helping lead the Cards to two national championship appearances and three Final Fours. So, from Louisville’s perspective, Meske has a proven track record of success. To maintain that success, and to finally snag an NCAA title, will require investment.

Especially knowing that other top volleyball programs will invest, too.

“Volleyball, they’ve had success, and we’ve invested in it,” Heird said. “So, it’s like, ‘Hey, we’re committed here with volleyball, and if we don’t do some things from a rev-share standpoint, then we should probably reduce everything that we’re doing from a volleyball standpoint. Because we’re not going to have the success that we want to have.’ And I think that was one of the biggest questions for us in making these decisions. Like, do we just do a little here, a little there, here? It was like, no … where can we have the most success?”

It’s an imperfect calculation. And many athletics departments are keeping the details to themselves, citing the need to maintain a competitive advantage, despite the fact that all schools are working with the same salary cap. And despite questions from fans who’ve donated to their NIL efforts and local taxpayers whose money is helping fund institutional support in the form of loans from universities to athletics departments claiming aid to stay afloat.

Earlier this year, Heird told The Courier Journal that Louisville had no plans to cut any of its 23 sports teams to help offset revenue-sharing costs. But that is a widespread, national concern among proponents of Title IX and Olympic sports.

Under the Biden administration, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a guidance saying NIL money should be treated the same as financial aid (like scholarships), i.e. subject to Title IX. Title IX is a 53-year-old antidiscrimination law requiring schools to issue financial assistance in proportion to the number of men and women who play varsity sports. The law also requires schools to provide opportunities for men and women to play sports that are proportionate with the student body’s gender makeup.

However, the Trump administration rescinded this guidance, meaning schools can manage their revenue-sharing budgets however they see fit without any risk of violating Title IX. Many schools have chosen to dump an overwhelming percentage into revenue-generating sports like football and men’s basketball.

Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas just lost a Title IX lawsuit filed by current athletes seeking to protect women’s bowling, women’s golf and beach volleyball after the school announced the elimination of those programs (plus men’s golf) “based on sustained departmental budget deficits and the anticipated financial impact of upcoming revenue-sharing requirements with Division I athletes.” SFA filed a notice of appeal Aug. 7, according to online court records.

“The funding of those revenue-sharing payments for football players and men’s basketball absolutely cannot come at the expense of women’s sports,” plaintiff attorney John Clune told USA TODAY. “So this is a huge message to schools across the country. Whatever you have to do to figure out how you’re going to fund your revenue-sharing payments, it’s not going to come at the expense of women’s opportunities to participate in sports. That’s a big deal.”

While President Donald Trump issued an executive order this summer stating that “all college sports should be preserved and, where possible, expanded,” including women’s and other non-revenue-generating sports, the word “should” is key. His anti-DEI executive orders used the threats like litigation and revocation of federal funding as enforcement. The “Saving College Sports” EO is effectively toothless until and unless Trump’s Cabinet members come up with policies to actually implement what he outlined in July.

That’s why many leaders in college sports — including Heird — are looking to Congress. Before he became an administrator, Heird spent five years in Washington, D.C., working for Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho and Sen. Wayne Allard of Colorado. Those five years are proving very useful nowadays, as he lobbies Kentucky representatives to support federal regulation of college athletics.

“Congress doesn’t get involved in anything, for the most part, until they feel like they need to,” Heird said. “And I do believe that we’re at that point. … In a perfect world, free market society, none of that takes place. But that’s just the fundamentals of government. Like, ‘Hey, this isn’t working by itself. We need to step in and raise guardrails, rules, laws, so that it works better for everybody.’

“And the other piece of it, too, is this idea that college athletics is uniquely American. Nowhere else in the world do we have something like college athletics that supports opportunities for student athletes from all different backgrounds, supports women’s sports, supports Olympic sports, all these different things. If you look at why we are so good at the Olympics, I would contend it’s because of the college athletics model for all intents and purposes. And so I absolutely think college athletics needs to be protected for those reasons.”

Speaking of legislation, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee sent a letter to lawmakers expressing concern with the House’s SCORE Act (Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements), a bipartisan bill with the aim of establishing national standards around collegiate athlete compensation.

“Without careful calibration,” the letter read, “proposed legislative reforms could result in potential for widespread program cuts, or material reductions in the investment level, that could dismantle decades of progress in sport diversity and opportunity.

“We encourage Congress to consider a model that ensures proportionate investment in operating costs and scholarships across sports programs.”

When asked how Louisville is working proactively to preserve Olympic sports and abide by Title IX during an era of constant flux within the industry, Heird said:

“For me, it’s, ‘Can we do a really good job of taking care of all of our 23 sports?’ I think we have a great track record investing in all of them. Obviously there’s always been some push and pull there relative to investment, but there’s more now. But if football and basketball for us aren’t successful, then everybody’s resources are going to get reduced.

“And I think that’s what you’re really trying to reconcile, is, ‘How do we make sure that we can provide the most resources to all of our programs?’”

Reach college sports enterprise reporter Payton Titus at ptitus@gannett.com and follow her on X @petitus25.

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Sports

Nebraska finishes No. 3 in final AVCA Coaches Poll

Published

32 minutes ago

December 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Nebraska volleyball closed the season ranked No. 3 in the final AVCA Coaches Poll, finishing 33–1 after spending the entire season atop the rankings before the postseason.

Texas A&M rose to No. 1 in the final poll after winning the national championship over Kentucky. The Aggies earned 61 first-place votes and 1,525 points to finish 29–4, while Kentucky ends the year ranked second at 30–3 as the national runner-up.

Pittsburgh and Wisconsin round out the top five, with Wisconsin making a five-spot jump to finish No. 5. Creighton closes the season ranked No. 10 at 28–6, while Cal Poly enters the final Top 25 at No. 21 after being unranked last week.

Penn State fell out of the Top 25 despite receiving votes, marking the program’s first absence from the final poll since 1988 and ending a streak of 565 consecutive weeks ranked.

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Sports

Best Athens-area high school volleyball players for the 2025 season

Published

48 minutes ago

December 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Dec. 23, 2025, 4:02 a.m. ET

Next up for the fall all-area series is volleyball.

One Athens-area high school volleyball team made history this season as Oglethorpe County returned from Cartersville with its first ever state title. The 3-seeded Patriots defeated Bremen in the 1A championships, 3-1, to finish the season 32-8 overall.

In GHSA, Jefferson and Oconee County made it to the 3A quarterfinals, while Athens Academy, Jackson County and North Oconee were eliminated in their respective second rounds and Apalachee, Commerce, East Jackson and Prince Avenue Christian succumbed in their respective first rounds.

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Sports

KSR Today: Volleyball Ends, Basketball Rolls On

Published

3 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Good morning, KSR readers. It’s Monday morning of Christmas week. Can you believe it? Ready or not, it’s here, so get that last-minute shopping in. Maybe I’ll see you out there, right after I get these decorations put up.

In addition to Christmas anxiety, we’re coming off an emotional weekend in Big Blue Nation. Sunday didn’t pan out the way we hoped in the NCAA Volleyball Final Four, but Saturday in Atlanta gave us some excitement with Mark Pope’s Wildcats finally getting a top-25 win in the CBS Sports Classic, leaning on the depth of a full roster.

There is more UK fun ahead, so what do you say we catch up on everything as the holidays close in? And let me know if you have any last-minute shopping ideas, or if you want to put the ornaments on my Christmas tree.

Kentucky Volleyball swept by A&M in the NCAA Championship

This one was tough to wrap your head around. Kentucky Volleyball‘s incredible season came to a disappointing end Sunday in Kansas City, as the Wildcats were swept 3-0 by Texas A&M in the NCAA Championship match. It never felt like this was how it was supposed to end. Kentucky had set point in the opening set at 24-23, but Texas A&M closed on a 3-0 run, and it was all Aggies from there.

The Wildcats struggled to find their rhythm after that moment during one of the worst performances of the season. A&M was the far better team for the afternoon and had the majority of the crowd, winning the final two sets 25-15 and 25-20. The loss snapped a 27-match winning streak and was a shocking finish for a team that had been so steady and dominant all season, and was favored to win.

Still, Craig Skinner’s NCAA runner-up group deserves appreciation. Kentucky finishes 30-3, swept the SEC regular season and tournament titles, and reached the national championship for the second time in program history. Yeah, the ending hurt, but the Wildcats brought a lot of joy and excitement to the fan base, and the program is built to be back on this stage again next season. Sunday’s final still stings for now, though.

Mark Pope’s Wildcats host Bellarmine in Rupp Arena tomorrow

Now at full strength, Kentucky Basketball returns to Rupp Arena tomorrow for a pre-Christmas matchup with Bellarmine, looking to keep momentum rolling before the short holiday break. The Wildcats have won three straight games, including wins over Indiana and St. John’s, and are starting to look more comfortable on both ends of the floor after a disappointing start to the year.

Bellarmine, ranked No. 260 in KenPom, catches Kentucky at a bad time. However, the Knights also snapped out of a recent funk with a 15-point win over Chattanooga. Bellarmine is 5-6 entering Tuesday’s game, set for 1 p.m. in the afternoon. It’s a streaming-only game on SEC Network+.

Q&A with Jayden Quaintance and Kam Williams

Fresh off his Kentucky debut, Jayden Quaintance gets a turn at the podium to preview Kentucky’s next game. He and Kam Williams, who also starred in Saturday’s comeback win, will take questions about the matchup with Bellarmine and the upcoming holiday break. You can watch those conversations here at KentuckySportsRadio.com later today.

Hear from Mark Pope during his call-in show

After Quaintance and Williams speak for the locker room, Mark Pope will sit down with Tom Leach for his Monday night call-in radio show. Hear from Pope at 6 p.m. on the UK Sports Network, as he recaps the win over St. John’s and more on the team’s three-game winning streak.

Kentucky climbing the NET, maybe the Top 25

With Saturday’s win, Kentucky climbed the NET Rankings up to No. 23. Later today, we’ll find out if the win was enough to move the Wildcats back into the Top 25 polls. The AP and Coaches’ polls update around lunchtime for both men’s and women’s college basketball. Kenny Brooks’ squad enters the new week ranked No. 12/13.

Will Stein’s first coaching staff is taking shape

Will Stein is a busy man, balancing two jobs this holiday season. On Saturday, his Oregon Ducks scored 51 points in their first College Football Playoff game. Then on Sunday, news spread of Stein’s latest hire for his first staff in Lexington.

Former Cal assistant Allen Brown will serve as Kentucky Football‘s cornerbacks coach. Brown replaces Chris Collins, who joins Brad White and Jon Sumrall at Florida, and rounds out Stein’s list of assistant coaches for his first season at UK:

Joe Sloan: Offensive Coordinator
Jay Bateman: Defensive Coordinator
Cutter Leftwich: Offensive Line
Kolby Smith: Running Backs
Justin Burke: TBA
Joe Price III: Wide Receivers
Josh Christian-Young: Safeties
Anwar Stewart: Defensive Line
Tony Washington Jr: Pass Rushers
Allen Brown: Cornerbacks

Former Cal assistant to coach Kentucky’s cornerbacks

Tune in to KSR at 10 a.m.

Matt Jones hosts today’s show from New Orleans, where he will call his first football game for ESPN Radio tomorrow. Joining him via technology are Ryan Lemond and me in Lexington, and Shannon The Dude in Louisville. Together, we’ll recap the high and low weekend from 10 a.m. to noon. Go Cats.

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Sports

South Dakota earns three Summit League Academic All-League selections

Published

3 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — South Dakota volleyball’s Avery Van Hook, Kamryn Farris and Amanda Loschen were named to the Summit League Volleyball Academic All-League team, announced the league office Monday.

South Dakota accounted for three of the seven spots on the Academic All-League team and was the only program to have multiple athletes named to the team. Van Hook has been named to the Academic All-League Team in consecutive seasons, while Farris and Loschen appeared on the team for the first time in their career.

The three Coyotes were also named to the 2025 CSC Academic All-District Team.

To be eligible for the Academic All-League team, a student-athlete must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 (on a 4.0 scale), completed at least one full academic year at the current institution and participated in 50 percent of their team’s competitions.

Nominations are brought forth by sports information directors from the league’s participating members, and voting is conducted by both SIDs and FARs. The teams are made up of ten student-athletes receiving the most votes with all ties standing.

2025 Summit League Volleyball Academic All-League Team

Name	School	Yr.	Pos.	GPA	Major
Ally Barth	NDSU	Sr.	MB	3.94	Management Communication
Kamryn Farris	South Dakota	Sr.	DS	3.75	Business
Avery Van Hook**	South Dakota	Jr.	S	3.87	Kinesiology & Sport Management
Kali Jurgensmeier**	Omaha	Sr.	OH	3.82	Biology
Amanda Loschen	South Dakota	Jr.	MB	3.86	Medical Biology
Lauren Perugini**	North Dakota	Jr.	OH	4.00	Dietetics
Joslyn Richardson**	SDSU	Jr.	DS	4.00	Construction Management

*Career Academic All-League honors

Stay up to date with all things Coyotes by following South Dakota Athletics on Facebook /SDCoyotes, X (Twitter) @SDCoyotes, and Instagram @sdcoyotes! #GoYotes x #WeAreSouthDakota

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Tomashek named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week

Published

7 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech men’s basketball senior Marcus Tomashek has been named the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week for week six, the league office announced on Monday.

The honor marks the ninth of his career and the first of his senior season.

Tomashek, a standout from Green Bay, Wisconsin, averaged 30.5 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds to lead the No. 9 nationally-ranked Huskies to win over Florida Tech (64-52) before blitzing the high-flying offense of the Lynn Fighting Knights (105-67) at the Florida Tech Christmas Classic over the weekend to wrap non-conference play with a 11-1 record overall.

In the largest scoring game against a Division II opponent in over 15 years, Tomashek netted a season-high 39 points in the 105-67 win on 14-21 from the field and 11-17 from 3-point land, breaking the school record for single-game 3-point field goals made, surpassing fellow Husky All-Americans Kyle Monroe and Ben Stelzer. He also added four assists that helped the Huskies break the team record for most 3-point field goals made with 23.

Tomashek finished the weekend shooting 54.1 percent from the field (20-37), 50 percent from long range (14-28) and a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe.

The Huskies resume GLIAC play next weekend, hosting Grand Valley State Thursday and Davenport on Saturday.

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Sports

SCAC Announces 2025 Fall All-Sportsmanship Teams

Published

7 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

SUWANEE, Ga. — The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) today announced its 18th annual fall All-Sportsmanship teams. A total of 63 student-athletes – the most since 2011-12 – were selected to the 2025 squad in the sports of men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball.

Since the inaugural All-Sportsmanship teams were honored in the fall of 2008, the SCAC has recognized over 2,500 student-athletes who each, in his or her own way, has displayed the league’s core belief in the value of honorable conduct.

For this year’s selections, each conference head coach was asked to elect one member from his or her team who displayed good sportsmanship throughout the season.

The 2025 SCAC All-Sportsmanship honorees for the fall sports season are listed below:

2025 All-Sportsmanship Men’s Cross Country Team
Centenary College – Zack Wroten, Fy., Benton, Louisiana
Colorado College – Luc Santos, Sr., Exeter, New Hampshire
Concordia University (Texas) – Gerardo Leal, Fy., Dallas, Texas
University of Dallas – Martin Lane, So., Hot Springs, South Dakota
Hendrix College – Davin Barragan, Fy., Hot Springs, Arkansas
LeTourneau University – Austin Jett, Jr., Magnolia, Texas
McMurry University – Roman Perez, Sr., Big Spring, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Daniel Sanderson, Sr., Clarksville, Arkansas
Schreiner University – Sean Dansby, Jr., Pasadena, Texas
University of St. Thomas – Mason McFeeters, Jr., Lake Jackson, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Peyton Bristow, Fy., Round Rock, Texas

2025 All-Sportsmanship Women’s Cross Country
Centenary College – Grayson Shugart, So., McKinney, Texas
Colorado College – Brooktie Frogge, Sr., Nashville, Tennessee
Concordia University (Texas) – Camille McWhorter, Jr., Humble, Texas
University of Dallas – Teresa Chshen, Jr., River Ridge, Louisiana
Hendrix College – Pippy Newell, Fy., Owasso, Oklahoma
LeTourneau University – Alayna Galloway, Sr., Montgomery, Texas
McMurry University – Madison Soultanova, Sr., Jacksonville, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Chloe Weathers, Sr., Clarksville, Arkansas
Schreiner University – Piper Hoeke, So., Boerne, Texas
University of St. Thomas – Alejandra Ramon, Jr., Klein, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Audrey Malbrough, So., Selma, Texas

2025 All-Sportsmanship Football
Austin College – Evan Dennis, Sr., McKinney, Texas
Centenary College – Gideon Bowman, So., Destrehan, Louisiana
Hendrix College – Auvic White, Sr., Munford, Tennessee
Lyon College – Grayson Johnson, Jr., Anniston, Alabama
McMurry University – Kimani Smith, Sr., Austin, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Anthony Ortegon, Jr., Houston, Texas

2025 All-Sportsmanship Men’s Soccer
Austin College – Justin Ajdukovich, Sr., Frisco, Texas
Centenary College – Joshua Mensah, So., Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Colorado College – Will Jones, So., Colorado Springs, Colorado
Concordia University (Texas) – Steven Dolan, Jr., Bellevue, Washington
University of Dallas – Josh Longlois, So., Houston, Texas
Hendrix College – Charlie Mata, Sr., Houston, Texas
LeTourneau University – Nate Bransford, Sr., Kijabe, Kenya
McMurry University – Abel Gonzalez, Fy., Dallas, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Hunter Robert, Sr., Montgomery, Texas
Schreiner University – Derek Toney, Fy., San Antonio, Texas
University of St. Thomas – Elijah Flores, Sr., Missouri City, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Preston Huff, Sr., Houston, Texas

2025 All-Sportsmanship Women’s Soccer
Austin College – Lynna Martin, Fy., Paris, Texas
Centenary College – Anna Hobart, Fy., Natchitoches, Louisiana
Concordia University (Texas) – Lilianna Cherry, Jr., Kingwood, Texas
University of Dallas – Kit Gibbons, Sr., Tomball, Texas
Hendrix College – Ella Kelly, Sr., Webster Groves, Missouri
LeTourneau University – Clarissa Martinez, Sr., Richwood, Texas
McMurry University – Alexandria Flores, Jr., San Angelo, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Jayden Vazquez, So., Dardanelle, Arkansas
Schreiner University – Aspen Ulibarri, So., Clovis, New Mexico
University of St. Thomas – Bre Medina, Fy., Pearland, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Alysa Marquez, Jr., Miami, Florida

2025 All-Sportsmanship Volleyball
Austin College – Selah Coleman, Sr., Houston, Texas
Centenary College – Hannah Dimmel, Jr., Navasota, Texas
Colorado College – Meghan Gannon, Jr., Cleveland, Ohio
Concordia University (Texas) – Camryn Parker, Sr., Garland, Texas
University of Dallas – Breana Timms, Fy., Mansfield, Texas
Hendrix College – Lily Meyer, Sr., Omaha, Nebraska
LeTourneau University – Emma Smith, Sr., San Antonio, Texas
McMurry University – Jalie Miller, So., Rockwall, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Claire Zeiler, Fy., Paris, Arkansas
Schreiner University – Emma Frye, Jr., Tigard, Oregon
University of St. Thomas – Madi Baker, Jr., Rancho Cucamonga, California
Texas Lutheran University – Ryann Ely, Sr., Montgomery, Texas

To view an archive of past All-Sportsmanship teams, click here.

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