Sports
Swimming through the surface – The Hawk Eye
Stepping out of the pool, water dripped from her swimsuit compressed to her body. It was a regular swim meet — complete her usual routine, then leave. Instead, this was where she would meet her future passion: water polo. Sophomore Kinnick Kooken has been swimming at Texas Ford Aquatics since she was 7 years old. […]

Stepping out of the pool, water dripped from her swimsuit compressed to her body.
It was a regular swim meet — complete her usual routine, then leave. Instead, this was where she would meet her future passion: water polo.
Sophomore Kinnick Kooken has been swimming at Texas Ford Aquatics since she was 7 years old. At age 12, she decided to pursue water polo full time, joining the Texas Mavericks water polo team and USA Olympic Development Program. Now, she is training for the Junior Olympics held July 24-27 in California.
“Having a team sport that was in the water was amazing, and [since water polo] was new in Texas, it gave me [a] whole bunch of opportunities,” Kinnick said.
Head water polo coach Donzie Lilly met Kinnick when she was 10 years old through the Dallas Area Water Polo League at the LISD Eastside Aquatic Center during a swim meet. There, he spoke to her about joining the water polo club.
“She’s developing [those] leadership skills: how to incorporate a lot of athletes, how to bring in new athletes [and] how to get them up to speed [to] compete,” Lilly said. “[She’s] fostering the team’s identity.”
In the past, Kinnick has tried volleyball, basketball and lacrosse. She started playing for the Texas Mavericks water polo team in 2019 after switching from swimming.
“When I joined Mavericks, it was automatically a close family,” Kinnick said. “I was the only girl at the time, so that has made me [a better player] in the long run. Competing against boys has made me mentally and physically stronger and more aggressive when I go against girls.”
Kinnick made the all-state team this year and the national team for Southwest Water Polo for the past four years.
“It’s great to do something you love,” Kinnick said. “I stay passionate knowing water polo has given me leadership positions, friends and a place for colleges [to recognize me].”
Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the club team practices from 5-7 p.m. Over summer break, they practice five days a week. Kinnick has been training to compete in tournaments and the Junior Olympics, the biggest water polo tournament in the U.S. in size.
“I try to keep a consistent schedule and plan out my day,” Kinnick said. “I try to study and go to bed early so [that] I can do it again the next day.”
In December, Kinnick founded the Athletic Leadership Council with the help of principal Dr. Amy Boughton, co-leading it with other captains on the Hebron athletic team for girls. Together, they promote positivity and leadership within student-athletes. Teammate and sophomore Amber Cho said that Kinnick loves to do spontaneous things and is an outgoing person.
“She’s really out there with her friends and people in general,” Cho said. “As an athlete, she’s dedicated to her work [and] what she needs to do.”
Kinnick said she plans to pursue her water polo career after high school. For now, she hopes to continue making all-state while furthering her attempts for the Junior Olympics.
“[Water polo} clicked [for me] when my coach and teammates believed in me,” Kinnick said. “Something about swimming keeps me in the right headspace and makes me feel confident in myself.”
Sports
USA Women Unbeaten Through Group Play At World Championships With 26-3 Victory Over Argentina
Story Links Singapore – July 14 – The USA Women’s National Team went unbeaten through group play at the World Championships with a 26-3 win over Argentina. Ava Stryker scored six goals to lead the offense with Isabel Williams recording 11 saves in the cage. Team USA advances straight to the quarterfinals on Saturday and awaits […]

Singapore – July 14 – The USA Women’s National Team went unbeaten through group play at the World Championships with a 26-3 win over Argentina. Ava Stryker scored six goals to lead the offense with Isabel Williams recording 11 saves in the cage. Team USA advances straight to the quarterfinals on Saturday and awaits their next opponent. Live streaming of all USA matches will be available on Peacock (login required).
Team USA got going right away as Tara Prentice scored first on the opening possession of the game. Shortly thereafter, Emily Ausmus rang the register on a penalty strike before Jenna Flynn did the same for a 3-0 lead. Next, it was Jovana Sekulic who scored from set and then Stryker joined the mix with a skip shot goal for a 5-0 lead. Argentina got on the board with about one minute remaining in the quarter but Rachel Gazzaniga returned the favor to give the Americans a 6-1 lead after one.
Gazzaniga started the second period with her second goal of the day for a 7-1 lead. Ausmus put home her second score after a nice shot fake and then, midway through the quarter, Flynn floated home a lob shot from six meters to make it 9-1. Argentina scored another goal on its next possession and then Stryker put home back-to-back goals for a hat trick and an 11-2 lead. With just over one minute left in the half, Stryker stepped up to convert a penalty shot before Ella Woodhead found the back of the net to push the lead to 13-2 before the break.
Jewel Roemer got free on the counter attack for a 1-on-1 with the Argentinian goalkeeper to begin the third quarter and she put it away with ease. Two minutes later, Emma Lineback scored to make it 15-2 before Stryker went cross cage for her fifth goal of the day. Midway through the quarter, Roemer and Sekulic converted penalty shots for an 18-2 lead. Just over one minute later, Sekulic netted her third goal and then Argentina put away their third score of the day on a penalty shot. From there, Sekulic extended the USA lead before Julia Bonaguidi made it 21-3 after three with a penalty shot conversion.
The final frame saw the Americans get goals from Prentice (2), Lineback, Malia Allen, and Stryker as the United States rolled to the 26-3 victory.
Team USA went 6/10 on power plays and 8/8 on penalties while Argentina went 1/7 on power plays and 1/1 on penalties.
Quotes
“It’s always an honor anytime you get to put on this suit. I’ve been training with this team for a long time [and now] being at my second World Championships and playing in more games than my first time through is such a privilege. Being around these teammates, many of whom I’ve played with in college or on younger national teams, is an amazing experience. We have all grown up in the program together and being able to play at the highest level of water polo has been awesome.” – Ella Woodhead
Scoring – Stats
USA 26 (6, 7, 8, 5) A. Stryker 6, J. Sekulic 4, T. Prentice 3, E. Ausmus 2, J. Flynn 2, R. Gazzaniga 2, E. Lineback 2, J. Roemer 2, M. Allen 1, J. Bonaguidi 1, E. Woodhead 1
ARG 3 (1, 1, 1, 0) J. Auliel 1, A. Bacigalupo 1, M. Canda 1
Saves – USA – I. Williams 11 – ARG – N. Stegmayer 3, L. Canales 1
6×5 – USA – 6/10 – ARG 1/7
Penalties – USA – 8/8 – ARG – 1/1
Sports
Minnesota Twins making major investment in future of women's sports
Minnesota Twins making major investment in future of women’s sports – CBS Minnesota Watch CBS News The Minnesota Twins are the first MLB team to fully fund a youth girls baseball team. The 14 and under team was celebrated at yesterday’s game ahead of a big tournament they’re competing in later this month. In this […]


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NEBRASKA VOLLEYBALL POSITION PREVIEWS — OPPOSITE | Stories
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Sports
Creighton new head coach Brian Rosen previews Bluejays volleyball season with First Alert 6
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – For the first time in over two decades, Creighton volleyball has a new head coach. Brian Rosen takes over at the helm after serving as associate head coach under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, who stepped down after 22 seasons at The Hilltop. In an exclusive 1-on-1 interview, Rosen sat down with 6 […]

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – For the first time in over two decades, Creighton volleyball has a new head coach. Brian Rosen takes over at the helm after serving as associate head coach under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, who stepped down after 22 seasons at The Hilltop.
In an exclusive 1-on-1 interview, Rosen sat down with 6 Sports Director Clayton Collier to preview the 2025 season.
Clayton Collier: Brian, we’re nearing 100 days in office for you. What have the first three months been like as head coach of the Bluejays?
Brian Rosen: Well, I didn’t know there’s a countdown. It’s been great. Honestly, the team, the parents, have been so supportive since this all started. Obviously, Coach Booth moving on to work with LOVB was a huge piece of news for everyone. I think we all shed a lot of tears those few days. Luckily, I still have her as a mentor for me. We talk all the time. I even just saw her this weekend. She was watching her daughter play and I was out recruiting. So I think that’s been big just to have her support, the community support and the team support.
The first few weeks, we were still able to practice. So it’s good to be able to get in the gym with them as head coach, keep our staff together, keep the team together. So that was great.
And then it’s been recruiting season. Obviously, I was the main recruiter already, so able to maintain the commits that we already had. We just went through June 15, which is a big recruiting time for our sport, and we’ve already committed three athletes for our 2027 class who we think are going to continue to elevate our program and take us where we want to go.
Clayton Collier: You have quite a few newcomers also coming in for this year, four transfers, two freshmen. How is everybody starting to mesh here for the new year?
Brian Rosen: What’s been really special is five of those six came in the spring, so three of the transfers and both freshmen enrolled in the spring, so we were able to train with them for the entire semester. And I think that’s really important for our team chemistry, our culture, to teach them our different systems. So that’s been great.
We have one setter animator. She played for the Swiss national team. She was with Cal for the last four years. Incredible high-level setter. She just got here at the beginning of June, so she’s been in the weight room with our team and playing open gyms with them, and doing all those things.I haven’t been able to really watch her play. I got to see her for about 30 minutes running a drill at a camp, and that’s about the extent of what I’ve seen so far.
But to all accounts, everyone’s fitting in great and working hard and really excited to see how all of them kind of integrate into the system, because I think all of them will have opportunities to compete, to play in Year One.
Clayton Collier: You were just telling me that you are a little superstitious. Are these lucky socks for Creighton?
Brian Rosen: These are one of the pairs. All last season, if you go back and look, I wore pretty much the exact same outfit, first day, second day or third day of a weekend. And we went 30-3. So it worked out pretty well.
Clayton Collier: Do you wash in between?
Brian Rosen: I do. I do wash in between. Do wash in between. But yeah, I do get a little superstitious, so we’ll see what comes out this season. New role, I might have to start some new trends. So we’ll see what comes out this year. But if it goes well, you’ll see it again.
Clayton Collier: The regular season starts August 23 against Penn State, the reigning national champs in Lincoln Pinnacle Bank Arena. What does it mean to be included in the AVCA First Serve, such a large showcase of volleyball?
Brian Rosen: When we heard that it was coming to the state of Nebraska, we were hopeful that we would get the invite. Going to an Elite Eight last season and historically, being one of the best programs in the country, we thought we would. We were really excited when they did reach out.
At the time, we didn’t even know who we were going to play. It was just, we want you to be a part of it. And we said it doesn’t matter who we play. We’re in. So, to find out later on that we’re going to get a rematch with Penn State is exciting.
I think a lot of people have looked at our schedule and said, ‘Wow. Like, that’s going to be one of the toughest schedules in the country,’ but that’s what we recruit with. That’s what we tell our athletes from the beginning. So as a team, we’re excited.
We actually read the schedule to our team in the spring in the gym, and there was never like an ‘Oh no.’ It’s like they’re cheering. They’re excited. So yes, it is going to be really tough. Penn State is going to be really tough and a great program. I would not be surprised if they’re the number one team in the country to start the season, and we’re excited to play them.
Clayton Collier: Nebraska also always a tough challenge in the non-conference, but the fact that this rivalry has a new chapter with both you coming in as a new head coach, Dani Busboom Kelly coming in as the new head coach of Nebraska, just how unique is this moment?
Brian Rosen: I think what’s going to be unique is that although there are new two new coaches in, I know that our fan base, their fan base, our athletes, their athletes, all have the same expectations, and it’s to be playing the last weekend of the season and hopefully hold up some trophies.
So yes, we’ll have new faces on the bench coaching, but I think the expectations stay the same. Coming from a state not Nebraska, this state is so special as far as volleyball support, and I know even for when we play Penn State in Lincoln, I feel like their fans will probably support us.
The state of Nebraska embraces Nebraska volleyball. That’s us, that’s Nebraska-Omaha. That’s the division two programs that played in the match in the football stadium. That’s what has always been really unique to me. Even when we’re playing at Nebraska, if our team makes a great play, like they support it, they cheer for it. Then obviously, when the game gets tight, the ‘Go Big Red’ chants are going to start. And, you know, it gets a little different in there. But as a team like, that’s why you play for those environments.
We get to host them this year at [CHI Health Center] and we’re going to put out a lot of stuff. We hope to reclaim the attendance record for an indoor regular season match that Wisconsin took from us a few years ago. So I think us and Nebraska will work together to make sure every sea is filled and we pack that place.
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Sports
Zac Stubblety-Cook to miss World Swimming Championships
Australian Zac Stubblety-Cook — an Olympic gold and silver medalist in the 200m breaststroke — will miss the World Swimming Championships that start July 26 in Singapore, citing a back injury. “It’s disappointing, but I had a lot of time off last year and I am committed to the next four years,” Stubblety-Cook said, according […]

Australian Zac Stubblety-Cook — an Olympic gold and silver medalist in the 200m breaststroke — will miss the World Swimming Championships that start July 26 in Singapore, citing a back injury.
“It’s disappointing, but I had a lot of time off last year and I am committed to the next four years,” Stubblety-Cook said, according to a press release. “It’s a setback but a minor one, and hopefully by the time the pool team dive in Singapore — I’ll be back in the water myself.”
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Stubblety-Cook, 26, took Olympic 200m breast gold in Tokyo and silver in Paris behind France’s Leon Marchand, who is entered in all four of his Olympic gold medal events in Singapore.
Stubblety-Cook is the third-fastest man in history in the 200m breast behind China’s Qin Haiyang (also entered in worlds) and Marchand.
“My coach Mel Marshall and I both believe my best time is still in me, so I’m still chasing that … and there’s a lot of racing left in me,” Stubblety-Cook said, according to the release.
World Aquatics
World Aquatics Championships 2025: How to watch, schedule, preview
World Championships competition in swimming, diving, artistic swimming and water polo air live on Peacock.
Sports
Top DOD Execs to Watch in 2025: Leidos’ Chad Buechel
Chad Buechel, Leidos Chad Buechel Vice President & Division Manager, Defense Enterprise IT Modernization Division within the Digital Modernization Sector, Leidos Most recently, Chad Buechel’s team stepped in to support the Defense Department’s goal of accelerating the migration of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s IT network to the Defense Information Systems Agency’s modernized DODNet. […]


Chad Buechel
Vice President & Division Manager, Defense Enterprise IT Modernization Division within the Digital Modernization Sector, Leidos
Most recently, Chad Buechel’s team stepped in to support the Defense Department’s goal of accelerating the migration of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s IT network to the Defense Information Systems Agency’s modernized DODNet.
In less than 48 hours, they assembled a team and partnered with both DISA and DARPA to embark on a pivotal 80-day migration, proving the capabilities of DODNet and Leidos’ agility to fast-track migrations for other Defense Agencies and Field Activities. The teamwork and collaboration seen throughout the process has been described as nothing short of extraordinary, with each stakeholder — regardless of badge — stepping in to ensure mission success.
Delivering smarter outcomes that make government more efficient is core to the company’s mission. For example, Leidos protects mission-critical DOD data on “no-fail” networks essential to national security every day. The company saved the department over $645 million by identifying and implementing improvements in network cybersecurity, artificial intelligence operations and cloud use. Its work also increased network availability to 99.9% at no additional cost.
Bryan Jolly, senior vice president of digital modernization for Leidos’ DISA IT business area, described Buechel as a mission-driven leader who brings exceptional energy, focus and execution to one of the Defense Department’s most complex IT modernization efforts.
“Under his leadership, the Leidos team is accelerating the DES program and DODNet migration — delivering transformative capabilities that strengthen cybersecurity, enhance user experience and increase mission effectiveness across the Fourth Estate,” he said. “Chad’s ability to lead with vision while driving results makes him a standout leader and a key force shaping the future of defense IT.”
Why Watch
Buechel’s team is helping DISA consolidate the Fourth Estate’s agencies onto a common IT infrastructure through the Defense Enclave Services program. With the modernized DODNet, they are improving efficiency, enabling data-driven decisions and providing a secure, scalable network to keep agencies mission-ready. These capabilities allow users to protect and connect the warfighter while staying agile in a fast-changing environment.
Buechel said the Leidos DES program is a true team effort that brings together talent, innovation and mission focus to deliver a secure, modern and efficient IT environment for the Fourth Estate. He added that he’s proud of his team’s ability to move fast, think strategically and work closely with DISA and the DAFAs.
“Through DODNet, we’re not just consolidating infrastructure—we’re enabling the agility, resilience and scalability defense agencies need to accelerate decision making and support the warfighter in today’s dynamic threat landscape,” he said.
Fun Fact: Buechel was a college track and field athlete at Brown University. He still holds a school record for the steeplechase, a 3,000-meter race that combines running with obstacles, hurdles and water jumps. He was also a three-time All-Ivy Champion for indoor track — and is a die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
See the entire Top DOD Execs to Watch in 2025 list here.
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