Sports

Major star with local ties available in transfer portal

It’s not every day that a top-tier player who enters the transfer portal looks like a perfect fit for the Wisconsin Badgers, but the stars algned for Kelly Sheffield on Thursday. Two-time All-American hitter Kennedy Martin from the Florida Gators announced on Instagram that she is leaving the school and entering her name into the […]

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1 month ago

May 2, 2025

Your Sports Nation

It’s not every day that a top-tier player who enters the transfer portal looks like a perfect fit for the Wisconsin Badgers, but the stars algned for Kelly Sheffield on Thursday.

Two-time All-American hitter Kennedy Martin from the Florida Gators announced on Instagram that she is leaving the school and entering her name into the transfer portal.

Anytime a player of her caliber enters the portal, the Badgers should be interested. But Martin has enough ties to Wisconsin that could make this a perfect match.

Her father, Ruvell Martin, was a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers from 2005 to 2008. The team later hired him as an assistant coach for 2020 and 2021.

During that time, his daughter Kennedy attended and played volleyball at De Pere High School and Appleton North High School.

She moved to South Carolina for her senior year after already committing to Florida as a junior.

Now, Sheffield has a second chance to bring her back to the state and fill a major hole in his lineup left by the ACL injury suffered by transfer Grace Lopez last month.

Every major program in the country will be interested in Martin’s services, though, so it won’t be easy for Wisconsin to lure her back.

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Kyle Ashworth earns Academic All-District honors for Long Beach State

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Long Beach State outfielder Kyle Ashworth has been named to the Collegiate Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team, the organization announced on June 3. Ashworth, a graduate student, earned the honor for the first time after leading the Dirtbags in several offensive categories and being named Second Team All-Big West. He […]

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1 hour ago

June 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Long Beach State outfielder Kyle Ashworth has been named to the Collegiate Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team, the organization announced on June 3.

Ashworth, a graduate student, earned the honor for the first time after leading the Dirtbags in several offensive categories and being named Second Team All-Big West. He hit .330 on the season and led the team in runs (43), hits (64), doubles (12), total bases (86), and on-base percentage (.456). He tied for the team lead in triples (2) and was second in RBI (35).

The Santa Ana, Calif., native hit both of his home runs in a Feb. 23 game against Seattle U, driving in seven runs. He finished the year with 20 multi-hit games, including seven three-hit performances, and nine multi-RBI games.

Ashworth was also perfect defensively, finishing the season without an error in 117 chances. In Big West play, he led the conference in on-base percentage (.507) and ranked among the top five in batting average (.393), walks (22), hits (46), and doubles (10).

Off the field, Ashworth earned a bachelor’s degree in consumer affairs in 2024 and is pursuing a single subject teaching credential in social science.

To qualify for Academic All-District honors, student-athletes must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher and meet performance standards in their sport. Ashworth now moves onto the CSC Academic All-America ballot.

~#LongBeachBuilt~

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Air Force Academy Athletics

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The 2025 West Coast Conference men’s water polo game schedule has been released, announced today by the conference office. The Falcons host three home matches, in addition to being the host institution for the 2025 WCC Men’s Water Polo Championships. Air Force’s WCC-opener is Oct. 2 at Pacific. The Falcons then […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The 2025 West Coast Conference men’s water polo game schedule has been released, announced today by the conference office. The Falcons host three home matches, in addition to being the host institution for the 2025 WCC Men’s Water Polo Championships.

Air Force’s WCC-opener is Oct. 2 at Pacific. The Falcons then play its first conference home game Oct. 12, hosting Cal Baptist.

The ensuing weekend has the Falcons in Southern California to take on LMU on Oct. 17 and Pepperdine on Oct. 19.

Air Force plays its final two WCC conference games at home, hosting San Jose State on Nov. 2 and Santa Clara on Nov. 8.

The Falcons will be the host school for the 2025 WCC Men’s Water Polo Tournament, running Nov. 21-23 at the Cadet Natatorium.

The non-conference schedule will be announced later this summer.

Air Force Men’s Water Polo 2025 WCC Schedule

Date/Opponent

Oct. 2 at Pacific*

Oct. 12 CAL BAPTIST*

Oct. 17 at LMU*

Oct. 19 at Pepperdine*

Nov. 2 SAN JOSE STATE*

Nov. 8 SANTA CLARA*

Nov. 21-23/WCC CHAMPIONSHIPS (@ USAFA)

Home games in BOLD CAPS

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Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games – Beach Handball competitions qualification update

In just over 500 days, the 2026 Youth Olympic Games will get underway in Dakar, Senegal, with men’s and women’s beach handball competitions part of the global sporting spectacular. Running from 31 October to 13 November, Dakar 2026 marks the second time that beach handball will be part of the Olympic Games, following its debut […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

In just over 500 days, the 2026 Youth Olympic Games will get underway in Dakar, Senegal, with men’s and women’s beach handball competitions part of the global sporting spectacular.

Running from 31 October to 13 November, Dakar 2026 marks the second time that beach handball will be part of the Olympic Games, following its debut at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Competing teams and athlete criteria

Following the decision made earlier this year by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that there will be no direct qualification tournaments for the Youth Olympic Games, but rather a set of principles, the International Handball Federation (IHF) can confirm the qualification criteria for beach handball at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

After discussions between the IOC and IHF, it has been decided that one of the preconditions for teams to compete at Dakar 2026 will be participation in the 2025 IHF Men’s and Women’s Youth (U17) Beach Handball World Championships, which will take place in Hammamet, Tunisia later this month.

The IHF has established its own sport-specific eligibility criteria which ensures alignment with the unique requirements and developmental standards of beach handball, with the IOC also confirming that athletes must be 17 years of age or younger at the time of Dakar 2026, up to and including the closing ceremony (23:59 local time).

Underpinning this will be 10 principles based on six pillars of athlete participation and quota allocation from the IOC. These are relevant for all National Olympic Committees (NOCs) whose National Federations (NF) wish to apply for their beach handball teams to be present at Dakar 2026.

The six pillars are: Universality, Continental Representation, Priority to Africa, Host Country representation, Athlete performance and Gender Equality, while the 10 principles can be found on the IOC website HERE.

A total of 16 teams – eight men’s and eight women’s – of 10 athletes each (160 in total) will compete in the beach handball competitions at Dakar 2026.

Process underway

The process of application is already underway with NOCs currently deciding in which sports they would like to compete in at Dakar 2026.

Once they have made their choices, by the deadline of 31 July 2025, those NOCs who wish to enter teams in the men’s and women’s beach handball competitions will then undertake a selection process made by the IOC, in cooperation with the IHF, alongside the relevant NOCs and the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (YOGOC).

After the IHF has provided feedback and allocation proposals in September, the IOC will then share with the NOCs confirmation of their teams on 15 December 2025, with the process continuing all the way through to ‘Sport Entries’ – athletes selected – on 25 September 2026.

Saly Beach will be home to beach handball

Last month, the International Olympic Committee released a map of the venue locations for the Games, with the men’s and women’s beach handball competitions taking place at the ‘Saly Beach West’ venue.

The popular seaside and tourist resort is based in the Thiès Region on the ‘Petite Côte’ of Senegal, south of the capital, Dakar and will also feature the sailing (windsurfing), rowing coastal beach sprints, beach volleyball, beach wrestling and triathlon competitions.

Beach Handball at the Youth Olympic Games

The 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) will be held in Dakar, Senegal from 31 October to 13 November 2026.

Dakar will be the fourth edition of the YOG, following its debut in Singapore (2010), the second edition in Nanjing, China (2014) and 2018 edition, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Indoor/7-a-side handball featured at the 2010 and 2014 editions, before being replaced by Beach Handball at the 2018 edition, the debut event won by Argentina (women) and Spain (men).

The YOG is a major event which embodies the Olympic spirit, sporting excellence and the promotion of youth. The event has become a pillar of the Olympic Movement and is more than just sporting competitions. The YOG are part of an educational and cultural programme aimed at instilling the Olympic values of respect, friendship and excellence in young people around the world.

The election of Dakar as the host city of the YOG 2026 marks a historic moment for Africa. The decision was taken at the 133rd IOC Session in October 2018, making Dakar the first African city to host the YOG.

Initially planned for 2022, Dakar was postponed to 2026 due to the Covid-19 pandemic which has allowed for better planning of the event and ensured its success.

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Penn-Trafford boys volleyball drops State College to set up rematch with North Allegheny

By: Luke Brown Tuesday, June 3, 2025 | 8:50 PM Penn-Trafford’s Nathaniel Rugh hits against Peters Township a WPIAL playoff game May 13. STATE COLLEGE — Penn-Trafford’s run through the PIAA boys volleyball playoffs continued Tuesday evening in State College, as the Warriors defeated the Little Lions in straight sets to advance into Saturday’s quarterfinal […]

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2 hours ago

June 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

By:

Luke Brown

Tuesday, June 3, 2025 | 8:50 PM

8562048_web1_gtr-PTPeters07-051425 — Penn-Trafford’s Nathaniel Rugh hits against Peters Township a WPIAL playoff game May 13.

STATE COLLEGE — Penn-Trafford’s run through the PIAA boys volleyball playoffs continued Tuesday evening in State College, as the Warriors defeated the Little Lions in straight sets to advance into Saturday’s quarterfinal round.

“They were tough,” Penn-Trafford coach Jim Schall said. “They were without their big hitter, and he probably, of course, would have made a difference there.”

Schall was referring to State College’s Carter Weight, a senior heading to Ohio State next year. Weight has dealt with a back injury this season, and that had him sidelined for his final game as a Little Lion.

The Warriors got rolling early, starting with a 4-0 lead in the opening set. State College started to storm back and tied it 4-4. Then the Warriors got hot again, scored six straight and forced State College coach Larry Campbell to call a timeout.

State College got on a 5-0 run in the middle of the set, making it 15-13. Back-to-back service aces from Connor Evangeliste made a big difference for the Warriors, earning their 23rd and 24th points of the set, opening the door to earn just one more and grab a 1-0 lead in the match, which they did.

Scores were deadlocked at 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 in the middle set before Penn-Trafford went on a six-point run to get ahead 12-8.

State College’s Derrick Campbell had a big kill late in the set to cut P-T’s lead to 24-21, but the Warriors won the very next point for a middle-set victory, pinning State College’s back to the wall for the rest of the match.

The Little Lions started off the last set with two points back-to-back, and that’s fitting because State College showed the most fight in that third and final set.

“They played very good defense,” Schall said. “They made some errors in a few spots there. So, in each of the games, we were able to have some good runs of points.”

Penn-Trafford rallied from the 2-0 deficit to tie it 3-3 and took a 5-4 lead it never surrendered.

An impressive tip over the net from Nathaniel Rugh came late in the set to give the Warriors a 22-16 lead and rallied a solid crowd of people who made the two-hour drive to State College High School.

Surely Penn-Trafford fans are hoping to come back to the college town in 11 days for the PIAA Class 3A championships, held at Rec Hall, which is only six minutes from the site of Tuesday evening’s game.

To do that, the Warriors need to get through one of the state’s top teams in North Allegheny, the WPIAL champ that beat Penn-Trafford, 3-0, on April 16. It’s a program Schall and the Warriors know well, with battles in the regular season and preseason scrimmages.

“Well, we’ll have to do a little better,” Schall said. “We’ve got to put some balls away in a few spots. We had a good bit of time where we didn’t play, so I felt like in a few spots, we were a little rusty, so I think we’ll be ready.”

Tags: Penn-Trafford

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2024-25 Horry County high school athletics recap | Sports

The 2024-25 school year had plenty of championship-level moments across Horry County athletics. From state championships to athletes sharing their personal stories, here’s a roundup as the year comes to an end. The fall was highlighted by a surge of impressive performances to begin the school year, anchored by the incredible run from the North […]

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2 hours ago

June 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The 2024-25 school year had plenty of championship-level moments across Horry County athletics.

From state championships to athletes sharing their personal stories, here’s a roundup as the year comes to an end.

The fall was highlighted by a surge of impressive performances to begin the school year, anchored by the incredible run from the North Myrtle Beach girls volleyball team. The Chiefs — led by standouts like Olivia Borgman, Clara Cloninger and Bella Loeswick — did their part to leave a legacy. Their remarkable 30-win season was capped by a Class 5A-Division II title over Nation Ford at Dreher High School, bringing well-earned hardware back to Horry County.

CFWrestling_Championship2 — Carolina Forest celebrates as a team at the 2025 SCHSL wrestling state championships at Dreher High School on February 8, 2025. Carolina Forest defeated Boiling Springs, 42-31, to win the first wrestling state championship in school history. (Photo by Joe Wedra/joe.wedra@myhorrynews.com)

By Joe Wedra
joe.wedra@myhorrynews.com

In the winter, Horry County shined again.

First, the Carolina Forest wrestling team pulled off a remarkable postseason run, which culminated in freshman Drew DeForrest pinning his Boiling Springs opponent in the team state finals to help the Panthers to a 42-31 win, the school’s first wrestling championship in Carolina Forest High history. The Panthers joyfully hoisted the trophy high — again at Dreher High — to celebrate the title.

Then, a month later, the Atlantic Collegiate boys basketball team won the Class 2A state championship in the first year the school was eligible to compete for a SCHSL state title. Head coach Tanner Massey’s group leaned on their “Game 7 mentality” to knock off High Point Academy, 58-52, providing standouts like Justin Bellamy, Jaylen Bellamy, Jamie Brooks and Anton Daniels a championship-winning moment they won’t soon forget.

Atlantic Collegiate Academy coach Tanner Massey embraces Jaylen Bellamy (left) and C.J. Hemingway in the closing seconds of the Armada’s 2A state championship game with High Point Academy on Saturday, March 8, 2025.

Photo by Mike Duprez

Then in the spring, two Horry County powerhouses again rose to the top.

First, it was the excellence of the Myrtle Beach boys tennis team. The well-rounded group soared to the Class 5A-Division II finals against Riverside and finished the job at the University of South Carolina’s indoor tennis center with excellence. Spenser Green, Ashiv Patel, Caleb Cahill and Foster Cahill were standout leaders for the Seahawks, helping another championship ring be added to the already-full Myrtle Beach shelves.

Then, to cap off the spring, Aynor’s softball team did what Aynor’s softball team has done so often — win with dominance. The standout duo of Alivia Hess and Maddie Johnson combined to pitch countless shutouts for the Blue Jackets over the season, ultimately leading Aynor to a Class 3A championship series sweep over Belton-Honea Path.

And in the midst of the standout team titles, there were also remarkable individual performances that made Horry County athletics so special.

For instance, in the fall, champions like Jenna Guthinger (St. James swimming – 100-yard butterfly), Ella Kate Barnett (Aynor golf) and Anna Claire Roof (Conway tennis) stood atop the podium and claimed their status as the state’s best.

In the winter, wrestlers Dillon Miles (Aynor – 113 pounds), Noah Justice (Loris – 120 pounds) and Javon Johnson (Loris – 190 pounds) won their brackets and picked up champion titles.

aynor softball MD 02 — Aynor pitcher Maddie Johnson, catcher Hannah Lewis (to the left of Johnson) and other Blue Jackets celebrate winning the 3-A Lower State championship Friday, May 23, 2025.

By Mike Duprez
info@myhorrynews.com

And in the spring, track and field stars like Green Sea Floyds’ Abram Suggs, Myrtle Beach’s JJ Brown and North Myrtle Beach’s Destinee Vereen all claimed individual state championships.

The year’s excellence can be summed up simply — athletic excellence is alive, well and surging across the area.

The amount of sheer success across Horry County athletics is difficult to fully describe. The county is big — really big. Because of that, even with a sports staff that is dedicated to reaching every inch of the county to share some of the best high school sports stories we have to share, you won’t be able to hear about every single accomplishment that takes place — and we wish that wasn’t the case.

You won’t always hear about the region cross country champion.

MBtennischamp_JW05 — Foster Cahill returns a shot at Myrtle Beach tennis’ state championship match against Riverside on May 10, 2025.

By Joe Wedra
joe.wedra@myhorrynews.com

You won’t always read about the spectacular return serve in an early-season tennis tournament.

Heck, you won’t always read about all of the tremendous accomplishments that take place on the football field or basketball courts.

But, those achievements are taking place every day across Horry County, and they are worth celebrating.

I know I speak for our entire sports team when I say we are thrilled to be sharing the stories of high school athletes and coaches here in our hometown. We wish we could be everywhere, every day. It’s truly that fun.

The year was a joy to cover.

We can’t wait to see what the next school year brings.

Have a safe and happy summer.

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Portland's The Sports Bra to expand to four more cities

The Sports Bra, a Northeast Portland bar that only plays women’s sports on the screens, March 27, 2024. Jenny Nguyen opened the bar in 2022. Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB It’s a time of expansion for professional women’s sports. THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR: The WNBA and NWSL both added teams for the 2025 season, and plan […]

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2 hours ago

June 4, 2025

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Portland's The Sports Bra to expand to four more cities

The Sports Bra, a Northeast Portland bar that only plays women’s sports on the screens, March 27, 2024. Jenny Nguyen opened the bar in 2022.

*Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB*

It’s a time of expansion for professional women’s sports.

The WNBA and NWSL both added teams for the 2025 season, and plan to add two more next year – including the return of professional women’s basketball to Oregon.

It’s also expansion time for the famous Northeast Portland bar that only puts women’s sports on its TVs.

The Sports Bra announced Tuesday it will soon open franchises in Boston, Las Vegas, St. Louis and Indianapolis.

“The Sports Bra is more than just a place to watch the game — it’s a movement,” Sports Bra founder Jenny Nguyen said in a statement. “Our team spoke with hundreds of interested people about opening a franchise location, and we’ve met some incredible people along the way. These owner/operators are capable, enthusiastic, and deeply committed to The Bra’s mission.”

Nguyen opened the inaugural Sports Bra in 2022 with a shockingly simple mission: a place where women’s sports fans could gather to watch games. Nguyen reached out directly to professional leagues and content creators to be able to exclusively show women’s sports on the bar’s TV, making it the first known restaurant to do so.

The Sports Bra’s success has often served as an example of how demand for women’s sports is growing, especially in the Pacific Northwest. Last year, Portland was chosen as one of two cities to gain a WNBA expansion team set to start play in 2026.

Jenny Nguyen, owner of the Sports Bra, a Northeast Portland bar that only plays women’s sports on the screens, March 27, 2024. The Sports Bra announced in 2025 it would open franchise locations in four new cities.

*Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB*

Nguyen had announced last year that major investments would allow the concept to grow to other cities in the form of locally owned franchises. Opening dates are still being determined for the four new Sports Bra locations.

Nguyen and her Portland team will help support the new locations with things like setup and training. Practices from the Oregon location, such as buying from women-owned food and beverage distributors and offering vegan and gluten-free menu items, will continue at the franchises.

Each city welcoming a Sports Bra already has a professional women’s sports team. Las Vegas is home to the WNBA’s Aces, which won back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023. Indianapolis is home to the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, which picked up two fan favorites – Aliyah Boston from South Carolina and Caitlin Clark from Iowa – in recent drafts. St. Louis has a Women’s Football Alliance team, and Boston is set to welcome an NWSL team in 2026.

TV viewership for women’s sports has skyrocketed in recent years as leagues negotiate better deals with networks. In 2024, both the WNBA and NWSL reported record-breaking viewership numbers.

“There is no better moment than this to open these places,” Nguyen said.