Cranston East, Lincoln and Mt. Hope danced on the court of the Murray Center.

Brynn Beatty is preparing for more than just a walk across the stage this weekend in Pauley Pavilion. With commencement nearing, she has been wrapping up her capstone project, working with her group to finish building a small robot that detects and digs up metal on the beach and at the sand volleyball courts near the dorms. But the fourth-year mechanical engineering student at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering is also getting ready for a new title: graduate student.

This fall, Beatty will move off campus into an apartment farther from Westwood as she begins a new chapter at UCLA, pursuing a master’s degree focused on fluid mechanics, a discipline she gravitated toward after taking two rigorous but captivating elective courses.

Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Beatty experienced a bit of culture shock when she first moved to Los Angeles. “I am used to a very laissez faire city. Changing from the laid-back attitude of my home city to the fast-paced, get-it-done mentality here was a major change,” Beatty recalled. She credits UCLA’s tight-knit community for making her feel at home, telling her friends that she doesn’t really live in Los Angeles — she lives in Westwood. While the idea of taking a day trip to the beach still seems crazy to her, she has become a regular visitor to the Hammer Museum and is a proud Los Angeles Public Library card holder.

“I love the cross between research and writing,” said Brynn Beatty. “Communication isn’t a bonus skill, but rather something that is necessary for everyone — no matter their field.”

Despite initially taking some time to get used to a faster city life, Beatty is no stranger to juxtaposition. She spent her high school years at an arts-focused magnet school, where each student chose a specialty during freshman year. Beatty picked creative writing to complement her study of engineering — building model bridges by day and writing poetry by night. In her senior year, Beatty designed and tested a planter aimed to help restore Louisiana’s coastal wetlands.

At UCLA, Beatty joined the Undergraduate Science Journal as an editor in her sophomore year, helping make technical research content more accessible to broader audiences. She also worked as a student writer for the UCLA Samueli’s Office of Marketing Communications. In her role, she helped monitor news coverage of the school, draft stories on faculty awards and school events, and assisted with data analytics — honing her writing skills while staying steeped in science.

“I am so glad that I am able to combine my technical knowledge of engineering with writing,” Beatty said. “Getting to see the commencement booklet before it’s published is just a bonus.”

Beatty is this year’s recipient of the prestigious Harry M. Showman Prize, awarded annually to a UCLA Samueli student who excels in communicating the societal relevance of engineering. It’s a fitting honor for someone who has spent her undergraduate years balancing equations with prose.

“I love the cross between research and writing,” said Beatty, whose parents are both journalists. “Communication isn’t a bonus skill, but rather something that is necessary for everyone — no matter their field.”

As a student staffer in UCLA’s housing services, Residential Life, Beatty worked overnight shifts while maintaining a rigorous academic load. She tried to keep a set schedule to help manage stress. To recharge, she turned to sewing and crossword puzzles. “Having creative hobbies allows me to connect with people both within the engineering school and outside of it,” Beatty said.

Recently, she created a UCLA-themed crossword inspired by the long-standing “North Campus vs. South Campus” divide — a playful nod to the contrast between humanities and STEM students. “Students across campus think of themselves as so different from each other, but we all share the same campus, dorms and city at large, and we have a lot more in common than our different majors,” Beatty said.

Over the past four years, Beatty has gone from having an abstract idea of becoming an engineer to discovering her interest in fluid mechanics, additive manufacturing and computational modeling. Looking ahead, Beatty says she is excited to explore all that UCLA can offer as she continues to define her plans for the future. But one thing is for certain: she is adopting a dog once she moves into her new apartment.

For incoming UCLA Samueli undergrads unsure about where to get help, Beatty suggested they talk to their professors. “Every professor that I have reached out to has been amazingly helpful and honest about what to expect from internships and from grad school,” she said.

Beatty is also inspired by her fellow Bruin engineers. She has heard her classmates talk about their future as Tiffany watchmakers, rocket scientists and even cheese researchers. As for Beatty, she will stay connected to the physics and core principles of engineering. “I hope to maintain that love for engineering at its core: asking and answering questions with whatever tools are available,” she said.

Harvard men’s water polo will kick off its 2025 season on August 30 with the Bruno Classic, aiming for a robust 30-game season after achieving over 20 wins in the past 10 years. Head coach Ted Minnis is on the verge of his 300th career win, with star players Dean Strauser and Jack Burghardt returning to lead the team. The schedule features competitions against top programs, including two trips to California, and will culminate in the NWPC Championships from November 21-23 in Rhode Island, where the Crimson seeks their first conference title since 2019.

By the Numbers

• Harvard holds a 35-6 conference record over the past four seasons.
• The team has only lost one regular-season game against non-Princeton conference opponents since 2021.

State of Play

• Harvard is set for a four-game opening weekend at home, including matches against Bucknell and Fordham.
• The Crimson are expected to face reigning national champion UCLA and Long Beach State in California.

What’s Next

Following the opening weekend, Harvard will participate in the Princeton Invitational before continuing its season with the notable California road trips. The Crimson are anticipated to make strategic adjustments based on their early matchups as they aim to leverage their home advantage in conference play later in the season.

Bottom Line

Harvard men’s water polo looks to build on its strong history while pursuing its first NWPC title since 2019, emphasizing a blend of seasoned talent and promising newcomers as key factors in achieving their goals this season.

Forty-three percent of fans who support women’s sports are more inclined to buy a brand if it has a partnership with a female athlete, according to Parity’s “U.S. Women’s Sports 2025: Give The Fans What They Want” study. Fans who say they watch women’s sports frequently are 67% more likely to choose a brand represented by a female athlete.

Parity is a division of Group 1001 that connects woman athletes with sponsors and other business opportunities. Group 1001 is also the parent company of Gainbridge, a digital financial company who directs more than 40% of its total sports marketing budget multiple women’s sports properties, according to the company’s chief of sponsorship strategy and activation, Mike Nichols.

The survey, assembled by Parity and administered by SurveyMonkey April 8-11 from a national sample of 2,385 U.S. adults 18 or older, shows that fans more often lean into brand sponsorships with athletes as opposed to sponsors connected to a league, tournament or team.

Age is an additional factor Parity analyzes among fans who say they watch sports with 46% of Gen Z and Millennials being more prone to buy from brands that promote women athletes as well as women’s sports teams. Thirty-six percent of all sports fans favor women’s athlete brand sponsorships vs. 34% favoring a women’s sports team partnership.

Looking more closely at why fans would support brand partnerships, 36% of fans who watch women’s sports are both more inclined to support sponsorships that are cause-driven campaigns as well as products designed in partnership with women athletes. Parity’s research shows of women’s sports watchers, men lean more toward cause-driven campaigns and women toward the combination of women athletes and brand products.

The WNBA began its 29th season last month with a record number of sponsors and since starting the 2025 season with 13 top-tier sponsors, the NWSL has added AT&T and Tylenol to its roster.

In the report, Parity says the WNBA is the most popular women’s league with 51% of U.S. women’s sports fans saying they are supporters.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 12, 2025) – After dropping the first two sets, the U.S. Men’s National Team rallied to defeat a veteran Iran squad in its second match of the 2025 Volleyball Nations League, 3-2 (19-25, 21-25, 25-21, 25-23, 17-15) on Thursday night in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The final score of the deciding set was the only two-point lead of the set. Outside hitter Jordan Ewert scored the go-ahead point on a kill at 15-15 and middle blocker Patrick Gasman closed out the reverse sweep with an ace.

After a day off, the U.S. (1-1) will next play Slovenia on Saturday, June 14, at 9:30 a.m. PDT. Watch the match live on VBTV.

The U.S. held a slight edge in kills (58-56) but the real difference was its 14-5 advantage in blocks. Though Iran served nine aces to the U.S. team’s four, six of those were in the opening set before the U.S. serve receive settled in.

“The guys have so much to be proud of. That was a true team effort,” said U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Karch Kiraly. “Lots of guys came in. Some people call those people waiting out ‘substitutes.’ We call them ‘game-changers,’ and every guy who came in changed the game in some way. All of us are learning together. It was great that we got better as that match went along.”

Opposite Kyle Hobus, playing for the U.S. Men’s National Team for the first time in this VNL, led the team with 17 kills and 19 points, adding two blocks. Ewert finished with 17 points on 16 kills and one block.

Middle blocker Merrick McHenry finished with seven blocks, two more than the entire Iran team, and contributed three kills to reach double figures with 10 points. Outside hitter Cooper Robinson also scored in double figures with 14 points on 13 kills and an ace.

Libero Mason Briggs led the team with seven digs and nine serve receptions, with his biggest pass coming on a sliding play that helped give the U.S. a 10-9 lead in the final set. Setter Quinn Isaacson came in to lead the offense in the third set and had a key kill in the deciding set.

“That win shows that we have a lot of passion with this group and no matter how much we are down, we are still fighting very hard,” Isaacson said. “There is a lot of fight and if we can continue that through the next four summers, we are going to be in a really good spot when we get to L.A. (for the 2028 Summer Olympics).”

Opposite Gabi Garcia joined middle blockers Gasman and Matthew Knigge with five points apiece. Garcia came in to provide strong serving, including a pair of aces to go with two kills and a block. Gasman recorded four kills before his match-clinching ace, while Knigge contributed two kills and three blocks.

Though the U.S. fell behind 2-0 by losing the second set, it started to build momentum by scoring five of the last seven points. Ewert scored seven points on six kills and a block in that second set.

Another strong finish to the third set, ending on a 7-2 run, propelled the U.S. comeback. Hobus scored five points on three kills and two blocks, Ewert recorded three kills, and McHenry posted a pair of blocks as he and Hobus teamed up for four of the team’s five blocks in the set.

A Garcia ace gave the U.S. a 20-17 lead in the fourth set, but Iran scored four of the next five points to even the set at 21 apiece. Iran completed a 6-2 run to take a 23-22 lead, but after a U.S. timeout, a service error evened the set at 23. From there, McHenry slowed down an attack at the net leading to a Hobus kill, and then ended the set on a block to send the match to a fifth set. Robinson (five) and Hobus (four) combined for nine kills in the set.

Isaacson’s kill and a Garcia block gave the U.S. a 6-5 lead in the final set. Though they would never relinquish the lead, the set would be tied 10 more times before the Ewert and Gasman heroics.

Seven U.S. players registered at least one kill in the fifth set with Hobus (four) and Ewert (three) leading the way. Hobus scored off the block to give the U.S. 11-10 and 12-11 leads. His final kill of the night made it 15-14.

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 USA def. Iran, 3-2 (19-25, 21-25, 25-21, 25-23, 17-15)
June 14 at 9:30 a.m. vs. Slovenia
June 15 at 1 p.m. vs. Cuba