Sports

'Protects fairness'

Published

7 months ago

May 29, 2025

Late Wednesday night, Nebraska lawmakers passed a scaled-back version of the Stand With Women Act.Protesters chanted outside the chamber. At one point, the process was interrupted by someone yelling from the balcony, but LB89 passed 33-16. According to the text of the bill, it “promotes equality between the sexes, provides opportunities for female athletes to compete against their female peers rather than against male athletes, and allows female athletes to compete on a fair playing field for scholarships and other athletic accomplishments.” “This isn’t about exclusion, it’s about ensuring our daughters, sisters, and friends have a level playing field to compete, succeed, and shine,” Sen. Loren Lipincott said. “LB89 recognizes a simple biological truth: biological males and females are different.”LB89 defines male and female, and limits participation in sports to athletes of the same biological sex unless that sport is defined as co-ed. It also requires documentation verifying biological sex. Sponsored by Sen. Kathleen Kauth, the original bill extended the definition of sex to public buildings and locker rooms. Ralston Sen. Merv Riepe offered an amendment during the second round for the bill to focus solely on sports, which passed.”He and I talked about bringing back bathrooms and locker rooms next year,” Kauth said. “He said he’s willing to look at it but wanted to things done in a slower measure. “I can’t think of one time in American history when the passage of something like LB89 was looked back upon favorably,” Sen. John Fredrickson said. According to the Nebraska School Activities Association, eight athletes have applied for transgender exceptions since the waiver policy was put in place in 2018. “When you talk about culture war issues, why do you think they pick on gender, race, and class?” Sen. Megan Hunt said. “It’s because it keeps us divided.”Gov. Jim Pillen praised the bill’s passage, saying, “This legislation achieves a key goal — protecting girls and women’s sports. It’s just common sense that girls shouldn’t have to compete against biological boys. This legislative win will lead to many more victories for Nebraska’s female athletes, as we ensure a level and fair playing field for all girls who compete. I look forward to signing it into law.”Paid Minimum WageLawmakers also gave final round approval to LB 415, which pulls back on the voter-approved Earned Paid Sick Leave law. It passed 33-16. “We don’t need to thwart the will of the voters and undercut, or carve out, or cap access to basic sick leave,” said Sen. Danielle Conrad, who spoke against the measure. Some of the exceptions for earned paid sick leave include certain contractors, businesses with 10 or fewer employees, and minors under the age of 16. “We have to find the balance of creating economic vitality for our state while maintaining a great workforce,” said Sen. Jane Raybould, who supported the bill. Raybould was unable to attach LB258, which included exceptions for the voter-approved minimum wage law, to LB 415. It’ll likely be brought back next year. Other Notable Bills That AdvancedLB504: Age Appropriate Online Design Code Act, which bans the private information sharing of minors and gives parents more access to monitoring toolsLR19CA: A constitutional amendment to extend state senator term limits from two to three terms. Since this a constitutional amendment, it will require a public vote. LB521: Election Act, which would allow cities like Omaha to hold elections that coincide with statewide and presidential election years.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |

LINCOLN, Neb. —

Late Wednesday night, Nebraska lawmakers passed a scaled-back version of the Stand With Women Act.

Protesters chanted outside the chamber. At one point, the process was interrupted by someone yelling from the balcony, but LB89 passed 33-16.

According to the text of the bill, it “promotes equality between the sexes, provides opportunities for female athletes to compete against their female peers rather than against male athletes, and allows female athletes to compete on a fair playing field for scholarships and other athletic accomplishments.”

“This isn’t about exclusion, it’s about ensuring our daughters, sisters, and friends have a level playing field to compete, succeed, and shine,” Sen. Loren Lipincott said. “LB89 recognizes a simple biological truth: biological males and females are different.”

LB89 defines male and female, and limits participation in sports to athletes of the same biological sex unless that sport is defined as co-ed. It also requires documentation verifying biological sex.

Sponsored by Sen. Kathleen Kauth, the original bill extended the definition of sex to public buildings and locker rooms. Ralston Sen. Merv Riepe offered an amendment during the second round for the bill to focus solely on sports, which passed.

“He and I talked about bringing back bathrooms and locker rooms next year,” Kauth said. “He said he’s willing to look at it but wanted to things done in a slower measure.

“I can’t think of one time in American history when the passage of something like LB89 was looked back upon favorably,” Sen. John Fredrickson said.

According to the Nebraska School Activities Association, eight athletes have applied for transgender exceptions since the waiver policy was put in place in 2018.

“When you talk about culture war issues, why do you think they pick on gender, race, and class?” Sen. Megan Hunt said. “It’s because it keeps us divided.”

Gov. Jim Pillen praised the bill’s passage, saying, “This legislation achieves a key goal — protecting girls and women’s sports. It’s just common sense that girls shouldn’t have to compete against biological boys. This legislative win will lead to many more victories for Nebraska’s female athletes, as we ensure a level and fair playing field for all girls who compete. I look forward to signing it into law.”

Paid Minimum Wage

Lawmakers also gave final round approval to LB 415, which pulls back on the voter-approved Earned Paid Sick Leave law.

It passed 33-16.

“We don’t need to thwart the will of the voters and undercut, or carve out, or cap access to basic sick leave,” said Sen. Danielle Conrad, who spoke against the measure.

Some of the exceptions for earned paid sick leave include certain contractors, businesses with 10 or fewer employees, and minors under the age of 16.

“We have to find the balance of creating economic vitality for our state while maintaining a great workforce,” said Sen. Jane Raybould, who supported the bill.

Raybould was unable to attach LB258, which included exceptions for the voter-approved minimum wage law, to LB 415. It’ll likely be brought back next year.

Other Notable Bills That Advanced

LB504: Age Appropriate Online Design Code Act, which bans the private information sharing of minors and gives parents more access to monitoring tools

LR19CA: A constitutional amendment to extend state senator term limits from two to three terms. Since this a constitutional amendment, it will require a public vote.

LB521: Election Act, which would allow cities like Omaha to hold elections that coincide with statewide and presidential election years.

Sports

Kentucky VB adds an All-American honorable mention, loses Brooke Bultema to portal

Published

10 minutes ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The college volleyball offseason has only just officially begun, but moves are already being made.

Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner kicked things off by signing an All-American honorable mention for next season’s group. UK announced the addition of Notre Dame outside hitter Morgan Gaerte through the transfer portal on Wednesday morning. A 6-foot-5 native of Indiana, Gaerte was named a 2025 AVCA All-American Honorable Mention and a First Team All-ACC performer. She’ll help ease the loss of Eva Hudson — the lone senior on Kentucky’s national runner-up team this past season — on the outside.

Gaerte, who will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Wildcats, set a Notre Dame record last season with 4.64 kills per set (13th nationally). She’ll be expected to play on the opposite side of All-American outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye for the ‘Cats in 2026. Skinner is already reloading.

Gaerte was a rare star for Notre Dame volleyball. A team captain, she started all 28 matches in 2025 as a sophomore for the Fighting Irish, finishing the year with 497 kills, the third-most ever in a season in Notre Dame history and the most since Christy Peters in 1997. Her First Team All-ACC nod was the first by a Notre Dame player since 2020. She reached 20 or more kills in 11 matches, also a program record for one season.

But where the transfer portal can give, it can also take. Kentucky lost a piece of this past season’s roster when redshirt sophomore middle blocker Brooke Bultema announced on Wednesday her intentions to transfer out of Lexington. After a redshirt freshman campaign in 2024 that saw her named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, Bultema did not see as much playing time in 2025 as she would have hoped for.

She likely won’t be the last outgoing transfer for Kentucky, either. Skinner is expected to return eight of his top nine rotation players from last season (barring an unexpected transfer), with the only departure being Hudson to graduation. And now that Gaerte is in the fold, the top half of the roster is in good shape once again. Don’t be shocked if other current Wildcats deeper on the bench elect to look elsewhere in the coming days/weeks.

Skinner shows love to the BBN

Coming off a disappointing loss in the national championship match to Texas A&M, Craig Skinner reminded us all how truly magical the 2025 campaign still was. Kentucky won its ninth straight SEC Championship, won the SEC Tournament, finished with 30 wins on the season, and went perfect (15-0) during conference play. UK made just the program’s second-ever national title match and first since winning it all in 2020 along the way.

Skinner sent out a few social media posts on Wednesday morning, thanking the Big Blue Nation for all their support throughout the season. He says over 38,000 total fans showed up to home matches inside Memorial Coliseum in 2025, where the ‘Cats did not drop a single match.

Man. What a ride!
This team rejuvenated my fire for coaching and my love for this incredible fan base.
Over 38,000 of you came through the turnstiles at HMC and led us to an undefeated home record and a Lexington Regional Championship! pic.twitter.com/Xw7aBDBN4E

— Craig Skinner (@UKCoachSkinner) December 24, 2025

Let’s run it back in 2026, shall we?

Join KSR Plus! With a KSR Plus membership, you get access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.

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Sports

St. Mary’s College Volleyball Quartet Garner Academic All-District Honors

Published

27 minutes ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

ST. MARY’S CITY, Md. – Four members of the St. Mary’s College of Maryland volleyball team were honored by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) as members of the CSC Academic All-District® Team, the organization announced in a release Tuesday (Dec. 16).

Senior Julia Bobrowski (California, Md./Leonardtown), juniors Camilla Galeano (Germantown, Md./Damascus) and Lauren Panageotou (Baltimore, Md./Mercy), and sophomore Stella Marrero (Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Christian Life) all earned the award for the 2025 season.

Bobrowski is the lone repeat selection.

The 2025 Academic All-District® Volleyball Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom.

The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes volleyball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA.

Outstanding student-athletes are nominated for Academic All-District® recognition by communications directors and must have a minimum 3.50 GPA plus meet high athletic standards.

Bobrowski owns a 3.74 GPA as a sociology major and business administration minor for her second straight Academic All-District award. The 5-6 outside hitter ranked sixth in the United East Conference with 55 service aces and 14th with 0.52 aces per set. She was named to the United East All-Sportsmanship Team (Nov. 24).

Galeano, a computer science major with a 3.87 GPA, tied for 14th in the conference with 42 service aces while tying for 17th with 0.49 aces per set. The 5-4 setter led the Seahawks with 402 assists while registering 20-plus assists five times this season.

A psychology major and educational studies minor, Panageotou boasts a 3.7 GPA. The 5-10 setter was second on the team with 291 assists while adding 101 digs, 12 service aces, and six kills in 30 matches.

Marrero picked up her first Academic All-District award with 3.96 GPA as a neuroscience and psychology double major and biology minor. The 5-7 defensive specialist ranked 10th in the United East with 303 digs while sitting 20th with 2.78 digs per set. She was also second on the team with 45 service aces.

St. Mary’s College (17-15, 8-2 UEC) captured the program’s first-ever conference tournament championship title by taking the 2025 United East tournament crown with a 3-2 road win over top-seeded Penn State Harrisburg. The Seahawks also gained the program’s first-ever berth in the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Tournament.

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Sports

Cruttenden named to PVCA All-State volleyball team | Free Press-Courier

Published

43 minutes ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Wellsboro junior Madison Cruttenden was recently named to the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association’s, PVCA, Class 2A All-State team.

Cruttenden was one of three NTL and District IV volleyballers (Aryana Andrus and Alli Bailey from Troy) to make the team.

Cruttenden received 536 serves, made 37 assists and had 341 digs this season. She also scored 163 points to go along with 54 aces.

Over the course of her career she has made 1,197 receptions, 56 assists, 784 digs, 407 points (112 aces) and 6 kills.

“This is a well-deserved honor for Maddy,” head coach Darci Pollock said. “She has been a consistent back row player for us the past two seasons. She continues to work hard in the off season. I’m very proud of her work ethic and dedication to the team!”

Cruttenden is the ninth Wellsboro player to earn a spot on the PCVA All-State team. Cruttenden joins Carrie Gorda, Rachel Patt, Hannah Zuchowski, Kirsten Florio, Caitlyn Callahan, Megan Starkweather, Paige Logsdon and Lexi Urena.

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Sports

All-RRV Volleyball 2025: A golden finish: Trinity Christian Academy’s Pyeatt walks off as state champion and All-RRV Volleyball Co-Offensive Player of the Year | Free

Published

58 minutes ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

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Sports

118th Millrose Games Welcomes Doris Lemngole And Jane Hedengren Rivalry Over 3000m

Published

1 hour ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The 118th Millrose Games women’s 3000 meters on Feb. 1, 2026, at the Nike Track & Field Center at The Armory will feature a showdown between NCAA distance running’s top stars Doris Lemngole and Jane Hedengren, along with 2025 runner-up Josette Andrews.

Lemngole, competing for Alabama, holds the NCAA championship and record in the 3000m steeplechase. The Kenya native won the steeplechase at the Lausanne Diamond League and finished fourth at the World Championships before claiming her second straight NCAA cross country title — her fifth NCAA championship overall. The junior received the 2025 Bowerman Award last week, recognizing her as collegiate track and field’s top athlete.

“I am excited and looking forward to competing at the Millrose Games, especially given its prestige and historic significance,” said Lemngole in a release by the meeting this week.. “It is a great opportunity!”

Read More: Julien Alfred Among Sprinters Confirmed For 2025 Millrose Games

Hedengren broke every American high school distance record from 1500m through 5000m before enrolling at BYU. The freshman went unbeaten in cross country until finishing second to Lemngole at nationals, then shattered the NCAA 5000m record with a 14:44.79 clocking in her indoor debut.

Both runners will chase Katelyn Tuohy’s NCAA 3000m record of 8:35.20, established at the 2023 Millrose Games.

Andrews, from Tenafly, N.J., finished sixth in the 5000m at the 2025 World Championships and has top-five showings at World Indoor Championships and the Diamond League Final.

Several Other 118th Millrose Games Confirmations

The World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meet will also feature Grant Fisher, Cole Hocker, Elle St. Pierre, Jess Hull, Nikki Hiltz, Joe Kovacs, Yared Nuguse, Hobbs Kessler, Cameron Myers, Julien Alfred, Devynne Charlton and Danielle Williams.

Tickets are available at millrosegames.org. More than 85 percent of seats have sold.

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Sports

B-CU Softball Releases 2026 Schedule

Published

1 hour ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

DAYTONA BEACH – The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats have officially released their 2026 softball schedule. The schedule includes four in-season tournaments prior to SWAC play along with two separate contests against non-conference foes.

The Wildcats’ season will begin at the USF-Rawlings Classic in Tampa from February 5-7. B-CU will open against Illinois State, followed by matchups with USF, Kansas, Michigan, and Florida.

The Cats’ first game at Sunnyland Park will take place on February 11th against North Dakota State at 5 p.m.

From February 13-15, the Wildcats will be in Leesburg, Florida for THE Spring Games, where they will take on mid-majors LIU, Southern Miss, Loyola Chicago, and St. John’s.

The following weekend, B-CU once again travels to Cathedral City, California for an appearance in the annual Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic (Feb. 19-21), squaring off against Utah, Rutgers, Texas Tech, Oregon State, and Long Beach State.

For their fourth and final in-season tournament, the Wildcats head to Madiera Beach, Florida for the Make It Happen Games. The event takes place from February 27 to March 1 and features Bellarmine, UMass, UIC, Bowling Green, and Monmouth.

The Wildcats’ SWAC schedule begins on Friday, March 6th with a two-game road series against Alabama A&M. B-CU will then finish up their non-conference schedule following a road contest against UNF (March 11).

B-CU welcomes Alabama State for a three-game series on March 13th & 14th. The following weekend (March 20-21), they will travel to play Jackson State before heading back to Sunnyland. The Cats host rival Florida A&M for a three-game set on March 27th and 28th.

The Wildcats travel to Itta Bena, Mississippi to take on the Delta Devils on April 3rd & 4th. Their final three series include rematches of previous series against Jackson State, Alabama State, and Alabama A&M. B-CU will host the Tigers (April 10-11) and the Bulldogs (April 24-25), while traveling to face the Hornets (April 17-18).

The Southeastern Athletic Conference tournament will again compete in Gulfport, Mississippi, and takes place from May 5th to May 9th.

Follow Bethune-Cookman Softball on Twitter (@BCUSoftball) and Instagram (@BCUSoftball) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUAthletics), Instagram (@BCU_Athletics) and BCUathletics.com.

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