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A Winning Collaboration

Six years ago, UConn Field Hockey head coach Paul Caddy reached out to the head of the Department of Statistics in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He wanted to find an informal way for students learning statistical methods to work with his team, integrating data analytics to gain a competitive edge. After a […]

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A Winning Collaboration

Six years ago, UConn Field Hockey head coach Paul Caddy reached out to the head of the Department of Statistics in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He wanted to find an informal way for students learning statistical methods to work with his team, integrating data analytics to gain a competitive edge.

After a pandemic and various other obstacles, the collaboration never came to fruition.

Then, in Fall 2023, Alyssa O’Keefe, an academic advisor in the Department of Statistics and Applied Data Analysis, launched a formalized sports analytics internship program and Caddy saw a new opportunity to bring that vision to life.

For the past two years, the Sports Statistics Experiential Learning Program has provided UConn Athletics with statistical information to improve their performance while allowing students the opportunity to gain practical hands-on experience to prepare them for careers in data.

O’Keefe says she got the idea for the program after the parent of an incoming student asked if it would be okay for her to leverage her connection with a coach to get her son experience with a team. O’Keefe says she saw an opportunity to expand that access to other students who may not have those personal connections.

“I’ve had so many students sit across my desk telling me that their dream job would be sports analytics,” O’Keefe says. “We have 18 teams. How could we not have a way to make this connection for them?”

In the Fall 2024, the program paired Caddy with Julia Mazzola ’25 (CLAS), a statistical data science and economics double major, who analyzed attacking penalty corners, a crucial scoring opportunity that happens when a foul is made in the area around the goal. The data provided real-time insights that Caddy says he’ll use as part of his coaching throughout the seasons.

“In the couple of seasons leading up to this one, our performance has not been what it needs to be offensively or defensively on corners,” Caddy says. “So, we need to get some data to see what works and what doesn’t.”

Julia Mazzola standing by a field wearing UConn Field Hockey apparel
Julia Mazzola ’25 (CLAS), a statistical data science and economics double major, worked as a sports analytics intern with UConn Field Hockey in the Fall of 2024. (Contributed by Julia Mazzola)

Having previously met Joe Ferriss, former director of Men’s Hockey Operations, O’Keefe reached out with her idea of partnering statistics students with athletic teams. Ferriss was impressed with the concept and became the first to agree to join the program.

As word spread around the Athletics teams of O’Keefe’s initiative, more teams began to show interest. The program began with just three teams— baseball, men’s hockey and football—but has since expanded to 11 teams including the women’s basketball team which won the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.

The internship program will be adding the Department of Sports Performance to its list of participating athletics programs in the fall and O’Keefe says she hopes more teams will sign on.

Unlike traditional coursework, this internship places students in dynamic sports environments where they work on various analytical projects tailored to the needs of the teams they’re paired with. Projects include tracking player positioning and movement through game footage, assessing player performance during various points of the game to refine strategy, providing statistical insights during competitions, and analyzing recruitment data.

Many interns work directly with coaching staff, integrating data into team meetings and game planning, O’Keefe says.

Students can earn credits for the internship and can intern for a semester or a full year. The time commitment varies from one placement to another, and O’Keefe says students selected for the program must agree to the conditions before they begin.

Mazzola interned with Caddy’s team for one semester, and Caddy says she felt like a member of the team.

“It is a unique experience,” Caddy says. “She’s on the sidelines during games. She’s going to get a championship ring because we won the Big East Championship. We think she’s part of the field hockey family.”

He says he hopes to continue working with student interns and that Mazzola’s project is something the team “can lean on a little bit, moving through the seasons.”

For Mazzola, the program is a career stepping stone. She plans to start her career in underwriting at the Cigna Group after she graduates in May and credits the internship with reinforcing her passion for analytics and problem-solving.

“One thing about underwriting is there’s a lot of moving pieces, and there’s a lot to learn,” she says. “You have to take in many aspects when you make a decision, and the field hockey internship was very helpful in learning how to piece things together, like solving a puzzle.”

Sports

Men’s Cross Country Announces 2025 Schedule

Story Links SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara men’s cross country announced its 2025 competition schedule.   The season begins August 29 at the USF Invitational in San Francisco. The Broncos then head to the Kym Duyst Invitational September 13 followed by Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational and the Pacific Invitational October […]

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara men’s cross country announced its 2025 competition schedule.
 
The season begins August 29 at the USF Invitational in San Francisco. The Broncos then head to the Kym Duyst Invitational September 13 followed by Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational and the Pacific Invitational October 3.
 
Santa Clara hosts the annual Bronco invitational at Baylands Park in Sunnyvale on October 18. More info can be found here.
 
Pre Nationals on October 18 close out the regular season before the WCC Championships November 1. NCAA West Regionals are November 14 in Sacramento, and the NCAA Championships are November 22 in Columbia, Mo.



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NBCUniversal Considering Cable Channel Featuring Peacock Sports, NBA Content

Shutterstock image Erik Gruenwedel July 23, 2025 Cable TV might not be dead yet. NBCUniversal is reportedly considering launching a cable-themed channel that would include Peacock sports content, in addition to the NBA. The channel would launch in the fall to coincide with NBC Sports and Peacock assuming distribution rights to the NBA as part […]

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NBCUniversal Considering Cable Channel Featuring Peacock Sports, NBA Content

Shutterstock image

Erik Gruenwedel

Cable TV might not be dead yet. NBCUniversal is reportedly considering launching a cable-themed channel that would include Peacock sports content, in addition to the NBA.

The channel would launch in the fall to coincide with NBC Sports and Peacock assuming distribution rights to the NBA as part of the league’s 11-year, $75 billion license rights agreement with Disney (ABC Sports and ESPN), NBC, Peacock and Prime Video, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the move, citing sources familiar with the situation.

NBCUniversal has made no official comment on the situation.

The sports channel would be bundled with select third-party premium TV offerings rather than conventional pay-TV bundles.

The move comes as NBCUniversal is spinning off its cable assets into a separate standalone company called Versant, which includes CNBC, MSNBC, USA Network, Oxygen, E!, SYFY, Golf Channel and digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and SportsEngine.

At the same time, live sports remains a pay-TV staple, while Fox and Disney in the fall plan to launch standalone streaming services — Fox One and ESPN — targeting TV sports viewers.

Peacock, which ended March with 41 million paid subscribers, currently streams NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” and an exclusive NFL game, in addition to PGA Tour golf, college football, the WNBA, Olympics and Premier League Soccer.

Comcast ended the quarter with more than 12 million Xfinity premium TV subscribers.

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Volleyball Earns AVCA Team Academic Award

Story Links Center Valley, PA (July 23, 2025) – The DeSales University volleyball team was honored with the AVCA Team Academic Award as announced by the organization this week. Teams were awarded the academic award by maintaining a year-long GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale as 1,450 collegiate and […]

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Center Valley, PA (July 23, 2025) – The DeSales University volleyball team was honored with the AVCA Team Academic Award as announced by the organization this week.

Teams were awarded the academic award by maintaining a year-long GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale as 1,450 collegiate and high school volleyball programs earned the award.

“It is very exciting to see that the record-setting, on-court successes during the 2024-25 season have extended to the classroom,” says AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. “The fact that more programs earned the Team Academic Award than ever before is evidence of how committed our coaches are when it comes to helping their players reach their goals as both students and athletes.”

Head coach Michele Zabinski just finished her 20th season in charge of the volleyball program leading the Bulldogs to a 14-17 overall record and a spot in the MAC Freedom postseason tournament last season. Thirteen Bulldogs earned MAC Fall Academic Honor Roll honors and first-year Allison Reimer was named to the MAC Volleyball Academic All-MAC Team.

 



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Women’s Golf Adds Three For 2025-26

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Women’s Golf Head Coach Alyssa Waite has announced the addition of two Division I transfers and a freshman who will join three returning players and three high school signees to make up the team’s roster for 2025-26.   Alyson Sor | Long Beach, Calif. | Wilson HS | UC Irvine   […]

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LONG BEACH, Calif. – Women’s Golf Head Coach Alyssa Waite has announced the addition of two Division I transfers and a freshman who will join three returning players and three high school signees to make up the team’s roster for 2025-26.
 
Alyson Sor | Long Beach, Calif. | Wilson HS | UC Irvine
 
Alyson Sor will transfer to Long Beach State after a pair of successful seasons with Black and Blue rivals UC Irvine. Last season, Sor had a 74.29 scoring average and recorded four Top 20 finishes, including a fifth-place finish at the Soboba Classic at Soboba Springs Golf Club last spring, helping UC Irvine win the team championship. She has a career Division I low of 68 and had a Top 10 finish at the Utah Tech Trailblazer Invitational as a true freshman. “Aly is our Long Beach local,” said Waite. “We wanted to bring the Wilson High School star back home. She is a long hitter who has big aspirations with golf, and we are excited to help get her to the next level with her game.”
 
Emma Kang | Torrance, Calif. | South Torrance HS | Idaho
 
Emma Kang comes to Long Beach State by way of Idaho, where she spent the last two seasons as a regular part of the lineup. A two-time All-Big Sky selection, she was the Big Sky Player of the Week after winning the Tri-State Invite hosted by Eastern Washington, and she had the lowest scoring average last season for the Vandals at 74.4. “It was time for Emma to come back home,” said Waite. “Her Dad is a Long Beach State alum and she’s from Torrance, so we took the opportunity to welcome her into the team and back to Southern California. She brings great collegiate experience and has the eagerness to learn.”
 
Chloe Park | Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. | Palos Verdes Peninsula HS
 
Chloe Park has an extensive junior golf record and will join Long Beach State as a freshman in 2025. The 2021 Southern California Junior Tour Player of the Year, Park was a winner earlier this year at the Two-Day Spring Series at Morongo, carding a 75 and a 76, and shot a 71 at Bear Creek Golf Club in the TTC Cantlay Series. “We are excited to bring in Chloe as a freshman,” noted Waite. “She is a fierce competitor who knows how to compete.”
 
Former All-Big West golfers Madison Le and Erin Lee are joined by Isabelle Olivas-Lowell in returning to the program, while Olivia Chappell, Summer Schafer, and Kailey Yoon committed to the program in November.

 



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Lobo VB Unveils Complete 2025 Schedule – University of New Mexico Lobos athletics

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — With the unveiling of New Mexico Volleyball’s nonconference matchups and an update to the Mountain West Conference schedule due to the addition of Grand Canyon, the Lobos’ complete 2025 schedule is now available to the public. This year’s slate includes 14 home matches at the Johnson Center that kick off with this […]

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — With the unveiling of New Mexico Volleyball’s nonconference matchups and an update to the Mountain West Conference schedule due to the addition of Grand Canyon, the Lobos’ complete 2025 schedule is now available to the public.

This year’s slate includes 14 home matches at the Johnson Center that kick off with this year’s Lobo Invitational, a multi-team event that will feature matchups between and against Manhattan, Northern Arizona and Houston Christian (Aug. 29-30). Last season, the Lobos averaged over 800 fans a game for the third season in a row, with a season-high 1,387 fans in attendance vs. New Mexico State on Sept. 16.

The Lobos have won at a .585 clip over the past four seasons and are 33-18 at home in that span.

After renewing their rivalry for the first time since 2019 last season, the Lobos will again face New Mexico State twice – they’ll host the Aggies Sept. 16 at the Johnson Center before hitting the road for a match in Las Cruces the following day. UNM is 18-12 against the Aggies at home and 10-19 against them on the road.

Last year, the Lobos defeated NMSU in four sets in Albuquerque (25-19, 20-25, 25-23, 25-21) before sweeping them in three sets (25-19, 25-21, 25-13) two days later in Las Cruces.

The Lobos are looking to return to the Mountain West Tournament after missing out in 2024 to snap a streak of three consecutive tournament appearances. In 2024, UNM found its rhythm late in the season, winning four of their last six after weathering a seven-match skid. The Lobos led the conference in digs per set (15.77) and ranked second in blocks per set (2.53) in 2024, finishing ninth in the conference standings at 13-15 overall and 6-12 in MW play.

Fans will get their first chance to see this years’ Lobos in action when they host D-II New Mexico Highlands in exhibition action on Aug. 23 at the Johnson Center. Follow @UNMLoboVB on socials for promotions, updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.

NONCONFERENCE
After the Lobo Invitational, UNM heads to Stephenville, Texas for tournament action hosted by Tarleton State – they’ll face the Texans on that Thursday (Sept. 4) before meetings with Northwestern State (Sept. 5) and Prairie View A&M (Sept. 6).

They’ll be in Riverside, Calif. the following weekend for one more weekend of round-robin matchups hosted by Cal Baptist, opening up with Portland State (Sept. 11) and Cal State Fullerton (Sept. 12) in neutral-site action before facing host Cal Baptist on Sept. 13.

MOUNTAIN WEST PLAY
Conference play will include an 18-match format with each MW team playing nine home contests and making nine road trips during league action. League play begins on Tuesday, Sept. 23, and concludes Saturday, Nov. 22.

The Lobos will begin conference play with four home matchups in a row, beginning with Utah State (Sep. 25) and Boise State (Sep. 27) in the Johnson Center for Week 1 before matchups with Colorado State (Oct. 2) and Wyoming (Oct. 4).

After a three-game road swing featuring dates at San Diego State (Oct. 9), new conference opponent Grand Canyon (Oct. 11) and UNLV (Oct. 16), UNM returns home for a rematch with the Lopes (Oct. 18) before another road swing to Fresno State (Oct. 23) and San Jose State (Oct. 25).

Another four-match home stretch takes place from Oct. 30-Nov. 8, with UNM hosting Nevada, Air Force, UNLV and San Diego State in that span –  the Lobos’ matchup with the Aztecs will be Senior Day at the Johnson Center.  After heading to Nevada (Nov. 13) and Air Force (Nov. 15), the Lobos close out the season with road dates at Wyoming and Colorado State on Nov. 20 and 22nd, respectively.

If the Lobos qualify for the conference tournament, they’ll be returning to Vegas the following week to begin postseason action. League play will determine the seeding for the 2024 MW Volleyball Championship, which will start Wednesday, Nov. 26, and conclude Saturday, Nov. 29, in Las Vegas at the Cox Pavilion on the UNLV Campus.





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Women's Basketball Recognized on WBCA Academic Honor Roll

Story Links WBCA Release Atlanta, Ga. — The University of Lynchburg women’s basketball team was selected as a special mention on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Academic Honor Roll for their accomplishments on the court and in the classroom, announced by the WBCA. The WBCA Academic Honor Roll recognizes college women’s basketball teams across the […]

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Women's Basketball Recognized on WBCA Academic Honor Roll

Atlanta, Ga. — The University of Lynchburg women’s basketball team was selected as a special mention on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Academic Honor Roll for their accomplishments on the court and in the classroom, announced by the WBCA.

The WBCA Academic Honor Roll recognizes college women’s basketball teams across the nation in their respective divisions that carry the highest combined grade point average, inclusive of all student-athletes on the roster for the entire season. Teams having a 3.0 cumulative GPA or better and qualify for consideration of the top 25 in their division are honored as special mentions.

Lynchburg is one of four teams in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference to be selected to this year’s list. The other schools within the conference include Washington & Lee, Shenandoah, and Randolph-Macon.

To view the complete list released by the WBCA containing all 2024-25 Academic Team Honor Roll selections, click here.

Visit Lynchburg athletics’ home online, LynchburgSports.com, anytime for up-to-the-minute news on all Hornets sports and coverage from the Lynchburg Hornets Sports Network.

Sign up here to receive Lynchburg Sports news in your email inbox.

Give Lynchburg Athletics a like on Facebook, and follow Lynchburg Athletics on Instagram and X.

–LYN–

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