photo by: Kansas Athletics

KU athletic director Travis Goff speaks at volleyball coach Matt Ulmer’s introductory press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

Frisco, Texas — The announcement of Kansas baseball coach Dan Fitzgerald’s amended six-year contract in June provided some insight into KU’s future plans in the wake of the House v. NCAA settlement by suggesting that the baseball program would receive “an increase in scholarships.”

The House settlement, which became effective on July 1, replaced previous scholarship limits with newly devised roster limits under which any number of players can be on scholarship.

In some sports, that allows for the possibility of a dramatic increase in investment. For example, college baseball teams can now furnish scholarships to as many as 34 players on their rosters, compared to the previous limit of 11.7.

“That’s been one of the lowest-scholarshiped programs in college athletics,” KU athletic director Travis Goff said. “And so we really see that one as an opportunity to move the needle.”

Indeed, at Big 12 media days on Wednesday, Goff explained further details of in which sports KU plans to boost its athletic scholarship totals.

In all, the department is adding about 25 new scholarships. As Goff put it, KU is “beholden and committed” as a result of Title IX to factoring in its on-campus gender ratio with its athletic scholarship offerings. While KU’s population is currently about 53% female and 47% male and trending toward 55-45, Goff said, 70% of the new scholarships will go to women’s sports, including specifically soccer, softball, women’s track and field, and volleyball. Meanwhile, baseball will be one of the main men’s sports benefiting from the remaining 30%.

Under the new rules, any money that KU spends on additional scholarships beyond its previous offerings will be deducted from the recently implemented cap of $20.5 million that the athletic department can pay its athletes across all sports. (The maximum dollar amount allowed for new scholarship offerings this year is $2.5 million, which KU won’t get close to by providing just 25 scholarships.)

At the same time, KU also plans to participate in revenue sharing for baseball and therefore find a balance between the two methods of bolstering its program.

“We’re not going haywire in any of those, but we think the combination creates a really competitive opportunity for baseball to be certainly relevant in this next chapter,” Goff said.

While baseball will be one of the main beneficiaries of additional scholarship investment, Fitzgerald previously said that it wasn’t necessarily a topic in his contract discussions specifically.

“There are things we’re doing this year, but it’s going to be different next year,” he said on July 2. “Our numbers do increase next year. I don’t think any of us know what this is going to look like three years from now.”

First Look
The Chattanooga Mocs wrestling room is a work in progress, both literally and figuratively. Construction on what is to become one of the premier preparation facilities in the nation are well underway and due to be completed close to the start of the school year. That room got a serious competition boost with Coach Kyle Ruschell‘s announcement of five transfers enrolled for the 2025-26 season.
 
First Take
“We talk all the time about high aspirations for this program. We want our guys working for the highest honors, National Champions, All-Americans. If they’re striving for those, all the other goals fall into place. We’re especially proud of the number of transfers we have who are coming home to Tennessee.” – Coach Kyle Ruschell on the transfers coming into the program
 
Resources
2025-26 Roster
 
The Breakdown
Cooper Flynn (Seymour, Tenn.)
Weight: 125 – Previous School: Minnesota – Senior

• 2-time NCAA Championships qualifier with a 3-4 record in the event.
• Ranked No. 15 in final NCAA Coaches Rankings.
• Won the Cougar Clash and was runner-up in the Mountaineer Invitational.
• Earned seven ranked wins en route to a 16-8 record. All eight losses were against fellow ranked opposition.
• NWCA Scholar All-American.

 
Hunter Mason (Greeneville, Tenn.)
Weight: 141 – Previous School: Virginia Tech – Sophomore

• 21-14 in two seasons with the Hokies, one a redshirt.
• Five of his eight 2024-25 wins included bonus points.
• 2024 Southeast Open Champion including a semifinal win over former Moc and NCAA Qualifier Isaiah Powe.
• Third-place endings in the Patriot and App State Opens in his first campaign (2023-24).
• Former 4-time undefeated Tennessee State Champion at Greeneville High School.

 
Billy Meiszner (Orland Park, Ill.)
Weight: 149 – Previous School: Kent State University – Junior – Pronounced: MIZE-ner

• Coming off a 16-7 season with the Golden Flashes.
• 2024-25 wins over NCAA Qualifiers: Carson DesRosier (The Citadel) & Andrew Clark (Rutgers).
• 2024 Navy Classic Champion.
• 28-13 in last two years at Kent State.

 
Carter Neves (Dayton, Ohio)
Weight: 285 – Previous School: Ohio State – RS Freshman – Pronounced: Neeves

• Spent one season at Ohio State as a redshirt in 2024-25.
• 2024 National Prep Champion after runner-up finish in 2023 at Blair Academy.
• 2022 State Champion in Ohio after runner-up finish in 2021 at Graham High School.
• Won the Walsh Ironman, the Beast of the East and the Escape the Rock tournaments and did not surrender a single offensive point during the 2023 season.
• Finished third in freestyle at the U20 UWW Junior Nationals and the U.S. Open Juniors in 2023 after a runner-up finish at the U17 World Team Trials in 2021.
• Ranked seventh in his class at 285.

 
Mason Reiniche (Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.)
Weight: 165 – Previous School: Oregon State – Senior – Pronounced: Ren-ish

• 2024 fourth-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships.
• 36-20 career record with the Beavers.
• Co-champion at 2023 Southeast Open.
• Third-place at the 2025 Cyclone Open and fourth in 2024 Michigan State Open.
• Prepped at the Baylor School where he was a 3-time state champ (2016, 2018, 2019).
• 3-time runner-up at National Prep Championships (2017, 2018, 2019).

 
Final Thoughts
“Our priority in the transfer market was to bring in high-level competition at a variety of spots. Naturally that focus was also on spots where we lost starters. Along with our incoming freshmen and the returners in the room, we’re very excited about the season to come.” – Coach Ruschell on the roster to date
 
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LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State Men’s Water Polo will be represented by head coach Gavin Arroyo and senior Jason O’Donnell at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore set to start July 10. The tournament involves all six aquatic disciplines, and the Water Polo events will resume July 24 with other events running until August 3.

Arroyo is set to be part of the coaching staff of Team USA at another international competition as an assistant coach to Dejan Udovic after a fantastic 2024 where he earned the bronze medal at the Paris Olympic Games and his sixth Coach of the Year award after winning the Big West Championships.

O’Donnell will take part of his first World Aquatics Championship as he will represent team Canada in Singapore before coming back to the Beach for his final season. Both USA and Canada are in Group C alongside Brazil and the hosts, Singapore.

Arroyo and O’Donnell will face each other in the first round of the Men’s competition July 11. More information about the tournament can be found at https://www.worldaquatics.com/competitions/4725/world-aquatics-championships-singapore-2025/schedule?phase=All&disciplines=WP.

 

SDSU Sports Information

BROOKINGS — South Dakota State’s Hunter Wallster becomes one of 42 spring athletes to receive the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, as announced by the NCAA on Monday.

“Congratulations to Hunter on this tremendous honor that puts an exclamation point on his incredible career as a Jackrabbit,” head coach Rod DeHaven said. “He worked very hard in the classroom, labs, and as an athlete to achieve this award! All the best to him in his future endeavors.”

The NCAA awards a one-time, non-renewable $10,000 scholarship to 21 men and 21 women three times a year across three seasons (fall, winter, spring) to encourage student-athletes to pursue postgraduate education. To be considered for the scholarship, student-athletes must be in their final year of undergraduate studies, hold at least a 3.200 cumulative GPA, and have performed with distinction in the varsity sport for which they are nominated.

Wallster received this award following an impressive four-year stint with the Jackrabbits. During his time at SDSU, Wallster collected four conference titles, two in the weight throw and two in the hammer throw. He also made the Summit League All-League team from 2023-25 in both indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.

Wallster holds the school record in the hammer throw. He threw 207-01 (63.12m) to take the program record and finish runner-up at the 2023 Summit League Outdoor Championships. Wallster’s program record qualified him for the 2023 NCAA West First Round Regionals, where he threw 183-06 (55.93m) to finish 43rd.

The streak is now at three straight years that California Community College women’s volleyball programs have moved more than 100 student-athletes to play and continue their educations at the next level.

The 2024-2025 class includes 19 players who earned NCAA Division I scholarships, featuring All-Americans Morgan Castaneda (American River) and Aniyah Hall (San Mateo) each going to San Jose State University, All-State Lucy Ryan (Feather River) now at Cal Baptist, and All-South Region selection Jordyn Romero (Mt. San Antonio) moving to the University of Buffalo (NY).

Overall, 42 colleges have transferred 114 student-athletes to play volleyball, a number of them choosing to compete on both indoor and beach teams.

’24 3C2A state champion Feather River had the most scholarship athletes with seven, followed by San Joaquin Delta, Cerritos, and Mt. San Jacinto with six, then San Diego Mesa, American River, Fresno City, and Coalinga each with five.

Forty-eight student-athletes are moving to out of state universities.