By: Dan Richeal

HANOVER, N.H.—Dartmouth field hockey head coach Mark Egner announced the incoming student-athletes for the upcoming 2025 season. The class features three international players and three players from the United States.

“I’m very excited about the potential impact of this class on our team. With them coming from a wide variety of hockey experiences they will bring a lot of championship experience to the table” Egner added. “Their blend of playing style should mesh quite well with what we already have, and I really look forward to seeing them on campus as soon as we get started this fall!”

Maria Ariza Solans | Castelldefels, Spain | Charterhouse School, U.K. | Castelldefels H.C.

Ariza Solans comes to Hanover from Spain after playing for Castelldefels Hockey Club at the U16, U18, and Senior levels. On the field she earned multiple honors including the Charterhouse Sports Scholarship, Charterhouse Full Sport Special Colours, Charterhouse Full Sport Colours, and House Sport Colours. She was selected as a member of the ARC Catalana Hockey Development Program.  Off the field she earned the Charterhouse Leadership Award while founding and leading the STEM Society, she also led the Pupil Action Committee Against Discrimination. She competed in cricket and soccer as well as field hockey.

 

Gemma Franco | Chicago, Ill. | Francis W. Parker | Windy City Field Hockey

Franco joins the Big Green after having a dominant high school career as she was named the ISL Offensive Player of the Year in 2024. She was also named First Team All-State in 2023 and 2024 while being an All-Conference and All-League player in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. In both 2022 and 2023 she was named a Max Field Hockey Top 100 Player in the United States. She also earned invites to the Nexus Championship in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 and the AAU Junior Olympics in 2022. In the classroom, Franco was a member of the All-Academic Team in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. She volunteered with Nourishing Hope and Students Against Sensible Drug Policy, while also coaching at 312 Field Hockey.

Ava Russo | Roseland, N.J. | West Essex Regional High School | NJ Grit

Russo was a four-year varsity player at West Essex Regional High School and won a state championship each of the four seasons. She also won the Essex County Tournament Championship four times. Prior to coming to Hanover, she participated in the U16 and U18 Nexus Championships and the AAU Junior Olympics. The defender was also named a Max Field Hockey Class of 2025 Top 100 Players. The National Honor Society member coaches young field hockey players while participating in the Italian Club and running in multiple color runs to raise awareness for autism.

Georgia Thornton | Belfast, Northern Ireland | Strathearn School | Ards Ladies 1XI

Thornton comes across the pond to Dartmouth after being a four-year starter and senior captain for Strathearn School. In 2023, she was the lone underclassman on the team and made it to the Senior School Girls Hockey Cup Final for the first time in over 30 years. The midfielder also played indoor hockey and was captain and MVP in 2024-25. She won a pair of U18 Ulster Indoor Club Championships in 2023 and 2024. In the 2023 tournament, she was the top goal scorer of the tournament. Thornton played club field hockey in the top Irish Hockey EY1 League with Ards Ladies 1Xl. While also playing field hockey, Thornton played volleyball, netball, and competed in track & field.

Lilly Venezia | North Caldwell, N.J. | Oak Knoll School | NJ Grit

In high school, Venezia played varsity for four seasons while serving as a captain her senior season. In both 2023 and 2024 she was named Third Team All-State while also being named to the NFHCA High School Senior Impact Team. In high school she received multiple honors including First Team All-Conference in 2023 and 2024 and Max Field Hockey All NJ Region in 2024. She helped lead her team to four Union County Field Hockey Championships. Away from field hockey, she competed in track & field and golf. She also volunteered with youth field hockey programs and was a member of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Student Visionaries of the Year Campaign.

Madeline Windsor | Hobart, Australia | The Friends’ School  | North West Graduates H.C.

Our final newcomer comes to Dartmouth after serving as a captain for multiple teams including the U18 State Team in 2024. While serving as captain of her U18 team she was also named Team MVP. For her club team she earned the E&S Carmichael Award for Most Promising Underage Female in 2022. In the classroom, she won multiple honors including the Academic Excellence honor from 2019-24. In 2022, she was the Community Representative in School while working with junior field hockey teams.

Dartmouth returns 18 student-athletes from a year ago including leading scorer Riley Dumigan and All-Ivy honorees Olivia Galiotos and Lucia Campano. The Big Green will announce its 2025 schedule in the coming weeks.

 

J Batt hasn’t even clocked in for his first day as Michigan State’s new athletic director and already locked up one of the university’s top leaders.

Hockey coach Adam Nightingale, who has spearheaded a remarkable program turnaround in just three years, signed a contract extension with a raise barely a year after getting a new deal. It’s essentially worth $1.3 million annually for one of the highest-paid coaches in the country and was approved by Michigan State’s Board of Trustees at a meeting Friday in Traverse City.

Batt, who was hired away from Georgia Tech earlier this month, also had his contract approved Friday and officially starts Tuesday.

The rolling, five-year extension will pay Nightingale $1 million a year with a $300,000 annual retention bonus. His base salary is $700,000 with $300,000 in additional compensation.

Nightingale’s previous extension – also a rolling, five-year deal – was announced in March 2024 and paid him $600,000 in base salary with $100,000 in additional compensation with a $100,000 retention bonus every two years.

“I’m appreciative of the support the Board of Trustees and President Kevin Guskiewicz have demonstrated with today’s announcement of a new contract for Adam Nightingale, helping to ensure he leads the Spartan hockey program for many years to come,” Batt said in a press release. “Under Coach Nightingale’s guidance, Michigan State has returned to its position as one of the elite programs in college hockey, creating incredible excitement both within the hockey community and throughout all of our loyal supporters. Coming off back-to-back Big Ten Championships, there’s a buzz that even greater things are on the horizon. Personally, I can’t wait to experience the excitement of the sold-out crowds at Munn Ice Arena this winter, in what could be a truly special season.”

With Nightingale quickly emerging as one of the top college coaches in the nation, his new contract includes an elevated buyout from his alma mater. It’s $2 million for the first three years before being cut in half and then down to $800,000 in year five. The contract was signed by Nightingale, Guskiewicz and co-interim AD and basketball coach Tom Izzo.

“My family and I are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to represent Michigan State University,” Nightingale said in the release. “To coach at an institution like this and be part of the East Lansing community is a privilege and an awesome responsibility. The support our program receives, from President Kevin Guskiewicz, the Board of Trustees, Director of Athletics J Batt and the entire Spartan family, will never be taken for granted, and we make sure our players and staff understand that on a daily basis. We look forward to continuing to make our university, alumni and community proud.”

Three seasons ago, Nightingale took over a history-rich program he played for that hadn’t reached the NCAA Tournament in more than a decade. That skid nearly ended in his first year on the job and the Spartans are now coming off back-to-back Big Ten championships and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament each of the last two seasons. They were upset in the first round by Cornell in March.

Michigan State is back to being a national championship contender and should be loaded this season. Forward Isaac Howard, who in April won the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in the country, is delaying a leap to the NHL and returning for his senior year. Big Ten Goalie of the Year Trey Augustine is also holding off on turning pro to come back for a third season between the pipes in East Lansing.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – After six years away from the program, Tyler Grayson will be rejoining the Brown wrestling coaching staff for the 2025-26 season. This will be the second stint with the Bears for Grayson, who was originally hired as an assistant coach in August of 2011 and worked his way up to first assistant status in August of 2014. 

In May of 2018, Grayson left the Bears to become the assistant athletic director and head wrestling coach at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, Rhode Island from August of 2018 to January of 2022. From January of 2022 to June of 2025, Grayson was promoted to athletic director of the Naval Academy Preparatory School, overseeing all athletic programs and trainers. 

“We are thrilled that Tyler is joining our staff,” said Marvin Wilenzik ’56 Head Coaching Chair for Brown Wrestling Jordan Leen. “His experience and desire to be at Brown make him the perfect addition. With his skill set and drive he will make our program better right away.” 

During his first stint with the Bears, Grayson has helped mentor six NCAA qualifying wrestlers in CJ LaFragola ’19 (2017), Steven Galiardo ’17 (2016), Justin Staudenmayer ’17 (2015-16), Ophir Bernstein ’15 (2012-15), Billy Watterson ’15 (2013), and Dave Foxen ’12 (2012). He aided Bernstein in earning All-America honors in 2014, becoming Brown’s first wrestler to earn such honors in 16 years.

In 2011-12, he served as an assistant coach at Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kansas, a program that boasts eight National Championships and 45 All-Americans at the JUCO level. At Neosho CCC, Grayson helped direct the Panthers to a sixth-place tie as a team at the NJCAA Districts and qualified four wrestlers for Nationals.

A native of Gladstone, Missouri, Grayson headed North to Central Michigan where he compiled 31 wins in his first three seasons. His senior year he finished with a 20-7 overall mark and 13-2 dual meet record on his way to a conference championship at 165 pounds.

Grayson is also a two-time Midlands placer (sixth and eighth), two-time University Nationals placer (second and seventh), and an All-American as well as a two-time state champion at the high school level.

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Since the end of last season’s disappointing 5-7 campaign, Kyle Whittingham and his Utah football staff have been busy acquiring experienced talent to round out their roster ahead of the 2025 season.

Based on a recent report from The Athletic, though, the Utes might not have both the spring and winter months to reel in big-time transfers moving forward.

Following final approval of the House v. NCAA settlement, college football’s leaders have swiftly turned their attention to their No. 1 rule change on their minds for next season: move to a single transfer portal window.

According to Chris Vannini, the Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee is expected to have a deep discussion on the topic during a call next Monday. Many coaches have voiced their displeasure over the two-window system, particularly when it comes to players arriving to campus late for spring ball, making it harder to assimilate to their new surroundings before the season starts.

Vannini reports that a transfer cycle in January has gained the “most momentum,” though the timing still hasn’t reached a consensus yet. Some power conference schools, for example, whose academic calendars run on a quarter system prefer the spring because their classes start earlier in January before the portal closes.

There’s also the College Football Playoff to consider. The 2025 National Championship game was on Jan. 20; the American Football Coaches Association around that same time proposed the new window run Jan. 2-12 beginning in 2026. The existing transfer rules allow players an extra five days to enter the portal if their season runs long. Time will tell if that guideline needs an adjustment as well.

The college football transfer portal hasn’t gone through significant change since late 2023, when a series of lawsuits and court rulings forced the NCAA to allow student-athletes an unlimited amount of transfers without penalty. The NCAA has altered the duration of the transfer portal from 60 to 45, to now 30 days, over the past few years.

Switching to a 10-day window would be drastic, though there’s still skepticism over whether the length/timing really matters. Implementing a transfer window only restricts when a player can enter the portal, but it doesn’t force them to pick a new school by a certain date.

Per Vannini, the oversight committee is also discussing changing spring football around the new window. Similar to NFL OTA practices, six non-padded practices would be added onto a team’s current slate of 15 practices, with flexibility to spread the 21 workouts over two different periods from January to June.

Utah’s 21-player incoming transfer portal class, ranked No. 37 in the country by 247Sports, is headlined by former New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier, running back Wayshawn Parker from Washington State and Utah State transfer cornerback Blake Cotton.