COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State student-athletes earned 185 Big Ten Distinguished accolades for 2024-25, the Big Ten Conference announced Monday, leading the Big Ten for in honorees for the fourth year in a row. 
 
Big Ten Faculty Representatives established the Distinguished Scholar Award in 2008 to supplement the Academic All-Big Ten program. Distinguished Scholar Award recipients must have earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition in the previous academic year, must have been enrolled full time at the institution for the entire previous academic year (two semesters or three quarters) and earned a minimum grade-point average of 3.70 or better during the previous academic year, excluding any summer grades. The Academic All-Big Ten threshold is a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher for a student-athlete’s academic career.

The complete list of Ohio State Big Ten Distinguished Scholars is available in the PDF at the link above.

 

Forty-nine Buckeyes were recognized for earning a 4.0 grade-point average in 2024-25:

Tatum Adamson, women’s soccer

Jack Agnew, men’s track and field/cross country

Taylor Benedict, women’s rowing

Amelia Boes, women’s rowing

Ava Bramblett, women’s soccer

Riley Brengman, women’s hockey

Jenna Buglioni, women’s hockey

Marian Catahan, artistic swimming

Panagiota Charalampous, pistol

Faith Choi, women’s golf

Niamh Coffey, women’s rowing

Lily Danner, women’s soccer

Dylan D’Emilio wrestling

Lillian Eckles, women’s track and field/cross country

Jessica Eden, women’s swimming and diving

Miranda Freedman, women’s fencing

Samuel Freedman, men’s fencing

Ryan Gordon, men’s hockey

Anya Hardwick, women’s rowing

Jacob Harmon, men’s gymnastics

Paige Hollowell, rifle

Teresa Ivan, women’s swimming and diving

Kira Katterle, women’s rowing

Andrea Kuhn, women’s track and field/cross country

Abbie Leverett, pistol

Erin Little, field hockey

Emily Londot, women’s volleyball

Krista Marlin, women’s swimming and diving

Gannon Matthews, men’s lacrosse

Mario McDonald, men’s swimming and diving

Will McGraw, men’s track and field/cross country

Morgan Miller, women’s rowing

Kaylyn Mintz, women’s gymnastics

Drew Mulcahy, men’s golf

Megan O’Connor, women’s rowing

Molly Pritchard, women’s soccer

Klay Reeves, wrestling

Sarah Richards, field hockey

Leah Sax, women’s lacrosse

Lexington Secreto, women’s hockey

Lucy Scott, women’s rowing

Maeve Simonds, women’s lacrosse

Taylor Thierry, women’s basketball

Dylan Vellios, men’s soccer

Jojo Warga, women’s gymnastics

Maddi Wheeler, women’s hockey

Makenna Webster, field hockey & women’s hockey

Kiara Zanon, women’s hockey

Katherine Zenick, women’s swimming and diving

 

In 2024-25, 515 Buckeyes were named to the Academic All-Big Ten Team. This year, 805 Buckeyes earned a spot on the Ohio State Scholar-Athlete list and more than 40 received College Sports Communicators Academic All-District accolades. At Spring Commencement, 212 current and former student-athletes received degrees, joining 50 who graduated in autumn.

 

With back-to-back Sweet 16 and 20+ win seasons, the Lady Leopards have truly emerged as a program. Banks County runs it back with four returning starters and has a real shot to go further than they’ve gone before.

PRESEASON INFO

2024 Record: 20-23; Sweet 16
Head Coach: Whittney LaHayne (5th Season)
Returning Starters: 4
Key Departures: Shae Britt (S), Shayna Vickery (L), Emmie Chitwood (OH)
Key Players: Kimber Meister (S), Bryanna Hernandez (MH), Hayden Carroll (RS), Kiera Gilkes (OH), Ella Langford (OH)
Strengths: “This upcoming season, we will be strong on a new front: blocking,” says LaHayne. “We have a strong group of hitters who can get up on the net for defensive blocking as well. While we lost some big players this past year who graduated, we have a very strong group coming up that I believe will allow us a smooth transition into this upcoming season.”

“I have told the girls since the beginning of spring/summer workouts that they have everything it takes to go further than we have in the past,” adds LaHayne. “I feel we are still strong in our area, where some of the other teams have lost some key players. There will still be some extreme competition, but if my girls put their heads down and work hard, they will do big things. Being the young group we are, we still have a way to go, but each season has been better than the last, with goals being met and broken.”

East Lansing, Mich. —  The Big Ten Conference announced on Wednesday its list of Distinguished Scholars for the 2024-25 academic year. The class of recipients for the most recently completed academic year includes 155 honorees from Michigan State (up from 132 a year ago), with 42 boasting a perfect 4.0 GPA during the eligibility period.  

Big Ten Faculty Representatives established the Distinguished Scholar Award in 2008 to supplement the Academic All-Big Ten program. Distinguished Scholar Award recipients must have the following criteria for the academic year: Academic All-Big Ten recognition, must have been enrolled full time at the institution for the entire academic year (two semesters or three quarters) and earned a minimum GPA of 3.70 or better (excluding any summer grades). The Academic All-Big Ten threshold is a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for a student’s academic career. 

The following student-athletes boast a perfect 4.0 for the fall 2024-Spring 2025 academic year:

Baseball: Gavin Sitarz, Ryan Szczepaniak 

Women’s Basketball: Emma Shumate

Field Hockey: Jillian Bonczewski, Grace Fronczak, Emma O’Neill, Ellie Rutherford, Alexa Shaffer

Football: Michael Masunas, Darius Snow

Men’s Golf: Lorenzo Pinili 

Women’s Golf: Katie Lu

Gymnastics: Giana Kalefe, Genevieve Lebster, Stephanie Lebster

Rowing: Kate Heinecke, Grace Thomas

Men’s Soccer: Will Eby, Myles Foster, Alec Laible, Josh Mason

Women’s Soccer: Ella Janz, Bella Najera

Softball: Sydney Doloszycki

Men’s Tennis: Josh Portnoy

Women’s Tennis: Sarah Fazlagic, Matilde Morais, Natalie Stasny

Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field:  Quinn Cullen, Josh Devries, Kyle Eberhard, Noah Morrow, Tyler Pritchett

Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field: Emily Bardwell, Natalie Blake, Sophia Bonnema, Allison Chmielewski, Sophia Lucki, Valadian Pallett, Madison Price, Judith Rector, Kate Stewart-Barnett

2024-25 Michigan State Big Ten Distinguished Scholars

Baseball

Jacob Anderson (Jr., Kinesiology, Oakland Township, Mich.)

Jake Dresselhouse (Jr., Advertising Management, Highland, Mich.)

Tate Farquhar (Jr., Information Science, Highland, Mich.)

Ryan McKay (So., Finance, Clarkston, Mich.)

Dominic Pianto  (5th-Sr., Accounting (MS), Hendersonville, Tenn.)

Gavin Sitarz (Jr., Finance, St. Charles, Ill.)

Ryan Szczepaniak (Jr., Criminal Justice, Woodhaven, Mich.)

Men’s Basketball

Carson Cooper (Jr., Management, Jackson, Mich.)

Women’s Basketball

Julia Ayrault (Gr., Education (MA), Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.)

Theryn Hallock (Jr., Advertising Management, Grand Rapids, Mich.)

Mary Meng (R-Fr., Marketing, Grafton, Ohio)

Emma Shumate (Jr., Environmental Economics, Dresden, Ohio)

Field Hockey

Jillian Bonczewski (Sr., Elementary Education, Larksville, Pa.) 

Katelyn Dulin (So, Finance, Barto, Pa.)

Grace Fronczak (Jr., Human Development & Family Studies, Columbus, Ohio)

Lyra Gavino (So., Management, New Malden, England) 

Serena Mailhe (So., Advertising Creative, Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Emma O’Neill (Sr., Special Education-Learning Disabilities, Hummelstown, Pa.)

Bianca Pizano (So., Kinesiology, Exeter, Pa.)

Ellie Rutherford (Sr., Management, Edinburgh, Scotland)

Skylar Santucci (Jr., Criminal Justice, Medford, NJ)

Alexa Shaffer (So., Kinesiology, Hummelstown, Pa.)

Brynn Shaffer (So., Special Education-Learning Disabilities, Hummelstown, Pa.)

Ellie Wheatley (Gr., Marketing Research & Analytics (MS), Louisville, Ky)

Football

Tarik Ahmetbasic (So., Mechanical Engineering, Clinton Township,  Mich.)

Grant Calcagno (So., Advertising Management, Rochester, Mich.)

Cole Dellinger (So., Criminal Justice, Clarkston, Mich.)

Sam Edwards (Gr., Marketing Research & Analytics (MS), Williamston, Mich.)

Michael Masunas (Jr., Management, Tucson, Ariz.)

Ben Nelson (Jr., Marketing, Holland, Mich.)

Darius Snow (Gr., Media Analytics (Grad Cert), Frisco, Texas)

Jalen Thompson (So., Advertising Management, Detroit, Mich.)

Men’s Golf

Lorenzo Pinili (So., Finance, Rochester Hills, Mich.)

Women’s Golf

Paula Balanzategui (Jr., Communication, San Sebastian Spain)

Brooke Biermann (Sr., Human Resources & Labor Relations, Wildwood, Mo.)

Shannon Kennedy (Sr., Communication, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)

Katherine Lu (Sr., Finance, Plainsboro, N.J.)

Gymnastics

Kendall Abney (So., Nursing, Belleville, Mich.)

Elle Beaufait (Jr., Fisheries & Wildlife, Columbus, Mich.)

Lauren Hsu (Sr., Kinesiology, Austin, Texas)

Giana Kalefe  (5th-Sr., Advertising Management, Corona, Calif.)

Sage Kellerman (Jr., Special Education-Learning Disabilities, Croswell, Mich.)

Genevieve Lebster (Sr., Mechanical Engineering, Holland, Mich.)

Stephanie Lebster (Jr., Kinesiology, Holland, Mich.)

Skyla Schulte (Sr., Advertising Management, Bolingbrook, Ill.)

Nikki Smith (Jr., Studio Art, West Bloomfield, Mich.)

Gabrielle Stephen (Sr., Criminal Justice, Elgin, Ill.)

Isabella Trostel (So., Special Education-Learning Disabilities, Westerville, Ohio)

Hockey

Trey Augustine (So., Finance, South Lyon, Mich.)

Matt Basgall (Jr., Kinesiology, Lake Forest, Ill.)

Dolan Gilbert (Jr., Psychology, South Bend, Ill.)

Griffin Jurecki (So., Finance, Grosse Ile, Mich.)

Joey Larson (Jr., Supply Chain Management, Brighton, Mich.)

Tommi Mannisto (So., Advertising Management, Riihimaki, Finland)

Austin Oravetz (So., Criminal Justice, Canonsburg, Penn.)

Rowing

Kendyl Baron (So, Psychology, Macomb,  Mich.)

Lucy Botting (Gr, Advertising Creative, Christchurch, NZ)

Elise Ciantar (Jr., Criminal Justice, Plymouth, Mich,)

Emily Crofut (Jr., Human Biology, Grand Ledge, Mich.)

Lillian Davidson-Walshe (Jr., Economics, Ann Arbor, Mich.)

Lauren Droska (Jr., Human Resources & Labor Relations, Clinton Township,  Mich.)

Freya Engel (Sr., Criminal Justice, Workingham, Berkshire, England)

Kate Heinecke (Jr., Biosystems Engineering, St. Paul, Minn.)

Ella Mckenzie, 5th, Kinesiology, Brisbane, Australia)

Elizabeth Pollion (Jr., Human Resources & Labor Relations, Petoskey, Mich.)

Ugne Rudaityte (So., Human Biology, Vilnius, Lithuania)

Haley Sornig (So., Criminal Justice, Rochester, Mich,)

Grace Thomas (Sr., Kinesiology, Ann Arbor, Mich.)

Men’s Soccer

Josh Adam (R-Jr., Construction Management, Brighton, Mich.)

Will Eby (So., Mechanical Engineering, Northville, Mich.)

Efosa Emovon (Sr., Kinesiology, London, Ontario)

Myles Foster (R-Fr., Supply Chain Management, East Lansing, Mich.)

Jack Guggemos (Jr., Supply Chain Management, Okemos, Mich.)

Zac Kelly (R-Jr., Crop & Soil Sciences, Holt, Mich.)

Alec Laible (R-Fr., Kinesiology, Rock Hill, S.C.)

Josh Mason (Jr., Kinesiology, South Lyon, Mich.)

Women’s Soccer

Sofia Beerworth (Jr., Civil Engineering, Montreal, Quebec)

Regan Dalton (Gr,, Strategic Communication (MA), Rockford, Mich,)

Adelle Francis (R-Fr., Communication, Perrysburg, Ohio)

Justina Gaynor (Gr., Sport Coaching, Leadership & Administration (MS), Shelby Township, Mich.)

Maggie Illig (Jr., Kinesiology, Troy, Mich,)

Ella Janz (So., Kinesiology, Northville,  Mich.)

Bella Najera (So., Marketing, St. Charles, Ill.)

Kaitlyn Parks (Gr., Digital Media, Upper Marlbroro, Md.)

Sophia Piotrowski (So., Kinesiology, Troy, Mich,)

Renee Watson (So., Data Science, Toronto, Ontario)

Softball

Britain Beshears (Jr., Supply Chain Management, Novi, Mich.)

Hailey Bila (Jr, Kinesiology, Laingsuburg, Mich.)

Sydney Doloszycki (Jr., Kinesiology, Saint John, Ind.)

Faith Guidry, Sr,, Human Biology, Mont Belvieu, Texas)

Hannah Hawley (Jr., Supply Chain Management, Coventry, RI)

Macy Lee (Sr., Law Enforcement Intelligence & Analysis (MS), Phoenix, Ariz.)

Men’s Tennis

Taym Al Azmeh (So., Psychology, Damascus, Syria)

Josh Portnoy (Sr., Physiology, Okemos, Mich.)

Women’s Tennis

Sarah Fazlagic (Jr., Political Science-PreLaw, Louisville, Ky.)

Matilde Morais (Jr., Advertising Management, Cascais, Portugal)

Issey Purser (Jr., Finance, Ascot, United Kingdom)

Natalie Stasny (So., Human Biology, Woodridge, Ill.)

Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country

Adam Blue (Jr., Economics, Potterville, Mich.)

Ben Classen (So., Supply Chain Management, Niwot, Colo.)

Quinn Cullen (So., Communication, Brighton, Mich.)

Josh Devries (Sr., Construction Management, Portage, Mich.)

Kyle Eberhard (So., Aquatic Ecology & Management, Linden, Mich.)

Owen Gilbert (So., Digital Storytelling, Battle Creek, Mich.)

Parker Lambers (So., Finance, Holland, Mich.)

Andrew Lane (Sr., Neuroscience, East Lansing, Mich.)

Noah Morrow (So., Kinesiology, Manton, Mich.)

Andrew Nolan (Gr., Computer Science (MS), Oxford, Mich.)

Jack Pennewell (Sr., Environmental Engineering, St. Clair, Mich.)

Alex Penski (Gr., Business Administration (MBA), Holt, Mich.)

Luke Perelli (Gr., Computer Science (MS), Plymouth, Mich.)

Tyler Pritchett (Gr., Applied Engineering Science, Midland, Mich.)

Brendan VanderMeer (Jr., Supply Chain Management, Grand Haven, Mich.)

Connor Williamson (So., Finance, Mason, Mich.)

Alexander Yon (So., Criminal Justice, Hartland, Mich.)

Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country

Elizabeth Anderson (So., Genomics & Molecular Genetics, New Boston, Mich.)

Elizabeth Babcock (Jr., Horticulture, Novi, Mich.)

Emily Bardwell (Jr., Integrative Biology (MS), Brunswick, Ohio)

Meghan Beute (So., Hospitality Business, Grand Rapids, Mich.)

Breanne Black (Jr., Kinesiology, Chelsea, Mich.)

Natalie Blake (Jr., Human Biology, Holland, Mich.)

Sophia Bonnema (Jr., Physiology, Holland, Mich.)

Abbey Carvey (Sr., Neuroscience, Farmington, Mich.)

Allison Chmielewski (So., Graphic Design, Roscommon, Mich.)

Allison Cornell (So., Marketing, Grand Rapids, Mich.)

Taylor Ewert (Sr., Interdisciplinary Humanities, Beavercreek, Ohio)

Sarah Forsyth (Jr., Communication, Ann Arbor, Mich.)

Anyssa Hall (Jr., Journalism, New Castle, Ind.)

Eleanor Kendell (Gr., Marketing Research & Analytics (MS), Huntington Woods, Mich.)

Janan Khalil (Sr., Packaging, Macomb, Mich.)

Anjali Kidambi (So., Neuroscience, Novi, Mich.)

Sophia Lucki (Sr., Human Biology, Toronto, Canada)

Melanie Macias (So., Construction Management, Willis, Mich.)

Olivia Millen (Jr., Marketing, Plymouth, Mich.)

Valadian Pallett (Sr., Genomics & Molecular Genetics, Farmington, Mich.)

Reese Powers (Jr., Elementary Education, Marysville, Mich.)

Madison Price (Gr., Sport Coaching (Grad Cert), Trenton, Mich.)

Judith Rector (Gr., Media & Information (MA), Hanover, Mich.)

Mia Rogan (So., Social Work, Ann Arbor, Mich.)

Kaia Scheffler (Gr., Advertising Creative, Brownstown, Mich.)

Kate Stewart-Barnett (Sr., Human Biology, New Westminster, B.C.)

Jessica Stieb (So., Kinesiology, Loup City, Neb.)

Ava Stout (So., Elementary Education, Wiesbaden, Germany)

Makenna Veen (Gr., Sport Coaching, Leadership & Administration (MS), Kalamazoo, Mich.)

Chloe Wall (Jr., Kinesiology, Waterford, Mich.)

Lexy Wilson (Jr., Psychology, Ypsilanti, Mich.)

Mackenzie Wright (So., Elementary Education, Howell, Mich.)

Volleyball

Julia Bishop (Sr., Computational Data Science, Dearborn, Mich.)

Taylah Holdem (So., Human Development & Family Studies, Christchurch, New Zealand)

Aliyah Moore (Sr., Kinesiology, Surprise, Ariz.)

Wrestling

Luke Daly (R-Jr., Accounting, Carbondale, Ill.)

Ceasar Garza (R-So., Elementary Education, Oakdale, Calif.)

Andrew Hampton (R-Jr., Marketing, Rochester, Mich.)

Marty Larkin (R-Sr., Lifelong Education, Orland Park, Ill.)

Kael Wisler  (R-So., Civil Engineering, New Boston, Mich.)

The Women’s Volleyball Nations League wrapped up its final week of preliminaries with a 3-2 loss for No. 8 Team USA against No. 5 China on Sunday at College Park Center.

China snapped Team USA’s five-game run while extending its own to four. The victory marked China’s ninth win in the 2025 VNL.

With multiple core rotation changes and several new players on the roster, Team USA faced tribulations early in the preliminary round. After rallying in week two, the team finished week three 3-1 and closed out the phase with seven wins in 12 matches.

“Obviously when you make changes, you expect maybe the flow to change a little bit,” head coach Erik Sullivan said. “I thought our players did a good job of staying in our systems and competing real hard.”

China stumbled early in the game, letting Team USA quickly take control and win the first two sets. Miscommunication and errors put China in an early hole.

The U.S. used its size and power to overwhelm China with strong serves and aggressive net play, deepening China’s early deficit further. By set three, Team USA had conditioned China to expect heavy spikes, creating gaps in coverage that allowed well-placed dinks to land.

However, China looked refreshed after the break and cut down on errors. They took the next two sets to even the match, but Team USA held firm as they battled through the fifth set in search of a win.

Setter Rachel Fairbanks said China has a unique play style compared to other teams they recently faced. Even with scouting, she said it’s up to them to compete against every team.

Point-defining blocks and diving saves fueled a back-and-forth battle, drawing shouts from fans with each rally. The arena shook with energy as the match reached a fever pitch.

With the fifth set tied at 16, China gained the upper hand and drove in the dagger that sent Team USA into the final plunge to end the set 18-16.

Women’s VNL play ramps up for the final week as Team USA and 17 other national teams head into the elimination round in Łódź, Poland. The quarterfinals begin July 23 with the semifinals starting July 26 and the finals happening the following day to wrap up the week.

The quarterfinals opening game will have Team USA challenge defending champions No. 1 Italy.

The elimination bracket match-ups are available to view on Volleyball World, with all matches set to be available for streaming on VBTV.

“We’ll go back to Anaheim and start training, work through some kinks,” libero Morgan Hentz said. “There’s definitely things we can get better at and focus on, so I think it’s just that mindset of trying to get 1% better every day.”

@kaleivie_

From June 11 to August 11, GoMatadors.com will present the top CSUN Moments from the 2024-25 sports season. Today, we celebrate the Women’s Water Polo team’s senior duo of Dorottya Telek and Anna Pal on setting Matador school records and milestones during the 2025 season. 
 

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CSUN Water Polo’s Hungarian senior duo of Dorottya Telek and Anna Pal completed their historic Matador careers this spring, leaving the program as record holders in multiple categories. Two of the top players in Matador women’s water polo history, Telek and Pal would each receive a fourth consecutive All-American award after the season, capping extraordinary careers that few can rival. 

Already CSUN’s all-time career and single-season goal leader coming into the season, Telek reached another historic milestone in 2025 by surpassing 300 career goals. In fact, she she blew by that mark, eventually finishing the year at 376 career tallies, which is 147 more than second place in CSUN history. Telek would also break her own single-season goal record, topping the benchmark with a Big West-best 104 goals. An All-Big West Second Team selection, Telek finished her CSUN career leading the Big West in goals in each of her four collegiate years. 

In addition to leading CSUN in goals for a career and a season, Telek also leaves CSUN with the most goals scored in a game with nine, which she reached on three separate occasions in her career. 

Overall, Telek holds the record in goals along with career field goal percentage (.537) and exclusions drawn (367). On the school’s single-season goals list, Telek is first with 104, second with 101 scored in 2023, third with 84 goals scored in 2024 and fifth with 77 goals scored as a freshman in 2022. 

Pal had a banner year in her own right in 2025, recording a Big West-best and a personal-best 67 assists. She would receive an All-Big West Honorable Mention after leading the Matadors with a career-high 51 steals while she was second on the team with 59 goals and 126 points. 

Pal made CSUN history as well in 2025 by becoming the Matadors’ all-time career assist record holder with 209 total helpers. She also climbed up CSUN’s all-time career goals list into sixth place with 200 and up the field blocks list into ninth place with 34. She will also forever be known as CSUN’s founding member of the 200-goal, 200-assist club in school history, reaching the milestone in her final collegiate match. 

In awards, few in school history can match Telek and Pal. The duo are two of just three Matadors in program history to earn four All-American awards in school history with the other being Marisa Young (2012-15). Telek also joined Young as the only Matador in history to receive four all-conference awards while she is the all-time record holder with five Big West Player of the Week awards. 

#GoMatadors

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. —

Growing up, 20-year-old Lynn University student Ian Waite says that he expected to be at the ESPY awards as an athlete.

It turns out his dream will come true, only with him as a community leader. Waite will be honored with the distinguished Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award for his work at Bigger Than Sports when the ESPY Awards air on WPBF-25 Wednesday night. Waite submitted his application for the award just days before the due date.

“A couple of weeks later, I get an email saying I’m going to California, and even weeks after I ask my team to pinch me because it doesn’t seem real,” Waite said.

Yes, Waite will get to rub shoulders at the ESPYs with the biggest names in sports, but when we caught up with him, he was running a day camp in Boynton Beach. Bigger Than Sports is a fully Gen Z-led nonprofit helping high school athletes from underserved communities plan for their future.

“We empower underserved student athletes in their last year of high school, providing them with educational guidance to build a successful future beyond just that dream of going pro,” he said.

The recognition from the ESPYs validates Waite’s belief that even at 20 years old, he can make a difference in his community.

“Life is too short to be small; I’m not here to not make a difference. I’m not here to not do anything with my life. In fact, I did do something bigger — something bigger than sports,” he said.

Waite plans to expand Bigger Than Sports to nearby communities in Florida and back home in his native Pittsburgh.

“It’s not just a passion project. It’s not just a school based project that is gong to be on my resume when I apply for jobs in two years, it’s my life. I genuinely believe–and people think I’m crazy when I say this–it’s the next Boys and Girls club or the next YMCA. I truly believe we can transform communities and the world through the power of sports,” Waite said.