IRVINE, Calif.  – The No. 14-ranked UCLA baseball team dropped the series finale to USC, 11-5, on Sunday afternoon at Great Park.
 
The Bruins (34-13, 17-7 Big Ten) seized early momentum when Roman Martin launched a three-run homer in the first, but USC responded with nine unanswered runs to take control. The defeat marked just the second weekend series loss of the season for UCLA.
 
USC reliever Andrew Johnson silenced the Bruins’ bats, delivering 6.1 dominant innings without allowing an earned run in his relief outing.
 
In addition to Martin’s early homer, AJ Salgado enjoyed a three-hit day at the plate to help lead UCLA’s offense charge.
 
The loss marked a first for the Bruins, snapping their perfect 17-0 record when scoring first this season.
 
UCLA struck first when Martin unleashed a mammoth three-run homer to left field in the opening frame. The towering blast was Martin’s second 400-plus foot shot of the weekend.
 
Martin’s home run proved doubly damaging, as it knocked USC starter Mason Edwards out of the contest after recording just one out.
 
USC roared back in the fourth, launching consecutive homers, a two-run blast followed by a solo shot, to erase the deficit. An inning later, the Trojans rallied four runs with two outs to storm into the lead.
 
The hosts added a pair in the sixth to make it nine unanswered runs.
 
UCLA showed signs of life in the top of the seventh when back-to-back RBI base hits from Roch Cholowsky and Mulivai Levu cut the deficit to four.
 
USC continued its offensive onslaught when Augie Lopez belted a solo shot after the seventh-inning stretch, pushing the lead to five. Ethan Hedges followed with a solo blast in the eighth as the Trojans completed its run of five consecutive scoring innings. 
 
The Bruins will travel to Long Beach State for their final midweek game of the regular season on Tuesday, May 6 at 6 p.m. The game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
 

WORCESTER, Mass. – Holy Cross Athletics will host its annual Crusader Awards on Monday, May 5, at 8 p.m. The ceremony will be live streamed on the Holy Cross Athletics YouTube page.
 
A list of nominees follows:
 
Women’s Breakthrough Athlete of the Year
Presented to a women’s student-athlete who has shown sudden or significant improvement and increased contribution to her team during the academic year. 
 
Meg Cahalan, basketball
Abby Desmarais, track and field
Abby Hornung, ice hockey 
Mia McCloskey, field hockey
Sydney Neil, women’s rowing 
 
Men’s Breakthrough Athlete of the Year
Presented to a men’s student-athlete who has shown sudden or significant improvement and increased contribution to his team during the academic year. 
 
Jayden Clerveaux, football 
Ezequiel De la Plaza, tennis
CJ Egrie, baseball
Matt Kursonis, ice hockey
 
Jim Kavanagh Coaching Staff of the Year
Presented to a full coaching staff that has led a Holy Cross team to significant accomplishments during the academic year.
 
Men’s Ice Hockey
Baseball
Men’s Tennis 
Women’s Lacrosse
Men’s Golf
 
Best Individual Performance
Presented to a student-athlete with the most impressive performance during a singular game or event (e.g., performance during one full meet) during the academic year.
 
Mia McCloskey, Field Hockey | 16 Saves vs. Sacred Heart
Justin Shorter, Football | Four Touchdowns at Colgate 
John Gelatt, Men’s Ice Hockey | Four Goals at RIT 
Ella Kittredge, Women’s Lacrosse | Seven Goals vs. American 
Liam Lyons, Men’s Track and Field | Sub-4:00 mile at Friar Invitational 
Nolan Schuermann, Men’s Golf | Patriot League Individual Champion
 
Best Dressed
Selected by a committee consisting of Christina An, Assistant Director for Education and Engagement at the Cantor Art Gallery; Jennifer Feraud, Assistant Director of Student Involvement; and Dr. Andre Isaacs, Associate Professor in the Chemistry Department.
 
Crusader in the Community
Presented to the student-athlete who has made the most significant contributions off the field and in the community. This is strictly a community service-based award; there is no athletic component to this award.
 
Olivia Dubin, women’s soccer
Owen Larson, men’s lacrosse
Rian Millership, volleyball
Molly O’Connor, women’s track and field
Tyler Williamson, men’s rowing
 
Moment of the Year
Presented to a team or student-athlete, a singular play or moment that was the most memorable, historical or significant during the academic year.
 
Men’s Soccer | John Kowalski Goal vs. No. 5 Clemson 
Men’s Rowing | Medal at Head of the Charles 
Men’s Basketball | Aidan Richard Buzzer-Beater vs. UNH
Women’s Lacrosse | Isabela Miller Sets Career Assists Record
 
Game / Event of the Year
Presented to the team with the most impressive or significant game during the academic year.
 
Women’s Soccer | Shutout Win at Army | Sept. 25
Women’s Ice Hockey | Overtime Win vs. #10 Boston College | Dec. 6
Baseball | Upset Win at #22 Auburn | Feb. 15
Men’s Lacrosse | Double Overtime Win vs. Bucknell | March 1
Men’s Tennis | First Win Over Boston University in Patriot League Era | March 29
 
Larry Doyle ’83 90-Wide Mentor of the Year
Presented to an alumnus who has made strides in providing mentorship opportunities for student-athletes. 
 
Cheryl Aaron ’87
Donna Buchmann ’88
Tom Casalino ’76 
 
Norton Prize
This award is given to an outstanding senior student-athlete.  
 
Ginger Berry, women’s rowing / swimming & diving
Brian Fennelly, men’s track and field
Jordan Fuller, football
Sally Zinsner, women’s lacrosse
 
Distinguished Service Award
Presented to someone associated with the athletic department who has made a significant – and often unnoticed – contribution to the student-athlete experience.
 
Mackenzie Drew, Assistant Director of Student Involvement 
John Gavin, S.J., Associate Professor, Religious Studies 
Eleni Jatagani, Dining Services
Daniel Klinghard, Dean of Education and Academic Experience
 
Daniel Allen Sportsmanship Award
Awarded annually to the player whose unselfish teamwork and dedication to the good of the team reflect the values lived by coach Allen. The winning student-athlete need not be a star or even a starter, but a solid performer with an outstanding attitude whose contributions are not frequently recognized. The award is designed to recognize a student athlete who is dedicated to the good of the team, possesses integrity, and is a great teammate.
 
Olivia Dubin, women’s soccer
Owen Egan, men’s golf
Brian Fennelly, men’s track and field
Rian Millership, volleyball
 
Honorable John P. Cooney Memorial Award
In memory of Judge John P. Cooney ’23, this award is presented to a senior letter winner who performed beyond all expectations with courage, loyalty and dedication.
 
Jordan Fuller, football
Caleb Kenney, men’s basketball
Emma Min, women’s ice hockey
Sally Zinsner, women’s lacrosse
 
Men’s John A. Meegan Athletic Achievement Award
Presented to a student-athlete, regardless of class, who attained outstanding achievement during his college career. This award is given by the club in memory of the late John A. Meegan (Class of 1939), loyal follower of all Crusader sports and esteemed treasurer of the Varsity Club from 1988 to 1996.
 
Chris Baillargeon, baseball
Jack Greiner, swimming and diving
Evan Jones, soccer
Liam McLinskey, ice hockey
Frankie Monte, football
 
Women’s John A. Meegan Athletic Achievement Award
Presented to a student-athlete, regardless of class, who attained outstanding achievement during her college career. This award is given by the club in memory of the late John A. Meegan (Class of 1939), loyal follower of all Crusader sports and esteemed treasurer of the Varsity Club from 1988 to 1996.
 
Lindsay Berger, basketball
Meggan Fourie, field hockey
Ella Grey, track and field
Isabela Miller, lacrosse
 
Men’s Crusader of the Year
The Crusader of the Year is the most prestigious student-athlete award presented by the Varsity Club. It is awarded to an outstanding student-athlete who has excelled not only in varsity athletics, but also in the classroom and the community, and have been prominent in campus activities.
 
Brian Fennelly, track and field
Christo Kelly, football
Caleb Kenney, basketball
Jimmy King, baseball
Tyler Williamson, rowing
 
Women’s Crusader of the Year
The Crusader of the Year is the most prestigious student-athlete award presented by the Varsity Club. It is awarded to an outstanding student-athlete who has excelled not only in varsity athletics, but also in the classroom and the community, and have been prominent in campus activities.
 
Lindsay Berger, basketball
Ginger Berry, rowing and swimming and diving 
Ella Kittredge, lacrosse
Haley Murphy, track and field 
Julia Walsh, soccer
 
Team of the Year
Presented to the team with the most all-around impressive season during the academic year.
 
Baseball
Women’s Basketball 
Football
Men’s Ice Hockey
Women’s Lacrosse
 
FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
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Facebook – Holy Cross Athletics
YouTube – GoHolyCross

Kris Trinidad plays defensive end for Old Dominion University’s Division I football team, where he tallied 45 tackles and 5.5 sacks last season. He’s also building his brand thanks to new laws that allow student-athletes to ink endorsement deals and get paid by the university.

“I feel like it’s teaching young guys how to be more marketable and prepare themselves for their future,” Trinidad said. “It gives them opportunities to express their true selves amongst the community.”

Trinidad is part of the growing class of student-athletes learning to navigate a new world of college athletics, one where player statistics, social media presence and sponsorship potential increasingly all matter.

The Rise Of The Student Athlete

The NCAA has allowed student-athletes since 2021 to profit from their name, image and likeness, or NIL.

The financial shift and its impact on college athletics have been dramatic. College athletes went from landing full scholarships and cost-of-living expenses to earning an estimated $917 million in the first year NIL was enacted, according to Icon Source. New legislation passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2024 opened the door for direct payments from schools. This shift is backed by a legal settlement known as House v. NCAA, which will permit schools to allocate up to $20 million annually to pay student-athletes. The case argued current, and even former student-athletes deserve a share of revenue generated by television deals, licensing agreements and even ticket sales. It recently received conditional approval from NCAA governance.

Virginia Commonwealth University student-athletes will be paid starting in the 2025-2026 year, with a projected $5 million allocation, according to CBS6 News.

The biggest NIL sums still go to marquee names. First-year Duke University power forward Cooper Flagg has a NIL valuation upwards of $4 million, according to 1075thefan sports website. However, players of all levels can find opportunities to build their brands. Former Virginia State University running back Rayquan Smith was dubbed “King of NIL” for receiving over 100 NIL deals, according to The Virginia Statesman.

Not Amateurism Anymore

Brendan Dwyer, a professor at VCU’s Center for Sports Leadership, said the current NIL model is not sustainable for athletic departments.

“If all of a sudden they have to go out and find money through NIL to pay their athletes, it comes at the expense of so many other things for the athletic department,” Dwyer said.

Dwyer thinks schools are heading toward a professional model, and schools and athletes should be prepared. Although it might create other issues, employing athletes could be a solution.

“If you take a step back and you watch what happens on a Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, or you watch what happened last weekend in San Antonio, those aren’t amateur sports,” Dwyer said. “That’s professionalism.”

Community, Coaches And The Changing Game

Coaches are also evolving in the new era. VCU recently hired Phil Martelli Jr. as its new head coach and he is stepping into the role at a transformative time. Martelli led Bryant University to an America East title and its first NCAA Tournament appearance in March.

“The revenue sharing and NIL stuff is not going anywhere,” Martelli said. “It’s become a major part of this, the transfer portals become a major part of this for everybody, at every level.”

Coaches need resources to get recruits to campus. In most cases, athletes are straightforward in what they’re looking for when choosing which universities to attend, according to Martelli.

“Then it’s up to us to decide what that looks like,” Martelli said. “Is that worth it, is it not worth it?”

Martelli would like to see multi-year contracts for athletes. There would then be the potential for contract buyouts within college athletics, similar to professional sports. Both parties can negotiate the terms and lengths of the contracts and try to find common ground.

“But right now if you go year-to-year, to have guys jumping in the transfer portal and shopping around, it isn’t the best for everybody,” Martelli said. Former University of Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett unexpectedly retired in 2024, saying he no longer felt he was the best coach to lead the program in the current environment. Bennett, who guided UVA to the 2019 national championship, said NIL deals, along with the transfer portal, added aspects to his role that weren’t his strong suit.

“The game and college athletics is not in a healthy spot,” Bennett said. “There needs to be change.”

Community is also impacted when student-athletes solely chase money, said Ben Rekosh, a VCU broadcast student and sports commentator. College sports used to be built on the idea of student-athletes being integral to their community, by contributing to what makes their school and fan base great for three to four years.

“I think that it affects the community a lot,” Rekosh said. “There’s not really players anymore that people are able to tie their hearts with and have a true connection with, if people are just jumping back and forth.”

Still, he understands why it could be in the best interest of athletes at their peak to move around and maximize their earnings.

One perk of NIL deals is that more college athletes are staying in school instead of going professional immediately, according to ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas. They can continue their education while earning money, versus being pushed toward the pay-to-play professional route.

Top college players may earn more money and playing time than they would as rookies in the pros and would have more experience going into a draft.

New Kind Of Athlete

Athletes are not just a part of the university’s brand; they also have a personal business.

Thai Wilson, sports editor for VCU student-run paper The Commonwealth Times, said fans increasingly follow players, not just programs.

“You remember 2008 Florida winning the March Madness, or VCU making it to the Final Four in 2011,” Wilson said. “People don’t remember the players that played on those teams who made it all the way unless they were either a big name who made it to the NBA, or if it’s just a very memorable run.”

Wilson pointed to top recruit AJ Dybansta’s decision to go to Brigham Young University, a school not known for getting high-profile signees, as an example of how NIL has shifted power dynamics. That can benefit students and give them a better chance to negotiate for what they want.

“NIL’s landscape is starting to kind of open up doors for other programs to get higher recruits if they’re willing to pay for it,” Wilson said.

Risks And Reality

Student-athletes now have new opportunities, but with that comes risk. Especially for younger athletes still learning financial basics. For Trinidad, the key is using NIL to build the athlete experience.

Although NIL deals may give students more power, Trinidad worries some could be exploited by marketing agents or contract deals that they don’t understand.

“Because these guys—they’ll come in, make you a contract, and take 10% of your money,” Trinidad said. “It’s something young guys need to be wary of.”

He thinks high school athletics should start talking about brand building, contract literacy and financial management. NIL deals are relatively new, with many rules in place around compensation and endorsement. Virginia law restricts athletes from NIL compensation from alcohol, cannabis and sports gambling, to name a few.

If the laws change and there is less regulation, there is a chance athletes could be taken advantage of.

“It gives you power, but power in the wrong hands can be bad,” Trinidad said.

Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.

At the end of their 2020-2021 season, the University of Minnesota discontinued the men’s gymnastics team as a Division I team due to a lack of budget. But that does not mean the team has not seen success. 

Since they lost their DI status, the team joined the Gymnastics Association of College Teams, or GymACT. This season, the Gophers made it to the 2025 GymACT Eastern Conference championship in Florida.

Not only were they invited, but they ended up winning the conference and becoming the Eastern Conference champions. It was their fourth consecutive Eastern Conference win.

At the end of their 2023-2024 season, the team was moved out of their home gym in the university’s Cooke Hall, only a month after winning a national title.

Due to their lack of a home gym, the team traveled to multiple gyms around the Minneapolis area for the 2024-25 season. 

Owen Frank, a junior on the men’s gymnastics team, said the gyms are around 20-30 minutes away from campus, and having to go to these different gyms is a commute. 

“In the wintertime, it is difficult with the weather,” Frank said. “But we manage.”

The team saw a lot of outside financial support from fans and alumni. This has led them to get enough money to sign a lease on a gym. 

They plan to build their own gym using the equipment they have gathered over the years by the end of the summer. This would allow the whole team to be able to practice together again. 

Sophomore gymnast Paul Acker said that even with everything going on, they know they have each other. 

“We look out for each other,” Acker said. “It’s really when we are together, like when we are traveling, that is when the ambience is. It definitely helps.” 

Head coach Mike Burns has been with the Gophers men’s gymnastics team for 20 years. He was with the team when they were still considered DI and stayed with them after they lost DI status. 

Burns said seeing the success of his team gives him faith in humanity. 

“Adversity is a daily dose of what you are going to get,” Burns said. 

Burns added that as a coach, he likes to make sure his players are able to add skills to their toolbox. He said he wants his gymnasts to have a versatile skill set. 

Many of the players are thankful to have Burns help them throughout their seasons. 

“He has been our rock,” Frank said. “Making sure that everyone is doing what they need to be doing. It doesn’t seem like he ever sleeps because he is just constantly working.”

KINGSTON, R.I. – May 5, 2025 – Having a family get their degrees from the same university isn’t new. While it happens with varying frequency, it isn’t often that almost the entire family graduates at the same time. For Ethan Jedson and his family, the University of Rhode Island’s Commencement Weekend May 16-18 will be a busy one.

On graduation weekend, Ethan won’t be the only Jedson celebrating. He will be joined by his brother, sister, and mom – all collecting degrees from URI. His twin brother, Alex, will be graduating from the College of Engineering; his sister, Emily, from the College of Health Sciences; and his mother, Allison, with a doctorate in nursing practice.

“We say our blood runs Keaney Blue,” said Ethan. “This is a perfect example of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when you’re able to graduate with the four-way finish.”

For students across the country, May marks the end of a long journey. A journey that started with them going off to college. Some travel hours to move on campus their first year. But for Ethan, it was a short, 30-minute drive from his West Greenwich home.

In fact, Ethan grew up within earshot of one of URI’s campuses. He has fond memories of growing up and looking at the picturesque pines that border the W. Alton Jones Campus, a 2,300-acre estate that has its own lake and miles of trails.

“We attended summer camps at the Alton Jones Campus in West Greenwich as kids,” said Ethan. “My first job was a camp counselor over there for one of the summer camps.”

It’s a scenic drive that symbolizes where his journey began, a chapter he’ll soon close on the way to new beginnings as he prepares to graduate from URI’s College of Business. Unlike many of his peers, Ethan will graduate having majored in four fields of study—finance, accounting, applied economics, and Spanish.

Like many of his classmates, the years spent on URI’s campus have been formative. At graduations, you hear the word family thrown around. This is true in multiple ways for Ethan, not just merely the fact that he’ll join the Rhody alumni family.

His father, Christian, graduated from URI with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1991 and earned his MBA in 2001. His mom earned her nursing degree from URI in 1993 and her master’s degree in nursing in 1997. Then, there is his brother and sister.

Though everything lined up perfectly for all to graduate together that wasn’t the original plan.

The plan wasn’t always for him, his brother, and sister to even attend URI. Ethan applied to 20 schools; the maximum allowed on the common app. Though he lived so close to campus and had family ties, he still took a campus tour. 

But it wasn’t his family ties, the idyllic New England campus or the Fascitelli fitness center that sold Ethan. It was a close neighbor who happened to be the coordinator for URI’s International Business Program. 

“Donna Gamache-Griffiths has been a fantastic mentor of mine and had spoken to me about the opportunity, I knew about the program before exploring the College of Business, so that was on my radar,” he said.

His brother was sold on a similar program, URI’s International Engineering Program. Both programs are five years long. Because of this, it allowed them to live a full year abroad and graduate with their younger sister, who completed her degree in the traditional four years. 

“My mom tried to play the game where she didn’t want to graduate with us and steal our thunder,” said Ethan. “We were like, ‘No, absolutely not, this is even better, you have to graduate with us.’”

He knew he had to major in a language as part of the International Business Program, but he learned that he would graduate in 2½ years. He talked with his College of Business advisor about adding a third major.

Ultimately, he settled on getting a Bachelor of Science degree in applied economics from the College of Arts and Sciences, coupled with his Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from the college and degrees in finance and accounting from the College of Business.

“I think it’s interesting because the material in one class blends into another, especially with finance,” he said. “You can take your knowledge of a financial statement in accounting and marry that with macroeconomic trends from economics.”

Though everyone but his father will graduate this month, Ethan will admit there were talks that Emily would stay an extra year and use up her eligibility. She’s an ice hockey player.

Always a tight-knit family, he and his brother went overseas at the same time and spent a year in Spain. Ethan ended up doing his schooling at Universidad de Zaragoza in Barcelona.

“I would say going over there we were as fluent as you could be at URI. But being there it’s trial by fire; you have to speak to eat and find a place to live,” said Ethan.

After graduation, the family will take a much-needed cruise, and Ethan is returning to Spain before starting a job at J.P. Morgan in New York City, where he will trade scenic Kingstown Road for the skyscrapers of Madison Avenue. J.P. Morgan is Ethan’s dream company. He interned with them in Boston last summer and will join them full-time at their headquarters in July.

“J.P. Morgan was always the company that I admired,” he said. “As sad as I am to leave URI, I think there is an exciting, next step waiting.”

And though his family will always be close, and his younger sister is an athlete, the one thing he can say is that he took home the top prize when it came to grade-point average.

“I have a 3.96, although my brother and sister are not far behind.” said Ethan, a recipient of the Joel Dirlam Memorial Research Award.

Asked how they’re going to make five individual commencement ceremonies work, he just said it’s going to be a big weekend. 

“We have Arts and Sciences graduation, and then our College of Business and Engineering. So that’s three ceremonies, then my sister has a ceremony,” explained Ethan. “My mom has a ceremony, so it’ll be five ceremonies over three days. It’s going to be a great weekend of celebrations. We are all proud of each other and proud to be a URI legacy family.”

Fresh off another NCAA gold medal, Jordan Chiles says she’s “hungry for more.”

In a new interview with PEOPLE, the 24-year-old U.S. gymnast says she relishes winning the individual NCAA Women’s Gymnastics gold medal in uneven bars last month and vows to return for more next season.

“It definitely was an amazing experience,” says Chiles, who also won NCAA gold in uneven bars in 2023 before taking 2024 off to prepare for the Paris Olympics. “I’m one of the only athletes that’s ever won back-to-back event titles on bars. So, I think it was really cool to see that I made history again and that I had that opportunity. It just makes me hungry for more. If I can do it twice, maybe I can do it three times, four times, as many times as my body allows it. I really had fun with it and I wouldn’t change the world for anything that happened.”

Chiles, who spoke with PEOPLE to announce her new partnership as a mental health ambassador for CorePower Yoga, also opened up about her plans for competing in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

“It’s on my mind,” Chiles says. “It’s not something that I just let go. Obviously, you know, I just did Paris and I went straight into school. So, I think being able to just take it day-by-day, month-by-month and year-by-year. We have three more years until then, so we’ll see what happens. But it’s not completely out of my head. I still think about it.”

Chiles called it “a valid question,” whether she and longtime U.S. gymnastics teammate Simone Biles will return for another Olympic competition. “I like to wonder,” the UCLA junior says. “I mean, we came back for two and I came back for another one. [Simone] came back for a third one. So, it’s not a bad question.”

But right now, Chiles is taking a breath. 

Chiles, who was a core member of the 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team, says she’s “excited” about becoming the new face of mental health for CorePower Yoga.

“I’m really excited,” Chiles says about the partnership. “This campaign and this whole mental awareness and being able to bring strength and mentality together and being able to bring that relief and that ‘Stress Free Day’ of yours, and just letting yourself go. I think it’s amazing that they chose me, because that’s literally me almost every day.”

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Chiles tells PEOPLE she and her UCLA teammates are taking a trip to Miami to celebrate the season and to unwind. For the two-time Olympic medal winner, it feels like the first chance in years to truly “just enjoy life.”

“As a college student, it definitely can be very overwhelming,” says Chiles, explaining she’ll take more than a month off from training following the NCAA season. “I think it’s just, well, since Paris it’s been crazy. But I’ve been enjoying it, for sure. Now that the college season has come to an end, I think, you know, it’s time for Jordan to relax herself. I’ve been going for a very long time.”

Even when Chiles is taking time off, she’s still working. Between the bronze medal controversy in Paris and taking home another NCAA gold last month, Chiles released her debut memoir, opening up about her life and career for the first time.

“I felt so relieved,” Chiles says about the book’s release earlier this year. “I felt like, ‘Okay, well now I get the ability to tell my story how it’s supposed to be told, because a lot of people like to put out narratives and had things in their heads that they thought were true and weren’t. So, being able to actually tell my story how it’s supposed to be told, and I get to let the whole world know, it was an amazing feeling. It was really like, I cried because I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. Like, my book is out!’ Like, my story from since I was born all the way until I was, you know, 23 years old at the Paris Olympics, everything like that. Like, that’s my life. I just put my life in a book! It was just crazy. I was very happy for myself.”

Chiles, who at times has avoided speaking publicly about the medal controversy, says “it wasn’t a scary thing” to finally open up about the incident, which resulted in her being forced to forfeit the bronze.

“I wanted the world to know who Jordan Chiles is and is trying to become,” Chiles says. “It definitely was, you know, ‘Y’all want to know how everything turned out? I’m gonna give it to you.’ So, I think it was more of a relief, because there were some things that I had to read, and hearing them over again, it just reminded myself, ‘Wow, Jordan, like, you’ve gone through a lot, but look at you! You’re accomplishing so much. You’re, you’re doing so much within your life! And you get to experience so much more. Yes, you had trauma yesterday, things that happened to you, but at the end of the day, you get to wake up and live another day.’ So, it was a relief, wow, I actually did it. Look at me go!”