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Women's Rowing Head Coach Patrick Sweeney Announces Retirement, Assistant …

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Women's Rowing Head Coach Patrick Sweeney Announces Retirement, Assistant ...

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State women’s rowing head coach Patrick Sweeney has announced his retirement after 22 seasons and will be replaced by assistant coach Kennedy Felice, the athletics department announced on Sunday (May 18).
 
“After 22 years of steering this program, being able to do this project, this feels like the right time to hand over the team to a new head coach,” said Sweeney. “I’ve always believed that college sports is all about the blending of the academic and the athletics. Athletics is a teaching opportunity, and I have enjoyed that our program is committed to that. Our department has allowed us to build the team into what it is today. I want to thank (Director of Athletics) Gene (Taylor) and (Deputy AD/SWA) Jill (Shields) for believing in that idea and helping us make sure we can keep that going as we transition into the next chapter of K-State Rowing.”
 
The second coach in Wildcats’ rowing history, Sweeney, a native of London, England, arrived in Manhattan prior to the 2003-04 season. He led the Wildcats to 11 Kansas Cup wins against in-state rival Kansas in the Sunflower Showdown while his teams excelled in the classroom highlighted by four Big 12 Scholar-Athletes of the Year, the second-most under any current K-State head coach.
 
“Coach Sweeney has had a remarkable run lasting half a century in the sport of rowing, including the last 20-plus years here at K-State,” said Director of Athletics Gene Taylor. “When you think of K-State Rowing, you think of Pat Sweeney, and we are so appreciative of his dedication and leadership throughout his time in Manhattan. He has impacted so many student-athletes’ lives over the years and left a lasting mark on our program.”
 
A native of Manhattan, Felice was elevated to head coach after five seasons as one of Sweeney’s assistant coaches. She was a four-year member of the K-State rowing team from 2015-19 before serving as a graduate assistant from 2020-22.
 
Felice had a distinguished rowing career, serving as a team captain in her senior season while earning All-Big 12 First Team and Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) National Scholar-Athlete honors in 2018. She was also part of two Kansas Cup victories in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019.
 
“I want to say thank you to Gene and Jill for this opportunity. I am excited for this next chapter with K-State Rowing,” said Felice. “This team and K-State mean so much to me. We have built something special here in Manhattan and I am grateful to be part of that. Thank you to everyone who has been part of my time here. I cannot wait to see what we accomplish next. Also, a huge thank you to my friends, family, and mentors for your support throughout my career.
 
“I also want to say thank you to Coach Sweeney. He built K-State Rowing into what we are today. It has been a privilege working with him as an athlete and as a coach. We can never say thank you enough for the opportunities he created for all of us who have been part of this program.”
 
Sweeney will stay on temporarily in an advisory role to assist Felice in the coaching transition.
 
“As we began the process of identifying our next coach, it did not take long for Kennedy’s name to surface,” said Taylor. “I have been impressed with Kennedy as she has grown from a graduate assistant with our program to an assistant coach. She knows the program inside and out, understands our philosophy and recruiting road map, and has the utmost respect of our team. We are excited for her to lead our program and leave her mark on K-State Rowing.”
 
Sweeney’s teams produced two runner-up finishes (2009, 2014) at the Big 12 Championship, while they finished third on six other occasions, including most recently in consecutive years from 2017-19. He has helped coach 23 All-Big 12 selections since 2012, including 14 to the First Team and six to the Second Team. The 2025 team had three selections with Sylvia Cunningham, Grace Hall and Gracyn McClain. He also coached the school’s first Big 12 award winner in Noelle Dykmann, who was selected as the league’s Newcomer of the Year in 2014.
 
In addition to the four Big 12 Scholar-Athletes of the Year; Jadyn Greisen (2022), Molly Ross (2019), Megan Murray (2015) and Allison Dorau (2014), Sweeney’s teams included one College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American, Greisen (2023), and 10 CSC Academic All-District selections. He saw 27 student-athletes earn the prestigious Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award, while 351 were named to Academic All-Big 12 teams.
 
Among the 10 CSC Academic All-District honorees included Heather Hoffman (2009), Abby Weaver (2014), Grace Reilly (2018) with multiple honorees in 2023, Greisen, Kaitlyn Henke, Madison Jensen and Lauren Plum, and in 2024, Madison Koller, Neva Roenne and Catie Wood.
 
“Our program gives opportunities to American women. The opportunity to learn more about themselves and become D1 athletes. That emphasis in college sports is changing,” said Sweeney. “More and more rowing teams are focusing on international athletes and finding experienced rowers. We are losing sight of what this opportunity can be, but our team is committed to building athletes up and letting them have a real college experience.”

Sweeney’s most notable season came in 2013-14 when he led the Wildcats to a runner-up team finish at the Big 12 Championship, a gold medal sweep at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) Championship and a win in the Kansas Cup for the fourth consecutive season. K-State won five gold medals and a bronze medal at that SIRA Championship for the first time in program history.
 
The 2V4 boat won its second-ever Big 12 Championship in 2014 while two more boats, 1V8 and 2V8, finished as runners-up, to help the Wildcats post their highest point total (112) at the conference championship. Following the championship, Dykmann became the first Wildcat to earn Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors.
 
The Wildcats also finished as the Big 12 runner-up under Sweeney in the inaugural conference season of 2009, totaling 48 points and a win with the 1V8 boat. The team also finished third as a team on six other occasions at the Big 12 Championship, including most recently in consecutive years from 2017-19.
 
Sweeney most recently led K-State to a Kansas Cup win over Kansas in 2023 while he earned consecutive wins on four occasions in 2005-06, 2008-09, 2011-14 and 2018-19.
 
“As I wrap up my time here, I want to say thank you to the many people who made this possible,” said Sweeney. “Thank you again to Gene and Jill, your leadership and belief in our team is always appreciated. Thank you to my coaching staff, past and present. All of you came through the program and helped build us into who we are today. Thank you to our boatman Tony (Staten), he has been incredibly loyal to our team, and we appreciate everything he has done. I also want to thank my wife Martha and my daughter Toula, they have been patient, understanding, and supportive throughout my entire career.
 
“And a big thank you to all our athletes, past, present, and future, who have shown the courage to take on this challenge. Our main focus has always been the character our athletes have coming in and continuing to help them see that they are hardworking, disciplined, smart people. Each and every one of them are winners and I am proud of what we accomplished here in Manhattan.”
 
Sweeney stepped in after the departure of Jenny Hale who spent seven seasons as the inaugural head coach with the 1996-97 season. Sweeney spent one year at Stanford as the associate men’s varsity coach prior to joining the Wildcats, and before that he spent seven years as head coach and technical director of the Belgian Olympic team.
 
As an athlete, Sweeney served as coxswain for the British National Team where he earned a silver medal in the 1976 Montreal games and bronze at the 1988 Seoul Olympic games. During the World Championships in 1977 and 1986 he earned gold medals as well as silver medals in 1974 and 1987.
 
“Coach Sweeney has been an incredible coach and mentor for me and so many other people throughout his career. We appreciate everything he has done with his time at K-State,” said Felice. “Those of us who have been a part of the team had the opportunity to learn about ourselves, life, and rowing, because of his commitment to this program. From all of us, our families, and our department, thank you.”
 
 

— k-statesports.com —

 
How to follow the ‘Cats: For complete information on the K-State Women’s Rowing Team, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team’s social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagramand Facebook.

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Long Beach State vs. McKendree, Men’s Volleyball – The562.org

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January 11, 2026

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Rasheed Riveroll Castillo

Rasheed, also known as Casper, is a sports photographer who interned for The562 throughout his senior year of high school and is currently attending CSULB while continuing to freelance. To access his work, you can check his Instagram and site below:
Instagram: @visuals.casper
https://casper-visuals.com/



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No. 3 Long Beach State Sweeps McKendree to Close Opening Weekend – The562.org

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January 11, 2026

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The562’s coverage of Long Beach State athletics for the 2025-26 season is sponsored by Marilyn Bohl.

The No. 3 Long Beach State men’s volleyball team didn’t need to drop a set on opening weekend to shake off any early-season jitters.

The defending national champions opened the season at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid with a pair of sweeps, dispatching Lindenwood on Friday before closing the weekend with a straight-set win over McKendree on Saturday night. While the Beach never dropped a set, Saturday’s match provided a sterner test, highlighted by a thrilling second set in a 25–22, 35–33, 25–16 victory.

“We’re proud of how our guys responded after last night,” head coach Nick MacRae said. “Tonight we played a good McKendree team, who we could very well see later in the season. We say in our locker room that we can learn as much from a win as we can from a loss. Last night was halftime, and we got our third-quarter response today.”

The Beach trailed by their largest margin of the night at three points during the second set and went on to fight off a preposterous eight McKendree set points. First-year setter Jake Pazanti led a balanced attack during that stretch and nailed an ace to give the Beach their final set point, followed by a McKendree hitting error that secured a two-set lead.

“It’s good for us long term,” said standout senior Skyler Varga of the second-set rally. “I think we needed to go through that, and even if we didn’t pull out the win in that set, I think it still would’ve been good for us to show that we can come back after being down. It definitely shows our team values, and we really need to go through those moments to be a national championship–level team this year.”

Varga had himself a match, finishing with nine kills on a team-high .368 hitting percentage along with five assists and 11 digs. Perhaps the most impressive stat came from behind the service line, where Varga accounted for seven of the Beach’s 10 aces with just one service error.

The senior outside hitter is coming off a stint as the youngest member of Team Canada in the Volleyball Nations League this past summer, where he emerged as one of the go-to options and capped the season with a 24-kill performance. Varga spoke about his experience and how it has prepared him for his future in the sport.

“Things are faster in international volleyball, and people are consistently hitting harder and making fewer errors,” he said. “It’s forced me to focus more on error management and helped me read the game better. No disrespect to NCAA volleyball, but it’s a little slower, which has made it easier for me to read.”

Opening weekend also gave the Beach a chance to flex some of its depth at opposite, where freshman Wojciech Gajek made his home debut on Friday before Daniil Hershtynovich got the start on Saturday night. Hershtynovich is coming off an injury last season and had a productive night, finishing with a game-high 12 kills.

“We flex our depth yet again, and you’re going to constantly see that,” MacRae said. “[Hershtynovich] got 30 swings and hit nearly .400—that’s a shoutout to him. Maybe early on he wasn’t able to find his serve, but that was part of the process tonight of building him up and letting him be himself, knowing that he’s been in those moments again and again. He was very physical tonight, and that’s exactly what this team needs him to be, and we’re very proud of him.”

Long Beach State also showed its depth on the outside, where Alex Kandev got the start and finished with seven kills. Connor Bloom entered the match permanently while the Beach trailed midway through the second set and chipped in a pair of kills.

At the net, the Beach totaled just 6.5 blocks after recording 12 on Friday night, but Saturday provided the middle blockers opportunities to make an impact elsewhere. Ben Braun had a solid night with seven kills on .500 hitting, while freshman Jackson Cryst finished with four kills on .500 hitting.

“They’re in charge of our entire unit at the net,” MacRae said. “Just because we don’t have the block stat, it’s about being on the other side of the net as much as possible. It was a good response by McKendree, so instead of saying we have to get 20 blocks, it’s about saying, ‘Ok, we had six blocks, but how many balls did we dig?’ It’s a credit to them. They did their job getting across the net.”

Long Beach State will now go on the road next to Ohio, where they’ll face a trio of games next week. That trip will conclude with a match at Ohio State on Saturday, before the Beach returns home to host Fort Valley State on Jan. 23.



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Beach Earn Back-to-Back Home Wins with Sweep of McKendree

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January 11, 2026

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LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State continued its strong start to the 2026 season Saturday night, earning a straight-set victory over McKendree inside the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid. The win gave the Beach back-to-back home victories before heading on the road next week for a three-match stretch away from Long Beach.

Long Beach State 3, McKendree 0

(25-22, 35-33, 25-16)

The Beach opened the match with aggressive serving and balanced offense in the first set. After early exchanges between the two teams, Long Beach State used a five-point scoring run to create separation, highlighted by back-to-back aces and steady play in transition. McKendree trimmed the deficit late, but the Beach remained composed, closing the set with an ace to secure a 25-22 win.

Set two turned into a marathon battle, featuring numerous ties and momentum swings. Neither team was able to pull away as both sides traded sideouts deep into the set. Long Beach State fought off multiple set points behind timely kills and disciplined defense. A late service ace helped shift momentum, and the Beach eventually claimed the extended frame, 35-33, on a McKendree attacking error to take a 2-0 match lead.

Long Beach State carried that momentum into the third set, quickly establishing control with strong serving pressure and consistent defensive play. The Beach put together a five-point run midway through the set to open up a lead and never looked back. Solid net play and clean sideout execution allowed Long Beach State to close out the match with a 25-16 victory.

Skyler Varga led the Beach with nine kills and a match-high seven aces, while Daniil Hershtynovich added a team-high 12 kills. Ben Braun contributed seven kills on .500 hitting, and Jake Pazanti directed the offense with 34 assists. Defensively, Long Beach State recorded 48 digs in the three-set match, an impressive effort that fueled transition scoring throughout the night. At the net, the Beach finished with 6.5 team blocks.

Long Beach State will return to action next week when the Beach hit the road for three matches as the 2026 season continues.



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CSUN Concludes Asics Invitational With 3-0 Sweep Over Kentucky State

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January 11, 2026

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GOLETA, Calif. — Redshirt freshman Grayson Albers led all hitters with a season-high 10 kills, and CSUN hit better than .500 in all three sets as the 11th-ranked Matadors wrapped up the 2026 UCSB Asics Invitational with a convincing 25-10, 25-10, 25-21 victory over Kentucky State on Saturday afternoon at Rob Gym.

CSUN (3-0) controlled the match from the opening serve, posting a .530 (40-5-66) team hitting percentage over the course of three sets while holding Kentucky State to a .150 clip (23-14-60). The Matadors utilized a season-high 13 players in the match and jumped out to early leads in each set, never trailing in the first two.

Albers was particularly effective, hitting .714 on 14 errorless attacks for the match. Albers and Joao Avila each had two aces as the Matadors posted a 6-2 edge in team aces.

Redshirt junior Jordan Lucas made his Matador debut in the match, putting down six kills on six errorless swings to go with a pair of digs. Freshman Noah Douphner also made his CSUN debut in the match, coming off the bench to chip in five kills (.167), two digs, and one ace. Avila, Santiago Mendoza, Nir Eitan, Niall Finnegan, and Logan Spencer each contributed multiple kills without an attack error.

In limited action, setter Owen Douphner posted 14 assists and three digs, and Spencer finished off the setting duties with 12 assists in his debut. CSUN finished with 40 kills and just five errors on 66 total attempts.

Kentucky State (0-3) was led by Charles Ababio, who had nine kills, but the Thorobreds struggled to find consistency offensively until the third set. After dropping the opening two sets in lopsided fashion, Kentucky State pushed CSUN late in the third, closing within 22-21 before the Matadors scored the final three points to seal the sweep.

HEAD COACH THEO EDWARDS SAID

“It was a fun match. You talk about the growth of the game, and Kentucky State is a new program that is now establishing itself in men’s volleyball. It’s great for our team to get an opportunity to play them. We got some great performances tonight; Jordan (Lucas) hit 1,000 and played incredibly well, Santiago (Mendoza) hit .500, Niall (Finnegan) hit .500, Nir (Eitan) hit .750, so a lot of really good volleyball from our guys. It was great to see a lot of guys get on the floor.”

MATCH NOTES

• Setter Owen Douphner and middle blocker Shane Nhem were named to the all-tournament team

• CSUN finishes 3-0 at the UCSB Asics Invitational for the second consecutive season

• The Matadors are now 59-37 all-time at UCSB’s annual tournament

 


UP NEXT

CSUN continues its season-opening five-match road trip next week as the Matadors travel to St. Charles, Mo., to meet Lindenwood and Purdue Fort Wayne as part of the 2026 Under Armour Challenge at Hyland Arena on the Lindenwood campus.

#GoMatadors





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Bailey Sinish named Gatorade Player of the Year

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January 11, 2026

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Jan. 10, 2026, 4:04 p.m. ET





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Pride Men’s Track and Field Takes on Wesleyan Winter Invitational

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January 11, 2026

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MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — The Regis College men’s track and field team traveled to Connecticut on Saturday morning to compete at the Wesleyan Winter Invitational, where Justin Thuotte set another indoor program recird in the long jump. 

Inside the Numbers

  • Brian LaPorte earned a fourth-place finish in the 800 meters, crossing the line in 2:14.40.
  • Justin Thuotte turned in a standout performance, claiming a top finish in the long jump with a mark of 6.70 meters to set a new indoor program record, besting his own previous mark of 6.65 set at the last meet. He also placed third in the triple jump at 12.99 meters and rounded out his day with a 10th-place finish in the weight throw, posting a personal-best mark of 13.59 meters.
  • Brady Elliott placed seventh in the high jump with a leap of 1.80 meters.
  • Additional Pride personal-best performances came from Michael Hatch in the long jump (4.92m), DJ Marks in the long jump (5.31m), and Griffin McGahan in the weight throw (10.26m).

Up Next

The Pride return to the track next Sunday, January 18, when they head to Track at New Balance for the Suffolk Ice Breaker, beginning at 9:00 a.m.



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