VILLANOVA, Pa. – Golf will be taking on their final scheduled event of the season over the next three days as they compete in the BIG EAST Tournament at Callawassie Island Golf Club in Okatie, S.C.

The Wildcats took sixth last year, and two of the golfers who recorded the second and third lowest round on the team, respectively, return to the event for Villanova.

THE LINEUP (LISTED IN 1-5 ORDER)

Ryan Pamer has been able to battle back from tough starts in each of his last three events to finish within the top of the competition. His most recent top 20 finish at Lafayette gave him his 25^th all-time. In Pamer’s last time down south at the Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate, he shot 74-71-69=214 (+1) to finish tied for eighth. In his first two matches of the spring, he recorded a round under 70.

Matt Zerfass shot 20-over 236 at Pete Dye Golf Club. In his first season since transferring over from Saint Joseph’s, he shot a 75.2 stroke average.

Vibhav Alokam closes out his freshman season after quickly solidifying a spot in the lineup, participating in all 11 events that the Wildcats sent a starting lineup to in Division I stroke play events. He is the first freshman since Peter Weaver to play in every event in his first season on The Main Line. Alokam currently has the second lowest stroke average on the team at 74.6.

The final two in the lineup will close out illustrious college careers in this event.

Gus Vickers finished tied for 71^st in West Virginia. He shot the second lowest round of all Wildcats, shooting a 73 in the second round.

Jackson Lehner has placed within the top three Villanova finishers in all but two tournaments this year and has finished within the top 20 two of his last three events. His last time out he tied for ninth at the Abarta Coca-Cola Collegiate Invitational, shooting even (144) across the 36-hole tournament.

Joshua Lavely will substitute in as the sixth golfer if needed during the tournament.

All five golfers that Villanova is sending out are currently the top five on the squad in stroke average, led by Pamer at 73.4, with Lavely slotting in seventh.

Pamer and Lehner tied for 26^th at this event last year, shooting 225 over the 54 holes.

PAIRINGS

On day one, the ‘Cats will be partnered up with Creighton, teeing off every nine minutes from 8:00 to 8:36 A.M.  

STATS

Follow along here or on twitter @villanovagolf for updates throughout the three days.

SOCIAL

For all the latest updates surrounding the program, follow Villanova Golf on Instagram and X @villanovagolf.

 

 

For the first time since 2014, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights went dancing this spring, qualifying for one of the 36 spots in the 2025 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Tournament. While this season was historic for Rutgers, it was also a season unlike any other in program history.

In September of 2024, prior to the start of the competitive season, Rutgers announced an investigation of head coach Umme Salim-Beasley, citing athlete allegations of bullying, favoritism, and revenge by the coach, who was due to be in her seventh year at the helm of the Scarlet Knights’ program.

The investigation – which cost the university over half a million dollars – found that Salim-Beasley had “presided over a divided and dysfunctional organization.” It was also found that Salim-Beasley engaged in an improper, consensual relationship with at-the-time Rutgers athletic director Pat Hobbs during Hobbs’ time as Salim-Beasley’s boss.

Salim-Beasley was placed on paid leave in January, only two weeks into the season and less than a week before the Scarlet Knights would depart for Happy Valley to take on Big Ten rival Penn State. The team was put into the hands of associate head coach and former Rutgers gymnast Anastasia Candia for the remainder of the season. At the conclusion of the season, it was announced that Candia would officially and permanently take over head coaching duties from Salim-Beasley.

For any other program, this type of midseason shakeup could have spelled the start of disaster. In 2017, when Michigan State head coach Kathie Klages stepped down midseason due to her involvement in the Larry Nassar scandal, the Spartans finished the season with the lowest team ranking in 18 years. About a week and a half later, Penn State’s Jeff Thompson stepped down, facing similar team culture allegations as Salim-Beasley; that season would go on to be the Nittany Lions’ lowest season ranking in 15 years. 

For Rutgers, however, the wake of Salim-Beasley’s departure saw the Scarlet Knights soar to heights not seen in years. 

Immediately prior to the suspension, Rutgers bested Washington to secure its first Big Ten victory in nearly three years – only the third conference victory of Salim-Beasley’s seven-year tenure. In March, the Scarlet Knights recorded the highest Big Ten championships score in program history to move on to the Tuscaloosa Regional. All of this success came despite the loss of 2024 All-Big Ten Second Team selection and 2023 NCAA Regionals qualifier Emily Leese to an Achilles tear at the end of the 2024 season. (Leese returned for the 2025 season as a graduate student but did not compete.)

While issues on beam – Rutgers’ highest-ranked event and the only event where the Scarlet Knights were ranked in the top 25 – led to a first-round loss to Clemson, the 2025 season as a whole was no less historic for the team. At the conclusion of the season, acting head coach Candia was named WCGA Region 3 Head Coach of the Year, while assistants Danielle DeMarco and Michael Rosso were named the WCGA Region 3 Assistant Coaches of the Year. 

The Journey from New Jersey to Tuscaloosa

Most conferences have weekly awards for gymnasts; Rutgers has its own slate of weekly awards voted on by the gymnasts. Flashback to week nine: the team voted Rachael Riley’s beam routine as the “Most Outstanding Routine” of the meet, and for good reason. Riley had just posted a 9.95, tying the Scarlet Knights’ program record.

For Riley, this breakthrough was personal because it wasn’t always a given. After a successful elite career for Canada, Riley came to Piscataway as a highly-touted recruit, only to miss her freshman season entirely after an Achilles tear.

Now in her junior year, Riley has come back as a leader by leaning on her teammates.

“We really rely on each other to cheer each other on… to have someone to talk to if we’re not having such a great day,” Riley said.

Riley credits Candia for the Scarlet Knights’ strength, characterizing her as “really supportive and such a strong person,” and saying she has helped the Scarlet Knights “have a lot of trust in ourselves and everyone else.”

What Candia has done is nothing short of impressive. In less than three months as head coach, she was able to do the seemingly impossible: getting her alma mater back to regionals for the first time since she was a gymnast there a decade ago. 

“It’s almost like a full circle moment,” said Candia, a four-year letterwinner for the Scarlet Knights, “just being able to lead this team in the season that they were able to qualify for the postseason.”

Both Candia and Riley emphasized the community built at Rutgers. For Candia, who has a master’s degree in counseling psychology, it is a priority to “build off of not just the physical, but the mental as well.”

The sense of camaraderie felt amongst the athletes has seeped into the coaching staff as well. In a college gymnastics rarity, Candia’s coaching staff includes both a college teammate – DeMarco, who competed alongside Candia at Rutgers in 2012 and 2013 – and a gymnast she helped coach – Stephanie Zannella, who competed for the Scarlet Knights from 2021 to 2024. 

“I don’t think there is another coaching staff in gymnastics in this country that has so many alumni on staff. That is something to be proud of in itself,” Candia said. “It’s so nice to be able to be on the same page with the people that you’re working with. It makes coming to work not seem like work.”

Moving into her first full year as head coach, Candia has stressed a vision for the team that involves more than just the physical side of the sport, saying, “You can have the best talent in the world, but if they’re not believing in themselves, that makes the difference.”

As Rutgers enters a new era, this holistic approach to sports comes as a refreshing take, especially after many of the concerns regarding Salim-Beasley. With Leese on the way back from injury and a large freshman class ready to take on new leadership roles in their second year, it seems that the sky is the limit for the Scarlet Knights.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – The Hamilton College Continentals were in first place out of 10 teams after the first 18 holes of the 2025 New England Small College Athletic Conference Men’s Golf Championship at Taconic Golf Club on Friday, April 25.
 
Hamilton had a four-person team score of 290 in the first round. Amherst College was in second place two shots back, Trinity College was third at 294 and the hosts from Williams College were another stroke back in fourth.
 
Will Whittaker ’25 made four birdies and led the Continentals with his season-best round of 1-under par 70. Whittaker was in second place out of 49 golfers.
 
Ramon Aroca Gonzalez ’26 was tied for third place after he carded an even-par 71. Gonzalez, who hasn’t shot worse than a 78 all season and led Hamilton with an 18-hole stroke average of 72.12 entering the weekend, was 3-under on the par fives. He eagled the 506-yard 10^th hole and made birdie on the 545-yard 18^th as he finished 1-under on the back nine.
 
Brian Healy ’25 was tied for 12^th place after a 73 that included three birdies on the front nine. Jaikrit Bhattacharya ’26 was tied for 21^st place with a 76, and Jake Hendelman ’28 added a 78. Hendelman has been under 80 in all five rounds this spring.
 
The second round of the NESCAC championship is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 26. The first Hamilton player won’t tee off until 10:40 a.m.
 

RICHMOND — Kris Trinidad plays defensive end for Old Dominion University’s Division I football team, where he tallied 45 tackles and 5.5 sacks last season. He’s also building his brand thanks to new laws that allow student-athletes to ink endorsement deals and get paid by the university.

“I feel like it’s teaching young guys how to be more marketable and prepare themselves for their future,” Trinidad said. “It gives them opportunities to express their true selves amongst the community.”

Trinidad is part of the growing class of student-athletes learning to navigate a new world of college athletics, one where player statistics, social media presence and sponsorship potential increasingly all matter.

The Rise Of The Student Athlete

The NCAA has allowed student-athletes since 2021 to profit from their name, image and likeness, or NIL.

The financial shift and its impact on college athletics have been dramatic. College athletes went from landing full scholarships and cost-of-living expenses to earning an estimated $917 million in the first year NIL was enacted, according to Icon Source.

New legislation passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2024 opened the door for direct payments from schools. This shift is backed by a legal settlement known as House v. NCAA, which will permit schools to allocate up to $20 million annually to pay student-athletes. The case argued current, and even former student-athletes deserve a share of revenue generated by television deals, licensing agreements and even ticket sales. It recently received conditional approval from NCAA governance.

Virginia Commonwealth University student-athletes will be paid starting in the 2025-2026 year, with a projected $5 million allocation, according to CBS6 News.

The biggest NIL sums still go to marquee names. First-year Duke University power forward Cooper Flagg has a NIL valuation upwards of $4 million, according to 1075thefan sports website.

However, players of all levels can find opportunities to build their brands. Former Virginia State University running back Rayquan Smith was dubbed “King of NIL” for receiving over 100 NIL deals, according to The Virginia Statesman.

Not Amateurism Anymore

Brendan Dwyer, a professor at VCU’s Center for Sports Leadership, said the current NIL model is not sustainable for athletic departments.

“If all of a sudden they have to go out and find money through NIL to pay their athletes, it comes at the expense of so many other things for the athletic department,” Dwyer said.

Dwyer thinks schools are heading toward a professional model, and schools and athletes should be prepared. Although it might create other issues, employing athletes could be a solution.

“If you take a step back and you watch what happens on a Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, or you watch what happened last weekend in San Antonio, those aren’t amateur sports,” Dwyer said. “That’s professionalism.”

Community, Coaches And The Changing Game

Coaches are also evolving in the new era. VCU recently hired Phil Martelli Jr. as its new head coach and he is stepping into the role at a transformative time. Martelli led Bryant University to an America East title and its first NCAA Tournament appearance in March.

“The revenue sharing and NIL stuff is not going anywhere,” Martelli said. “It’s become a major part of this, the transfer portals become a major part of this for everybody, at every level.”

Coaches need resources to get recruits to campus. In most cases, athletes are straightforward in what they’re looking for when choosing which universities to attend, according to Martelli.

“Then it’s up to us to decide what that looks like,” Martelli said. “Is that worth it, is it not worth it?”

Martelli would like to see multi-year contracts for athletes. There would then be the potential for contract buyouts within college athletics, similar to professional sports. Both parties can negotiate the terms and lengths of the contracts and try to find common ground.

“But right now if you go year-to-year, to have guys jumping in the transfer portal and shopping around, it isn’t the best for everybody,” Martelli said.

Former University of Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett unexpectedly retired in 2024, saying he no longer felt he was the best coach to lead the program in the current environment. Bennett, who guided UVA to the 2019 national championship, said NIL deals, along with the transfer portal, added aspects to his role that weren’t his strong suit.

“The game and college athletics is not in a healthy spot,” Bennett said. “There needs to be change.”

Community is also impacted when student-athletes solely chase money, said Ben Rekosh, a VCU broadcast student and sports commentator. College sports used to be built on the idea of student-athletes being integral to their community, by contributing to what makes their school and fan base great for three to four years.

“I think that it affects the community a lot,” Rekosh said. “There’s not really players anymore that people are able to to tie their hearts with and have a true connection with, if people are just jumping back and forth.”

Still, he understands why it could be in the best interest of athletes at their peak to move around and maximize their earnings.

One perk of NIL deals is that more college athletes are staying in school instead of going professional immediately, according to ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas. They can continue their education while earning money, versus being pushed toward the pay-to-play professional route.

Top college players may earn more money and playing time than they would as rookies in the pros and would have more experience going into a draft.

New Kind Of Athlete

Athletes are not just a part of the university’s brand; they also have a personal business.

Thai Wilson, sports editor for VCU student-run paper The Commonwealth Times, said fans increasingly follow players, not just programs.

“You remember 2008 Florida winning the March Madness, or VCU making it to the Final Four in 2011,” Wilson said. “People don’t remember the players that played on those teams who made it all the way unless they were either a big name who made it to the NBA, or if it’s just a very memorable run.”

Wilson pointed to top recruit AJ Dybansta’s decision to go to Brigham Young University, a school not known for getting high-profile signees, as an example of how NIL has shifted power dynamics. That can benefit students and give them a better chance to negotiate for what they want.

“NIL’s landscape is starting to kind of open up doors for other programs to get higher recruits if they’re willing to pay for it,” Wilson said.

Risks And Reality

Student-athletes now have new opportunities, but with that comes risk. Especially for younger athletes still learning financial basics. For Trinidad, the key is using NIL to build the athlete experience.

Although NIL deals may give students more power, Trinidad worries some could be exploited by marketing agents or contract deals that they don’t understand.

“Because these guys — they’ll come in, make you a contract, and take 10% of your money,” Trinidad said. “It’s something young guys need to be wary of.”

He thinks high school athletics should start talking about brand building, contract literacy and financial management.

NIL deals are relatively new, with many rules in place around compensation and endorsement. Virginia law restricts athletes from NIL compensation from alcohol, cannabis and sports gambling, to name a few.

If the laws change and there is less regulation, there is a chance athletes could be taken advantage of.

“It gives you power, but power in the wrong hands can be bad,” Trinidad said.

Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.

BATON ROUGE – LSU Gymnastics senior Aleah Finnegan was named a finalist for the 2025 Honda Sport Award for the first time in her career, announced on Friday by Chris Voelz, the Executive Director of The Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA).

The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 49 years, recognizing the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports and symbolizing “the best of the best in collegiate athletics.” 

The award has become a symbol of excellence in the sport, something that Finnegan has been nothing short of during her time with the Tigers.

Finnegan is joined by Oklahoma’s Jordan Bowers and Audrey Davis and Oregon State’s Jade Carey as the four finalists for the Class of 2025 Honda Sport Award for Gymnastics.

She is now the seventh LSU gymnast to be named a finalist for the Honda Sports Award, joining Haleigh Bryant (2024), Ashleigh Gnat (2016-17), Rheagan Courville (2012-13), Susan Jackson (2009-10), Ashleigh Clare-Kearney (2008-09), and Rachel Fruge’ (1989-90) as the previous finalists. Bryant and Jackson are the only LSU gymnasts to win the award in school history.

The gymnastics finalists were chosen by a panel of experts and coaches from the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA). The Honda Sport award winner for gymnastics will be announced later this week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.

The recipient of the sport award will become a finalist for the prestigious Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the 2025 Honda Cup, which will be presented during the live broadcast of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards Presented by Honda on Monday, June 30 at 6 pm CT on CBS Sports Network.

A native of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, Finnegan was previously finalist for this year’s AAI Award, which is presented to the top senior gymnast in the nation, as she adds another recognition to her resume.

The senior has not only had a stellar season in 2025, but she has been a huge piece of success to the LSU Gymnastics program during her career over the last four years. A national champion, floor champion, Olympian – she symbolizes greatness in her sport.

The senior clinched the Tigers first ever national championship on beam last year, where she was also named the 2024 NCAA Floor Champion. She only continued to be one of the top all-arounders in the country in her final season at LSU. 

This year, Finnegan has been consistent in every lineup for LSU, competing in the all-around in all but two meets. She has put up season highs of 9.950 on vault and bars, 10.0 on beam, 9.975 on floor and 39.725 in the all-around.

She finished the regular season ranked nationally amongst the best – No. 10 on vault, No. 9 on beam, No. 14 on floor and No. 9 in the all-around. She claimed a total of five All-America honors for her performance in 2025, four WCGA Regular Season All-America honors and one NCAA honor, moving her career total to 13, which is tied for the eighth-most All-America honors in LSU history.

Finnegan kicked off her final postseason run with the Tigers at the 2025 SEC Championships, where she helped lead LSU to their sixth conference championship title and won her first individual SEC title on beam. She took home All-SEC honors on vault, beam and the all-around for her performance in the conference championship meet this year, moving her career total to four. This year marked her second time making the All-SEC team. 

The Missouri native went on to become an NCAA Regional Beam Champion, her second straight individual regional title, after winning a share of the Penn State Regional Beam title with her 9.950 performance in the second round. She shared the title with Kentucky’s Isabella Magnelli and Maryland’s Maddie Komoroski.

The senior wrapped up her career in the 2025 NCAA Championship Semifinals, where she finished amongst the top five performers on floor across both sessions of competition. 

Finnegan owns eight perfect scores in her career, with the most recent coming this season on beam. She was the first Tiger this year to earn a perfect 10 and it was only the third perfect score on beam in the country. Her eight career perfect 10’s is the sixth most in LSU history, including the second most on floor.

She finished her career with 43 titles, the 13th most in program history. She owns 17 titles on floor, 13 on beam, six on vault, six in the all-around and one on bars. Her 17 career floor titles is the sixth most in LSU history.

On top of her collegiate success, Finnegan has managed to be a great representative of LSU across NCAA Gymnastics and the world stage. She became the first LSU Gymnast to represent the Tigers in the Olympics when she competed in the qualifying rounds of the 2024 Paris Olympics with Team Philippines. 

Stay up to date with all things LSU Gymnastics by following the team’s social media channels @LSUgym on  Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Finnegan’s Career Accolades:
2025 Honda Award Finalist
2025 NCAA All-American (FX)
2025 AAI Award Finalist
2025 NCAA Penn State Regional Beam Champion
2025 All-SEC (VT, BB, AA)
2025 SEC Beam Champion
2025 WCGA Regular Season All-American (VT, UB, BB, AA)
2024 Paris Olympian (Team Philippine)
2024 NCAA National Champion (Team)
2024 NCAA Floor Champion
2024 NCAA All-American (FX)
2024 NCAA Fayetteville Regional Floor Champion
2024 WCGA Regular Season All-American (FX)
2023 NCAA All-American (UB, FX, AA)
2023 WCGA Regular Season All-American (BB, FX, AA)
2023 All-SEC (FX)
8 Perfect 10’s (5 FX, 2 BB, 1 VT)

WILKES-BARRE — The Cherry Blossom Festival in Kirby Park kicked off Friday night, with amusement rides and carnival games being set up for public interaction. It was just a preview of the full festivities — including music and dozens of food vendors — which will begin on Saturday.

Though the rain fell steadily in the early evening, the crowd was building and the workers were in full force.

A man named Sebastian was helping his friend operate an airsoft target shooting game, and it was his first time doing so in a Northeast Pennsylvania carnival atmosphere. He was instantly complimentary of the experience.

“So far, it seems really nice,” Sebastian said of the festival. “You all have a really nice park.”

Torrey O’Brien was operating a different game across the parking lot from Sebastian, but it wasn’t his first time at Kirby Park.

“Yesterday, when we were setting up, there was definitely a lot more people in the park than usual when we set up,” he said.

And then there was Jennifer Flick, another experienced game operator who represents a familiar face to those who make their way to a lot of the spring and summer events in Luzerne County.

Flick said she is worried about the weekend weather but was still looking forward to everything the Cherry Blossom Festival has to offer. It’s a needed relief, she said, as the temperature becomes more fair and people start to leave their homes.

“Tonight, even with this little bit of rain, it feels really nice out here,” Flick said. “I look forward to trying to get away from the game and going down and listening to some of the music and stuff, and trying different food.”

Saturday event lineup

• Northeast Region Special Olympics Pennsylvania’s Cherry Blossom 5K Walk or Run will kick off the day. Registration is from 8:30 to 10 a.m. The Fun Run starts at 10 a.m. For information, visit specialolympicspa.org.

• Live entertainment at the Martz Pavilion will begin with a 10 a.m. celebration of World Tai Chi Day.

• Tommy Guns Band will perform from 1 to 3:30 p.m.

• Daddy-O & the Sax Maniacs will perform from 4 to 7 p.m.

Sunday event lineup

• Wyoming Valley Striders 50th Annual Cherry Blossom 5-Mile Run begins at 9 a.m. Visit www.wyomingvalleystriders.com for information.

• Chase Who? will perform from 1 to 3:30 p.m.

• The Traveling Wilkes-Barreans will perform from 4 to 7 p.m.

Amusement rides

• Huey’s Amusements will have family-friendly rides in the Kirby Park parking lot.

• Amusement ride tickets on Saturday and Sunday are $1.50 each, $15 for 12 tickets, and $25 for 24 tickets; $40 for 48 tickets, and $75 for 96.

A variety of food and retail vendors will also be on hand both days.