Sports

Derby for European glory amid “disrespect”

Published

2 months ago

May 3, 2025

BarcelonaThere will be a Catalan derby in the final of the women’s water polo Champions League. Astralpool CN Sabadell and CN Sant Andreu will face each other at the Petros Kapagerov swimming pool in Piraeus, the venue for the final four. The Vallecas team got the job done first, defeating the hosts, Olympiakos (13-15), while the Barcelona team prevailed over Ferencváros (10-7). It will be the first time that Sant Andreu will play in the match for the top European club title, quite the opposite for Sabadell, the reigning champions and vying for an eighth crown.

The ambition of the Sabadell team has overcome the pressure from the Greek public. CN Sabadell had asked European Aquatics to host the finals, but the federation chose the Olympiacos pool instead. The pool is always packed at these events with the cheerleading teams that usually attend the men’s football and basketball matches, creating an atmosphere not usually seen at a women’s water polo competition.

It was a very close match that wasn’t resolved until there were a couple of minutes left. The Vallès team started well with a 3-1 lead that the Piraeus team managed to equal. In fact, for many minutes the Greek players held the lead, but never by more than a goal. Sabadell’s advantage returned in the final quarter. The effectiveness of Van de Kraats (5 goals), Bea Ortiz (3), and Steffens (3) was key to reaching the grand final and aspiring to equal Orizzonte Catania’s eight titles, the team with the most in women’s competition. The Sicilians are also the only team to have won the Champions League three times in a row, which could also equal the team coached by David Palma.

Sabadell’s experience contrasted with that of Sant Andreu, who were barely playing their second season. final four. But the Barcelona team was facing an opponent, Hungarian side Ferencváros, who were making their debut in this competition. The match started with a perfect script for Sant Andreu, who were already winning 4-1 in the first quarter. It was supposed to be a cakewalk, but their offensive projection stalled and the Hungarians narrowed the gap and had a chance in the final quarter, trailing by just two. When it came down to it, Catalan ambition prevailed and Queralt Anton, with four goals, led the team to a final they face with sky-high morale: they have faced and won in the last two editions of the Copa de la Reina.

CN Sabadell, on the warpath

The final arrives with CN Sabadell, the continental dominator of the last decade, on the warpath against European Aquatics. The federation announced an agreement with Wood Nest Sports to become the official sponsor of club competitions starting next season, which includes an increase in the prize money for the winners of continental competitions. The winner of the men’s Champions League will receive €125,000, while the winner of the women’s championship will receive six times less, €20,000.

“We want to express our strongest disagreement with the economic distribution that Euroaquatics has proposed, in a regrettably incomprehensible manner, for the men’s and women’s Champions League competitions. […] It is a lack of respect for the players and the clubs that, like us, have been committed to women’s sport for years,” and “we deport.” “It’s very sad. It’s difficult for women to grow in water polo like this. We are more united than ever to fight for what we have earned,” says Bea Ortiz, awarded as the best water polo player in the world. CN Sant Andreu has preferred not to make any statement on the matter.

This will be the last Champions League final for Mati Ortiz, the Sabadell native’s dozen. “I don’t usually get nervous, but I am a little now. It’s not a final four Furthermore, we can equal Orizzonte and I see the team with a lot of desire,” says the captain of the Vallesans.

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Sports

How each athletic program fared in SEC debut year

David Eckert, Austin American-Statesman | Hearst – Austin Transition Texas finalized its involvement in the 2024-25 athletic year when the NCAA track and field championships concluded over the weekend, putting a stamp on the Longhorns’ debut season in the SEC. Naturally, Texas’ introduction to the conference where “It Just Means More” brought plenty of changes. But […]

Published

6 minutes ago

June 19, 2025

Your Sports Nation

David Eckert, Austin American-Statesman
| Hearst – Austin Transition

Texas finalized its involvement in the 2024-25 athletic year when the NCAA track and field championships concluded over the weekend, putting a stamp on the Longhorns’ debut season in the SEC.

Naturally, Texas’ introduction to the conference where “It Just Means More” brought plenty of changes. But the Longhorns sustained their success, securing the Director’s Cup — awarded to the country’s best-performing athletic department across all sports — for the fourth time in five years. And UT undertook its year of change alongside a familiar companion. Oklahoma, Texas’ Red River Rival, also made the move from the Big 12 to the SEC.

So, how did Texas’ performance in the SEC compare to Oklahoma’s in Year One?

Here’s a sport-by-sport look.

Football

Texas’ dominant Red River Rivalry win forecasted the outcome of the debut SEC season for both programs. The Longhorns, who hammered the Sooners 34-3 at the Cotton Bowl, finished 13-3, cracking the SEC title game and advancing to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. Oklahoma finished 6-7 for the second time in three years under coach Brent Venables, concluding the season with a loss to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl.

SEC finish: Texas: 2nd, OU: 14th

Baseball

The Longhorns blitzed college baseball’s best league in their debut season, winning the SEC by two games and clinching the title with a series victory over the Sooners in Norman. Oklahoma finished 12th in conference play, but advanced just as far in the postseason as the Longhorns did; both clubs were ousted in their respective regional finals.

Regular-season SEC finish: Texas: 1st, OU: 12th

Softball

Oklahoma won three of the four meetings between the Longhorns and Sooners in 2025, but Texas scored the most important victory. The Horns topped OU, 4-2, at the Women’s College World Series en route to their first national championship in program history. The title snapped a streak of four consecutive national titles won by the Sooners. Oklahoma did claim the SEC regular-season crown, though, and was awarded a share of the tournament title after the title game was canceled due to weather.

Regular-season SEC finish: OU: 1st, Texas: 3rd

Women’s basketball

Vic Schaefer’s Longhorns cracked the Final Four for the first time since 2003, beating the Sooners on their way to claiming a share of the SEC regular-season title alongside South Carolina. Oklahoma acquitted itself well in its introduction to the SEC, too. The Sooners won 27 games and advanced to the Sweet 16.

Regular-season SEC finish: Texas: T-1st, OU: 4th

Men’s basketball

The Sooners and Longhorns each sputtered along in the SEC, finishing with 6-12 conference records and splitting the season series, with the road team claiming both games. But the strength of the SEC meant both teams carved out resumes good enough for the NCAA Tournament. Texas fell to Xavier in the First Four while the Sooners lost their Round of 64 game to UConn.

Regular-season SEC finish: OU: 13th, Texas: 14th

Women’s volleyball

Oklahoma beat Texas for just the fifth time ever and the first time since 2014 on Nov. 3, although the Longhorns rebounded later that month to split the season series. The Longhorns’ bid for a national championship three-peat ended in the Sweet 16, and the Sooners were bounced in the Round of 32.

Regular-season SEC finish: Texas: 2nd, OU: 6th

Beach volleyball

Texas cracked the NCAA Tournament in beach volleyball for the first time, topping Cal in the opening round before falling to TCU in the quarters. The SEC does not sponsor beach volleyball, but Texas won the CCSA tournament on its way to a 28-10 campaign. Oklahoma does not field a beach volleyball team.

Women’s golf

The Longhorn women got the best of the Sooners on the golf course, advancing to the quarterfinals of the SEC and NCAA championships by finishing third and seventh in stroke play at those respective events. Oklahoma, by contrast, failed to make it out of the stroke play pool at either competition, registering a 14th-place finish at the SEC championships and tying for 21st at NCAAs.

Men’s golf

Texas advanced to the match play bracket at the SEC and NCAA tournaments, falling in the quarterfinals in both events to Auburn and Florida. The Sooners achieved the exact same fate in both events, falling to Florida at the SEC tournament and Oklahoma State in NCAAs. Oklahoma did best Texas in the stroke play portion of both events, though.

Men’s swimming and diving

The Longhorns dominated in the pool in 2024-25, claiming the SEC title and the 16th national title in program history, which is the most in the country. Oklahoma does not sponsor men’s swimming and diving.

SEC finish: Texas: 1st

Women’s swimming and diving

The Longhorns also claimed the SEC title in women’s swimming and diving, while coming in third at the NCAA championships. Oklahoma does not field a women’s swimming and diving program.

SEC finish: Texas: 1st

Women’s tennis

The Longhorns topped the Sooners in a tight, 4-3 affair on Feb. 28, but Oklahoma finished with a better SEC mark and advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament while Texas bowed out in the quarters. Texas performed better at the NCAA Tournament, though, advancing to the Sweet 16 while Oklahoma fell in the Round of 32.

Regular-season SEC finish: OU: 4th, Texas: 8th

Men’s tennis

Texas claimed the regular-season and tournament conference titles in men’s tennis, topping Oklahoma on the way to a 29-5 record. The Longhorns danced all the way to the Final Four, where they fell to TCU. The Horned Frogs also eliminated the Sooners from the NCAA Tournament in the second round. Oklahoma concluded the campaign with a 17-11 record that included a trip to the SEC quarterfinals.

Regular-season SEC finish: Texas: 1st, OU: 9th

Women’s track and field

The Sooners outperformed the Longhorns in both indoor and outdoor competition at the SEC championships. Oklahoma placed second in the indoor event in March while Texas came in 12th. At the outdoor event in May, the Sooners picked up a sixth-place finish while Texas tied for ninth. At NCAAs, Oklahoma finished fourth in the indoor championships while the Longhorns tied for 35th. Texas recovered at outdoor NCAAs, though, picking up a 10th-place finish to best the Sooners, who came in 14th.

SEC finish: OU: 2nd (indoor), 6th (outdoor), Texas: 12th (indoor), 9th (outdoor)

Men’s track and field

The Texas men finished 14th at the SEC indoor championships in March and recorded a seventh-place finish at the outdoor championships in May. In NCAA competition, the Longhorns tied for 26th place at the indoor event and finished 34th at the outdoor championships last weekend. Oklahoma had a better season overall; the Sooners finished third at the SEC indoors and 10th at the outdoor championships. They added a 12th-place finish at NCAA indoors and finished sixth in the outdoor competition.

SEC finish: OU: 10th (outdoor), 3rd (indoor), Texas 7th (outdoor), 12th (indoor)

Men’s cross country

The Longhorns bested the Sooners on the cross-country course in 2024, claiming a fourth-place finish at the SEC championships while Oklahoma finished ninth. Texas finished third at its NCAA regional, missing out on the NCAA championships by one spot, OU placed 11th in regional competition.

SEC finish: Texas: 4th, OU 9th

Women’s cross country

Texas claimed a fifth-place finish at the SEC cross country championships to top Oklahoma’s 12th-place mark. The Sooners did not qualify for the NCAA championships, where Texas finished 31st.

SEC finish: Texas: 5th, OU: 12th

Women’s gymnastics

The Sooners claimed national title glory in women’s gymnastics, posting a 198.0125 score to beat UCLA, Mizzou and Utah in the NCAA finals. They arrived there off the back of a 33-2 overall record, sharing the regular-season conference title with LSU and finishing second at the SEC championships. Texas does not field a women’s gymnastics team.

Regular-season SEC finish: OU: T-1st

Men’s gymnastics

The SEC does not sponsor a championship in men’s gymnastics, where Oklahoma posted a 24-4 overall record that the Sooners parlayed into a bronze medal at the NCAA championships. Texas does not have a men’s gymnastics team.

Rowing

The introduction of Texas and Oklahoma prompted the SEC to sponsor a rowing championship for the first time. The Longhorns claimed the inaugural title, while the Sooners finished fourth out of four teams. The Longhorns finished third at the NCAA championships, and Oklahoma did not qualify.

SEC finish: Texas: 1st, OU: 4th

Soccer

Texas’ soccer team became the first program on campus to win an SEC championship, beating South Carolina to claim the SEC tournament title. The Longhorns claimed a 1-0 victory over Oklahoma, which missed the NCAA Tournament while the Longhorns were ousted in the second round by Michigan State.

Regular-season SEC finish: Texas: 3rd, OU: 14th

Wrestling

Oklahoma competed in the Big 12 in wrestling in 2024-25 because the SEC does not sponsor a wrestling championship. The Sooners picked up an 8-4 overall record and a 4-4 conference mark. They finished seventh at the Big 12 Championships and 38th at NCAAs. Texas does not have a wrestling team.

Reach Texas Insider David Eckert via email at david.eckert@hearst.com.

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LTC athletes set for national championship meets – Scranton Times-Tribune

Local track and field athletes are taking their talents to the next level at various national competitions this weekend. Lakeland junior Kaylyn Davis, Mid Valley’s Natalie Talluto and Olivia Thomas, and a contingent from Abington Heights will be in action, aiming for experience against the top athletes in the country. Davis, the Times-Tribune Girls Track […]

Published

39 minutes ago

June 19, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Local track and field athletes are taking their talents to the next level at various national competitions this weekend.

Lakeland junior Kaylyn Davis, Mid Valley’s Natalie Talluto and Olivia Thomas, and a contingent from Abington Heights will be in action, aiming for experience against the top athletes in the country.

Davis, the Times-Tribune Girls Track and Field Performer of the Year, is set to throw the javelin in the Championship Division at the New Balance National Championship meet Sunday at University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field.

Davis won a bronze medal at the PIAA Class 2A Championship meet in the javelin with a distance of 124 feet, 1 inch. Her personal-best mark is 128-1, which she hit to win the District 2 Class 2A gold medal. She also won the title at the Robert Spagna Championships with a distance of 127-5.

Abington Heights graduate Tomara Seid, an All-Region performer, competes in the Championship Division of the pole vault Saturday at the New Balance meet. Seid has a career-best height of 12-2 from the Friendship Games on May 9. She also cleared 12-0 to win a silver medal at the District 2 Class 3A Championships and recently finished third at the Warwick Valley Fast Times Relays with a height of 10-7 in early June.

Abington Heights will also be represented by this year’s All-Region 3,200 relay team of Erin Bartell, Anna Pucilowski, Maggie Coleman, and Reese Morgan; the distance medley team of Pucilowski, Coleman, Morgan, and Marley Gilboy; middle school hurdler Rachel Regan; and middle school shot putter Justin Lezinski at the meet.

Thomas, who dominated at the junior high level for Mid Valley, will race in the 100-meter hurdles and the long jump on Thursday and Friday, respectively, in the Middle School Division at the New Balance meet.

Thomas set a meet record to win the 100 hurdles in 15.07 seconds and won the gold in the long jump with a distance of 16-5.5 at the Phil Tochelli Junior High Championships.

Talluto, also an All-Region athlete, travels to North Carolina to compete at the adidas Track Nationals at Greensboro. She will race on Friday in the 100 hurdles and in the 400 hurdles.

Talluto emerged as one of the top athletes in the Lackawanna Track Conference this season. Last weekend, she finished fourth in the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.75 and was fourth in the 400 hurdles with a time of 1:14.40 at the East Coast Track and Field Championships. Talluto has a personal-best time of 15.25 in the 100 hurdles that she ran at the Jack Roddick Invitational in April.

Buckhorns shine

Wallenpaupack’s Aiden Janowicz had a strong start to the summer season.

The District 2 Class 3A champion in the 1,600, who missed most of his junior year with an injury, finished fourth in the 800 (1:56.23) at the East Coast Track and Field Championships on June 13-14 at Kenny Armwood Stadium at Piscataway, New Jersey.

Earlier, Janowicz posted a career-best time of 1:55.69 in the 800 and finished 12th at the John Hay Pennsylvania Distance Festival at West Chester Henderson High School.

June Brown, a LTC Division I-II Coaches’ All-Star, finished second in the 800 at the East Coast Track and Field Championships, running a personal-best time of 2:19.18.

Kelcie Fillebrown finished ninth in the 800 (2:30.30).

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Gannon Lands 11 on WWPA Women’s Water Polo All-Academic Team

Published

2 hours ago

June 19, 2025

Your Sports Nation

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Western Water Polo Association announced the 2025 WWPA Women’s All-Academic Team on Wednesday with 11 members of the Gannon women’s water polo team recognized. A total of 96 student-athletes were honored for their performances in the classroom. Cal State Monterey Bay led the conference with 22 total selections and Biola followed with 19. Salem led the East Region with 16. To qualify, a student-athlete must meet the following: Be an active participant of their team having competed in at least 50 percent of games; maintain over a 3.0 cumulative GPA; classified as a full-time student for…

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West Ottawa’s Izzy Steele is Water Polo Player of the Year once again

West Ottawa’s Izzy Steele has been one of the top water polo players in the state for most of her career. The Holland Sentinel Girls Water Polo Player of the Year had a different role this season as a senior. “This season was full of ups and downs for me. I was dealing with it […]

Published

3 hours ago

June 19, 2025

Your Sports Nation

West Ottawa’s Izzy Steele has been one of the top water polo players in the state for most of her career.

The Holland Sentinel Girls Water Polo Player of the Year had a different role this season as a senior.

“This season was full of ups and downs for me. I was dealing with it being the end and trying to soak it all in,” Steele said. “My best memories were of the under classmen scoring goals. I remember one by almost all the underclassmen. One in particular in a very close game I remember nearly brought me to tears because I was so proud of my team.”

As for Steele, she had to again deal with opposing defenses focusing entirely on her. That is the price for developing her game early. She was Sentinel Player of the Year as a sophomore as well.

“The biggest improvement was learning to move people in the water. Turning people was one of my biggest strengths toward the end of the season,” she said.

But the mentoring part of her season is what she wants to leave behind to the next group of Panthers.

“I hope my legacy is of kindness and leadership. I had no idea where our team was gonna be,” she said. “I threw myself into teaching all our new girls. That is what made this season one of the best. I hope I left them all with the love of water polo that I have.”

That love is something she will take with her with many positive memories.

“Water polo for me is about the grit, strength and strategy, That’s why I love it,” Steele said. “This year though showed me how it is so much more about the team. I left this season with so many more friends and meaningful memories than I thought I would. I know those are the things I will hold on to through the years not the games we won or lost. So water polo is more than the game to me it’s the community.”

Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.

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Golf Trio Named To Academic All-District Team

By: Tim Flynn Story Links CSC Academic All-District At-Large Team GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines golf trio of Max Lange, Carter Lolli, and Lukas Taggart have been named to the College Sports Communicators’ Academic All-District At-Large team. It’s a repeat honor for both Lange and Taggart while Lolli […]

Published

4 hours ago

June 19, 2025

Your Sports Nation

By: Tim Flynn

CSC Academic All-District At-Large Team

GOLDEN, Colo.

– The Colorado School of Mines golf trio of Max Lange, Carter Lolli, and Lukas Taggart have been named to the College Sports Communicators’ Academic All-District At-Large team.

It’s a repeat honor for both Lange and Taggart while Lolli earns his first career honor. All three are juniors majoring in mechanical engineering, and they each earned First-Team Academic All-RMAC honors in late May.

Lange appeared in 10 tournaments averaging 73.62, topped by a 15th-place finish at the 2025 RMAC Championships. He finished the season strongly going under par in the final three tournaments of the spring, including a two-under T47 showing at the NCAA West/South Central Regional.

Lolli had three top-15 finishes in eight tournament starts including T10 at the RJGA Palm Valley Classic, T11 at the RMAC Championships, and T13 at The Writz at Mile High. He shot the year’s lowest round by an Oredigger with a 66 at the RMAC Championships, and averaged a career-best 74.05 for the season.

Taggart, a Second-Team All-RMAC selection, averaged 74.07 as a junior as he notched four top-25 individual finishes. Taggart had a run of three straight top-20s around the winter break finishing 16th at the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invite before T14 showings at both the Otter Invitational and Las Vegas Desert Classic; he finished 23rd at the RMAC Championships, as well.

The trio were named to the At-Large Team, which combines candidates from a number of sports including fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, tennis, volleyball, water polo, and wrestling. All nominees must have a 3.5 or above GPA while holding sophomore or higher academic standing. They were joined on the At-Large All-District team by Mines wrestler Grayston DiBlasi. Academic All-District recipients will go on to the ballot for the Academic All-America award, which will be announced later this summer.

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AD Jennifer Cohen recaps the 2024-2025 USC Athletics season in State of Troy

The 2024 USC Athletics season season has officially come to an end. It was another successful year for the Trojans, highlighted by bringing two more national championships home to Heritage Hall. Last week, USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen shared her latest State of Troy update. Included in it was a recap of the Trojans’ 2024-2025 […]

Published

5 hours ago

June 19, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The 2024 USC Athletics season season has officially come to an end. It was another successful year for the Trojans, highlighted by bringing two more national championships home to Heritage Hall.

Last week, USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen shared her latest State of Troy update. Included in it was a recap of the Trojans’ 2024-2025 athletics season.

“USC is synonymous with broad-based excellence across all sports,” Cohen wrote. “And our accomplishments in 2024-25 rank with any in school history. “

“Heading into this week’s NCAA Division I Outdoor National Track & Field Championships, we are poised to secure USC’s highest-ever finish in the Learfield Directors Cup. After USC ranked fifth following the winter rankings, baseball’s remarkable run to the NCAA Tournament and the final of the Corvallis Regional – plus postseason runs from men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, and a national runner-up finish for women’s water polo – highlights how spectacularly our coaches and teams have performed across this spring.

“That success also helped us win the Crosstown Cup for the 14th time. It’s always a thrill to Beat the Bruins, and points from women’s volleyball, women’s soccer, football, women’s rowing, women’s golf, women’s basketball, men’s volleyball, beach volleyball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, and women’s water polo bring the Cup back where it belongs.

“Our success this year also extended into the classroom. During the Spring 2025 semester, our student-athletes earned a 3.240 cumulative GPA, with 61 student-athletes earning a 4.0 and 440 student-athletes earning a 3.0 or better – all department records.

“I’m so incredibly proud of our student-athletes, faculty, coaches, and staff for all they have accomplished this year, and we couldn’t do it without our donors, fans, and the entire Trojan Family.”

With the 2024-2025 season in the books, attention now shifts to 2025-2026. The USC football team will kick off fall camp in early August, marking the start of what should be another exciting year in Troy.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Jennifer Cohen shares State of Troy on 2024-2025 USC Athletics season

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