Water Polo Australia (WPA) is pleased to announce the Aussie Stingers for the 2025 World Aquatics Championships.

Set to be held in Singapore from 11-24 July 2025, WPA has today announced a 14-strong women’s team to compete at the event.

Headlined by 10 Paris Olympic silver medalists, with a number of New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holders including Genenvieve Longman (main picture), Bronte Halligan (pictured below), Sienna Green, Tilly Kearns, Sienna Hearn, Danijela Jackovich, the Stingers squad for the World Championships is a great mix of youth and experience.

“Our team for the world Championships is a mix of athletes who have been around for numerous Olympic cycles, athletes who were part of our squad in the lead up to Paris, and some new players who have joined us for the new Olympic cycle,” said Head Coach Bec Rippon.

“It’s a nice, balanced team, who have been bringing some great energy to every session, and I look forward to seeing what we can produce in Singapore.”

Almost one year on since the historic silver medal performance in Paris, Rippon said it’s been great to have the majority of the team back together.

“It is nice having some of the Paris group back and to now see how they connect with the newer players that have been working hard in Australia and overseas,” Rippon said. “They bring with them some great experience and energy, as we approach the new Olympic cycle,” she said.

Currently in camp on the Gold Coast for three weeks, the Stingers will next head to Perth, where they will host the USA and Italian women’s teams for a training camp and official Test matches (details for tickets on sale will be available soon).

“It’s going to be a great opportunity to trial some new things that we’ve been working on, and to try things without being under the same pressure of being at a World Championships,” Rippon said.

“We are really happy to have both of those teams in Australia – we always have great battles with the US and such a strong history with them so it will be great to see how we’re matching up.

“And we will play the Italians at the World Championships, so it will be a really good chance to check in and measure up against each other before Singapore. “

The 2025 World Aquatics Championships will be held in Singapore from 11-24 July, with the Stingers set to play their first game on Friday 11 July against the host nation, Singapore.

Water Polo Australia would like to congratulate the following athletes on their selection:

Abby Andrews (QLD)

Charlize Andrews (QLD)

Hayley Ballesty (NSW)

Tenealle Fasala (QLD)

Sienna Green (NSW)

Bronte Halligan (NSW)

Sienna Hearn (NSW)

Danijela Jackovich (NSW)

Tilly Kearns (NSW)

Alexie Lambert (NSW)

Genevieve Longman (NSW)

Olivia Mitchell (NSW)

Gabi Palm (QLD)

Pippa Pedley (WA)

Alice Williams (QLD)

Reserves:

Claire Durston (NSW)

Jessica Emerson (QLD)

Nioka Thomas (NSW)

Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers Schedule:

Friday 11 July | Australia v Singapore | 9:10pm AEST

Sunday 13 July | Australia v Italy | 7:35pm AEST

Tuesday 15 July | Australian v New Zealand | 7:35pm AEST

Thursday 17 July | Women’s Crossovers Saturday 19 July |

Women’s Quarterfinals and Classification Monday 21 July |

Women’s Semi Finals and Classification Wednesday 23 July |

Women’s Medal Matches and Classification

Story Water Polo Australia

The News-Press and Naples Daily News held their annual Southwest Florida Sports Awards Show on May 29 at Suncoast Arena on the campus of Southwest Florida State College. During the show, we announced First Baptist’s Zara Stewart as our 2024-25 Female Athlete of the Year.

Jun. 7—Joe Knight has spent nearly eight months preparing for this.

On Friday evening, U.S. Judge Claudia Wilken granted final approval for the NCAA’s settlement of three antitrust lawsuits — known colloquially as the House settlement — paving the way for universities to share revenue directly with student-athletes under a new enforcement system, along with several other changes.

It’s the moment Knight, the executive director of Dawgs Unleashed, has been waiting for since he was hired in October 2024.

“This is our proactive reaction to what we knew was coming,” Knight said.

The settlement contains three main parts: approximately $2.8 billion in back pay for former student-athletes who participated in NCAA sports between 2016-24, a revenue-sharing system with an enforcement entity for current student-athletes and roster limits in place of scholarship limits.

Dawgs Unleashed is Washington’s internal name, image and likeness (NIL) and influencer marketing division, one of the most notable new additions to the UW athletic department, formed in preparation for the settlement’s approval. Knight described Dawgs Unleashed as an internal NIL collective, seeking opportunities for student-athletes to earn money off their NIL with local businesses.

“UW and Seattle, there’s nothing like it,” Knight said. “We’re so inextricably married. The corporations and the student body within Husky athletics, there’s such a unique opportunity for us to really do this in an effective way.

“I don’t think anyone is as well positioned as the Huskies in this new era.”

Starting July 1, Washington and other universities around the country can share up to $20.5 million with their student-athletes.

UW athletic director Pat Chun reiterated Washington’s intention to “distribute maximum allowable revenue share” in a statement Friday evening. In a letter to Husky fans Saturday, he requested donations to UW’s Go Big campaign to help offset some of the costs of revenue sharing.

“Our campus and athletic leadership have prepared for today’s outcome for months,” he wrote. “UW remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting our athletic programs at the highest level and shaping the future of college athletics. With the leadership of our University, the dedication of our donors, and the passion of Husky Nation, we are well positioned to elevate the student-athlete experience and showcase Washington on the national and global stage.”

Dawgs Unleashed isn’t involved in revenue sharing. Instead, Knight’s group will deal with the additional changes related to student-athlete compensation.

Along with laying the groundwork for revenue sharing, the settlement created a new enforcement entity to bring some order to the NIL landscape. The College Sports Commission — a non-NCAA entity run by Bryan Seeley, a former assistant U.S. attorney who spent more than a decade as MLB’s vice president of investigations and deputy general counsel — will ensure universities stay under the revenue-sharing cap.

It’s also charged with monitoring NIL deals through a Deloitte-run clearinghouse called NIL Go. Student-athletes must report any agreements worth $600 or more to the technology platform, which determines if the deal provides reasonable compensation for the job offered. Knight said he believes creating rules for the NIL space is essential to creating a more level playing field in college athletics.

NIL Go potentially rules out charitable donations, the most-common contributions received by Montlake Futures, UW’s official third-party NIL collective, and places emphasis on corporate sponsorship.

“As an employee of the UW, as an alum, as a fan of the UW,” Knight said, “I think Washington succeeds in a model in which there are rules, and there’s enforcement of those rules.”

That’s where Dawgs Unleashed comes into play. Knight’s group hopes to help UW student-athletes navigate NIL Go and connect them with corporate sponsorship opportunities. Knight said Dawgs Unleashed will serve as representation for any student-athletes who don’t already have agents, particularly those who play Olympic sports.

He also stressed that, as an internal division of UW athletics, Dawgs Unleashed has direct access to Seattle’s business network and the Tyee Club. Knight added UW’s new multimedia rights deal has emphasized creating NIL sponsorship opportunities for student-athletes instead of simply creating corporate partnerships for the athletic department.

“In Seattle, on Montlake, there are true NIL corporate sponsorship opportunities for all student-athletes,” he said.

Knight, who graduated from UW in 2016, and the Husky athletic department started seriously preparing for the settlement’s approval in August 2024. Knight previously served as director of corporate sponsorship and development at Seattle U. He returned to his alma mater in 2021 to work as a major gifts officer in UW’s fundraising department.

Since becoming the Dawgs Unleashed executive director, Knight has focused on building his department’s infrastructure. He hired two NIL analysts, Derek Sullivan and Cody Scott, who will serve as operations managers, too. Knight also added creative content specialist Nicole Sasu-Twum and director of digital and NIL strategy Sam Schwartz. Knight said having a team already in place has been extremely helpful, especially as final approval of the settlement dragged into June.

Additionally, Dawgs Unleashed has spent the past several months integrating into the athletic department. Knight said they’ve met with each of the varsity coaches and programs at UW to explain what they can offer student-athletes. They’ve worked with Cameron Foster, UW’s newly hired senior director of contracts and cap management, to look through agreements and make sure they’re prepared for NIL Go’s scrutiny.

Finally, Knight said Dawgs Unleashed is closely tied to Boundless Futures, the leadership and professional development program run by student-athlete academic services. Through Boundless Futures and Amy Landram, UW assistant athletic director of student-athlete development, Knight said they want to teach financial literacy and responsibility.

Some of their work has already started showing results. Dawgs Unleashed helped facilitate corporate sponsorships with CVS Pharmacy, Adidas, Starbucks, Gatorade and Simply Seattle among others, Knight said. He added it’s just the beginning now that the settlement has been approved.

“Who knows what the next big domino to fall is, or the next big hill to climb is,” he said. “But I do feel confident that we’ve established the structure — the bones — here on Montlake to right the ship through any storm.”

Roster limits

The final piece that held up the settlement’s approval involved roster limits. Teams are no longer restricted to a set number of scholarships. Instead, every sport has a specific number of players who can all receive athletic financial aid at the program’s discretion.

Walk-ons were severely affected, with many schools cutting their roster spots in preparation for the settlement’s approval. However, Wilken directed these players, now known as designated student-athletes, be allowed to return or play for a new school without counting against the roster limits.

Here are the scholarship limits for UW’s varsity sports:

* Baseball: 34 roster spots. Previously 11.7 scholarships.

* Men’s basketball: 15 roster spots. Previously 13 scholarships.

* Women’s basketball: 15 roster spots. Previously 13 scholarships.

* Beach volleyball: 19 roster spots. Previously six scholarships.

* Men’s cross-country: 17 roster spots. Previously five scholarships.

* Women’s cross-country: 17 roster spots. Previously six scholarships.

* Football: 105 roster spots. Previously 85 scholarships.

* Men’s golf: nine roster spots. Previously 4.5 scholarships.

* Women’s golf: nine roster spots. Previously 6 scholarships.

* Women’s gymnastics: 20 roster spots. Previously 12 scholarships.

* Men’s track and field: 45 roster spots. Previously 12.6 scholarships.

* Women’s track and field: 45 roster spots. Previously 18 scholarships.

* Men’s rowing: Not subject to roster limits because men’s rowing is not an NCAA sport. However, men’s rowers do count in UW’s Title IX numbers.

* Women’s rowing: 68 roster spots. Previously 20 scholarships.

* Men’s soccer: 28 roster spots. Previously 9.9 scholarships.

* Women’s soccer: 28 roster spots. Previously 14 scholarships.

* Softball: 25 roster spots. Previously 12 scholarships.

* Men’s tennis: 10 roster spots. Previously 4.5 scholarships.

* Women’s tennis: 10 roster spots. Previously eight scholarships.

* Women’s volleyball: 18 roster spots. Previously 12 scholarships.

© 2025 The Seattle Times. Visit www.seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

UCLA Athletics’ first year in the Big Ten didn’t affect its ability to win conference – and national honors. Whether it was individual accolades or program banners, the 2024-2025 campaign was full of bright moments. Daily Bruin Sports shines a spotlight on the best moments from the year.

Gymnastics wins Big Ten championships
Hannah Westerhold, Daily Bruin Contributor

“Ten, ten, ten!”

The chants from the crowd, coaches and teammates after Brooklyn Moors steps off the floor are almost as expected as the graduate student’s precise execution of her choreography.

But the judges never answered the chants. That is, until it mattered most.

UCLA headed to Ann Arbor on March 22, where Moors and junior Jordan Chiles brought UCLA’s inaugural Big Ten Championships to a poetic close, securing victory with a tandem of perfect scores. They weren’t the first Bruins to reach perfection that night – junior Ciena Alipio started the wave of 10s with the first perfect score of her career on beam.

But Michigan State, Minnesota and Michigan prevented a clean sweep for UCLA. Despite owning the Big Ten regular season title, the Bruins stood in second place for the first two rotations of the Big Ten championships – even after tying their season-high 49.350 on vault.

Heading to beam, UCLA needed to narrow the margin. And it delivered – recording five scores of 9.925 or higher. The Bruins notched a season-high beam total of 49.750, raising their old record by .125.

The Bruins approached the floor, still trailing the Spartans. Sophomore Katelyn Rosen led the rotation with a 9.875 mark, boosting the Bruins’ momentum. With each routine, UCLA matched or raised the previous mark.

UCLA’s 198.450 was over 1.000 above its season average and marked UCLA’s fourth-highest score in school history. The Bruins set a standard of excellence in their new conference, earning the highest team score in Big Ten championships history.

Men’s water polo wins NCAA championship
Una O’Farrell, Daily Bruin senior staff

UCLA men’s water polo entered the 2024 season with something to prove.

After securing a perfect preseason and conference record in 2023, MPSF and NCAA titles seemed inevitable for last year’s squad.

But after narrow one and two-point defeats in the MPSF semifinal and the NCAA final, respectively, the Bruins fell short.

With a revamped roster, UCLA entered 2024 with renewed potential. The return of veteran contributors and the arrival of Olympic-level talent positioned the team as a top contender from the outset.

Freshman attacker Ryder Dodd joined the team after competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he and Team USA won bronze. Redshirt junior attacker Chase Dodd also returned to the roster after taking the 2023 season off to train with the national team and compete in the Olympics.

But after a close loss in the 2024 MPSF final, it seemed the Bruins would repeat history.

But this time, UCLA finished the job.

​​The Bruins defeated USC 11-8 in the NCAA championship game at Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center, clinching their 13th national title in program history and UCLA’s 124th NCAA championship overall.

The victory also marked coach Adam Wright’s fifth NCAA championship with the men’s program and his second national title in the 2024 calendar year, having led the women’s team to a championship in May.

Men’s tennis wins Big Ten tournament title
Chloe Agas, Daily Bruin Staff

Ohio State hadn’t lost since 2022 Big Ten title match.

Just a few weeks before the 2025 conference title contest, the Bruins fell to the Buckeyes in a 4-0 sweep on the latter’s home courts. But instead of breaking them, the loss became a turning point as they finished out the season.

Riding a seven-match winning streak and seeded at No. 2 for the Big Ten tournament, coach Billy Martin’s squad found themselves back on the red and black courts in Columbus – in a battle for the program’s first Big Ten title.

With the April 27 match tied at 3-3, senior and captain Alexander Hoogmartens delivered a three-set win against Jack Anthrop, handing the Buckeye his first loss since Feb. 14. All eyes turned to Emon van Loben Sels and Buckeye Alexander Bernard facing off in the deciding match.

The Bruins – who suffered defeat earlier in the season – now had a chance to write a new ending. All of the losses, doubts and close calls stacked up as van Loben Sels carried a potential Big Ten title for the Bruins on his shoulders.

The redshirt sophomore entered this year with just eight singles match appearances from the 2023-24 season. He finished the 2024-25 season with 28 match appearances – 17 on court two – and a 14-4 singles record.

Van Loben Sels stepped up to the baseline to serve for the match point. Both players shuffled at the net, as both teams stood on either side, spectating the ongoing rally. Then, Bernard struck a forehand that went out of bounds upwards into the air.

And in that moment – time stood still.

After a three-and-a half hour battle, van Loben Sels dropped his racket, raised his fists and collapsed to the ground as his teammates surrounded him and cheered.

In their first ever appearance at the tournament, they won it all.

Now, the team that began the season as underdogs hoisted the trophy.

Women’s basketball makes first Final Four since 1978
Ava Abrishamchian, Daily Bruin Staff

UCLA women’s basketball etched itself into Westwood’s history books in a year filled with both milestones and heartbreak.

Under coach Cori Close’s leadership, the Bruins roared through their inaugural Big Ten season, rattled off 23 straight wins and held the No. 1 national ranking for 12 weeks – both program records.

However, claiming the Big Ten tournament title was not the Bruins’ only historic feat.

It was UCLA’s Final Four appearance – the school’s first during the NCAA era – that will define the legacy of the 2024-2025 squad.

The Bruins’ tournament run was powered by a deep bench, the interior dominance of junior center and 2025 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Lauren Betts, the leadership of junior guard Kiki Rice, and the breakout performances of transfers like Timea Gardiner and Janiah Barker.

In the Elite Eight, UCLA avenged its 2024 March Madness loss to LSU with a 72-65 win, showcasing poise and grit when it mattered most. It was junior guard Gabriela Jaquez who stepped up for the Bruins, shooting 80% from beyond the arc to help punch the team’s ticket to Tampa.

But a dynasty – led by the soon-to-be No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft Paige Bueckers – awaited UCLA in Florida. UConn, under the purview of coaching legend Geno Auriemma, dismantled the top-seeded Bruins 85-51 in a semifinal that hurt to watch. It was the largest loss in Final Four history and a brutal punctuation on an otherwise extraordinary campaign.

Still, the Bruins didn’t let the scoreboard define the team’s legacy. And they shouldn’t.

The season was about more than one night in March. It was about the program rising to the occasion and rewriting its own ceilings. Though it left Tampa without a trophy, UCLA set a new standard for itself – a standard it will undoubtedly be looking to exceed next year.

Men’s tennis defeats USC in super regional
Kai Dizon, Daily Bruin Senior Staff

It wasn’t just rough sailing for coach Billy Martin’s relatively young and inexperienced crew to begin 2025.

It was a nosedive.

UCLA’s 4-3 Feb. 22 loss to USC completed an early four-match losing streak and a 2-6 start to the 2025 campaign – UCLA’s worst ever under Martin.

But the Bruins turned things around in conference play, firing off six straight wins before heading to the other side of Los Angeles.

With UCLA up 3-2 April 1 at David X. Marks Tennis Stadium, it seemed all but certain that the Bruins would get their revenge after falling in Westwood.

Instead, the Trojans took the final two singles courts, defeating the Bruins 4-3 yet again.

However, after a 4-0 loss to Ohio State the following match, UCLA returned to where they were before USC – the win column.

The Bruins rattled off five more wins to close out the regular season, won three straight in the Big Ten tournament – including a 4-3 upset of the No. 1 seed Buckeyes in Columbus to secure the conference crown – and after narrowly missing out on hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, secured a spot at super regional after upsetting No. 11 seed California in Berkeley.

For the third time that season, the Bruins had a date with the Trojans – this time, hosting their first-ever super regional at the Los Angeles Tennis Center with a chance to reach the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time since 2018.

This time, UCLA wouldn’t disappoint.

Despite dropping the doubles point on a court-three tiebreaker, the Bruins stormed back with four wins in singles.

And with the match tied at 3-3, sophomore Spencer Johnson – who missed the two previous crosstown bouts due to injury – delivered the final blow, defeating Volodymyr Iakubenko 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-4 and securing UCLA its spot in Waco, Texas.

Women’s basketball defeats USC in Big Ten finals
Noah Massey, Daily Bruin staff

Only one team had managed to best an otherwise undefeated Bruin squad – it’s crosstown rival.

And they had already done it twice.

To make matters worse, USC stole the Big Ten regular season title in its final matchup with UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.

So when the Bruins trailed by 13 points in the third quarter of the Big Ten tournament championship, it appeared that the Trojans would solidify themselves as the Bruins’ Achilles’ heel.

In their two victories, the Trojans strung together lengthy fourth-quarter scoring runs to extinguish the Bruins’ chances of emerging triumphant.

This time, it was the Bruins who went on a late run.

UCLA outscored USC 20-13 in the fourth quarter, turning a two-point deficit at the start of the fourth into a five-point advantage.

The Bruin defense clamped down on the Trojan offense, limiting guard JuJu Watkins to nine fourth quarter points.

UCLA held on to its narrow lead for the remainder of the contest to win the Big Ten tournament in its inaugural season – its first conference tournament victory since 2006.

With the victory over the Trojans boosting their resume, the Bruins earned the top seed in the NCAA tournament and went on to make a run to the Final Four – their deepest tournament run in program history.

Men’s basketball and football hit transfer jackpot
Ira Gorawara, Daily Bruin senior staff

If college sports had a version of free agency, UCLA played it like the Los Angeles Lakers.

Because by the end of the respective transfer portal windows, both the Rose Bowl and Pauley Pavilion had new headliners.

DeShaun Foster – the charismatic leader, culture-setter and technical maestro that he is – landed Nico Iamaleava, the top prospect in the portal and highest-ranked quarterback in program history. A Downey, California, local, Iamaleava ensured his homecoming was both a reunion and a revival.

For him, a return to roots. For Westwood, a jolt of swagger, a swelling sense of renewal and a beast under center.

But the Bruins didn’t stop there. Nico Iamaleava’s younger brother, Madden Iamaleava, joined him from Arkansas, while sophomore playmakers like wide receiver Mikey Matthews and running back Jaivian Thomas turned UCLA’s backfield and pass catching room into an engine potentially built for prime time.

Meanwhile, the no-nonsense mind of Mick Cronin spared no hesitation in reshaping his roster.

In his biggest pull, Cronin also enticed the best player in the transfer portal to Westwood. Donovan Dent – the 2024-2025 Mountain West Player of the Year who averaged 20.4 points a game through the year – will take over the now-departed Dylan Andrews, whose impact had all but faded by season’s end.

And after helping his team to the Big Ten regular season championship, 6-foot-11 sophomore forward/center Xavier Booker – once a top-20 recruit – will be the imposing presence Cronin lost with center Aday Mara’s departure.

The Bruins’ unflinching architect also created homes for senior guard Jamar Brown, who can create shots at will, and junior center Steven Jamerson II.

So in an era of frequent roster turnover and rapid reinvention, UCLA dominated the portal.

Two major programs, two rebuilds and one overarching warning to the rest of the Big Ten: Westwood’s reloaded.

Gymnastics places second at Final Four
Hannah Westerhold, Daily Bruin contributor

Fourth time’s the charm for UCLA when it comes to its former Pac-12 rival.

After the Bruins took last place at their Jan. 4 season opener, they conquered every squad on the road to the national championships – except for one familiar foe.

Utah defeated UCLA three times in the 2025 season – at its regular season dual meet, the second round of the regional and at the regional final. Including the 2025 defeats, the Red Rocks dominated every dual meet for the past six years.

For the Bruins, beating the Red Rocks seems to be a key ingredient for postseason success – 2019 marked the last time UCLA defeated Utah in a dual meet and the last time they reached the NCAA Final Four.

While the Bruins didn’t clinch the 2025 regular season win, a second-place finish in the regional final launched the No. 5 seed to the national championships in Fort Worth, Texas – giving UCLA a fourth chance at redemption April 19.

UCLA started on floor – their highest nationally ranked event – tying No. 2 seed Oklahoma for the lead, with No. 4 seed Utah and No. 7 seed Missouri not far behind. The Bruins then moved to the vault, where they dropped to second place.

Meanwhile, the Red Rocks’ meet took a turn for the worse. An uncharacteristic fall from senior Grace McCallum widened the margin between the Bruins in second and the Red Rocks in third. With Utah out of contention, it was between UCLA and Oklahoma for the national title.

UCLA ended on beam, with .3375 standing between them and the lead. Seniors Emily Lee and Emma Malabuyo bookended the rotation with marks higher than 9.900, but the Bruins still counted their lowest beam total since March 2. Oklahoma ended on bars with their lowest event total since Jan. 24 – but it was not enough for a UCLA victory.

Even though the Bruins fell short of the national title, the squad jumped 15 spots from their national finish last season. UCLA also landed its best finish since 2018, ending its season of redemption on a positive note.