Sports

Ben Johnson: A visual odyssey into tennis and beyond

Published

4 months ago

September 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Photo courtesy of Ben Johnson.

Opinions expressed by Digital Journal contributors are their own.

Content creator and tennis influencer Ben Johnson has accomplished remarkable things in just two years. He has conducted exclusive interviews with tennis legends like Novak Djokovic and Venus Williams, directed and starred in global campaigns for recognizable brands such as Four Seasons, Lacoste, Ralph Lauren and Wilson, and has garnered over 500 million views across social media. By employing a dramatic cinematic approach to the game, he presents his followers with a new and modern perspective on tennis. At the same time, he’s also worked with major broadcasters like Sky TV and the BBC at a variety of world-class tournaments, including Wimbledon.

From lockdown to The Tennis 101

Ben’s journey into becoming a tennis lifestyle content creator began during the COVID-19 lockdown. Back then, with the world reeling, he rediscovered his love for tennis. Combining his longtime passion for the sport with his background as a creative director, Ben launched Tennis 101’s Instagram in the summer of 2023. But what started out as a personal project quickly transformed into his full-time career.

Today, through his platform, Ben directs, films, edits, and produces all of his own content, operating as a kind of “one-man band living out [his] tennis dream.” He focuses mainly on providing a traveler’s eye view of tennis travel and culture, with an emphasis on the decadent tours of cliffside courts in Italy, oceanfront resorts in the Caribbean, and desert landscapes in the American Southwest.

Reshaping how others view tennis

Ben is inspired by a lifelong desire to combine music, film, and sport. During lockdown, he began to seriously consider how tennis is portrayed to the public. He feels he’s a pioneer in his field because he brings a fresh new perspective, blending creativity, emotion, and beauty in his presentation of a sport that, in the past, has often been presented in a very dry and old-fashioned way.

Ultimately, his ambition is to help people connect with tennis in a deeper, more visceral way, and many, after seeing his work, are inspired to embrace the sport. “A tennis court can be more than a venue—it can be a window into a culture, a place, a dream,” he explains.

Thriving in creative chaos

Despite the incredibly demanding workload that comes from being a one-person production team, Ben thrives and enjoys his “creative chaos,” as he calls it. He admits that the combination of constant travel, daily posting, and striving for film perfection does challenge him, but his passion keeps him going.

Even though he’s a huge advocate of hard work, he realizes there’s a need for balance to avoid burnout. His advice to others is to follow their dreams, work hard, stay true to their vision, but also prioritize their mental and emotional well-being to fulfill their various goals.

Future work and creative expansion

Looking ahead, Ben plans to continue developing creatively and collaborating with other forward-thinking brands across sports, travel, and fashion. He’s in the process of launching a performance sportswear line and a chic tennis accessory brand. His aim is to create products that reflect the modern tennis lifestyle and attitude, with the ultimate goal of expanding into new formats and bigger ideas. His dream is to make an even deeper creative impact on the world.

Tennis as culture, life, and art

Ben Johnson’s core message is thus: tennis is more than just a sport; it embodies a culture, fuels a lifestyle, and expresses itself as an art form. By adopting his unique and modern approach to the sport, he aims to inspire others to think bigger, break out of their comfort zones, and pursue their ideas and dreams.

He is quietly redefining the global perception of tennis by sharing stunning, often overlooked courts and talent worldwide through his captivating and carefully designed videos. From misty mountain courts in Switzerland to sun-drenched hideaways in the Caribbean, every shot he takes tells a story. “You don’t have to be a pro to play somewhere beautiful,” he emphasizes. “That’s the magic—tennis can take you places.”

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Sports

Seremes named to The Bowerman watchlist

Published

6 minutes ago

January 9, 2026

Your Sports Nation

NEW ORLEANS– Junior triple jumper Jonathan Seremes was named to the 2026 preseason Bowerman watchlist Thursday afternoon. He is the 8^th Texas Tech man to make the watchlist and first jumper to do so since Trey Culver in 2018.

Seremes is in his first season with Tech after transferring from Missouri where he only competed during the indoor season. Despite just one season with the Tigers, Seremes won the 2024 NCAA indoor triple jump crown. The France native leaped 17.04m (55-11), winning the competition by nearly two feet.

This past summer, he represented France at the World Championships where he finished 8^th overall bounding 16.82m (55- 2 ¼). He holds a lifetime best jump of 17.08m (56- ½).

The Red Raiders kickoff the 2026 season next weekend hosting the annual Corky Classic Friday and Saturday inside the Sports Performance Center.

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Sports

The 2026 Bowerman Watch List for men’s and women’s NCAA track and field

Published

22 minutes ago

January 8, 2026

Your Sports Nation

It’s time for a look at potential winners of the Bowerman, an annual award presented to the most outstanding athletes in collegiate track and field.

Here’s the latest on some of the best in DI track and field.

THE BOWERMAN: Complete history of the track and field honor

Watch lists from the season

Check out every 2026 watch list below.

Preseason watch list

The women’s preseason watch list was announced on Wednesday, Jan. 7, with the men’s preseason watch list announced on Thursday, Jan. 8.

**The Bowerman preseason watch list (Jan. 7/8)**
Gender	Athlete	School	Events
Women	Şilan Ayyildiz	Oregon	Mid-Distance
	JaMeesia Ford+	South Carolina	Sprints
	Grace Hartman*	NC State	Distance
	Jane Hedengren*	BYU	Distance
	Axelina Johansson	Nebraska	Throws
	Alyssa Jones*	Stanford	Jumps/Sprints
	Pamela Kosgei#	New Mexico	Distance
	Doris Lemngole!	Alabama	Distance
	Amanda Moll+	Washington	Pole Vault
	Hana Moll+	Washingotn	Pole Vault
Men	Mykolas Alekna+	Oregon	Discus
	Peyton Bair	Oregon	Combined Events
	James Corrigan+	BYU	Mid-Distance/Steeple
	Gary Martin	Virginia	Mid-Distance/Distance
	Ralford Mullings+	Oklahoma	Throws
	Brian Musau+	Oklahoma State	Distance
	Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan	Ole Miss	Throws
	Habtom Samuel	New Mexico	Distance
	Jonathan Seremes	Texas Tech	Jumps
	Ja’Kobe Tharp#	Auburn	Hurdles

*Watch list career debut
+Returning semifinalist
#Returning finalist
! Returning winner

The following athletes received votes:

Women
- Valentina Barrios Bornacelli, Missouri (Javelin)
- Indya Mayberry, TCU (Sprints)
- Madison Whyte, Southern California (Sprints)
Men
- BJ Green, Oklahoma (Jumps)
- T’Mars McCallum, Tennessee (Sprints)
- Chinecherem Nnamdi, Texas A&M (Javelin)
- Samuel Ogazi, Alabama (Sprints)
- Tarsis Orogot, Alabama (Sprints)
- Aleksandr Solovev, Texas A&M (Pole Vault)
- JC Stevenson, Southern California (Sprints/Jumps)
- Tyrice Taylor, Arkansas (Mid-Distance)

PREDICTING: How the Bowerman watch lists predict the award’s final winner

2026 watch list dates

Below you’ll find all of the announced Bowerman watch list dates for 2026.

Update	Women’s Date	Men’s Date
Preseason	Wednesday, Jan. 7	Thursday, Jan. 8
1	Wednesday, Feb. 4	Thursday, Feb. 5

All dates subject to change

Date of the winner of the Bowerman

The 2025 winners will be announced at the 2025 USTFCCCA convention from December 14-17 at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas.

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Sports

Gurnell Promoted to Director of Volleyball Operations – Purdue Boilermakers

Published

25 minutes ago

January 8, 2026

Your Sports Nation

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Following her fifth season overseeing operations for the Purdue volleyball program, Carrie Gurnell has been promoted from supervisor to director of operations, announced by Art and Connie Euler women’s volleyball head coach Dave Shondell.

“I’m so pleased to learn that Carrie has been elevated to the position of Director of Volleyball Operations,” Shondell said. “She has earned this promotion with her effort, performance, and unparalleled commitment to our program. It’s very special to have a volleyball alumni as a significant member of our staff. Carrie is creative, assertive, and very loyal to Purdue. I feel extremely fortunate to have her by my side as we battle through every season with the best student-athletes in the land.”

In her role, Gurnell oversees the program’s scheduling throughout the year, team travel, assists in recruiting efforts and more.

Gurnell, who played for Purdue under Shondell from 2006-2009 as an outside hitter/middle hitter, is a member of the program’s 1,000 kill club and led the team’s offense her senior season.

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Sports

‘Dons Open 2026 Season on Arnie Ball Court

Published

41 minutes ago

January 8, 2026

Your Sports Nation

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne men’s volleyball program begins the 2026 season on the Arnie Ball Court, hosting Missouri S&T on Saturday (Jan. 10) and NJIT on Sunday (Jan. 11).

Game Day Information

Who: Missouri S&T

When: Saturday, January 10 | 2 PM

Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Arnie Ball Court

Live Stats: Link

Watch: Link

Tickets: Link

Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne

Game Day Information

Who: NJIT

When: Sunday, January 11 | 5 PM

Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Arnie Ball Court

Live Stats: Link

Watch: Link

Tickets: Link

Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne

Know Your Foes

Missouri S&T finished the 2025 season 11-14 and dropped a five-set bout to Maryville in the IVA semifinals to conclude the year. The Miners return all seven players from their main rotation for the 2026 season. Three of those players, Nate Meyer (First Team), Tyler Johnwick (Second Team) and Aaron Sallade (Second Team) were 2025 All-IVA selections. Missouri S&T fired off the ninth most nationally in total team attacks per set last season, averaging 28.51 a frame. The Miners also ranked top-10 nationally in digs per set, notching 9.75 a set. Missouri S&T was led offensively by now seniors Meyer and Sallade, both finishing the year with more than 3.00 kills per set. Junior Grant Edmonds ran the offense at the setter position for the Miners a season ago, averaging 8.60 assists per set while starting all 25 matches. Bartosz Chmielewski held a team high 196 digs from the libero position in 2025. Middle blocker Johnwick finished the season fifth nationally in hitting percentage (.448).

NJIT ended their 2025 season at 14-13, 8-4 in EIVA play. The Highlanders’ season ended at the hands of Penn State in the EIVA semifinals. NJIT were able to beat two ranked opponents last year: No. 20 George Mason and No. 19 Penn State. The Highlanders return only one of their four players to average over 2.00 kills per set, sophomore Wiktor Nowak. Sophomore Bruno Figueiredo ran the Highlanders offense in the setter position, averaging 9.24 assists per set. NJIT started the season 0-2 against No. 2 Hawaii. Freshman André Aleixo led the Highlanders with 3.00 kills per set in the two contests.

Series Histories

The ‘Dons won the only meeting between Purdue Fort Wayne and Missouri S&T. The Mastodons swept the Miners in 2023.

Purdue Fort Wayne holds a 15-5 series history lead over NJIT. The Highlanders have closed the gap in the last four meetings, winning all four since 2020.

Preseason All-MIVA

Logan Muir was selected for the Preseason All-MIVA Team on December 15. Muir was named to the 2025 All-MIVA Second Team following last season. The Junior led the Mastodons in points (464.5), kills (391) and service aces (41) last year. He was second in the MIVA in kills per set (4.39), aces per set (0.41) and points per set (5.19) during conference play. Muir’s 5.09 points per set ranked fifth in the nation. The California native also was 10th in the MIVA in hitting percentage with .299. Muir recorded double-digit kills in 19 of the ‘Dons’ 26 matches. He hit a career-high 23 kills in three sets at McKendree, the third most in the program’s rally scoring era.

Fresh Faces

Purdue Fort Wayne begins the 2026 season with a roster refresh, adding five freshmen and two transfers. The additions include Carlo Huisden (OH), Joaquin Jones (S), Vince Spadoni (OH), Jean Paul Gonzalez (OH), Owen Banner (OH/OPP), Ethan Skalski (OH/OPP) and Brody McAfee (OPP/MB).

2025 In a Nutshell

Purdue Fort Wayne finished the 2025 season at 11-15, 4-12 during MIVA play. The Mastodons finished seventh in MIVA standings and took on No. 12 McKendree in the MIVA quarterfinals, falling in three sets.

Coming Up

The Mastodons will travel to Lindenwood for the Under Armour Challenge on January 16 and 17. The Mastodons play Menlo at 5 PM ET on January 16 and then CSUN at 5 PM ET on January 17.

~ Feel the Rumble ~

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Sports

John Cook interview ahead of Supernovas season opener

Published

57 minutes ago

January 8, 2026

Your Sports Nation

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Nebraska legend and one of volleyball’s most iconic figures John Cook sat down with 10/11 Thursday to talk about the upcoming Omaha Supernovas season.

The former Nebraska volleyball head coach joined the organization as co-owner and general manager in August after announcing his retirement that January.

Cook shared details about his new role and transition from collegiate volleyball to professional volleyball.

“This has been a pretty easy transition for me because this is similar to what I’ve been doing,” Cook said. “If you look at it, you’re just trying to put all this group together, give them everything they need to perform their best I mean that’s the bottom line. That’s my job is to give them every opportunity to be the best that they can become.”

Cook said he was inspired to get involved in the organization when he noticed the amount of mothers and daughters attending Supernovas matches last season.

One of Cook’s goals for the Supernovas was to build a team around great culture. That helped guide the organization during recruitment season.

“It’s a first-class organization and so it was easy to find players that wanted to come here and then also fit what we were looking for in culture and being competitive.”

Fifteen players are on Supernovas roster this season, including two former Nebraska players, opposite hitter Merritt Beason and Leyla Blackwell.

“We wanted to create and built a team that the fans would recognize and relate to and I think that’s one of the reasons why people are so passionate about about the Supernovas,” Cook said.

Watch the Supernovas at 7 p.m. Thursday when they take on the San Diego Mojo at CHI Health Center in Omaha.

Click here to subscribe to our 10/11 NOW daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.

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Sports

Blazers Back in Action at Birmingham Crossplex This Weekend

Published

1 hour ago

January 8, 2026

Your Sports Nation

BIRMINGHAM – UAB Track & Field returns to the Birmingham Crossplex on Friday and Saturday for its first meets of 2026. On Friday, events will kick off at 1 p.m. while Saturday events begin at 9 a.m.

THE FIELD

Among the teams participating with the Blazers this weekend will be Auburn, Chattanooga, Georgia State, Southern Miss, Troy, and UT Martin.

THIS TIME LAST YEAR

Last year’s Blazer Invite was canceled due to winter weather events.

THE LAST TIME OUT

The Blazers’ last meet came on December 5 at the Birmingham Icebreaker at the Birmingham Crossplex. Leticia Quingostas started her senior season strong in the 300m. The senior from Brazil placed ninth overall out of 28 athletes and won heat 4 with a time of 40.51 seconds. The freshmen middle distance duo consisting of Kelly Hughes and Katelyn Valtos made their college debuts in the 1000m. Hughes (3:05.08) and Valtos (3:06.08) finished sixth and seventh overall respectively. Valtos’ time was tops in heat 2. The Green and Gold rounded out the day with true freshman Sarah Hopkins competing in the Weight Throw. Hopkins finished her day with a mark of 14.58m on her final successful throw, which ranks third-best in school history for Indoor Weight Throw.

MEET INFORMATION

Fans can access live results, meet information, and the entire meet schedules on uabsports.com/sports/womens-track-and-field.

ENTRY TO THE CROSSPLEX

Only credit cards will be accepted on the campus of the Birmingham Crossplex.

FOLLOW THE BLAZERS

To keep up with UAB Track & Field, follow @UAB_TF_XC on Instagram and X.

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