EWING, N.J.–University of Wisconsin-Whitewater claimed the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Men’s Tennis Championship (presented by Culver’s) with a 4-2 triumph over The College of New Jersey at the TCNJ Tennis Complex on May 3.

 

Both teams secured a spot in the title match by winning their respective divisions during the regular season.

 

UW-Whitewater (16-5) also earned the conference’s automatic NCAA bid with the win.

The Warhawks took an early lead taking two of the three doubles flights against the Trojans (9-8). Theo Billson and Reuben Giorgio and battled for a 6-3 win at No. 1 doubles, while Drew Van Fossen and Will Ulrich picked up the third flight.

The Warhawks nearly took all three double matches, with Payton Adkisson and Tyler Nelson forcing a set tiebreaker at No. 2 doubles. The pair were blanked in the tiebreaker round.

Heading over into the singles match, the Warhawks used their doubles point to take a quick match point. Drew Van Fossen and Charles Morgan took their matches in straight sets at No. 4 and No. 6, respectively to give the Warhawks a 3-0 lead.

The College of New Jersey took the third flight, to avoid the sweep. Theo Billson was forced into a third set after splitting the first two. TCNJ’s Maitland-Carter ended up picking up the flight after winning the third set, 6-4. The Lions kept alive, closing in the match at 3-2.

Winning his first set in the tiebreaker, Giovanni Vitali closed the match with a 6-4 second set to grab the clinching point and claim the crown for the Warhawks.

Full Results

No. 1–Harrison Maitland-Carter (TCNJ) def. Theo Billson (WW) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4

No. 2–Reuben Giorgio (WW) vs. Alberto Thomas (TCNJ) 4-6, 6-4, 2-1 did not finish

No. 3–Brett Schuster (TCNJ) def. Tyler Nelson (WW) 7-6 (5), 6-4

No. 4–Drew Van Fossen (WW) def. Aidan Twamley (TCNJ) 7-5, 6-4

No. 5–Giovanni Vitali (WW) def. Nathan Chan (TCNJ) 7-6 (2), 6-4

No. 6–Charles Morgan (WW) def. Olufela Fielleteau (TCNJ) 7-5, 6-3

Doubles:

No. 1–Billson/Giorgio (WW) def. Maitland-Carter/Asa Wong (TCNJ) 6-3

No. 2–Schuster/Thomas (TCNJ) def. Nelson/Payton Adkisson (WW) 7-6 (0)

No. 3– Van Fossen/Will Ulrich (WW) def. Chan/Siddharth Arudi (TCNJ) 6-4

 

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In the current era in college sports, NIL and the transfer portal have changed the game entirely, with players eligible to be legally paid in their time playing college sports.

Some of the biggest stories revolving college football are due to NIL, whether it is the Nico Iamaleava contract, Ohio State’s expensive roster resulting in a national championship, and players like Quinn Ewers turning down up to $8 million to declare for the NFL Draft.

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President Donald Trump met with former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban prior to the University of Alabama’s commencement address to discuss NIL and the future of college athletes getting paid.

Trump is considering an executive order that “could increase scrutiny” of NIL in the future, according to the Wall Street Journal.

In 2021, the NCAA lifted their ban on athletes profiting from NIL, their name, image or likeness.

Saban informed President Trump that NIL deals have damaged college sports and created imbalance in what should be a more fair system.

The NCAA has laxed rules about NIL and have been under serious scrutiny with how players are being paid. It is seen primarily with powerhouse schools seemingly having unlimited money to pay their athletes.

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It creates an unfair advantage to big schools, as they can take top players from teams below them because they can pay these students more money.

Saban tells Trump that it has become a battle with just powerhouse schools, and states that they should reform the NIL situation as opposed to ending it.

In 2024-25, the entire NIL market was projected to reach $1.67 billion, an increase of almost $700 million from when it began in 2021. The $1.67 billion number could double in 2025-26, and is something Saban claimed was unsustainable.

In terms of the executive order, the sports world will await a different settlement, as the House v. NCAA settlement decision date is approaching. The deadline for the final approval of the settlement is May 7.

Related: NFL Gets Major Update on Former Alabama Star Henry Ruggs

The State College Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a silver Lexus SUV that was reported stolen from East Beaver Avenue early Wednesday morning.

According to a media release, the vehicle was taken at approximately 1 a.m. on April 30. At the time of the theft, the SUV was displaying Pennsylvania license plate HKD5885.

Police have released an image of the vehicle and are urging anyone with information about its whereabouts or the theft to come forward.

Authorities remind residents to lock their vehicles and report any suspicious activity immediately. Updates will be provided as the investigation continues.

                                     MORE NEWS COVERAGE

ALMA, Mich. – The Adrian College track and field teams competed at the MIAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday and Friday, hosted by Alma College. Both the men’s and women’s teams finished sixth overall, with the men scoring 35 points and the women totaling 45.

On the track, Alysia Townsend delivered a standout performance in the women’s 100-meter dash, finishing second with a personal-best time of 12.41 seconds. She later teamed up with Abigail Miller, Piper Pierce, Isabelle Salazar, and Townsend in the 4×100-meter relay, where the group placed sixth with a season-best time of 51.20.

In the women’s 5000-meter run, Bridget Waterstradt and Olivia Hyatt each set personal records, while Ava Arnes recorded a season-best performance.

Townsend also made a strong impact on day one of the championships, winning the women’s long jump with a mark of 5.25 meters to earn the title of MIAA Champion. Amelia Smolinski placed fifth in the hammer throw with a distance of 40.96 meters, while Clarissa Berger achieved a personal best in the same event.

On the men’s side, Ryan Morris ran a personal-best time of 10:03.34 in the 3000-meter steeplechase to finish seventh. He also set another personal record in the 1500-meter with a time of 4:09.00, while teammate Chase Nyack clocked a personal best of 4:15.86.

The men’s 4×100-meter relay team—comprised of Ian Chavis, Joseph Sheridan, John Perry, and Matthew Cunningham—finished fifth with a time of 43.58. In the 400-meter hurdles, Asher Cousino placed fifth (57.28), closely followed by Sheridan in sixth (57.38).

In the 5000-meter run, Caleb Billings posted a season-best, while Grant Fahle achieved a personal record. The 4×400-meter relay team—Zachary Klepaski, Ian Chavis, Joshua Sharp-Pelto, and Alec Grzegorek—ran a season-best time of 3:27.36.

Cameron Overmyer led the Bulldogs in the field events with a second-place finish in the pole vault, clearing 4.26 meters. Keith Scott recorded a personal best in the hammer throw, while Matthew Cunningham placed sixth in the javelin with a throw of 47.16 meters. Tayshawn Crosby also placed sixth in the high jump, clearing 1.83 meters.

A select group of Bulldogs will compete at the Midwest Twilight Final Qualifier, hosted by Augustana University in Rock Island, Illinois, on May 14–15. They will look to improve their marks and earn a spot in the national championships later this month.

From only “half expecting” to make the team following tryouts his freshman year to being named club president for his final season, defenseman Conor Peterson saw more success as part of the Clemson club ice hockey team than he initially anticipated.

However, Peterson learned over his four years with the program that the most special part of playing on a team is the people you get to do it with.

“It’s more of the bonding that’s the best part,” Peterson told The Tiger in an interview. “I’ve had hockey friends since I was five, since I started playing on my first team. That bonding, the special moments, is really what stood out to me about the game.”

The defenseman from Wilmington, Massachusetts, stepped onto the ice at the rink just 10 minutes from his childhood home for the first time at age 5, with encouragement from his father and cousins.

“I just loved the game from there,” Peterson said.

By the time he graduated from high school, that little kid who loved the game had yet to quiet his voice in Peterson’s head, and he knew it was only right to continue playing in college.

“All my cousins went to schools down south,” Peterson explained. “When I was visiting South Carolina, I got the notice that I was accepted to Clemson. It was only two hours away, so my family and I decided ‘Yeah, might as well give it a shot.’ So, we drove over here and didn’t even get a tour — we just walked around. I was like, ‘Yeah, I like this place.’”

And the rest was history.

Peterson discovered Clemson’s club ice hockey team through his cousin, who was the club hockey team captain at the College of Charleston.

“He mentioned, like, ‘Hey, I’m playing club hockey. I love it.’ And I wasn’t looking to go anywhere with it,” Peterson told The Tiger. “I just wanted to go to college, have some fun and keep playing the sport. So, I came down here … was only half expecting to make the team … It’s been unbelievable since then.”

Of course, the prospect of continuing to play the sport you love at your dream school sounds more than ideal for most young athletes. For Peterson, being a part of this team shaped his Clemson experience into something even better than he ever could have imagined.

“It’s the best. Even the community here is unbelievable … when we played in Huntsville (last spring), a guy in the (North Alabama) Clemson club came and talked to us after one of our games. He was breaking down and crying, telling us how much it meant to him that we were there and representing the team … I couldn’t imagine that it would be anything like this.”

Peterson’s favorite memory as an Ice Tiger was the team’s trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, two years ago. Despite falling short in both games, he noted that the memories and time spent with his friends made it worthwhile.

“All the older guys were there,” he explained. “We were able to travel with them, hang with them for the day, and see Tennessee beat Alabama … just being in that football element with all my best friends from here. That was pretty unbelievable.”

The support from the Clemson community and the off-ice memories are just a fraction of why he’s loved being a part of this program for the last four years. To Peterson, the most special part of the Clemson club ice hockey team is the same thing that kept him in the game as a child: the friendships.

“It’s 100% the bond (that makes this team special),” he said. “I came to Clemson and knew one family friend from home, and that’s it … I was trying to figure out, like, ‘who am I gonna be friends with?’ And since I made the team, these have been my best friends for four years.”

Following his departure, the team president hopes to be remembered as “a team player. A team guy who always tried to put others before himself for the team goal.”

Peterson can only hope that, as the program grows, the future generations of Clemson club ice hockey players get the same experience as he did.

“When I was a freshman, we had maybe 40 kids at tryouts,” Peterson said. “That’s more than doubled now … It’s all only getting better and more popular from here, but I hope it keeps the club hockey aspect of just guys, having fun, trying to play the sport.”

Following graduation, the senior finance major plans to move to Greenville, South Carolina, and obtain his Corporate MBA from Clemson.