Sports
Fremantle Launches Non
Indie production powerhouse Fremantle is pushing hard into sports content with the launch of a new division, Fremantle Sports, to focus on non-scripted and factual documentaries, as well as digital formats, in the wide world of sporting competition. Owain Walbyoff has been appointed to the new job of director of sports at Fremantle, charged with […]


Indie production powerhouse Fremantle is pushing hard into sports content with the launch of a new division, Fremantle Sports, to focus on non-scripted and factual documentaries, as well as digital formats, in the wide world of sporting competition.
Owain Walbyoff has been appointed to the new job of director of sports at Fremantle, charged with expanding the company’s sports content offering. The new global sports entertainment unit has been spearheaded by Amelia Brown, CEO Fremantle UK; Gabriella Carriere, Group Head of Strategy; Georgette Schlick, CEO Fremantle Northern Europe; Jeff Hasler, President Original Productions; and Mark Reynolds, Global Head of Documentaries and Factual.
The division will tap production subsidiaries already in the Fremantle fold, including the likes of 72 Films (producers of award-winning sports documentary series All or Nothing for Amazon), Germany’s UFA’s (All or Nothing: German National Team); Fremantle Australia (Matildas: The World At Our Feet for Disney+), and Italy’s Wildside (My Name is Francesco Totti for Sky).
The launch of Fremantle Sports is part of Fremantle’s overall growth strategy, which has seen the company expand its drama and film division — through multiple acqusitions — in a bid to strength its position on the global market.
Fremantle’s parent company, European broadcasting giant RTL, has made growing its content and streaming businesses a priority, to counteract the decline in its traditional commercial TV operations.
“Expanding our sports capabilities is an exciting next step in our growth strategy, following the successful blueprint that has delivered continued growth across our drama & film and documentaries pillars,” said Fremantle CEO Jennifer Mullin in a statement. “We already have a strong offering for the genre, which we are thrilled to be evolving with Fremantle Sports under the expert guidance of Amelia, Gabriella, Georgette, Jeff, Mark and Owain. We look forward to providing global audiences with compelling sports storytelling and sports formats that engage the passions and desires of fans around the world.”
Sports
Battle of the Editors: Which UCLA team had the most disappointing finish to its Big Ten debut?
With just softball and baseball remaining in the postseason hunt, UCLA’s first year in the Big Ten is nearly in the books. From championship glory to painful upsets, this year delivered a full spectrum of highs and heartbreaks for the Bruins. As the year winds down, Daily Bruin Sports editors weigh in on which UCLA […]

With just softball and baseball remaining in the postseason hunt, UCLA’s first year in the Big Ten is nearly in the books. From championship glory to painful upsets, this year delivered a full spectrum of highs and heartbreaks for the Bruins. As the year winds down, Daily Bruin Sports editors weigh in on which UCLA team had the most disappointing finish.
Ira Gorawara
Sports editor
Team: Men’s basketball
Hope was in short supply for UCLA men’s basketball in the 2023-2024 season – and so were the highlights.
Adem Bona was the lone spark in an otherwise dim campaign – the Bruins treaded water in the Pac-12 and ranked a dismal 152nd in offensive efficiency, with most of the roster unable to crack a 100 offensive rating.
But as the transfer portal tends to do these days, it flipped coach Mick Cronin’s 2024-2025 plans on their head before the season tipped off.
Hype engulfed the Bruins, who had landed key prospects from the portal including veteran Kobe Johnson, four-stars Dominick Harris, Skyy Clark and Tyler Bilodeau – to name a few.
The pieces were there – on paper, at least – enough to fuel preseason optimism in Westwood and talk of a bounce-back year, deep rotation and a chance to make noise in the team’s Big Ten debut.
For a minute, it felt like Cronin pulled off the reset the program desperately craved in the 2024 offseason.
But basketball isn’t played on paper.
Chemistry felt off on Cronin’s unit all season long. Rotations shifted constantly, the offense stalled far too often and what should’ve been a cohesive unit appeared more like a collection of talented strangers.
The defense – usually a Cronin staple – lacked bite, and the late-game execution that once defined his best squads were nowhere to be found.
As the hype train derailed the Bruins’ season, UCLA’s lifeline ended in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament, at the hands of Tennessee at Rupp Arena.
Disjointed offense, untimely turnovers and an abysmal effort from the charity stripe characterized too many postseason games.
For a program that prides itself on postseason pedigree, bowing out in the first weekend – even in a loaded Big Ten transition year – felt like a gut punch.
All the portal moves and preseason buzz fizzled when it mattered most. The disappointment lingers.
Kai Dizon
Assistant Sports editor
Team: Football

Coach DeShaun Foster’s rookie campaign was awry six games into the season, with the Bruins on a five-game losing streak and yet to eclipse 20 points on offense in a single contest.
Then, quarterback Ethan Garbers, who already had nine interceptions at the time, turned in a career day against Rutgers in Piscataway, New Jersey – tossing for 383 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-32 victory for UCLA football.
Foster proclaimed UCLA’s athletic director Martin Jarmond “hired the right guy” after defeating Nebraska 27-20 the following weekend. And against Iowa on Nov. 8, the running game that had been stuck in the trenches all season, exploded for 211 yards in a 20-17 win.
All of a sudden, the Bruins were 4-5, and just needed to win two of their final three contests to make a bowl game.
But Garbers was sacked six times in Seattle and the Bruins’ running backs were held to 40 yards as UCLA fell 31-19 to Washington.
In a do-or-die Battle for the Bell at the Rose Bowl, UCLA floundered again. Garbers had just one touchdown, and despite 99 rushing yards, first-string running back T.J. Harden failed to find paydirt.
The Bruins led 13-9 heading into the final quarter, but the Trojans put up 10 unanswered.
Yes, UCLA closed out the season with a 20-13 win over Fresno State, but I sure didn’t care. And given that it was Thanksgiving break, not many students did either. With a 5-7 record, the Bruin faithful were left with a sour introduction to the Fos Era.
Evidently, many of the team’s players were too.
On top of the players leaving via the NFL Draft or graduation – like Garbers, Carson Schwesinger, Oluwafemi Oladejo and Moliki Matavao – the Bruins lost J.Michael Sturdivant, Logan Loya, Niki Prongos and Harden to the transfer portal as practically every notable name from the 2024 roster would be absent come 2025.
Aaron Doyle
Assistant Sports editor
Team: Cross country

The pressure of qualifying for the national championship can make or break a team.
And in 2024, it seemed to have broken UCLA cross country.
Graduate student Michael Mireles carried much of the burden of qualification, earning UCLA’s first-ever podium finish at a Big Ten championship after placing second in the men’s 8K race.
The conference victory seemed like momentum that could have carried Mireles to the national championships, but it quickly slipped away at the NCAA West Regional on Nov. 15.
The men’s team opted to forgo a five-man lineup, forcing Mireles to qualify as an individual. A top-five finish would have punched his ticket to the national championship race.
Mireles looked to be in national-qualifying contention as he sat in fifth with just 1.8 kilometers to go. But at the 9K split, Mireles dropped to 17th and ultimately finished 21st, blowing his chances of going to nationals.
While the competition was stiff, Mireles seemed more than capable of making the cut. Mireles breezed right past Washington’s Nathan Green, Evan Jenkins and Tyrone Gorze, as well as Oregon’s Aiden Smith and Simeon Birnbaum at the Big Ten championships – but fell short to them when it mattered most.
Assistant coach Andrew Ferris blamed inexperience for the graduate student’s shortcomings, but there is still more to come from Mireles – just not as a Bruin.
Mireles has already announced his transfer to Oregon following the end of the outdoor track season, joining one of the teams that dashed his hopes in 2024.
Connor Dullinger
Assistant Sports editor
Team: Men’s soccer

When UCLA men’s soccer fell 1-0 in Westwood to Loyola Marymount in the 2023 NCAA tournament’s second round, many thought the Bruins were destined for revenge come 2024.
Few imagined the Bruins would let the embarrassment of a postseason upset grace Wallis Annenberg Stadium for a second consecutive year.
But that’s exactly what happened.
Despite missing three penalty kicks to fall in the Big Ten tournament semifinals to Michigan, UCLA still managed to earn an at-large bid to 2024’s NCAA tournament, where it faced a UC Santa Barbara team that tied Westmont 2-2 – a squad that UCLA defeated 5-1 just 10 days after Santa Barbara’s draw.
And in keeping with UCLA’s season-long offensive struggles, the Gauchos shut out the Bruins. UCSB outshot UCLA by eight and advanced to the second round after defeating the Bruins 1-0 in Westwood.
Not only did the Bruins fall in dramatic fashion in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, but they were also defeated 3-1 at home by Cal State Fullerton and 4-1 by Wisconsin in the regular season.
They also dropped crucial points on untimely goals, conceding two unanswered goals in the final 16 minutes of a 2-2 draw to Penn State and conceding an equalizer in the last 10 minutes to Michigan in a 3-3 tie.
Despite the squad’s deep roster and seven clean sheets, the Bruins failed to capitalize when they were expected to and gave up crucial goals when it mattered most.
Una O’Farrell
Assistant Sports editor
Team: Women’s water polo

Pulling off an undefeated season – one that resulted in the first national championship in 15 years for UCLA women’s water polo – is a hefty feat, almost impossible to replicate.
A 1.000 winning percentage wasn’t necessarily coach Adam Wright’s top priority heading into the 2025 season – earning back-to-back national titles was.
And with the return of two of the 2024’s roster’s top three scorers and ACWPC National Player of the Year sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Steele, along with the addition of two-time All-American junior center Bia Mantellato, it seemed the 2025 Bruins were well-poised to make a return to glory.
But the team struggled with early losses, with a 14-4 defeat to Stanford, 2025’s eventual national champions, marking UCLA’s worst loss differential since 2010.
The Cardinal handed the Bruins’ half of its 2025 losses, but maybe the most gut-wrenching of the trio came in an overtime defeat for the MPSF crown.
And with Stanford and UCLA sitting on opposite sides of the NCAA tournament’s bracket, many predicted the two to meet again in Indianapolis.
But the reigning MPSF and NCAA champions were unable to even make the title match after suffering a 15-13 loss to the Trojans, sending the Bruins home without the opportunity to defend their national title.
In 2024, Wright said that the Bruins were “back on the map.” But just less than a year later, they’d fall just short of the very greatness they swore would become a habit.
Sabrina Messiha
Assistant Sports editor
Team: Women’s basketball

Twelve weeks atop the AP regular season poll was not enough.
The first No. 1 seed in program history was not enough.
The first Final Four appearance in NCAA history was not enough.
Despite a year stacked with accolades, awards and trophies, UCLA women’s basketball was unable to take home the biggest reward – a NCAA championship.
While the Final Four outing doesn’t undermine the ground-breaking successes of the program, the nature of the loss makes for the most disappointing season end. All eyes were on UCLA to bring home a national championship, but they were upset by a No. 2 seed UConn.
It was more than an upset – it felt like a complete obliteration. The Huskies’ 85-51 over the Bruins marked the largest winning margin in NCAA Final Four history.
After UCLA maintained a perfect record against all schools except USC, it fell to a new foe. The Huskies were able to shut down junior center Lauren Betts, forcing the ball to a thoroughly defended perimeter.
“We wanted to take away their 3s, but we also wanted to make things hard for Lauren Betts,” said former UConn star guard Paige Bueckers.
And that is exactly what the Huskies did.
Only four Bruins scored in the first half. Only three players put up points from the field until the final quarter. UCLA put up just 13 points in the final 10 minutes of its season, as UConn ran away with a 34-point win.
And in the meantime, UCLA students gathered in Pauley Pavilion watched their team crumble.
Next season presents another opportunity for the Bruins to bring home the trophy. And if they don’t, may their fall be more graceful.
Sports
Championship Central: Kylee Doherty to compete in Discus and Javelin on Thursday
Story Links GENEVA, Ohio – Kylee Doherty will compete Thursday at the NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships at the SPIRE Institute Outdoor Track & Field facility. Doherty is set to compete in the discus throw and javelin throw on Thursday, May 22. SCHEDULE: Doherty will compete in the discus […]

GENEVA, Ohio – Kylee Doherty will compete Thursday at the NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships at the SPIRE Institute Outdoor Track & Field facility. Doherty is set to compete in the discus throw and javelin throw on Thursday, May 22.
SCHEDULE: Doherty will compete in the discus throw at 1:00 p.m. eastern time on Thursday. She will follow that up with the javelin throw at 3:30 p.m. eastern time. To view the full schedule of events, click here.
LIVE LINKS: The NCAA will be providing live coverage of the event with video and statistics. Click here to find live video. Live results can be found here.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
One year ago, Kylee Doherty was the first ever Track & Field All-American in Edgewood College history. Doherty claimed Second Team All-America honors following a 13th place finish in the discus throw with a mark of 43.22 meters. In 2025, Doherty is looking to reach new heights. The junior, now a three-time national qualifier, beams with confidence when asked about the national meet. Doherty will compete in two events for the first time, qualifying fifth in the nation in the javelin throw and 21st in the discus throw.
Doherty’s javelin qualifying mark, and school record, was set back on April 24 at the UW-Whitewater Drake Alternative Meet. The junior posted a victory with a distance of 43.72 meters in her final throw of the day. Doherty’s discus qualifying mark came at the Augustana Midwest Twilight Qualifier on May 15. Doherty won the event with a discus mark of 45.31 meters.
STATISTICS: Check out the historical statistics of Kylee here.
Sports
Piggott School Board hires volleyball coach at meeting
Band director Kyle Allmon updates the school board of the band progress and achievements. (TD photo/Gayla Johnon) The Piggott School Board met in regular session on Tuesday, May 13 will all board members present. For the start of the meeting, band director… Previous Post Rector students recognized at Governor’s Mansion Next Post RES holds kindergarten […]

Sports
Southern Oregon wins Cascade Conference All-Sports Championship
Southern Oregon wins Cascade Conference All-Sports Championship Published 11:56 pm Tuesday, May 20, 2025 By SOU Sports Information ASHLAND — The Cascade Collegiate Conference All-Sports Championship trophy is back in Southern Oregon’s possession. SOU was officially awarded the title — the athletic department’s first since winning four in a row from 2015-19 — when the points […]

Southern Oregon wins Cascade Conference All-Sports Championship
Published 11:56 pm Tuesday, May 20, 2025
ASHLAND — The Cascade Collegiate Conference All-Sports Championship trophy is back in Southern Oregon’s possession.
SOU was officially awarded the title — the athletic department’s first since winning four in a row from 2015-19 — when the points race was finalized this week. It arrived following a 2024-25 season in which the Raiders captured championships in softball, volleyball, women’s basketball, and men’s and women’s wrestling.
Points in the All-Sports race awarded based on finishes in CCC regular-season standings — except in the cases of cross country, golf, track and field, and wrestling, whose scores are based on finishes in postseason CCC championships. SOU accumulated 211.07 points, while College of Idaho was second with 202.76 and Eastern Oregon was third with 192.16.
In addition to the five first-place finishes, SOU earned second place in beach volleyball, women’s cross country and men’s soccer. The men’s golf team finished third, and the women’s golf and men’s basketball teams were fourth.
In sports with head-to-head wins and losses, SOU went 123-28-4 in conference play this season.
The All-Sports Championship trophy was first awarded in 2006-07. SOU has won it five times, more than any other active school.
SOU is one of 11 full members in the CCC, which also includes 10 associate members.
Sports
WATCH: Walker Buehler, Alex Cora ejected for arguing balls & strikes – 98.5 The Sports Hub
The third inning got quite heated at Fenway Park during Tuesday night’s 2-0 Red Sox win over the New York Mets. Starting pitcher Walker Buehler and manager Alex Cora got ejected from the ballgame for arguing balls and strikes, long an automatic punishment. However, the ejection was not without some controversy. Buehler can typically argue […]

The third inning got quite heated at Fenway Park during Tuesday night’s 2-0 Red Sox win over the New York Mets. Starting pitcher Walker Buehler and manager Alex Cora got ejected from the ballgame for arguing balls and strikes, long an automatic punishment.
However, the ejection was not without some controversy. Buehler can typically argue while literally on the mound, but appeared to get tossed because he left the mound and barked too closely at home plate umpire Mike Estabrook.
“He can say stuff from the mound. But once he comes off the mound, he’s leaving his position to argue balls and strikes,” reasoned the game’s crew chief Laz Diaz in a statement for a pool report (via Chris Cotillo of MassLive). “Once anybody leaves their position to argue balls and strikes, that’s an immediate ejection.”
The ruling seemed to cause a stir locally, because it appeared that Estabrook provoked Buehler by approaching him while he was still on the mound (i.e. remaining at his position). It was as if the ump baited Buehler into the ejection in the first place.
Buehler himself seemed to make such an argument, via X following the game: “Who cut the distance?”
In the end, the Red Sox were able to get the job done without Buehler and Cora, anyway. But the ejection was, expectedly, the talk of the game. Replacement manager Ramón Vázquez coached the Sox to victory with the bullpen for the second game in a row.
Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Read all his articles here, and follow him on X @LukeGraham05.
Sports
Tunnel to Towers Foundation Adds Rutgers, Penn State-Behrend Athletes to Growing NIL Program
PHOTO: Tunnel to Towers Foundation This blog contains links from which we may earn a commission. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced the expansion of its T2T Student-Athlete Advocate Program, adding two new students to the growing initiative designed to connect current student-athletes to the foundation’s mission and ensure young Americans “Never Forget” the sacrifices […]


PHOTO: Tunnel to Towers Foundation
This blog contains links from which we may earn a commission.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced the expansion of its T2T Student-Athlete Advocate Program, adding two new students to the growing initiative designed to connect current student-athletes to the foundation’s mission and ensure young Americans “Never Forget” the sacrifices made by first responders and military members.
The two students, Caitlin Collins, a freshman lacrosse player at Rutgers University, and Jack Holl, a senior water polo player at Pennsylvania State University-Behrend, stand alongside an elite roster of student-athletes from across the country representing the Foundation.
The program, launched in September 2021, is designed to help current student-athletes expand their personal brands while promoting the organization’s mission to honor first responders, military veterans, and their families.
To date, 18 student-athletes and young professionals have collaborated with the foundation to participate in the initiative.
“We are excited to expand the Tunnel to Towers Foundation Student-Athlete Advocate Program and have Jack and Caitlin join the ranks of other incredible student-athletes across the nation to raise awareness of the Foundation’s mission to do good,” said Tunnel to Towers CEO and Chairman Frank Siller.
“Not only are they champions in their respective sports, but they are becoming champions for America’s military and first responder families. Their commitment inspires hope and ensures the legacy of our fallen heroes lives on.”


On July 1, 2021, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) announced that all student-athletes would have the opportunity to benefit from their name, image, and likeness. Student-athletes can now engage in Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) activities consistent with the state’s law where the school is located.
Chosen Tunnel to Towers Foundation Student-Athlete Advocates are expected to familiarize themselves with the organization’s mission and talking points, participate in T2T events across the country, and engage with T2T followers through content creation on the Foundation’s website and social media channels.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is dedicated to honoring the sacrifice of FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller, who laid down his life to save others on September 11, 2001. For over 20 years, the Foundation has supported our nation’s first responders, veterans, and their families by providing these heroes and the families they leave behind with mortgage-free homes.
To date, Tunnel to Towers has delivered over 1,500 mortgage-free homes to our nation’s heroes and committed over $1 billion across all of our programs.
This year, the Foundation is delivering over 200 mortgage-free homes to catastrophically injured veterans and first responders, Gold Star families, and families of first responders who leave behind young children. Tunnel to Towers is also committed to eradicating veteran homelessness, providing over 10,000 of America’s homeless veterans with housing assistance and services to date.
Caitlin Collins
Caitlin Collins is a freshman at Rutgers University in New Jersey and a first-year student-athlete on the Women’s Lacrosse team this spring. She hails from Morristown, New Jersey, and comes from a long line of firefighters in her family.
She is the daughter of a firefighter captain, granddaughter of a retired firefighter, and great-granddaughter of a former battalion chief.
Caitlin’s personal experience growing up with first responders inspired her to become a T2T Student-Athlete Advocate and demonstrate to young Americans what it means to do good.
“I am very passionate about Tunnel to Towers and how they help the families of fallen military and first responders, especially because I grew up visiting my father’s fire station and have seen firsthand how much of an impact the organization makes on families and their communities. I am honored to represent the Tunnel to Towers Foundation as a member of its Student-Athlete Advocate Program, and I am thrilled by the opportunity to continue spreading its mission of doing good among my Gen Z peers.” – Caitlin Collins, Rutgers University Women’s Lacrosse.
Jack Holl
Jack Holl is a senior at Pennsylvania State University-Behrend, where he is positioned in the two-meter and captain of the Men’s Water Polo team.
Jack is originally from Greenwich, Connecticut, and comes from a large family with deep roots in the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Fire Department of New York (FDNY).
His father tragically lost his best friend, FDNY firefighter John Daniel Marshall, on 9/11, and raised Jack to understand the sacrifice of our heroes who gave their lives that day.
“From a young age, my father instilled in me a profound respect for all first responders and members of our armed forces and emphasized the importance of supporting those who protect us. I am proud to join the Tunnel to Towers Student-Athlete Advocate Program to honor and Never Forget the memory of my best friend, John Daniel Marshall, and all of the heroes who make sacrifices each and every day to keep our country and communities safe.”– Jack Holl, Pennsylvania State University Men’s Water Polo
PHOTO: Tunnel to Towers Foundation
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