INDIANAPOLIS – A new era is officially underway in Northeast Texas as the NCAA Division I Board of Directors approved full Division I membership status for East Texas A&M University during its meeting on June 23.
 

As Northeast Texas’ only Division I university, East Texas A&M—which has 14 sports teams—is now immediately eligible for NCAA postseason competition. This announcement comes at a time of unprecedented growth and achievement for the university, including recent elevation to Research 2 (R2) classification by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, record enrollment during Fall 2024, and the largest graduating class in university history this spring.
 

“Achieving full Division I membership is a tremendous milestone for our university. This accomplishment reflects the dedication, perseverance, and passion of our student-athletes, coaches, staff, alumni, and loyal supporters who have poured their hearts into this journey,” said East Texas A&M President Mark Rudin. “Division I membership opens the door to an exciting new era of opportunity for East Texas A&M, and I can’t wait to see where it takes us!”
 
The Lions officially joined the Southland Conference and initiated the Division I reclassification process on July 1, 2022. Since then, the school’s athletics department has recorded impressive performances with multiple sports recording top-three finishes in Southland Conference standings, 25 individual conference championships, four conference player of the year awards, three student-athletes earning All-America honors, three Olympians, and one NFL Draft pick.
 

“Achieving approval for full NCAA Division I membership status marks a proud moment in the rich history of East Texas A&M University and Lion Athletics. Furthermore, it is a testament to the vision, strength, resilience, and commitment of our entire university community to unlock the full potential of this institution,” said Director of Athletics Jim Curry. “We are grateful to the NCAA Division I Board of Directors and the NCAA Division I Strategic Vision and Planning Committee for their belief in our candidacy, and to the Southland Conference and our students, alumni, faculty, staff, donors, and university stakeholders who have supported this initiative in countless ways over many years.”
 

“As momentous as this accomplishment is, we recognize that it’s not the end of the journey, but in fact the start of the next chapter of East Texas A&M University and Lion Athletics. We commit to building a culture of excellence worthy of this achievement and look forward to expanding upon our proud championship history, now at the highest level of college athletics.”
 
Along with an impressive showing on the playing surface, the Lions also took care of business in the classroom, with multiple programs recording perfect 1,000 Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores as well as one student-athlete earning Academic All-America honors. In total, 609 student-athletes were named to the Southland Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll over the past three years , including a record number during the 2024-25 academic year.
 

“This is a historic day, not just for East Texas A&M but for the entire Southland Conference,” said Southland Conference Commissioner Chris Grant. “East Texas A&M’s elevation to full Division I status reflects not just athletic success, but a campus and community united behind a shared vision. The Lions have demonstrated the ambition, investment, and drive that define our league, and we’re excited to see them compete, grow, and lead at the Division I level.”
 

The first official competition for East Texas A&M as a full Division I member comes on August 14 as the soccer team hosts Little Rock to begin its season. Volleyball, football, and men’s and women’s cross country teams start their seasons on August 29-30.

DIVISION I CELEBRATION VIDEO

 

-ETAMU-

STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Volleyball announced its 2025 schedule on Tuesday, a 25-match slate in the regular season with a road exhibition match, a home scrimmage, plus the conference tournament in November.

Both season tickets and single-match tickets are now on sale for the 2025 campaign. Season tickets are just $40 for general admission, $60 for reserved seats and $125 for courtside and can be purchased here: https://tarletonsports.evenue.net/events/VB-SEA

Single-match tickets are just $10 for general admission, $15 for reserved seats, or $25 for courtside. Single-match tickets can be purchased here: https://tarletonsports.evenue.net/events/VB-SING

Head coach Jazmyne Johnson will begin her first season on the road with an exhibition at Texas Tech in two months, an Aug. 23 2 p.m. match in Lubbock, Texas. The Texans will then host their Purple and White Scrimmage on Aug. 26 at 6 p.m. at Wisdom Gym, a free scrimmage that all of Texan Nation is invited to attend.

The regular season begins Aug. 29 in Lafayette, Louisiana, as the Texans return to Johnson’s previous stop. There Tarleton State will play in the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic, taking on New Orleans on Aug. 29 at 3 p.m., Louisiana on Aug. 30 at 2 p.m., and Texas Southern on Aug. 31 at 10 a.m. The Texans have never faced New Orleans or Louisiana, and are 2-1 all-time against Texas Southern, last seeing them in 2021, a 3-0 Tarleton State victory.

From Sept. 4-6, Tarleton State will host its first of two tournaments on the year, this one dubbed the Tarleton State Invitational. On Sept. 4, Tarleton State will open Wisdom Gym regular season action against New Mexico at 7 p.m. On Sept. 5, the Texans will host Prairie View A&M at 7 p.m., and on Sept. 6, host Northwestern State at 1 p.m. From that group, Tarleton State has only taken on Prairie View A&M before, owning a 3-1 record against them.

The Islanders Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas, will play the following week. Tarleton State will face the host Islanders on Sept. 11 at 6:30 p.m., then take on former Western Athletic Conference foe Sam Houston on Sept. 12 at 3 p.m. The Texans are 1-0 against the Islanders (2021) and are in search of their first victory against the Bearkate (0-2).

On Spet. 16, the Texans will play their lone non-conference match not part of a tournament, as they’ll play at Stephen F. Austin at 6 p.m. in Nacogdoches. Tarleton State and SFA squared off three times in 2021, the duo’s only meeting, with the Ladyjacks winning two of those.

Tarleton State’s final non-conference matches will play out at its Texan Classic on Sept. 18-20. The Texans will host UAPB on Sept. 18 at 7 p.m., Louisiana Tech on Sept. 19 at 7 p.m., and North Texas on Sept. 20 at 2 p.m. The Texans are 1-0 against LA Tech and 0-2 against UNT all-time.

Conference play begins on Sept. 25, with Tarleton State heading west to face California Baptist at 9 p.m. CT in Riverside, California. The Texans will then play at Utah Valley on Sept. 27 at 2 p.m. CT in Orem, Utah.

The Texans will host three straight conference matches from Oct. 2-11. On Oct. 2, the Texans will host the defending conference champs UT Arlington at 6 p.m. Then on Oct. 9, Tarleton State will host Utah Tech in Stephenville for a match at 6 p.m., and the homestand wraps up on Oct. 11 against Southern Utah at 1 p.m.

On Oct. 18, the Texans will head to Abilene to face Abilene Christian at 1 p.m.

On Oct. 25, the Texans have just one match on the week, a home match against CBU at Wisdom Gym at 1 p.m.

On Oct. 30, the Texans will play at UTA at 6 p.m. in Arlington.

Tarleton State’s final two home matches of the season will be Nov. 6-8, first against Utah Valley on Nov. 6 at 6 p.m., then against Abilene Christian on Nov. 8 at 1 p.m.

The regular season ends in Utah Nov. 13-15, with the Texans at Utah Tech on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. CT in St. George, followed by the regular season finale at Southern Utah on Nov. 15, time to be determined, in Cedar City.

The WAC Tournament will play out in Orem, Utah, on Nov. 20-22.

The full 2025 Tarleton State Volleyball schedule can be seen below:

Date Opponent Time Location

Aug. 23 Texas Tech^ 2 p.m. Lubbock, TX

Aug. 26 Purple and White Scrimmage# 6 p.m. Stephenville, TX

Aug. 29 New Orleans$ 3 p.m. Lafayette, LA

Aug. 30 Louisiana$ 2 p.m. Lafayette, LA

Aug. 31 Texas Southern$ 10 a.m. Lafayette, LA

Sept. 4 New Mexico 7 p.m. Stephenville, TX

Sept. 5 Prairie View A&M 7 p.m. Stephenville, TX

Sept. 6 Northwestern State 1 p.m. Stephenville, TX

Sept. 11 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi! 6:30 p.m. Corpus Christi, TX

Sept. 12 Sam Houston! 3 p.m. Corpus Christi, TX

Sept. 16 Stephen F. Austin 6 p.m. Nacogdoches, TX

Sept. 18 UAPB 7 p.m. Stephenville, TX

Sept. 19 Louisiana Tech 7 p.m. Stephenville, TX

Sept. 20 North Texas 2 p.m. Stephenville, TX

Sept. 25 California Baptist* 9 p.m. Riverside, CA

Sept. 27 Utah Valley* 2 p.m. Orem, UT

Oct. 2 UT Arlington* 6 p.m. Stephenville, TX

Oct. 9 Utah Tech* 6 p.m. Stephenville, TX

Oct. 11 Southern Utah* 1 p.m. Stephenville, TX

Oct. 18 Abilene Christian* 1 p.m. Abilene, TX

Oct. 25 California Baptist* 1 p.m. Stephenville, TX

Oct. 30 UT Arlington* 6 p.m. Arlington, TX

Nov. 6 Utah Valley* 6 p.m. Stephenville, TX

Nov. 8 Abilene Christian* 1 p.m. Stephenville, TX

Nov. 13 Utah Tech* 7 p.m. St. George, UT

Nov. 15 Southern Utah* TBD Cedar City, UT

Nov. 20-22 WAC Tournament TBD Orem, UT

Dates and times subject to change | All times Central Time | Home matches in bold | * WAC Match | ^ Exhibition | # Scrimmage | $ Tournament in Lafayette | % Tournament in Stephenville | ! Tournament in Corpus Christi

 

It’s not the legendary band per se as Christian Love, son of Mike Love of The Beach Boys, releases a sun soaked 4-song EP titled, Sum Sum Summer. 

This musical gem has the notable guest musicians including, guitarist Elliot Easton (of The Cars), drummer Phil Jones (known for his work with Tom Petty).  Matt Jardine, a former member of The Beach Boys touring band and son of founding member of The Beach Boys Al Jardine, provided additional vocals. It is a collaboration of second-generation musicians that makes this release so special. 

Love and Jardine have known each other since they were children. They are pictured together with their fathers on The Beach Boys Sunflower album. “I wanted this version of the song to have a more fuller sound,” said Love. “I called Matt to help with background vocals. He drove 600-miles from his Arizona home to the studio in Los Angeles to record with me.” The result is a harmonic sound reminiscent to their father’s band. Both Love and Jardine have new music planned for release later this year. 

John Stamos directed the Official Video. “Christian Love’s musical talent is a testament to his unwavering dedication and profound passion.” Said Stamos. “Beyond being the son of a Beach Boys legend, Christian has painstakingly forged his own unique musical identity.” 

Sum Sum Summer is originally from the album Only Alibis. The 4-song EP features a Sing-a-long version, Instrumental and A cappella ending versions. The latter arrangement was inspired by live performances on The Beach Boys tour. “At live shows, the song ends the song with an A cappella harmony of the choirs,” said Love. “The Beach Boys are about harmony. It felt right to add that element to the song on this release.” 

Christian Love’s music is available on your favorite music platforms such as; Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and YouTube! For more information, music videos and purchasing options Visit: ChristianLoveOfficial.org 

ABOUT:

Christian Love is a skilled musician who has been making his mark in the Pop/Rock genre for over 30-years. He is the son of Mike Love of The Beach Boys.  An avid surfer and beach volleyball player, Christian spent his youth living the California dream that The Beach Boys sang about in Santa Barbara, CA.  As a teenager, Christian formed his first band called, Alex’s Cane. He fronted several other bands in the 90’s and opened up for Matchbox 20. 

Since 2005, Christian has been a member of The Beach Boys Touring Band. He plays rhythm guitar, sings harmonies and lead vocals on, God Only Knows, Good Vibrations, Help Me Rhonda, Sail On Sailor and many others. 

In 2020, Christian, Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys, The Weekend and other musicians co-wrote the song, Here We Go Again on The Weekend’s album, Dawn FM. Christian continues to write and record new music. He will be on tour with The Beach Boys all summer long.

AWARDS:

• Only Alibis – Album: 2023 Communicator Award of Excellence 
• STAR – Single: 2025 Communicator Award of Excellence

Listen on Spotify.

Author: Adam Bailey

Adam is a regular contributor for established press release distribution website Release-News.com. He writes on a wide range of topics including music.

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Grant Valley (1094) of Jesuit approaches the finish line during the 4×400 meter relay at the OSAA 6A State Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon on May 31, 2025. (John Lariviere/ValleyTimes)

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Grant Valley (left) of Jesuit takes off with the baton during the 4×400 meter relay at the OSAA 6A State Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon on May 31, 2025. (John Lariviere/ValleyTimes)

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Grant Valley (1094) of Jesuit crosses the finish line to win the 100 meter sprint during the OSAA 6A State Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon on May 31, 2025. (John Lariviere/ValleyTimes)

You don’t need to tell Jesuit’s Grant Valley that Hayward Field is a special place; he’s well aware. But while some high school athletes’ nerves get the best of them when running on the facility’s hallowed grounds, the recent Crusader graduate said the enormity of the place has a way of easing him before and during competition.

“For me, it’s almost more calming to be on that track,” Valley said. “There’s so much around you that it feels like it takes some pressure off the race and you can enjoy all the fans and how beautiful it is. It kind of takes away the stress of actually running.”

That’s good news for University of Oregon head track & field coach Jerry Schumacher and the program in general, for this past week Valley committed to running for the Ducks this fall.

The decision to do so was a tad difficult because Valley had previously been committed to Southern Oregon University where he was slated to play football for the Raiders. But in the end, while he had and continues to have the utmost respect for Raiders head coach Berk Brown, when the chance to compete for the Ducks presented itself, it was a no-brainer for Valley.

“It was kind of an easy decision,” Valley said. “I had a really good conversation with coach Schumacher and I really felt like he wanted me. I felt like he was knowledgeable and knew what he was talking about. But at the end of the day, if you get an opportunity to run at Oregon, you can’t pass up on that.”

Valley’s road to Eugene wasn’t an easy one, however, for no one has been more surprised by his sudden emergence as one of the state’s historically best sprinters than he has.

To start the season, Valley had no expectations. He’d never broken 11 seconds in the 100 meters, and his times alone were by his own admission pedestrian as he prepared for his senior campaign. But three months later, he owns gold medals in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4×100 relay from the state track and field championships, and a state record in the 200 (20.86) to go with the state’s third fastest 100 (10.36).

“The last three months have been awesome,” Valley said. “I love my teammates, love my coaches, and going out to the track every day wasn’t even hard. Then I was making all this progress and I was like, ‘let’s keep going.’ I’m just continuing to get faster, and I’m really excited to see what the future holds.”

To understand just how far Valley has come, it’s not the future one should look toward, but rather the past.

In September of his junior season, Valley broke both his tibia and fibula in a football game against West Linn. The break was so bad that doctors told him that had he not taped his ankles prior to the game, the break would likely have been of the compound variety which could’ve meant muscle and nerve damage.

But don’t kid yourself, the injury was still serious and resulted in the junior having a metal rod and four screws placed in his leg and knee. From there it was a lot of rehab, some walking, ultimately some jogging, and even another surgery to remove a screw that was rubbing on a tendon in his knee before he stepped back on the track that following spring.

He didn’t compete initially, but as the season progressed he did step between the lines, even running at state as part of the Crusaders’ 4×100 relay team that placed 13th.

Things continued to progress over the summer, and then this past fall it was back to the football field for the first time since his injury.

It would’ve been natural for anyone to have had a level of trepidation stepping back onto the field of play, but Valley said he was comfortable from the jump.

“I wasn’t really hesitant,” Valley said. “I was more hesitant during rehab and stuff, but to get back on the field, I never really thought about it. I was just like, ‘let’s play.’”

And play he did, well enough to earn an offer from Southern Oregon to continue his exploits on the gridiron at the next level. But before that there was his final track campaign, which was really at the onset little more than an opportunity to enjoy what little he had left of his high school athletic career.

“That’s the thing, I was training for football, and a lot of the stuff I was doing didn’t really translate to track,” Valley said. “I’m a football player, but it was my senior track season and I was finally healthy, and I just wanted to go out and run, have fun and see what I could do.”

Valley opened his own eyes early in the season when he broke 11 seconds for the first time (10.89), did even better while winning at the Oregon Relays in Eugene (10.69), then came his record-breaking 200 meters at Sunset to close the regular season.

“That was the most surreal moment because it was the most unexpected thing,” Valley said. “Those meets really don’t matter, and I dropped a crazy time. That was crazy.”

But not as crazy as the accomplishments in the wake of what had been both a traumatic and debilitating injury just 18 months prior.

Valley, however, looks at it now as less of a setback, and more of a setup for what was ultimately bigger and better for the state champion sprinter.

“I look at it more like a learning experience,” Valley said. “I think it taught me a lot about hard work and how much work it takes to get back. I think I really became a better athlete after my injury.”

Oregon agrees, and both the school’s coaches and Valley himself think his best years are still yet to come.

“They (Oregon coaches) think my ceiling is really high, and I agree,” Valley said. “I haven’t ran any indoor track and never had track specific weight lifting programs. I’ve just been a high school track guy. I really think my ceiling is super high and I’m just going to get faster, especially at Oregon where I’ll get the best training in the world. I think I can do some really cool stuff.”

Now, with his high school career in the rearview mirror and a collegiate one approaching, Valley said that while he’s excited for what’s to come, he couldn’t be happier with how it all ended at Jesuit.

“To win state as a team, both boys and girls, that’s only happened a couple times,” Valley said. “Even at Jesuit, we win a lot of state titles in all sports, but being able to do that in my senior year feels really good.

“Then, committing to Oregon which is like a dream, it’s beginning to feel like all my injuries and surgeries were for a reason.”

Welch, WV (WOAY)- Get ready to celebrate the Fourth of July, Coal Town style! 

The city of Welch invites you to its Beach Bash on Friday, July 4th. 

The festivities kick off at 1:00 pm Eastern at Martha Moore Park, featuring free watermelon, bounce houses for the kids, and beach volleyball.

Enjoy a lineup of local vendors and food trucks, entertainment from Mr. Bill DJ, and a special live performance by Detour at 7:00 pm. 

Don’t miss the grand finale: a spectacular fireworks show that will light up the night sky! 

Bring your lawn chairs, your friends, and your festive spirit  

And good news, if you’re a vendor, registration is free! 

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