The nominees have been announced for the 2025 ESPYS, and swimmer Gretchen Walsh received a big nod. The now-graduated Virginia Cavalier

The ESPYS are the most significant sports award show in the United States hosted by ESPN and give awards from across sports and categories. While swimmers have been nominated, and won, awards in Athlete of the Year, Olympic athlete and Athletes with a Disability categories, they have been ominously absent from the Best Collegiate Athlete Awards in recent years.

The last swimmer to win the award was Missy Franklin in 2015, and the last swimmer nominated for the award was Katie Ledecky in 2018.

Walsh had arguably the best season of any collegiate swimmer in history.

The ESPYS first added Best College Athlete for Men’s Sports and Women’s Sports in 2002. From 2018-2021, they were combined into a single gender-neutral category, and then split back out into separate categories.

While Franklin is the only swimmer to ever win the award, swimmers have received nominations 8 times – mostly in the 2000s.

No male swimmer has ever been nominated. Collegiately, she won the maximum seven NCAA event titles and led Virginia to its 5th-straight NCAA Team Championship. She also finished her career with the maximum 28 All-America titles and 25 NCAA titles – including 9 individual titles. In the middle of the season, she won five titles at the Short Course World Championships. Across international and collegiate meets during her senior season of college, she set the first 13 World Records of her career in 323 days, a shorter timespan than any swimmer in history, set multiple American and NCAA Records, and generally dominated the season from start-to-finish.

She was also named the CSCAA Women’s Swimmer of the Year and the Honda Sport Award winner for swimming & diving.

She is nominated against Pitt volleyball player Olivia Babcock, North Carolina soccer player Kate Faasse, and USC basketball player JuJu Watkins. Of that group, only Walsh and Faasse won NCAA team titles in the 2024-2025 season.

An ESPN Nomination Select Committee chooses the nominees, and a public vote “helps to determine ESPY winners.” The 2025 awards show will be air on July 16 and be hosted by comedian Shane Gillis.

All-Time Swimming Nominees, Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports:

• 2002 – Natalie Coughlin, Cal
• 2003 – Natalie Coughlin, Cal
• 2004 – Tara Kirk, Stanford
• 2007 – Kara Lynn Joyce, Georgia
• 2009 – Dana Vollmer, Cal
• 2011 – Katinka Hosszu, USC
• 2012 – Caitlin Leverenz, Cal
• 2015 – Missy Franklin, Cal (Winner)
• 2018 – Katie Ledecky, Stanford (open gender award)
• 2025 – Gretchen Walsh, Virginia

All-Time Nominees By Sport, Best College Athlete in Women’s Sports

Through 2025 Nominations

All-Time Nominees By Sport, Best College Athlete in Men’s Sports

Through 2025 Nominations

All 2025 ESPY Nominees

BEST ATHLETE – MEN’S SPORTS‬

• ‬‭Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills‬
• ‬‭Saquon Barkley – Philadelphia Eagles‬
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder‬
• ‬‭Shohei Ohtani – Los Angeles Dodgers‬

‭ BEST ATHLETE – WOMEN’S SPORTS‬

BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE‬

• ‭Cooper Flagg – Duke Men’s Basketball‬
• Chloe Humphrey – North Carolina Women’s Lacrosse‬
• Ilona Maher – Rugby‬
• ‭Paul Skenes – Pittsburgh Pirates‬

BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE‬

• ‭Geno Auriemma – UConn Huskies
• ‬Caitlin Clark – Indiana Fever
• Kevin Durant – Olympic Basketball
• Alexander Ovechkin – Washington Capitals

‭BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE‬

• ‭Simone Biles – 2024 Olympics Women’s All-Around‬
• Stephen Curry – US Men’s Olympic BB team‬
• Freddie Freeman – LA Dodgers – World Series MVP‬
• Rory McIlroy – Wins first Masters title, completing career Grand Slam‬

BEST COMEBACK ATHLETE‬

• ‭Gabe Landeskog – Colorado Avalanche‬
• Suni Lee – Gymnast‬
• Mallory Swanson – USWNT/Chicago Red Stars‬
• Lindsey Vonn – Skiing‬

BEST PLAY‬

• ‭Saquon Barkley’s backwards hurdle‬‭ – NFL (11/3/24)‬
• Tyrese Haliburton Calls Game!!!‬‭ – NBA Game 1 NBA Finals‬‭ (6/5/25)‬
• Sabrina Ionescu Logo 3 Game Winner‬‭ – WNBA Finals Game‬‭ 3‬
• Trinity Rodman with the OT Goal to send USWNT to the semi-finals‬‭ – 2024‬‭ Olympics‬

‭ BEST TEAM‬

• ‬‭Florida Panthers – NHL‬
• Los Angeles Dodgers – MLB‬
• New York Liberty – WNBA‬
• Ohio State Buckeyes – NCAA Football‬
• Oklahoma City Thunder – NBA‬
• Philadelphia Eagles – NFL‬
• North Carolina Tar Heels – NCAA Women’s Lacrosse‬
• United States Women’s National Team – Soccer‬
• University of Connecticut Huskies – Women’s Basketball‬

BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE – MEN’S SPORTS‬

• ‭Cooper Flagg – Duke Basketball‬
• Wyatt Hendrickson – Oklahoma State Wrestling‬
• Travis Hunter – Colorado Football‬
• CJ Kirst – Cornell Lacrosse‬

BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE – WOMEN’S SPORTS‬

• ‭Olivia Babcock – University of Pittsburgh Volleyball‬
• Kate Faasse – North Carolina Soccer‬
• Gretchen Walsh – Virginia Swimming‬
• JuJu Watkins – USC Basketball‬‭

BEST ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY‬

• ‭Noah Elliott – Snowboard‬
• Ezra Frech – Track & Field‬
• Tatyana McFadden – Track & Field‬
• Grace Norman – Paratriathlete‬

BEST NFL PLAYER‬

• ‭Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills‬
• Saquon Barkley – Philadelphia Eagles‬
• Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens‬
• Patrick Surtain II – Denver Broncos‬

‭BEST MLB PLAYER‬

• ‭Freddie Freeman – Los Angeles Dodgers‬
• Aaron Judge – New York Yankees‬
• Shohei Ohtani – Los Angeles Dodgers‬
• Tarik Skubal – Detroit Tigers‬

BEST NHL PLAYER‬

• ‭Leon Draisaitl – Edmonton Oilers,‬
• Connor Hellebuyck – Winnipeg Jets‬
• Nikita Kucherov – Tampa Bay Lightning‬
• Cale Makar – Colorado Avalanche‬

BEST NBA PLAYER‬

• Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks‬
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder‬
• Nikola Jokić – Denver Nuggets‬
• Jayson Tatum – Boston Celtics‬

BEST WNBA PLAYER‬‭

• Caitlin Clark – Indiana Fever‬
• Napheesa Collier – Minnesota Lynx‬
• Breanna Stewart – New York Liberty‬
• A’ja Wilson – Las Vegas Aces‬

BEST DRIVER‬

• Joey Logano – NASCAR‬
• Álex Palou – IndyCar‬
• Oscar Piastri – F1‬
• Max Verstappen – F1‬

BEST UFC FIGHTER‬

• Dricus Du Plessis‬
• Merab Dvalishvili‬
• Kayla Harrison‬
• Islam Makhachev‬

BEST BOXER‬

• Naoya Inoue‬
• Claressa Shields‬
• Katie Taylor‬
• Oleksandr Usyk‬

BEST SOCCER PLAYER‬

• Aitana Bonmatí – FC Barcelona/Spain‬
• Christian Pulisic – AC Milan, US‬
• Alexia Putellas FC Barcelona/Spain‬
• Lamine Yamal – FC Barcelona/Spain‬

BEST GOLFER‬

• Nelly Korda‬
• Rory Mcllroy‬
• Scottie Scheffler‬
• Maja Stark‬

BEST TENNIS PLAYER‬

The International Ice Hockey Federation on Thursday released the schedule for the IIHF World Junior Championships being held Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in St. Paul and Minneapolis.

The 29-game tournament for the world’s best players 20 and under will be played mostly at Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul (Group A) and 3M Arena at Mariucci (Group B) on the campus of the University of Minnesota.

Group A, comprising the U.S., Sweden, Slovakia, Switzerland and Germany, will play its preliminary round games at the X. Group B (Canada, Czechia, Finland, Latvia and Denmark) will play preliminary contests at Mariucci. Each team in each group will play the others once and the top four will advance to the quarterfinals.

Semifinals and gold medal games will be played at Xcel Energy Center from Jan 4-5. Tickets for all games can be purchased at https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2026/wm20/static/64823/tickets.

SCHEDULE

At Xcel Energy Center

Dec. 26 — Sweden vs. Slovakia, noon; U.S. vs. Germany, 5 p.m.
Dec. 27 — Slovakia vs. Germany, 1 p.m.; U.S. vs. Switzerland, 5 p.m.
Dec. 28 — Sweden vs. Switzerland, 1 p.m.
Dec. 29 — Germany vs. Sweden, noon; Slovakia vs. U.S., 5 p.m.
Dec. 30 — Switzerland vs Germany, 1 p.m.
Dec. 31 — Switzerland vs. Slovakia, noon; U.S. vs. Sweden, 5 p.m.
Jan. 2-4 — Quarterfinals, TBD

At 3M Arena at Mariucci

Dec. 26 — Denmark vs. Finland, 2:30 p.m.; Czechia vs. Canada, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 27 — Latvia vs. Canada, 3:30 p.m.; Denmark vs. Czechia, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 28 — Finland vs. Latvia, 3:30 p.m.
Dec. 29 — Finland vs. Czechia, 2:30 p.m.; Canada vs. Denmark, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 30 — Latvia vs. Denmark, 2:30 p.m.
Dec. 31 — Czechia vs. Latvia, 2:30 p.m.; Canada vs. Finland, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 2-4 — Quarterfinals, TBD

Semifinals

Jan. 4, 3:30 p.m. / 7:30 p.m., Xcel Energy Center

Final

Jan. 5, 7:30 p.m., Xcel Energy Center

College football has entered a strange and volatile new world, where lucrative contracts for the top players in the sport are now the name of the game. With the passing of the NCAA House Settlement, the landscape alters even more.

The House v. NCAA settlement, finalized on June 6, 2025, allows colleges to directly pay student-athletes for the use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL). The settlement, which resolves multiple antitrust lawsuits, also includes $2.8 billion in back payments to athletes who competed between 2016 and 2024. This landmark decision marks a significant shift in the landscape of college sports, moving away from the traditional amateurism model.

The benefits cap for 2025-26 is set for $20.5 million and is expected to rise. A 4% bump is expected every year for the first three years, with a full recalculation after year four.

But how does it all work? How do the contracts work? We had questions, and now we hope to provide you with some of the answers we found.

WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM?

This money doesn’t come from the NCAA or the courts, but must be raised by the schools. At Clemson, which is adding 150 new scholarships, the number actually rises to around $26 million that needs to be raised. Clemson was proactive in this regard and implemented a student activities fee, went to court with the ACC to earn anywhere from $10-15 million more dollars per year as part of the league’s media rights agreement, and added alcohol sales. There are also opportunities for logo placements and other sponsorship ventures throughout the program. IPTAY is still responsible for the scholarships.

HOW DOES THIS ALL AFFECT TITLE IX?

As of right now, Title IX isn’t expected to change how this progresses. Three College of Charleston female athletes have challenged the lawsuit and are appealing the decision, saying that the decision unfairly affects Title IX. This probably won’t be the last time we see a lawsuit, and until that is all worked out in the courts, I don’t see much in the way of change. The expectation is that this could take 8-10 years to be adjudicated in the legal system. However, as we mentioned, Clemson is adding scholarships, and that includes women’s sports. For instance, the women’s lacrosse program will now have a fully funded scholarship roster.

HOW DO THE CONTRACTS WORK WITH CURRENT PLAYERS?

Most schools have front-loaded contracts for the 2025 season, meaning that current players will get their share before July 1. That means the money from July 1-on will roll into retention of the players that will return from this year’s roster. Let’s use a fictional wide receiver – Rod Tidwell – and he has a $500,000 contract. The purpose of frontloading is that you do as many deals as you can through the collective and get them paid out before the beginning of the year. And that way once you get to December, you still have all of your revenue share money available from the limited amount, which is the $20.5 million. A lot of schools have said they are going to pay those deals in front to their football players and men’s and women’s basketball players. The schools have until Dec. 31st to fulfill the deals, but most will be paid out beforehand. Anything after July 1st would count against the $20.5M, which is why most schools have been trying to front-load and pay all that beforehand.

Now what happens if a player quits during the season or during the playoffs or whenever, that money is non recoupable. In other words, Tidwell was shown the money and ran.

HOW IS MONEY HANDLED WITH RECRUITS?

Obviously, schools are offering monetary incentives to the best recruits, but when and how does that happen? A school can work out a deal with a recruit’s representatives, but no money will change hands until that recruit is on campus. It’s my understanding that most freshmen are on monthly payments (or for some there was a signing bonus, and I think a lot of schools are moving in that direction), but those payments would not start until the player is on campus and enrolled in school. In the case of a December signee who enrolls for bowl practice or is on campus for January, they would more than likely get a monthly allotment until the season begins.

Now, let’s take a look at a fictional freshman linebacker named Bobby Boucher out of Louisiana. Boucher enrolls in January and begins receiving his monthly checks, but during spring practice becomes enraged at the quality of hydration on the sidelines and throws a Gatorade bucket at the head coach. Boucher is summarily dismissed from the team, and his monthly checks are stopped. But once again, the money spent over the first three months will not be recovered.

(This is one good thing about the way Dabo Swinney recruits. There are bad actors everywhere, and players will endeavor to game the system, but Clemson mostly recruits the type of players that won’t have these types of issues. It will happen, and we’ve seen it, but it doesn’t happen often.)

IS THERE A REVENUE CAP ON DEALS OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL?

There is no cap for commercial revenue. For instance, quarterback Cade Klubnik made a deal with EA Sports to appear on the new College Football 26 football game cover and he went and spent a day as an ambassador and went for the creation day, and EA paid him independently of what Clemson plays. And, Cade can earn whatever those entities think he’s worth, within the framework of the NIL Go approval on deals of $600 and over.

WHO AT CLEMSON IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING THE ROSTER UNDER THIS SYSTEM?

There are obviously a number of people who will be a part of the process, including head coaches such as Swinney, Athletic Director Graham Neff, and support personnel. With football, it all begins and ends with General Manager Jordan Sorrells.

CLEMSON IS ADDING HOW MANY SCHOLARSHIPS?

Around 150. Neff and the powers that be have made a conscious decision to make Clemson as good as it can be in all sports. That means baseball will now have 34 scholarships instead of the 11.7 scholarships that was the rule in the past. Texas is adding 200 scholarships but is raising ticket prices. South Carolina will add 50 scholarships, while UCLA has announced it won’t be adding any new scholarships and will keep its current roster limits (85 in football and 13 in men’s basketball).

ONE FINAL NOTE

I am trying to gain some clarity on the recoupability and recruit piece of this, but as I understand it, so are a lot of schools. As I learn more or learn different, I will let you know.

GRAND FORKS — Cole Reschny interviewed with 27 teams at the NHL Combine in Buffalo, N.Y., earlier this month.

How many asked him about his decision to leave Canadian major juniors for UND?

“Twenty-seven,” he said.

A day will soon come when a high-end player leaving the Canadian Hockey League for college is as routine as when a United States Hockey League player does it.

But Reschny, the Victoria Royals star center, was one of the first elite players to make that jump after a November NCAA rules change allowed major junior players to retain college eligibility. Questions have followed Reschny everywhere this summer.

“All the teams asked why,” Reschny said. “I just told them I thought it was the best decision for me. They supported it.”

Reschny officially signed with UND this week.

“We’re excited for a lot of reasons,” UND head coach Dane Jackson said. “He’s such a sharp young man with a ton of presence, a great team guy, an elite talent. One of the things we’ve talked about is trying to get guys that match our identity. We think he’s a real tenacious, two-way, really strong hockey player overall. It’s kind of how we want to build our team — guys who want to compete hard, are good teammates and have really good ability. We want guys who have all that character and substance to their games as well.

“When you get a good player, it’s a home run. But when you get a really good player and person and teammate, that’s a grand slam. We’re really excited about adding Cole to our group for the player and person he is.”

Reschny is on track to become UND’s 24th first-round NHL Draft pick.

The first round is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Reschny will attend the draft with his parents, grandparents, two brothers and two sisters.

“It’s very exciting,” Reschny said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s also what we all work our whole lives for. To see that it’s finally here and the time has come, it’s crazy.”

The Herald polled a handful of scouts asking if Reschny could drop out of the first round. They all said, “No.”

Several draft experts have projected Reschny to go in the middle of the first round.

The Athletic’s Corey Pronman and TSN’s Craig Button have Reschny going No. 13. FloHockey’s Chris Peters has him going No. 15. TSN’s Bob McKenzie has Reschny at No. 19. Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News has him at No. 28.

“He’s very talented, skilled and has a great release,” an NHL scout told the Herald. “All of the skill categories, he’s going to grade out very well. He’s got creative playmaking ability. He’s extremely poised. He’s a very quick thinker. I really like that he’s not the biggest guy, but he’s willing to get to the net and go to the hard areas. His effort is good. He can forecheck and force turnovers.”

So, what’s the downside?

“He’s not a very big guy,” the scout said. “He’s going to have to fight through some stuff, but talent-wise, he’s very, very skilled.”

Reschny is listed at 5-foot-10.5, 183 pounds.

His stature didn’t matter last season. Reschny was one of the top players in the Western Hockey League in several categories.

He finished ninth in the league with 92 points in 62 games. During the playoffs, he tallied 25 points in 11 games, finishing second in points per game (2.27). Only Gavin McKenna, who is expected to go No. 1 overall in the 2026 NHL Draft, had more (2.38).

Reschny was third in offense-generating plays (928), behind McKenna (1,000) and last summer’s No. 8 overall pick Berkly Catton (981). Reschny was fourth in pass completion percentage among WHL forwards (78.1%).

Reschny also won 57.2% of his faceoffs, including 62.9% in the offensive zone.

The Macklin, Sask., product is projected to be one of UND’s top two centers this season.

“He distributes the puck well,” Jackson said. “He has great vision. He executes with a high level of playmaking. He has a real elusiveness to him. He makes nice stutter steps and pauses. He slows the game down at times. He uses his teammates really well. He can score. He has a good shot. He goes to hard areas. He has a lot of innate offensive instincts that allow him to create and make players around him better.”

Edmonton Oil Kings Hockey Club / LA Media

After Victoria was eliminated from the WHL playoffs, Reschny was added to Canada’s IIHF World Under-18 Tournament roster. He served as an alternate captain for the Canadians, who won gold.

“I thought he was one of Canada’s drivers at the U18s,” an NHL scout said. “In their most important games in the medal round, he was one of their top players. He’s a guy who can rise to the occasion. If you look at what he did in the (WHL) playoffs, and you combine that with what he did at Worlds, he seems like a big-game player.”

Reschny said he tried not to focus on the draft during the season.

“I think it’s always in the back of your mind,” Reschny said. “I tried to play my game and stick to it and stay focused on the team-first game. That was going to help me out more than playing as an individual.”

Reschny has a busy summer ahead.

After the draft, he’ll attend development camp with whatever team selects him. Then, he’ll go to Canada’s World Junior Championship summer evaluation camp before arriving on campus.

Reschny plans to live with freshman defenseman Keaton Verhoeff at UND.

They were teammates last year in Victoria. Verhoeff is expected to be a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

“We’re close buddies coming from Victoria,” Reschny said. “He’s going into a big year, too. I’ll get to watch him go through that. He got to watch me go through it. It will be great getting to live with a guy like that. We’re both striving for the same goals. He’s a driven guy.”

Where: Peacock Theater, Los Angeles.
First round: 6 p.m. Friday, ESPN and ESPN Plus.
Second-seventh rounds: 11 a.m. Saturday, NHL Network and ESPN Plus.

Mike Bernard / Hockey Canada Images

2024 — Sacha Boisvert, No. 18, Chicago Blackhawks; E.J. Emery, No. 30, New York Rangers
2020 — Jake Sanderson, No. 5, Ottawa Senators
2018 — Jacob Bernard-Docker, No. 26, Ottawa Senators
2016 — Tyson Jost, No. 10, Colorado Avalanche
2015 — Brock Boeser, No. 23, Vancouver Canucks
2014 — Nick Schmaltz, No. 20, Chicago Blackhawks
2012 — Jordan Schmaltz, No. 25, St. Louis Blues
2010 — Derek Forbort, No. 15, Los Angeles Kings; Brock Nelson, No. 30, New York Islanders
2006 — Jonathan Toews, No. 3, Chicago Blackhawks
2005 — Brian Lee, No. 9, Ottawa Senators; T.J. Oshie, No. 24, St. Louis Blues; Joe Finley, No. 27, Washington Capitals
2004 — Drew Stafford, No. 13, Buffalo Sabres; Travis Zajac, No. 20, New Jersey Devils
2003 — Zach Parise, No. 17, New Jersey Devils
2000 — David Hale, No. 22, New Jersey Devils
1993 — Landon Wilson, No. 19, Toronto Maple Leafs
1989 — Jason Herter, No. 8, Vancouver Canucks
1986 — George Pelawa, No. 16, Calgary Flames
1981 — James Patrick, No. 9, New York Rangers
1968 — John Marks, No. 9, Chicago Blackhawks