No United States men’s water polo national team had ever finished this high at a World Championships event at any age group.

But a quartet of players from Newport Harbor, past and present, helped the Team USA Junior National team earn a hard-fought silver medal at the World Aquatics Under-20 World Championships in Croatia.

Team USA fell to Spain, 14-11, in the gold medal match on Saturday.

Contributors for the U.S. included 2023 Sailors graduate Ben Liechty and 2024 alumnus Peter Castillo, both now at UCLA. Gavin Appeldorn, a 2024 graduate now at Princeton, and incoming Sailors senior Connor Ohl also contributed for Team USA. Ohl recently committed to Stanford.

Costa Mesa native Landon Akerstrom, a Mater Dei graduate who now plays for UC San Diego, also helped the cause.

Ryan Ohl, Connor’s older brother who also plays for Stanford, led the American side with three goals against Spain. Liechty had a pair of goals and Castillo also scored for Team USA, which led 8-5 early in the third quarter before Spain rallied for the win.

Team USA had beaten Serbia 19-18 in a shootout in the quarterfinals, with former Huntington Beach and JSerra standout Ryder Dodd scoring a team-best seven goals and Akerstrom netting the game-winner in the shootout.

The Americans also beat Hungary 18-16 in the semifinals on Friday, avenging an earlier group play loss. Dodd led with six goals; Castillo and Akerstrom netted three goals each.

Penn State is launching a kind of in-house streaming sports service in partnership with LaVar Arrington that the athletic department calls “groundbreaking.” The site, known as ROAR+, will launch in July and deliver Penn State sports content to fans. Membership levels start at $15 a month, with a $250 monthly subscription offering perks such as chats with Penn State players and coaches and invitations to Arrington’s “ST1X C1ty” tailgates during home football games.

“ROAR+ is about creating a deeper connection between our fans and student-athletes while providing meaningful NIL opportunities,” Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft said in a statement. “This is a bold step forward in delivering innovative experiences to our supporters and empowering our student-athletes to tell their stories like never before.”

ROAR+ is part of Penn State’s rebranded NIL initiative called ROAR Solutions. Penn State consolidated several fundraising and donor platforms under this new umbrella, which includes its official collective Happy Valley United. The platform also features DisruptU-PSU, Arrington’s content creation company, and The Brand Academy, Penn State’s NIL marketing and strategy arm run by former Nittany Lions football player Omar Easy.

ROAR+ will serve as a content subscription service for Penn State sports fans. According to a news release, the site will provide exclusive content featuring Nittany Lions athletes, including interviews, player-driven podcasts and game archives.

Arrington, the former Penn State linebacker recently inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, will host a “lifestyle driven” show on the service as well as weekly show with Penn State football coach James Franklin called “Quite Franklin.” In addition, Penn State broadcaster Brian Tripp will host a daily show highlighting Penn State athletes and news.

Playfly Max, the NIL marketing division of sports media company Playfly Sports, will operate the ROAR+ site. Playfly Sports holds Penn State’s multimedia rights. Playfly Max is part of the ROAR Solutions platform and helps Penn State athletes sign NIL deals with local and national businesses. According to the ROAR+ website, all proceeds from the subscription service will benefit Penn State athletes.

“As part of the Roar Solutions portfolio, we’re constantly innovating to enhance the student-athlete experience in this evolving era of college athletics,” Morgyn Seigfried, Playfly Max’s general manager of NIL, said in a statement. “ROAR+ will forge a direct connection with our most passionate supporters, providing student-athletes a bold and authentic platform to share their stories, their way.”

Penn State fans can register now for the service and won’t be billed until July 24. Subscription levels are $15, $25, $100 and $250 monthly and include a range of benefits. The top level includes invitations to online and in-person events as well as Arrington’s tailgates.

Kraft recently discussed how Penn State is approaching the new era of NIL. Beginning July 1, the athletic department will participate in revenue sharing, which will allow Penn State to pay its athletes a total of $20.5 million annually from the athletics budget. Penn State athletes can earn additional money through NIL initiatives, which Kraft called marketing opportunities.

“So how about we change the narrative of NIL,” Kraft said. “It’s marketing now, it’s marketing dollars. …

I think what people think of the traditional NIL piece is we’re where we need to be. You have to keep looking and you’ve got to continue to do what you got to do.

‘But in this new system, you’re going to have to show fair market value. And this is where the power of Penn State is a huge asset, because fair market value for the starting quarterback at Penn State, it’s pretty good. We’ve got to lean into that and with our business partners. And so that’s kind of the new world of Name, Image and Likeness.”

Arrington has discussed bringing NIL opportunities to more Penn State athletes through content creation. Arrington is helping athletes create content and sign marketing deals through his media company. He believes this is the future of NIL.

“I plan on trying to monetize all of our athletes, and I don’t want to limit it to football,” Arrington said. “I also don’t want to beg our community for money. I just want our community to support the content that’s being created by our student-athletes, so you don’t have to complain about going into your pocket and spending money to help [fund] NIL.

“Just support the athletes on social media, give them a follow and follow the ad campaigns. That will prove the concept and show advertisers there is truly impact in creating content with Penn State student-athletes.”

More Penn State Sports

NORMAN – Oklahoma track and field throws athlete Ralford Mullings was named the USTFCCCA Division I National Men’s Field Athlete of the Year and head coach James Thomas and associate head coach Jerel Langley, along with heptathlete Pippi Lotta Enok, picked up USTFCCCA Midwest Regional awards. The coaches association announced Thomas was awarded Men’s Coach of the Year, Langley Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year and Enok and Mullings Field Athletes of the Year.

Mullings, who hails from Kingston, Jamaica, claimed the NCAA Outdoor Championships discus throw title on June 14. He tossed the implement for a PR of 69.31m (227’3.00″) to shatter a 33-year-old meet record and beat world record holder Mykolas Alekna of California. Mullings’ improvement cements his status as the No. 2 performer in collegiate history as the 69.31m (227’3.00″) mark sits ninth on the all-time collegiate chart. He was also the SEC Outdoor Championships discus throw title winner. Mullings is the first NCAA discus champion to win the national award since Ryan Whiting in 2010 and becomes the first Sooner in program history to be named national athlete of the year.

This marks Thomas’ second regional coach of the year accolade in as many seasons at the helm of OU T&F. During his time at Georgia (2021-23) and Texas Tech (2013-21) he earned 11 Regional Assistant Coach of the Year honors. Langley, in his ninth year at OU, collects his third regional assistant coach of the year award and second of the 2025 season, as he also earned the indoor nod. Enok and Mullings claim the first regional accolades of their career.

Thomas directed the Sooner men to a sixth-place finish (30.5 points) at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the team’s best outdoor placement since 1997 and second highest in program history. He guided two men to national titles, BJ Green (triple jump) and Ralford Mullings (discus throw) and two more athletes to top-six finishes to total four NCAA First Team All-America honors.

Langley coached Enok to the second heptathlon national title of her career, with her performance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships setting a program record of 6,285 points, breaking the Estonian record and moving to No. 10 all-time collegiately. He also assisted Olivia Lueking to her fifth conference title, winning the gold medal at the SEC Outdoor Championships in the pole vault.

Enok’s exceptional performance in the combined events on the national stage earned her the regional award. The Jõhvi, Estonia, native marked the end of her collegiate career with the No. 7 all-time heptathlon score in NCAA Outdoor Championships meet history.

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For more information on Oklahoma Track & Field, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Track) and like Oklahoma Sooners Track & Field and Cross Country on Facebook.

 

PHILADELPHIA – Temple Volleyball head coach Linda Hampton-Keith announced Monday the hiring of former Temple Volleyball student-athlete Olivia Vance to the coaching staff. Vance will take the role of assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
 
“We are thrilled to announce the return of Olivia back to our Nest in a new coaching role,” said Hampton-Keith. “A standout former player and seasoned professional, Olivia brings a unique combination of high-level playing experience, knowledge of the game, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.”
 
Vance returns to Broad and Cecil in a new role, formerly as a student-athlete in the 2023 season. Vance appeared in 26 matches in her lone year as an Owl and finished the year by making her mark on the program. She finished third that season in kills (253) and had 13 matches with 10 or more kills. On the defensive side of the game, Vance ranks eighth all-time in solo blocks with 17.
 
Hampton-Keith continued about Vance, “Her return marks an exciting step for our program. Olivia’s skillset, work ethic, and passion for volleyball will undoubtedly enhance our staff and positively impact our student-athletes. We are confident her leadership will play a pivotal role in continuing our program’s upward trajectory.”
 
Vance comes to Temple after spending time overseas in Portugal playing professional volleyball with Leixões Sport Club.
 

Edwardsville High School announced two student-athletes will be moving on to compete in NCAA sports.

Zach Lane (track and field) and Cincere Ruffin (track and field) will both compete at the next level.

Here’s a closer look at their accomplishments.

Lane will continue his track and field career at SIUE.

One of the top sprinters in the state, Lane graduates with state medals, including a state championship on the 4×100-meter relay team in his junior season, and two outdoor school records.

Despite missing much of his senior season with an injury, Lane helped the 4×100-meter relay team finish second at the state meet.

During Lane’s career, Edwardsville won a state championship in 2024 and finished second in 2022.

SIUE is an NCAA Division I school that competes in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Ruffin will continue his track and field career at McKendree in Lebanon.

In his only season with the Tigers, Ruffin was a state qualifier in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash.

Ruffin is part of one program record at Edwardsville. He, along with Darren Wilson, Clayton Lakatos and Lane, own the 4×100-meter record.

Individually, Ruffin ranks second in program history in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.37 and third in program history in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.65.

McKendree is an NCAA Division II school that competes in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

GARDENDALE, Ala. (WBRC) – A Gardendale High School legend, NCAA All-American, and current professional volleyball player is returning to her alma mater as head coach.

Merritt Beason, Gardendale High School c/o ‘21, is preparing for her first season leading the Rockets.

“A bunch of the girls that are actually going to be seniors and juniors this year, I was doing private lessons for in my driveway before I left for college,” said Beason.

And once Beason left for college, she made a name for herself on a national scale. Beason began her career at Florida and ended as an All-American at Nebraska, leading the Cornhuskers to back-to-back final four appearances. Beason is now a professional volleyball player after being selected first overall in the 2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Draft (PFV).

While Beason has been a private coach for years, this is her first time leading a team for a full season.

“The goal is to ultimately change the goal in Gardendale, and to me that looks more than just a year. Obviously, you can’t build a historic program in a year,” said Beason.

Beason played for the Atlanta Vibe last year in the PVF. She says it is yet to be determined which team she will play for in 2026.

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