Sports

Forty Acres Insider: June 17

Published

7 months ago

June 18, 2025

Longhorn Nation,

Well folks, WE DID IT AGAIN! It came down to the wire, literally. I must admit I was on the edge of my seat, sweating out every point late Saturday night as our Women’s Track and Field squad put on a final surge of Texas Fight at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene to get us across the finish line. And when the number crunchers frantically tallied in our tie for 10th-place NCAA finish as well as those of the two programs on our heels (Stanford & USC), it was confirmed — the LEARFIELD DIRECTORS’ CUP WAS CLINCHED and will remain right here where it belongs on the Forty Acres! What a breathtaking and heart pumping way to cap off another fantastic year across all sports. Now it’s not officially official as we’re awaiting the final results that will come from our friends at NACDA later this month at the conclusion of baseball, but rest assured nobody can catch us now. Your Longhorns have claimed The Cup as the nation’s premier all-sports athletic program for the second-straight year and fourth time in five years (how about that for absolute dominance!). YES, we are the champions, AGAIN!

Another incredible year of Longhorn Sports🤘🏻

🏆🏆 NCAA Championships

7️⃣ Top-3 finishes

🔟 Top-5s

1️⃣3️⃣ Top-10s

9️⃣ Conference Championships (8️⃣ SEC)

When official results come out later this month, the @LDirectorsCup will stay here for 4th time in 5 yearshttps://t.co/N8tTzS3Q8i

— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) June 15, 2025

That SPECTACULAR TROPHY will be delivered soon enough and look absolutely glorious taking center stage alongside the others in our collection of the Learfield Directors’ Cups inside the Frank Denius Family University of Texas Athletics Hall of Fame. It never gets old folks and shines brightly as a beacon of the PRIDE AND WINNING TRADITION of The University of Texas. This year’s Cup will forever be a bold reminder of the history made in our inaugural year as members of the Southeastern Conference. There were the eight SEC crowns (Beach Volleyball’s CCSA Championship made it nine conference titles), thrilling National Championships in Softball and Men’s Swimming and Diving, dramatic NCAA and CFP Final Four Tourney runs for Football, Women’s Basketball and Men’s Tennis, and top-three finishes from Rowing and Women’s Swimming and Diving that made it SEVEN teams among the nation’s top-three, along with 10 top-five’s and 13 top-10’s. And I’ve got to give credit where credit is due — it all starts with our unbelievable leaders — Chairman Eltife and President Davis — and their incredible support that allows our coaches, student-athletes and staff to do their thing. Longhorn Nation, you’re the absolute best too and have been right by our side helping us all vigorously row the boat in the same direction. When we do that — and keep those BBs in the box — we can accomplish anything under the sun! Y’all know, a United Texas is a reckoning my friends!

And while I’ve got you, here’s hoping everyone had an enjoyable Father’s Day weekend as we cherished the patriarchs in our lives. It was a day to applaud and thank them, and I do want to take a moment and send a shoutout to all of our Longhorn Dads. This week we will recognize and celebrate a very important Juneteenth holiday with our annual participation in the Central Texas Juneteenth Emancipation Parade on Thursday. It makes for another week of gratitude and family time filled with admiration, appreciation, reflection and love.

Speaking of appreciation, we’ve got to give our phenomenal women’s golfer Farah O’Keefe a huge round of applause and emphatic Hook ‘Em, Horns. Talk about WHAT STARTS HERE CHANGES THE WORLD, Farah was en fuego and put that Texas Fight on full display in stampeding all the way to The Women’s Amateur Championship final in Nairn, Scotland last week. Facing an elite field of 144 golfers from 30 countries, she took dead aim and advanced from stroke play through several rounds of match play, including a thrilling semifinal victory that put her in the championship match. Then on a special Father’s Day with her dad by her side, Farah battled through a grueling 36-hole final and came up just short. She left it all on the course and there’s no shame in being the runner-up on the grandest of world amateur stages. Well done my friend, we are very lucky to have you in the Burnt Orange & White.

runner-up at The Women’s Amateur Championship 🤘

congratulations @Farahokeefe #HookEm pic.twitter.com/w7QEIowm1p

— Texas Women’s Golf (@TexasWGolf) June 15, 2025

The same can be said for our Fab Freshman Timo Legout who on Friday was tabbed the ITA Men’s Tennis National Player of the Year (making it three -straight Longhorns to earn that honor to boot). He went 35-3 on the season, 12-0 in conference for our SEC Championship squad and was the nation’s No. 1-ranked singles player this year. Another first-year phenom, Baseball’s Dylan Volantis, was named the NCBWA National Freshman of the Year. Our towering lefty and conference freshman of the year for our SEC Champions tossed 74 strikeouts against just 12 walks in 51 innings this year. He led all rookies nationally in saves (12), while ranking second in ERA (1.94) and batting average allowed (.185). Additionally last week, our sensational student-athlete Marg Van der Wal, the SEC Rower and Scholar-Athlete of the Year, was tabbed a finalist for the CRCA Athlete of the Year award and Softball’s Katie Stewart earned Academic All-America honors for her efforts on and off the field as well. Those are just another in a long line of Longhorn student-athletes that received national recognition this year! We are so proud of all of them and the time and effort our student-athletes commit to be elite in their sports, the classroom and the community.

Congrats to Timo Legout – @ITA_Tennis men’s National Player of the Year!

That’s 3️⃣ straight years for the Horns with Eliot Spizzirri in 2023 and 2024!https://t.co/Y2iQGIJ784#HookEm 🤘🎾 pic.twitter.com/kWcaAMwEdb

— Texas Men’s Tennis (@TexasMTN) June 13, 2025

Can’t get enough of the reminders of the THRILL OF VICTORY Coach White and our Softball program provided us. This recap with Coach White and our National Championship Longhorns will take you back and have you puttin’ those Horns Up. What a fabulous time it was watching our squad dig deep and win big, there was nothing “Weak or Timid” about their Texas Fight at the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City! Now that the championship hardware is home in Austin, be sure to get that National Championship gear to add to your collection, too!

Hot off the press. We’ve got new @TexasSoftball Natty gear here at the Texas Team Shop on the San Jac side of DKR-TMS. 10-4 Mon-Thurs and 10-5 Fri-Sun 🤘🏽🫡 pic.twitter.com/N03uNC8e8z

— Chris Del Conte (@_delconte) June 13, 2025

Oh, and be sure to grab your copy of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine. I know y’all can’t get enough football in the offseason and thumbing through the wealth of information DCTF has provided for generations is an annual ritual for so many in our great state. Our guy COACH SARK’S ON THE COVER and it’s a keeper for sure! You can check out all the behind-the-scenes video from the photo shoot here as well.

Steve Sarkisian. Rebuilding a powerhouse his way.

REVEALED: The main cover of the 66th edition of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.#HookEm #DCTF #CollegeFootball | @TexasFootball @CoachSark pic.twitter.com/x1OueO6Pq6

— Dave Campbell’s — TexasFootball.com (@dctf) June 12, 2025

So, folks, THAT’S A WRAP. With the Learfield Directors’ Cup clinched and our sports seasons complete, what a perfect time for our final Forty Acres Insider of 2024-25. You’ve got plenty to be oh-so-proud of, so wear your Burnt Orange & White often and keep those Horns Up all the livelong day! We’ll be prepping for the year ahead while our student-athletes put in the work to continue to chase greatness. Y’all get yourself some much-deserved good solid R&R, let your road trips commence, so you’re ready to roll when the action heats up again in August. We’ve got lots of fun on the horizon and we’ll be ready to get revved back up soon enough because our work is not done. Preparations for 2025-26 are underway! See you soon!!

M/W Track and Field put a bow on season at NCAA Outdoor Championship

Coach Flo and our Longhorns took on the best of the best over in TrackTown USA last week at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Our individual highlights included a pair of bronze medal performances. For the women, Nina Ndubuisi led the way with a third-place finish in the shot put on the strength of a personal-best throw of 19.50 meters, that’s over 60 feet y’all! Kody Blackwood paced the men with his third-place showing in the 400-meter hurdles. Both 4×100-meter relays earned points, as the women’s group placed fifth and the men’s team finished eighth in the finals. And kudos to Xavier Butler and Kenondra Davis, who both earned first-team All-America honors in the 200-meter dash with top-seven performances.

Here’s some final nuggets to carry you over this summer!

Before I let you go for the summer, I mentioned quite a few of our outstanding notables from this recently completed 2024-25 academic calendar year. But folks, here’s a few more so that you can puff your chest out at the water cooler around your co-workers at the office and take with you on your family vacations this summer. With our Men’s Swimming and Diving and Softball teams capturing National Championships this season, this marks the FIFTH-STRAIGHT year that the Longhorns have won multiple national titles in the same academic season. Excluding the COVID-shortened year of 2019-20, Texas has now won at least one NCAA team title in 10-STRAIGHT seasons! Over the last five years, the Longhorns have won 13 NCAA team championships by eight different programs, while seven additional programs have either made the Final Four OR finished in the top three at the NCAA Championships. We sponsor 21 intercollegiate programs here on the Forty Acres, and 15 OF THOSE 21 PROGRAMS have now claimed a National Championship. WOW! We qualified 20 of our 21 NCAA eligible sports for their respective NCAA Championship events. Texas was the ONLY SCHOOL IN NCAA DIVISION I to have its Football, either Men’s or Women’s Basketball, and either Baseball or Softball programs reach the Final Four of their NCAA Tournaments this season!

The Longhorns have captured 68 all-time National Championships (64 NCAA titles). And how about a few more nuggets. Our 10 top-five performances in 2024-25 marked a tie for the second-most in school history, trailing only the 12 recorded in 2021-22. And our 13 top-10 efforts also tied for the second-most in school history, just one shy of the record 14 in 2021-22. We have recorded a total of 49 top-five NCAA team finishes and 65 top-10 NCAA team finishes during the last five years.

Hook ‘Em Horns,

Chris Del Conte

P.S. — Glad we’ll be able to be a part of Coach Corso’s final GameDay show. He’s been an institution for generations and is the absolute best!

📍 Week 1: Columbus, OH

We’re kicking off College GameDay with a trip to Texas-Ohio State, as we celebrate Lee Corso’s final show back where he first made headgear history! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/FtOLmXPXKB

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) June 10, 2025

P.S. — Hope all Longhorn Dads had a great Father’s Day!

happy Father’s Day, y’all 🫶🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/t96SD1EJ8P

— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) June 15, 2025

P.S. — The boys are hard at work!

new era starts now 💪🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/Wnpiuf80dq

— Texas Men’s Basketball (@TexasMBB) June 10, 2025

P.S. — Toast of the Town!

we love it @ParamountAustin 😍🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/9mwzYN0KUv

— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) June 10, 2025

all love from our city. thanks for the shoutout on the pitch tonight! 💚🤘 #HookEm | @AustinFC pic.twitter.com/sRYUyDWAeq

— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) June 15, 2025

P.S. — What Starts Here!

Longhorn Aquatics leads the nation with 19 swimmers representing the USA this summer 🇺🇸🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/uesIuGzqdr

— Texas Men’s Swimming & Diving (@TexasMSD) June 12, 2025

HEADLINES:

Former Longhorns Raynard Davis, Sharon Neugebauer-Shepard earn spots in San Antonio ISD Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2025

Women’s Golf’s O’Keefe advances to final at The Women’s Amateur Championship

Baseball’s Volantis, Galvan collect ABCA/Rawlings All-America honors

Men’s Basketball to host Virginia in 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge

Women’s Basketball to host North Carolina in ACC/SEC Challenge

Baseball’s Volantis, Galvan earn spots on NCBWA All-America Teams

Additional kickoff time, TV window assignments announced for Football

ESPN’s College GameDay coming to Football’s opener at Ohio State

Baseball’s Rodriguez, Volantis headline Perfect Game Freshman All-Americans

Men’s Golf quartet named to PING All-Central Region Team

Baseball lands four on ABCA/Rawlings All-Region teams

Baseball’s Volantis tabbed Freshman All-American

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Practice grind begins for Hawaii men’s volleyball team

Published

24 minutes ago

December 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Hawaii junior outside hitter Louis Sakanoko sat down for an interview before the second men’s volleyball practice on Monday and took a deep breath.

“Man, I’m tired,” he said with a smile.

That’s the grind of having less than a week to prepare for the season as the No. 2-ranked Rainbow Warriors, who held their first official practices on Sunday, do what they can over five days to be ready to take the court on Friday in the season opener against New Jersey Institute of Technology at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

UH is holding three consecutive days of two-a-day practices before getting a day off for the holiday.

Friday’s match marks the first of eight over a 15-day period to start the season at home. Following UH’s match against Roberts Wesleyan on Jan. 16, the Rainbow Warriors won’t play at home again until March 4.

“We all know physically we can play with any team,” junior setter Tread Rosenthal said. “I think, mentally last year, we were a little immature at times, and we didn’t understand the full weight of every game matters and every point matters.”

Hawaii is coming off a 27-6 season that included a Big West Conference championship and an appearance in the national semifinals.

UH’s season ended in a three-set loss to UCLA, which went on to lose to Long Beach State in the final.

Hawaii returns six of its top seven kill leaders from last season, including Rosenthal, a third-year starter at setter who made the AVCA All-America first team last year.

Rosenthal was one of three Rainbow Warriors, along with sophomore outside Adrien Roure and opposite Kristian Titriyski, named to the Big West Men’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches Team on Monday.

Hawaii, which opens the season No. 2 in the country in the AVCA preseason rankings, was picked to finish second in the Big West behind Long Beach State in the preseason poll voted on by the league’s six head coaches.

UH defeated the Beach twice last year, including in the Big West tournament championship.

Hawaii was the only team to have three players selected to the preseason all-conference team.

“It’s fun to see the excitement surrounding the program and seeing the guys react to it,” Hawaii coach Charlie Wade said. “A guy like Roman (Payne), a guy like Trevell (Jordan) … I kind of laugh about it because they have no idea how much their lives are going to change in the next few months.”

Payne, a 7-foot freshman from Carlsbad, Calif., and Jordan, a 6-foot-10 sophomore transfer from Grand Canyon, are two new middle blockers who should enter the rotation right away.

Quintin Greenidge, a 5-foot-8 junior transfer from Canada, is the replacement for departed senior ‘Eleu Choy at libero and has been called by Rosenthal as a name to watch early in the season.

“I think Quintin is a very legit libero on the international stage and he has been very consistent for us in the practice gym,” Rosenthal said. “I know that that will translate to our games.”

The Rainbow Warriors are as loaded as any team in the country. Whether it was experienced three-year players in the program like Rosenthal or Sakanoko, or a newcomer like Jordan, everyone who spoke to the media Monday talked about finding consistency in every play on the court.

“It’s nice to hear that it’s seeping through a little bit. I’ve heard it back from some of them, but words are easy, action and lifestyle is a whole different thing,” Wade said. “Everybody loves the idea of being a champion and playing in front of sold-out crowds. Not everybody loves the lifestyle and not everybody embraces showing up every day and being the best version of yourself possible on a daily basis. It’s hard. It’s hard for anyone at any stage of life, let alone 19- and 20-year-olds.”

Assistant coach Kupono Fey has been promoted to associate head coach, taking over the role previously held by Milan Zarkovic, who departed for UCLA in the offseason. Donan Cruz will continue on the staff as an assistant coach.

Hawaii’s January schedule includes a pair of doubleheaders on Jan. 14 and 16.

UH will rotate a morning 11 a.m. match and an evening 7 p.m. match against Rockhurst and Roberts Wesleyan.

Loyola-Chicago, which UH hosts on Jan. 8 and 9, begins the season ranked No. 7 in the country. NJIT is the second team outside of the Top 20.

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Andrea Roman Signs With Wake Forest Volleyball

Published

40 minutes ago

December 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest volleyball and head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer announced the addition of Andrea Roman on Tuesday.

A transfer from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Roman will join the Demon Deacons’ roster for the 2026-27 school year with one final season of eligibility remaining. She spent each of the last three seasons as a member of the Trojans’ volleyball program.

Roman is the second individual to ink with the Deacs this winter, as Catherine Burke also recently signed on Dec. 17.

Andrea Roman | 5-4 | Defensive Specialist/Libero | Humacao, Puerto Rico | Little Rock

One of the country’s top defensive players this past fall as a junior, Roman ranked second in the NCAA in total digs, finishing the 2025 season with 632. That total was good for the most by a Trojan in a single season throughout program history at Little Rock. In addition, her 5.31 digs-per-set average ranked fourth nationally. Roman’s stellar play led to her being named the 2025 Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Defensive Player of the Year while also earning First Team All-OVC honors. Her clips in total digs and digs-per-set average both led the league. She had four performances of 30-plus digs and 13 with 20 or more while recording three of the top 10 single-match dig marks in program history during the season.

As a sophomore in 2024, Roman played in all 32 matches while making appearances in 125 sets. She led the team with a then-program record 624 digs and averaging 4.99 per set. Roman ranked first in the conference in total digs and fifth among all NCAA players. Her total ultimately helped Little Rock reach a new best single-season mark in digs as a team (2,227) through program history. She also played a notable role in the team’s setting tempo, finishing with 161 total assists. By the conclusion of the season, Roman was named Second Team All-OVC.

During her freshman season, Roman led the Trojans in digs (315) while seeing action in 22 matches and 79 sets played. She was also third on the roster in service aces (80). In all but one of the final 16 matches of the season, Roman led Little Rock in digs.

Andrea Roman Career Accolades & Accomplishments

2025 OVC Defensive Player of the Year

2025 First Team All-OVC

2024 Second Team All-OVC

Ranks No. 1 all-time in single-season digs (632) at Little Rock

Ranks No. 2 all-time in career digs (1,571) at Little Rock

Five-time OVC Defensive Player of the Week honoree

Personal
Andrea is the daughter of Sylvia Gonzalez and Julio Roman – she also has two older siblings. In the classroom, Andrea plans to study Health & Exercise Science during her time on campus.

From Coach Hulsmeyer

“I’m so happy to have Andrea joining us to bring depth and experience to our libero group. With Emma Farrell graduating, Andrea provides an experienced defender who averaged over five digs per set this past season and is someone who has seen a lot of tough serving in the OVC. Getting her to Wake Forest in January will allow us to acclimate her for the speed of the ACC. I’ve known her former coach, Van Compton, for many years, so not only is she a well-trained skilled player, she is also someone of great character. She will be a wonderful addition to the Wake Forest family.”

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Vote in the Lakeshore Elite volleyball player of the year poll

Published

56 minutes ago

December 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Dec. 30, 2025, 3:00 a.m. CT

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Meet the 2025 Press-Register All-Region volleyball team

Published

1 hour ago

December 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

High school volleyball teams in the Coastal Region won three state championships this season and 13 teams earned spots in the AHSAA state championship tournament.

McGill-Toolen dominated Class 7A, winning its fourth straight title and 25th AHSAA state championship while Spanish Fort won its second straight Class 6A title and fifth overall, all coming since 2015. Mobile Christian won its second straight Class 3A championship.

Class 3A St. Luke’s won to the title match before falling to Mobile Christian while Class 5A UMS-Wright and Class 4A Orange Beach each earned spots in the final four.

Other teams winning to the Elite Eight were Class 7A Bayside and St. Paul’s, Class 6A Saraland, Class 5A Faith Academy, Class 4A St. Michael and Class 1A Millry and Leroy.

The Press-Register All-Region team is compiled by the AL.com high school sports staff with input from coaches.

AL.com named Player of the Year, Attacker MVP, Defensive MVP, Setter MVP and Coach of the Year. Award winners are listed separately, but considered first-team selections.

PRESS-REGISTER ALL-REGION VOLLEYBALL TEAM

(Players listed alphabetically)

Zoẽ Beech, Spanish Fort

5-11, Sr., Middle

355 kills, 104 blocks, 404 digs, 59 aces

College: Undecided

Bennett Boulo, St. Paul’s

5-10, Sr., Setter/Right Side

1,091 assists, 354 kills, 51 blocks, 257 digs, 67 aces

College: Undecided

Grier Broughton, Bayside Academy

5-9, Sr., Outside Hitter

321 kills, 33 blocks, 171 digs, 20 aces

College: Undecided

Anna Grace Chason, Daphne

5-11, Sr., Right Side/Setter

1,024 assists, 233 kills, 37 blocks, 238 digs, 58 aces

College: Mississippi College

Caroline Downey, Spanish Fort

5-10, Sr., Outside Hitter

446 kills, 49 blocks, 336 digs, 55 aces

College: Mississippi College

Chloe Duggan, Faith Academy

5-6, Jr., Setter

701 assists, 43 kills, 25 blocks, 204 digs, 47 aces

College: Undecided

Haley Eldridge, Mobile Christian

5-6, Sr., Setter

1,006 assists, 43 kills, 34 blocks, 277 digs, 67 aces

College: Undecided

Baker Garside, St. Luke’s

5-6, Sr., Setter

1,018 assists, 99 kills, 9 blocks, 245 digs, 36 aces

College: Undecided

Victoria Holley, Spanish Fort

5-6, Sr., Libero

695 digs, 98 assists, 66 aces

College: Undecided

Cami Huff, McGill-Toolen

6-2, Sr., Middle

383 kills, 137 blocks, 23 digs

College: West Virginia

Hadley Kelly, Mobile Christian

6-1, Jr., Middle

463 kills, 139 blocks, 12 digs, 35 aces

College: Liberty

Catherine McClain, McGill-Toolen

5-9, Sr., Outside Hitter

538 kills, 41 blocks, 331 digs, 49 aces

College: Loyola

Payton McClarren, McGill-Toolen

5-2, Sr., Libero

534 digs, 75 assists, 69 aces

College: William Carey

Macey Moore, Gulf Shores

5-10, Sr., Setter/Right Side

336 kills, 430 assists, 77 blocks, 351 digs, 71 aces

College: North Florida beach volleyball

Kenly Nelson, Fairhope

5-11, Jr., Outside Hitter

333 kills, 49 blocks, 57 digs, 2 aces

College: Undecided

Charli Pearce, Saraland

6-0, Sr., Outside Hitter/Setter

368 kills, 504 assists, 36 blocks, 329 digs, 64 aces

College: South Alabama

Hayley Robinson, Bayside Academy

6-3, Sr., Right Side

370 kills, 70 blocks, 105 digs, 48 aces

College: Samford

Libby Rogers, Fairhope

5-8, Sr., Setter

710 assists, 166 kills, 33 blocks, 273 digs, 20 aces

College: Montevallo

Bella Rumley, Orange Beach

5-8, So., Outside Hitter

273 kills, 27 blocks, 42 digs, 46 aces

College: Undecided

Amelia Smith, St. Luke’s

6-0, Sr., Outside Hitter

543 kills, 50 blocks, 354 digs, 84 aces

College: UAH

Ella Clarie Sullivan, UMS-Wright

5-7, Sr, Libero

418 digs, 120 assists, 82 aces

College: Undecided

MK Whitehurst, Bayside Academy

5-3, Sr., Libero

504 digs, 59 assists, 44 aces

College: Undecided

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

AHSAA Volleyball 7A Championship — McGill-Toolen’s Alice Wood celebrates after wining set point in the third set to give McGill-Toolen a two-sets-to-one lead against Thompson during the AHSAA Class 7A volleyball state championship at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (Vasha Hunt | preps@al.com) Vasha Hunt

Alice Wood, McGill-Toolen

5-9, Jr., Setter

Region second-best 1,362 assists, region-best 27.8 assists per match average, 57 kills, 76 blocks, 302 digs, 61 aces

College: Kansas State

ATTACKER MVP

Daphne's Ella Lomax — Daphne’s Ella Lomax watches her attack during 2025 action. (Dennis Victory | preps@al.com)Dennis Victory

Ella Lomax, Daphne

5-11, Sr., Outside Hitter

Region-best 753 kills, region-best 13.45 kills per match average, 35 blocks, 313 digs, 81 aces

College: UNA

DEFENSIVE MVP

AHSAA Volleyball 3A Championship — Mobile Christian’s Melissa Patel dives for an attack during the AHSAA Class 3A volleyball state championship at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Dennis Victory | preps@al.com)Dennis Victory

Melissa Patel, Mobile Christian

5-5, Sr., Libero

684 digs, 57 assists, 40 aces

College: Southwest Baptist

SETTER MVP

AHSAA Volleyball 6A Championship — Spanish Fort’s Cailyn Boykin sets the ball against Hazel Green during the AHSAA Class 6A volleyball state championship at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Dennis Victory | preps@al.com)Dennis Victory

Cailyn Boykin, Spanish Fort

5-8, Jr., Setter

Region-best 1,638 assists, 68 kills, 32 blocks, 351 digs, 66 aces

College: Undecided

COACHES OF THE YEAR

Kate Wood, McGill-Toolen

Gretchen Boykin, Spanish Fort

Mallory Boyington, Mobile Christian

HONORABLE MENTION

Outside Hitter/Right Side: Brooklyn McIlwain, Faith Academy, Sr.; Alexis Scott, Mobile Christian, Sr.; Marissa Smith, St. Paul’s, Fr.; Skylar Courtney, UMS-Wright, Sr.; LillyAnne Doggette, Millry, Sr.; Myah Skanes, Saraland, Jr.; Jaedyn Lang, McGill-Toolen, Sr.; Breanna Stokley, Millry, Sr.; Chandler Thomas, UMS-Wright, Sr.

Middle: Chelsey McReary, T.R. Miller, Jr.; Reece Wilmott, Bayside Academy, Jr.; Mikadyn Cauley, Faith Academy, Jr.; Natalie Maxwell, Spanish Fort, So.; Gabi Berlage, Fairhope, Sr.; Maddie McKinley, Washington County, Sr.; Raina Gunter, Washington County, Sr.; Lily Willingham, Saraland, Sr.

Setter: Sophie Hester, Bayside Academy, Jr.; Grace Thigpen, Daphne, Sr.; Ivey Marston, St. Paul’s, Sr.; Ella Bilbo, Orange Beach, Sr.

Defensive Specialist/Libero: Ava Hodo, Orange Beach, Sr.; Emma Kate Frazier, St. Luke’s, Fr.; Kendall Dougherty, St. Paul’s, Sr.; Addy Busby, Fairhope, Jr.

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UNT Student-Athletes Boast Record Setting G.P.A.

Published

8 hours ago

December 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

DENTON – This past fall semester UNT student-athletes achieved the highest departmental grade point average in Mean Green history with a 3.457.

For the first time ever all 14 athletic programs earned a semester G.P.A. above a 3.150. Six teams earned their highest semester G.P.A. in their respective program’s history and four others achieved their second highest semester G.P.A. in their program’s history.

This marked the 13th consecutive semester of a 3.0 or better department wide grade point average and the seventh consecutive semester that UNT improved on the previous semester’s departmental G.P.A.

“The Fall 2025 semester was an outstanding one for Mean Green Athletics in the classroom,” said UNT VP/Director of Athletics Jared Mosley. “Our student-athletes continue to demonstrate a commitment to academic excellence, and their success is a direct reflection of the support and expectations we have in place. I want to thank our academic services team, led by Suzanne Dickenson, for their leadership and dedication in supporting our student-athletes and helping them reach their full potential both on the field and in the classroom.”

For the sixth consecutive semester the UNT women’s golf team led the way for the department as they earned a 3.907 fall semester G.P.A.

The Mean Green tennis team has now recorded a team G.P.A. of 3.0 or better for 28 consecutive semesters. The UNT soccer team and swim and dive team have both also maintained streaks of 20-plus consecutive semesters with a team G.P.A. above a 3.0.

Fifty-two UNT student-athletes this past fall earned a 4.0 grade point average. The Mean Green women’s track team led the way as they had 11 student-athletes named to the prestigious 2025 Fall President’s List. The tennis team had the highest percentage of student-athletes earning President’s List honors as 72% of its roster had a 4.0 G.P.A.

The UNT men’s basketball, men’s cross country, men’s track and field, women’s basketball, women’s cross country and women’s track and field teams all earned their highest semester G.P.A.s in program history.

Lastly, 47 UNT student-athletes earned their diplomas this past fall.

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Sports

Spencer McLachlin Named Head Coach at UC San Diego

Published

14 hours ago

December 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LA JOLLA, Calif. – Third-year USC women’s volleyball associate head coach Spencer McLachlin was hired for his first appointment as a head coach and will lead the UC San Diego women’s volleyball program, UCSD Director of Athletics Andy Fee announced on Tuesday, Dec. 23.

McLachlin becomes the eighth head coach in UCSD program history and will coach the Tritons in their final season as members of the Big West (2026) before the program transitions to the West Coast Conference ahead of the 2027 campaign. He joins JJ Van Niel (Arizona State), Tyler Hildebrand (Saint Mary’s College), and Amy Pauly (Orlando Valkyries) as former USC assistants under Brad Keller who have moved into head coaching positions.

“This opportunity is no surprise and has been a long time coming for Spencer,” said Keller. “UCSD is getting one of the best coaches in the game. Spencer and I have worked together in many different phases of our careers, and I know USC is in a better place with a brighter future for everything he has done here. Spencer is an innovator, a creator, and most importantly, a dreamer. Our game needs more leaders like him. I couldn’t be prouder of what he has done and for this new opportunity for him and his family.”

In his three seasons at USC, McLachlin helped lead the Women of Troy to three straight NCAA tournament appearances. The Trojans advanced to the second round in each of their three postseason berths. Most recently, McLachlin helped USC reach 25 wins and finish in a tie for third place in the Big Ten. Six Trojans received awards on all-conference teams and USC led the league in blocking (2.76 bps). The Trojans also ranked second (12th in the NCAA) in total blocks (322.5) and were second for opponent hitting percentage (.184). OH London Wijay earned AVCA All-America honorable mention.

With McLachlin on staff in 2024, USC advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the third straight year and finished 22-10 overall with a 13-7 mark in the Big Ten (tied for sixth). Setter Mia Tuaniga was named to the AVCA All-America third team. In his first season with the Women of Troy, McLachlin helped USC go 19-13 with a 12-8 mark in the Pac-12 for a fifth-place finish. That season, OH Skylar Fields was honored with AVCA All-America first-team recognition.

McLachlin is married to former USC volleyball standout opposite hitter Diane Copenhagen (2004-07), a 2004 Pac-10 All-Freshman Team selection. The McLachlins are parents to two daughters, Leila and Malia, and a son named Koa.

The 14th-ranked Trojans (25-7, 15-5 Big Ten) finished the regular season tied for third in the Big Ten and were awarded one of 33 at-large berths—and a hosting bid—into the 2025 NCAA tournament. USC made its fourth straight appearance in the tourney under sixth-year head coach Brad Keller (41st all-time) and moved into the second round for the fourth consecutive year with a 3-0 sweep of Princeton. The Women of Troy were eliminated from postseason play in a hard-fought five-set loss to Cal Poly in the second round.

For more information on the USC women’s volleyball team, please visit USCTrojans.com/WVB. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow @USCWomensVolley on X, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

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