College Sports
Boise State to compete in new College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas
RELATED: Boise State’s Jeramiah Dickey named NACDA Athletic Director of the Year The first two rounds of the debut event will air live on Fox Sports 1. The semifinal round and championship will be broadcast nationally on FOX. Each team to reach the semifinal round of the College Basketball Crown receives an NIL package as […]

RELATED: Boise State’s Jeramiah Dickey named NACDA Athletic Director of the Year


College Sports
University of Oklahoma Athletics
NORMAN —No. 2 overall seed, Oklahoma Softball (48-7), will host No. 15 overall seed Alabama (40-21) in the 2025 Super Regionals as the teams vie for a spot in the Women’s College World Series. GAME SCHEDULE – ALL TIMES CT Game 1 | Friday, May 23 at 4 p.m. Game 2 | Saturday, May 24 […]

GAME SCHEDULE – ALL TIMES CT
Game 1 | Friday, May 23 at 4 p.m.
Game 2 | Saturday, May 24 at 2 p.m.
Game 3 | TBD (if necessary game)
HOW TO FOLLOW
Game one will be broadcast on ESPN2, while Saturday’s game will be available on ESPN. A radio broadcast will be offered on The Franchise 2 1560 AM and 103. FM. Live stats will be available on statbroadcast.com.
MAY I?
The Sooners are 246-70 in May in head coach Patty Gasso‘s 31 seasons with the Sooners, while turning in a 92-8 record in the program’s eight championship seasons.
50 WINS
The Sooners are looking for 50 wins for the ninth consecutive season … the last time OU hasn’t reached that milestone was in 2015 … OU is 48-7 on the season and on a five game winning streak.
NCAA SUPER REGIONAL SNAPSHOT
The Sooners are 159-52 all-time in the NCAA Tournament … the Sooners are 6-6 against Alabama in the NCAA Tournament and … 13 of OU’s 21 games against Alabama have been played in the postseason … 10 of those games have taken place in Oklahoma City … OU and Alabama have never played in Norman .. the Sooners are hosting their 12th super regional … OU has notched 16 consecutive wins in super regional play … Oklahoma and Alabama met in the 2015 Super Regionals in Tuscaloosa … OU is playing its sixth super regional against a current member of the SEC … OU is 46-9 against current SEC teams in the NCAA Tournament … Oklahoma is looking for its 18th Women’s College World Series and ninth in a row.
LOWRY’S SEASONING
Audrey Lowry has pitched four consecutive scoreless outings, while also retiring the last 15 batters that she’s faced dating back to May 2 at Florida. During the SEC Tournament she earned the win and retired nine consecutive batters against No. 6/7 Arkansas.
TWENTY-WON
Righty Sam Landry went 3-0 last weekend, spinning three innings of work in all of OU’s wins. Landry is 22-4 on the season, ranking first among all active pitchers in the nation with 85 career wins.
PICK YOUR POISON
Kasidi Pickering hit three home runs and drove in nine runs during the regionals last weekend. She hit a grand slam and also homered twice in the same game, posting the 10th two-home run game by a Sooner in NCAA Regionals history. Pickering is hitting .476 (20-for-42) in 17 NCAA Tournament games, while homering nine times and driving in 22 runs. She’s had a two-homer game in two different contests this season.
ALL-REGION HONORS
Eight different Sooners earned NFCA Midwest All-Region honors. It’s the sixth time that OU has had eight honorees for a single season, tied for a program record. Sam Landry, Gabbie Garcia, Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering earned first team recognition, while Nelly McEnroe-Marinas and Cydney Sanders were tabbed to the second team. Ailana Agbayani and Abigale Dayton took home third team honors.
SEC RECORD BOOK WATCH
The Sooners hit an SEC Tournament single game record six home runs in the 8-6 win against No. 6/7 Arkansas in the semifinals May 9. OU also set the record for biggest comeback win in SEC Tournament history, overcoming a 6-1 deficit.
PFP QUEEN
Sam Landry gets to just about everything in the circle. The right-handed pitcher leads the SEC among hurlers with 49 assists.
COMEBACK KIDS
With the 8-6 win against No. 6/7 Arkansas, the Sooners earned their 17th comeback victory on the season. The comeback win in the SEC Championship Semifinals was OU’s largest comeback since 2018.
BRINGING OUR BOOM
Oklahoma has 110 home runs this season, becoming the first program to hit at least 100 home runs in six straight years. Gabbie Garcia leads the way with 18, while 13 Sooners have at least two.
MAGIC NUMBER
Oklahoma is 41-0 when scoring at least six runs. The Sooners earned three run-rule wins on the weekend during regionals, bringing Oklahoma to 22 such victories this season.
ALL-SEC
Oklahoma earned nine different All-SEC honors, with Coach Gasso being named SEC Coach of the Year and Sam Landry was tabbed Newcomer of the Year.
RANKED GAMES
The Sooners have played 24 games against ranked teams this season, going 20-6 in such contests. The Sooners earned three sweeps against top 15 programs, including a sweep against No. 3/2 Texas – OU’s first ever three game sweep against a top five team.
The Sooners have outscored top 25 teams, 157-108. Freshman Gabbie Garcia has paced the Sooners with nine home runs and 30 RBIs in 82 at-bats against ranked teams this season. Sam Landry has fanned 81 batters and gone 10-4 with a 2.28 ERA in her 18 appearances against ranked teams.
ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS
The Sooners have a number of players in the top ten among active leaders in a variety of statistical categories, particularly between the arms of Isabella Smith and Sam Landry.
-Wins: Sam Landry (first in DI – 85), Isabella Smith (second in DI – 79)
-Innings pitched: Isabella Smith (sixth in DI – 649.3)
-Appearances: Sam Landry (sixth in DI and NCAA – 149), Isabella Smith (seventh in DI and NCAA – 140)
-Strikeouts: Isabella Smith (fifth in DI and 15th in NCAA – 682)
-Home runs: Cydney Sanders (7th in DI – 56)
-Walks: Cydney Sanders (4th in DI – 152)
THE GIFT OF GAB
Freshman infielder Gabbie Garcia is tied for 6th among all freshmen in Division with 18 home runs. She was named D1Softball Freshman of the Week March 11 and April 8 as well SEC Player of the Week March 18. Earlier this season she became the first OU freshman since Jocelyn Alo to homer in five consecutive games. April 30 she was named to the top spot of the Softball America Shortstops rankings.
AND IT’S OUT OF THE PARK(ER)!
Sophomore Ella Parker is heating up over the past three weekends, having hit safely in 13 of the last 15 games. She’s homered in six of the last ten games, hitting half of her total for the year beginning in the Texas series.
BALANCE IS KEY
One of the greatest assets of the OU offense this year has been its balance. The Sooners have six players with at least 11 home runs, with Gabbie Garcia pacing the way with 18 and Kasidi Pickering with 17.
SYD & CYD
Sydney Barker and Cydney Sanders have combined for six of OU’s 12 RBIs in the SEC Tournament.
PERFORMING UNDER THE BRIGHT LIGHTS
Nelly McEnroe-Marinas has hit 11 of her 14 home runs in SEC play. She’s had a multi-home run series against South Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri and Mississippi State, and also homered against Alabama and Texas. In total she’s homered against every SEC team OU has faced this season outside of Tennessee and Florida.
BIG BATS
OU has homered in 45 of 55 games this season. Oklahoma has hit five home runs three times, while setting a season high with six homers against Arkansas May 9. Two different players have had streaks of four games in a row with a home run or better.
FRESHIES
Oklahoma freshman have combined to hit 50 of Oklahoma’s 110 home runs, paced by 18 from Gabbie Garcia and 14 from Nelly McEnroe-Marinas. Five different OU freshmen have hit at least two home runs.
NATIONAL NODS
Senior pitcher Sam Landry and sophomore outfielder Kasidi Pickering were both named to the USA Collegiate Softball Player of the Year Top 25 list Wednesday, April 30.
ALL-SEC SOONERS
The Oklahoma Sooners made some noise in the all-tournament team listing. Six Sooners combined for nine total honors. Sam Landry was named SEC Newcomer of the Year, First Team All-SEC and to the all-defensive squad. Kasidi Pickering and Nelly McEnroe-Marinas made the first team. Gabbie Garcia was tabbed to the second team and all-defensive squad, while Ailana Agbayani was also a second team pick. Head Coach Patty Gasso was named SEC Coach of the Year in her first season in the league.
HAWAII FIVE-0
Junior second baseman Ailana Agbayani is coming off her first SEC Player of the Week honor April 29 after hitting .750 (6-for-8) with a grand slam, three runs five RBIs and two walks. Agbayani tied a career high with five RBIs in OU’s 7-6 win against No. 3/2 Texas Friday, April 25. She was also named Softball America Star of the Week that same week. All four of her home runs have either come against ranked teams or in postseason play.
IT’S PERFECT!
The Sooners have spun two perfect games this year between the arms of Isabella Smith and Sam Landry. Smith posted a five-inning perfect game in an 8-0 win against Cal Baptist in her first-ever start with OU. She became the only pitcher in program history to post a perfect game in a debut. Landry followed that up with a five-inning perfect game at No. 23/24 Baylor later in February.
ROLL CALL!
Oklahoma Softball set program records for series attendance and single game attendance for a regular season series at Love’s Field during the sweep of Texas April 25-27. A total of 13,734 fans saw the series, while game three’s attendance reached a record, 4,609 at Love’s.
RECORD SWEEP
OU has swept four SEC series this year (South Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Texas), with the latest being a record-setting sweep against No. 3/2 Texas April 25-27. OU’s series sweep against the Longhorns marked the program’s first-ever three-game sweep against a top-five team.
JERSEY COMBOS
OU has worn five different jersey combinations this season and the records in each are in (note credit to Sooner Tracker).
-White jersey/crimson pants: 10-2
-White jersey/white pants: 8-2
-Crimson jersey/crimson pants: 13-2
-Crimson jersey/white pants: 4-0
-Anthracite: 13-1
CYDNEY SLAMDERS
Cydney Sanders has played in the most games among active Sooners, logging 228 for her career and 167 for her time at Oklahoma. Sanders’ 56 career homers features 33 during her time in Norman, two of which came in the same inning against St. Thomas April 3. She was the first Sooner to do so since Alynah Torres homered twice in the same frame against UT Arlington March 20, 2024. Sanders also surpassed 100 career walks at OU, standing at 109 right now.
USA TEAM
Associate head coaches Jennifer Rocha and JT Gasso were both tabbed to the U.S. Softball Women’s National Team Coaching Pool as announced Monday, May 5. Also on the national scale, OU head coach Patty Gasso was named United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee College Coach of the Year April 29.
SEC COMMUNITY SERVICE TEAM
Junior lefty Kiertson Deal was named to the SEC Softball Community Service Team Tuesday, May 6, becoming the first-ever Sooner Softball player to take home the award in the program’s first year in the league. The honor is given to student-athletes that have given back to their community with efforts off the field. In the circle Deal has spun two complete games against top-10 teams this year, doing so in the Saturday game against No. 10/9 Tennessee (7-1 win) and No. 3/2 Texas (7-2).
21 IS NO. 1
Sooner righty Sam Landry was picked first overall in the first-ever Athletes Unlimited Softball League Draft Saturday, May 3. Landry is set to play for the AUSL Volts, joining OU alumnae Tiare Jennings on the team.
KEEPIN’ IT 100
Oklahoma has seen a number of players surpass the “100 milestone” in a variety of statistical categories this year, including:
–Sam Landry reached 100 strikeouts this season (April 9 vs. OSU)
–Kasidi Pickering reached 100 career hits (April 9 vs. OSU)
–Ella Parker surpassed 100 career hits (February 28 vs. Marshall), 100 starts and 100 runs (April 26), as well as 100 RBIs (April 27)
–Isabela Emerling reached 100 career RBIs (March 26 at Wichita State)
–Cydney Sanders eclipsed 100 RBIs at OU (April 3 vs. St. Thomas)
–Cydney Sanders surpassed 100 walks at OU (April 26 vs. Texas)
–Kasidi Pickering surpassed 100 runs (May 17 vs. Cal)
–Kasidi Pickering surpassed 100 RBI (May 18 vs. Cal)
College Sports
See which Northern Nevada High school athletes will play in college
How to nominate a high school athlete for Champion Chevrolet Athlete of the Week Want to nominate a high school athlete for Champion Chevrolet Athlete of the Week? Here’s how! Hundreds of high school athletes around Northern Nevada will continue their athletic and academic careers in college, and they are being honored at signing ceremonies […]


How to nominate a high school athlete for Champion Chevrolet Athlete of the Week
Want to nominate a high school athlete for Champion Chevrolet Athlete of the Week? Here’s how!
Hundreds of high school athletes around Northern Nevada will continue their athletic and academic careers in college, and they are being honored at signing ceremonies around the area this spring.
Here is who has signed so far, with several more ceremonies planned for later this spring.
Note: This will be updated as more schools report athlete signings.
Bishop Manogue
- Sofie McLean, swimming, Berry College, Mount Berry, Ga.
- Jack Gladys, golf, Dominican University of California, San Rafael, Calif.
- Kaden Rowe, basketball, Southwestern Oregon Community College, Coos Bay, Ore.
- Pele Masina, football, Snow College, Ephraim, Utah
- Dulin Hukari, football, Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colo.
Carson
- London Bishop, spirit/cheerleading, Carroll College, Helena, Mont.
- Alondra Carrillo, soccer, Truckee Meadows CC
- Aurora Giurlani, spirit/cheerleading, Nevada
- Ewan Kalley, swimming, Redlands, Redlands, Calif.
- Johan Lizarraga, soccer, Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn.
- Joshua Lopez, soccer, Centralia College, Centralia, Wash.
- Angelo Macias, football, University of St. Mary, Leavenworth, Kansas
- Sawyer Macy, cross country/track, Lehigh, Bethlehem, Penn.
- Dominic Porter, wrestling, Mercyhurst, Erie, Penn.
- Danika Presswood, softball, Northeast Iowa CC, Calmar, Iowa
- Sergio Villanueva, football, Wooster College, Wooster, Ohio
Damonte Ranch
- Anie Morow, cross country, Southwest Oregon CC, Coos Bay, Oregon
- Olivia Mares, softball, San Francisco State, San Francisco, Calif.
- John Gonzalez, soccer, Lake Tahoe CC, South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
- Kennedy Craig, soccer, Montana State University Billings, Billings, Mont.
- Antonio Melendrez, soccer, Truckee Meadows CC
- Carsen Galvin, football, Feaver River College, Quincy, Calif.
- David Barajas, baseball, Feather River College, Quincy, Calif.
- Jeriah Macias, basketball, Southwestern Oregon CC, Coos Bay, Oregon
- Kiera Moscove, cheer, Nevada
Lowry
- Britain Backus, basketball, Nevada
- Natalee Formby, basketball, Feather River College, Quincy, Calif.
- Vanessa Lott, softball, Lassen CC, Susanville, Calif.
McQueen
- Shayne Patrick, swimming, Eastern Michigan, Ypsilanti, Mich.
- Alyssa Allan, soccer, University of Chester (England)
- Emma McNamara, soccer, University of Chester (England)
- Avery Hayes, soccer, Lake Tahoe CC, South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
- Carmen Damian, soccer, Lake Tahoe CC, South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
- Adriano Do Prado, soccer, Folsom Lake, Folsom, Calif.
- Brian Bruk, soccer, Santa Rosa JC, Santa Rosa, Calif.
- Alex Hancock, football, Butte College, Oroville, Calif.
- Cadel Ayala, football, Saddleback College, Mission Viejo, Calif.
- Bella Coronado, wrestling, Eastern Oregon, La Grande, Oregon
- Berett Callison, wrestling, St. Ambrose (Iowa), Davenport, Iowa
- Evan Krantz, wrestling, St. Ambrose (Iowa), Davenport, Iowa
- Shayne Patrick, swim, Eastern Michigan, Ypsilanti, Mich.
- Lena Minetto, swim, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.
- Jaxen McAdara, baseball, Cal State East Bay, Hayward, Calif.
- Peter Park-Li, baseball, Butte College, Oroville, Calif.
- Ty Ramsey, baseball, College of San Mateo, San Mateo, Calif.
- Anna Wangberg, softball, Bethel College, North Newton, Kan.
- Camren Bingham, track and field, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Wash.
- Addysyn Hansen, lacrosse, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Penn.
- Max Lancaster, lacrosse, Boise State, Boise, Idaho
- Cole Draper, golf, Ottawa University, Ottawa, Kan.
- Julianna Arango, cheer, Nevada
- Sophia Rodriguez, cheer, Nevada
Reno
- Haylie Banes, golf, Ottawa University, Ottawa, Kan.
- Jackson Berg, baseball, Yuba College, Marysville, Calif.
- Conall Chick, baseball, Centralia College, Centralia, Wash.
- Keira Dwinell, soccer, Northwest Nazarene, Nampa, Idaho
- George Hawk, football, Feather River College, Quincy, Calif.
- Lily Houston, volleyball, University of Redlands, Redlands, Calif.
- Melis Kavlicoglu, cross country/track, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY (DIII)
- Grace Macharg, track and field, pole vault, Montana, Missoula, MOnt.
- Sawyer Morris, soccer, Truckee Meadows CC
- Isabella Fleiger, swim, Hendrix College, Conway, Ark.
- Sydney Porter, track and field, Concordia, Irvine, Calif.
- Tate Robertson, baseball, Feather River College, Quincy, Calif.
- Hudson Sadler, baseball, Mendocino JC, Ukiah, Calif.
- Erick Simpson, track and field, Eastern Washington, Cheney, Wash.
Spanish Springs
- Owen Hensley, baseball, Lane College, Eugene, Ore.
- Dylan Kawachi, baseball, Adrian College, Adrian, Mich.
- Noah Kiley, baseball, Umpqua College, Roseburg, Ore.
- Ben Kiserow, baseball, Clackamas College, Oregon City, Ore.
- Logan Kuster, baseball, Shasta College, Redding, Calif.
- Kellen McCaffrey, baseball, Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa, Calif.
- Daniel Barajas, baseball, Lassen College, Susanville, Calif.
- Landon Phillips, baseball, Lassen College, Susanville, Calif.
- Lucas Tiernan, baseball, Clark College, Vancouver, Wash.
- Preston Snyder, baseball, Ohlone College, Fremont, Calif.
- Lily Delamora, softball, Northwest Nazarene, Nampa, Idaho
- Joey Jacobs, softball, Folsom Lake College, Calif.
- Charli York, softball, Nelson University, Phoenix, Ariz.
- Walter Addison, football, Lewis-Clark State, Lewiston, Idaho
- Taylor Fewins, gymnastics, Springfield College, Springfield, Mass.
- Millie Grieve, swimming, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Penn.
- Jaxon Reddig, swim, Florida Southern College, Lakeland, Fla.
- Morgan Carlton, cheer, Nevada
- Norhan Abdel Halim, track and field, Portland State, Portland, Ore.
- Tegan Canadian, track and field, Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, Idaho
- Amaya Chapman, track and field, Nevada
- Elliot Lacey, soccer, Dominican University, River Forest, Ill.
- Nia Duncan, volleyball, University of Montana Western, Dillon, Mont.
- Scarlett Smith, volleyball, Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn.
- Allie Hayes, basketball, Sierra College, Rocklin, Calif.
- Reese Wakefield, basketball, Folsom Lake College, Folsom, Calif.
- Kadrick Lewallen, wrestling, Arizona Christian, Glendale, Ariz.
- Tyden Schultz, wrestling, Briar Cliff, Sioux City, Iowa
- Justin Ruiz, wrestling, Life University, Marietta, Ga.
Sparks High
- Josue Rico-Rivera, soccer, Folsom Lake College, Folsom, Calif.
- Max Hendrix, football, QB, Chabot College, Hayward, Calif.
- Tayte Thomas, football WR/DB, College of the Redwoods, Eureka, Calif.
- Ayden Owens, football, WR/ST, Chabot College, Hayward, Calif.
- Roman Agundez, football, OL/DL, Chabot College, Hayward, Calif.
- Ernesto Guerrerro, football OL/DL, Chabot College, Hayward, Calif.
College Sports
Guilty plea in fatal ATV crash
WILKES-BARRE — A Nanticoke man pled guilty in Luzerne County Court to charges related to a fatal crash involving an all-terrain vehicle driver in 2023. Richard J. Simon Jr., 40, of West Union Street, was charged by Newport Township police with striking an ATV operated by James “Jimmy” Edward Thiemann, 26, on East Kirmar […]

WILKES-BARRE — A Nanticoke man pled guilty in Luzerne County Court to charges related to a fatal crash involving an all-terrain vehicle driver in 2023.
Richard J. Simon Jr., 40, of West Union Street, was charged by Newport Township police with striking an ATV operated by James “Jimmy” Edward Thiemann, 26, on East Kirmar Avenue on July 30, 2023, according to court records.
Thiemann, of Warrior Run, died at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Plains Township, on Aug. 5, 2023.
Simon, through his attorney, Theron J. Solomon, pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree misdemeanor, before Judge Michael T. Vough on Thursday.
Under state sentencing guidelines, Simon could face up to five years in prison but prosecutors did not object to house arrest if Simon is eligible.
Court records say Simon, operating a 2004 Hyundai Sante Fe, was traveling on Alden Mountain Road when he was passed by several ATV drivers, including Thiemann.
Simon and the ATV drivers changed lanes and varied their speeds with Simon briefly driving off the roadway. Simon then struck Thiemann’s ATV that was pushed a distance resulting in Thiemann being thrown to the ground striking his head, court records say.
Simon briefly stopped and was allegedly pulled from his vehicle and attacked, before he managed to flee the scene.
Police did not charge Simon with fleeing the scene or failure to render aid.
Videos of the encounter were recorded on cellular phones by other ATV drivers.
In an unrelated case, Simon also pled guilty to a burglary charge as Nanticoke police accused him with entering a house under renovations on West Union Street and stealing tools, a hot water heater and materials on Jan. 24, 2024, according to court records.
Vough scheduled Simon to be sentenced July 3. Simon remains free on $25,000 bail.
College Sports
Daily Hampshire Gazette – UMass hockey: Minutemen add former Michigan State forward Mikey DeAngelo from portal
UMass players stand together as the starting lineup is introduced before the NCAA hockey game against Merrimack at the Mullins Center, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Amherst. STAFF PHOTO / DANIEL JACOBI II The UMass hockey team announced on Wednesday that former Michigan State forward Mikey DeAngelo has joined the Minutemen for the 2025-26 season […]


UMass players stand together as the starting lineup is introduced before the NCAA hockey game against Merrimack at the Mullins Center, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Amherst.
STAFF PHOTO / DANIEL JACOBI II
The UMass hockey team announced on Wednesday that former Michigan State forward Mikey DeAngelo has joined the Minutemen for the 2025-26 season as a transfer. DeAngelo, a 5-foot-11, 179-pounder, is the first confirmed addition for next season’s UMass team.
During his freshman season with the Spartans in 2024-25, DeAngelo potted nine points in 33 games. The Itasca, Illinois native helped Michigan State claim the Big 10 championship and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
“Mikey DeAngelo comes to UMass after one year at Michigan State where he had a solid season on a very good college hockey team,” Minutemen head coach Greg Carvel said in a statement released by UMass athletics. “Mikey will bring speed and skill to our lineup and will fill one of the spots created by three UMass centers signing NHL contracts after this past season. With the opportunity that exists on our team, we expect Mikey to be a point-getter who plays a responsible game without the puck and plays with a lot of tenacity and plays to our identity as a team. It should be a smooth transition for Mikey, and I am excited to see his impact on our lineup.”
DeAngelo deposited 34 goals and 87 points in 110 games with the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League across two seasons before his college hockey career.
College Sports
Chicago Stars soccer team explores move to Evanston
The Chicago Stars professional women’s soccer team will depart their usual Bridgeview venue to play a “test run” game at an Evanston lakefront stadium in September as they consider a permanent move there. The City of Evanston has granted approval for the team, which competes in the National Women’s Soccer League, to play all of […]


The Chicago Stars professional women’s soccer team will depart their usual Bridgeview venue to play a “test run” game at an Evanston lakefront stadium in September as they consider a permanent move there.
The City of Evanston has granted approval for the team, which competes in the National Women’s Soccer League, to play all of its 16 home matches in 2026 at Northwestern University’s Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. The venue is the temporary home of the Wildcat football team, but the soccer club has not committed to playing there next year, said Emmanuel Salazar, spokesman for the Stars.
“We are exploring various options for 2026 and will make that announcement when we have the decision finalized,” Salazar said via email. “Applying for and receiving a zoning certificate from the city of Evanston is part of the process of making and keeping Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium an option for 2026.”
In a “test run” of the idea, Evanston also granted approval for the team to play a match against the Orlando Pride, defending champions of the National Women’s Soccer League, on Sept. 7, said Cynthia Vargas, spokeswoman for the city of Evanston.
The Sept. 7 match comes the day after Northwestern football plays its home opener against Western Illinois University. The Wildcats are playing at Martin Field while Ryan Field is rebuilt. The Stars currently play their home matches at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.
Salazar declined to answer questions about the club’s interest in the lakefront site, whether it is considering any other sites and when it plans to make a decision on its 2026 home games. He referred any questions to a statement released by the team on May 19.
The statement confirms the Sept. 7 match, calling it the “Lakefront Faceoff” and suggesting the match “demonstrates the club’s ongoing commitment to strengthening partnerships and creating positive connections with local communities, including Northwestern University and the residents of the city of Evanston.”
“This match at Martin Stadium gives us the opportunity to bring our world-class athletes to the city of Evanston to showcase their abilities to (a) new and returning fanbase at a wonderful location on the lakefront,” Club President Karen Leetzow said in the release.
Leetzow thanked the city and the university for the opportunity.
“We’re dedicated to creating a can’t-miss event this September for new and returning fans and finding ways to work with local businesses and community organizations to integrate our club and the beautiful game with all Evanston has to offer,” she said.
Although the club has not yet committed to playing there in 2026, it will collaborate with local schools and organizations to bring events to kids and local businesses, including youth soccer clinics and a “summit for young professionals focused on leadership in women’s sports,” the release said.
“Evanston families and youth will have special opportunities to engage with the Stars throughout the season,” it said.
In the release, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss said he is excited about the Sept. 7 match.
“We are excited to bring a premier women’s soccer franchise to our city, and look forward to welcoming to Evanston not only the players and staff but also their fans,” Biss said.
As for 2026, Evanston has approved a zoning application to allow a temporary use of the lakefront field between March and November, Vargas said. The Stars must reapply if they want to use the field beyond 2026, she said.
If the team chooses to play at the field in 2026, Evanston will evaluate whether the temporary stadium is suitable for additional use, Vargas said.
“The city would need to assess any impacts from the 2026 season and may require modifications to the transportation management and operations plan or other conditions to grant further temporary use of the facility,” she said.
The lakefront stadium, which also hosts soccer and lacrosse matches, is closer to the Northwestern campus than Ryan Field, which is surrounded by homes.
“The lakefront stadium is more separated from residential homes, reducing the immediate disruptions to residents; however, it doesn’t necessarily eliminate community concerns,” Vargas said.
“The city of Evanston is committed to working with community members and Chicago Stars to proactively address impacts before the first event in September and use that to inform a transportation management and operations plan for the 2026 season.”
Originally Published:
College Sports
Bradley University names new dean for College of Education of Health Sciences
PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley University has named a new dean for its College of Education of Health Sciences. Dr. Jeffrey Wanko will begin his new role on July 15th. Wanko recently served as Associate Provost at Miami University in Ohio. He has also served in roles that include an Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs in […]

PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley University has named a new dean for its College of Education of Health Sciences.
Dr. Jeffrey Wanko will begin his new role on July 15th.
Wanko recently served as Associate Provost at Miami University in Ohio. He has also served in roles that include an Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs in the College of Education, Health, and Society.
Wanko has a Ph.D. in Curriculum, Teaching, and Educational Policy from Michigan State University, as well as a Master of Arts in Teaching from Miami University.
“I look forward to working collaboratively with the faculty, staff, and students to build on the university’s successes and to champion innovation, equity, and engagement in teaching, research, and service,” Wanko said in a statement.
Wanko takes over for Dr. Kathy Shapley, who has served as dean in the interim for the past year.
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