CEDAR CITY — Southern Utah University is looking for a new leader of its athletic department.

Doug Knuth announced he has resigned from his position as Southern Utah athletic director Tuesday morning three years into a tenure that featured highs and lows for the former embattled administrator at Nevada.

Knuth cited a need to be closer to his family in a statement from the university, adding that “it has been a privilege to work with the coaches, staff and student athletes. I couldn’t be more excited for the new opportunities that are coming.”

In a follow-up post from his personal account on social media platform X, Knuth noted the Thunderbirds’ “record fundraising” as well as an “all-time best academic and APR marks” and “new and renovated facilities with more coming soon.”

In three years under Knuth’s leadership, the university achieved its highest-ever APR score with a department-wide average of 985 and five teams earning a perfect 1,000.

The Flippin’ Birds’ gymnastics team won back-to-back MPSF championships following the dissolution of the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference, sweeping every major award this past year, and Thunderbird women’s basketball won the WAC regular-season and tournament titles in 2023 to clinch the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

The university also installed a new artificial turf softball field, renovated the basketball and volleyball practice gym, a new soccer stadium, and a “state-of-the-art track throws area” at Eccles Coliseum.

But Knuth’s departure is the second resignation from Southern Utah athletics in June, and comes eight days after head volleyball coach Kacey Nady resigned following four years with the school. In a news release, Knuth called the resignation “a great opportunity to identify a coach who can bring a new competitive vision to SUU volleyball,” which won 29 matches in four years.

The third-year athletic director who was under contract through December following stops at Nevada and the University of Utah also had a tumultuous end to his time in Cedar City. The university was under a department-wide Title IX investigation, as first reported by Action Network’s Brett McMurphy — an investigation Knuth publicly denied even as university officials told KSL.com that it “takes all reports seriously” while declining to address any specific allegations.

The investigation followed Knuth’s time in Reno, where he was a central figure in four Title IX investigations at Nevada during a long-term investigation outlined by USA Today, including allegations of disparaging comments about pregnant women and an alleged inappropriate relationship with an assistant cheer coach.

One of Knuth’s top assistants, deputy athletic director and operating officer Marie Tuite, was also involved in several investigations during her time as an administrator in San Jose State, as reported by Sportico.

Among other allegations, the veteran college sports administrator was accused of harboring a serial sexual abuser in the Spartans’ former longtime athletic trainer and retaliating against current and former employees who raised complaints, according to the report.

That complaint led to an investigation and a $1.6 million settlement with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. Southern Utah hired Tuite in 2023 following a “thorough vetting process,” according to a school spokesperson.

The school appointed retired Utah fifth judicial district judge Tom Higbee to serve as interim athletic director, beginning July 15.

“We are grateful for Doug’s time and commitment to SUU’s Athletic Department,” said president Mindy Benson in a statement. “We recognize Doug’s accomplishments on fundraising initiatives for facility improvements, strengthening the student-athlete experience, and building a vibrant game-day culture. We wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Southern Utah also finds itself in the middle of one of the latest waves of conference realignment, with the Western Athletic Conference soon to be down to just five member schools — SUU, Utah Tech, Abilene Christian, UT Arlington and Tarleton State — when Utah Valley joins the Big West next July.

Tarleton, which has openly stated ambitions of moving to the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I, is also reportedly a leading candidate to join Conference USA if several expected waves continue to hit college sports, including the Pac-12’s reported heavy interest in Texas State out of the Sun Belt, according to ESPN and others. Louisiana Tech from CUSA is seen as the leading candidate to replace the Bobcats in the Sun Belt.

Twelve University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa student-athletes were chosen for the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic At-Large All-District Team.

Honorees

• ʻEleu Choy – Men’s Volleyball
• Anson Cabello – Men’s Golf
• Josh Hayashida – Men’s Golf
• Tyler Ogawa – Men’s Golf
• Dane Watanabe – Men’s Golf
• James Whitworth – Men’s Golf
• Varnika S. Achanta – Women’s Golf
• Sarah Burton – Beach Volleyball
• Alana Embry – Beach Volleyball
• Daisy Logtens – Water Polo
• Roni Perlman – Water Polo
• Jordan Wedderburn – Water Polo

In order to be eligible, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA. While all student-athletes who meet the requirements can be named to the at-large all-district team, schools are limited to just six male and six female honorees.

Candidates came from a pool of more than a dozen of UH Mānoa’s NCAA-sponsored sports, including men’s volleyball, women’s beach volleyball, women’s water polo and men’s and women’s golf.

For more on the honorees, visit Hawaiiathletics.com.

The 2025 World Championships officially have a pool with the new World Aquatics Championships Arena (WCH Arena) being unveiled yesterday in Singapore at the Singapore Spots Hub.

The facility will be home to a few large aquatics events in the coming months, and the World Championships will not be the first event hosted in the new pool. Later this week, the Southeast Asian Age Group Championships will christen the facility from June 20th-27th.

Mark Chay, the co-chair of the Singapore 2025 organizing committee said “Young aquatics athletes from Southeast Asia will inaugurate the WCH Arena, followed by the professional athletes competing in the World Aquatics Championships and our Masters athletes participating in the World Aquatics Masters Championships.

At 4,800 permanent seats, the arena comes in just under the permanent capacity of some of the recent World Championships sites. The Duna arena in Hungary and the Hamad Aquatic Centre in Doha both have 5,000 permanent seats.

Swimming fans will also be pleased to read that the pool has a depth of 3 meters which matches World Aquatics’ recommendation when it comes to pool depth. This should assuage any concerns about pool depth which was a major conversation during the 2024 Olympics due to La Défense Arena’s depth of 2.15 meters.

Paris Olympians will see one familiar site with the starting blocks, which are the exact same model that was used at the Games last year.

Only Swimming and Artistic Swimming competitions will be held in the new arena. The rest of the events will be evenly spread out between Palawan and the OCBC Aquatic Centre

Sport by Sport Competition Schedule:

Nyla King, who recently graduated with the Class of 2025 from Central Catholic High School, won THREE state titles at the Division II Track & Field State Championship in Columbus on June 7!  She took first place in the 100-meter (11.60), 200-meter (23.76), and 400-meter (54.36) dashes.  Her time in the 100-meter was the fastest recorded in Ohio this year, and her time in the 200-meter is a new Division II state record.  Nyla previously won two state championships as a freshman, three as a sophomore, and two in her junior year, meaning she wrapped up her high school career with an unprecedented 10 state titles!

“Nyla’s freshman year was my first year as a coach at Central Catholic,” said Eddie Washington ’16, assistant coach for the CCHS track team.  “I have seen Nyla grow over the years, and the way she prepares herself in practice is the same Nyla you get during competition.  She has worked so hard for this, and it shows.  She deserves everything she has won.”

Starting Blocks

Nyla began her running career in early elementary school when her parents signed her up with a private AAU track club, along with her brothers Jacob ’22 and Solomon ’23.  According to her family, running is in her genes.  Her grandfather was on the track team at Scott High School and still has a school record there, and her mom and dad were both runners as well.  Solomon won the state championship in the 100-meter dash when he was a senior at Central Catholic, and he was part of the state championship 4×100-meter relay team that year as well.  He earned a college scholarship in track, and he is now a member of the team at Eastern Michigan University.

“My parents told me as a kid that I had a special talent,” Nyla recalled.  “I started winning right away when I competed in AAU.  We had meets every Saturday all summer long and I actually hated it!  But my parents kept encouraging me, so I stuck with it.”

She may not have liked running, but there is one thing Nyla has always liked even less that motivates her to do her best.  “I don’t like losing,” she said.  “I don’t like the feeling at all.  When I lose, the feeling stays with me a lot longer than the feeling I get when I win.”

The King siblings have always been competitive, and that competition has helped push Nyla.  But her relationship with her brothers has grown into one of support and encouragement.  “Solomon has helped me get ready before big competitions,” she explained.  “Since he runs in college, he has shared his college training regimen with me, which has been really helpful.”

Keeping the Pace

When Nyla was a freshman at Central Catholic, the team included several older girls that she had run with or against during her years on the AAU team.  They all had great talent, so the coach put them together on relay teams and they won two state championships that year.  The team of Tianna Davis ’22, Taylor Scribner ’24, Jara Johnson ’24, and Nyla won the 4×100-meter relay, and the team of Tianna Davis, Taylor Scribner, Mary Ellis ’23, and Nyla won the 4×200-meter relay.

The next year, the two relay teams repeated their state championships, with Jayla Watson ’23 taking the place of Tianna Davis, who had graduated.  Nyla also began competing in individual events her sophomore year, and she won her first state championship in the 100-meter dash.

By her junior year, Nyla began concentrating solely on individual events.  She defended her championship in the 100-meter dash and added a championship in the 200-meter dash to her growing list of accomplishments.

That led to her senior year when she defended both her previous state championships in the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash, and she added her 10th state championship by winning the 400-meter dash.

Of all her state titles, Nyla feels most proud of her first championship in the 100-meter dash her sophomore year.  “I felt like I was immature and not ready for it, that I didn’t work hard enough for it,” she said.  “I didn’t think I’d win it.  And that was also the year that Solomon won his 100-meter state championship, so that made it really special.”

The fact that Nyla is a 10-time state champion, which is something that has never been accomplished in any sport at Central Catholic High School, hasn’t really sunk in yet.  “It doesn’t feel that different,” she said.  “It kind of feels like getting older on your birthday.  You expect to feel different, but the world keeps spinning as usual.”  She acknowledges that she will most likely feel the gravity of her accomplishment as she looks back on it later in life.

Sprinting Toward the Future

Nyla greatly appreciates the support she has received from her parents and family, as well as from her Central Catholic family.  “Central Catholic has a great atmosphere, and we have amazing teachers, staff members, and coaches who can help you reach your goals,” she said.  “I especially want to thank Mrs. Tyburski, Mrs. McVicker, Ms. Andre, Ms. Shanahan, Mr. Huntebrinker, and Ms. Green for all their patience and support.”

“Nyla is incredibly humble and one of the most deserving student-athletes of her accomplishments,” said Simone Green ’19, Central Catholic’s college and career advisor and an assistant track coach.  “Seeing her in the classroom, practicing, and performing on the track – she has definitely grown in these four years.  It’s been very rewarding watching her hard work pay off.  I don’t think she really understands how fast she is and what she can still accomplish.”

For now, she plans to rest up over the summer before moving on to her next challenge – competing in the SEC.  Nyla has received a full track scholarship to attend Mississippi State University.  She plans to major in criminal justice because she has always had an interest in solving mysteries, and she wants to be able to help people by solving crimes.  “My goal is to be known in the SEC.  I want to graduate and get a good job so I can be financially stable.  I also look forward to being a mom someday.”

Her parents and her coaches believe Nyla has the potential to be an All-American and even to compete in the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.  “If that’s what God has planned for me, then that’s what will happen and I welcome it,” Nyla said.  In the meantime, she wants to continue to compete to inspire others and show what can be done if you work hard and put your mind to it.

NYLA KING’S 10 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

2022
4×100-Meter Relay – Tianna Davis, Taylor Scribner, Jara Johnson, Nyla King
4×200-Meter Relay – Tianna Davis, Taylor Scribner, Mary Ellis, Nyla King

2023
100-Meter Dash
4×100-Meter Relay – Jayla Watson, Taylor Scribner, Jara Johnson, Nyla King
4×200-Meter Relay – Jara Johnson, Taylor Scribner, Mary Ellis, Nyla King

2024
100-Meter Dash
200-Meter Dash

2025
100-Meter Dash
200-Meter Dash
400-Meter Dash

LONDON, June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lottery.com Inc. (NASDAQ: LTRY, LTRYW) (“Lottery.com” or “the Company”), a leading technology company transforming the intersection of gaming, sports and entertainment, today announced the appointment of internationally celebrated actor, producer, and entrepreneur Tamer Hassan as President of Sports.com Studios, its newly formed content division focused on film, docuseries, and original programming.

A Director for Lottery.com since June 2023, Mr. Hassan brings a distinguished career spanning over 25 years in international film and television. He is widely known for iconic roles in productions such as Layer Cake, The Business, The Football Factory, Eastern Promises and Game of Thrones.

In his capacity as President of Sports.com Studios, Hassan will lead the division’s creative and strategic efforts to develop, produce and distribute compelling sports-focused films, docuseries, and premium digital content. This new arm of the business will serve as the cornerstone of Sports.com’s global expansion into entertainment media and immersive storytelling.

Matthew McGahan, Chairman & CEO of Lottery.com, stated:

“Tamer is a force of nature — his experience, storytelling instincts, and deep connection to the world of sport make him uniquely suited to lead Sports.com Studios. We’re proud to have him at the helm as we build a slate of powerful content that inspires audiences and builds our global brand.”

Sports.com Studios is in pre-production on a number of titles, including a documentary series chronicling the acquisition and revival of a major British football club, behind-the-scenes access to elite athletes and original narratives exploring the heart of global sport.

Tamer Hassan commented:

“I’ve always believed in the power of sport and film to unite, inspire and tell real human stories. As President of Sports.com Studios, I’m excited to bring those worlds together and produce original, emotional, and authentic content for fans across the globe. We’re just getting started.”

This announcement signals a bold new chapter in the evolution of Sports.com — blending sport, cinema and storytelling through the leadership of a creative icon.

About Lottery.com
The Lottery.com Inc. (NASDAQ: LTRY, LTRYW) family of brands — including Sports.com, Tinbu and WinTogether, comprise a unified ecosystem that integrates gaming, entertainment, and sports. Follow the Company on X, Instagram and Facebook.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release, regarding the Company’s strategy, future operations, prospects, plans and objectives of management, are forward-looking statements. When used in this Form 8-K, the words “could,” “should,” “will,” “may,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “initiatives,” “continue,” the negative of such terms and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions about future events and are based on currently available information as to the outcome and timing of future events. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release or as of the date they are made. The Company cautions you that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of the Company. In addition, the Company cautions you that the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are subject to risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to, expectations related to the investigation of short selling or potential naked short selling, including the Company’s analysis, its ability to take appropriate corrective action, or any potential investigations by regulators; any future findings from ongoing review of the Company’s internal accounting controls; additional examination of the preliminary conclusions of such review; the Company’s ability to secure additional capital resources; the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern; the Company’s ability to respond in a timely and satisfactory matter to the inquiries by Nasdaq; the Company’s ability to regain compliance with the Bid Price Requirement; the Company’s ability to regain compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rules; the Company’s ability to become current with its SEC reports; and those additional risks and uncertainties discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Form 10-K/A filed by the Company with the SEC on April 22, 2025, and the other documents filed, or to be filed, by the Company with the SEC. Additional information concerning these and other factors that may impact the operations and projections discussed herein can be found in the reports that the Company has filed and will file from time to time with the SEC. These SEC filings are available publicly on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties described in this press release materialize or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results and plans could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, the Company disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statements, all of which are expressly qualified by the statements in this section, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b2659dc2-b362-4f61-9979-442e858243b6

This press release was published by a CLEAR® Verified individual.

For more information, please visit www.lottery.com or contact our media relations team at press@lottery.com.

The Nevada women’s track and field season ended Thursday, marking the final Wolf Pack team to complete its 2024-25 campaign. At the conclusion of the year for each Nevada sport, we will offer a final report card. Here is that report card for Wolf Pack women’s track and field.

Nevada women’s track and field

Preseason expectations: The Wolf Pack had a solid 2023-24 season, placing seventh in the Mountain West indoor championships before improving to fourth in the outdoor meet. There was momentum entering the season with the opening of the $5 million Reno-Tahoe Indoor Track, plus the return of five of the seven Nevada athletes who qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary, all of whom were underclassmen last year. That led to optimism the Wolf Pack could see improved marks in 2024-25.

Final record: Ninth at the MW indoor championships (out of 11); sixth at the MW outdoor championships (out of 11)

Athlete of the year: Lilly Urban — Two athletes separated themselves from the pack as Nevada’s top track and field athletes this year in Urban, a javelin thrower, and sprinter Magdalene George. Both made our Dandy Dozen list (the Wolf Pack’s top-12 athletes this year). Urban set the Nevada javelin record four times during her sophomore season, including a personal-best 56.89 meters to win gold at the MW Championships. She qualified for the NCAA Championships and placed 11th (55.27 meters) to earn second-team All-American honors, the highest national finish of any Wolf Pack athlete in 2024-25.

Best win: This category doesn’t necessarily apply in track and field, but we will highlight George’s school records in the 60 and 200 indoor. The sophomore from Nigeria won five medals at the conference championships, including silver in the 100 and 200 indoor and bronze in the 60 and 200 outdoor, adding a bronze in a relay event. While George didn’t win gold at the MW meets, she was the Wolf Pack’s top point-earner at the conference championships.

Stat to note: 6 of 8 — With Urban qualifying for nationals, Nevada has sent at least one individual or relay team to six of the last eight NCAA outdoor track and field championships. That run, which dates back to 2017, has included Urban; multi-athletes Nicola Ader and Nicole Wadden; steeplechase runner EmKay Myers; and Nevada’s 4×400 relay team competing at nationals. Prior to 2017, Nevada didn’t have an individual qualify for nationals since 2011.

Season in short: With the Reno-Tahoe Indoor Track opening inside the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, the Wolf Pack hosted four indoor meets before traveling to a pair of events in Albuquerque, including the MW Championships where it finished a disappointing ninth out of 11 schools, its lowest mark since also finishing ninth in 2019. That was down two spots from 2024. The outdoor season brought more prosperity as Nevada sent athletes to nine meets before the conference championship where it finished sixth out of 11 team, which also was down two spots from the year prior. The Wolf Pack set nine school records during the indoor and outdoor season.

Final grade: C+ — The Wolf Pack took a small step backward year over year with lower placements in the MW indoor and outdoor meets and fewer athletes sent to the NCAA West Preliminary. The Wolf Pack sent five athletes to the NCAA Preliminary round, down two from last year. Nevada’s five qualifiers were tied for the sixth most in the MW behind New Mexico (12), San Diego State (10), Fresno State (eight), Colorado State (six) and San Jose State (six). Utah State also had five. The season was boosted by Urban’s All-American year, which was fantastic. This program has been a middle-of-the-conference or slightly below operation for its 13 seasons in MW, with its facilities not really up to the MW standard prior to the addition of the indoor facility. That should boost Nevada in the future, or at least raise the level of fair expectation, as the Wolf Pack looks to build the depth require to compete at the top of the conference. The Wolf Pack will lose a couple of key seniors in Izzy Steerman (javelin), Natasha Chetty (high jump), Claire Nelson (distance runner) and Alyssa Carson (pole vault) but returns most of its point-earners from this season.

Sports columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at crmurray@sbgtv.com or follow him on Twitter @ByChrisMurray.