CARLSBAD, Calif. – Kansas State senior Carla Bernat and sophomore Alenka Navarro ended their season on a high note on Monday as each went under par and finished in a tie for 14th during the final round of stroke play at the 2025 NCAA Championship on Monday at the par-72, 6,330-yard Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.
 
Bernat and Navarro tied for 14th place at 2-under par 286. Bernat turned in a final-round score of 5-under par 67, while Navarro finished her final round of the season at 4-under par 68.
 
Beginning on the back 9, Bernat began her final collegiate round with birdies on each of her first three holes. After a bogey on the par-4 15th, Bernat finished her first nine holes with a birdie on No. 18.
 
Bernat proceeded to finish the final nine holes of her collegiate career bogey free and 2-under par, closing out one the most illustrious seasons and careers in program history.
 
“Her play was incredible,” head coach Stew Burke said. “The golf course is so difficult, especially in the afternoon when the greens are firm and the wind is whipping. She’s going to do this for a living and for a very long time in the future. Rounds like today to finish off her career at the standard that she set all year is just Carla being Carla.”
 
Bernat finished her career ranking first in school history in both career (70.44) and single-season (70.08) scoring. She also finished in program history second in career wins (5), top-five (14) and top-10 (16) finishes.
 
“We had a vision,” Burke said. “Gene Taylor believed in our vision, then Rinko Mitsunaga believed in my vision for the program. Carla was the first piece of the puzzle. She’s been incredible as a leader on the golf course, what she does in the weight room and just how she carries herself and how she represents us. I am really, really proud of her.”
 
Navarro also started off her round with a bang as she holed out for eagle from 97 yards on the par-5 10th, while the sophomore also birdied No. 14. Following bogeys to finish out her first nine holes on Nos. 15 and 18, she began the front 9 with birdies on Nos. 1, 2 and 5 as part of her bogey-free front 9.
 
A native of Mexico City, Navarro finished her second collegiate season ranked sixth in school history with a 73.58 scoring average. She enters her junior campaign ranked second in school history with a 73.68 career scoring average.
 
“It was a really incredible round,” Burke said. “She started out of the gate hot. She made a couple of mistakes and was a little wobbly in the middle, then she just kept the pedal down. I am really proud of her. She hit some shots that were truly world class today.”
 
Arkansas’ Maria Jose Marin was crowned the 2025 NCAA Individual Champion after firing a 12-under par 276. She led Arkansas to the No. 6 seed in match play, which begins on Tuesday. Stanford is the top seed after finishing stroke play at 27-under par 1,125. The other six teams that moved on to match play are Oregon, Northwestern, Florida State, USC, Texas and Virginia.

 

Hamilton College’s Ramon Aroca Gonzalez ’26 (Madrid, Spain/Hastings School) was selected for the 2025 NCAA Division III PING Men’s All-Region Team by the Golf Coaches Association of America on Sunday, May 18.

Aroca Gonzalez is one of 15 all-region golfers in Region 1, which otherwise featured honorees from colleges and universities in New England. The all-region selection was the third in as many seasons for Aroca Gonzalez.

Aroca Gonzalez led Hamilton with an 18-hole stroke average of 72.40 for 20 rounds. He earned four individual medalist honors and finished in the top 10 seven times out of 10 tournaments. Aroca Gonzalez tied for second place at the New England Small College Athletic Conference championship at Williams College’s Taconic Golf Club in late April with rounds of 71-71-80. The 80 in the final round was his worst all season, and he shot in the 60s three times.

Gonzalez was selected to compete in the NCAA Division III championship as an individual for the first time. The tournament begins on Tuesday, May 20 and runs through Friday, May 23. The first two rounds will be played simultaneously at Midvale Country Club in Penfield, N.Y., and at Cobblestone Creek Country Club in Victor, N.Y.

 

Leaders from the Power Four conferences are circulating a binding document that would radically transform rules enforcement in college football, according to Yahoo Sports. 

The contract would create the College Sports Commission, a new entity geared toward rules enforcement. Power Four schools would be required to sign the contract or risk being expelled from their leagues and having member schools refuse to play games against them. Additionally, it would limit the ability for schools to sue over enforcement decisions, radically transforming the outlook of the new era of college athletics. 

If the document is signed, it would create legitimate enforcement power that would put an end to the largely unregulated market that exists in the present environment. Notably, it would make schools subject to decisions by an NIL clearinghouse, which would judge whether outside NIL contracts represent true “market value.” It would also ensure that all power conference schools fully comply with the upcoming House v. NCAA lawsuit settlement, which is expected to be finalized in the coming days and will allow direct pay-for-play for the first time in history. 

The potential agreement comes in the wake of a wave of legal complications at the state level. Multiple states have considered legislation that would prevent the settlement from being legally enforceable in their states. Notably, Tennessee passed a law last week that would prevent rules that violate state laws — which such an agreement would seem to do. However, schools voluntarily entering into such a deal would be another legal complication. 

The new College Sports Commission structure would seem to echo one that was proposed by NCAA president Charlie Baker in Dec. 2023, which would create a new subdivision to create rules for the small group of schools that compensates players. 

However, the CSC would seem to be an attempt to create it outside of the NCAA’s authority — and potentially begin the process of removing administration of the sport from the NCAA. ESPN reported that the NCAA could step away from enforcement and a CEO is expected to be hired to lead it shortly after the House case is settled. 

Taming the Wild West

Schools have taken advantage of the fully unregulated NIL market that emerged in 2021. In the beginning, the NCAA attempted to set rules and guidelines to limit the flow of unregulated money to athletes, especially by boosters. However, after a number of legal challenges, the NCAA has lost nearly every lever of power available to it. 

Ultimately, that’s the primary catalyst for a third party to be created. Making it a voluntary organization in the wake of the settlement would help make the case to the courts that it’s a legitimate group with authority. Additionally, it would allow the NCAA to step away from an extraordinary amount of legal liability if enforcement power is taken off its plate. 

Nearly every stakeholder involved wants there to be clear rules and enforceable regulations. The sport has no chance of reaching a conclusion until they come. However, the right of richer institutions to leverage advantages will be a final piece that has to be resolved. 

Is it enforceable?

The College Sports Commission would be an attempt to create a legally allowable enforcement mechanism so that the sport can have laws. But in the case where Tennessee has a law preventing NIL rules that it views as illegal, can the University of Tennessee voluntarily take part in this deal? Can the courts clear them? Can anyone? 

Ultimately, that’s where we are at this point. Any final solution will require clear court decisions and successful defenses. When college commissioners and administrators continue to fly to Washington, D.C., to lobby for federal legislation, this is why. 

Only Congress can supersede every other stakeholder, including state governments and the courts. 

When taking a look at DU’s major sports teams, the transfer portal has had a mixed impact. Basketball is undergoing the biggest transformation, and gymnastics has taken a big hit, losing its biggest star. Hockey and soccer remain stable, and it is a wait-and-see for lacrosse.

Just take a look at DU’s core sports of gymnastics, hockey, men’s soccer, and lacrosse, and you will see the current impact of the transfer portal on the University of Denver.

Men’s Basketball – March 24th – April 22nd (Closed)

During the basketball portal window, 2,544 student-athletes entered the portal.  DU center Isaiah Carr landed at Drake, point guard DeAndre Craig at Purdue Fort Wayne, center Abdulai Fanta Kabba at Western Carolina, guard Jon Mani at the University of Colorado, guard Nicholas Shogbonyo at Texas A&M- Corpus Christi, and guard Ben Bowen at (D2) Northern State.

Denver is left with returning guards Josh Lee, Devin Carney, and Loch Cunningham. Forwards Logan Kinsey, Corleone Dandridge, Carson Johnson, and Shaun Wysocki are coming to Denver from the University of Minnesota-Moorhead (DII,) following their new coaches. Gabe Oldham is coming to DU from Pima Community College (DII). Another DII product, guard Zane Wilson, is coming to DU from Missouri Western, and Julius Rollins (DI) from Western Illinois and Jerimiah Burke (DI) from North Dakota State. 

Early indications are that three of four incoming recruits who signed letters of intent (LOI) last year are heading in different directions due to the coaching change. Only Trajan Trajan Thompson has agreed to stay with the current Denver staff.  There are still open spots to be filled on next season’s roster.

Gymnastics Portal – Opened March 31-May 14th (Closed)

DU Gymnastics associate head coach Linas Gaveika, a key Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart lieutenant, announced his departure from the program along with assistant coach Stephen Hood. According to College Gym News, DU’s 19-year-old standout sophomore Madison Ulrich is shown entering the transfer portal, followed by visits to LSU, Oklahoma, and Utah. This marks the loss of DU’s most high-profile gymnast. Could the events be connected to the staff changes and/or NIL-related? Time will tell. Ulrich earned three individual All-American designations at the 2025 NCAA Championships.

Hockey Portal March 30th – May 13th (Closed)

Despite losing early departures Aidan Thompson and Jared Wright to the pros, Denver appears to be standing pat with their incoming  CHL-heavy freshman class – this is the first year in many decades that Canadian Major Junior players are eligible to play in the NCAA and David Carle is taking full advantage – after just one transfer portal departure. Goaltender Freddie Halyk will play for Brown next season. Forward Alex Weiermair, technically listed in the portal, left Denver in the middle of the 2024-25 season to sign with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks and, at the moment, has not decided on a return to the NCAA.

NCHC peers Colorado College and Minnesota-Duluth have lost seven and nine players, respectively. Miami also lost seven players. Arizona State has six portal refugees. North Dakota has five exits.

Men’s Soccer November 25-December 24th (Closed)

Jamie Franks appears to be following the playbook employed by David Carle. According to Top Drawer Soccer, Denver appears to have retained all their eligible players, and they are not filling in gaps with portal transfers. That is not the case with many other programs stock piling portal transfers such as Eastern Illinois (11), Marshall (8), Coastal Carolina (6), Florida (6),  Michigan State (4), Indiana (4), Akron (4), St Louis (3) and South and UCLA (4) to name just a few.

Lacrosse Portal May 11th – June 9th (Open)

Denver has nine graduating seniors to include key contributors like Noah Manning, Casey Wilson, Jimmy Freehill, Mic Kelly, Jack Tortolani, and Malcolm Kleban. Look for Matt Brown and his coaching staff to tap the portal to fill the holes. If DU loses any key players, there is little time to replace players prior to the beginning of fall classes. 

Legendary retired Alabama Crimson head coach Nick Saban’s involvement in President Donald Trump’s proposed NIL commission remains a subject of speculation.

While Saban hasn’t outright said he’ll be on such a commission should it be created via an executive order, it appears he’s been working behind the scenes to address the state of college football, the transfer portal, and NIL.

Many head coaches, analysts, and former players have lamented the new landscape that is dominated by multi-million NIL deals with no guardrails on expenditures nor the transfer portal.

Many have publicly praised one of the most successful college football coaches in history for his ability to transform college sports.

Former Alabama QB A.J. McCarron Thinks Nick Saban Can Save College Football

Former Crimson Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron, who has full faith in his college head coach, is among those who endorse Saban.

In a recent episode of “The Next Round,” McCarron fully endorsed Saban as the ideal co-chair to spearhead this new NIL commission.

He also gave a brutally candid assessment of his perspective on how college football stands today.

“I’m not a fan of college football right now,” McCarron said. “I think it’s a [expletive] show with everything, and hopefully, with Saban getting co-chairman on that board helps bring some structure to it because they need it. It hurts to think about it because I missed out on a lot of money from that sense.”

McCarron went on to joke that the backpay from the House settlement should extend back to his college years, rather than ending in 2016.

It’s frankly understandable for former players to have a bitter outlook on the state of things when they weren’t privy to these million-dollar NIL deals—particularly one like McCarron, who won three consecutive national championships quarterbacking Alabama.

McCarron is not alone in expressing the urgent need for a regulated system. Many see the current landscape as untenable.

It’s not clear how this proposed commission look like, or how it will fix NIL, especially in concert with revenue sharing.

However, it appears that Saban is taking quiet steps toward a solution, as he has met with Texas Tech billionaire booster Cody Campbell to discuss what the commission might look like and what they can do.

Campbell is a former player who started the Red Raiders NIL collective and has been said to have a key role in the star-studded transfer class.

Whatever the future for the commission might look like, there probably isn’t a better-positioned legend in the sport poised to take on the challenge like Saban.