Sports
Baseball Hall of Fame
Chase Utley had one of the greatest five-year runs in MLB history for a second baseman and put up enough production the rest of his career to justify becoming a Hall of Famer one day. He won’t make it this year, but he has a chance and he’ll be getting my vote every year until it happens. I ended up going with Bobby Abreu, who was long underappreciated and deserves a long look. And I stopped at nine. I just can’t get there with Pedroia, Rollins or Wright and those were the closest ones for me. There’s also been a bit a long-standing tradition among voters when they have open spots to throw votes on personal favorites. As a die-hard, life-long Cubs fan, I’m eternally grateful for Ben Zobrist, notably the monstrously clutch hit and MVP in the 2016 World Series. I just didn’t feel like it was right in my first ballot to go with such a homer move when there were justifications for votes for people like Pedroia, Rollins and Wright, so it’s a no. Basically, I believe it is poor enough sportsmanship to try and skirt the rules agreed upon by the players association for individual benefit — to the point that it was risking hurting the team — that I’m willing to withhold my Hall of Fame for those busted. When there weren’t rules in place, it was the wild west, and I’m not worried about the players who were singled out in reports. Andruw Jones might be the single greatest defensive center fielder ever and he also hit 434 career home runs. There’s a domestic violence incident in his background, but it happened after he was done playing. I don’t like it at all, but I’m trying to establish consistency as best I can and I’m sticking to the on-field product here. That means he’s in.
For the first time, I have an official Hall of Fame ballot in my hands. As I write this, I’m about to mail it. I have done a virtual truckload of homework in anticipation of this and it all started when I was a little kid. For my whole story there, I’ve already laid it out. The obvious start is that little PED thing that continues to linger over the ballot. I’ve been saying for years what my stance will be and I’m a man of my word. If a player was caught by MLB to be violating the Joint Drug Agreement and suspended once the system was put into place, he’s a no for me. If a player was alleged to have used or even admitted use before any system for suspension was put into place, I’m not holding it against him, as it was a league-wide issue and the league itself was benefitting while looking the other way (plus, Bud Selig is in the Hall of Fame). As for anything in the realm of off-field behavior, I’ve chosen to ignore. The voting rules can be interpreted in many ways, but they read to me the voting should be based on the “player’s record” and “contributions” to the team, in that we’re only talking about in the baseball world. I could see how there’s an argument against a player who draws a suspension for domestic violence hurting the team, but no one that I strongly considered fits that criteria.
Billy Wagner is one of the greatest closers in baseball history and I’ve been driving this train for 10 years. I’m very pleased to be part of getting him inducted into the Hall in his final try. First things first, I feel compelled to explain my “Big Hall” voting stance. Remember, I’m but one voter of around 400. Players need to get 75% of the vote to make the Hall of Fame. Given that, essentially, one “no” vote nearly cancels out three “yes” votes, I’m going to be lenient with my votes. This doesn’t necessarily mean that I believe every single player I vote for should definitely be in the Hall of Fame. It means I think they are worthy of my vote and we’ll see how the rest of the voting body feels.Specific to this ballot, I’ve done several months worth of work and I’ll link off to everything pertinent as we walk through my selections and non-selections.
This means that I would have been a yes for the likes of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire but also a no for Rafael Palmeiro. I will be a no for players like Ryan Braun and Robinson Canó in the future. Feel free to scroll to the bolded names to find who I’m voting for or even just to the end to see my ballot. In the meantime, I’m going to do some explaining, because part of my process is to be such an open book that I’m accountable for my ballots. What a downer to start on the negative, huh? Let’s get to the YES! votes. Right off the top, we can eliminate Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez, thanks to my PED rule. A-Rod was doing nefarious stuff for years to get around the rules and was handed a 211-game suspension. He has a very complicated case, but I’m comfortable leaving him off. Ramirez’s case isn’t quite as complicated. He was busted twice. He’s out.
The official ballot:I have come to very strongly believe we need to loosen the standards a bit — again, only a bit! — for starting pitchers, given the current climate. That means that I am voting for Mark Buehrle and Andy Pettitte. There’s a PED connection on Pettitte, but keep in mind this happened before there was a testing system in place and he played nine seasons with a testing system and was never nailed. I’m comfortable with a vote for him.Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia, come on down. The only question for Ichiro is if he’s unanimous and while I’m pretty sure he will be, I’m not going to stand in the way. CC’s case is very strong and I’m ecstatic to be part of the movement in his favor.
Next up, the rules mailed to us say that “voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.” I have two spots left and some of the players in the group I’ve considered are Félix Hernández, Ian Kinsler, Dustin Pedroia, Jimmy Rollins and David Wright. I can see why there would be questions on Carlos Beltrán due to the 2017 Astros sign-stealing scandal. For me, a team-wide operation with the goal of achieving team success by reading catcher signs is a lot less disqualifying for the Hall of Fame than individually juicing despite the possibility of a 50-game suspension. I can understand why mileage would vary here, but I’m just one voter. We aren’t all going to agree and that’s acceptable. With him clearing the hurdle here for me, he’s an easy yes.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State track & field is set to begin its indoor slate with a three-meet split-squad weekend. The Nittany Lions will start their week in Philadelphia on Friday, Dec. 5 at the Penn Opener, also competing on Saturday, Dec. 6. On Saturday, there will also be Nittany Lions competing at the Bucknell Opener in Lewisburg, and the Sharon-Colyear Danville Season Opener in Boston on Saturday. Dec. 6.
Penn State is set to begin the 2025-26 indoor season while continuing to build off its success from a season ago. The men’s squad finished 12th in the Big Ten last indoor season while the women finished seventh. The squad returns six All-Americans from last year’s indoor team including 2024 First Team All-Americans Handal Roban and Hayley Kitching.
Head Coach John Gondak enters his 12th season leading the Nittany Lion track & field program. His coaching resume includes 62 First Team All-Americans and 11 Big Ten team titles.
PENN OPENER – Friday-Saturday, December 5-6
Live Results | Watch on Saturday (ESPN+)
Penn State will send seven athletes to compete at the Penn Opener. Maddie Pitts will be the lone competitor on Friday in the pentathlon.
BUCKNELL OPENER – Saturday, December 6
Live Results
The largest group of Nittany Lions will be headed to Lewisburg to compete in the Bucknell Opener. 36 athletes in field events and sprints will be the main competition group for PSU this weekend at Bucknell.
SHARON COLYEAR-DANVILLE SEASON OPENER – Saturday, December 6
Live Results | Watch (FloTrack)
Penn State will be sending 10 athletes to Boston for season opening action. The middle distance/distance group will make up the group competing against some of the top talent in the nation.
FULL 2025-26 INDOOR TRACK & FIELD SCHEDULE
Dec. 5-6 – Penn Opener | Philadelphia, Pa.
Dec. 6 – Bucknell Opener | Lewisburg, Pa.
Dec. 6 – Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener | Boston, Mass.
Jan. 17 – Nittany Lion Challenge | University Park, Pa.
Jan. 24 – Penn 10 Team Elite | Philadelphia, Pa.
Jan. 30-31 – Penn State National Open | University Park, Pa.
Feb. 7 – Sykes & Sabock Challenge | University Park, Pa.
Feb. 13-14 – Tyson Invitational | Fayetteville, Ark.
Feb. 13-14 – David Hemery Valentine Invitational | Boston, Mass.
Feb. 20 – Penn State Tune-Up | University Park, Pa.
Feb. 27-28 – Big Ten Indoor Championships | Indianapolis, Ind.
Mar. 13-14 – NCAA Indoor Championships | Fayetteville, Ark.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateTFXC) and X/Instagram (@pennstatetfxc). Live updates on race day regarding start times and other important notes will be posted on X.
Sports
#11 Creighton Volleyball Outlasts Northern Colorado to Advance to Second Round of NCAA Tournament
Courtesy of Rob Anderson, Creighton Athletics
OMAHA, Neb. — No. 11 Creighton Volleyball was pushed to the brink but survived to win its 21st straight match on Thursday evening, opening up NCAA Tournament play with a 3-2 victory over Northern Colorado. Scores of the Bluejay triumph were 25-12, 23-25, 23-25, 25-17, 15-8.
Creighton earns itself a Second Round match-up against Northern Iowa (26-5) after the sixth-seeded Panthers finished off their first reverse sweep in the NCAA Tournament since 2022 with a 15-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-10 win over Utah. Creighton defeated the Panthers at D.J. Sokol Arena on Sept. 14 to close out play at the Bluejay Invitational.
Five women had multiple kills in the first set as Creighton powered past Northern Colorado, led by six kills from Ava Martin. Martin also had a pair of aces late in the set to solidify CU’s 25-12 victory. The Jays hit .438 and had 17 kills to UNC’s six kills on .000 hitting and never trailed in the frame.
UNC snapped Creighton’s 17-set win streak with a 25-23 victory in the second set, which featured nine ties and five lead changes. Isabel Bennett had go-ahead kills to make it 23-22 and 24-23 and Alayna Tessena put down the winner on set point. Northern Colorado had 15 kills and 18 digs in the second set and held the Bluejays to 11 kills and .200 hitting. Martin had seven kills for CU in the second set, while Sydney Breissinger added six digs.
The Bears won the first three points of the third set and moved in front 8-4 to force an early timeout from CU head coach Brian Rosen. The stoppage did little to improve the fortunes for the hosts, who called another timeout six points later after falling behind 12-6 to the Big Sky Tournament champions. The second timeout did the trick, as the Bluejays countered with an 8-2 burst to even the score at 14-all. Northern Colorado settled down, never surrendering the lead, and led 23-20 before one last push from the hosts. Martin pounded her 18th kill of the night, and Nora Wurtz followed with her 56th ace of the fall to cut CU’s deficit to 23-22 and lead UNC coach Lydnsey Oates to call timeout. Martin slammed a cross-court kill to tie the score at 23-all, but UNC answered with a Zoe Gibbs kill for a set point opportunity. The Bears won the set on a Bluejay attack error, 25-23.
The Bluejays got off to a 6-2 lead in the fourth set thanks in part to three early UNC hitting errors, then extended the advantage to 14-6. The Jays won the set 25-17, with freshman Abbey Hayes stepping up with a team-best four kills. CU had 4.5 blocks in the set, including one of set point from Reinhardt and Martin.
Creighton got off to a quick start in the fifth frame, scoring the first three points on two Martin kills and a UNC attack error. CU led 8-3 at the changeover
Martin was dominant with 30 kills on 65 swings, while Jaya Johnson finished with 12 kills. Reinhardt rounded out the Bluejays in double figure kills with 10. Annalea Maeder closed the match with a double-double, delivering 53 assists and 20 digs.
Tessena led Northern Colorado with 14 kills, while Brynn Reines finished with 11 kills
First serve of tomorrow’s Second Round match is at 6:30 p.m.
NOTES: Creighton improved to 18-14 all-time in 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 12-3 mark in the First Round … Creighton has won 21 straight matches, its third-longest streak in program history … Creighton is now 8-4 in home matches in the NCAA Tournament, including five straight victories … Creighton has won its last 11 home matches this fall … Creighton is now 4-1 all-time against Northern Colorado … Creighton has won 68 straight matches over unranked foes and 56 non-televised matches in a row … Ava Martinmoved into third place in CU history in career service aces with 126 … Ava Martinhad her 25th straight match with 10 or more kills and 108th in a row with five or more kills … Ava Martin had her 13th career match with 20+ kills, and seventh this season.
LYNCHBURG – Propelled by a pair of personal-best performances in the weight throw, the Elon University women’s track and field team opened its indoor season Thursday at the Liberty Kickoff inside the Liberty Indoor Complex.
In the women’s weight throw, the Phoenix placed two athletes inside the top four. Adriana Clarke claimed runner-up honors with a personal-best toss of 18.14m, moving into third on Elon’s all-time performance list. Isabella Johnson finished third overall at 17.33m, also marking a new PR for the sophomore.
Elon also featured three competitors in the pentathlon. Senior Lizzie Lopez was the top Phoenix finisher, placing seventh with 3,510 points. She highlighted the event by tying for first in the high jump with a clearance of 1.65m. Freshman Greta Urbonaviciute debuted with a tenth-place finish and 3,309 points, landing inside the program’s top-10 performance list. Classmate Carolina Frada scored 2,832 points to place 11th in her first collegiate pentathlon.
ON DECK
Elon continues action at the Liberty Kickoff on Friday, beginning with the women’s 5,000-meter run at 10 a.m.
— ELON —
SAN BRUNO, Calif. – The West Coast Conference officially announced its Volleyball All-Academic team for the 2025 season on Thursday afternoon.
For San Francisco, Crystal Galaviz, Jamie Low, Shannon Knight, Astrid Puig, and Abby Wadas earned WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention honors.
At the conclusion of each athletic season, the West Coast Conference selects an all-academic squad for each conference-sponsored sport. To be considered, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average, while also being a significant contributor to her team and in at least their second year at their school.
The full 2025 West Coast Conference Volleyball All-Academic Team can be viewed below:
2025 WEST COAST CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
| Name | School | Class | GPA | Major |
| Genevieve Bane | Saint Mary’s | Gr. | 3.70 | Busiiness Administration |
| Olivia Bennett | San Diego | Sr. | 3.54 | Behavioral Neuroscience |
| Lucie Blazkova | Washington State | So. | 3.92 | Psychology |
| Maddie Boerstra | LMU | Gr. | 3.82 | Sociology |
| Nevaeh Bray | Portland | Gr. | 4.00 | Sports Business |
| Lucia Busso | Portland | Sr. | 4.00 | Marketing |
| Alyson Cox | Pacific | So. | 4.00 | Computer Science |
| Alyssa Eimer | Santa Clara | Sr. | 3.94 | Marketing |
| Grace Flanagan | Santa Clara | Jr. | 4.00 | Studio Art |
| Kate Herrick | Gonzaga | So. | 3.91 | Biology |
| Emma McMahon | Pepperdine | Sr. | 3.83 | Psychology |
| Chloe Pravednikov | Pepperdine | So. | 3.63 | Pre-Business Administration |
| Maui Robins | Portland | Sr. | 4.00 | Marketing |
| Lauren Rumel | Oregon State | Sr. | 3.91 | Speech Communication |
| Cate Shanahan | Santa Clara | Jr. | 3.83 | English |
| Lexi Trapani | Santa Clara | Jr. | 3.88 | Business |
For more information and updates on the University of San Francisco volleyball program, follow the Dons on Twitter @USFDonsVB, @USFDonsVB on Instagram, and @USFDonsVball on Facebook.
The Aggies ensured their third-straight tournament berth under the leadership of head coach Jamie Morrison, concluding the regular season and SEC Tournament with a 23-4 record. Their performance throughout the year earned them the highest AVCA ranking in program history of No. 6 and their first NCAA Tournament hosting opportunity since 2019.
Shining at home this season, the Maroon & White boast a 9-1 ledger at Reed Arena with its lone loss coming against then-No. 3 Kentucky (3-1). The 12th Man has been a force all year, as they helped break the program attendance record standing 9,801 strong versus Texas as well as accounting for another five top 10 attendances during the 2025 campaign.
Texas A&M’s depth of talent has been evident throughout the year and was rewarded during the SEC’s postseason honors, as a conference-high four Aggies were named to the All-SEC First Team including Logan Lednicky, Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, Maddie Waak and Kyndal Stowers. The honors didn’t stop there as Lednicky was named an AVCA Player of the Year Semifinalist, while the group accounted for 24 total accolades throughout the season.
The Matchups
Texas A&M enters its third NCAA Tournament with coach Morrison at the helm of the program, coming off a sweet 16 run during the 2024 season. The Maroon & White played the role of the hunter last season, downing No. 3 seed Arizona State in on their home court in the second round and came up just short in a five-set thriller against No. 2 seed Wisconsin.
The Aggies earned their highest seed since 2015 at No. 3 and welcome Campbell, TCU and SFA to Aggieland. They open their campaign versus the Camels who hold a 23-6 ledger and earned their second ever NCAA Tournament bid after winning the CAA Championship title in a five-set battle with Hofstra.
Friday’s meeting will be the first all-time between Texas A&M and Campbell. The Camels hold a strong 8-3 record when playing on the road but will come against the 12th Man and the Maroon & White’s 9-1 ledger in Reed Arena. On the stat sheet the Aggies hold the advantage in five of the seven team statical categories leading Campbell in kills per set, assists per set, hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage and blocks per set, while the Camels have the upper hand in aces per set and digs per set.
Tracks and Trends
Logan Lednicky sits nine kills away from climbing to fourth in career kills at Texas A&M, she would pass three-time Olympian Stacy Sykora who has 1,586 kills.
Ifenna Cos-Okpalla has 159 blocks on the year and is three away from breaking her single season best of 161 and six from recording the most in a season since 1999 (165).
Streaming & Stats
Fans can watch the match on the ESPN+ and follow stats on 12thman.com.
Tickets
Fans can purchase their tickets to the opening round matches through 12thman.com/ncaatickets.
Students will be granted free admission to tomorrow’s game if they show their student ID’s at the north entry of Reed Arena.
Parking
Make plans to arrive early and exhibit patience for the expected traffic and parking congestion around Reed Arena. Multiple parking options are available for fans:
- General parking is available around the arena on gameday for $5 – cash AND card payments accepted.
- Fans with a valid TAMU parking pass can park for FREE in lots surrounding the arena. Make sure to have your pass barcode ready to show the lot attendant.
Follow the Aggies
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter by following @AggieVolleyball.
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