Abraham Johnson stared at the scoreboard in disbelief.

The Eastern Illinois freshman had qualified for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a personal-best triple jump of 16.10 meters at regionals in College Station, Texas.

When the announcer called his name, the weight of the moment finally hit him.

“I ultimately couldn’t cry because I was still processing,” Johnson said. “But then once I heard my name over the intercom I had to run over to coach [James Gildon and Riley Baker] and let the emotions out. I had been chasing this exact moment and this exact number all season, and to finally achieve it was a blessing.”

Johnson had just accomplished a goal he set long before he ever stepped onto a collegiate track.

“It means a lot,” he said. “I remember before I started competing collegiately, I would always see those boards that said ‘ticket punched’ and I said I was gonna get one of those one day.”

Now he’s one of just 24 triple jumpers in the country heading to the NCAA championships, and one of only four freshmen.

“It’s crazy in my opinion,” Johnson said. “It kinda felt like an underdog story. I was able to pull through, even with the troubles of my spikes almost getting me disqualified.”

That near disqualification came just 20 minutes before regionals.

Johnson said he was on his phone when he came across a post showing banned spike models, and the ones he had worn all season, Nike Triple Jump Elite 2, were on there.

Director of Track & Field James Gildon explained that the responsibility for knowing which spikes are legal lies with the coaches and athletes, not the officials inspecting them. He said there was some confusion because Nike produces several different models.

“The sole was, I think, three millimeters over what it needs to be,” he said, “And the Nike Threes are compliant.”

Luckily, Johnson had other cleats with him. But he had to quickly adjust to competing in Adidas cleats instead of his usual spikes.

For the upcoming competition, Johnson will be competing in the Nike Triple Jump Elite 3, according to Gildon.

Even before that moment, Johnson had been battling what he called the biggest challenge of his season: minor injuries, which included knee pain.

“I have never had knee pain before, but as soon as it came around it messed with me mentally,” he said.

The day before his competition, Johnson said the pain was the worst he had ever really felt before, so he turned to prayer.

“As soon as I got back to the hotel, I pleaded to God to give me a sign that he would be there with me during competition,” he said. “And all of a sudden I wasn’t experiencing any type of knee pain.”

Johnson credits God for his success.

“God has played the biggest part in my journey as a track athlete,” he said. “When I would think all would fail, God came and told and showed me something different.”

Now, with the NCAA championships in Eugene, Oregon, on the horizon, Johnson is sticking to what’s worked.

“I am just going to do what I always do,” he said. “Keep putting in that work and putting my faith in Jesus Christ.”

And Gildon said their approach to preparation won’t change much heading into the biggest meet of the season.

“We’re going to prepare like we’ve been preparing,” he said. “In terms of the X’s and O’s and the physical training of it.”

Gildon also emphasized the mental training for what he called the biggest meet Johnson’s ever competed in.

“There’s a lot of opportunity to be distracted with kind of the outside noise and venue,” Gildon said. “So just helping him, kind of staying focused on keeping the main thing the main thing.”

Gildon believes Johnson’s experience will help. Saying Johnson has competed well at championships throughout the year, and Gildon is confident he’ll be locked in when it matters most.

“By the time Friday comes, I’d like to think he’ll be dialed in and ready to go, hopefully being All-American,” he said.

Johnson is the second straight Panther to qualify for the NCAA outdoor championships, following Ramsey Hunt’s runner-up long jump finish last year.

Gildon said the accomplishment reflects the program’s competitive ability and commitment to development.

“It kind of highlights our ability to compete at a high level,” he said. “So hopefully this kind of radiates throughout our region into recruiting and such that you can do it here. And that’s one thing that I want all our student athletes to buy into is that you can do it here at Eastern Illinois University with the coaches, the resources that we have, we can compete at a very high level,” he said.

The championships start Wednesday afternoon at the University of Oregon. The men’s triple jump competition will begin at 5:10 p.m. on Friday. Johnson will compete in flight one. The competition will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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• Purdue coach Matt Painter used a comparison to professional sports when explaining the difference between revenue-sharing and name, image and likeness.

WEST LAFAYETTE — The financial allotment for college athletes went from one extreme (legally nonexistent) to another when the NCAA instituted name, image, and likeness (NIL), allowing student-athletes to capitalize on their marketability.

The rich, essentially, got richer.

On Friday, a nearly half decade battle through the court system concluded with the House vs. NCAA settlement which will allow schools to pay their athletes directly.

Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski stated previously Purdue would be a full participant up to the cap limit, estimated at $20.5 million.

After Purdue basketball had its first summer practice on Monday, coach Matt Painter, who currently serves as third vice president on the National Association of Basketball Coaches board of directors, was asked if college basketball got better based on the ruling.

“Some competitive balance is all we really want,” Painter said. “It wasn’t name, image and likeness before. This gives you more of a grasp of having a core amount of money to pay these guys, which is a lot less than the money that’s going on right now. And then, anything on top of it is real name, image and likeness.”

The idea behind name, image, and likeness was for college athletes to capitalize on their notoriety via avenues such as autograph signings, hosting sports camps, or appearing in advertisements, for example.

Painter mentioned specifically from his own program since NIL went into effect the names of two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey, selected ninth overall in last year’s NBA draft, and Braden Smith, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and Bob Cousy Award winner for the nation’s top point guard, as marketable athletes who fit the supposed NIL idea.

Insider: Newcomers out, or limited, for first Purdue basketball practice: 3 things we learned

“When everybody gets money, not everybody in Major League Baseball gets money in name, image and likeness and they’re in the big show,” Painter said. “If you watch a baseball game and there’s 52 guys on two rosters, tell me how many guys are on those commercials. Two? Three? Four? Five? Not very many. That’s the market. Not everybody is marketable that plays college basketball and gets paid. …

“There’s a lot of things that haven’t been fair across the board, so hopefully this equals things out a little bit.”

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How did Texas softball coach Mike White and his staff celebrate winning the program’s first national championship?

By hitting the recruiting trail, both in the portal and at the youth level.

White had no choice since the portal window remains open for softball until Monday, just 10 days after Texas clinched its title by beating Texas Tech 10-4 in the third and decisive game in the Women’s College World Series finals in Oklahoma City. Coaches were allowed to reach out to high school or travel ball players just a day later.

The timing of the portal window can prove particularly tricky for coaches like White who are competing in the WCWS, which can last 10 days for the teams that reach a Game 3 of the championship series. This season it opened May 18, when the nation’s best teams are often fighting for a spot in the WCWS.

How did Texas softball grade out in 2025?

“Truthfully, we’ve already been contacting some players because you have to,” White said. “It’s open. So, what else are you supposed to do? And then recruiting starts (June 7), you know? So that’s the first opportunity to go out.”

White compared the condensed summer schedule for teams that reach the WCWS to “a treadmill.”

“You keep trying to catch up and keep going, there’s  very little time to sit back,” he said. “But I do wish they would do something with the transfer portal as far as allowing it to not open until after (the WCWS) so we can really concentrate on playing our opponents.”

But White also embraces the grind. That’s why he’s looking forward to defending the Longhorns’ title.

“The next step is, can we come back and repeat and get back here again?” he said. “I have no doubts. I believe in myself, and I believe in the coaching staff I have, and I believe in the athletes we recruit. You go for it, and you just keep changing and you remix the formula and you just keep trying. Like I tell the players, champions are not born that way, they’re made.”

GOLDEN: Teagan Kavan saved Texas softball

With the program’s expectations established, let’s answer five key questions for Texas softball entering next season:

What players are coming back for Texas softball?

A better question to ask is who’s not returning, because the Longhorns will bring back almost every starter pending any surprise portal entrees. The two departing seniors in the lineup will leave a big void, though; third baseman Mia Scott, a four-year starter, put on a show with her glove and bat in Oklahoma City while first baseman Joley Mitchell had a career year and emerged as a valued locker room leader.

That means stalwarts such as catcher Reese Atwood, infielder Leighann Goode and outfielders Katie Stewart, Kayden Henry and Ashton Maloney all return.

In the pitchers room, senior Mac Morgan is the only player who garnered significant innings in 2025 that will depart. Teagan Kavan returns as the staff ace along with reliable incoming senior Citlaly Gutierrez and promising incoming sophomore Cambria Salmon.

MORE: Texas softball alums celebrate national championship

Will Viviana Martinez be ready for the 2026 season?

Truth be told, the junior shortstop may have been ready for the WCWS after having surgery for a torn knee ligament suffered in October, but the program didn’t want to burn an injury redshirt just for a postseason series or two. A two-year starter prior to this season, Martinez excels on defense and at the plate. Her return will help ease the loss of Scott and Mitchell’s bats in the lineup, and it will also likely push versatile middle infielder Goode back to a full-time role at second base.

Who will Texas pursue in the transfer portal?

The team will likely need some veteran help at either infield corner. Finding, well, another Mitchell to replace Mitchell at either corner will help. Since she arrived at Texas from Notre Dame prior to the 2024 season, Mitchell solidified both the lineup and the locker room.

Does pitcher Teagan Kavan need help?

Probably not, even though Morgan provided a steady senior presence in the circle during the NCAA Tournament. Gutierrez is reliable as a starter and reliever; Salmon has star potential. In addition, Texas will welcome pitcher Hannah Wells, a three-time Texas high school state champion, as part of its 2025 recruiting class.

MORE: A homegrown roster won a national championship

Which Texas player could have a breakout season in 2026?

For her sake, infielder Victoria Hunter needs to take advantage of the opportunities in the lineup. A highly touted recruit from the 2023 class, Hunter regressed at the plate this season while starting 20 games primarily at the designated player spot. She hit .385 with an on-base percentage of .529 as a freshman in 2024, but those numbers dropped to .230 and .388, respectively, this season. But she can play either at third or first and she boasts undeniable power; she has nine home runs and 32 RBIs in 100 career at-bats.

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Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has been sidelined recently as he deals with an unknown illness, USA Today and ESPN reported. Sanders is away from Colorado’s program and has been resting, his son, Deion Jr., shared in a YouTube video.

“He’ll tell y’all soon enough what he’s going through, what he went through,” the younger Sanders said, according to USA Today. “When we get back to Boulder, I don’t know. I’m waiting until my dad leaves. When he leaves, then I’ll go. Until then, I’m going to sit here with him.”

While Colorado isn’t practicing at the moment due to summer break, it’s been hosting its annual football camps in Boulder over the first two weeks of June. Sanders reportedly hasn’t been present for those camps this summer after appearing at them in his first two years on the job. Operating the summer camps is part of Sanders’ job description at Colorado, according to USA Today. 

The 57-year-old Sanders also recently canceled a speaking engagement at the Sickle Cell Disease Research and Educational Symposium.

“Due to an unavoidable last-minute scheduling change, our originally scheduled Foundation Keynote Speaker, Deion Sanders ‘Coach Prime,’ is unable to attend,” the organization wrote in a social media post. “We are grateful for his support and look forward to future opportunities to welcome him.”

Sanders hinted that he had been dealing with a health issue when he appeared on former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel’s podcast in May. As Samuel wished Sanders well, the Colorado coach said what he was “dealing with right now is at whole nother level” and that he had lost 14 pounds. Still, Sanders said he planned to return to coaching whenever the illness subsided.

Sanders has dealt with multiple serious health issues over the last few years. In 2021, he had two toes on his left foot amputated due to blood clots that stemmed from a previous surgery. He underwent surgery again to help relieve blood clots in both of his legs in 2023.

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