MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University senior outfielder Jace Rinehart has been named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by University Apartments.
 
Rinehart hit .600 with five doubles, a home run, and six RBI while scoring eight runs. He had at least one hit in all four games, three multi-RBI games, and scored at least one run in all four games this week.
 
Against Kansas State, the Mannington, West Virginia native collected his 50th RBI of the season. He also hit his 20th double which leads the Big 12. Rinehart and the rest of the 16th-ranked Mountaineers will be back home this weekend for the regular season finale against Kansas. First pitch on Thursday from Kendrick Family Ballpark is set for 6:30 p.m.
 
This Week in Baseball: West Virgina plays its final regular season series of the season, May 15-17, against Kansas at Kendrick Family Ballpark … first pitch on Thursday and Friday is set for 6:30 p.m. with Saturday slated for a 1 p.m. start … the Mountaineers need one win to clinch the Big 12 title.

Last Week in Baseball: The Mountaineers went 1-3 this past week, dropping a midweek contest at Pitt before going 1-2 on the road at Kansas State … the Mountaineers fell to Pitt, 10-9, on Tuesday at Charles L. Cost Field … senior Jace Rinehart, junior Sam White, and senior Kyle West all drove in two runs … WVU dropped the opener to Kansas State, 8-7 … West and junior Logan Sauve each had three hits … redshirt senior allowed two runs

in 7.0 innings while striking out three … in a 10-3 victory on Saturday over the Wildcats, junior Ben McDougal tossed 4.2 scoreless innings and allowed just one hit in relief to earn his first win … West hit a grand slam in the win … on Sunday, the Mountaineers fell 14-9 … White had three hits including a home run while Rinehart scored four runs.

Notes: In last week’s polls, West Virginia sits at No. 7 in Perfect Game, No. 13 in NCBWA, No. 13 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 9 in Baseball America, No. 18 in The Athletic, and No. 12 by D1Baseball, which is recognized by the NCAA … the Mountaineers need one win or an Arizona State loss to clinch their second Big 12 title in the last three seasons … the Mountaineers matched a program record with their 40th win of the season … WVU is one of just 10 teams with 40 wins this season … 23 road wins for the Mountaineers leads the country.

 

This week in Track and Field: West Virginia kicks off the post season at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships on May 15-17 … this year’s outdoor championship will be hosted by Kansas at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas.

 

Last week in Track and Field: The Mountaineers hosted the WVU Last Chance Meet on May 10, which served as the final regular season meet of the season … the WVU Last Chance was highlighted by WVU’s clean sweep in the women’s 1,500 meters … sophomore Eva Rinker took first place in the event, with a time of 4:42.07 … she was trailed by freshman Jennifer O’Palko and redshirt junior Kase Torchia in second and third place with personal best times of 4:45.47, and 4:49.83, respectively.

 

Notes: Freshman Joy Naukot ranks No. 7 nationally in the 10,000 meters, as well as No. 1 in the Mid-Atlantic region and No. 1 in the Big 12 conference … graduate student Sarah Tait checks in at No. 7 nationally in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, as well as No. 28 in the 5,000 meters and No. 34 in the 1,500 meters … additionally, freshman Naomi Kemboi ranks No. 26 nationally in the 5,000 meters while redshirt sophomore Annishka McDonald checks in at No. 46 in the high jump.

 

This Week in Rowing: West Virginia will compete in the Big 12 Championship on Sunday, May 18, in Sarasota, Florida. 

 

Last Week in Rowing: The Mountaineers did not compete.

 

This Week in Golf: Junior golfer Kaleb Wilson begins play in the NCAA Regional at Poplar Grove Golf Course in Amherst, Virginia, late Sunday afternoon … the NCAA Regional was scheduled to get underway on Monday … Wilson, a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, is the second NCAA individual qualifier in school history … in 2021, Mark Goetz became the first WVU golfer to qualify for an NCAA Regional and finished second … last year, Wilson competed at the NCAA Championship as part of WVU’s team qualification … Wilson will play 54 holes against nine other individuals in the regional … the low individual not on an advancing team from each of the six regional sites will advance to the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California, in late May … last fall, Wilson won his first collegiate tournament at the Nemacolin Collegiate Invitational and was the only golfer to shoot under par in all three rounds (71-68-70=209) to finish -7 … the golf team has been invited to the GOLFWEEK National Golf Invitational (NGI) Championship at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Arizona, from May 16-18 … the 54-hole event will have the same scoring format as a traditional college team event with each team starting five players and counting the four best scores.

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Union College held its annual Prize Day on Saturday, with numerous Union College student-athletes combining to earn 16 honors in recognition of their academic success. Eleven of Union’s 26 varsity sports were represented with at least one award, with the women’s track & field team leading the way with three awards and the women’s hockey, golf, soccer and softball teams all adding two honors each.
 
The campus community gathered in Memorial Chapel to watch more than 100 prizes be awarded to honor students for achievement in academics, leadership and community service.
 
In addition to President David Harris, the Prize Day ceremony featured remarks from Michele Angrist, the Stephen J. and Diane K. Ciesinski Dean of Faculty and vice president for Academic Affairs; Annette Diorio, vice president for Student Affairs and Dean of Students; Eun-sil Lee, class dean for the Class of 2025; and Kara Doyle, dean of Academic Departments and Programs. Sage Stinson ’25, president of Student Forum, served as master of ceremonies.

Thomas J. Judson (1966) Memorial Book Prize – To a sophomore who has shown academic excellence as well as sincere interest in the study of modern languages.
Kyle Goodwin (Men’s Lacrosse)

Joel D. Ticknor (1960) Prize – To the graduating senior who has demonstrated a capacity for long term thinking and who plans to use their career to help solve the world’s most pressing problems.
James Javier Jr. (Men’s Swimming & Diving)

Lewis Henry Morgan (1840) Prize – To the anthropology major who produces the best senior thesis.
Liz Bentsianov (Women’s Golf)
 
Anthony C. LaVecchia (1998) Memorial Award – To a student who demonstrates a keen interest and passion in journalism, especially with a focus in political journalism.
Gillian Paseka (Women’s Soccer)
 
Charles M. Tidmarch Prize – To the senior political science student who has written the best senior thesis.
Tatum Perkins (Softball)
 
Albert C. Ingham (1847) Prize – To the student in social sciences judged to have done the most outstanding piece of scholarly work.
Tatum Perkins (Softball)
 
Ashraf M. Ghaly Geo Research Prize – To the senior who completes the best research study and reports original results in any geo field (geotechnical, geoenvironmental, geoengineering, geoscience, or geospatial).
Grace Canepari (Women’s Soccer)
 
Dr. Reuben Sorkin (1933) Award for Proficiency in Premedical Studies – To a senior demonstrating proficiency in undergraduate studies with an outstanding aptitude for continuing work leading to a degree in medicine.
Liz Bentsianov (Women’s Golf)
 
The Lee, William, Dr. Norman ’43 and Dr. George ’53 Wrubel Memorial Prize – To a senior preparing for dentistry or medicine, based on both academic achievement and character.
Paige Tromblee (Women’s Tennis)
 
General Electric Edison Mechanical Engineering Prize – To a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering who has demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities.
Nate Bott (Men’s Soccer)
 
General Electric Energy Steinmetz Award – To a senior in mechanical engineering who completes the best senior project.
Lauren Armstrong (Women’s Track & Field)
 
General Electric Energy Steinmetz Award – To a senior in mechanical engineering who completes the best senior project.
Maren Friday (Women’s Hockey)
 
Warner King (1906) Prize – To the senior in Engineering who has contributed most to the traditions and ideals of the College.
Maren Friday (Women’s Hockey)

Joel A. Halpern (1961) Prize – To a student who has made a commitment in service to the local community.
Jonathan Anderson (Football)
 
Alan Lake Chidsey (1925) Citizenship Award – To a senior for distinctive contributions to the advancement of responsible government in student affairs.
Gabby Baker (Women’s Track & Field)
 
UNITAS Diversity Leadership Award – To the student who has made a significant contribution toward fostering diversity on campus.
Gabby Baker (Women’s Track & Field)

For a full list of 2025 Prize Day winners, visit https://www.union.edu/news/stories/202505/eastwood-yeboah-25-and-gabriella-gabby-baratier-25-win-top-honors-prize-day
 

The Stanford Cardinal athletics program has a ton of national titles. Per its website, Stanford had 136 national NCAA team championships and 167 total team championships, marking the most in all of college sports by a wide margin, before Sunday.

UCLA (124 NCAA titles) and USC (113 NCAA titles) are other high-profile schools with a long list of crowns, but the Cardinal are above and beyond as the historic athletic program in the country.

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Now, the Stanford legacy has grown even more. On Sunday, the Stanford women’s water polo team won the national title over USC.

As a result, this marked the 49th season in a row in which Stanford has won a national title of some sort.

It’s a historic feat for Stanford, and the school has won a national title every season dating all the way back to 1976-77. That year, it was men’s tennis and men’s water polo that began the streak.

Here are some other sports that have won a national title at Stanford:

• Women’s and men’s swimming and diving

• Men’s and women’s cross country

• Women’s lightweight rowing

There are plenty of others, and Stanford continues to be the Home of Champions.

After the water polo victory, the Stanford account posted a graphic as it marked the 137th NCAA team title.

This also marked the 10th title in women’s water polo program history, so it’s quite the accomplishment for one of the most decorated universities in the country.

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If Stanford wins a title next year, it would mark the 50th in a row.

Related: Pat McAfee Names College Football QB That Is ‘Going To Be A Star’ In 2025

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump reportedly is ready to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift from the ruling family of Qatar during his trip to the Middle East this coming week, and U.S. officials say it could be converted into a potential presidential aircraft.

The Qatari government acknowledged discussions between the two countries about “the possible transfer” of a plane to be used temporarily as Trump’s Air Force One, but denied that the jet “is being gifted” or that a final decision had been made.

ABC News reported that Trump will use the aircraft as his presidential plane until shortly before he leaves office in January 2029, when ownership will be transferred to the foundation overseeing his yet-to-be-built presidential library.

The gift was expected to be announced when Trump visits Qatar, according to ABC’s report, as part of a trip that also includes stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the first extended foreign travel of his second term.

But hours after the news, Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar’s media attaché, said in a statement, “Reports that a jet is being gifted by Qatar to the United States government during the upcoming visit of President Trump are inaccurate.”

“The possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense,” the statement said. “But the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made.”

Meanwhile, administration officials, anticipating questions about the president accepting such a large gift from a foreign government, have prepared an analysis arguing that doing so would be legal, according to ABC.

The Constitution’s Emoluments Clause bars anyone holding government office from accepting any present, emolument, office or title from any “King, Prince, or foreign State,” without congressional consent.

One expert on government ethics, Kathleen Clark of the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, accused Trump of being “committed to exploiting the federal government’s power, not on behalf of policy goals, but for amassing personal wealth.”

“This is outrageous,” Clark said. “Trump believes he will get away this.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer poked fun at Trump’s “America first” political slogan.

“Nothing says ‘America First’ like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar,” the New York Democrat said in a statement. “It’s not just bribery, it’s premium foreign influence with extra legroom.”

Air Force One is a modified Boeing 747. Two exist and the president flies on both, which are more than 30 years old. Boeing Inc. has the contract to produce updated versions, but delivery has been delayed while the company has lost billions of dollars on the project.

Delivery has been pushed to some time in 2027 for the first plane and in 2028 — Trump’s final full year in office — for the second.

Trump intends to convert the Qatari aircraft into a plane he can fly on as president, with the Air Force planning to add secure communications and other classified elements to it. But it will still have more limited capabilities than the existing planes that were built to serve as Air Force One, as well as two other aircraft currently under construction, according to a former U.S. official.

The official was briefed about the plane and spoke Sunday on the condition of anonymity to discuss plans that have not yet been made public.

The existing planes used as Air Force One are heavily modified with survivability capabilities for the president for a range of contingencies, including radiation shielding and antimissile technology. They also include a variety of communications systems to allow the president to remain in contact with the military and issue orders from anywhere in the world.

The official told The Associated Press that it would be possible to quickly add some countermeasures and communications systems to the Qatari plane, but that it would be less capable than the existing Air Force One aircraft or long-delayed replacements.

Neither the Qatari plane nor the upcoming VC-25B aircraft will have the air-to-air refueling capabilities of the current VC-25A aircraft, which is the one the president currently flies on, the official said.

ABC said the new plane is similar to a 13-year-old Boeing aircraft Trump toured in February, while it was parked at Palm Beach International Airport and he was spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago club.

Trump faced lawsuits for violating the Emoluments Clause during his first term, but those were ended by the Supreme Court in 2021, which found the cases moot because the Republican had left office.

Clark said the reported Qatari gift is the “logical, inevitable, unfortunate consequence of Congress and the Supreme Court refusing to enforce” the Emoluments Clause.

Trump’s family business, the Trump Organization, which is now largely run by his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, has vast and growing interests in the Middle East. That includes a new deal to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar, partnering with Qatari Diar, a real estate company backed by that country’s sovereign wealth fund.

Qatar, which is ruled by the Al Thani family, is home to the state-owned airline Qatar Airways. The country also has worked to have a close relationship to Trump after he apparently backed a boycott of Doha by four Arab nations in his first term. Trump later in his term applauded Qatar.

Administration officials have brushed off concerns about the president’s policy interests blurring with family’s business profits. They note that Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children and that a voluntary ethics agreement released by the Trump Organization in January bars the company from striking deals directly with foreign governments.

But that same agreement allows deals with private companies abroad. That is a departure from Trump’s first term, when the organization released an ethics pact prohibiting both foreign government and foreign company deals.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, when asked Friday if the president might meet with people who have ties to his family’s business, said it was “ridiculous” to suggest Trump “is doing anything for his own benefit.”