Sports
Sportico Transactions


Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships, products and purchases across the sports business industry.
PERSONNEL
Legends Appoints Matt O’Neil as Chief Marketing Officer
Matt O’Neil has been named chief marketing officer of the combined Legends and ASM Global business. O’Neil brings branding, content and marketing experience from leading professional sports teams and leagues, brands and university athletic departments. Having been with Legends since August 2022, O’Neil previously served as chief content & experience officer. In his new role, O’Neil will oversee marketing, creative, content, communications and events for the integrated Legends and ASM Global business, focusing on driving growth and revenue across all areas. He will closely collaborate with Legends’ clients to provide marketing and branding consulting.
Laura Lefton Named to USTA Managing Director Slot
The USTA announced that Laura Lefton has been hired as the USTA’s managing director, ticket sales and premium experience. The newly created position will oversee revenue generation across all ticketing, premium seating and experiences for the U.S. Open and is based out of the USTA’s New York City office in Times Square. Lefton will lead the development and implementation of the comprehensive short- and long-term sales and service strategies for all U.S. Open tickets, including new and existing club, suite, experience and hospitality products. Lefton will report to chief commercial officer Kirsten Corio. She joins the USTA from the NFL, where she spent more than 14 years and most recently served as VP, club business development.
Soccer United Marketing Hires Anne Wheat as SVP
Anne Wheat has joined Soccer United Marketing as senior vice president of properties & match business. In her new role with SUM, the commercial arm of Major League Soccer, Wheat will lead the development, planning, promotion and overall operations of events operated and supported by SUM with the goal of growing revenue and increasing fan engagement. In addition, Wheat will manage the relationships across numerous SUM properties including CONCACAF, Liga MX, Federación Mexicana de Futbol (FMF) and FIFA. Wheat enters this role having previously served as the event programs lead for Google, where she oversaw global event and experience center programs, including the Pier 57 and St. John’s Terminal.
Real American Freestyle Signs Evan Wick, Others to Wrestling Roster
Real American Freestyle, the new, unscripted freestyle wrestling organization, announced the signing of champion wrestlers Evan Wick, Austin Gomez, Real Woods, Will Lewan and Parker Keckeisent. Seeking to provide an opportunity for the best athletes to compete and showcase their talent, Real American Freestyle will continue to develop its program ahead of its first event on Aug. 30 in Cleveland and will offer a modern approach to coverage of the sport, spearheaded by the storytelling of Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Israel Martinez.
WTA Launches Search for New Chair in Partnership With Elevate Talent
Following the announcement of chairman Steve Simon’s retirement, the WTA has launched a selection process for its next chair in partnership with Elevate Talent. Under Simon’s guidance, the women’s professional circuit modernized with a committed $400 million increase in player compensation over the next 10 years, and through a partnership with CVC Capital Partners established WTA Ventures to accelerate commercial growth and drive reinvestment in the sport. The next chair will be entrusted with building on this legacy and leading the organization into its next chapter. Elevate Talent will lead an international search process emphasizing inclusion, transparency and long-term vision. The firm will engage a broad and diverse candidate pool across industries and regions.
PARTNERSHIPS
ESPN Taps IMG Licensing to Expand Products and Experiences
IMG Licensing has been appointed as ESPN’s exclusive global licensing agency to help expand its consumer products and experiences portfolio. Through this collaboration, IMG Licensing will work closely with ESPN to develop strategic brand extensions and experiences across categories, including sporting goods, equipment, apparel collaborations, location-based entertainment, tailgating, consumer-packaged-goods integrations, publishing, memorabilia, toys, and games and novelty items. IMG Licensing will try to leverage ESPN’s brand equity to deliver products and experiences for sports fans.
Washington State Athletics, Playfly Sports Enter 10-Year Partnership
Washington State University Athletics and Playfly Sports announced a 10-year multimedia rights and outbound ticket sales and service agreement set to begin on July 1. The dual-rights structure is designed to unlock new levels of innovation, efficiency and long-term growth for Cougar Athletics. Through this integrated partnership, Playfly Sports will manage WSU’s multimedia rights as well as outbound ticket sales, through Playfly Aspire, across Cougar Athletics’ traditional and premium inventory. The unified strategy aims to elevate brand partnerships, community engagement and fan experiences while supporting the Cougar Athletic Fund. Playfly will lead the sales, cultivation and activation of corporate sponsorships at both local and national levels and secure naming rights for select athletic venues. Playfly will also oversee WSU’s 20-station Cougar Sports Radio Network.
Carvana and PPA Tour Extend Multiyear Title Sponsorship Agreement
Carvana and the Professional Pickleball Association have extended their multiyear title sponsorship agreement. The partnership, which began in 2022, will continue to feature events under the Carvana PPA Tour name while introducing enhanced fan experiences, expanded tournament coverage and increased prize opportunities for players. Since the beginning of the partnership, the Carvana PPA Tour has achieved record growth. More than 320,000 spectators attended events in 2024. With the support of Carvana’s sponsorship, the PPA Tour has increased player compensation, offering more than $30 million in prize money and payouts to more than 130 professional athletes.
E1 Names Bombay Sapphire as Official Global Partner
The UIM E1 World Championship, an all-electric raceboat series, has entered into a global partnership with Bombay Sapphire that sees Bombay Sapphire become E1’s Official Gin Partner. The Championship’s teams are backed by names in sports and entertainment that include Will Smith, Rafael Nadel and Tom Brady. The partnership, as Bombay Sapphire rolls out its new “Step Into the Blue” brand platform, will see it become the official cocktail of E1, served to guests of the Ocean Club, E1’s exclusive VIP invite-only hospitality offering. In addition, Bombay Sapphire will also become official partners of current reigning champions Team Brady, owned by NFL legend Tom Brady, and Team Drogba, led by Didier Drogba and Gabrielle Lemaire.
Tradable Bits Signs Deal With Canada’s Northern Super League
Tradable Bits has signed a league-wide deal aimed to build fan support and bolster sponsorship efforts with Northern Super League, the new Canadian professional women’s soccer league launched in April. All six NSL clubs have also signed with Tradable Bits for club-level support. Tradable Bits will provide data acquisition, analysis and activation solutions at league and team levels. Tradable Bits’ CRM will acquire, analyze and activate first party data to maximize NSL’s marketing efforts across platforms, including email, SMS, digital, social, in-venue and broadcast. It will also integrate with ticketing and marketing automation systems. The league’s founding partners include Canadian Tire, SportChek, Doordash, Intact Insurance, WestJet and Toyota along with BMO, Coca-Cola, Simons, Ticketmaster and Hummel.
PRODUCTS
PlayVs to Launch Hockey Gaming Initiative Pilot
PlayVs, an amateur esports platform, is launching a pilot program, Game On: An NHL/NHLPA Scholastic Game Initiative, in three NHL markets, home to the New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings and Detroit Red Wings as well as a national virtual EA Sports NHL 25 tournament. The initiative, funded by the NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund, is designed to promote access, inclusion and connection through gaming, while giving young players the chance to engage with their local NHL teams. High schools will also take part in club-specific activations throughout the spring season, including in-person events and student engagement experiences.
PURCHASES
CAA Sports to Acquire Portas Consulting
CAA Sports has agreed to a deal to acquire Portas Consulting, a global management consulting firm, subject to customary regulatory approval. Executive chairman and founder David Portas and managing partner Donal McElwee, along with their team of 160 consultants and staff who have completed projects in more than 40 countries worldwide, will join the agency. Portas Consulting will be rebranded CAA Portas and will collaborate with governments, federations, Olympic committees, leagues, clubs, investors, ministers, boards, C-suite executives, senior sports leaders and private sector organizations to develop strategies that improve performance, enhance participation, optimize governance and drive commercial growth. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Europe’s Team Vitality Acquires Indonesia’s Bigetron Esport
Esports club Team Vitality announced the acquisition of Indonesian esports organization Bigetron Esports. The move will strengthen Team Vitality’s presence in the mobile gaming market as well as extend the brand’s reach further into Southeast Asia. With a population of over 270 million, more than 30% of whom are under 30, Indonesia has a highly engaged audience for esports. The country is home to over 100 million gamers, making it the fourth-largest gaming market in the world. As part of the move, Bigetron Esports’ brand identity will change to “Bigetron by Vitality.” Bigetron Esports CEO Edwin Chia, alongside Team Vitality’s co-founder CEO Nicolas Maurer and corporate director of global operations Danny Engels, will work together as the respective leads for Vitality’s mobile gaming entity.
Sports
Panthers Turn In 3 Podium Sweeps at Minnesota Open
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Milwaukee men’s track & field team competed in the Minnesota Open hosted by the University of Minnesota on Saturday in its first meet of 2026.
“The first meet back from winter break always has a mixed bag of results,” said head coach Andrew Basler. “I think most college track coaches would agree that there are challenges losing your team for 2-3 weeks for winter break after spending all fall preparing.”
The Panthers recorded three podium sweeps on the day, all coming in running events. Four different members of the Black & Gold notched first-place performances as well.
In the field, Kyril Griffin provided Milwaukee with an immediate spark to open the day. The sophomore cleared 14.24 meters in the triple jump, earning a second-place finish at the meet hosted inside the Minnesota Fieldhouse. Griffin continued his strong performance in the long jump, where he secured third place with a mark of 6.84 meters. The effort made him the top Panther finisher in the event and marked a new career-best.
Ty Bauschelt added to his impressive freshman campaign, taking home third place finishes in the high jump (1.95m) and the 400-meter dash (50.78).
The success of the freshmen continued for the Black & Gold with Brendan Vlasak turning in a second-place outing in the 60-meter hurdles. Vlasak clocked a time of 8.47.
In the 1-mile race, Harper Fahey (4:23.95), Will Whiteis (4:25.02), and Sam Blascyk (4:42.81) swept the podium going 1,2, and 3. Also claiming the top three podium positions were Zac Schmidt (22.63), Matt Scardina (22.91), and Mason Weaver (23.05) in the 200-meter dash, as well as Alex Anewenter (8:55.67), Aidan Sosnowski (9:02.69), Will Perez (9:41.67) in the 3000-meter run.
In the 800-meter dash, Lucas Picco crossed the finish line first in 1:55.64, securing his second first-place finish of the indoor season.
“From an effort standpoint, I was happy with what I saw across all events. We look forward to a focused week of training as we prepare for the Tierney Classic on Sunday, January 18,” Basler concluded.
UP NEXT
Milwaukee will take a week-long break from competition before returning to action at the annual Tierney Classic, hosted by the Panthers at the Klotsche Center. Events are scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m.
Sports
Lenes, Kermath take First at Wesleyan Indoor Invite I
MIDDLETOWN, CT. – The Wesleyan men’s track and field team opened the 2026 portion of the season at home on Saturday, hosting the Wesleyan Indoor Invite I as the team was led by Alex Kermath ’26 and Bruce Lenes ’26 with first place finishes from inside the Bacon Field House.
RESULTS
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Lenes was a first-place finish in the men’s 1,000m, crossing the finish line with a time of 2:35.73. Placing second was Calum Madigan ’29, running a final 2:47.42.
- Kermath claimed his top finish in the 3,000m event, finishing with a clocked time of 8:43.90. Placing third was Will Wise ’26 with an 8:51.14.
- In the mile, Zach Allen ’27 placed second, finishing at 4:27.98 while Noah Mahoney ’27 finished at 4:30.56 in third place.
- Rami Hayes-Messinger ’26 was a top qualifier in the field events, placing sixth in the weight throw with a final distance of 14.81m.
The Cardinals return to action on Friday, Jan. 16, when they take on the NYC Gotham Cup.
Sports
Sullivan Leads Cardinals at Wesleyan Indoor Invite I
MIDDLETOWN, CT. – Playing host to the Wesleyan Indoor Invite as the first event of the new year, the Wesleyan women’s track and field team saw several top performances as the team was led by Juliette Sullivan ’27 from the Bacon Field House.
RESULTS
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Sullivan nabbed second place in the first track event of the day, clocking in at 7.97 in the 60m dash. Sullivan followed up her performance in the 200m dash, taking first place as she crossed the finish line at 25/97.
- Kaitlyn Connors ’29 won the women’s mile, finishing just over five minutes with a 5:15.02 final.
- The Cardinals dominated the 3,000m, finishing with six in the Top 10. Alexandra Simon ’27 led the pack, placing second at 10:43.25. Clare Mahedy ’29 followed to round out the Top 3 with a time of 10:46.58. Margaret Stevens ’27 placed fourth (10:47.19), Nadia Lim ’26 was fifth (11:01.75), Audrey Leff ’29 placed sixth (11:06.49), and Grace Bell ’28 was ninth (11:44.61)
- In the 1,000m, Genevieve Minard ’28 took third place, tracking in with a time of 3:04.97.
- At pole vault, Kess Benner placed second with a height of 2.75m.
- The triple jump saw Alex Neubert ’29 place second with a distance of 10.95m. Katherine Goss ’29 was third at 10.87m.
The Cardinals return to action on Friday, Jan. 10, when they travel to Staten Island for the NYC Gotham Cup.
Sports
Mountain Hawks Produce Top Performances at Penn Select
The field events started the competition, where the Mountain Hawks had a few top performances. Senior Grace Aggen was Lehigh’s top performing thrower, where she led Lehigh in both events. Her best performance was in the shot put, where she threw 13.11 meters to place fifth. She also threw 13.38 meters in the weight throw, placing 15th. The Mountain Hawks had two other top five field finishes. The first was in the high jump, where sophomore Anna Troutman jumped 1.67 meters to earn fifth place. Senior Laura Reigle leaped 3.77 meters in the pole vault to secure a three-way tie for third. Senior Grace Nation may not have had the highest placing day for the jumpers as she finished seventh in the long jump, however she had the best individual jumping performance of the day. Her 5.56-meter jump was not just a personal best, but moved her up to seventh place on Lehigh’s all-time indoor performance list.
Senior Grace Kennedy and sophomore Jade Sanders had excellent days in the sprinting events earning top finishes. Their best performances were in the 400 meter where they both placed top ten and posted top Division I times. Kennedy led the way, placing second and running 56.53. That mark was not just the 42nd fastest time run in Division I this year, but also the 55th best time in the entire NCAA. Sanders ran 57.60, which landed her in ninth place and was the 89th fastest Division I time this year. In the 200 meter, Kennedy led the way once again with a 25.60-second run, earning her ninth place. Sanders clocked in at 25.85, which was good for 12th place and was an indoor personal best. Close behind them was first-year Harper Glennon, who ran a collegiate best time of 25.99 to place 14th. Glennon was also Lehigh’s top finisher in the 60 meters, where she placed 16th (7.87).
The 800 meters also featured personal best performances. Sophomore Lauren Bower ran an indoor personal best time of 2:14.02. This performance was the 48th best time in the NCAA, and placed her at seventh in the meet. Senior Amber Barrios was just behind in ninth place. She finished in 2:16.24, which earned her the 84th best time in the NCAA this year.
Lehigh had two other top ten placements in the competition. First was first-year Lyssi Penn in the 60 meter hurdles, who’s 9.27-second run earned her ninth. Senior Dakota Russell also placed ninth in her event, she ran 10:21.79 over 3000 meters.
The Mountain Hawks also placed well in the 4×400-meter relay. The team of Barrios, Bower, first year Kayleigh Jamieson, and senior Corinn Brewer placed sixth by running 3:59.55.
Lehigh next competes next week, when the Mountain Hawks will split their squad. Some of the team will head back to Philadelphia to compete at the Quaker Invitational, while the others stay on campus to compete at the Moravian Blue and Grey Invite at Rauch Fieldhouse.
Sports
Bulldogs Set Three School Records in Season Opener at Tryon
MILL SPRING, N.C. – The UNC Asheville Track and Field team kicked off the 2026 indoor season in impressive fashion on Saturday, breaking three school records at the season opener. The meet marked the first collegiate competition at Tryon International since the facility added the Mondo Super X 720 Indoor Track.
School Records Set
- Nkosi Jeju opened his season by winning the men’s long jump with a mark of 7.40 meters, surpassing his own previous school record of 7.34 meters set at last year’s Gamecock Opener.
- Kelechi Anyanwu made a memorable collegiate debut in the men’s 300m, finishing in 34.29 seconds to set a new school record. The previous mark of 34.74 seconds was held by Shemarr Session.
- Bennett Moreno also set a school record in his collegiate debut in the men’s 600m, taking third overall in 1:22.08. The previous record of 1:22.74 had stood since 1995.
Other long jump competitors included Elijah Able (4th, 6.82m), Aaron Higgins (6th, 6.78m), and Max Smydra (7th, 6.63m), with Able entering the record book at No. 5. Ty’Vell Foskey (7th, 35.47) and Demorris Jordan (10th, 35.83) also represented Asheville in the top-10 of the 300m.
Top Individual Finishes
Women’s 1,000m
Women’s Weight Throw
Women’s Shot Put
Men’s Shot Put
Men’s Triple Jump
Women’s 300m
Women’s 600m
Men’s 60m Finals
Men’s 60m Hurdles
Men’s High Jump
Men’s 1,000m
Men’s Mile & 800m
Women’s Mile
Women’s 800m
Men’s & Women’s 200m
Men’s & Women’s 3,000m
Men’s 400m
Relays
For a complete look at all of the results, click here.
The Bulldogs will return to action at Tryon next weekend (Jan. 16-17) for the Tryon International Winter Invitational.
To stay updated with all things surrounding Asheville track & field, follow the team on 𝕩.
Sports
Kiplagat, Matthews Winners in Gamecock Opener
COLUMBIA, SC. – Andrew Kiplagat picked up right where he left off from the cross country season with a program record first-place finish in the 3000m, Saturday at the South Carolina Indoor Track & Field Complex.
Kiplagat highlighted a plethora of top-10 finishes with an 8:18.68 finish in his first event of indoor season.
He was not the only Wildcat to take home the top spot in an event, as Ashton Matthews topped the leaderboard in the high jump with a 1.95m.
Shanard Walker added to his strong start to the season with a 6.81 in the 60m, taking third in the event. He also placed second in the 200m with. a 21.31.
Jancent Wallace took third in the 200m with a 21.71, as well as second in the 400m with a 47.75.
On the women’s side, Valencia Butler finished secon in the mile with a time of 5:33.67. Also in second was Selena Rutland, who finished as the runner up in the high jump with a 1.50m, and Haely Grant, who posted a 57.20 in the 400m.
Morgan Middleton finished third with a 1:42.03 in the 600m, with Nyidjah Ives finishing third in the 800m with a 2:35.71.
In the jumps, Zion Harvey and LaNeeya Garrison each earned top-three finishes in the long jump and triple jump, respectively.
The full list of B-CU times and finishes is listed below:
Men’s 60m
3. Shanard Walker 6.81
Men’s 200m
2. Shanard Walker 21.31
3. Jancent Wallace 21.73
5. Ethan Sharpe 21.76
16. Jonathan Gaines 22.35
Men’s 300m
13. Makhii Fleming 35.48
Men’s 400m
2. Jancent Wallace 47.75
3. Ethan Sharpe 49.05
8. Jonathan Gaines 49.85
Men’s 600m
4. Dashawn Buist 1:22.35
6. Donovan Walker-Collins 1:23.35
9. Andre Sewel 1:26.84
Men’s 1000m
3. Dashawn Buist 2:37.66
5. Andre Sewel 2:48.08
Men’s Mile
6. Gerrard Griffin 4:40.06
7. Jalen Jackson 4:40.71
9. Majet Bethely 4:59.73
Men’s 3000m
1. Andrew Kiplagat 8:18.68
Men’s 60m Hurdles
3. Harrison Robinson 8.10
Men’s High Jump
1. Ashton Matthews 1.95m
Men’s Pole Vault
4. Jabari Armant 4:05m
Men’s Long Jump
4. Amariion Grant 7.00m
9. Lester Williams 6.20m
Men’s Triple Jump
2. Jaheim Hines 14.54m
Women’s 60m
9. Amani Jones 7.77
11. Kayla Hopkins 7.80
Women’s 200m
6. Betina Jean 24.97
8. Zion Harvey 25.09
14. Haely Grant 26.07
15. Mariana Morillo 26.15
Women’s 300m
6. Betina Jean 40.18
9. Amani Jones 42.02
13. Kayla Hopkins 43.89
Women’s 400m
2. Haely Grant 57.20
Women’s 600m
3. Morgan Middleon 1:42.03
5. Jamariya Robinson 1:42.83
7. Kavay Johnson 1:48.87
Women’s 800m
3. Nyidjah Ives 2.35.71
Women’s Mile
2. Valencia Butler 5:33.67
Women’s 60m Hurdles
10. Kavay Johnson 9.18
11. Ay’Keelah Green 9.32
Women’s High Jump
2. Selena Rutland 1.50m
5. Darryn Hough 1.50m
Women’s Long Jump
3. Zion Harvey 5.55m
4. Ay’Keelah Green 5.53m
7. Selena Rutland 5.28m
Women’s Triple Jump
3. LaNeeya Garrison 11.15m
Follow Bethune-Cookman Cross Country/Track & Field on Twitter and Instagram (BCUXCTF) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUAthletics), Instagram (@BCU_Athletics) TikTok (@BCUAthletics) and www.bcuathletics.com.
–#HailWildcats–
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