Sports

Is the future of college track & field, including Oregon Ducks, in jeopardy of collapse?

There will be an ill wind blowing Friday when the Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships convene at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field, and not that pesky, back straight headwind. College track and field is in real trouble. Attempting to more fairly compensate football and men’s basketball players financially, the NCAA is on […]

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1 month ago

May 15, 2025

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There will be an ill wind blowing Friday when the Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships convene at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field, and not that pesky, back straight headwind.

College track and field is in real trouble.

Attempting to more fairly compensate football and men’s basketball players financially, the NCAA is on the verge of major, structural changes to intercollegiate athletics. The upshot?

College track, a revenue loser everywhere, even in Track Town USA, is beginning to look like so much collateral damage.

Virginia track coach Vin Lananna, the former Oregon coach and past president of Eugene’s TrackTown USA organizing committee, is sounding the alarm.

“I hope I’m wrong,” Lananna says. “I’d love to be dead wrong on this. But I see no evidence that dissuades me from believing our sport is under siege.”

Lananna and others say that unless college track becomes something the public can easily watch and understand, it risks descending into a tiny niche, contested by only a handful of schools. Men’s gymnastics or fencing, for instance. Time is short.

“If we don’t act now,” Lananna says, “we’ll never save it.”

Slashing track scholarships

The exact parameters of the NCAA changes still are being hammered out in the California courtroom of U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken. The NCAA and Division I power conferences agreed last year to an anti-trust settlement that would pay past and current athletes nearly $2.8 billion.

As part of the deal, scholarship limits were increased but roster sizes capped. As a result, some athletes lost or are poised to lose roster spots they either had or were promised before the deal was made. How to fairly address their concerns is being argued this week in Wilken’s courtroom.

If Wilken doesn’t accept the settlement, it could be scrapped altogether. And since the new rules are supposed to go into effect on July 1, there is widespread uncertainty about what’s next.

“Clear as mud,” says Sam Seemes, chief executive of the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. “I’m not sure mud isn’t clearer.”

Even if specifics of the settlement change to some degree, much of it is expected to stand. What is crystal clear is no matter what the rules are going forward, the landscape for college track is about to change for these reasons.

College athletes, most from revenue producing sports are set to be paid directly by the schools, which each would be allowed more than $20 million per year for that purpose under terms of the settlement. That money must come from somewhere.
The roster cap for football was set at 105. Every one of those players will be eligible for scholarships. Up through this year only 85 FBS players could be on scholarship, leaving schools to fill out larger squad sizes with walk-ons.
College track scholarship limits were bumped to 45 for both men and women, up from 18 for women and 12.6 for men. Through this season, many Division I track teams have had more than 45 athletes on their rosters because they divided scholarships and used walk-ons. The University of Oregon currently lists rosters of 54 men and 54 women.

As the settlement is structured, the Ducks would have smaller rosters and could offer more scholarships. But no school would be required to give that many track scholarships, and few are likely to spend heavily on track. Believing any school would offer 45 track scholarships is pure fantasy.

“I don’t know of any Division I institution that is going to do that,” Seemes says.

In fact, many schools are expected to slash track scholarships to help other sports. Football, for instance. But that scholarship money also could go to non-revenue sports that connect better with the public. Under terms of the settlement, the baseball scholarship limit would go from 11.7 to 34.

“I know of one institution that has reduced men’s scholarships from track to 12.6 to six, and given the other six to baseball,” Seemes says. “That institution obviously wants to be more invested in baseball than men’s track and field.”

Oregon Twilight meet at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. — Former Oregon track & field coach Vin Lananna says that college track & field competitions “are dreadful. They’re long, drawn out, fragmented, and the modern audience can’t relate to whatever it is we’re doing.” LC- The Oregonian

‘Bored to death’

College track and field once was a major spectator sport. Meets at Hayward Field were events. In 1970, Steve Prefontaine’s freshman year at Oregon, he competed in Pac-8 dual meets against Washington, Cal, UCLA, Washington State and Oregon State. Eugene Register-Guard printed pre-meet form charts that fans brought with them as they filled the stadium.

Dual meets engaged people who knew little about the intricacies of the sport, and were more interested in who won than how many runners cracked 13 minutes, 50 seconds in the 5,000 meters. People inside Hayward in May 1972 still talk about the 1,500-meter battle between Prefontaine and Oregon State Olympian Hailu Ebba in the Oregon-OSU dual.

The winning time? Who knows? Who cares? The story was about what would prevail, Pre’s strength or Ebba’s speed. Pre won as a packed stadium roared.

Flash forward 50 years, all of that is gone. Dual meets have been largely pitched into history’s scrap heap. Star athletes going head-to-head in the 5,000 with the outcome of the meet hanging in the balance have been replaced by daylong invitational meets with no team scoring.

Regular season college meets take place before mostly empty seats, even at the beautiful, 12,500-seat Hayward Field.

“Track and field has moved away from being any kind of team sport whatsoever,” Lananna says. “Our competitions are dreadful. They’re long, drawn out, fragmented, and the modern audience can’t relate to whatever it is we’re doing.”

On any given spring weekend, a college track team might send its throwers to a throws-specific meet in one city, its distance runners to a distance carnival in another city, and its sprinters and hurdlers somewhere else.

The regular season goal has become to find places where college athletes can record times or marks that qualify them for postseason competition. Winning an event isn’t as important as a fast time or a long triple jump or throw. Spectators aren’t part of the equation.

Seemes, CEO of the USTFCCCA, says he recently attended an all-day meet that was unscored. There were a few, strong performances interspersed in what was a mind-numbing blizzard of heats.

“I’m a huge track fan,” he says. “And I’m going to tell you, I was bored to death. It might have been great for the coach and the student/athlete who had a great performance. That’s not enough.”

There can’t be a general interest sports fan in the world willing to sit through the Stanford Invitational. This year’s schedule shows the invitational’s first day’s first event began at 9 a.m. and the last event went off at 10:55 p.m. There were eight sections of the 5,000 and five of the 10,000, which translates into more than four and a half hours of athletes around in circles.

Fans have migrated elsewhere. College baseball and softball have surged in popularity, and it’s not surprising. Their games feature schools competing head-to-head, in TV-friendly time spans. There is a clear winning team.

Volleyball, which changed its scoring rules to speed up play, is attracting ever more fans. Nebraska put more than 92,000 people in the football stadium in 2023 to watch a women’s volleyball match with Omaha.

So, when budget-strapped athletic administrators take a knife to non-revenue sports to pay for more football scholarships, will they first go after volleyball, baseball, softball or … track? Most, probably, will opt to protect sports people actually want to watch.

Women’s track has long been a hedge against a university with gender equity issues. Those 18 scholarships for female athletes have come in handy.

But there are emerging sports, such as beach volleyball, that can do the same thing and still appeal to fans in ways track does not. Women’s gymnastics has become a popular spectator sport at some schools.

“The sport that scares me right now is women’s flag football,” Seemes says. “It can involve a lot of numbers and really balance athletic departments for Title IX. The NFL is heavy behind it, and God knows, the NFL is a money machine. In collegiate athletics, money talks.”

Some solutions

College track coaches are beginning to see the peril. Oregon brought back its team invitational this spring after a hiatus of several seasons.

“I’m a big believer in the team concept of track and field,” UO coach Jerry Schumacher says. “I’d love to see more team competitions going forward. At the university level, I think the name across the front is more important than the one on the back.”

There are several ways college coaches can begin making college track more spectator friendly. They can schedule more scored team competitions in tight, TV-compatible time windows. They can cut travel costs by filling their regular season schedules with meets against neighboring schools.

They can toss out performance lists and determine fields for the NCAA Championships with teams going head-to-head in regional meets the way women’s gymnastics does, perhaps carving out spots for individuals who star on teams that don’t make the cut. They can do an end run around roster limits by creating JV teams.

It would be different, but perhaps a better option than waiting for a solution from interested parties such as former Alabama football coach Nick Saban, who has been outspoken about changes he wants to see in college athletics.

Former college distance runner Victoria Jackson is a sports historian and clinical associate professor of history at Arizona State. She says many of the issues facing track and field and other non-revenue sports stem from being subject to rules and rule changes designed for revenue sports.

Rather than trying to adapt to changes made for football, Jackson says it’s past time for college track to set its own agenda.

“We have to be big and bold, and figure out our own solutions,” Jackson says. “Because, you know what? Nick Saban does not care about track and field. He can claim to, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t understand the sport, and he’s one of the people who is dictating the future of it.”

Whatever happens in Judge Wilken’s courtroom, it’s clear college track and field must re-engage with fans outside its small base to matter in the increasingly crowded sports landscape.

Seemes says the sport needs to think of itself as a business and make itself attractive in the marketplace. And soon.

“Doing what we do now, we wouldn’t be in business,” he says. “We would be broke. We would be out of business. We would not have a sport.”

— Ken Goe for The Oregonian

KenGoe1020@gmail.com

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Berkeley Engelland earns 800-meter fourth-place finish at U20 national championships – Mitchell Republic

EUGENE, Ore. — Berkeley Engelland added yet another podium finish to her decorated track and field resume on Friday night. The Mount Vernon product and current University of South Dakota track star raced to a fourth-place finish in the women’s 800-meter run at the USA Track and Field under-20 championships at Hayward Field. Engelland notched […]

Published

9 minutes ago

June 21, 2025

Your Sports Nation

EUGENE, Ore. — Berkeley Engelland added yet another podium finish to her decorated track and field resume on Friday night.

The Mount Vernon product and current University of South Dakota track star raced to a fourth-place finish in the women’s 800-meter run at the USA Track and Field under-20 championships at Hayward Field.

Engelland notched a time of 2 minutes, 9.48 seconds, shaving more than 1.5 seconds off the clocking that earned her a Summit League title in the event as a freshman in May. Makenna Herbst, a University of Arkansas commit from Carlsbad, California, won the race in 2:02.48, nearly five full seconds ahead of the rest of the field.

Two years ago, on the same track at the 2023 Nike Outdoor Nationals, Engelland checked in at eighth place in the women’s 800-meter championship division.

Engelland was one of three Coyotes to compete at the U20 national championships, joined by Anna Willis in the women’s pole vault and Mariah Fenske in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Willis, who was competing at Hayward Field for the second time in as many weeks after a fourth-place showing at the NCAA championships, claimed the U20 women’s pole vault national title with a clearance of 4.35 meters (14 feet, 3.25 inches) on Thursday. The Colorado Springs native was one of only two competitors to eclipse 14 feet, joined by second-place Jathiyah Muhammad, of the University of Arizona.

Fenske, of Farmington, Minnesota, finished in ninth place in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase on Thursday, posting a time of 11 minutes, 22.35 seconds. Sara Morefield, who competes at the University of Tulsa, won the event in 10:38.86.

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “Mitchell Republic.” Often, the “Mitchell Republic” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

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2025 LACKAWANNA LEAGUE COACHES’ BOYS VOLLEYBALL ALL-STARS – Scranton Times-Tribune

LACKAWANNA LEAGUE COACHES BOYS VOLLEYBALL ALL-STARS Most valuable player: Shane Brower, Abington Heights First Team Shawn Theodore, Abington Heights Luke Stevens, Valley View Vinny Silon, Western Wayne John Pyatt, Western Wayne Theo Black, Western Wayne Ryan Horutz, Abington Heights Second Team Bryce Conklin, Blue Ridge Aden Butler, North Pocono Chris Cummins, Abington Heights Owen Martin, […]

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10 minutes ago

June 21, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LACKAWANNA LEAGUE COACHES BOYS VOLLEYBALL ALL-STARS

Most valuable player: Shane Brower, Abington Heights

First Team

Shawn Theodore, Abington Heights

Luke Stevens, Valley View

Vinny Silon, Western Wayne

John Pyatt, Western Wayne

Theo Black, Western Wayne

Ryan Horutz, Abington Heights

Second Team

Bryce Conklin, Blue Ridge

Aden Butler, North Pocono

Chris Cummins, Abington Heights

Owen Martin, Blue Ridge

Emanuel Benitez, West Scranton

Jace Butler, North Pocono

Antonio Farina, Valley View

Honorable Mention

Nolan Moore (Abington Heights); Jesus Isidro (Valley View); Logan Pauler (Western Wayne); Riley Phillips (Blue Ridge); Wyatt Laytos (Lackawanna Trail); Luke Zipprich (Mountain View); Jagger Roe (Valley View).

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Louisville’s Top Performers of 2024-25

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The 2024-25 athletics season saw quite a few University of Louisville student-athletes experience a high level of individual success in their respective sport. Many Cardinals were named First-Team All-ACC, and a few garnered All-American recognition. Some others had high finishes at the NCAA Championships, and one even took home a national championship. […]

Published

31 minutes ago

June 21, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The 2024-25 athletics season saw quite a few University of Louisville student-athletes experience a high level of individual success in their respective sport.

Many Cardinals were named First-Team All-ACC, and a few garnered All-American recognition. Some others had high finishes at the NCAA Championships, and one even took home a national championship.

With the current athletics season now completely in the books, here are the top individual performers from Louisville’s 2024-25 athletic season:

Gabi Albiero – Women’s Swimming & Diving

In her final year, Albiero was once again the top performer on the women’s side of an elite swimming and diving program. At the NCAA Championships, she earned All-American honors in the 50 Freestyle (21.78), 100 Freestyle (47.71), 100 Butterfly (50.69), 200 Freestyle Relay (21.38), 400 Freestyle Relay (47.51) and 200 Medley Relay (22.59).

Guy Brooks – Men’s Swimming & Diving

On the men’s side of the swimming and diving program, Brooks was a relay machine down at the NCAA Championship. Competing in the relays for the 200 Freestyle (18.69), 400 Freestyle (42.20), 800 Freestyle (1:33.67), 200 Medley (18.88) and 400 Medley (41.42), he earned All-American honors for each event.

Isaac Brown – Football

As just a true freshman, Brown stormed onto the national scene, rushing for 1,173 yards and 11 touchdown, while also catching 30 passes for 152 yards. He was named the ACC Offensive and Overall Rookie of the Year, a Freshman All-American, and broke Lamar Jackson’s true freshman rushing record at UofL

K.J. Byrd – Men’s Track & Field

As just a true freshman, Byrd was arguably Louisville’s top performer on the men’s side of the track and field program. During the indoor season, he won with ACC title in the heptathlon with a school-record 5,903 points, then finished seventh in the event at the NCAA Championship with 5,807 points. For the outdoor season, he was the ACC runner-up in the decathlon with 7,849 points, then came in fourth at the NCAA Championship with 7,842 points.

Cara Cresse – Volleyball

While not the team’s defensive MVP or go-to offensive option, Cresse played an important part in both areas for Louisville. Her 177 total blocks were fourth in all of D1, while her .323 hitting percentage led the team. For her efforts, she took home Second-Team All-ACC and AVCA First Team All-South Region honors, and was an AVCA All-American honorable mention.

Jayda Curry – Women’s Basketball

While she wasn’t a starter for nearly half of the season, Curry was the straw that stirred the drink for Louisville. Her 14.4 points and 3.3 assists per game were both team-highs, while also averaging 2.6 boards as well. A First-Team All-ACC selection, her 41 points vs. TCU not only broke the program record for most points in an NCAA Tournament game, it tied for the fourth-most points in any game by a Cardinal.

Anna DeBeer – Volleyball

On a loaded team that made the national championship game, DeBeer was arguably the Cardinals’ lynchpin. She finished the season as the team’s leader in kills (408), total attacks (990), and points (473.0), and was second in digs (292). DeBeer took home First-Team All-ACC honors, and was named First Team All-South Region and Second-Team All-American by the AVCA.

Julia Dennis – Women’s Swimming & Diving

Like with Albiero, Dennis’ 2024-25 campaign was full of elite performances. She took home All-American honors at the NCAA Championships in the 100 Freestyle (47.41), 50 Freestyle (21.20), 200 Freestyle Relay (20.63), 400 Freestyle Relay (46.52), 200 Medley Relay (20.49), 400 Medley Relay (46.39).

Terrence Edwards Jr. – Men’s Basketball

After a slow start to the season, Edwards was phenomenal over the second half of the year. He averaged a team-best 16.7 points per game, while also putting up 4.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists to secure Third-Team All-ACC honors.

Ashton Gillotte – Football

While Gillotte didn’t put up as many stats as he did in 2023, he was still a force to be reckoned with. His 10.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks led the team, while also collected 43 total tackles in the process to secure Second-Team All-ACC honors.

Chucky Hepburn – Men’s Basketball

Hepburn played a crucial role in year one of the Pat Kelsey era, averaging 16.4 points, 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game. He earned First-Team All-ACC and ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors, and was also named a First-Team All-American.

Eddie King Jr. – Baseball

King was without a doubt Louisville’s hottest hitter during their run to the College World Series. Though he earned just Second-Team All-ACC honors, he slashed .367/.435/.750 for a team-best 1.185 OPS, while also logging 17 home runs, 63 RBI, 19 doubles and 21 walks.

Geoffrey Kirwa – Men’s Cross Country, Men’s Track & Field

Kirwa stood out in not one, but two sports this season for the Cardinals. At the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Track & Field, the true freshman was the runner-up in the 3000 meter steeplechase (8:17.12), posting the highest individual finish by a Louisville male in any event at the NCAA’s since 2017. In Cross Country, he was the first Louisville male to qualify for the NCAA Championship since 2016, placing 146th with a time of 30:13.1.

Char Lorenz – Softball

While just a redshirt freshman, Lorenz was by far and away the best player for Louisville. Her batting average (.368), on-base percentage (.453), slugging percentage (.677), home run (9), RBI (53) and doubles (11) marks all led the team. She earned Second-Team All-ACC and Freshman All-American honors as a result.

Charitie Luper – Volleyball

All season long, Luper was an effective two-way threat for Louisville. She finished the season second on the team in points (433.0) and kills (381), while also finishing third in digs (262). As a result, she earned First Team All-ACC honors, and was named a First Team All-South Region and honorable mention All-American by the AVCA.

Lucas Moore – Baseball

Moore was a menace on the base paths all season long. Hitting .341 with 34 walks, his 85 runs scored were second in the nation while his 53 stolen bases led the nation. Also hitting five homers with 49 RBI, he took home First-Team All-ACC honors.

Sebastian Moss – Men’s Golf

Closing out his collegiate career, Moss cemented himself as one of the best golfers in school history. His 70.03 stroke average led the team this season, he posted six top-10 finishes, as finished 23rd in the NCAA Regionals. He was named Second-Team All-ACC, but received First-Team All-American honors. His collegiate career stroke average 71.80 ranks third all-time in school history.

Denis Petrashov – Men’s Swimming & Diving

Petrashov had a very strong showing in the NCAA Championships. He earned All-American honors in the 200 Breaststroke (1.49.37), 200 Medley Relay (22.80) and 400 Medley Relay (50.24), even finishing as the national runner-up in the 100 Breaststroke (50.27). Petrashov also claimed gold in the 100 Breaststroke (50.62) at the ACC Championship.

Aimee Plumb – Field Hockey

Following a down 2023 season by her standards, Plumb wrapped up her college career on a high note, tallying four goals and four assists to finish the season with 12 points. She earned Second-Team All-ACC, First-Team NFHCA All-West Region and Third-Team NFHCA All-American honors. She finished her career ranked seventh on Louisville’s all-time list for points (86) and goals (30), and ninth in career assists (26).

Quincy Riley – Football

Injuries significantly limited Riley in 2024, but it didn’t stop him completely. Earning Second-Team All-ACC honors, his 13 pass breakups led the conference, while also snagging two interceptions, forcing a fumble and tallying 33 tackles (21 solo, three for loss).

Synclair Savage – Women’s Track & Field

In what was her final year in college, Savage is going out on top. At the NCAA Outdoor Championships, her 6.72 meter (22-0.5) attempt in the long jump was enough to win the national title in the event. Also logging a 6.63 meter (21-9.5) attempt in the NCAA East Regional, the farthest jump in the event since 2017, she was named the USTFCCCA Southeast Regional Women’s Field Athlete of the Year.

Elena Scott – Volleyball

When it comes to collegiate volleyball defenders, very few – if any – were better than Scott was this past season. The libero’s 554 digs ranked 23rd in D1, and her 4.40 digs per set was first in the ACC. She was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and voted as an AVCA First Team All-South Region and First-Team All-American selection.

Jayden Ulrich – Women’s Track & Field

On the heels of a junior year in which she was arguably Louisville’s top athlete, Ulrich followed that up with an incredibly successful senior campaign. During the indoor season, her 17.88 meter (58-8) toss in the shot put won the ACC Championship, her 18.07 meter (59-3.5) throw in the NCAA Championship was good for sixth place, and she named the USTFCCCA Southeast Regional Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Year. Then in the outdoor season, a 69.39 meter (227-8) throw in the discus in April was good for the second-best in NCAA history, a 62.89 meter (206-4) toss at the ACC’s secured the conference title, while a 60.25 meter (197-8) throw at the NCAA’s was good for seventh. She also placed fourth in the outdoor shot put at the NCAA’s with a mark of 18.26 meters (59-11).

Sports

USA Junior Men Win Silver At U20 World Championships!

Story Links Zagreb, Croatia – June 21 – The USA Men’s Junior National Team won silver earlier today at the World Aquatics U20 World Championship following a hard-fought final against Spain, where they lost 14-11. The second-place result marks the highest finish ever for a USA Men’s National Team in World […]

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41 minutes ago

June 21, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Zagreb, Croatia – June 21 – The USA Men’s Junior National Team won silver earlier today at the World Aquatics U20 World Championship following a hard-fought final against Spain, where they lost 14-11. The second-place result marks the highest finish ever for a USA Men’s National Team in World Championship play at any age group. Ryan Ohl scored three goals to lead the USA offense with Charles Mills recording 11 saves in net. Team USA battled back from an 0-2 start in Zagreb to reach the final, claiming wins over Montenegro, Iran, Serbia and Hungary. All matches were streamed live and are available on-demand on the World Aquatics YouTube. Live statistics were recorded for every match from MicroPlus Timing Services.

Spain was the aggressor in the first quarter as they outscored Team USA 3-1. Spain opened up with a 1-0 lead before Ryder Dodd converted for a score to tie the match. Spain answered with two consecutive goals to hold the edge going to the second. Spain looked to keep it rolling in the second quarter as they scored first for a 4-1 lead. That lit a fire under Team USA as their offense mounted a major charge. Peter Castillo hit on a power play strike followed by an Ohl goal and a Dodd score for a tie game at 4-4 with 5:55 to go in the half. Spain stopped the run with a goal moments later but Team USA remain undaunted. They ripped off three more in a row for a six goal explosion to build a 7-5 lead at intermission. Bode Brinkema, Ben Liechty and Ohl all found the cage to help turn things around before the break.

Ohl scored in the opening two minutes of the third to extend the lead to three at 8-5, but then it was Spain turning the tables. Spain connected for three in a row and tied the game at 8-8 with play moving to the fourth quarter. The two teams traded goals back and forth in the early stages of the final period. Brinkema hit for a penalty to put Team USA back ahead early at 9-8, but Spain immediately responded to tie the game at 9-9 moments later. A similar scenario followed where Corbin Stanley gave the United States the lead on a power play only to see Spain tie the game at 10-10 with 6:29 to play. Liechty scored for Team USA on their next possession for an 11-10 advantage but unfortunately the offensive well ran dry the rest of the match. Spain scored the equalizer with 4:33 to play and then went ahead for good with 2:28 remaining. They would tack on two more goals as the United States tried to rally, securing the three goal win.

Team USA went 2/13 on power plays and 3/4 on penalties while Spain went 5/12 on power plays and 3/4 on penalties.

Scoring – Stats

USA 11 (1, 6, 1, 3) R. Ohl 3, R. Dodd 2, B. Brinkema 2, B. Liechty 2, P. Castillo 1, C. Stanley 1

ESP 14 (3, 2, 3, 6) A. Sabadell 6, B. Gomila 2, U. Lema 1, O. Aguirre 1, M. Rodriguez 1, T. Perrone 1, E. Flaque 1, J. Villamayor 1

Saves – USA – C. Mills 11 – ESP – A. Pina 9, D. Garcia 1

6×5 – USA – 2/13 – ESP 5/12

Penalties – USA – 3/4 – ESP – 3/4

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Palisch Makes Major League Baseball Debut

TORONTO – Former Texas A&M reliever Jake Palisch made his Major League Baseball debut on the road Saturday afternoon as the Chicago White Sox faced off against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. The left-hander worked the eighth inning and allowed two runs. Palisch, who signed with the Chicago White Sox in 2022 as […]

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46 minutes ago

June 21, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Palisch Makes Major League Baseball Debut

TORONTO – Former Texas A&M reliever Jake Palisch made his Major League Baseball debut on the road Saturday afternoon as the Chicago White Sox faced off against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. The left-hander worked the eighth inning and allowed two runs.

Palisch, who signed with the Chicago White Sox in 2022 as an undrafted free agent, is the 65th Aggie to make it to The Show. In 15 appearances this season with the Birmingham Barons, Chicago’s Double-A affiliate, the left-hander has compiled a 4-1 record to go along with a 1.19 ERA. The Richardson, Texas, native has also struck out 35 batters in 53 innings of work.

In his four minor league seasons, Palisch has registered a 3.17 ERA in 94 appearances. The left-hander has also racked up 132 strikeouts in 150 2/3 innings.

In his lone season in Aggieland, Palisch appeared 29 times out of the bullpen and helped the Maroon & White earn their seventh trip to the College World Series. The lefty played a key role in relief, recording five saves, 73 strikeouts and a 2.39 ERA in 60 1/3 innings of work.

Palisch is the first Aggie to make his MLB Debut this season and the fourth to make an appearance in the majors, joining Stephen Kolek (San Diego Padres), Bryce Miller (Seattle Mariners), A.J. Minter (New York Mets) and Michael Wacha (Kansas City Royals).

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Bay State Conference dominates the sport in 2025 – Boston Herald

Consider what’s characterized much of the last few years in boys volleyball. Needham’s dynasty. Westfield’s dynasty. Western Mass.’ surge. Wayland’s surge. A loaded Bay State Conference. New leagues showcasing success. A whole lot of parity. Those fingerprints were all over this spring, too. And yet, this season reached a rare, historic level to admire. Brookline’s […]

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1 hour ago

June 21, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Consider what’s characterized much of the last few years in boys volleyball.

Needham’s dynasty. Westfield’s dynasty. Western Mass.’ surge. Wayland’s surge. A loaded Bay State Conference. New leagues showcasing success. A whole lot of parity.

Those fingerprints were all over this spring, too. And yet, this season reached a rare, historic level to admire.

Brookline’s junior setter Alec Smagula spoke confidently about the heights his Warriors could reach when he was just a freshman, declaring them underrated all the way through a Cinderella run to the Div. 1 Final Four in 2023. Two years later, senior outside hitter Kris Vaivars set the program’s all-time kills record as arguably the state’s top player, pairing with Smagula’s mastery as a do-it-all setter to anchor Brookline’s emotional run to its first Div. 1 state title since 1992.

Star power, depth and versatility were the bones of a sparkling, 23-1 year. But the program’s passion – shown through its contagious energy all the way down the bench – was the heart in a rare year for Brookline.

Needham may not have won another state title, but the dynasty is alive and well in perhaps one of its more impressive runs. The Rockets had a very new rotation this year, and a much different look from the star power that fueled its unbeaten three-peat from 2021 to 2023. But defensive tenacity improved throughout the year, rising to its pinnacle to upset Natick in the state semifinals for a fifth straight appearance in the Div. 1 state final.

By all measures, the Bay State Conference has been formidable for years. Between Brookline, Newton North and Needham, it’s had representatives win each of the last five Div. 1 state finals. Though, never in the power rankings era – or possibly ever – had any conference claimed all four spots in one Final Four in any MIAA sport. Brookline, Needham, Natick and Newton North changed that.

The latter two were right in the mix as worthy potential champions themselves, and all four were dominant over the rest of the division. The lone exception was Lexington, who proved tough in one of the program’s best years with a personal record 17-game win streak.

Regardless, what the BSC’s power-four produced was rare. Almost as rare was how tight much of the rest of the field played out.

Last year’s parity had us on our toes with how the whole tournament would unfold, only for it to follow the chalk up until No. 2 Newton North beat No. 1 Needham in the state final. But this year, the first round alone produced more upsets than each of the previous three whole tournaments combined.

Barnstable felt a massive emotional lift with a win over New Bedford in the regular season. Taunton got the same when it split with Milford to share the brand-new Hockomock League title. Both went from needing preliminary-round wins to upsetting their way to the state quarterfinals as the 26th and 27th seeds – the two lowest seeds to reach that far in the sport. And beside them, Milford, Weymouth and St. John’s of Shrewsbury also shook off their sub-20 seeding to advance at least once in an all-time showing of parity.

Part of such a wild tournament stemmed from a level playing field. The major driver, though, was the first year the MIAA’s power rankings system seemed to miss the mark – which had been spot on in the other three tournaments.

That didn’t carry over to Div. 2, which saw all eight of its top seeds reach the state quarterfinals.

Wayland was hungry all year to avenge its reverse-sweep loss in the 2024 state finals to Westfield. Premier outside hitter Finn Bell anchored an otherwise deep group to reach the title game for the second straight year – exorcising the Warriors’ demons by beating the Bombers in the state semifinals. Yet, powers out of Western Mass. once again forced Wayland one win shy of the program’s first title.

Top-ranked Agawam looked like a wagon all year, only losing once; when star setter David Dzhenzherukha missed a regular season game against Chicopee Comprehensive. Otherwise, a deep crew of standout pins surrounded Dzhenzherukha for one of the state’s top attacks, and its defense shined in the final to secure its second state title in three years.

Afterward, head coach Kevin Pender had much to say about the strength of Western Mass., and the pride that comes with the growth the area has shown.

By taking the title, Agawam and Westfield have traded Div. 2 state championships over the four years since the sport expanded to two divisions. West Springfield rose up to nearly knock off the Brownies in the state semifinals, and six of those top-eight teams to reach the state quarterfinals hail from the region.

Five teams from the West had reached the stage in 2024, and only three did in 2023

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