Sports

Jason Mackey's mailbag

May 1—Hello, yinz crazies. Welcome to Jason Mackey’s mailbag, where the Post-Gazette columnist alternates between this and a chat on Thursdays. If you have a question or comment, drop him a line at jmackey@post-gazette.com. Passable array of questions this week. Let’s get started. STATZ N’@ (@STATZ_N_AT): Do you find your approach to writing/reporting is impacted […]

Published

1 month ago

May 1, 2025

Your Sports Nation

STATZ N’@ (@STATZ_N_AT): Do you find your approach to writing/reporting is impacted by covering a winning or losing team? All major Pittsburgh teams are in such a weird position. I can imagine that can be intriguing but potentially dismal.

Jason Mackey: This is a great question … and something I love to discuss with journalism students.

Short answer is that it has zero impact. As Gene Collier taught me long ago, “They win, we write. They lose, we write.” Now, there are also tradeoffs with that.

If you have a losing team, everybody is usually upset and less willing to chat. You’re probably not going to unearth much detail-wise because the answers are short. You’ll also sift through less fluff, and there’s usually more good emotive reaction.

If you have a winning team, everyone is more participatory. There are naturally more storylines to pursue. It’s easier to do any job when those in your workplace — for us, locker rooms — are in a good mood, right? Again, tradeoffs.

Readership-wise, the upside to a winning team is that people get really into a topic, and interest builds. I think about the Penguins during their 2017 Stanley Cup run, the catfish that was thrown on the ice and what that became.

The upside to covering a bad team is that things can come apart, controversy will likely ensue, more news will break, and those things have never been bad for business.

I think about it this way: When I chose to leave the Penguins beat in May 2019 and move over to Pirates, a lot of people thought I had lost my mind or had been demoted.

These days, as a columnist, I fight the perception that I’m a baseball/Pirates-only guy.

Covering a bad team actually helped my career in a big way because I broke news, found stories, owned another beat, etc. That’s this job. We’re not fans of teams. We root for stories and the stuff to chronicle — good and bad.

——

LetsGoPens (@LetsGoPens4Life): Do you think the Penguins parting ways with Mike Sullivan was essentially about [president of hockey operations Kyle] Dubas feeling they will a bottom-feeder team for the next season or two and Sully not wanting to go lower before going higher?

Jason Mackey: A few different aspects to this storyline — and thanks for the awesome, non-baseball question.

Dubas firing Sullivan — let’s be honest — was never about the coach’s unwillingness to endure a few tough years. The discrepancy likely involved how many of them.

My sense is that Sullivan wanted to prioritize winning sooner, while Dubas has talked about taking longer to build something more sustainable.

There’s also a larger, societal issue here: It’s no one person’s fault, while multiple things can be true at the same time. Sullivan’s a very good coach, one of the best in the NHL. At the same time, things had run their course.

It’s a great time for him to enter the pool of coaching candidates in the NHL. If I had to pick, I’d predict he ends up with the New York Rangers.

Given the number — and quality — of openings, Fenway Spots Group and Dubas might’ve actually done Sullivan a favor. Dubas also likely saw that he could use more of a development-focused coach.

Sullivan will always be a legend here and should be treated as such. The needs for the Penguins and Dubas also no longer aligned with his strengths.

——

Tim Wright (@tawpsu): Going into the season, why did you insinuate the Pirates would be even remotely close to contending in 2025? Was that your personal thought, or were you just instructed to share Bucs propaganda by Travis Williams, Bob Nutting and Ben Cherington?

Jason Mackey: Ah, expressing fan frustration by questioning the credibility of those of us who write about the team. One of my favorite traditions of Pirates baseball.

Look, quibble with my assessment all you want. I predicted the Pirates would win 84 games, and they still could — if they make some changes and do some things (within their grasp) better. My basis has been a pitching staff that has actually been pretty good; they’re tied for the second-most quality starts in the National League (13) and overall have the 12th-lowest FIP (3.77).

The issues, of course, have been offense and poor fundamentals.

It’s possible to for someone to be wrong without being “instructed to share Bucs propaganda” by those in charge. I’ve also spoken to Bob Nutting for a grand total of about 60 seconds in the past year — since the Sheetz announcement. Gimme a break.

For what it’s worth, the Pirates should’ve been about an 84-win team last year. They finished with 76. With some combination of an OK offense, better managerial decisions and bullpen execution, they could’ve turned a 10-game losing streak into 3-7 or 4-6.

What if they also played fundamentally sound baseball? Obviously they didn’t do that. But going from 76 to 80 or 84 wins isn’t insane when you consider Paul Skenes, Jared Jones (he was healthy when I made the prediction), Mitch Keller and Andrew Heaney, plus the changing of a hitting program that limited the effectiveness of several young guys.

——

Aileen Bowers (@AileenBowers20): Oneil Cruz seems to be to the Pirates what George Pickens is to the Steelers: young, blessed with a boatload of talent, and yet they both make some dumbfounding plays. Who is working with Cruz on learning to play center field?

Jason Mackey: Thank you for the question, Aileen. Hope you’re doing well. The short answer is Tarrik Brock. But I think the larger comparison is interesting.

Cruz and Pickens are definitely different people. They also struggle with different stuff in-game. With Pickens, it can be letting his emotions getting the best of him, whether that manifests with caring more about fighting in the back of the end zone (versus a Hail Mary), pouting on the sideline or quitting on routes/blocking because he’s ticked about something. It’s obviously not good and needs to change.

With Cruz, it’s more a lack of awareness or focus. If Cruz has had some sort of emotional freakout, I haven’t seen it. He’s a fun-loving guy and pretty chill most times. You could say sometimes he’s a little too relaxed.

(I also think some of his center-field issues stem from a lack of confidence or uncertainty, though that’s not absolving him from the effort- or focus-oriented stuff.)

The upside of both is obviously incredible, which may be why they frustrate us so much, because we get glimpses of what they can do at their best. We also need to remember that they’re young.

I know I wasn’t a finished product in my mid-20s, and I think we need to extend that sort of grace for these guys, as well.

——

Bill (@BV1387): When do you think Nutting will realistically have had enough and dismiss Cherington and Shelton?

Jason Mackey: I can’t give you a magical answer, Bill. But I do think it’s probably worth having a discussion about sample size.

Two months is often viewed as the first real marking point of a major league season. For our purposes, let’s circle May 27, which would mean 56 games or 35% of the season. I also think that’s a little much.

By then, I’d really worry about irreparable damage. I also can’t imagine Nutting wants to experience 25 more games like this.

It’s just one example, but the Rockies in 2009 fired Clint Hurdle after 46 games (18-28 start).

In 2003, Jack McKeon took over the Marlins following a 16-22 start, which gives us another data point at 38 games.

The Brewers fired Ron Roenicke after 25 games in 2015, and the Reds switched from Bryan Price to Jim Riggleman after 18 games three years later. But the Phillies waited 51 games to fire Joe Girardi in 2022.

I think it’s one of those things where you know when you know. And, as I wrote the other night, I do think we’re at the point where it’s no longer just a slow start; it’s what you’ve become. Which should be concerning.

——

Dan Byers (@DByers21): Any alternatives to Tommy Pham on the horizon? What’s the May-June outlook for players returning from injury, especially Nick Gonzales, Endy Rodriguez and Johan Oviedo?

Jason Mackey: There may be some alternatives, Dan. I’ll get to those shortly. But there’s something we need to remember here, as you weren’t the only one asking about Pham.

I get it. He’s hitting .170 with a .460 OPS. That’s not good enough. However …

Pham’s on a guaranteed $4,025,000 contract. You can hate that, but it’s money the Pirates have already spent. They can’t save anything by designating him for assignment. They’re going to try and salvage this.

Also, the Pirates struggle every year to attract quality free agents. Cutting bait on a veteran after 28 games won’t sit well with others considering Pittsburgh as a potential destination. Not saying Pham gets endless opportunities, but he’ll get more than 105 plate appearances.

Now, if they do ultimately go in another direction, the candidates I see include:

—Jack Suwinski has two home runs and a 1.192 OPS in five games since returning to Triple-A.

—Billy Cook has struggled this season (.185 average and .556 OPS) but has played major league outfield before.

—Nick Solak has played 255 MLB games, including 127 with the Rangers in 2021, and has been really good in Triple-A. Small sample size — five homers and a 1.070 OPS in 20 games — but he’s in the mix.

—Ji Hwan Bae could get another shot, but I think we’ve seen what he is (and isn’t) at this point.

Injury-wise, Nick Gonzales is out of his walking boot and will begin minor agility work by the end of the week. He’s still a ways off. Rodriguez will need another week with his right index finger immobilized. Couple weeks total there.

Maybe when Gonzales returns, Adam Frazier plays more outfield. They could use Jared Triolo there when Spencer Horwitz gets back (roughly two more weeks), if his bat warrants it, but I think you’re going to see the Pirates continue to give Pham opportunities to get right.

Sports

2025 NCAA outdoor track and field championships: Schedule, location, TV channels, history

Over 250 NCAA member institutions sponsor Division I track and field teams, and each year, these teams hope to compete in the championship meet. With over 20 events for both men and women, the championship meet will cap off an exciting outdoor season. LIVE UPDATES: Click or tap here to follow along for live updates from […]

Published

14 minutes ago

June 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LIVE UPDATES: Click or tap here to follow along for live updates from the first round through the championship

The final site championships are from June 11-14 in Eugene, Oregon.

Here’s all you need to know about the 2025 NCAA outdoor track and field championships.

Where are the 2025 NCAA outdoor track and field championships?

The 2025 NCAA outdoor track and field championships will be held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. It will be the 16th time the outdoor championships have been held in Oregon.

You can purchase tickets to the 2025 championships here.

When are the 2025 NCAA outdoor track and field championships?

The 2025 NCAA outdoor track and field championships are from Wednesday, June 11 through Saturday, June 14. Both the men’s and women’s championships are held simultaneously.

MORE: Here’s how the outdoor track and field championships work

What is the schedule of events?

The NCAA has announced the 2025 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships schedule of events. Times are subject to change.

Click or tap here for the schedule of events in pdf form

How to watch the 2025 NCAA DI outdoor track and field championships

The 2025 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships will air on the ESPN family of networks.

2025 NCAA DI Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field championships
Round	Date	Time (ET)	Site	Network
Men’s Day 1	Wednesday, June 11	7:00 PM	Hayward Field	ESPN
Women’s Day 1	Thursday, June 12	7:00 PM	Hayward Field	ESPN
Men’s Day 2	Friday, June 13	8:30 PM	Hayward Field	ESPN2
Women’s Day 2	Saturday, June 14	6:00 PM	Hayward Field	ESPNU

* All broadcast times and networks are subject to change.

Click or tap here for the latest updates to broadcast information including how to watch combined events.

When is the championship field selected?

The 2025 DI men’s and women’s outdoor track and field final site selections will be announced on Tuesday, June 3.

First round selections

Qualifying performances for the 2025 first rounds can begin March 1. The qualifying window closes for every meet that isn’t a conference championship on Sunday, May 18. The qualifying window closes for conference championship meets on Monday, May 19.

Athletes accepted into the first rounds will be announced on Thursday, May 22.

Selections for the first round were May 22. Click or tap here to view the selections.

Championship selections

Combined event athletes (heptathlon and decathlon) accepted into the championship meet will be announced on Thursday, May 22.

The top 12 competitors from each individual event and the top 12 teams from each relay event advance from each first round. The list of qualifiers from each event contested in the first rounds will be announced by 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 1. The final list of the championship competition participants will be announced by 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 3.

Click or tap here to view the selections

How are championship participants selected?

The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country Committee will select and announce the participants for the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

The top 48 declared student-athletes will be accepted into the first-round competitions for each individual event. The top 24 declared relay teams will be accepted into the first-round competitions for each relay event.

Combined events do not attend the first round. For combined events (Heptathlon and Decathlon), the top 24 declared student-athletes in each event based on their position on the national descending-order list will be accepted directly into the Championships.

There are two first rounds, one for the east region and one for the west region. The qualifiers out of these two regions will compete in the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

: Here are the DI track and field teams with most NCAA championships

When are the 2025 NCAA first rounds?

The NCAA first rounds run Wednesday, May 28, through Saturday, May 31. Both the DI men’s and women’s first rounds are held simultaneously.

Click or tap here to recap first round action

Where are the 2025 NCAA first rounds?

The meets will be held in two locations for the east and west regions. The NCAA East first round will be located in Jacksonville, Florida, with North Florida serving as the host school. The NCAA West first round will be located in College Station, Texas, with Texas A&M serving as the host school.

: Here are the future dates and sites for DI outdoor track and field through 2026

What is the schedule of events for the first rounds?

You can find the schedule of events for the 2025 NCAA East and West first rounds below:

East: May 28-31
West: May 28-31

What are the current outdoor track and field rankings?

Click or tap here to view the latest men’s track and field USTFCCCA rankings. Click or tap here to view the latest women’s track and field USTFCCA rankings. Both will be updated throughout the season.

Who are the past outdoor track and field team champions?

Here are the previous winners of the NCAA outdoor track and field championships. The women’s championship began in the 1982 season while the men’s championship began in the 1921 season.

DI women’s track and field championship history

YEAR	CHAMPION	COACH	POINTS	RUNNER-UP	POINTS	SITE
2024	Arkansas	Chris Johnson	63	Florida	59	Oregon
2023	Texas	Edrick Floréal	83	Florida	51	Austin, Texas
2022	Florida	Mike Holloway	74	Texas	64	Oregon
2021	Southern California	Caryl Smith Gilbert	74	Texas A&M	63	Oregon
2020	Canceled due to Covid-19	—	—	—	—	—
2019	Arkansas	Lance Harter	64	Southern California	57	Austin, Texas
2018	Southern California	Caryl Smith Gilbert	53	Georgia	52	Oregon
2017	Oregon	Robert Johnson	64	Georgia	62.2	Oregon
2016	Arkansas	Lance Harter	72	Oregon	62	Oregon
2015	Oregon	Robert Johnson	59	Kentucky	50	Oregon
2014	Texas A&M	Pat Henry	75	Texas	66	Oregon
2013	Kansas	Stanley Redwine	60	Texas A&M	44	Oregon
2012	#LSU	Dennis Shaver	76	Oregon	62	Drake
2011	Texas A&M	Pat Henry	49	Oregon	45	Drake
2010	Texas A&M	Pat Henry	72	Oregon	57	Oregon
2009	Texas A&M	Pat Henry	50	Oregon	43	Arkansas
2008	LSU	Dennis Shaver	67	Arizona State	63	Drake
2007	Arizona State	Greg Kraft	60	LSU	53	Sacramento State
2006	Auburn	Ralph Spry	57	Southern California	38 1/2	Sacramento State
2005	Texas	Bev Kearney	55	South Carolina, UCLA	48	Sacramento State
2004	UCLA	Jeanette Bolden	69	LSU	68	Texas
2003	LSU	Pat Henry	64	Texas	50	Sacramento State
2002	South Carolina	Curtis Frye	82	UCLA	72	LSU
2001	Southern California	Ron Allice	64	UCLA	55	Oregon
2000	LSU	Pat Henry	58	Southern California	54	Duke
1999	Texas	Bev Kearney	62	UCLA	60	Boise State
1998	Texas	Bev Kearney	60	UCLA	55	Buffalo
1997	LSU	Pat Henry	63	Texas	62	Indiana
1996	LSU	Pat Henry	81	Texas	52	Oregon
1995	LSU	Pat Henry	69	UCLA	58	Tennessee
1994	LSU	Pat Henry	86	Texas	43	Boise State
1993	LSU	Pat Henry	93	Wisconsin	44	New Orleans
1992	LSU	Pat Henry	87	Florida	81	Texas
1991	LSU	Pat Henry	78	Texas	67	Oregon
1990	LSU	Pat Henry	53	UCLA	46	Duke
1989	LSU	Pat Henry	86	UCLA	47	BYU
1988	LSU	Pat Henry	61	UCLA	58	Oregon
1987	LSU	Sam Seemes	62	Alabama	53	LSU
1986	Texas	Terry Crawford	65	Alabama	55	Indianapolis
1985	Oregon	Tom Heinonen	52	Florida State, LSU	46	Texas
1984	Florida State	Gary Winckler	145	Tennessee	124	Oregon
1983	UCLA	Scott Chisam	116 1/2	Florida State	108	Houston
1982	UCLA	Scott Chisam	153	Tennessee	126	BYU

#Participation in the championships vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions
History of scoring in championships—1982-84 (15-12-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1); 1985-present (10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1).

DI men’s track and field championship history

YEAR	SCHOOL	COACH	SCORE	RUNNER-UP	SCORE	SITE
2024	Florida	Mike Holloway	41	Auburn	40	Oregon
2023	Florida	Mike Holloway	57	Arkansas	53	Austin, Texas
2022	Florida	Mike Holloway	54	Texas	38	Oregon
2021	LSU	Dennis Shaver	84	Oregon	53	Oregon
2020	Canceled due to COVID-19	—	—	—	—	—
2019	Texas Tech	Wes Kittley	60	Florida	50	Austin, Texas
2018	Georgia	Petros Kyprianou	52	Florida	42	Oregon
2017	Florida	Mike Holloway	61.5	Texas A&M	59.5	Oregon
2016	Florida	Mike Holloway	62	Arkansas	56	Oregon
2015	Oregon	Robert Johnson	85	Florida	56	Oregon
2014	Oregon	Robert Johnson	88	Florida	70	Oregon
2013	Florida, Texas A&M	Mike Holloway, Pat Henry	53	Arkansas		Oregon
2012	Florida	Mike Holloway	50	LSU	48	Drake
2011	Texas A&M	Pat Henry	55	Florida State	54	Drake
2010	Texas A&M	Pat Henry	55	Florida	54	Oregon
2009	Texas A&M	Pat Henry	48	Oregon, FSU, Florida	46	Arkansas
2008	Florida State	Bob Braman	52	LSU, Auburn	44	Drake
2007	&Florida State	Bob Braman	54	LSU	48	Sacramento State
2006	Florida State	Bob Braman	67	LSU	51	Sacramento State
2005	&Arkansas	John McDonnell	60	Florida	49	Sacramento State
2004	&Arkansas	John McDonnell	65 1/2	Florida	49	Texas
2003	Arkansas	John McDonnell	59	Auburn	50	Sacramento State
2002	LSU	Pat Henry	64	Tennessee	57	LSU
2001	Tennessee	Bill Webb	50	&TCU	49	Oregon
2000	Stanford	Vin Lananna	72	Arkansas	59	Duke
1999	Arkansas	John McDonnell	59	Stanford	52	Boise State
1998	Arkansas	John McDonnell	58 1/2	Stanford	51	Buffalo, N.Y.
1997	Arkansas	John McDonnell	55	Texas	42 1/2	Indiana
1996	Arkansas	John McDonnell	55	George Mason	40	Oregon
1995	Arkansas	John McDonnell	61 1/2	UCLA	55	Tennesse
1994	Arkansas	John McDonnell	83	UTEP	45	Boise State
1993	Arkansas	John McDonnell	69	Ohio State, LSU	45	New Orleans
1992	Arkansas	John McDonnell	60	Tennessee	46 1/2	Texas
1991	Tennessee	Doug Brown	51	Washington St.	42	Oregon
1990	LSU	Pat Henry	44	Arkansas	36	Duke
1989	LSU	Pat Henry	53	Texas A&M	51	BYU
1988	UCLA	Bob Larsen	82	Texas	41	Oregon
1987	UCLA	Bob Larsen	81	Texas	28	LSU
1986	SMU	Ted McLaughlin	53	Washington State	52	Indianapolis
1985	Arkansas	John McDonnell	61	Washington State	46	Texas
1984	Oregon	Bill Dellinger	113	Washington State	94 1/2	Oregon
1983	SMU	Ted McLaughlin	104	Tennessee	102	Houston
1982	UTEP	John Wedel	105	Tennessee	94	BYU
1981	UTEP	Ted Banks	70	SMU	57	LSU
1980	UTEP	Ted Banks	69	UCLA	46	Texas
1979	UTEP	Ted Banks	64	Villanova	48	Illinois
1978	UCLA, UTEP	Jim Bush, Ted Banks	50			Oregon
1977	Arizona State	Senon Castillo	64	UTEP	50	Illinois
1976	Southern California	Vern Wolfe	64	UTEP	44	Penn
1975	UTEP	Ted Banks	55	UCLA	42	BYU
1974	Tennessee	Stan Huntsman	60	UCLA	56	Texas
1973	UCLA	Jim Bush	52	Oregon	31	LSU
1972	UCLA	Jim Bush	82	Southern California	49	Oregon
1971	UCLA	Jim Bush	52	Southern California	41	Washington
1970	BYU, Kansas, Oregon	Clarence Robison, Bob Timmons, William Bowerman	35			Drake
1969	San Jose State	Bud Winter	48	Kansas	45	Tennessee
1968	Southern California	Vern Wolfe	58	Washington State	57	California
1967	Southern California	Vern Wolfe	86	Oregon	40	BYU
1966	UCLA	Jim Bush	81	BYU	33	Indiana
1965	Oregon, Southern California	William Bowerman, Vern Wolfe	32			California
1964	Oregon	William Bowerman	70	San Jose State	40	Oregon
1963	Southern California	Vern Wolfe	61	Stanford	42	New Mexico
1962	Oregon	William Bowerman	85	Villanova	40	Oregon
1961	Southern California	Jess Mortensen	65	Oregon	47	Penn
1960	Kansas	Bill Easton	50	Southern California	37	California
1959	Kansas	Bill Easton	73	San Jose State	48 7/10	Nebraska
1958	Southern California	Jess Mortensen	48 6/7	Kansas	40 3/4	California
1957	Villanova	James Elliot	47	California	32	Texas
1956	UCLA	Elvin Drake	55 7/10	Kansas	51	California
1955	Southern California	Jess Mortensen	42	UCLA	34	Southern California
1954	Southern California	Jess Mortensen	66 17/20	Illinois	31 17/20	Michigan
1953	Southern California	Jess Mortensen	80	Illinois	41	Nebraska
1952	Southern California	Jess Mortensen	66 7/12	San Jose State	24 1/3	California
1951	Southern California	Jess Mortensen	56	Cornell	40	Washington
1950	Southern California	Jess Hill	49 1/5	Stanford	28	Minnesota
1949	Southern California	Jess Hill	55 2/5	UCLA	31	Southern California
1948	Minnesota	James Kelly	46	Southern California	41 1/2	Minnesota
1947	Illinois	Leo Johnson	59 2/3	Southern California	34 1/4	Utah
1946	Illinois	Leo Johnson	78	Southern California	42 17/20	Minnesota
1945	Navy	E.J. Thornson	62	Michigan	52 3/5	Marquette
1944	Illinois	Leo Johnson	79	Notre Dame	43	Marquette
1943	Southern California	Dean Cromwell	46	California	39	Northwestern
1942	Southern California	Dean Cromwell	85 1/2	Ohio State	44 1/5	Nebraska
1941	Southern California	Dean Cromwell	81 1/2	Indiana	50	Stanford
1940	Southern California	Dean Cromwell	47	Stanford	28 2/3	Minnesota
1939	Southern California	Dean Cromwell	86	Stanford	44 3/4	Southern California
1938	Southern California	Dean Cromwell	67 3/4	Stanford	38	Minnesota
1937	Southern California	Dean Cromwell	62	Stanford	50	California
1936	Southern California	Dean Cromwell	103 1/3	Ohio State	73	Chicago
1935	Southern California	Dean Cromwell	74 1/3	Ohio State	40 1/5	California
1934	Stanford	R.L. Templeton	63	Southern California	54 7/20	Southern California
1933	LSU	Bernie Moore	58	Southern California	54	Chicago
1932	Indiana	Billy Hayes	56	Ohio State	49 3/4	Chicago
1931	Southern California	Dean Cromwell	77 1/7	Ohio State	31 1/7	Chicago
1930	Southern California	Dean Cromwell	55 11/35	Washington	40	Chicago
1929	Ohio State	Frank Castleman	50	Washington	42	Chicago
1928	Stanford	R.L. Templeton	72	Ohio State	31	Chicago
1927	*Illinois	Harry Gill	35			Chicago
1926	*Southern California	Dean Cromwell	27			Chicago
1925	*Stanford	R.L. Templeton	31			Chicago
1924	—————–
1923	Michigan	Stephen Farrell	29 1/2	Mississippi State	16	Chicago
1922	California	Walter Christie	28 1/2	Penn State	19 1/2	Chicago
1921	Illinois	Harry Gill	20 1/4	Notre Dame	16 3/4	Chicago

* Unofficial championship
& Participation in the championships vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions.

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Sports

Shelby County volleyball holds first youth camp – Shelby County Reporter

Shelby County volleyball holds first youth camp Published 11:13 am Wednesday, June 11, 2025 By DANIEL LOCKE | Staff Writer Columbiana – Summer break is in full swing and over 40 students ranging from kindergarteners through eighth graders dedicated some of their time to developing their volleyball skills. The SCHS Kiddie Camp took place at […]

Published

15 minutes ago

June 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Shelby County volleyball holds first youth camp

Published 11:13 am Wednesday, June 11, 2025

By DANIEL LOCKE | Staff Writer

Columbiana – Summer break is in full swing and over 40 students ranging from kindergarteners through eighth graders dedicated some of their time to developing their volleyball skills.

The SCHS Kiddie Camp took place at Shelby County High School from June 9-11. Head varsity coach Stacy McGehee is pleased with the turnout.

“We got 42 campers this year,” McGehee said. “We were really expecting about 20 so this camp is going beyond our expectations of what it was going to be.”

The camp is an attempt to increase volleyball’s presence in the community, something McGehee believes is vital in building up a successful program.

“We’re trying to increase volleyball in the Columbiana area because we haven’t had one of these before,” McGehee said. “We’re trying to build on the success of the city league that we have a couple of teams in.”

There was a significant amount of interest in a volleyball camp around the community, leading to McGehee’s decision to hold one and do his best to shape the future of the game in Columbiana.

“We had some people in the community reach out and just ask if we would have a camp and just help work on the fundamentals and teach them about the game so maybe we could grow our city league program or just have a little bit more interest in volleyball in our community as well,” McGehee said.

While the high school players are not focused on getting better themselves during the camp, this event has still played a large role in building team chemistry and allowing them to learn how to work together.

“I really think this helps to maybe teach a little bit of leadership for the girls since they’re instructing the camp,” McGehee said. “It builds a little camaraderie with our players as they work together and have fun with each other while we’re still doing the camp as well.”

Teaching the skills to the campers allows the older players to gain some additional practice through mental reps.

“It just reinforces in their mind some of the things that we’re trying to teach them as well,” McGehee said. “What we’ve taught them or are trying to get them to do, they’re telling the campers how we’d like them to play volleyball.”

McGehee said interacting with younger athletes and building up their volleyball skills will pay off in the future as they will be prepared to join the high school roster in the years to come.

“It’s just going to create more interest and hopefully it will peak the curiosity of some of the better athletes growing up,” McGehee said. “This might be a sport that they like and want to play as they get into middle school and on up into high school.”

The main thing McGehee hopes the camp is able to accomplish, however, is strengthening the bond between the program and the community.

“I’m hoping that doing this will bring more people to the games and make them aware that we do have a volleyball program in our community that wants to share with the community,” McGehee said. “Just building up a relationship with them to where they would want to be more supportive of our program.”

Link

Sports

19 Gators set to begin NCAA Championship this Week

EUGENE, Ore. (WCJB) – Florida Gators Track and Field will compete in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships beginning Wednesday at one of the sports’ most iconic venues. At Hayward Field, Gators have been entered a total of 19 times for this week, including eight men’s and 11 women’s events. The men, returning to […]

Published

29 minutes ago

June 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

EUGENE, Ore. (WCJB) – Florida Gators Track and Field will compete in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships beginning Wednesday at one of the sports’ most iconic venues.

At Hayward Field, Gators have been entered a total of 19 times for this week, including eight men’s and 11 women’s events. The men, returning to Eugene after claiming the last three national titles. The Gator women look to return to the top of the Collegiate ranks after finishing second at each of the previous two NCAA outdoor championships.

The Gators last competed at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminaries, advancing eight entries in men’s events and 11 entries on the women’s side.

Further, Anthaya Charlton set the program record in the 100m dash at 11.05 in the first round and 11.01 in the second. The previous record set back in 1992.

The Gators also saw personal bests from Alyssa Banales, Gabrielle Matthews, and Gracelyn Leiseth that allowed them to qualify.

Live results can be found here and the event will be streaming on ESPN+ in addition to some on ESPN and ESPN2.

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Sports

Gators unveil 2025 nonconference volleyball schedule

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – Florida volleyball announced its 2025 nonconference schedule on Tuesday, marking the first season under head coach Ryan Theis. The schedule includes ten different matchups held in Florida and through the midwest. The Gators will open the 2025 season against Stanford and Pittsburgh at the AVCA First Serve in Lincoln, NE on […]

Published

31 minutes ago

June 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – Florida volleyball announced its 2025 nonconference schedule on Tuesday, marking the first season under head coach Ryan Theis.

The schedule includes ten different matchups held in Florida and through the midwest.

The Gators will open the 2025 season against Stanford and Pittsburgh at the AVCA First Serve in Lincoln, NE on August 22 and August 24. Following, they open play at the O’Dome on August 31 before welcoming Norfolk State.

RELATED: Florida volleyball adds Milica Vidačić

Florida hosts Baylor on Sunday, Sept. 14, the Bears make their first appearance in Gainesville since 2021.

Florida fans will have the opportunity to cheer for the Gators in Tampa on Sunday, Sept. 2 when UF takes on South Florida and the Gators will also host North Florida.

Serving you some fresh matches

Check out our 2025 non-conference schedule

— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) June 10, 2025

Television times for the following schedule are set to be announced at a later date with 2025 season tickets going on sale on Thursday, June 12.

2025 Gator Volleyball Schedule

Date	Opponent	Location
Aug. 17	Orange & Blue Scrimmage	Gainesville, FL
Aug. 22	Stanford	Lincoln, NE
Aug. 24	Pittsburgh	Lincoln, NE
Aug. 31	Norfolk State	Gainesville, FL
Sept. 2	South Florida	Tampa, FL
Sept. 7	Ohio State	Columbus, OH
Sept. 9	North Carolina	Chapel Hill, NC
Sept. 14	Baylor	Gainesville, FL
Sept. 19	Marquette	Madison, WI
Sept. 21	Wisconsin	Madison, WI
Sept. 26	Mississippi State	Gainesville, FL
Sept. 28	Alabama	Gainesville, FL
Oct. 3	Auburn	Gainesville, FL
Oct. 5	Louisiana State	Baton Rouge, LA
Oct. 10	Missouri	Gainesville, FL
Oct. 12	Vanderbilt	Gainesville, FL
Oct. 15	Tennessee	Knoxville, TN
Oct. 19	Kentucky	Lexington, KY
Oct. 22	Oklahoma	Gainesville, FL
Oct. 26	Arkansas	Fayetteville, AR
Oct. 31	Georgia	Athens, GA
Nov. 2	South Carolina	Columbia, SC
Nov. 7	Texas	Gainesville, FL
Nov. 12	Texas A&M	Gainesville, FL
Nov. 14	Mississippi	Oxford, MS
Nov. 21-Nov. 26	2025 SEC Tournament	Savannah, GA

Tune into TV20 Sports on WCJB TV20 ABC daily for all things Florida Gators at 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. with Jake Rongholt and Olivia Eisenhauer and more here.

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Sports

Lodge Named Philly-SIDA Academic All-Area Women’s Track & Field Performer of the Year; Deal Awarded Honor on All-Area Team

Story Links PHILADELPHIA — Molly Lodge has been voted the 2025 Philly-SIDA Academic All-Area Women’s Track & Field Performer of the Year. Joining Lodge on the Academic All-Area Women’s Track & Field Team for the third consecutive year is teammate Izzy Deal as a total of 10 student-athletes were honored. The […]

Published

46 minutes ago

June 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

PHILADELPHIA — Molly Lodge has been voted the 2025 Philly-SIDA Academic All-Area Women’s Track & Field Performer of the Year.

Joining Lodge on the Academic All-Area Women’s Track & Field Team for the third consecutive year is teammate Izzy Deal as a total of 10 student-athletes were honored.

The team is selected by the sports information directors of 30 institutions in the Philadelphia Metropolitan area. To be eligible for Academic All-Area honors, an athlete must be in at least his or her second year at the institution and hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or better.

Lodge was a two-time NCAA Division III Outdoor All-American in the 400-meter hurdles (2024, 25), capping her senior campaign with a series of standout performances. She was named a 2025 USTFCCCA Outdoor All-Region honoree in four events (200 meters, 400 meter hurdles, 4×100 relay, 4×400 relay) and earned Indoor All-Region honors in the 4×400 relay as well.

She was named the Outstanding Track Athlete at the 2025 NJAC Indoor Championships and captured the 2025 NJAC Outdoor title in the 200 meters. She also set school records in the 100 and 400 hurdles this season.

A graduate student in Computer Science, Lodge is a two-time College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District selection, a USTFCCCA Division III All-Academic Athlete, and received NJAC All-Academic Honorable Mention honors.

Deal, who is earning her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, scored a pair of All-American honors for the second year in a row in both the javelin and shot at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

The graduate student earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors in the two events (javelin, shot) as well as being named the 2025 USTFCCCA Metro Region Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year. Deal was also selected the NJAC Outstanding Field Athlete at NJAC Championships for the second year in a row after winning the javelin and shot.

She is a two-time College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District selection as well as a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma (national student-athlete honor society) and is a Rowan Scholar of Distinction.

The team is consisted of Widener seniors Gabby Nye and Kayla Robinson; Haverford’s Olivia D’Aulerio; Temple’s Amira Green; West Chester’s Annika Hummell; Holy Family’s Ocelia Jones; Adria Retter from Villanova; and Hailey Shreffler from Eastern.

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Sports

Young U.S. Men’s Squad Opens 2025 VNL with Loss to Ukraine

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 11, 2025) – The U.S. Men’s National Team opened the 2025 Volleyball Nations League with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-23) loss to Ukraine on Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The U.S. (0-1) will face Iran on Thursday, June 12, at 5 p.m. PDT. Watch the match live on VBTV. Ukraine […]

Published

47 minutes ago

June 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 11, 2025) – The U.S. Men’s National Team opened the 2025 Volleyball Nations League with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-23) loss to Ukraine on Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The U.S. (0-1) will face Iran on Thursday, June 12, at 5 p.m. PDT. Watch the match live on VBTV.

Ukraine is in its first year in VNL and thus picked up its first-ever win against the young U.S. team. First-year head coach Karch Kiraly started 2024 Olympian Jeff Jendryk at middle blocker, Andrew Rowan at setter, Cooper Robinson and Jordan Ewert at outside hitter, Gabi Garcia at opposite, Merrick McHenry in the middle, and Kyle Dagostino at libero. Rowan, Robinson and McHenry were all making their VNL debuts.

From the beginning of the match, Ukraine used a strong serve to keep the U.S. off balance. That, along with several U.S. errors in set one, gave Ukraine the advantage it needed to win 25-22. Robinson led the U.S. in the set with six points on five kills and a block.

The U.S. kept with Ukraine in set two, down just one at 15-14, but Ukraine went on a 10-5 run to win 25-20. Kiraly spoke about his team’s performance in an interview with VBTV after set two.

“We’re just making not smart plays,” he said. “You got a little setter and a big middle, and we hit at the big middle instead of the little setter; pretty simple geometry there. [We have to] clean up our reception game a little, too, and keep the ball on our side of the net more. We’ve got some good hitters to set, but if we’re getting aced or passing over, that doesn’t help us at all. I can’t say I like a lot right now. but this is a part of the process. Everybody’s got to have their first VNL match, and it’s not always going to be pretty. That’s the beauty of the process. There’s lots of ugly and lots of struggle.”

The team responded in set three with better overall play, and jumped out to an early 10-5 lead. Ukraine began to crawl back, scoring four straight to make it 10-9. No one could grab the edge the rest of the match, until Ukraine broke the 23-23 deadlock for a 25-23 win.

Garcia and Robinson both finished the match with 13 points. Garcia had 10 kills, two blocks and an ace, and Robinson had 12 kills and a block. Ewert had seven kills; and McHenry had six points on three kills, two blocks and an ace. Champlin scored four points (one kill, two blocks, one ace), and Rowan had a block.

Ukraine led the U.S. in kills (40-33) and aces (5-3), but the U.S. held the edge in blocks (8-6).

U.S. Men’s Week One Roster for 2025 VNL

No. Name (Pos., Ht., Hometown, College, USAV Region)
3 Mason Briggs (L, 6-0, Long Beach, Calif., Long Beach State, Southern California)
4 Jeff Jendryk (MB, 6-10, Wheaton, Ill., Loyola Univ. Chicago, Great Lakes)
6 Quinn Isaacson (S, 6-2, Plainfield, Ill., Ball State, Great Lakes)
9 Gabi Garcia (OPP, 6-7, San Juan, Puerto Rico, BYU)
10 Kyle Dagostino (L, 5-9, Tampa, Florida, Stanford Univ., Florida)
15 Kyle Hobus (OPP, 6-7, San Pedro, Calif., CSUN, Southern California)
17 Andrew Rowan (S, 6-7, Trabuco Canyon, Calif., UCLA, Southern California)
18 Cooper Robinson (OH, 6-7, Pacific Palisades, Calif., UCLA, Southern California)
19 Patrick Gasman (MB, 6-10, Clovis, Calif., Univ. of Hawaii, Northern California)
23 Nolan Flexen (OH, 6-9, Rio Rancho, N.M., UC Irvine, Southern)
24 Merrick McHenry (MB, 6-7, Bedford, Texas, UCLA, North Texas)
25 Ethan Champlin (OH, 6-3, Oceanside, Calif., UCLA, Southern California)
28 Matthew Knigge (MB, 6-7, New Egypt, N.J., Vassar, Garden Empire)
29 Jordan Ewert (OH, 6-5, Antioch, Calif., Stanford, Northern California)

Head Coach:  Karch Kiraly
Assistant Coach: Luka Slabe
Assistant Coach: Javier Weber
Performance Analyst: Nate Ngo
Physiotherapist: Aaron Brock
Senior Strength and Conditioning Coach: Tim Pelot
Senior Sports Dietitian: Shawn Hueglin
Mental Performance Coach: Andrea Becker
Team Manager: David Dantes
Consultant Coach: Chris McGown
Consultant Coach: Marv Dunphy
Team Doctors:  Eugene Yim, Mark Hutchinson, Michael Shepard, Warren Young

U.S. Men’s Schedule for the 2025 Volleyball Nations League
Matches will be shown live and on-demand on VBTV, CBS Sports Network and Big Ten Network

(All times PDT)
Week 1: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
June 11: Ukraine def. USA, 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-23)
June 12 at 5 p.m. vs. Iran
June 14 at 9:30 a.m. vs. Slovenia
June 15 at 1 p.m. vs. Cuba

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