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Speed Chess Stars Dubov, Artemiev Picked Up By Team Spirit

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Speed Chess Stars Dubov, Artemiev Picked Up By Team Spirit

Russian esports organization Team Spirit has entered the world of esports with a splash, signing not one but two of the top speed chess specialists on the planet. GMs Daniil Dubov and Vladislav Artemiev will now attempt to qualify for the $1.5 million 2025 Esports World Cup.

The chess esports signing spree is back in full swing. Shortly after Team Secret announced the signing of GM Anish Giri on Wednesday, Team Spirit revealed that they had picked up the Russian duo.

“Today, Team Spirit begins its journey in a new discipline,” the organization said. “We welcome two chess grandmasters to our ranks, Daniil ‘duhless’ Dubov and Vladislav ‘konevlad’ Artemiev. We are delighted with the signings and are already preparing to follow their performances at major chess tournaments.”

The news was also shared on Team Spirit’s newly launched account on X/Twitter, along with a YouTube video introducing the players.

28-year-old Dubov is a fan-favorite, renowned for his highly creative and imaginative playing style. His biggest achievement to date is winning the 2018 World Rapid Championship. He has also shown excellent results in blitz, such as finishing second in the 2023 World Blitz Championship behind GM Magnus Carlsen, but ahead of Artemiev in third.

Dubov called the move a perfect fit on his Instagram account: “I am very happy to be a part of Team Spirit. Esports and chess now go hand in hand and I am glad that I will go to new victories as a part of such a young and energetic team that needs no introduction.”

Esports and chess now go hand in hand.

—Daniil Dubov

Vladislav Artemiev is known as one of the world's best blitz players. Here against Magnus Carlsen in the 2023 World Blitz Championship. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com
Vladislav Artemiev is known as one of the world’s best blitz players—here against Magnus Carlsen in the 2023 World Blitz Championship. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

27-year-old Artemiev was ranked as high as 10th in the world with 2761 in 2019, after winning prestigious events such as the European Championship and the Gibraltar Chess Festival. He has also excelled in blitz, with a peak rating of 2849 in May 2018, when he hit third in the world behind GMs Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura.

The married father-of-two isn’t as active nowadays, but will undoubtedly be a dangerous opponent for any opponent regardless. On joining Team Spirit, the grandmaster kept it brief with a photo along with the text, “A new chapter in my life.”

Vladislav Artemiev has joined Daniil Dubov to sign for Team Spirit. Photo: Team Spirit
Vladislav Artemiev has joined Daniil Dubov to sign for Team Spirit. Image: Team Spirit.

Founded in 2015, Team Spirit was originally based in Moscow but relocated to Belgrade, Serbia in 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In a statement at the time, they said:

“Everything is changing, and one of these changes is the current situation between Russia and Ukraine, where many of our players and employees come from. Given the circumstances, both practical and ethical, the decision to relocate seems like the only right one.”

Team Spirit fields teams in Dota 2, Counterstrike 2, League of Legends, and Heartstone. In 2023, their Dota 2 squad won The International, picking up more than $18 million, the largest single prize payout in esports history.

With Dubov and Artemiev now in the fold, the list of grandmasters joining esports organizations for the Esports World Cup have grown to 17. Having signed two of the world’s greatest speed chess stars, Team Spirit will likely be highly ranked in our Power Ranking of the esports teams.

Here are the signed grandmasters and their esports teams so far:

  • Team Liquid: Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana
  • Team Falcons: Hikaru Nakamura, Alireza Firouzja
  • Na’Vi: Wesley So, Olexandr Bortnyk, Nodirbek Abdusattorov
  • Team Spirit: Daniil Dubov, Vladislav Artemiev
  • Team Secret: Anish Giri
  • Gen G: Arjun Erigaisi
  • Aurora: Ian Nepomniachtchi
  • Wolves Esports: Yu Yangyi
  • Team Vitality: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
  • Weibo Gaming: Wei Yi
  • AG Global: Volodar Murzin
  • LGD Gaming: Ding Liren

However, there will only be 16 players competing at the Esports World Cup. The run to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia runs through the Champions Chess Tour, where 12 players will qualify. The four remaining spots will go to players competing in a last-chance qualifier, details of which are yet to be announced.

The Tour Leaderboard after the 2025 Chessable Masters.
The Tour Leaderboard after the 2025 Chessable Masters.

After the Chessable Masters, Artemiev sits in a good spot on the Tour Leaderboard, in a tie for ninth after reaching the knockout stage. However, the 27-year-old will also need a strong performance in the second leg, which takes place May 18-23. 

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Ferris State provides early commencement celebration for two volleyball team members headed to NCAA DII Elite Eight

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December 9, 2025

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December 8, 2025

From left to right: photo of Provost Bobby Fleischman, student Emma Bleecher, student Ivy Wilhelm, head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm, President Bill Pink
From left to right: Provost Bobby Fleischman, Emma Bleecher, Ivy Wilhelm, head coach
Tia Brandel-Wilhelm, and President Bill Pink

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. — 

Two members of the Ferris State University volleyball team has one important thing
to take care of before heading to South Dakota for the NCAA Division II National Tournament:
graduate.

Ferris State President Bill Pink and Provost Bobby Fleischman conducted a special
ceremony for outside hitter Emma Bleecher and Ivy Wilhelm, a student worker with the
team, complete with academic regalia. The team members won’t be back from the tournament
in time to participate in Friday’s ceremony with their classmates.

“We do this because we like to celebrate our Bulldogs,” Pink said. “We like to celebrate
our graduates, and when you’re not able to join us for all the good reasons. When
your success is so prominent in our university, these things happen. But that’s why
our university is built to adjust so that we’re able to help our students.”

The volleyball team earned its way to the NCAA DII Elite Eight for the second year
in a row. Pink said he didn’t want the students’ athletic success to prohibit them
from participating in a treasured academic milestone.

“We’re used to this kind of success,” Pink told the students. “It’s how we do our
business here at Ferris State. We make sure that we honor and recognize when our students
have accomplishments. Our students finish what we start. So, it’s an honor to be able
to celebrate with you this way.”

Students wore their caps and gowns for the brief celebration. Bleecher, a Criminal
Justice Administration major from Champaign, Illinois said it was nice to be able
to be presented with her diploma even if she couldn’t be a part of the larger ceremony
on Friday morning.

“I think it’s amazing,” she said. “I think it’s just like a blessing to be here, and
it’s just cool to be able to do both.”

Wilhelm, who works with the team’s social media, earned a bachelor’s degree in Marketing.

“In moments like this, when I know it’s my community and they’re going to show up
for me, I know 100% I was right to be here these four years,” she said.

The team captured the NCAA DII Midwest Region Championship on Saturday and has been
selected as the No. 8 seed Elite Eight rounded to be held Dec. 11 to 13, in Sioux
Falls, South Dakota.

The Bulldogs will square off against top-seeded and unbeaten University of Tampa in
the national quarterfinals on Thursday, Dec. 11 with first serve set for 8 p.m. at
the Sanford Pentagon.

The Bulldogs will be making their second consecutive NCAA Division II Elite Eight
appearance after making their first since 2013 a year ago.

Saturday’s victory marked the fifth time Ferris State claimed a regional championship
as the Bulldogs previously won crowns back in 1987 and 1989 along with 2013 and 2024.

Ferris State, which is guided by 30th-year head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm, is 27-7
this year heading into the D2 Elite Eight. The Bulldogs finished the regular season
as the GLIAC Champions and earned runner-up honors in the GLIAC Tournament as the
host institution.





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Wildsmith Earns USTFCCCA National Weekly Nod

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December 9, 2025

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GRAPEVINE, Tex. — 

Allie Wildsmith (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy track & field team has been named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Women’s NCAA Division III National Athlete of the Week in recognition of her performance this past weekend at Boston University’s Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener.

The reigning indoor and outdoor high jump National Champion wasted started her first title defense of the season by needing just two jumps to win the event. Wildsmith passed up on the first five bars before clearing her first attempt of the day at 1.63 meters (5′ 4.25″). The senior needed just one jump again to get over the next height of 1.68m (5′ 6″), which the remaining three of her original five competitors bowed out on.

As the last jumper left, Wildsmith secured easy one-try clearances on the next two heights of 1.73m (5′ 8″) and 1.78m (5′ 10″) before closing out her day with tries at the NCAA DIII indoor record of 1.83m (6′ 0″). Despite knocking the bar off on all three tries, the senior’s dominance was on full display as she extended her undefeated streak to 11 event wins in a row.

Wildsmith and Bears track & field will be out of action for the next few weeks due to the holiday break, but they’ll be back and raring to go on January 17th for the self-hosted CGA Winter Invite #1 at Gregory Field House.

 



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VYPE HOU 2025 Volleyball Setter of the Year Fan Poll

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December 9, 2025

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Central’s Brown named conference men’s runner of the week

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December 9, 2025

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PELLA— Winning the mile in his first action of the indoor season, Central College men’s track and field junior Jack Brown (Norwalk) was named the American Rivers Conference Track Events Performer of the Week Monday.
           
Brown’s mile time clocked in at 4 minutes, 7.80 seconds at the Frigid Bee Opener hosted by St. Ambrose University on Saturday. He won the race by 4.87 seconds and currently has the top time in Division III.
           
Central hosts the Dutch Holiday Preview on Friday, December 12 inside the H.S. Kuyper Fieldhouse.
 



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Limestone’s Mia Lamberti repeats as Volleyball Player of the Year

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December 9, 2025

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Dec. 9, 2025, 3:00 a.m. CT

Limestone High School junior Mia Lamberti is the 2025 Journal Star Volleyball Player of the Year, the second year in a row for the University of Illinois commit.

Limestone High School junior Mia Lamberti is the 2025 Journal Star Volleyball Player of the Year, the second year in a row for the University of Illinois commit.

MATT DAYHOFF/JOURNAL STAR



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FSC Athletics Update – December 8

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December 9, 2025

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FARMINGDALE, N.Y. | The Skyline Conference released its weekly winter reports Monday, and Farmingdale State College men’s basketball junior forward Kentrell Evans (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was tabbed to its honorable mention listing.

SAAC Toys for Tots Drive Wraps Up This Week

The Farmingdale State College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee’s annual Toys for Tots Drive continues this week, with collection boxes set up in the Nold Hall lobby through the coming weekend. Students, faculty, staff and fans are encouraged to donate new, unwrapped toys for the annual initiative conducted nationwide by the United States Marine Corps, including Wednesday’s men’s basketball game versus Swarthmore at 7 p.m., along with Saturday’s noontime women’s basketball contest against Old Westbury.

Men’s Basketball (6-2) | Skyline Report

Farmingdale State registered an 86-76 road win Wednesday at SUNY New Paltz, before falling at national finalist NYU on Saturday afternoon, 84-68.

Evans averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds per game during the stretch, including a double-double in Wednesday’s victory over the Hawks and a career-high 18 points on the weekend against the Violets, while shooting 70 percent (14-of-20) from the field.

Following Wednesday’s 7 p.m. non-conference tilt at home versus Swarthmore College, the Rams will begin Skyline play on the road Saturday in a noontime start at Old Westbury.

Women’s Basketball (3-4, 2-3 Skyline) | Skyline Report

FSC dropped a 66-64 decision at home Wednesday night to Skyline foe Purchase College, before capturing a 64-56 win Saturday at defending conference champion Mount Saint Mary – the Rams’ first victory over the Knights since 2017.

Senior point guard Shyann Parker (Floral Park, N.Y.) scored a career-high 25 points midweek against Purchase, before junior guard Mia Simmons (Queens, N.Y.) led the Rams with 16 in Saturday’s triumph.

Following Tuesday’s 6 p.m. Skyline game at Mount Saint Vincent, Farmingdale State will play host to Old Westbury on Saturday at noon.

Indoor Track and Field

Farmingdale State’s men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams got underway Friday at the Fastrack Season Opener in Staten Island, with junior men’s thrower Adonias Mercado (Hillsdale, N.Y.) recording a first-place effort in the shot put with a mark of 15.86m (52-0.5). His effort was good for the second-best mark in school history.

The Rams next compete Friday and Saturday in New Haven, Conn., at the Art Kadish Elm City Challenge.



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