Good morning to all!  

The past week has been a blur of energy and purpose—from watching our student-athletes compete for a championship to pushing back against proposals that could sideline the voices of conferences like ours (FCS. I-AAA, and even Group of 6). Between the Big West Baseball Championship, future membership discussions, NCAA governance shifts, and conference membership requirement proposals, it’s been a defining moment for reflection and resolve. 

Song of the week is “Angry Young Man” from Billy Joel.  The lyrics feel personal this week. I may not be angry, but I’m energized. As we face down proposals that threaten the inclusive and competitive spirit of Division I, I’m using every ounce of that piano-driven urgency to advocate for the institutions that do more with less—and do it for the right reasons. 

“There’s a place in the world for the angry young man 

With his working class ties and his radical plans 

He refuses to bend, he refuses to crawl, 

And he’s always at home with his back to the wall. 

And he’s proud of his scars and the battles he’s lost, 

And he struggles and bleeds as he hangs on his cross 

And he likes to be known as the angry young man.” 

Not sure if the song title fits, but if other conference commissioners are not going to publicly voice their thoughts on the proposed future governance structure, I am the one being quoted in the media.  I do so, however, on behalf of The Big West, our institutions and student-athletes.  If so, it is a title well-earned.  

Let’s get to The Bold Type.  

  

   CONGRATULATIONS!   

• To Cal Poly and UC Irvine for their performances in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship regional round. Both teams advanced to the regional final last night before falling to foes UCLA and Arizona. Find recaps about each game of the weekend here >>> 
• To all our student-athletes who punched tickets to the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Eugene after successful performances in College Station, Texas, at the NCAA West Preliminaries. Read more: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 
• To the twenty-two Big West student-athletes representing seven member-institutions who were honored as members of the College Sports Communicators (CSC) 2025 Academic All-District® Softball Team. Read more >>>
• To the 16 Big West women’s water polo student-athletes from six programs who were voted as ACWPC All-Americans! Read more >>> 
• To UC Santa Barbara senior Amelia Honer who was named an All-American by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) for the second year in a row! Read more >>> 
• To University of Georgia Provost S. Jack Hu who was named the new chancellor at UC Riverside on Wednesday! Read more >>> 
• To Hawai’i alumna and 2022 Big West Player of the Year Amber Igiede who is one of the 30 players selected for the U.S. Women’s National Team as it prepares for the 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL), the world’s premier annual international tournament. Read more >>> 

  NCAA DIVISION I AND “SMALLER DIVISION I SCHOOLS” OR LESS RESOURCED – NOT LESSER   

On Wednesday, Peyton Barish wrote a guest column for “Extra Points by Matt Brown”.  I greatly appreciate Peyton using his voice to try to bring media attention to what is being proposed by the NCAA Working Group focused on future governance.  However, as Peyton sent a note to me after the article posted seeking thoughts and feedback, I took the opportunity to respond, thank him, and clarify something in the headline. 

Many Big West programs sponsor more sports than some CFP-4 peers and except for the Big 10, The Big West has, on-average, larger student bodies. 

Yet media use of headlines like ‘smaller schools’ undermines what we do. Referring to our institutions as “Smaller Schools” diminishes all that we do to provide an outstanding education and experience for our student-athletes.  As many of you are aware, many Big West institutions rank in the Top 20 public institutions in the nation.  Our academic stature and large enrollments are not definable at “smaller schools”.   

Additionally, we are nationally competitive in NCAA Division I, sending multiple teams to NCAA Championships and as noted last week, sending four teams to three Final Fours and winning a national championship last month.  We work harder to provide for our student-athletes and athletic programs. We are not given a billion dollars by TV entities to broadcast our football games, nor can we create millions of dollars more by adding four more teams to a football playoff.  

We must use our voice to continue to fight for those of us that are a little less resourced, and focus on the education and experience of our student-athletes. We are the institutions that are collegial, love to watch our student-athletes compete for their institution, and even more so watch our student-athletes earn their diploma, start a career,  and come back to campus to excitedly tell us of their success and appreciation. 

 

   MEDIA REPORTS ON NCAA MATTERS AND LEGAL ISSUES   

• According to Sportico’s Daniel Libit, FARs’ “traditionally modest foothold is all but gone” as the industry changes, and outgoing Tennessee FAR Don Bruce notes: “Nowhere are academics in the conversation right now. And it’s really disappointing. It’s really frustrating because we [FARs] do show up for work to support student-athletes, to protect our institutions, and to preserve what we believe is worth preserving—and that is the collegiate model.” Lots more. (link) 
• The NCAA’s partnership extension with Genius Sports, which was announced earlier this year, comes with a caveat, according to NCAA President Charlie Baker: “For them to continue to access our data moving forward, there can’t be any sportsbook betting on negative props. So all the stuff that literally translates into a lot of the worst behavior that’s directed at young people and student-athletes generally under this agreement is going to be off the table.” (link) 
• Georgia President Jere Morehead tells ESPN/SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum he expects there to be more litigation after the House settlement. “I think ultimately if we don’t get a congressional solution, we may never solve this issue. But I’m hopeful that the House settlement will put some parameters around future litigation and give us a better place to litigate whatever issues some plaintiff’s attorney comes up with next. And there are plenty of plaintiffs’ attorneys that will come up with new theories. (link) 

   QUOTE OF THE DAY   

From SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey:  “I think I have a responsibility to push, and I think my [SEC] membership has a responsibility and a desire to push me. And that is a hard issue if you want to go inside what it’s like to sit in this role. I think about the responsibility I have here [to the league] and I think about the responsibility more broadly all the time. We’ll continue to try to provide perspective and information to our members and help them guide the decision. And ultimately, I recognize I’m the one who ends up typically in front of a podium explaining not just myself but ourselves. So good luck to me.”  (link) 

Every commissioner feels the pressure. Pressures in The Big West just feel different—and requires different courage. 

   LET’S CLOSE IT OUT   

We continue to wait for Judge Claudia Wilken to make a decision on the proposed NCAA-House settlement.  Many NCAA staff members thought it would have been last week.  Some commissioners thought this week.  I have been saying it will be during NACDA week, as Judge Wilken knows when major NCAA events are being conducted. Remember, she held the larger settlement hearing on the day of the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship Game – for nearly 6.5 hours! 

That is all for this week. Be Bold. Be courageous.  Take care of those that take care of our student-athletes.  Have a great week. 

Dan 

The federation announced the change after Trump threatened to pull federal funding from California unless it bars trans female athletes from competing on girls teams. The federation said it decided on the change before then.

The U.S. Department of Justice also said it would investigate the federation and the district that includes Hernandez’s high school to determine whether they violated federal sex discrimination law.

California law allows trans students to compete on sex-segregated sports teams consistent with their gender identity.

The federation said the rule opens the field to more “biological female” athletes. One expert said the change may itself be discriminatory because it creates an extra spot for “biological female” athletes but not for other trans athletes.

The federation did not specify how it defines “biological female” or how it would verify whether a competitor meets that definition.

Sophia Lorey, outreach director with California Family Council, was among those at the stadium Saturday. She said the federation’s policy is not a fix for the issue and only ends up causing more confusion.

“At the end of the day,” Lorey said, “it shows the girls that we know this is wrong and we’re still letting it happen to you.”

Hernandez told the publication Capital & Main this month that she cannot worry about critics.

“I’m still a child, you’re an adult, and for you to act like a child shows how you are as a person,” she said.

Other students break records

California’s championship stands out from that of other states because of the sheer number of competitors. The state had the second-largest number of students participating in outdoor track and field in the nation during the 2023-2024 school year, behind Texas, according to a survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

The boys 100-meter heats also were a highlight, with junior Jaden Jefferson of De La Salle High School in Concord finishing in 10.01 seconds Friday, 0.19 seconds faster than a meet record set in 2023. But he fell just shy of making it count as a meet record with a final time of 10.27 seconds in Saturday’s final.

Athletes set new meet records in several events, including boys and girls relay races, hurdle competitions and the boys pole vault.

After a difficult start to the NCAA baseball regional tournament, Southern Miss rebounded with a string of wins to force a decisive Game 7 against Miami.
The Golden Eagles opened regional play Friday night with an 11-4 loss to Columbia. Southern Miss entered the game following a Sun Belt Championship defeat to No. 8 Coastal Carolina.
Struggles with hitting and pitching impacted the Golden Eagles’ opening performance. The team, which finished the regular season with a .305 batting average, recorded just five hits and four runs against Columbia. Southern Miss went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
In their second game, the Golden Eagles bounced back with a narrow 6-5 victory over Alabama. The early innings were scoreless before Alabama’s Will Plattner hit a solo home run in the third. Southern Miss responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning and added another in the fourth. Both teams continued to exchange runs, but the game was sealed in the top of the ninth when third baseman Sean Smith recorded a force out at third base on a groundball by Alabama’s Richie Bonomolo.
In a rematch against Columbia, Southern Miss advanced to the championship round with an 8-1 win. After a slow start from both teams, the Golden Eagles pulled away in the sixth inning and continued to score in every inning through the ninth. Southern Miss recorded three runs in the eighth.
Freshman pitcher Grayden Harris commented on handling the high-pressure situation.
“Really just attack the hitters early,” Harris said. “Some games earlier this season I would get behind early in counts and it would just lead to not the outcome I wanted, so going into this outing I knew I needed to attack the hitters early.”
In Game 4 against Miami, Southern Miss relied on its power hitting to earn a 17-6 victory. Joey Urban led the team with two home runs, while first baseman Matthew Russo and catcher Tucker Stockman each added one.
Head coach Christian Ostrander praised the team’s resilience after playing two games on Sunday.
“You can’t do what they did today without having some toughness and some grit,” Ostrander said.
Southern Miss added four runs in the ninth inning to close out the game and force a winner-take-all matchup against Miami on Monday at 8 p.m.

NEW ORLEANS – Augustana junior Charlotte Frere was selected Midwest Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year on Thursday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Additionally, Elmhurst’s Tyler Sheehan was named Midwest Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year.
 
Award winners were determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches after the 2025 NCAA DIII Outdoor Championships in Geneva, Ohio. Only those individuals from USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for awards.
 

Frere won her second straight national title in the discus by nearly eight feet, becoming the first women’s track & field student-athlete in Augustana history to win multiple national championships. Earlier in the season, Frere launched a throw of 53.10m, which currently sits as the No. 3 furthest throw in Division III history and the best mark in the event in 23 years. 
 
Sheehan, who oversees the Bluejays’ sprinters and hurdlers, played a pivotal role in guiding Elmhurst to a ninth-place team finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The highlight of the national meet came in the 4×100-meter relay, where his squad stormed to a national runner-up finish—one of the top performances in school history and the Elmhurst record in the event.
 
At the CCIW Championships, his athletes were instrumental in delivering Elmhurst its first outdoor conference team title in program history. The team racked up 80 points from Sheehan’s event group alone, including a dominant 1-2-3 sweep in the 100-meter hurdles.

Augustana, Elmhurst athletics communications contributed to this release.

CLINTON, S.C. – Presbyterian College and the Blue Hose athletic department have announced Maddie Moss as the new head coach of the PC volleyball program.
 
A former collegiate team captain and standout student-athlete at Lander University, Moss brings a strong background in player development, recruiting, and program management, with coaching experience ranging from the NCAA Division I level to youth development leagues.
 
“Coach Moss brings a new level of energy and excitement to our program,” Said Presbyterian Director of Athletics Dee Nichols. “Her devotion to the game and passion to develop our student-athletes on and off the court align with our mission and values for Blue Hose Athletics. With her leadership and volleyball acumen, Coach Moss will continue to move the needle and will elevate this talented group of players to achieve championship level success.
 
Moss takes over a program that advanced to the 2024 Big South Tournament semifinals and returns 11 letterwinners, including junior opposite/outside hitter Courtney Williams, a 2024 Second Team All-Big South selection.
 
Before taking over at the helm of the Blue Hose, Moss spent the last two years as a member of the coaching staff at the University of West Georgia. She was responsible for overseeing practice plans, specializing in setter training, managing team analytics and film review, and contributing to recruiting efforts. She played an active role in match preparation and opponent scouting, while also gaining valuable administrative experience in budgeting, travel coordination, and gear management.
 
While at UWG, Moss guided two student-athletes to First and Second Team All-GSC honors during the program’s final season at the Division II level. She helped lead the team to the 2023 Gulf South Conference Tournament before the Wolves transitioned to Division I and joined the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2024. In their ASUN debut, Moss played a key role in coaching the program’s first Division I All-Conference honoree, who earned a spot on the Third Team.
 
Beyond her time at UWG, she has held various coaching roles, including head club coach for the Emerald City Juniors Volleyball Club, and youth coach with Birmingham Volleyball Club’s Court Crashers program, all while mentoring athletes as a private lessons instructor.
 
Moss played collegiate volleyball at Lander University, where she served as a team captain and was a steady contributor both on and off the court. Over four seasons, she helped lead the Bearcats to 57 wins, including 25 in Peach Belt Conference play, and contributed to multiple PBC Tournament runs. In 2022, she played an integral role for the squad that earned Lander its first NCAA Southeast Regional appearance since 2018.
 
Off the court, Moss excelled academically. She graduated in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and a minor in Healthcare Management. A four-time Peach Belt Conference Academic Distinction honoree, she also earned CSC Academic All-District recognition in 2022, and was a consistent presence on the Dean’s and President’s Lists.
 
She recently completed her Master’s in Sports Management at the University of West Georgia.
 
“I couldn’t be more excited to step into this role as head volleyball coach at PC,” said coach Moss. “This program has incredible potential, and I am excited to work with this exceptional and talented group. My goal is to create a competitive, supportive, and energetic environment for these athletes to thrive on the court and in the classroom. I’m ready to get to work and make an impact on the Blue Hose family and create something special.”
 

MILFORD, Mass. (WBZ) – An 18-year-old high school student, who is undocumented but has lived in Massachusetts since he was 5, was detained by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the way to volleyball practice.

Four Milford High School students were on their way to volleyball practice Saturday morning when three unmarked vehicles carrying ICE agents pulled up behind them. At least two of the students in the car were undocumented, including the driver, 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes.

The other undocumented student in the car at the time spoke out about the incident. He asked to remain anonymous. He says that they weren’t doing anything wrong to warrant being pulled over.

“An ICE officer stepped out of his vehicle, knocked on the window and asked what his documentation was,” the student said.

The agents interrogated the car full of students about their documentation before taking Gomes, who is a high school junior, into custody. The other undocumented student says he was not taken into custody by ICE because he is underage.

“That’s kind of when emotion hit, and I started crying… Tears just started coming down my eyes,” the student said.

The student says he is now afraid all his hard work in school and being a good member of the community is in jeopardy.

“I always knew this to be a system that kicks out undocumented people for committing crimes, and now, it’s a system that will just kick you out based on your status,” he said.

Milford Police say they were not informed ICE would by carrying out this operation, and Milford Public Schools Superintendent Kevin McIntyre said the following in a statement:

“The Milford Public Schools play no part in immigration enforcement and support all of our students and families, including those who are immigrants to the United States. They are members of the community, students in our classrooms, athletes that compete representing Milford, musicians, artists, friends, and neighbors.”

Family members say Gomes has lived in the Milford area since he was 5 years old.

“It’s kind of heartbreaking, and Marcelo is such a kind person. He’s the last person that this should be happening to. His siblings are so young, and they’re asking questions like whether they’re ever going to see him again,” said Gomes’ cousin, Ana Julia Araujo.

Araujo says Gomes is currently being held at an ICE detention center in Burlington.

Hundreds rallied Sunday in support of Gomes, including members of Milford High School’s Class of 2025, who marched down the street in their caps and gowns after graduation. Gomes is a member of the school band and was set to play drums at the ceremony.

“Marcelo was a good kid. He was excited for his future. He did absolutely nothing wrong. He was innocently going to a practice, and he was targeted,” said Gomes’ girlfriend, Julianys Rentas.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, also spoke out against Gomes’ detention.

“I’m demanding that ICE provide immediate information about why he [Gomes] was arrested, where he is and how his due process is being protected. My heart goes out to the Milford community on what was supposed to be a celebratory graduation day. The Trump Administration continues to create fear in our communities, and it’s making us all less safe,” said Healey in a statement.

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