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Which players will define baseball in 2025?

Here’s a look forward at 2025 as we try to guess who will define Major League Baseball in the upcoming season. (Again, we’re looking only at players not featured in our 2024 list, linked above.) But who will be the top names of 2025? Obviously, some will be the same. Who else though? All right, […]

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Which players will define baseball in 2025?

Here’s a look forward at 2025 as we try to guess who will define Major League Baseball in the upcoming season. (Again, we’re looking only at players not featured in our 2024 list, linked above.)
But who will be the top names of 2025? Obviously, some will be the same. Who else though?
All right, this is cheating. We said at the top that we weren’t going to include anyone who made our list of the top players of 2024, and Ohtani was, of course, atop that list. But that was Ohtani the DH. He didn’t pitch, but he is going to this year, getting back to his jaw-dropping two-way feats. Man, can’t you just not wait?
The A’s have been a lot more aggressive this offseason than many might have anticipated, and you have to wonder if Butler’s emergence is one of the primary reasons why. After being sent back to the Minors on May 14, Butler returned to the big leagues in June and, thanks to some tweaks to his swing, was simply one of the best hitters in baseball for the next four months. Butler and Brent Rooker look like the new Bash Brothers, and Butler (a perfect 18-for-18 in stolen bases last year) might put up a 30-30 season in 2025.
So his rookie season did not quite turn out the way most of us, least of all the Orioles, thought it was going to. But let’s not forget just how heralded of a prospect Holliday was, just how much raw talent he has, and that he just turned 21. It’s going to break through at some point, and probably soon. While his younger brother, Ethan, is now MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 Draft prospect for 2025, don’t be surprised if Big Brother is the one who makes everyone’s jaws drop this year.
It has been a while — a long while — since we saw deGrom over a full season. In fact, we’ve barely seen him at all lately, with just 41 innings in two seasons since signing with the Rangers. He hasn’t pitched more than 15 games since 2019. But we all still remember who this guy is when he’s healthy, right? deGrom finished ninth in NL Cy Young voting in ’21 despite pitching in only 15 games. (That 1.08 ERA helped.) His cameo at the end of ’24 (1.69 ERA over 10 2/3 innings) sets him up well for a normal offseason and a return to form in ’25, and if he can stay on the hill … well, he might just be the best pitcher in baseball. When deGrom is right, no one else is really all that close. That’s a big if. But it could happen.
The Tigers’ efforts to rebuild around young players have not all quite panned out — though there is still time for the likes of Casey Mize and Spencer Torkelson — but Greene sure has. He put up All-Star numbers in 2024 — he and Kerry Carpenter have been the central drivers of this offense — and, at the age of 24, Greene is only getting better. These are exciting times for Detroit sports right now, and Greene is set up to be a Tigers centerpiece for the next half-decade. He’s also a blast to watch. He might be your favorite player; you just don’t know it yet.
J-Rod has been primed for an MVP season for a couple of years now, but it should be noted that he has taken steps backward since his spectacular debut in 2022. In both of the past two seasons, his batting average, OBP, slugging and WAR total all have dropped. Rodriguez is still the best hitter on the Mariners, though, and no one’s worried. It would be useful if the Mariners could get him a little lineup help, but more than anything else, you wonder if he’s going to make a power jump here in the next year or so after launching only 20 homers in 2024. J-Rod has played three full seasons and he’s still only 23 years old. We’ve seen what he can do when he’s on a hot streak. One of these days, he’s going to put that together for a full season.
The No. 2 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft made it up for 31 games in 2024 and didn’t quite take the Majors by storm, hitting .218 with only three homers. But you don’t have to squint to see Crews’ otherworldly talent. Crews basically does everything well, and now that his plate discipline is coming along, he and fellow Nats outfielder James Wood might be ready to help lead this team back toward serious contention. He’s the No. 1 MLB Pipeline prospect right now. He’ll be an All-Star any minute.
Will he be the best Cub since … peak Kris Bryant? Sammy Sosa? It remains to be seen if Tucker will remain at Wrigley Field beyond this season, but for 2025, he’s the superstar this fanbase has been waiting for. His arrival instantly makes the Cubs the favorites in the NL Central, and the regulars at the Friendly Confines are going to love him. For years we’ve been saying he’s underrated, underappreciated, even under-seen. That’s not going to be a problem when he’s wearing a Cubs uniform.
Mookie is headed back to shortstop this year, though it’s easy to lose track of what position he is even playing anymore. It’s funny how Betts — you know, the 2018 American League MVP, the almost-certain Hall of Famer, the three-time World Series champion — almost got lost this past season in Los Angeles. Shohei Ohtani had his incredible season, Freddie Freeman became a postseason hero, and Betts missed 45 games in the middle of the 2024 season with a fractured left hand and was moving all over the field. There may be no more quintessential ballplayer than Betts, and here’s betting we see him for a lot more than 116 games in 2025. Maybe he’ll just go out and win another MVP Award.
In 2021, Guerrero had an MVP-quality season, and he’d have won the award if Shohei Ohtani hadn’t been out there, doing Ohtani things. But for all the excitement about Vlad Jr., he took steps back in ’22 and ‘23, to the point that many wondered if he’d ever reach those levels again. In ’24, he did: His OPS+ was 166, just below 2019’s 167, and he hit .323 on the season, the highest average of his career. As you have probably heard, he’s going to be a free agent after this year because the Blue Jays never did work out an extension with him. That means we’ll be talking about him essentially every day for eight months, once the season begins. And for good reason.
De La Cruz was an outstanding, but significantly flawed, player in 2023. He was even better, with fewer flaws, in ’24. What in the world is he going to be in ’25? De La Cruz can do anything on a ballfield, and he has shown the ability to improve upon his weaknesses. This makes sense: He is, after all, only about to turn 23 on Jan. 11 and figures to keep evolving and improving every year. I can only assume, by 2028, he’ll be able to fly. (And he’ll still be only 26.)
Chourio started last season as the youngest player in baseball — debuting on Opening Day just 18 days past his 20th birthday — and ended it that way as well. But while he began 2024 a little green and occasionally a little overwhelmed by big-league pitching, he finished it as the best hitter on a division-winning team. Chourio is the sort of superstar you build whole teams around, which is exactly what the Brewers are doing. (Don’t forget, he’s now under club control through 2033, thanks to an extension he signed before that debut.) Chourio may be repping the Brew Crew in the All-Star Game as soon as this year … and he may win an MVP Award before you’re quite ready for him to.

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Women’s Volleyball Reveals 2025 Schedule

Story Links BABSON PARK, Mass.— After finishing last season with a 23-7 overall record and advancing to the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) tournament semifinals, Babson College women’s volleyball 15th-year head coach Eric Neely officially released his team’s 2025 schedule on Thursday. The Beavers, who made six consecutive NCAA Tournament second […]

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BABSON PARK, Mass.— After finishing last season with a 23-7 overall record and advancing to the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) tournament semifinals, Babson College women’s volleyball 15th-year head coach Eric Neely officially released his team’s 2025 schedule on Thursday.

The Beavers, who made six consecutive NCAA Tournament second round appearances from 2017-23 and earned eight NCAA berths in a nine-year stretch from 2014-23, will play a 26-match slate in 2025. The ledger includes 11 NEWMAC contests and nine encounters against programs that competed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Babson tips off the season at the Greg “Gio” Giovanazzi Memorial Tournament in Baltimore, beginning with the opener on August 29 against host Johns Hopkins, an NCAA Tournament quarterfinalist a year ago. The tourney continues for the Green and White with matches against Capital (Ohio) and Rowan (N.J.) on August 30.

After the home opener vs. Keystone (Pa.) in Staake Gymnasium on September 6, the Beavers will compete in the New England Fall Classic on September 12-13; Babson will host local rival Brandeis on the 12th before taking on Bowdoin and NCAA Tournament team Colby on the 13th in Northampton, Mass. The Green and White will meet another NCAA Tournament opponent Lasell in nearby Newton on September 19 before hosting the University of New England on September 20.

The NEWMAC portion of the schedule begins with five straight conference matches over the next two weeks. It starts with road tilts at Wheaton on September 23 and defending champion Smith on September 27, followed by home clashes against Wellesley on September 30 and Coast Guard on October 4, and winding up with a road encounter at Emerson on October 7. After a non-conference meeting at NCAA Tournament foe Endicott on October 10, three more NEWMAC matches follow: home contests against WPI on October 14 and defending runner-up MIT on October 21 sandwiched around a trip to Mount Holyoke on October 18.

The Green and White will compete in the annual New England Challenge in Springfield, Mass., on the final weekend of October against three teams from the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC); Babson will face NCAA Tournament opponent Middlebury on the 24th before back-to-back matches vs. Williams and Tufts on the 25th.

After a conference tilt at Salve Regina on October 28, the Beavers will travel to Schenectady, N.Y., to battle NCAA Tournament team William Smith as well as Union on November 1. The regular season winds up with a pair of NEWMAC matches, hosting Clark on November 4 and visiting Springfield on November 8.

The eight-team NEWMAC Tournament will begin with quarterfinal matches on November 11. The winners will travel to the highest remaining seed for the semifinal matches on November 15 and the tournament final on November 16. The NEWMAC champion receives an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.

 



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The World Aquatics Championships start Friday, but swimming fans have to wait

This is an excerpt from The Buzzer, which is CBC Sports’ daily email newsletter. Stay up to speed on what’s happening in sports by subscribing here. In a little over two weeks, Canadian swimming superstar Summer McIntosh will take to the pool at the world championships in Singapore, where she’ll try to match a Michael Phelps […]

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This is an excerpt from The Buzzer, which is CBC Sports’ daily email newsletter. Stay up to speed on what’s happening in sports by subscribing here.

In a little over two weeks, Canadian swimming superstar Summer McIntosh will take to the pool at the world championships in Singapore, where she’ll try to match a Michael Phelps record by winning five individual gold medals.

The 18-year-old triple Olympic champion will be joined by around two dozen other Canadian swimmers, including three-time backstroke world champ Kylie Masse, who won her fifth career Olympic medal last summer; 20-year-old Ilya Kharun, who captured a pair of men’s butterfly bronze in Paris; and 21-year-old Josh Liendo, who took silver in the 100m butterfly. The international headliners are France’s Leon Marchand, who won four Olympic golds last year, and nine-time Olympic champ Katie Ledecky, who will take on McIntosh in the 400m and 800m freestyle events as she looks to add to her 21 career world titles.

WATCH | CBC Sports’ The Ready Room previews aquatics worlds: 

Everything you want to see at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships | The Ready Room

The world aquatics championships Singapore 2025 begin July 11th and run through August 3rd, and you can stream it all live on CBC Gem. The Ready Room host, Brittany MacLean Campbell breaks down the sports, besides swimming that you won’t want to miss when the championships begin.

So, that’ll be fun. But we’ll have to be patient as pool swimming is the last sport to get going at the World Aquatics Championships, which open tomorrow in Singapore. The program includes water polo, open-water swimming, artistic swimming, diving and high diving before McIntosh and company hit the water on the night of July 26 in Canadian time zones.

Here’s a glance at where Canada stands in the other sports:

Water polo (July 11-24): Despite placing eighth at both the world championships and the Olympics last year, the Canadian women’s team will not be competing after deciding to sit out last fall’s Pan American championships, which served as a qualifier for the worlds. The Canadian men’s team did not make it to the Paris Olympics, but they got into this year’s worlds by placing second to Brazil at the Pan Ams. Canada opens against the United States on Friday night and will also face host Singapore and the Brazilians in the group stage.

Open-water swimming (July 15-20): Canada’s lone Olympic qualifier in the two marathon swim events was Emma Finlin, who finished 23rd out of 24 in the women’s 10K. The world championships also include a 5K and a 3K “knockout sprint” for both men and women, plus a mixed 4×1,500m relay.

WATCH | Summer McIntosh scheduled to compete in 5 events at worlds:

Summer McIntosh set to join the ranks of the swimming greats at this summer’s world championships

The 18-year-old swimmer from Toronto is looking to win medals in five events at this summer’s world aquatics championships in Singapore. The world championships get underway on July 11 on cbcsports.ca and CBC Gem.

Artistic swimming (July 18-25): Last year in Doha, Jacqueline Simoneau won the women’s solo free event to become Canada’s first world-championship winner since 1991 in the sport formerly known as synchronized swimming. She also took silver in the solo technical before placing ninth in the duet at the Paris Olympics with Audrey Lamothe (there are no solo events on the Olympic program). Simoneau is now coaching and pursuing her medical degree, but Lamothe has had some solid results on the World Cup circuit both individually and with new duet partner Ximena Ortiz Montano. Lamothe also helped Canada to a sixth-place finish in the Olympic team event.

High diving (July 24-27): Whereas regular divers jump from either a 3m springboard or a 10m platform, these daredevils take the plunge from 27m (for men) or 20m (women). Canada’s three entries include Molly Carlson, who’s won two consecutive silvers at the worlds.

Diving (July 26-Aug. 3): Canada failed to win a medal at last year’s world championships, but Rylan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray took bronze in the Olympic men’s 10m synchronized event for the country’s only diving medal in Paris. The duo also took bronze together at the 2022 worlds.

How to watch:

You can stream live action from the World Aquatics Championships on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem, starting with the Canadian men’s water polo team’s opening match against the U.S. on Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET. The CBC TV network will have additional coverage on weekends. See the full streaming and broadcast schedules for details.

For more on the worlds, watch this quick primer with CBC Sports’ Brittany MacLean Campbell.



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Cal gets $26M gift for men’s aquatics; protesters smash windows downtown

The Spieker Aquatics Center serves as the home pool for all four of Cal’s aquatics programs — men’s and women’s swimming & diving and men’s and women’s water polo. Credit: Cal Athletics Heads up: We sometimes link to sites that limit access to non-subscribers. UC Berkeley has received a $26 million gift to endow the […]

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The Spieker Aquatics Center serves as the home pool for all four of Cal’s aquatics programs — men’s and women’s swimming & diving and men’s and women’s water polo. Credit: Cal Athletics

Heads up: We sometimes link to sites that limit access to non-subscribers.

  • UC Berkeley has received a $26 million gift to endow the university’s men’s aquatic programs, the largest gift in Cal Athletics history. (Local News Matters)
  • A girl sitting on a chair eating a hardboiled egg sparked Nacio Jan Brown’s photo series documenting Telegraph Avenue in the late 1960s and early 1970s. (Flashbak)
  • Windows were smashed at the Berkeley Marine Corps Recruiting Center and the downtown Citibank branch, apparently by a group of pro-Palestinian protesters, with four people arrested. (Berkeley Scanner)
  • How UC Berkeley scholars are helping Bay Area communities prepare for wildfire season. (Berkeley News)
  • Cal and UCLA are each claiming they’re No. 1 after U.S. News & World Report ratings. (LA Times)
  • RealPage fended off Berkeley’s rent-setting algorithm ban. How will other cities fare? (SF Standard)
  • Register your neighborhood for National Night Out. (City of Berkeley)
  • UC Berkeley international students and prospective students are in limbo as the U.S. Department of State resumes visa interviews with a stringent new social media screening policy. (Daily Cal)
  • Meet the volunteer ham radio enthusiasts who helped watch for fireworks and other wildfire hazards in the Berkeley Hills on the Fourth of July (Berkeley Scanner)

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Berkeleyside is Berkeley, California’s independently-owned local news site. Learn more about the Berkeleyside team. Questions? Email editors@berkeleyside.org.
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Senior Spotlight Featuring Kendall Jackson

Story Links WASHINGTON (July 10, 2025) – Howard University Department of Athletics rolls on with another senior spotlight series, sitting down with four-time All-NEC selection Kendall Jackson (Pearland, Texas), who was interviewed by rising sophomore legal communications major Tanbrance Berry.   Q: What is your favorite course while attending Howard? […]

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WASHINGTON (July 10, 2025) – Howard University Department of Athletics rolls on with another senior spotlight series, sitting down with four-time All-NEC selection Kendall Jackson (Pearland, Texas), who was interviewed by rising sophomore legal communications major Tanbrance Berry.
 
Q: What is your favorite course while attending Howard?
A: My first year at Pebble Beach. It was a paradise. I was not only able to interact with all the Howard administration, our donors and sponsors, but also with Stephen Curry (NBA Champion). After winning the 2022 NBA Finals, he could have been anywhere in the world, but he made sure to come out and visit us.
 
Q: What are your plans post-grad?
A: My goal is to play on the LPGA Tour. Initially, I thought you had to immediately declare pro after graduation. But unlike football or basketball, there is no “draft” for professional golf. You have to make it out of Q school, so that is what I am focusing on right now.
 
Q: What has been your biggest contributor to your accolades?
A: The tournaments Coach Sam Puryear (Howard Director of Golf) has us compete. For example, I have had the opportunity to compete in the Jackson T. Stephens Cup all four years, and I am the only player, male or female, HBCU or PWI, to do so. The better the tournaments you play in, the better you get. So, being able to play with the best of the best has definitely been a contribution.
 
Also, the support from my coaches, Callaway, Under Armour and the Curry brand.
 
Q: What advice would you give a young black golfer thinking about attending Howard to play at the collegiate level?
A: My advice would be to give yourself grace because that is one thing I am still working on. I got stuck in my own way and did not allow myself to be like, “Hey, Kendall, look at what you’ve accomplished the last four years, not just what you’re doing this season.” All golfers are flawed for being perfectionists or being too hard on themselves, so give yourself grace, be patient, learn and grow from adversity takes time.
 
Q: How did you balance life being a student-athlete?
A: There is no balance (lol). When I think of balance, it is a perfectly even scale and that is not the case. There is going to be times that assignment is going to get turned in late and other times where I am not going to make that practice. So, just making sure you are not prioritizing too much over the other.
 
Before the season, you need to make sure you are communicating with your professors ahead of time because life moves on without you in college. If you miss school, they are not going to wait for you to come back. This past season, I missed eight Mondays in a row but I communicated with my professors. I still graduated on time, Magna Cum Laude. So, just make sure you are being patient, giving yourself grace and not prioritizing one over the other because you are both (student and athlete) and you want to succeed at both.
 
Q: What is your favorite golf memory?
A: After the NEC (Northeast Conference) Championship my junior year, Coach P had told me, “KJ, when we get back, I’m going to need you to take like four days off.” If your coach is saying you need to take some days off to recoup, then you are in a rough patch. The last event of that year, the 2024 PGA Works Collegiate Championship, I told myself I was going to relax and just have fun. I got off to a great start on day one, solid finish day two and won the tournament on the very last put. Unfortunately, we lost as a team, but my teammates were still there to support my win. They poured Gatorade on me and everybody was just celebrating. Curry even reached out to me later that night, congratulating me, which was so surreal.
 
Q: Is there anything else you would like to highlight?
A: Our docuseries, “Why Not US: Howard Golf,” is on Hulu and ESPN+. Being a part of that, especially as a sophomore, and being able to watch it back junior year, was so amazing. Telling the genesis of Howard Golf and our individual stories was incredible. We were even able to have a couple of bloopers and deleted scenes.
 
Q: How does it feel to be a part of an HBCU program making history in golf?
A: It feels good to help change the narrative and show that Howard University golf is here to stay and that HBCU golf is excelling.
 
About Jackson

  • Personal:

    • Hometown: Pearland, Texas
    • Major: Leisure Studies

  • Academic Achievements at Howard:

    • NEC Spring Academic Honor Roll

  • Athletics Achievements at Howard:

 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.



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Men’s Water Polo Releases 2025 Schedule

The Princeton Men’s Water Polo Team, four-time Northeast Water Polo Conference champions, has revealed its 2025 schedule. Head coach Dustin Litvak highlighted the goal to continue the team’s success despite losing ten players from the Class of 2025. The Tigers are set to face top college teams and international professional clubs in a challenging early […]

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The Princeton Men’s Water Polo Team, four-time Northeast Water Polo Conference champions, has revealed its 2025 schedule. Head coach Dustin Litvak highlighted the goal to continue the team’s success despite losing ten players from the Class of 2025. The Tigers are set to face top college teams and international professional clubs in a challenging early season exhibition series. The season kicks off on September 3 with an exhibition against FTC, a Hungarian team, and features prominent matchups including the Princeton Invitational and season finales against rivals Brown and Harvard.

By the Numbers

  • First game against FTC on September 3, 2025.
  • Six teams to compete in the Princeton Invitational from September 5-7.
  • Regular season finale against Brown on November 8, 2025.

State of Play

  • Increased competition with NAIA teams and international clubs included in the schedule.
  • Focus on player development and team cohesion following significant roster changes.

What’s Next

The Tigers aim to qualify for the NCAA tournament and vie for a National Championship. The team will focus on building chemistry and overcoming early-season challenges to strengthen their postseason chances.

Bottom Line

Princeton Men’s Water Polo is gearing up for a demanding schedule, tested by elite competition and aiming to maintain its championship legacy while developing new talent for future success.





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This Day in Track & Field History, July 9, Rafer Johnson regains Decathlon WR (1960), by Walt Murphy

Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service  (wmurphy25@aol.com) This Day in Track & Field–July 9 1912–Much has been written about the problems the U.S. men have had in the 4×100 relay in international competition, so it seems fitting that things didn’t go well the first time the event was held at the Stockholm Olympics. An American lineup of […]

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Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service  (wmurphy25@aol.com)

This Day in Track & Field–July 9

1912–Much has been written about the problems the U.S. men have had in the 4×100 relay in international competition, so it seems fitting that things didn’t go well the first time the event was held at the Stockholm Olympics. An American lineup of Ira Courtney, Frank Belote, Clement Wilson, and Carl Cooke won its semi-final race in 42.2  to smash the World Record, but the team was disqualified for a passing violation. Great Britain won the final in 42.4, while Germany,  which finished a close 2nd in the same time, was also disqualified  for a passing violation. Germany  had set the first IAAF-approved World Record  of 42.3 in its semi-final the previous day (7-8).

            Gaining some revenge  for his loss in the “regular” Javelin (7-6), Finland’s Juho Saaristo won the “both hands” version with a combined distance of 358-11 (109.42). His best throw of  200-1 (61.00) was better than Eric Lemming’s winning distance a few days earlier. Lemming finished 4th in this event.

Results: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1912_Summer_Olympics

1948Barney Ewell (10.33) beat Mel Patton (10.45) to win the 100-meters on the first day of the U.S. Olympic Trials, which were held at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Hurdles specialist Harrison “Bones” Dillard (10.50) edged Ed Conwell (10.53) to gain the 3rd spot on the U.S. team.

            The significance of Dillard’s  performance took on added importance the next day after he failed to make the team in the 110-hurdles in one of the biggest surprises in Olympic Trials history. Dillard went on to win the gold medal in the 100, the “wrong event”. at the London Olympics later in the year.

            Willie Steele won the Long Jump (26-2 [7.97} and went on to win Olympic gold in London.

(Followup on July 10)

Results/Notes: https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/1948.pdf

1949–Future Hall-of-Famer Fortune Gordien set the first of his four World Records in the Discus with his throw of 185-3 (56.46) in Lisbon, Portugal.

            Gordien, a 3-time Olympian (and 2-time medalist: bronze-’48, silver-’56), was a 3-time NCAA Champion while at the University of Minnesota (1946-1948) and led the Gophers to the 1948 NCAA team title (he was also 2nd in the Shot Put that year). He was also a 6-time U.S. Champion in the Discus (1947-50, 1953-1954).

Acting Careerhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0329899/

Hall of Fame Bio(1979): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/fortune-gordien

1960–A year after suffering a back injury in a car accident, Rafer Johnson regained the World Record in the Decathlon from the Soviet Union’s Vasiliy Kuznetsov by scoring 8,683 points at the U.S. Championships in Eugene, Oregon (also served as the U.S. Olympic Trials). Johnson went on to win the gold medal at the Rome Olympics later in the year (Kuzentsov won the bronze medal).

Johnson’s Marks

100                   10.6

LJ                     7.55/24-9  1/4

SP                     15.85/52-0

HJ                     1.78/5-10

400                   48.6

110h                 14.5

DT                    51.97/170-6

PV                    3.97/13-1/4

JT                     71.10/233-3

1500                 5:09.9

Johnson and Kuznetsov had  traded the World Record back and forth since 1955

1950 scoring tables       1984 scoring tables

7985 Johnson  1955     7608

8014  Kuznetsov  1958 7653

8302  Johnson  1958    7789

8357  Kuznetsov  1959 7839

8683  Johnson  1960    7981

Hall of Fame Bio(Charter Member-1974): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/rafer-johnson

https://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016405.html

1960–Wilma Rudolph tied the American Record of 11.5 in the 100m and set a new American Record of 22.9 in the 200 at the U.S. Championships in Corpus Christi, Texas. Rudolph secured her status as a legend in the sport by winning three gold medals at the Rome Olympics later in the year(100,200,4×100).

Hall of Fame Bio(1974-Charter Member): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/wilma-rudolph

Bio Video: http://www.biography.com/people/wilma-rudolph-9466552

https://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016444.html

1972–Steve Prefontaine ran 13:22.8 on the final day of competition at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene to break his own American Record of 13:29.6 that he set in April. Also making the team were George Young (13:29.4) and Len Hilton (13:40.2).

18-year old Dwight Stones won the High Jump (7-3 [2.21]) to become the youngest member of the U.S. team. Joining Stones on the trip to Munich would be Ron Jourdan and Chris Dunn, both of whom also cleared 7-3. World Record holder Pat Matzdorf finished 5th. Stones would win the first of his two Olympic bronze medals in Munich.

Wayne Collett won the 400-meters in 44.1, the fastest ever run at low altitude, beating John Smith (44.3) and Vince Matthews (44.9). Finishing 4th was World Record holder Lee Evans, the 1968 Olympic gold medalist.

Matthews and Collett would finish 1-2 in Munich, with Smith pulling up in the final with an injury.

Thomas Hill and Willie Davenport finished 1-2 in the 110-Meter Hurdles (13.5w for both), with favored Rod Milburn barely grabbing the 3rd spot on the team over Charles Rich, Jerry Wilson, and Tommie Lee White (all 4 ran 13.6w). Milburn would win the gold medal in Munich, with Hill taking the bronze.

The Marathon went through the streets of Eugene before finishing inside Hayward Field, and Frank Shorter and Kenny Moore crossed the finish line together (2:15:57.8) to take the first two spots on the team, while Jeff Galloway (2:20:29.2), who had already qualified for the team in the 10,000, allowed 6’-6” Jack Bacheler (2:20.29.2) to slip by him to take the 3rd berth on the team (Shorter, Bacheler, and Galloway were teammates on the Florida Track Club).

Shorter, of course, won Olympic gold in Munich while Moore, who finished 4th, made a great contribution to the sport with his long tenure as a writer for Sports Illustrated.

Many veteran fans who were at the meet still claim it was the best U.S. Olympic Trials ever.

Results/Notes: https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/1972.pdf

Sports Illustrated Vault: https://vault.si.com/vault/1972/07/17/the-high-and-the-mighty

Shorter Remembers: http://www.runnersworld.com/olympic-trials/frank-shorter-talks-about-the-marathon-trials

Mike Fanelli’s Report: https://trackandfieldnews.com/tracktown-usas-first-trials-turns-50/

Footnote: To counter the “Go Pre” fervor that had gripped Eugene during the Trials, a group of fun-loving conspirators, Pre fans all, unveiled their “Stop Pre” shirts right before the start of the 5000-Meters (Gerry Lindgren had worn one while warming up before the race!). While many fans were upset by the sacrilegious gesture, Pre got the joke and actually wore one of the shirts during his warmdown after the race! 50 years later, copies of the shirt are being sold online and in stores!  (Google “Stop Pre” for more images)

 

1980–With no Olympics to look forward to, thanks to the U.S. boycott, Mac Wilkins, the 1976 gold medalist, took some consolation in moving his American Record in the Discus up to 232-10 (70.98) in Helsinki, Finland.  Despite not competing at the Moscow Olympics, Wilkins was still ranked #1 in the world by Track & Field News.

Hall of Fame Bio: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/mac-wilkins

T&F News Rankings: http://trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/rankings

1982–Mary Decker (Slaney) ran 4:18.08 for the Mile in Paris to better her own 2-week old American Record of 4:21.46. She would later improve the record to 4:16.71 in 1985.

Hall of Fame Bio: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/mary-slaney-decker

1986–Canada’s Ben Johnson (9.95) won the 100-meters at the inaugural Goodwill Games in Moscow, beating Nigeria’s Chidi Imoh (10.04) and Carl Lewis (10.06).

Medalists: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1986_Goodwill_Games

2004—Meb Keflezighi (27:36.49), who had already made the U.S. team in the Marathon in February, qualified in a 2nd event after winning the 10,000-meters on the opening day of the U.S. Olympic Trials (July 9-18) in Sacramento, California. Also making the team for Athens was Abdi Abdirahman (27:55.00) and Dan Browne (28:07.47), who had also made the team in the Marathon. “Meb” would win the silver medal in the Marathon in Athens.

Results/Notes: https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2004.pdf

2011—Since his recent success has been in the Shot Put, it’s easy to forget that Ryan Crouser used to be pretty good in the Discus. It was on this day that the recent Barlow H.S.(OR) grad threw the prep platter (1.62kg/3.58lb) 237-6 (72.40) at the Super Open meet in Portland, Oregon, to set the current U.S. High School Record.

He continued to throw the Discus in college, earning 3 All-American honors while competing as a Texas Longhorn, but hasn’t competed in the event since 2016. He has a best of 209-8 (63.90).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R79Jn9l3ypQ

2016—41-year old Bernard Lagat (13:35.50) surprised even himself by winning a tactical 5000-meters at the U.S. Trials in Eugene to qualify for his 5th Olympic team. Hassan Mead (13:35.70) was 2nd and Paul Chelimo (13:35.92), who would go on to win the silver medal at the Rio Olympics, edged Eric Jenkins (13:35.98) for the 3rd spot on the team.

Lagat could hardly contain his joy as he celebrated in front of an adoring Hayward Field crowd. He had originally hoped to make the U.S. team in the 10,000-meters on July 1, but had to drop out of the race. Some thought that might be his last appearance on the track before turning his attention to the roads, but Lagat obviously felt differently.

      “Last year at (the) Prefontaine Classic I was sick and so I did not finish the race and I was really ashamed of it. The other day in the 10K I did not finish the race and I felt the same thing I did at the Prefontaine Classic. But I said I am not going to end running in Eugene that way. This is a track town and I can’t really leave that image on everybody. So this is the image I wanted to leave and I was super excited when I won the race tonight.”

      When asked to explain his success at his advanced age (for a runner), Lagat said after the race, “I train with young guys and I don’t believe that I’m old. If you believe that you’re old, you’re going to run like an old man. They push me every single day and at the end of the day, they tell me, ‘Man you make us really feel bad.’ Because I don’t give up. I train hard with them. What you saw today is exactly what we do in Tucson.”

      The Men’s 200-meters provided a glimpse of the past, present and future in the event. Veteran Justin Gatlin, who had already qualified for his 3rd Olympic team with his earlier win in the 100-meters, won the quick final over LaShawn Merritt (19.75-19.79), with Ameer Webb (2000) clinching the 3rd place on the team.

      Finishing 4-5 were recent high school graduates Noah Lyles, who set a U.S. prep record of 20.09, and Michael Norman, who moved to =3rd on the All-Time H.S. list with his time of 20.14.

      Those two are now among the best sprinters in the world. Lyles is the 3-time reigning World Champion at 200-meters and American Record holdeer (and won the gold medal in the 100-meters at the 2024 Olympics), while Norman, who spent two years competing for USC, set a Collegiate Record of 43.61 for 400-meters at the 2018 NCAA Championships after setting an unofficial World Record of 44.52 at the NCAA Indoor Championships. And he won the 400 at the 2022 World Championships.

      Former Florida teammates Will Claye (57-11 [17.65]) and Christian Taylor (57-1/4 [17.39]) finished 1-2 in the Men’s Triple Jump, with Chris Benard (56-5  ¾ [17.21]) edging another former Gator, Omar Craddock (56-3  ¾[17.16]), to grab the 3rd spot on the team. The first two positions would be reversed at he Rio Olympics, with Taylor winning gold and Claye the silver. 

       Making the team was sweet redemption for Claye, who had finished 3rd in the Long Jump earlier in the Trials, but his legal best during the season was 1 centimeter short of the Olympic qualifying standard.

      Said Claye, “The long jump situation was definitely an emotional roller coaster. I felt that for a day or two and it definitely put me in a bad place, in all honesty. And it took my family and my friends and all the prayers and text messages and my coach and my agent; they all spoke to me and just tried to clear my mind a bit. I just sat in my room and I couldn’t believe it. I just missed the standard by 1 cm.”

      Oregon’s own Devon Allen (13.03), the recent NCAA winner here at Hayward Field, thrilled Duck fans again with a clear win in the 110-meter hurdles. The battle for the next two Olympic berths was brutal, with Ronnie Ash (13.21) and Jeff Porter (13.21) earning the trip to Rio over World Record holder Aries Merritt (13.22) and 2011 World Champion Jason Richardson (13.28). Merritt, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, missed out on being a 3-time Olympian by a mere .03s, having finished .02s out of 3rd place at the 2004 Trials.

      Texas A&M’s Maggie Malone was another NCAA Champion returning to Hayward Field, winning the Women’s Javelin with a throw of (199-7 [60.84]). Also making the team were American Record holder Kara Winger (189-11 [57.90]/her 3rd team), and 4th-placer Brittany Borman (185-8 [56.60]), who made her 2nd team. Runnerup Hannah Carson (190-11 [58.19]) didn’t have an Olympic qualifier. Also returning to the Olympics would be Malone and Winger.

Results/Notes: https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2016.pdf

Men’s 5000-Last Lap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNUEO-kjZe4

https://www.si.com/olympics/2016/07/09/bernard-lagat-us-olympic-trials-win-5000-meters-results-video

www.letsrun.com/news/2016/07/41-year-old-bernard-lagat-wins-crazy-mens-5000-2016-us-olympic-trials-mens-5000-african-born-runners-go-1-2-3/

U.S. Olympic Trials History (Through 2021)

https://trackandfieldnews.com/usa-olympic-trials-history/

U.S. Championships History: https://trackandfieldnews.com/u-s-national-championships-history/

Past U.S. Champions: https://www.flipsnack.com/USATF/usatf-outdoor-champions/full-view.html

2020—In one of the many improvised events that took place during the Covid-shortened 2020 season, the Weltklasse-Zurich Inspiration Games saw athletes competing against each other virtually in different cities around the world.

(Zurich, Bradenton-Florida, Walnut-California, Lisbon, Karlsruhe-Germany, Aubiere-France, Papendal-Netherlands, Karlstad-Sweden)

The athletes appeared on split screens, as engineers did their best to synch up the footage to make it appear as if the athletes were actually riunning against each other. A technical challenge for sure, but fans welcomed the effort during these strange times.

Sprinters faced strong headwinds in California and Florida.

Allyson Felix (16.82), running at Mt.SAC, “won” the women’s 150 over Shaunae Miller-Uibo (17.52), who was in Bradenton,FL. Watching Felix from the sidelines was her young daughter Camryn,  who wore a t-shirt that read “Future Olympian”!

Viewers gasped when Noah Lyles crossed the finish line in the 200m in Florida and the clock flashed 18.91 (corrected to 18.90), well under Usain Bolt’s World Record of 19.19. To his credit, Steve Cram, who shared announcing duties with Colin Jackson, immediately exclaimed upon seeing the time, “That cannot be right!”. And, of course, he was right—Lyles’ blocks had been set 15-meters short of where they should have been!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VctqSI-27Zs

W150: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK4QazZvl0M

M200: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBKZFOsTCQY

Born On This Day*

Maurica Carlucci-Powell  45 (1980)  Director of T&F and X-Country at the University of Washington. Husband Andy

                    is the Head Coach, focusing on daily operations

               Couple previously coached at Oregon for 13 years. Massachusetts natives competed for Stanford before

                    embarking on a coaching career.

               http://gohuskies.com/news/2018/6/18/track-field-maurica-andy-powell-take-over-uw-track-program.aspx

Kara Goucher  47 (1978)  Silver medalist in the 10,000-meters at the 2007 World Championships

               2-time U.S. Olympian—2008 (5000-8th,10,000-8th), 2012 (Marathon-10th)

               2-time NCAA Champion-Colorado (2000-3000,5000)

               PBs:4:05.14 (’06),4:33.19i (’09),8:34.99 (’07), 14:55.02 (’07), 30:55.16, 66:57 (’07/#4 A-T U.S./all

      conditions), 2:24:52)

  Currently a member of NBC’s broadcast team

Podcast:  Nobody Asked Us With Des (Linden) and Kara https://www.youtube.com/@nobodyaskedus

Recently diagnosed with Runner’s Dystonia. She addresses the condition and her TV career in this podcast:

https://aliontherunblog.com/2022/06/09/525-kara-goucher/

              https://www.outsideonline.com/2398643/kara-goucher-leadville

               Married to Adam Goucher (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Goucher)

Author: The Longest Race

https://www.amazon.com/Longest-Race-Inside-Deception-Running/dp/1982179147

               http://www.karagoucher.com/

               http://www.denverpost.com/2017/04/04/kara-goucher-anti-doping-whistle-blower/

              Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kara_Goucher

              Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karagoucher/?hl=en

 Twitter: https://twitter.com/karagoucher?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Gulnara Samitova-Galkina-Russia 47 (1978)  2008 Olympic gold medalist—Steeplechase

Bronze medalist at the 2009 World Championships

Also the bronze medalist in the 1500-meters at the 2004 World Indoor Championships

Set 3 World Records in the Steeplechase—9:08.33 (2003), 9:01.49 (2004), 8:58.81 (2008/Olympic final)

Other global placings

OG-2004 (5000-6th), 2008 (5000-11th), 2012 (SC-DNF)

WC-2007 (SC-7th)

PBs: 2:00.29 (2009), 4:01.29 (2004), 4:20.23 (2007), 5:31.03 (2007), 8:41.72i (2004), 14:33.13 (2008),

8:58.81 (2008/#14 All-Time)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulnara_Samitova-Galkina

https://worldathletics.org/athletes/russia/gulnara-galkina-14299161

https://worldathletics.org/news/news/world-record-obliterates-memories-of-osaka-fo

WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3000_metres_steeplechase_world_record_progression

Derek Mills  53 (1972)  1996 Olympic gold medalist—4×400; 1995 World Champion—4×400

               3-time NCAA Champion (Georgia Tech)—400m (‘94/’91-7th, ’92-3rd,’93-3rd); 4×400 (’92-43.9r,’94-45.1r,’93-

                    44.0r-3rd); PBs: 45.59i (’95), 44.13 (’95). 2:59.95 (’92)

  Wife is former LSU All-American Heather Van Norman…stepson is NFL star Odell Beckham, Jr.

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Mills

               1992 4×400: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sLHhD5IAWs

               NCAA History: trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/archivemenu/13-lists/1028-a-history-of-the-ncaa-championships

Pauline Davis—Bahamas  59 (1966)  One of the original “Golden Girls” from the Bahamas

               2000 Olympic gold medalist—200,4×100 (1996-Silver,4×100); 4-time Olympian

               1999 World Champion—4×100; Silver medalist in the 400 at the 1995 World Championships

               1989 NCAA Champion—400m (Alabama); 17-time All-American

               Other NCAA Placings: 100 (’86-3rd, ’87-5th,’88-2nd); 200 (’86-3rd,’87-4th,’88-2nd,’89-3rd); 4×100 (’87-3rd);

                    4×400 (’86-2nd, ’89-8th); Indoors:55 (’86-3rd,’87-5th, ’88-2nd,’89-2nd); 200(’88-1st, ’89-2nd)

               PBs: 10.97 (2000),22.38 (2000),49.28 (1996), 41.92 (National Record)

               Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Davis-Thompson

               Belated Gold: http://www.espn.com/olympics/trackandfield/news/story?id=5277604

               http://www.bahamasolympiccommittee.org/_m1722/Olympians/Pauline-Davis-Thompson-

               https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/64988

Deceased

Ben Eastman 91 (1911-Oct.6, 2002) 1932 Olympic silver medalist—400m

1934 U.S. Champion-800m

2-time IC4A Champion-880y (Stanford/1931,1932)

Former World Record holder: 500m, 600y, 800m, 880y, Mile Relay

Inducted into the National Hall of Fame in 2006

http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78359

https://www.9news.com/article/news/olympian-blazin-ben-eastman-91-dies-of-pneumonia/73-345496729

https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/ben-eastman

https://gostanford.com/honors/stanford-athletics-hall-of-fame/ben-eastman/200

https://www.ebay.com/itm/361986089387

Sim Iness  65 (1930-May 23,1996)  1952 Olympic gold medalist—Discus

2-time NCAA Champion (USC/1952,1953/2nd-1950)

Set a World Record of 190-0 (57.93) in the 1953 NCAA Final.

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78589

            Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sim_Iness

http://siminess.com/

Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHv24HzRBto

O.J. Simpson  76 (1947-April 10, 2024) 1967 NCAA Champion (USC)—440y-relay—Set a WR of 38.6 (100y-6th)

               (Earl McCullouch, Fred Kuller, O.J. Simpson, Lennox Miller)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._J._Simpson

               http://articles.latimes.com/1987-06-17/sports/sp-4512_1_years-ago-today

               https://www.si.com/vault/1967/06/26/610079/smoking-performance-at-a-nosmoke-affair      

  • Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America’s first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: “I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself.” Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, ” I’m no Angel.”

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