Sports

Big parlays, fake injuries and Telegram tips

Published

3 weeks ago

April 16, 2025

Big parlays, fake injuries and Telegram tips

Four men went to a New Jersey casino in March 2024, at the start of the men’s NCAA Tournament. While most of the attention in the sports world was on a pair of games in Dayton, Ohio, that would decide which teams would get the final spots in the round of 64, the men were focused on a forgettable NBA game, the Toronto Raptors hosting the Sacramento Kings. They were ready to make what they believed were the surest bets of their lives.

At about 6:30 that Wednesday evening, according to legal filings, one of those men, Mahmud Mollah, took cash in a blue bag and transferred it into his account with a casino, then made more than $100,000 in wagers on prop bets for Jontay Porter, a little-known center with the Raptors. Mollah’s bets all wagered that Porter would not reach the points, rebounds and assist thresholds the casino set for him in that game.

Putting that much money on a player few NBA fans even knew might seem risky, but Mollah and the other men were confident in the outcome: They had been talking directly with Porter for months. He had given them an assurance before the game that he would take himself out early and claim he was ill. This sequence of events, and other details of the scheme, are based on legal filings made by the Department of Justice in three cases over the last year.

According to law enforcement officials, it was not the first time Porter had faked a medical issue to get himself removed from a game and depress his stats, and they said he had been keeping the four men aware of his intentions in a Telegram chat. When Porter told the four men that he would come out early from a Jan. 26, 2024 game with an eye injury, Timothy McCormack bet $7,000 on a parlay that Porter wouldn’t hit his totals for points, rebounds, assists and 3s. He won $40,250. A relative of one of the other men won $85,000.

Two months later at the DraftKings Sportsbook in Atlantic City, according to court records, the men again bet heavily on the under on Porter’s props; Porter played just two minutes and 43 seconds and finished with zero points, zero assists and two rebounds.

That would be their last attempt to profit off of Porter’s play. The wagers, which would have netted Mollah and others more than $1 million in winnings, raised suspicions with DraftKings. It suspended his account and reported the wagers, prompting the trail of communication that ultimately put the bettors in the sights of the FBI.

Since last year, the FBI has been investigating what federal prosecutors say is a scheme to fix the play of professional athletes in order to win wagers on their performances. The investigations have so far led to charges for six people, and four of them have already pleaded guilty, including Mollah, McCormack and Porter, who pleaded to one count of wire fraud conspiracy. The others are believed to be in plea negotiations, based on legal filings made by the federal government.

But the investigation has led to what may become one of the most far-reaching scandals to hit sports in decades. The Athletic spoke with more than a dozen people in different corners of the NBA, college sports and betting worlds, including people briefed on the investigation and people with expertise on the wide-ranging intersections between casinos and sports teams. Many of the people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation or because they feared retribution or professional consequences for speaking publicly. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York declined to comment.

The Porter case is also linked to investigations into match-fixing across college sports, sources said, and five schools are being investigated by the federal government for their possible ties to the scheme. Alarms were raised when unnatural betting action moved the line on a Temple-UAB conference tournament game in March 2024; federal law enforcement is looking at whether the same group of bettors can be tied to unusual line movement on other college basketball teams this season as well.

The federal investigation has cast a cloud over college sports and the legalized gambling industry as they await the next turn and wonder how much more expansive the FBI’s findings will be, and who could be implicated. It is the largest conspiracy case yet since sports gambling was legalized for most of the country seven years ago, and the most prominent since the Arizona State point-shaving scandal of the mid-1990s.

Porter has already been banned from the NBA for not only manipulating his own stats during Raptors games, but also betting on the NBA and Raptors games via another person’s gambling account. Though Porter never played in a Raptors game he bet on, an NBA investigation found he did bet on the team to lose in a parlay bet. The NBA, like other pro sports leagues, does not allow players to bet on their own sport.

Jontay Porter received a lifetime ban from the NBA for violating the league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors (Isaiah J. Downing / Imagn Images).

Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier reportedly is also under federal investigation after a game in March 2023, when he was still on the Charlotte Hornets, was flagged by an integrity monitoring company for potentially abnormal betting behavior. The NBA investigated Rozier and cleared him of any wrongdoing, a league spokesman said. The federal government continues to investigate.

“The NBA cleared Terry Rozier after a serious, professional investigation that included the FBI,” said Jim Trusty, Rozier’s attorney. “Our hope is that the prosecutors finish running down their leads, recognize there is no criminal case to be made against Terry, and that they have the professionalism to clear his name both privately and publicly.”

Gambling industry veterans claim that match-fixing of some sort has always been a part of sports, but it never has been as potentially identifiable as it is now because of the legalization and pervasiveness of sports gambling. It is now available in 38 states. (The Athletic has a partnership with BetMGM.) Sportsbooks, leagues, regulators and betting integrity monitors all closely watch wagers for hints of impropriety.

That has led to bans for players in two professional sports — the NBA and MLB — as well as suspensions in the NFL for a violation of the league’s gambling policy. A MLB umpire was fired after he shared a gambling account with a professional poker player and refused to cooperate with the league’s investigation.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the ability to monitor legalized betting has made it easier to keep tabs on potential illicit behavior in and around the game, much like how insider trading is monitored.

“We now have the ability, as opposed to the old days before there was widespread legalized sports betting, to be heavily into the analytics of every game, looking at any blip, anything that’s unusual,” Silver said. He added, “In terms of my faith in the future, human beings are fallible; I don’t want to suggest that we have a perfect system and there aren’t going to be any players that violate the rules. I certainly have absolutely no basis sitting here today to say there are multiple NBA players involved in anything inappropriate.”

When Porter was banned last May, it was a shocking moment across the sports world, as the first high-level ramification of its embrace of legalized sports gambling over the last decade. Now, the question is how far that scheme ultimately spread.

Although the full scope of the investigation is unknown, it has come at a crucial time. Legalized sports gambling, still only seven years old in the United States outside of a few states, is trying to legitimize itself. The sports world has never been closer to gambling, and now has a high-profile scandal that could rip into its credibility if more names come out and more games are known to have been involved.

Each unusual line movement is scrutinized closely. It may be a sign of potential illegal activity, or it may be what one sportsbook director called “seeing ghosts.”

That’s what had to be discerned when a Jan. 30, 2025 game between UNC Wilmington and North Carolina A&T triggered an alert from U.S. Integrity, which monitors betting lines for irregular activity. The morning of the game, NC A&T suspended three players for reasons that Colonial Athletic Association commissioner Joe D’Antonio said were unrelated to the gambling allegations. The line on that game began with UNC-Wilmington as an 11-point favorite before it surged to a 17.5-point spread. (UNC won by 24.)

“I don’t think there was anything behind that line movement,” the sportsbook director said. “It wasn’t that suspicious; everyone is on high alert.”

NC A&T has been linked to the NCAA’s gambling investigation, but D’Antonio said neither he nor the conference have been contacted by the FBI. The conference has heard from the NCAA, and is allowing the NCAA to run its investigation rather than doing one of its own.

“We live in a world right now where there is so much legalized gambling that is part of our makeup as a country you would hope that we wouldn’t be in scandalous situations,” D’Antonio said. “But the fact that gambling is legal, we have opened the door to these kinds of situations.”

(Ethan Miller / Getty Images)

Games for several other schools have also raised alarms for integrity monitoring services and gotten the attention of NCAA investigators. At least seven schools in all are believed to have drawn attention from the NCAA, according to multiple sources briefed on the case, not all of which have yet become public. The NCAA also has examined links between the Porter case and game-fixing in college. One person questioned by the NCAA was asked if they knew about Porter and the other men arrested along with him, said a source briefed on the investigation.

The alleged scheme seems to have eyed small- and mid-major schools. In late February, the University of New Orleans suspended four players from its basketball team. Vince Granito, the school’s interim athletic director, did not confirm or deny allegations centered on the basketball program, but said that UNO had conducted its own investigation and submitted its results to the NCAA after it received a letter of inquiry.

“Until we hear back from them on their conclusion, there’s really nothing for us to say,” Granito said. “The ball is in their court.”

Porter’s case has been the most substantive view into how the manipulation of player performance may have worked. The former NBA player, and brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., had fallen into “significant” gambling debt to some of the men, prosecutors said, and decided to work his way out of it by helping them win bets on his play.

Sources say that poker games, potentially rigged ones, are believed to have been one way some players could have been ensnared.

Porter told his alleged co-conspirators that he would take himself out early of a Raptors game on Jan. 26, 2024 because of an eye injury, and that he would leave the March 20 game because of illness. In one message obtained by the federal government, Porter says before the Jan. 26 game, “Hit unders for the big numbers. I told [Co-Conspirator 2] no blocks, no steals. I’m going to play the first 2-3 minute stint off the bench then when I get subbed out, tell them my eye is killing me again.”

One of the men, believed to be Long Phi Pham, then texted another alleged co-conspirator, Shane Hennen, “911” and also forwarded him Porter’s text message. He also sent Hennen a screenshot of his own betting slips on Porter, including one parlay where he bet $29,382 and would win $103,387. Hennen used that information to wager, according to legal filings, using others to place bets on his behalf.

Porter played 4 minutes and 24 seconds on Jan. 26 against the LA Clippers; it was enough to raise suspicion, as U.S. Integrity sent out an alert to sportsbooks the next day about his betting props. He then played fewer than three minutes against the Kings on March 20. According to prosecutors, he also texted his co-conspirators during halftime of a Jan. 22 game and to let them know he would not be on the floor to begin the second half after starting the game, “but if it’s garbage time, I will shoot a million shots.”

Porter seemed to be aware of what he was doing. He texted other defendants last April and said that they “might just get hit w a rico.” He also asked, according to legal filings by the prosecutors, if they had deleted incriminating information off their phones.

If they had, law enforcement still found plenty to work off. Prosecutors have cited messages they obtained off of phones and through their investigation. But the government has been very deliberate in what it has revealed in complaints against the six men who have so far been charged.

Pham was arrested last June at a New York City airport after he bought a one-way ticket to Australia. His lawyer told a federal judge Pham was going there for a poker tournament; a Department of Justice attorney disputed that claim and said Pham was attempting to flee. Pham, 39, has since pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy.

Hennen, who his lawyer describes as a sports bettor and poker player, was arrested at a Las Vegas airport in January after he bought a one-way ticket to Colombia for what he claimed was dental work. In a legal filing, a DOJ lawyer said the government intended to charge him with money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy, though it has yet to do so. Hennen is now in plea negotiations, according to legal filings, and he and federal prosecutors told a federal judge that they expect to avoid trial.

But Hennen’s case was the clearest indicator from the government of how expansive its case may be.

“The FBI has been investigating, among other things, a fraudulent scheme to “fix” the performance of certain professional athletes in specific games in order to make profitable bets on the athlete’s performance in that game,” an FBI agent stated in a complaint filed against Hennen in January.

Lawyers for Porter and Pham declined to comment. Todd Leventhal, a lawyer for Hennen, denied that Hennen was a part of any match-fixing.

“There’s manipulating the game and then there’s betting on a game on what you would consider bad info, good information, inside information,” Leventhal said. “He lost a lot of money betting… He in no way manipulated or was in with these players at all.”

The NCAA doesn’t necessarily need to wait on potential involvement by law enforcement to proceed with its own investigations. NCAA investigations into potential violations of gambling rules have been on the rise since the broad legalization of sports betting, but most cases are related to athletes and coaches placing bets despite rules restricting them from doing so, as opposed to what transpired in the Porter case.

It is a black mark for the NBA, too. One player has already been banned not only for betting on his own team, but also for fixing his own statline. And if the league, and fans, believed that kind of behavior would be limited to players at the end of the roster, like Porter, the investigation of Rozier created louder questions about legalized sports gambling’s possible impact on the game and its integrity. Rozier is in the midst of a $96 million contract and is in line to make more than $150 million in career earnings.

Meanwhile, those in the gambling industry and following the FBI’s investigation are wondering how much the investigation will find, and who else gets caught up.

The Athletic‘s Ralph Russo contributed to this story.

(Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Photos: Ethan Miller / Getty Images, John Hefti-Imagn Images)

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2025 NCAA women’s golf championship: Schedule, how to watch, qualifiers

The 2025 NCAA women’s golf championship is here. Regional play concluded May 7, with the championship from May 16-21 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, CA. The 2025 NCAA women’s golf championship finalist selections were announced on May 7. The committee selected 72 teams (including automatic qualifiers) and 36 individuals (including automatic qualifiers) not on […]

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5 minutes ago

May 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The committee selected 72 teams (including automatic qualifiers) and 36 individuals (including automatic qualifiers) not on those teams for participation at one of the six regional sites. Each regional site is comprised of 12 teams and six individuals (not on one of the selected teams). Five teams and the leading individual not on an advancing team from each regional site shall advance to the final site.

Click or tap here for the full list of selections

2025 DI women’s golf championship schedule

*All times listed in Eastern Time

Championship | Friday, May 16 – Wednesday, May 21

Selection show | Wednesday, April 23
Regionals | Monday, May 5 – Wednesday, May 7

2025 DI women’s golf championship finalists

Charlottesville Regional Site:

1. South Carolina
2. Ole Miss
T3. Florida
T3. Virginia
5. UCLA

Individual: 1. Marie Madsen – NC State

Columbus Regional Site:

1. Kansas
2. Arkansas
3. Ohio State
4. UNLV
5. LSU

Individual: 1. Moa Svedenskiold – Houston

Gold Canyon Regional Site:

1. Oregon
2. Arizona State
3. Oklahoma State
4. Mississippi State
5. Cal State Fullerton

Individual: 1. Anna Davis – Auburn

Lexington Regional Site:

1. Florida State
T2. Georgia Southern
T2. Kansas State
4. Southern California
5. Vanderbilt

Individual: 1. Sofia Barroso Sá – TCU

Lubbock Regional Site:

1. Wake Forest
2. Texas
3. Iowa State
4. Tennessee
5. Purdue

Individual: 1. Lousiane Gauthier – Florida Gulf Coast

Norman Regional Site:

1. Stanford
2. Northwestern
3. Michigan State
4. Oklahoma
5. Baylor

Individual: 1. Audrey Ryu – Furman

DI women’s golf championship history

Stanford defeated UCLA to win the 2024 DI women’s golf national title. Adela Cernousek of Texas A&M won the 2024 individual title, becoming the first golfer in Texas A&M history to win an individual championship. See the full championship history below:

More on the 2024 championships

YEAR	CHAMPION	COACH	SCORE^	RUNNER-UP	SCORE	HOST OR SITE
2024	Stanford	Anne Walker	3-2	UCLA		Carlsbad, Calif.
2023	Wake Forest	Kim Lewellen	3-1	Southern California		Scottsdale, AZ
2022	Stanford	Anne Walker	3-2	Oregon		Scottsdale, AZ
2021	Ole Miss	Kory Henkes	4-1	Oklahoma State		Scottsdale, AZ
2020	Canceled due to Covid-19	—	—	—	—	—
2019	Duke	Dan Brooks	3-2	Wake Forest		Fayetteville, Ark.
2018	Arizona	Laura Ianello	3-2	Alabama		Stillwater, Okla.
2017	Arizona State	Missy Farr-Kaye	3-1-1	Northwestern		Sugar Grove, Ill.
2016	Washington	Mary Lou Mulflur	3-2	Stanford		Eugene, Ore.
2015	Stanford	Anne Walker	3-2	Baylor		Bradenton, Fla.
2014	Duke	Dan Brooks	1,130	Southern California	1,132	Tulsa, Okla.
2013	Southern California	Andrea Gaston	1,133	Duke	1,154	Georgia
2012	Alabama	Mic Potter	1,171	USC	1,172	Vanderbilt
2011	UCLA	Carrie Forsyth	1,173	Purdue	1,177	Texas A&M
2010	Purdue	Devon Brouse	1,153	Southern California	1,154	Wilmington, N.C.
2009	Arizona State	Melissa Luellen	1,182	UCLA	1,190	Owings Mills, Md.
2008	Southern California	Andrea Gaston	1,168	UCLA	1,174	New Mexico
2007	Duke	Dan Brooks	1,170	Purdue	1,185	Daytona Beach, Fla.
2006	Duke	Dan Brooks	1,167	Southern California	1,177	Ohio State
2005	Duke	Dan Brooks	1,170	UCLA	1,175	Oregon State
2004	UCLA	Carrie Forsyth	1,148	Oklahoma State	1,151	Auburn
2003	Southern California	Andrea Gaston	1,197	Pepperdine	1,213	Purdue
2002	Duke	Dan Brooks	1,164	Arizona, Auburn, Texas	1,170	Washington
2001	Georgia	Todd McCorkle	1,176	Duke	1,179	Stetson
2000	Arizona	Todd McCorkle	1,175	Stanford	1,196	Oregon State
1999	$Duke	Dan Brooks	895	Arizona State/Georgia	903	Tulsa
1998	Arizona State	Linda Vollstedt	1,155	Florida	1,173	Wisconsin
1997	Arizona State	Linda Vollstedt	1,178	San Jose State	1,180	Ohio State
1996	*Arizona	Rick LaRose	1,240	San Jose State	1,240	UCLA
1995	Arizona State	Linda Vollstedt	1,155	San Jose State	1,181	UNC-Wilmington
1994	Arizona State	Linda Vollstedt	1,189	Southern California	1,205	Oregon State
1993	Arizona State	Linda Vollstedt	1,187	Texas	1,189	Georgia
1992	San Jose State	Mark Gale	1,171	Arizona	1,175	Arizona State
1991	*UCLA	Jackie Steinmann	1,197	San Jose State	1,197	Ohio State
1990	Arizona State	Linda Vollstedt	1,206	UCLA	1,222	South Carolina
1989	San Jose State	Mark Gale	1,208	Tulsa	1,209	Stanford
1988	#Tulsa	Dale McNamara	1,175	Georgia/Arizona State	1,182	New Mexico State
1987	San Jose State	Mark Gale	1,187	Furman	1,188	New Mexico
1986	Florida	Mimi Ryan	1,180	Miamia (Fla.)	1,188	Ohio State
1985	Florida	Mimi Ryan	1,218	Tulsa	1,233	Amherst
1984	Miami (Fla.)	Lela Cannon	1,214	Arizona State	1,221	Georgia
1983	TCU	Fred Warren	1,193	Tulsa	1,196	Georgia
1982	Tulsa	Dale McNamara	1,191	TCU	1,227	Stanford

*Won in sudden death

$Fourth Round canceled due to rain

#Tulsa’s participation in 1988 championships vacated

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Head-to-head matchups to watch for at the 2025 SEC outdoor track and field championships

The SEC outdoor men’s and women’s track and field championships is always one of the premier meets in collegiate track and field. 2025’s meet should be no different. The SEC championships are filled with top-ranked teams and loaded with some of the top regular-season performers, creating must-watch matchups. Here’s a look at some of the […]

Published

17 minutes ago

May 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Note: At the time of writing (Wednesday, May 7) the start lists for the SEC Championships haven’t been published, meaning athletes listed below may not participate in an event. These aren’t guaranteed because some matchups may need athletes to advance to the finals to happen.

COMPLETE COVERAGE: Updates, schedule and results for the 2025 SEC outdoor track and field championships

Men

100 meters — Israel Okon (Auburn) vs. Kanyinsola Ajayi (Auburn) vs. Jordan Anthony (Arkansas) vs. Jelani Watkins (LSU)

The SEC 100 meters is wide open this year. Auburn’s Israel Okon has run 9.91 (+2.9) and 10.07 in his two races this year, and his teammate Kanyinsola Ajayi has run a wind-legal 9.96 in his lone 100 meters run.

But this isn’t a competition between solely the Auburn Tigers, as a pair of dual-sport athletes will contest for the 100 meter crown. Arkansas’s Jordan Anthony and LSU’s Jelani Watkins have run 9.98 seconds and 10.01 seconds, respectively. The quartet of sprinters will make the 100 exciting in Lexington this year.

RECORDS: Every track and field record broken in 2025

110 hurdles — Ja’Kobe Tharp (Auburn) vs. Everyone else

Winning a title puts a target on your back and Auburn’s Ja’Kobe Tharp has just that after winning the SEC outdoor 110 hurdles title last year and winning the indoor 60 hurdles NCAA title this year. Tharp will have to defend his SEC title he won this year, with the added pressure of knowing that he hasn’t run the fastest time in the event entering the meet.

Texas’s Kendrick Smallwood leads the nation with his 13.07 (+2.3) while Florida’s Demaris Waters has the top wind-legal time of 13.21 (+0.7). Texas A&M’s Ja’Qualon Scott and LSU’s hurdle duo of Matthew Sophia and Jahiem Stern have also run faster than the defending SEC 110 hurdles champion, who can’t be counted out.

That’s six of the top eight times in the nation all in the SEC. Get your popcorn ready.

400 hurdles — Jevon Williams (Tennessee) vs. Kody Blackwood (Texas)

Déjà vu? No, it’s just the SEC. That’s what you’ll realize when you see Tennessee’s Jevon Williams and Texas’ Kody Blackwood run the 400 hurdles at the SEC championships.

Williams beat Blackwood in the nation’s fastest 400 hurdles race earlier this year at the Tom Jones Invitational when the duo outpaced a professional Olympian (Trevor Bassitt) as both went sub-49 seconds.

If we get a repeat of this race at the SEC Championships, we’ll be in for a treat.

PAST 2025 MEETS: Penn Relays | Florida Relays | Texas Relays

800 meters — Abdullahi Hassan (Mississippi State) vs. Rivaldo Marshall (Arkansas)

Abdullahi Hassan and Rivaldo Marshall have been two of the best 800 meter runners in the NCAA for multiple years now. The two were both in the Big Ten in 2024 before transferring to the SEC. Now, only 0.2 seconds separate their season’s-best times in 2025, with both athletes ranking in the top four in the 800 nationally.

Across the last two years, Rivaldo Marshall has finished ahead of Abdullahi Hassan in three of the five races that both have run in. With the high stakes of the SEC, we’ll get another chapter to this rivalry.

PAST SEC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2024 | 2023

Women

100 hurdles — Habiba Harris (Florida) vs. Akala Garrett (Texas) vs. Jaiya Covington (Texas A&M) vs. Myreanna Bebe (Tennessee)

The SEC 100 hurdles is loaded as always in 2025. Habiba Harris, Akala Garrett, Jaiya Covington and Myreanna Bebe have four of the top five times (all-conditions) in the country this year and none of 2025’s top four finishers in the SEC 100 hurdles are back this year.

In fact, Jaiya Covington is the only finalist from last year’s SEC championships, where she finished fifth. Of course, since then, the Aggie has added the NCAA indoor 60 hurdles title to her resume. Yet, she only has the third-fastest time of the quartet.

Akala Garrett has run 12.75 (+2.6) this year and has gone sub-13.1 seconds at three of her four meets this year. Habiba Harris has the national lead at 12.69 seconds (+2.1 and is only a freshman.

Let’s not forget about Myreanna Bebe either. She has the nation’s fastest wind-legal time this year running 12.81 seconds (+1.8) to send a statement open May.

What has become a fan-favorite event in recent years figures to live up to the hype as these four women race in the 100 hurdles at the SEC Championships.

AWARD WATCH: Here are the Bowerman frontrunners entering May

100 meters — JaMeesia Ford (South Carolina) vs. Camryn Dickson (Texas A&M)

The SEC always has its share of versatile sprinters, and this year, JaMeesia Ford and Camryn Dickson are two of the best. Ford has run 11.02 and Dickson has run 11.04 in the 100 meters, both over the allowable wind.

But wind doesn’t matter when you’re on the track right next to each other. Only beating your opponent.

And if the 100 meters wasn’t enough, Ford and Dickson also have two of the top-five all-conditions 200 meter times this year. More on that race below.

200 meters — Jasmine Montgomery (Texas A&M) vs. Dejanea Oakley

JaMeesia Ford and Camryn Dickson will be candidates to win the 200 meters at the SEC championships, but they’ll have to get past a pair of intriguing contenders first.

Jasmine Montgomery caught the eyes of plenty when she ran a 22.17 to open May in the 200 meters. However, there was a +3.5 wind, and Montgomery hadn’t run better than 22.59 in her career before.

Then there’s Georgia’s Dejanea Oakley. She has the No. 2 wind-legal time in the country at 22.43 seconds, but that time isn’t in the top five all-conditions this year.

Montgomery and Oakley have both run fast this year, conditions aside. When the two meet on the track in Lexington, they’ll be looking to back up their impressive regular seasons en route to a title.

HALFWAY THERE: 6 midseason superlatives for the 2025 DI outdoor track and field season

400 meters — Aaliyah Butler (Georgia) vs. Kaylyn Brown (Arkansas)

Last year, Aaliyah Butler was the top threat to interrupt Arkansas’ historic group of quarter-milers from titles. This year, Butler remains the top threat to keep a Razorback from holding a trophy, but Arkansas doesn’t have the same amount of heavy hitters as last year.

The Razorbacks still have Kaylyn Brown, though, who’s still searching for her first sub-50 race of the season. Could running against Butler, who owns the national lead in 49.44 seconds, push Brown to a sub-50 pace? Will Butler’s undefeated regular season in the 400 continue?

This is a great matchup to watch.

400 hurdles — Rachel Glenn (Arkansas) vs. Akala Garrett (Texas)

Three women have run sub-54 seconds in the 400 hurdles this season. Rachel Glenn and Akala Garrett are two of the three that are in the SEC. We got to see the sub-54-second race with all three women running at the Tom Jones Invitational.

Glenn outraced Garrett by 0.25 seconds in Gainesville, but anything could happen in Lexington when the two meet again.

THREES A CHARM: Ranking the top 10 sprint-distance-field trios in NCAA track and field

High jump — Rachel Glenn (Arkansas) vs. Elena Kulichenko (Georgia)

Glenn vs. Kulichenko. We’ve seen this battle multiple times on the NCAA championship stage, and we’ll get to see it again at the SEC Championships. When these two compete, the bar just goes higher and higher.

Triple jump — Agur Dwol (Oklahoma) vs. Winny Bii (Texas A&M)

Two of the top triple jumpers in the country will go head-to-head for an SEC title. Agur Dwol is coming off an indoor NCAA title and is the only woman to surpass 14 meters during the outdoor season at 14.01m. Winny Bii matched Dwol’s 14.01 meters during the indoor season.

That’s two women capable of jumping beyond 14 meters, but only one conference title for the taking.

AWARDS: The 2025 Bowerman Watch List for men’s and women’s NCAA track and field

Heptathlon — Sofia Iakushina (Texas A&M) vs. Pippi Lotta Enok (Oklahoma)

The top two heptathletes entering May are from the SEC and their names are Sofia Iakushina and Pippi Lotta Enok. Yet, the two heptathletes are entering the SEC championships with different perspectives. Iakushina is a freshman competing in her first outdoor SEC championships, while Enok is a former NCAA champion, winning the 2023 heptathlon title.

It’s a classic tale of the rookie vs. the vet at the SEC Championship.

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Houston volleyball trailblazer Flo Hyman to be honored with U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame induction

Flo Hyman | Courtesy of UH Athletics USA Volleyball announced on Tuesday morning that the late Flo Hyman, a trailblazer from the University of Houston, has been selected for induction into the 2025 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame class. Hyman will be honored on July 12 in Colorado Springs, Colo., alongside the rest […]

Published

18 minutes ago

May 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Flo Hyman | Courtesy of UH Athletics

USA Volleyball announced on Tuesday morning that the late Flo Hyman, a trailblazer from the University of Houston, has been selected for induction into the 2025 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame class.

Hyman will be honored on July 12 in Colorado Springs, Colo., alongside the rest of the 2025 class.

After attending El Camino College for one year, Hyman made history when she transferred to Houston, becoming its first-ever female scholarship athlete.

During her three seasons with the Cougars, she guided them to two top-five finishes nationally. Hyman also received the Broderick Award (now the Honda Sports Award) in 1977, which honors the top collegiate female athlete in twelve sports.

Hyman’s other accolades with Houston include being a three-time All-American and receiving the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women National Player of the Year award in 1976.

Deciding to forego her final year of eligibility, Hyman went on to play nationally for the U.S. Women’s National Team and helped lead Team USA to a silver medal in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Following the 1984 Olympics, Hyman continued her professional career in Japan until her untimely death in January 1986 at age 31, due to undiagnosed Marfan Syndrome.

Hyman’s previous inductions include the USAV Hall of Fame in 1985 and the University of Houston Hall of Honor in 1988.

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Sports

McCurry Vaults to Sixth Place Finish at Hillsdale Last Chance Meet

Story Links Hillsdale, MI. – After the Men’s Track & Field team kicked off the Last Chance Schedule on Saturday, it was the Womens Track & Field team’s turn to get started. They headed to the Hillsdale College Last Chance Invitational in the first of two events for the Cardinals. Keala McCurry […]

Published

37 minutes ago

May 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Hillsdale, MI. – After the Men’s Track & Field team kicked off the Last Chance Schedule on Saturday, it was the Womens Track & Field team’s turn to get started. They headed to the Hillsdale College Last Chance Invitational in the first of two events for the Cardinals. Keala McCurry would be the lone competitor for the Cardinals as she makes her push for the 2025 NCAA DII Outdoor Track & Field National Championships.

McCurry would compete against some of the best Vaulters across the country, including five from the Atlantic Region. McCurry would pass on the first three heights and entered at 3.27 meters. She would miss on the first run but by run two she was up and over the bar. The next height would go to 3.42 meters and once again, McCurry would clear the bar on her second try and would be one of eight athletes to clear the height. The next bar would be set at 3.57 meters and this time McCurry would take three attempts and failed to clear the height. She would end up taking sixth in the field after clearing the bar at 3.42 meters and would take third overall among her Atlantic Regional competitors. With one more Last Chance Meet to go McCurry will continue battling to hit the Provo Mark.

Keala McCurry will return to the competition field on Sunday, May 11^th, when she competes at the St. John Fisher’s Last Chance Meet with first events beginning at 11 AM.

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Sports

Men’s Volleyball Set for NC Quarterfinal Against Hawaii Thursday – Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State heads to the Covelli Center in Columbus for the eight-team bracket portion of the National Collegiate Championship after winning an Opening Round match at Daemen last week. The seventh-seeded Nittany Lions take on second-seeded Hawaii, the champion out of the Big West, in the quarterfinal round on Thursday at […]

Published

38 minutes ago

May 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State heads to the Covelli Center in Columbus for the eight-team bracket portion of the National Collegiate Championship after winning an Opening Round match at Daemen last week. The seventh-seeded Nittany Lions take on second-seeded Hawaii, the champion out of the Big West, in the quarterfinal round on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.

The winner between Penn State and Hawaii advances to play the winner between third-seeded UCLA and sixth-seeded Belmont Abbey in the National Semifinal on Saturday.

The Nittany Lions are in the NC Championship for the third-consecutive season as they advanced to the National Semifinal in 2023 and the quarterfinal round in 2024.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Penn State (15-15, 8-4 EIVA) vs. Hawaii (26-5, 7-3 Big West) | Live Stats | Watch

SERIES HISTORY
• Penn State and Hawaii will meet for the 29th time overall and the seventh time in a postseason tournament.
• The Rainbow Warriors lead the overall series 18-10, including a 3-0 win in Honolulu earlier this season. They lead the postseason series 4-2, including five-set wins in each of the previous two matchups (2017, 2023).
• Ryan Merk has averaged 2.17 digs/set and has allowed just one ace on 88 serve reception attempts (.989) in three career matches against Hawaii.

HOW WE GOT HERE
• Penn State earned the three seed in the EIVA Tournament after going 11-15 overall and 8-4 in the conference. The Nittany Lions had five players earn All-EIVA honors — Ryan Merk (first team), Will Kuhns (first team), Owen Rose (second team), Gaige Gabriel (honorable mention), Matthew Luoma (honorable mention).
• The Nittany Lions then swept their way through the EIVA Tournament, posting 3-0 wins over sixth-seeded Harvard, second-seeded NJIT, and top-seeded Princeton to improve to 14-15 overall and earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NC Championship. Michael Schwob was named the Most Outstanding Player of the EIVA Tournament, thanks in large part to his nine aces over nine sets (three in each match). Joining him on the EIVA Championship All-Tournament Team were Matthew Luoma, Ryan Merk, and Will Kuhns.
• Penn State evened its record at 15-15 with a 3-0 win at Daemen in the NC Championship Opening Round, posting its fifth-consecutive win by sweep. Matthew Luoma hit .345 with 14 kills for the Nittany Lions. Michael Schwob tallied 30 assists while leading the team to .380 hitting and added three aces. It was his sixth-straight match with exactly three aces.

HOW THEY GOT HERE
• Hawaii entered the Big West Tournament as the second-seeded team after going 24-5 overall and 7-3 in the conference during the regular season. Sophomore setter Tread Rosenthal, freshman outside hitter Adrien Roure, and freshman opposite Kristian Titriyski were named to the All-Big West Team.
• The Rainbow Warriors posted wins over third-seeded UC Irvine (3-1) and top-seeded Long Beach State (3-1) to win the Big West Tournament, improving to 26-5 overall while earning the conference’s automatic bid to the NC Championship.
• Roure was named Big West Tournament MVP.

CAREER HIGHS SET LAST MATCH
at Daemen (5/2)
• Matthew Luoma – aces (3)

STREAKS TO WATCH
Matthew Luoma
• 6 straight matches with double-digit kills
• 4 straight matches with at least one ace

Ryan Merk
• 91 straight starts at libero

Michael Schwob
• 6 straight matches with three aces

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Sports

Grey, Murphy, Switzer and Fennelly named to Academic All-Patriot League Team

Story Links Full Patriot League Release (Link) WORCESTER, Mass. – Seniors Ella Grey, Haley Murphy, Maura Switzer and Brian Fennelly of the Holy Cross track and field teams have been named to the Outdoor Track and Field Academic All-League Team, as announced by the […]

Published

1 hour ago

May 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WORCESTER, Mass. – Seniors Ella Grey, Haley Murphy, Maura Switzer and Brian Fennelly of the Holy Cross track and field teams have been named to the Outdoor Track and Field Academic All-League Team, as announced by the Patriot League on Tuesday.

Murphy, a chemistry major, earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.890, concluding the fall of her senior year. She competed in five of the eight meets so far this season. She won her heat and claimed third overall in the 400m hurdles prelim (1:02.00) to qualify for the final. The captain then went on to break her own 400m hurdles school record with a time of 59.08 to win in the final, the gold medal and set a new Patriot League meet record. To cap off the Championship meet, she aided the 4x400m relay team to a new school record with a time of 3:45.99 to place fourth. Murphy is a First Team All-Patriot League selection in the 400m hurdles and aided Holy Cross to a fifth-place team finish at the meet. Throughout the outdoor season, she has broken the 400m hurdles school record three times and the 400m dash school record once. The Massachusetts native currently holds four school records and one Patriot League record.

Off the track, Murphy has volunteered her time with the Holy Cross Office of Sustainability on Civic Engagement Day. She is a SAAC representative and the Vice President of Holy Cross’s chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society. In her free time, she does research in a biochemistry lab on campus and works a part-time job as a Library Research Assistant.

Grey, a psychology major, earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.490, concluding the fall of her senior year. She competed in four of the eight meets so far this season. She placed third with a qualifying time of 14.05 in the 100m hurdles semis. She then broke the 100m hurdles school record with a time of 13.84 to take third and the bronze medal in the final. Her time is the third fastest in the Patriot League this outdoor season. Her efforts helped Holy Cross to a fifth-place team finish at the meet.

In the classroom, Grey is a psychology major. In her free time, she volunteers as an Education Intern at the Goddard School of Science and serves as the Chair of the Education Minor SAC Board. She is also a chapter member of the Alpha Alpha Alpha (or Tri-Alpha) National Honor Society, a society that recognizes academic achievement for first-generation college students.

Switzer, a computer science and mathematics double major, earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.950, concluding the fall of her senior year. She competed in six of the eight meets so far this season. The captain clinched second and the silver medal in the pole vault, clearing 3.97m to earn a spot on the Second-Team All-Patriot League. This is the first time Switzer had made an appearance on a All-League team and the second time she has been recognized on the Academic All-League Outdoor Track and Field team. The Washington native hit a personal best mark of 4.01m for second place in the pole vault earlier this season at the UMass Spring Opener on Apr. 5. That mark currently ranks her second in the Patriot League in the event.

Off the track, Switzer works as a TA for the Holy Cross Computer Science Department and as a Note-Taker and Exam Proctor for Holy Cross. She just concluded a year-long research project on Women in Computer Science for her Holy Cross Honors Program thesis and is a member of the Holy Cross Girls Who Code Club. Last spring, she was inducted into the Pi Mu Epsilon National Mathematics Honor Society and won the Holy Cross Innovation Challenge. This spring, she competed in the WooTank Competition, placing second and took home first in the CrossTank Competition.

Fennelly, a chemistry major, earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.780, concluding the fall of his senior year. He competed in six of the eight meets so far this season. He claimed third in the 110m hurdles semis (14.44), then clinched second and the silver medal in the final with a personal best time of 14.07 (0.01 seconds shy of the school record) to be named Second Team All-Patriot League. He also placed sixth in both the 400m hurdles semis (54.34) and the final (54.20) and helped the 4x100m relay team to a fifth-place finish with a time of 41.18. At the Holy Cross Jim Kavanagh Legacy Invitational on Apr. 19, he set a personal best 400m hurdles time of 53.90 for first and helped the 4x100m relay team to a new school record with a time of 41.09. His 110m hurdles time, 14.07, is currently ranked second in the Patriot League this outdoor season.

Off the track, Fennelly is a Gateways Orientation Leader and tour guide for the Holy Cross Office of Admissions department. He represents the track team in SAAC and works as a research assistant for the Holy Cross chemistry department. He volunteers his time as an assistant coach for the Hingham High School track and field team, his alma mater, and is a coordinator for the Community Harvest Project, a 5k raising funds for hunger relief.

To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and the Academic All-Patriot League Team, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and be a starter or key player in their sport. Freshmen or students in their first academic year at their school are not eligible for the honor.

The Holy Cross track and field teams conclude the 2025 outdoor season at the New England Outdoor Championship hosted by UMass Amherst from May 9-10 at the UMass Track & Field Complex in Amherst, Mass.

2025 Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Vera Sjöberg, Boston University, Jr.

2025 Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Karsen Vesty, Boston University, So.

2025 Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Academic All-Patriot League Team

Lorelei Bangit (American)

Charlotte Richman (Army West Point)

Emily Fink (Army West Point)

Jordan Hecht (Army West Point)

Mikayla Cheney (Army West Point)

Zoe Eggleston (Army West Point)

Alli Lofquist (Boston University)

Asia Hamilton (Boston University)

Ijeoma Ezechukwu (Boston University)

Peace Omonzane (Boston University)

Vera Sjöberg (Boston University)

Evelyn Bliss (Bucknell)

Kaitlyn Segreti (Bucknell)

Ella Grey (Holy Cross)

Haley Murphy (Holy Cross)

Maura Switzer (Holy Cross)

Ida Moczerniuk (Lehigh)

Laura Reigle (Lehigh)

Kylie Maddalena (Loyola Maryland)

Alex Wercinski (Navy)

Gracie Emerick (Navy)

2025 Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Academic All-Patriot League Team

Brian McSweeney (Army West Point)

Javan Guevara-Cragwell (Army West Point)

Jaxon Hammond (Army West Point)

Nathan Davis (Army West Point)

Karsen Vesty (Boston University)

Owen Faulha (Boston University)

Ryan Rosenberger (Boston University)

Shamiso Sikaneta (Boston University)

Steven Franco (Boston University)

Braden Stryker (Bucknell)

Keenan LaMontagne (Bucknell)

Wade Shomper (Bucknell)

Cole Blair (Colgate)

Ethan Eisner (Colgate)

Brian Fennelly (Holy Cross)

Titan Casey (Lafayette)

Jonathan Bennett (Lehigh)

Patrez Thomas (Lehigh)

Caleb Walker (Navy)

Joe Hurt (Navy)

Sheldon Ulmer (Navy)

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS

Be sure to follow the Holy Cross track & field and cross country teams — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!

X – @HCrossTFXC | @goholycross

Instagram – @hcrossmxctf | @hcrossWXCTF | @goholycross

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