RENO, Nev. – Aaliyah Jenkins’ added yet another jewel to the crown of her Nevada Softball career, being named  Nevada Athletics’ 2024-25 recipient of the Ruth Russell Award.

Jenkins is the third Wolf Pack softball student athlete to claim the honor in the last five years, following Sadaria McAlister (2021) and Chelie Senini (2024).

Established in 1996 and named for former Nevada Director of Women’s Athletics Ruth Russell (1948-69), the award is given out annually to Nevada’s top female student athlete in their final year of eligibility and in good academic standing.

Jenkins was named Nevada’s first All-American since 2008 when she earned second-team honors from D1Softball in May. Her four-year Wolf Pack career (2022-25) included four All-Mountain West honors, three to the First Team (2022, 2024-25), and being named Mountain West Freshman of the Year in 2022.

She capped her final season by being voted Mountain West Player of the Year and helping lead Nevada to its first Mountain West regular season championship in 2025.

Jenkins’ career numbers are among the best of any member of the program. She wrapped her career as the program’s all-time leader in home runs (54), RBIs (196), total bases (447), slugging percentage (.719), while also ranking in the Wolf Pack top 10 in runs (second, 171), walks (second, 95), stolen bases (second, 83), doubles (fourth, 52), triples (t-fourth, 9), on-base percentage (fifth, .442), hits (sixth, 215), batting (eighth, .346), games played (t-ninth, 212), and games started (10th, 209).

Jenkins put up arguably the best individual season in program history in 2025, as along with her All-America recognition and Mountain West honors she was named to the NFCA All-Mountain First Team. The Tracy, Calif., native ranked in the top 50 nationally in slugging percentage (11th, .916), batting average (13th, .446), total bases (14th, 152), on-base percentage (18th, .546), runs (20th, 64), doubles (21st, 17), stolen bases (22nd, 31), RBIs (44th, 60), and hits (45th, 74).

The Tracy, Calif. native won five Mountain West Player of the Week awards in 2025, the first player to do so in 20 years. In conference regular-season games, Jenkins led the Mountain West in batting average (.522), on-base percentage (.607), slugging percentage (1.159), runs (29), hits (36), RBI (32), triples (four), home runs (10), total bases (80), and stolen bases (16). Jenkins set a Mountain West senior record with her batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, triples, and stolen bases.

Earlier this month, I shared my thoughts on LinkedIn about the need for a funded professional players association to address the lack of structural protection and representation for athletes in Australian Sports Commission (ASC), funded sports. The response was overwhelming.

What stood out most was the number of prominent voices who have competed at the elite level, particularly our Olympic and Paralympians, who echoed the same sentiment; we have a serious gap.

Equally powerful were the endorsements from professionals working in athlete welfare, human rights, and sport integrity, who confirmed what many already know, the current frameworks under the ASC and Sport Integrity Australia (SIA), while important, are not enough on their own.

Regrettably, what is clear from the response is that many who recognise this gap do so because they’ve seen the consequences firsthand. Either through their own experiences or by through providing services and support to others who have fallen through the cracks.

The Case for Change

Many of our top athletes funded by the ASC, the majority of which are Olympic and Para-Olympic sports train and compete at a professional level yet aren’t recognised or protected as such.

Unlike players in the AFL, NRL or cricket, who are employees, these athletes often sign short term agreements with their National Sporting Organisations (NSOs), leaving them without the legal rights or protections offered by the Fair Work Act.

This creates a unique and outdated imbalance: Athletes operate like employees but without the bargaining power or basic safeguards of one.

Independent reviews, including the Australian Human Rights Commission’s review into Gymnastics Australia and the Athlete Wellbeing Study, reveal consistent, troubling themes:

• Athletes fear speaking out due to retribution
• Complaint pathways lack trust and credibility
• Power imbalances between athletes and sporting bodies remain unchecked

These issues aren’t unique to gymnastics. Similar concerns have emerged from reviews into other ASC-funded sports, including Athletics Australia, Rowing Australia, Swimming Australia, Hockey Australia and Volleyball Australia, all highlighting governance failures, cultural issues, and the lack of trusted, independent athlete representation.

That’s why I believe it’s time for a funded, independent Professional Players Association, separate from SIA and focused solely on the rights and welfare of ASC supported athletes.

It would be a nationally endorsed body that automatically represents all ASC funded sports, particularly those that currently lack formal, professional athlete representation.

This body would:

• Provide independent representation and advocacy

• Support athletes in disputes, contracts, and wellbeing

• Help level the playing field between athletes and institutions

Professional players associations have proven their value time and again.

We’ve seen them fight for pay equity, secure maternity and mental health protections, and give athletes a real voice. NRL, basketball, AFL, and others have shown what’s possible when representation is resourced and respected.

With real athlete buy-in and professional leadership, this national body would compel sporting organisations to listen, negotiate, and improve conditions across the board.

This isn’t a critique of what exists it’s an acknowledgment that athletes deserve the same protection, voice, and respect as their professional peers in broadcast sports.

If the training, commitment, and performance expectations are the same, then the support, rights, and representation should be too, the fact that some sports have more money shouldn’t determine which athletes are better protected.

A Call for Change

The response to my LinkedIn post highlight that this isn’t an isolated concern. There is a consensus across athletes, administrators, and experts that we need an additional service to operate within the current model.

A call to action is needed, both from current and former athletes who have experienced the gaps, who carry the stories and who can substantiate through their own experiences just how much a professional players association is needed.

Again, this is not about replacing what exists, it’s in addition to, and purely for the purpose of addressing issues that should not be ignored.

About the Author

Kalindi Commerford is a practicing lawyer and former Hockeyroo who also served as the players representative on the Australian Hockey Players Association from 2018-2022.

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Elite training facilities worldwide have quietly adopted these sophisticated protocols, which involve strategic fluid manipulation that extends far beyond traditional water consumption. The results speak for themselves: measurable improvements in endurance, enhanced temperature regulation and superior cardiovascular efficiency during competition.

This scientific approach to hydration optimization has emerged from rigorous research conducted in sports medicine laboratories, where investigators have uncovered how precisely timed fluid intake can create distinct physiological advantages. The findings challenge decades of accepted hydration practices and offer athletes a proven pathway to unlock previously untapped performance potential.

Revolutionary fluid science transforms performance

Modern research has revealed startling insights about the human body’s response to calculated fluid loading strategies. When executed with precision, these advanced protocols can increase blood plasma volume by approximately 1.5 percent of total body weight, creating measurable advantages that translate directly into competitive success.

The enhanced fluid state delivers cascading benefits throughout multiple body systems. Athletes experience dramatically reduced cardiovascular strain during high-intensity efforts, as expanded blood volume enables more efficient oxygen delivery to working muscles. This physiological enhancement becomes particularly pronounced during extended competitions where maintaining peak output over time determines victory or defeat.

Temperature regulation represents another crucial advantage of strategic hyperhydration. The expanded fluid reserves help athletes maintain lower core temperatures during exertion, preventing the performance-crushing effects of overheating that plague competitors using traditional hydration methods. Enhanced sweat production capabilities create a superior natural cooling system that becomes increasingly valuable as exercise intensity and duration increase.

Athletes implementing these protocols consistently demonstrate superior cognitive function during extended efforts. Mental sharpness remains intact as physical fatigue accumulates, allowing for better tactical decisions and maintained reaction times when competitions reach critical moments.

Precision timing unlocks maximum benefits

The effectiveness of advanced hydration protocols depends entirely on strategic timing across multiple phases of preparation and performance. Sports scientists have mapped five distinct windows that form the backbone of successful implementation, each requiring specific approaches tailored to the body’s evolving needs.

Strategic pre-loading phase

The process begins four hours before intense activity, when athletes consume calculated fluid and electrolyte combinations. Research establishes optimal intake targets of 5 to 7 milliliters per kilogram of body weight during this crucial window, providing sufficient time for absorption and distribution throughout the system.

Maintenance and fine-tuning

Two hours before exercise, focus shifts to preserving elevated hydration while avoiding fluid accumulation that could impair performance. This delicate balance requires athletes to consume smaller volumes at regular intervals, maintaining optimal status without creating discomfort or digestive issues.

Competition readiness

The immediate pre-exercise period involves final adjustments based on individual tolerance and environmental conditions. During activity, replacement strategies must account for ongoing losses while avoiding the serious risks associated with excessive fluid intake.

Recovery optimization

Post-exercise hydration serves dual purposes: restoring fluid balance and preparing the body for subsequent training sessions. This recovery window presents opportunities to support natural repair processes while maintaining the enhanced hydration state for future performance demands.

Electrolyte mastery drives success

Successful hyperhydration transcends simple water consumption to encompass sophisticated electrolyte management. Sodium functions as the primary regulator of fluid distribution, making its precise calibration absolutely essential for protocol effectiveness and athlete safety.

Scientific investigations have established optimal sodium concentrations between 2,990 and 3,772 milligrams per liter of fluid for maintaining proper cellular function. This specific range prevents dangerous fluid shifts that could compromise both performance outcomes and athlete wellbeing.

Elite athletes achieve these targets through strategic nutritional choices rather than relying exclusively on supplements. Consuming sodium-rich broths, soups and specially formulated foods provides steady absorption rates while delivering additional nutrients that support comprehensive performance enhancement.

Personalized protocols maximize individual potential

The most successful hyperhydration strategies account for significant individual variations in physiological response to fluid loading. Body composition influences absorption rates and distribution patterns, while environmental factors such as temperature and humidity dramatically affect ongoing hydration requirements.

Female athletes often require modified approaches due to hormonal fluctuations that impact fluid retention characteristics. Training experience levels also influence adaptation capabilities, suggesting that athletes new to hyperhydration should implement protocols gradually to allow proper physiological adjustment.

Environmental conditions play particularly crucial roles in protocol design. Hot, humid environments accelerate fluid losses through increased sweating, demanding more aggressive replacement strategies. Cooler conditions may permit conservative approaches while maintaining optimal hydration status throughout competition.

Advanced monitoring ensures safety and effectiveness

Successful hyperhydration implementation requires sophisticated monitoring systems to ensure both safety and optimal results. Athletes must track multiple physiological indicators to assess their body’s response and make necessary real-time adjustments.

Regular weight measurements provide objective feedback about fluid retention, while urine color analysis offers immediate visual assessment of hydration status. Heart rate responses during exercise indicate whether protocols are delivering expected cardiovascular benefits, while sweat rate calculations inform replacement needs during activity.

Building championship-level practices

Long-term success demands gradual implementation and consistent monitoring. Athletes should increase fluid intake progressively, allowing physiological adaptation without experiencing performance decrements or safety concerns.

Integration with comprehensive nutritional strategies maximizes effectiveness. Carbohydrate timing affects fluid retention capabilities, while protein consumption influences cellular hydration status. Strategic meal planning ensures all elements work synergistically to support peak performance outcomes.

As sports science advances, hyperhydration stands as a proven method for athletes seeking evidence-based performance improvements. When implemented thoughtfully and monitored carefully, these protocols provide meaningful competitive advantages that help elite performers reach their absolute potential.

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When veteran local photographer Horace Dozier Sr. came to the University of Dayton basketball offices to shoot a picture of Flyers’ head coach Anthony Grant and his wife Chris for the Dayton Skyscrapers project, he brought along his own wife, Juanita.

“She and Chris hit if off right away,” Dozier said quietly

If the women’s personalities meshed, so too did their sense of familial love…and painful loss.

Since the Dayton Skyscrapers venture was launched in 2007 by Bing Davis, the internationally acclaimed artist, longtime educator and local treasure, none of the 140 honorees and the regional artists who portrayed them have connected more than did the Grants with Dozier and his wife.

You don’t realize it when you’re looking at the loving photo of the Grants – with their late daughter Jayda smiling at them from behind – but in some ways you are also looking at the Doziers.

On May 30, 2022, Jayda Grant, who was just 20, took her own life.

Just 23 days earlier, Lamont Dozier, who was 51 and the oldest son of the Dozier’s, did the same thing.

The losses devasted both families.

Eventually it drew them together.

“They had heard our story and were willing to share theirs,” Grant said. “He and his wife talked about when they first approached this idea, they still were healing. We were able to connect with them on that. It was personal, but at the same time it was healing for them and us. I really appreciated that.”

Because of the elevated platform he has around here as the Dayton Flyers’ head coach and the similar standing he has nationally because he’s one of the college game’s most respected coaches, Grant had found a way he and Chris and their three sons could both honor Jayda, who they called Jay, and try to prevent other young people and their families from going through something similar.

With Chris spearheading the start of the Jay’s Light Foundation, a mental health and suicide prevention initiative, Anthony — backed by Flyers’ athletics director Neil Sullivan, UD president Dr. Eric Spina and eventually the Flyer Faithful — was instrumental in drawing attention to and raising funds for young people battling mental distress and bearing the stigma that often comes with it.

For the past two Octobers, UD has played a charity basketball exhibition — the first year against Ohio State; last season against Xavier — to add a national spotlight to the cause.

That’s been preceded each year by a Town Hall presentation at UD Arena with a keynote speaker, a panel discussion including the Grants and a mental health fair featuring several organizations that help people in need.

“I’ve wanted to do anything I could do to help them get the word out,” Dozier said. “Anthony has the notoriety to help make it happen, and we all have the need.”

The 2025 Dayton Skyscrapers exhibit — which features 19 honorees presented in a various mediums by 11 local artists — opened to the public eight days ago at the University of Dayton’s Roger Glass Center for the Arts. It will stay open until June 30.

But, as is the case each year, that ending is just the beginning for the Skyscraper images.

At the directive of Davis — who during his career taught at Colonel White High School and DePauw, Miami and Central State universities — a partnership was struck in 2010 with the Dayton Public Schools who began to permanently display the Skyscraper images in the 27 different schools it supervises.

“I always intended them to be more than just decoration though,” Davis said. “I wanted them to be a tool for learning.”

The project not only pays tribute to African American men and women whose achievements have made them stand tall in the region and often beyond, but it celebrates the local black artists who presented their visual images and stories.

“The Dayton Public Schools system is the first in the nation to have an extensive art collection by African American visual artists displayed in all its schools as an integral part of the learning experience,” Davis said.

The program is so unique, so respected, that over the years Davis has travelled the country — and made presentations in Russia and China, too — detailing the Skyscrapers project so others could create similar programs.

Celebrated as it is, the program’s funding is in jeopardy because of the Trump Administration’s cuts to public education programs.

Another blow to the Grant’s effort is coming from the NCAA, which this year is allowing college basketball programs to earn money from preseason exhibitions against outside competition, rather than just play for charitable causes.

“With the climate we’re in now, most people are going to play games this year to make money and bolster their NIL deals,” Grant said. “That will make it much harder to get the marque type game we’ve had the first two years.

“We’re still planning on having a game, but right now we don’t know just what it will look like. And we still plan to have the Town Hall. I feel that’s been helpful and well-received.”

Certainly, the need is still there.

According to groups such as the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, which Chris Grant is involved in:

And all that goes against the government’s current defunding of mental health programs for children.

The Trump Administration recently announced a $1 billion cut to school-based mental health services grants which were created under the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) in response to the Uvalde, Texas school shooting.

This withering blow comes at the same time Congressional leaders are trying to slash funding for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which together insures 37 million children in the U.S.

Against that bleak picture, the sanguine “Beat the Stigma” image, as Dozier entitled the photo of the Grants, takes on more purpose for young people and their families needing help when it comes to mental wellness.

Similar local roots

Dozier and Davis grew up in the same small, black neighborhood in Dayton’s predominately white, Appalachian-rooted inner East End.

“We came from the same neighborhood,” Davis said. “I grew up on Diamond Avenue and he grew up on Irwin. I used to pass their house on the way to school.”

While Dozier — who at 74 is 13 years younger than Davis — said he didn’t know Davis when he was growing up, he’d certainly heard of him.

“He was a legend in our neighborhood.”

Davis was a standout basketball and track athlete — both at Wilbur Wright High and DePauw University — and soon after was making a name for himself as an artist.

Dozier ended up at Roosevelt High and after graduating, he and Juanita, his high school sweetheart, married and had two children.

Horace Jr., the youngest, went on to an Air Force career and has shown the same artistic nature as his dad.

“Lamont wanted to be an engineer, but he began suffering symptoms and had to go under medical care,” Horace Sr. said. “He had a rough go of it.”

Right after Lamont’s death, Jayda Grant died as well.

Her passing not only rocked the UD campus — where she’d been on the track team after standout performances both at Chaminade Julienne High and, before that, at an Oklahoma City high school when her dad was an assistant coach with the NBA’s Thunder — but it shook the city of Dayton and the college basketball world.

Some 16 months after Jay’s death, the Grants met with me at their home south of the UD campus. It was the first time the couple spoke together publicly about their loss.

“We’re going through something that is the worst thing as a parent that you ever could go through,” Grant said then. “When something like this happens, your life is broken. So, while you find a way to pick up the broken pieces and glue them back together, the cracks are always going to be there.

“You can choose to deal with it in silence, by yourself, and not do anything and I’m not saying that’s wrong. Everybody grieves differently.”

He said they hoped they could stay strong enough to use his platform and try to help others in need:

“We want to honor our daughter and at the same time try to help break the stigma in terms of the way people view mental health and mental illness and suicide ideation (suicidal thoughts).

“And we want to allow people who are doing great work in the space to speak. We want to give people resources.

“We want to give them hope so you have a person saying, ‘Yesterday, I didn’t think I could come out of this, but now I think I can survive.’”

The real message

Grant had the Doziers meet him and Chris in his UD office, where several basketball remembrances are displayed.

A large mural of a sold-out UD Arena graces one wall. Near it is a big silver trophy and a net from the 29-2 season when the Flyers were unbeaten in the Atlantic 10. There’s a collection of basketballs designating milestone victories in Grant’s 17 years as a college head coach.

Dozier had the couple pose on the couch and made sure no hoops refences got in the photo. He didn’t want the real message to be lost.

To emphasize the Grants and the image of Jayda behind them, he kept both in color and made everything else in the picture black and white. That gave the photo a 3D effect.

“I thought the picture was well done,” Chris said. “It’s not so somber. It shows we’re doing well and getting through this, but is also keeps in mind that our daughter, who’s looking over our shoulders, is not with us.”

Dozier said some people have told him they see love between the Grants…and strength.

he 2025 Dayton Skyscrapers exhibit was unveiled at a gala reception at the Glass last Saturday evening.

“It was our first time at a Skyscrapers event,” Grant said. “Just hearing some of the work the other people had done in the community was pretty amazing.”

Chris agreed, saying, “It was a real honor to be a part of something like this. But after hearing all the great work the other recipients were doing, we were like ‘Wow, do we even belong here?’”

While the Grants certainly did belong — and their ongoing Jay’s Light efforts will continue to bolster their impact in the future — there’s no denying the other recipients were towering Skyscrapers.

A couple of other honorees also had sports ties, though like with the Grants, that’s not why they were recognized.

Ron Todd — the former Belmont High and Bowling Green football player who then became an agent representing football and baseball players who often were overlooked — was honored by artist Morris Howard for his past work as the minority affairs liaison for Governor Mike DeWine and his current position as the Chief of Social Impact and Opportunity for the Ohio Department of Development.

And Irving Moses, the father of legendary Dayton Olympian Edwin Moses, was saluted by artist James Pate not only for his work as a longtime DPS educator, but also for being in the first class of the Tuskegee Airmen and serving in World War II.

“This is the best show we’ve ever had,” said Davis.

“I think I know most of the people, but every year I learn something I didn’t know about some of them,” Davis said. “I didn’t know Ron Todd was a former athlete at all.

“And though I knew Mr. Moses — he, along with (coach) Jack Hart and (Olympian) Dave) Albritton were male educators and our heroes – I didn’t realize he was a Tuskegee Airman.”

Thanks to Dozier, who now has done images for six Skyscraper exhibits, Davis also got a better appreciation of the Grants whom he’d just known from afar.

In turn, what especially impressed Grant was what happens to the exhibit after it is removed from galleries and goes to schools.

Davis, with the help of the DPS carpentry crew, divides the work and gets it displayed so students across the city can see it daily and learn the stories that come with it.

“We’re working with the teachers and encouraging them to utilize these stories across the various disciplines,” he said.

That their story — thanks to the efforts of Dozier — will be introduced to young people is just what they were hoping for.

“That’s our goal. We’re trying to impact to impact 14 and 15-year-olds — and young adults, too — people who are just trying to figure life out,” Grant said.

It’s why he and Chris sat down in front of Dozier’s camera.

And it’s why Horace and Juanita wanted them to do so.

In many ways, the Grants’ story was their story, too.

MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS DIGITAL GUIDE

Mental health issues affect all segments of our community in slightly different ways. Our in-depth reporting focus for the past year has been centered on children and adults through our Mental Health Matters series. This important effort will not stop there; read our continued coverage online.

daytondailynews.com/mental-health-matters

As Team Fiji athletes are counting down the days to leave our shores for the Pacific Mini Games, they are not only focusing on their physical preparations but on the mental as well

That is because qualified ppsychologist Peni Tove is engaging directly with the athletes like he did during the Team Fiji Assembly.

Team Fiji says Tove’s session focused on the importance of safeguarding in sport, ensuring every athlete feels safe, respected, and supported both before and during the Games.

They say Tove shared practical strategies on how athletes can identify and respond to safeguarding concerns, manage pressure, stress and emotional challenges and also protect their mental health while striving for excellence.

They add that as part of their holistic approach for the athletes, a dedicated safe space will be made available to athletes during the Games and at the accommodation – a place to release tension, reset focus, and let go of any negative energy that may affect performance or well-being.

The 2025 Pacific Mini Games will be from Sunday to July 9th.