LOGAN, Utah – Utah State head gymnastics coach Kristin White announced Wednesday the hiring of Olivia Trautman to her staff as an assistant coach. Trautman will be the primary coach on balance beam and assist on other events as needed.
 
Trautman comes to Utah State after spending the past two years at Oklahoma, where she served as a sports career pathways graduate assistant and interim director of operations during the 2024-25 season, helping the Sooners to their seventh National Championship, and as a student assistant coach during the 2023-24 campaign.
 
“We are thrilled to announce the hiring of Olivia Trautman,” said White. “Olivia has competed and worked at one of the top premier programs in the country at Oklahoma, earning five NCAA National Championships and 10 NCAA All American honors.
 
“Her accolades both personally and professional are astounding, but what really sets Olivia apart is her journey to how she accomplished her goals. Her elite work ethic, competitiveness, and passion for the sport will be an inspiring asset for our student-athletes. Olivia’s leadership qualities and knowledge will make a huge impact as we transition to this new era of college athletics. Welcome to the family Coach O!”
 
As a student-athlete, Trautman was a member of Oklahoma’s 2019, 2022 and 2023 NCAA National Championship teams and was the 2023 NCAA Vault Champion. The Champlin, Minnesota, native was the 2019 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, a 10-time NCAA All-American, four-time Big 12 individual champion and a four-time Academic All-Big 12 first-team selection.
 
Trautman is one of just 10 Sooners to win an individual national championship and ranks fourth all-time in school history with five career perfect 10s. She was a three-time NCAA Regional Champion and a two-time WCGA All-American.
 
“I am incredibly grateful and excited to accept the assistant coaching position at Utah State University,” said Trautman. “From the moment I met Kristin, I knew this was a special opportunity to grow, be mentored, and give back to the sport that has shaped me into the person I am today. Throughout my journey, I’ve been blessed with incredible role models who believed in me, challenged me, and helped me chase my dreams. Now I’m eager to do the same for the amazing women in this program, helping them develop not only as athletes but confident, strong women. I’m ready to pour my heart into this team and help lead the next generation toward greatness. I’m honored to join the Aggie Family and can’t wait to get to work!”
 
Trautman graduated from Oklahoma in the spring of 2023 with her bachelor’s degree in health and exercise science with a minor in psychology and earned her master’s of adult in higher education, intercollegiate athletic administration from OU in the spring of 2025.
 
For more information on the Utah State gymnastics program, follow the Aggies on Twitter at @USUGymnastics, Facebook at UtahStateGymnastics and Instagram at USUGymnastics.           
 

LYNDONVILLE — Vermont State University Lyndon has named Robin Andrea as its new head women’s basketball coach, succeeding Brennen Morton, who stepped down shortly after the 2024-25 season.

Saleena Porter, who has been serving as interim head women’s basketball coach since Morton’s departure, will remain in her previous role of assistant coach.

Andrea comes to Lyndon after serving as the head coach at Portland Community College in Portland, OR, during the 2024-25 season. In his lone season at Portland he led the Panthers to a 14-15 record, including a 7-9 mark and a 5th Place finish in the Northwest Athletic Conference South Region. Most significantly, he placed 100% of his graduating class into four-year universities.

Andrea’s first collegiate head coaching position came at Yakima Valley College in Yakima, WA, where he spent three seasons from 2021 through 2024. At Yakima Valley he took over a program that had only won two games during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season and built it into a NWAC contender. In 2023-24 he led the Yaks to a 14-12 record, 8-6 in NWAC play, and a berth in the NWAC Sweet 16. His team was among the top five scoring teams in the conference, and he coached three All-Region players including 2022-23 Region Most Valuable Player Aliyah Finch.

Immediately before going to Yakima Valley, Andrea was the lead assistant women’s coach at Linn-Benton Community College in Albany, OR, for three seasons. At Linn-Benton he recruited seven signees who were key contributors to the Roadrunners’ 20-9 season in 2019-20, the program’s first 20-win season in a decade. He was also the team’s defensive strategist as it achieved a top three ranking across the conference.

Andrea’s first foray into college coaching came with NCAA Division II Western Oregon University. He spent five seasons working with the men’s program from 2006 through 2011, before moving over to the women’s program for the 2011-12 campaign. He managed strength training and skill development with the men’s program. With the women he served as head recruiter, worked with the post players, and developed the team’s press schemes.

In between his stints at Western Oregon and Linn-Benton, Andrea spent four seasons with the boys basketball program at Hillsoboro, OR, including two as head coach.

Andrea earned a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and a minor in Mathematics from Western Oregon University in 2009 and a Master of Science in Sport & Recreation Science from Ohio University in 2011.

“I’m thrilled to lead the Women’s Basketball Program at this outstanding institution. My gratitude goes to David Pasiak, Tara Nelson, and Chris Gilmore for their trust in me,” said Andrea in a school press release. “The deeper I explored our remarkable school, the more energized I grew, and I’m confident we can restore success to the Northeast Kingdom in the Hornets’ green and gold.”

“When I first spoke to Robin about the position as women’s basketball coach here at Vermont State University Lyndon, he expressed a high level of excitement for the women’s basketball program and the University,” said VTSU Lyndon Director of Athletics Chris Gilmore

“That excitement has never wavered throughout the entire interview and hiring process. He showed the committee that he wants his student athletes to succeed in the classroom and on the basketball court. Robin is uniquely prepared to lead our athletes moving forward and to position our women’s basketball program to challenge for conference championships.”

In other college coaching news, first-year head coach of the Norwich women’s ice hockey program Justin Simpson announced Monday afternoon the hiring of Shavonne Leacy as an assistant coach.

Most recently, Leacy served as the founder and owner of Boston Selects Girls Hockey, providing year-round training for players of all ages, including film breakdowns and recruiting guidance. Concurrent with her time at Boston Selects, Leacy served as the Director of Girls Hockey at the Boston Hockey Academy, where she was instrumental in building the girls’ program from the ground up.

Additionally, Leacy spent the last eight years as a coach with USA Hockey. Her background in player development began with coaching at the girls’ varsity level at Princeton Day School in New Jersey while also coaching the Princeton Tiger Lilies.

A native of Hillsborough, N.J., Leacy played collegiately at the University of Connecticut, appearing in 41 contests before earning her bachelor’s degree in 2021.

“I’m honored to join the Norwich University Women’s Ice Hockey program as an Assistant Coach,” Leacy said. “I’m grateful to Director of Athletics Ed Hockenbury, Head Coach Justin Simpson, and the entire athletics staff for the opportunity to be part of an institution with such a strong tradition and commitment to excellence.

“I am excited to work alongside Coach Simpson as the program embarks on an exciting new chapter. The foundation established by former Head Coach Sophie Leclerc Doherty and her assistant coach Taylor Willard has created a program recognized for its excellence both on and off the ice.

“As a former Division I player at UConn, I bring a deep understanding of the game at a high competitive level. My passion has always been to give back to the sport by supporting the growth and development of girls’ hockey at every stage. I look forward to applying this experience and dedication to contribute to the continued success of the Norwich Women’s Ice Hockey team.”

Selma is home to a rising star in gymnastics.

Shekinah Andrews, 14, an eighth grader at R.B. Hudson STEAM Academy, is rising the ranks in state and regional gymnastics competitions, placing in the top 10 regionally in May.

Andrews started gymnastic training at Dixie Flips when she was three years old. When her trainer became ill and the facility closed, Andrews took about a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, mother Ceria Blake said. That’s when the passion began burning and she decided to get back into gymnastics and start competing.  

 “I want to be a gymnast when I get older, I want to start pursuing my dreams,” Andrews said.

Eleven years later, she wants to pursue gymnastics in college and see where it may take her in the future. 

After returning from the break, Andrews started training with Callen Free in Selma, but to compete she needed to go to Prattville YMCA where there is a team. Andrews said she has an intense training schedule three days a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays in Prattville.

She competes in balance beam, uneven bars, floor exercise and vault. She has a regular routine but wants to move up in her skill level, so she is planning to add different moves.  

There are different levels of accomplishments, similar to the belts in martial arts: silver, gold, platinum, diamond. Andrews is at the gold level and is working for platinum. 

To get to the regional competition, Andrews had to be among the highest scorers in her age group at state competition. “I got all nines. I was the only person to get all nines (out of 10) in each event.” With those scores, she was off to her first regional competition held May 3 at Lakepoint Sports in Cartersville, Georgia. 

There, Andrews scored seventh in vault, eighth in uneven bars, seventh in balance beam and eighth place all around against gymnasts from Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia and other parts of Alabama.

Both Andrews and Blake said they would love to see a gymnastics team formed in Selma that could go to competitions. Blake said good, dedicated trainers are needed. Then dedicated participants. And then register with USA Gymnastics to be official. Until then, they go to the Prattville YMCA.

Feature Photo courtesy of Noah Dobson

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Noah Dobson is set to return to his hometown of Summerside, Prince Edward Island, for the third edition of Noah Dobson’s HockeyFest – a three-day street hockey festival running June 20-22 at Credit Union Place.

The event, which aims to raise money and awareness for Community Connections Inc., a local nonprofit organization supporting adults with intellectual disabilities, will once again bring the world’s largest street hockey festival to Dobson’s hometown of Summerside.

“HockeyFest partnered with Summerside – making it the only Atlantic Canadian stop in its annual tour over the last four years,” said Dobson, who skated in his sixth NHL season – all with the New York Islanders – in 2024-25.

“The City of Summerside asked me to come on board as its brand partner and renamed the event with my name attached in 2023. I’d been looking for something special to get involved with, and with this being my hometown, it was the perfect fit and a chance to give back to my community.”

A community that holds great memories for Dobson.

“I remember growing up playing minor hockey in Summerside and everything was first class – we had great tournaments, great teams and tremendous support from the community. You will see kids wearing hats of all NHL teams. You can tell how big hockey is here. You can see the love the city has for the sport.” 

The event has been a huge hit, to say the least.

Games are played on half-scale NHL-style rinks, complete with real boards, netting and referees.

“2022 was the first year the city hosted this type of event with about 25 teams”, said Dobson. “When I came on board in 2023 we reached 51 teams, doubling the interest, which we thought was great. Last year, we hit 102 teams, making it the largest HockeyFest in North America for 2024 – and we’re already well past that number for this year.”

With a new record of 140 teams registered for the 2025 edition, Dobson is equally as excited for the event to raise funds for a worthy cause in Community Connections Inc.

“Partnering with Community Connections Inc has been incredible – 100 percent of the proceeds from this event go towards helping adults with diverse abilities,” noted Dobson.

“It’s great to give back and the funds that we have raised thus far have already made a significant impact. Whether it’s providing wheelchairs, accessible vehicles, upgraded facilities or new sports programs, it’s been wonderful to see great people benefit from the funds raised through HockeyFest.” 

There will be plenty of familiar sights and sounds over the three-day event for the 25-year-old defenceman.

“It’s cool to have this played on the streets of Summerside – the same streets where I grew up playing ball hockey with friends. We played almost every night.” 

There will also be plenty of familiar faces to greet Dobson.

“I am fortunate to have a great support team helping me run all this. The City of Summerside does a great job with every event they put on – especially when it comes to their sport tourism events. Tanner Doiron, who works for the city, played minor hockey with me growing up, and he’s been incredible in making sure everything runs smoothly.” 

Dobson’s parents, Andrew and Jenny, will be on hand. His fiancée, Alexa Serowik, her sister Pia and their father – former NHL player Jeff Serowik – are all contributing in various ways.

“My family is very involved,” said Dobson. “A lot of local businesses in Summerside will take part in a corporate division – my dad plays with Holland College, where he works. This year, my fiancée’s parents have donated a team, and she is going to play with her sister and friends. It’s a great weekend and we try to make it as enjoyable as possible for everyone. There are many people behind the scenes who work so hard to make this event great – it’s a big team effort.”

NHLPA Goals & Dreams – the players’ charitable initiative, established in 1999 – is once again providing support to this year’s event as a platinum sponsor after contributing to the tournament the last three years, including to its silent auction.

Last year, NHLPA Goals & Dreams and Dobson donated 20 sets of equipment to support young hockey players in Summerside, and together they are looking ahead to areas where another G&D equipment donation may help next season.

“I am very grateful for having the NHLPA involved and helping us out,” said Dobson. “For a small community to be put on a much larger stage through the platform the NHLPA has is truly amazing.”

“I know that Noah is incredibly grateful to so many who have supported him since youth hockey and continue to support him by donating their time to HockeyFest,” added Alexa. 

Alexa, born and raised in the Boston area, feels right at home in Summerside. 

The couple, who will tie the knot on July 1, are building their first home in Prince Edward Island.

“It’s important for Noah and me to give back to the community. Summerside is home for us. I have come a few times even throughout this past winter and gotten to know so many wonderful people in this tight-knit community over the past few years.” 

A news reporter and sports personality who has covered NASCAR, hockey, and the entertainment world, she will likely expand the number of people she knows in Summerside further after this year’s HockeyFest.  

Alexa, along with her sister, will be playing on one of the corporate teams.

“I’m playing this year and I’m most looking forward to that,” said Alexa. “Pia is an NCAA D1 field hockey player at Boston College and although I was a theatre major at BC, I was the JV captain of ice hockey at the Noble and Greenough School. Pia and I are on a corporate team from my family, Pro Ambitions Mr. Assist. My dad would normally be here and love to play too, but he just had a full knee replacement and right now his focus is walking me down the aisle without a limp and getting back on the ice with his company, Pro Ambitions.”

She added with a laugh, “I am thinking ball hockey is a crossover of field and ice hockey, so it will be interesting to see who scores more goals … me or Pia.”

Those friendly sibling rivalries aside, Dobson, who will present medals to the winning teams and take photos with the players, is grateful for the heartfelt efforts of many.

“It’s so nice to have people who are a big part of my life helping me out at this event. It really does mean a lot.”

HockeyFest means the world to the people of Summerside, a small city with a big love for all things hockey.

“At the festival, on the weekend, seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces and everyone here joining together for a great event – we are so grateful,” said Dobson. “I’m available all weekend and I’m happy to sign stuff and meet people.”

Alexa is equally grateful for the support.

“It means so much to Noah, me, his family and my family to give back to Noah’s hometown of Summerside,” said Alexa. “We all love hockey, developing youth players and supporting Noah’s chosen cause to help folks here in Prince Edward Island. 

“He loves seeing all the kids play in this cool tournament for charity. It’s such a fun family weekend.”

A weekend that Dobson looks forward to every June. 

“We aim to grow the event each year. … For a small place like Summerside, it’s been a great event.” 

ROSEMONT, Ill. — In conjunction with the Big Ten Conference, the University of Michigan women’s gymnastics team announced Wednesday (June 11) the home and away designations for the upcoming 2026 conference season.

The Wolverines will take on all but two members of the Big Ten Conference with three B1G home meets, three conference away meets and the Big Four Meet, which will be held at Penn State.

Michigan will host Iowa, Michigan State and Rutgers, while it will travel to Minnesota, Ohio State and UCLA. U-M will travel to Penn State for its Big Four Meet and compete against the Nittany Lions along with Nebraska and Washington.

The Wolverines will celebrate their 50th season as a program in 2026 and will return 15 letterwinners from 2025.

Season tickets are now on sale for the 2026 season for $35 each. Purchase your season tickets and do not miss a moment of the action of Team 50. For information on single meet or group tickets, please fill out our ticket interest form.