YORKTON – Water polo might not be the first sport one thinks about when considering Saskatchewan athletes but one put together such a notable career in the sport he is among the athletes being inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame later this year.

Noah Miller will become the first athlete from water polo to be inducted.

“I was just surprised – elated. I felt honoured,” Miller said of learning of his selection, adding there is a level of gratification in being honoured for all the work he put into the sport.

Miller was born in Regina in 1980, and actually started out as a youth with a swim club in the city.

“I was five years old. Mom put me in the swim club because my older brother was in it,” Miller told Yorkton This Week in a recent interview.

But it so happened his mother Klara Kesmarky Miller was involved as the executive director of the provincial water polo organization, a sport the younger Miller was interested in.

“When I was 12 or 13 I told my mom I wanted to switch into water polo,” he recalled, adding his parents were always supportive of whatever sport activity he was involved in.

“. . . Both my parents were big proponents of sport. They supported me in anything that was sport-related. They just felt sport was a really good tool and instrument to develop kids.”

Interestingly Kesmarky Miller is also being inducted this year for her involvement in gymnastic which lasted more than 60 years. At 16 she judged her first provincial competition and was helping coach the Regina Girls Gym Club’s competitive program. Miller spent 27 years as a judge and launched the YWCA Limberettes Gym Club in her teens and then helped establish the Queen City Kinsmen Gymnastics Club. She would serve as the Chief Executive Officer of Gymnastics Saskatchewan for 30 years.

It will be the first induction to feature a parent and child being inducted at the same time who were not inducted together as part of a team.

Once involved in water polo it became a passion for Miller and he excelled at it.

He was first selected to the Canadian National Water Team as a Youth player in 1995, and continued his national team international career until his retirement in 2008.

Miller spent nine years on the Canadian men’s national water polo team including serving as the team’s captain for five of those years. Miller competed at six FINA World Championships, three FISU World University Games, and won bronze medals at the Pan Am Games twice in 2003 (Santo Domingo) and 2007 (Rio de Janeiro). Miller also won six Canadian national championships with three clubs tying the most by a Saskatchewan water polo player.

“There are no regrets with my path,” said Miller, adding he tried other sports, in particular basketball which his father was good enough to be a University of Regina Cougar in in the 1960s, but the hoops gene missed his son.

In water polo Miller said he found a completely different sport.

“The sport of water polo is so different from any other sport. You’re in a foreign environment,” he said.

But it is an environment Miller said creates a dynamic sport that deserves more attention, as it does in Europe and Australia with pro leagues, something he hopes for in North America one day.

“It’s been talked about for a long time,” he said, adding it will take a lot of work “to have that come to fruition.”

The 2025 Induction Dinner & Ceremony will be held at the Conexus Arts Centre in Regina on Saturday, Sept. 20.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – A total of 173 St. Olaf College student-athletes were honored as 2024-25 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Winter/Spring Academic All-Conference honorees, as announced on Thursday morning.

St. Olaf’s 173 honorees were the second-highest total in school history – just four behind last year’s record of 177 – and were the second-highest total in the conference, while representing nearly half (46.3 percent) of St. Olaf’s eligible student-athletes. Women’s track and field led the way with 33 honorees, followed by men’s track and field (32), baseball (24), men’s hockey (16), women’s hockey (14), and softball (11), among teams with double-digit honorees.

Each of St. Olaf’s 14 sports had multiple Academic All-MIAC selections. Baseball, women’s hockey, and women’s track and field’s totals all were the highest in the conference, while men’s hockey and men’s track and field were second among all MIAC institutions.

To qualify for Academic All-MIAC status, student-athletes must be sophomores, juniors, or seniors by academic standards with a minimum cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. Student-athletes must also complete one full-time academic year at their current institution before becoming eligible for the honor. A student-athlete must be a member of a MIAC-sponsored varsity sports team, be academically and athletically eligible, have utilized a season of participation per NCAA and MIAC definitions, and have remained on the sports roster through the conclusion of the sports season to be eligible for Academic All-Conference honors.

St. Olaf’s Winter/Spring Academic All-MIAC Honorees

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown University announced the hiring of Jason Barshinger as its head women’s volleyball coach Thursday morning.
 
Barshinger brings five seasons of collegiate men’s volleyball head coaching experience to Berks County, most recently leading NCAA Division III Bryn Athyn College since 2023.
 
“We’re thrilled to welcome Jason to Kutztown and have him leading our women’s volleyball program,” director of athletics Renee Hellert said. “Jason’s passion for the sport and his holistic approach to student-athlete development stood out during the search process. His strong knowledge of the sport and competitive drive will have an immediate impact on our program.”
 
Barshinger worked quickly to raise the level of play at Bryn Athyn, which was in just its second season of varsity play when he arrived in 2023. The Lions won a program record 12 matches and enjoyed their longest winning streak (four) in 2024. Barshinger mentored the first All-United East First Team selection in program history and boasted four all-conference selections, a senior scholar-athlete and four player of the week award winners overall.
 
Under Barshinger’s leadership, the Lions ranked eighth in NCAA Division III in aces per set and 20th in digs per set during the 2024 season.
 
“I appreciate the opportunity to lead the volleyball program at Kutztown University,” Barshinger said. “I am excited to get to work with the players and develop a focused, energetic, and team-centered style of play. I want to thank Renee Hellert and the hiring committee for entrusting me with the success of the student-athletes on the court, in the classroom, and with the life lessons that the game can teach us all.”
 
Prior to arriving at Bryn Athyn, Barshinger was the first head men’s volleyball coach at Wilson College from 2015-17. The Phoenix developed into an eight-win program in just their second year of competition in 2017. Barshinger also relaunched the women’s volleyball program as head coach at Central Penn College from 2012-15 and led the team to 15 wins by its third season.
 
Barshinger enjoyed a successful stint as a head coach at the scholastic level between stints at New Oxford High School and Abington High School. He was named 2015 YAIAA Coach of the Year at New Oxford after leading the team to its first winning season in nearly a decade and upsetting a state-ranked opponent. In 2022, Barshinger led Abington to a 13-6 record.
 
In addition to his coaching duties at Bryn Athyn, Barshinger also served as the assistant director of recruitment, an academic advisor, residence life coordinator and event planner for admissions.

A three-year starter for Pennsylvania boys’ volleyball state power Central York High School, Barshinger also played for Yorktowne Volleyball Club and participated in the 1999 USA Volleyball Junior National Championship Tournament in New Orleans.

While at Central Penn College, Barshinger was a member of the basketball, cross country and golf teams and was named Athlete of the Year in 2002. He earned his associate’s degree in communications from Central Penn in 2003 before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Elizabethtown College in 2021.

 

Barshinger, a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Jenifer, and daughters, Elianna and Karina. He will begin his new role at Kutztown June 30.

 

 

STEPHENVILLE, Texas – On July 1, 2026, Tarleton State University will begin a new age in its NCAA Division I era, as the Texans will be one of eight institutions in the new version of the United Athletic Conference.
 
Tarleton State Football has been in the UAC for the past two years, a football-only conference that has included members of the Western Athletic Conference and Atlantic Sun Conference. Announced on Thursday, the WAC will rebrand into an all-sports version of the UAC that will include three WAC members (Tarleton State, Abilene Christian, UT Arlington) and the five football-playing institutions from the ASUN (Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama and West Georgia).
 
“We stand at a pivotal moment in collegiate athletics that demands vision, collaboration, and bold leadership,” Chairman of the WAC Board of Directors Dr. James Hurley said. “The evolving landscape of collegiate athletics presents both challenges and opportunities and our alliance with the ASUN represents a strategic step forward for our institution and peers.
 
“We honor the proud past of the Western Athletic Conference and carry that legacy with us as we move confidently into the future as the United Athletic Conference, in partnership with the Consortium,” Hurley continued. “Together, we are building something that reflects the values, ambition, and resilience of our universities and student-athletes.”
 
This is a groundbreaking alliance, creating a consortium of two conferences to innovate and improve operational efficiency. The alliance will strengthen both conferences, create new growth opportunities, and position both conferences for continued success in the future.
 
The Consortium will be led by current ASUN Commissioner Jeff Bacon, who will serve as its Executive Director. Current WAC Commissioner, Rebekah Ray, will assume a leadership role within the Consortium.
 
“Conferences are unrecognizable today from just a few years ago, and as we have navigated conference realignment, we are excited that the WAC has furthered its alliance with the ASUN to reinstate stability, a forsaken aspect in today’s climate,” Tarleton State Vice President and Director of Athletics Steve Uryasz said. “A new approach is needed in this landscape to keep enhancing the student-athlete experience. Without change, we will continue down a problematic and unsustainable path. The future is bright for the UAC.”
 
Starting July 1, 2026, the Western Athletic Conference will officially rebrand to the United Athletic Conference, which is the brand currently used to recognize the ASUN-WAC Football Alliance. This rebrand will better recognize the new membership composition of the conference with all seven football members housed within one conference, and the shift in geographic footprint.
 
The Consortium, with participation by multiple conferences, will allow for the consolidation and reduction of expenses, enhanced collective external revenue generation and bargaining opportunities, increased in-season scheduling opportunities, enhanced geographic alignment, governance support in anticipation of a deregulated NCAA Division I governance structure, and elevated student-athlete experiences with less missed class time and opportunities for rivalry development.
 
Sport sponsorship in the UAC will include baseball, men’s basketball, men’s cross country, men’s golf, football, men’s tennis, men’s indoor track and field, men’s outdoor track and field, women’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s golf, women’s soccer, softball, women’s tennis, women’s indoor track and field, women’s outdoor track and field, and volleyball.
 
Of Tarleton State’s 17 NCAA Division I programs, 16 will be full-fledged members of the United Athletic Conference. Texan Beach Volleyball will remain a Conference USA affiliated program.
 
The ASUN will consist of Bellarmine, Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville, Lipscomb, North Florida, Queens University of Charlotte, and Stetson.
 
Tarleton State has been a member of the Western Athletic Conference throughout its NCAA Division I era, which began in 2020. The Texans officially joined the WAC on July 1, 2020, after accepting its invitation in November 2019. Tarleton State Football was an independent program in 2020, part of the WAC in 2021-22 and members of the UAC starting in 2023. Tarleton State Beach Volleyball has been a Conference USA affiliate since the program began in 2024.
 
Since joining the WAC, the Texans have one of the premier institutions. Despite not being eligible for the conference tournament the first two years or NCAA Division I postseason eligible the first four years, Tarleton State has finished in the top-two of the conference standings nine times across five sports, top-two in the conference tournament five times across four sports, with two conference tournament titles over the past two seasons (baseball in 2024 and women’s golf in 2025). 
 

GLASSBORO, NJ — Matthew Conway, Nick Garman, Cole Mylan, Colin Patterson, Ryan Wells all were honored by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) on its Men’s Track & Field Academic All-District Teams.

Eligible nominees are be based off of TFRRS performance list rankings at the time of nomination. Nominees must have a top 50 regional time/result in a single event (indoor or outdoor) that originates from an individual performance, not a relay. Academically, undergraduate student-athletes must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and graduate student-athletes must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) as both an undergraduate and a grad student unless they are in their first semester as a graduate student and don’t have an established graduate GPA to be eligible in the nomination process.

Conway, a Chemical Engineering major, earned All-NJAC Second Team Cross Country honors as well as winning the 5000 meters at the NJAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships. The recent graduate is a member of the NJAC All-Academic First Team and was named United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic. He also a recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship as well.

Garman, a Mechanical Engineering major, set personal bests during the outdoor season in both the 200 and 400 meters.

Mylan, who majors in Radio, Television & Film, had a breakout cross country season, where he was 16th overall at the NJAC Championships.

Patterson, a Finance major, earned a spot on the All-NJAC Cross Country First Team while being named USTFCCCA All-Academic.

Wells is a Law & Justice Studies major, who turned in a personal best time in the 1500 meters this spring.

AUSTIN, Texas — On the strength of two National Championships and seven NCAA top-three finishes, The University of Texas has won the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup for the second-straight year and the fourth time in the last five years, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced Thursday morning. During the current 2024-25 season, the Longhorns amassed 1,255.25 points, while USC placed second with 1,253.75 points and Stanford took third with 1,251.0 points.

UT snapped Stanford’s 25-year stronghold on the Directors’ Cup during the 2020-21 season by scoring 1,252 points, while the Cardinal posted 1,195.75 points. That victory ended an impressive run by Stanford that began in 1994-95 and went through 2018-19 (no Cup was awarded in 2019-20 due to COVID-19). North Carolina won the first Cup in 1993-94. The Longhorns finished second in the standings three times during the Cardinal’s 25-year run, earning runner-up honors in 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2004-05.

During the 2021-22 season, the Longhorns amassed 1,449.50 points to claim the Cup again, while Stanford placed second with 1,352.25 points. UT joined the Cardinal as the nation’s only programs to win it in back-to-back years. The Longhorn have won consecutive Cups twice now and only a runner-up finish in 2022-23 separated Texas from a run of five-straight titles.

Texas finished runner-up in the Cup standings to Stanford during the 2022-23 season. The Cardinal won the Cup with 1,412.00 points, while the Longhorns posted 1,370.50 points. The Longhorns reclaimed the Cup during the 2023-24 season, as UT amassed 1,377.00 points while Stanford placed second with 1,312.75 points.

During the 2024-25 season, Texas registered NCAA team titles in Men’s Swimming Diving and its first-ever national championship in Softball, which marks the fifth-straight year the Longhorns have won multiple national titles in the same academic season. Excluding the COVID-shortened year of 2019-20, Texas has won at least one NCAA team title in 10-straight seasons.

Over the last five years, the Longhorns have won 13 NCAA team championships by eight different programs, while seven additional programs have either made the Final Four or finished in the top three at the NCAA Championships. Texas sponsors 21 intercollegiate sport programs, and with Softball earning its first NCAA title, 15 of those 21 programs have now claimed a National Championship. The Longhorns have captured 68 all-time National Championships (64 NCAA titles).

Texas produced 10 top-five and 13 top-10 team finishes at the NCAA Championships during the recent academic year. The 10 top-five performances marked a tie for the second-most in school history, trailing only the 12 recorded in 2021-22. The 13 top-10 efforts also tied for the second-most in school history, just one shy of the record 14 in 2021-22. The Longhorns have registered a total of 49 top-five NCAA team finishes and 65 top-10 NCAA team finishes during the last five years.

In addition to the pair of National Championship performances, the Longhorns recorded NCAA top-five team showings in Women’s Swimming and Diving (third), Rowing (third), Football (tied for third in the College Football Playoff, advancing to semifinals), Women’s Basketball (tied for third/NCAA Final Four), Men’s Tennis (tied for third/NCAA Semifinals), Beach Volleyball (tied for fifth/NCAA Quarterfinals), Women’s Golf (tied for fifth/NCAA Quarterfinals) and Men’s Golf (tied for fifth/NCAA Quarterfinals). Texas added NCAA top-10 finishes in Volleyball (tied for ninth/NCAA Round of 16), Women’s Tennis (tied for ninth/NCAA Round of 16) and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field (tied for 10th).

The Longhorns qualified 20 of their 21 NCAA eligible sports for their respective NCAA Championship events. Texas was the ONLY school in NCAA Division I to have its Football, either Men’s or Women’s Basketball, and either Baseball or Softball programs reach the Final Four of their NCAA Tournaments this season. Additionally, Texas Men’s and Women’s Golf were one of only two schools that saw both of its programs advance to the match play round of the NCAA Championships.

In addition to its success on the national level, UT earned a league-best eight Southeastern Conference titles during the 2024-25 season: Soccer (tournament), Men’s Swimming and Diving, Women’s Swimming and Diving, Women’s Basketball (regular season), Men’s Tennis (regular season and tournament), Rowing and Baseball (regular season). Of note, the eight championships doubled the next closest member institution, as South Carolina had four. With Beach Volleyball also winning the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) tournament title, the Longhorns won a total of nine conference championships in 2024-25 and have now claimed 663 all-time league titles in school history.

Since UT Vice President and Lois and Richard Folger Athletics Director Chris Del Conte arrived on the Forty Acres in December 2017, the Longhorns have claimed a total of 15 National Championships, 30 NCAA top-two finishes, 59 NCAA top-five finishes, 85 NCAA top-10 finishes and 82 total conference championships. Texas also has reached two CFP Semifinals, claimed four LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup crowns and posted six top-five Directors’ Cup finishes.

The LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today. A revised scoring system was implemented for the 2024-25 season. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in NCAA Championships. Division I schools can score points in a maximum of 19 sports, five of which must be baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball.

Texas recorded its seventh-straight top-five Director’s Cup finish after a fifth-place showing in 2017-18 and a fourth-place effort in 2018-19. There was no award in 2019-20 due to COVID-19. UT also was the top-ranked institution in the Southeastern Conference in the Directors’ Cup standings and has been the top-ranked school in its respective league (SEC, Big 12 or Southwest Conference) for 11 consecutive years and 24 times in the 32-year history of the Directors’ Cup.

Texas has now recorded a top-10 finish a total of 25 times in the 32-year history of the Directors’ Cup: 1st (2020-21, 2021-22, 2023-24 and 2024-25), 2nd (2001-02, 2002-03, 2004-05 and 2022-23), 3rd (2005-06), 4th (1995-96 and 2018-19), 5th (2007-08 and 2017-18), 6th (2008-09, 2011-12 and 2013-14), 7th (1993-94, 1996-97 and 2016-17), 8th (2006-07), 9th (1999-2000, 2014-15 and 2015-16) and 10th (1994-95 and 2003-04).

2024-25 Division I LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup Final Standings (Top 3 schools)

Texas in the Division I LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup Final Standings