ATHENS, Ga. — University of Georgia junior sprinter Aaliyah Butler has been named the winner of the Honda Sport Award for Track & Field, as revealed by The Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) Thursday.
 
Butler joins Kendell Williams (2017) as the only two Bulldogs to ever receive this honor.  Butler gives the Southeastern Conference four straight winners and six winners out of the last eight years.
 
Since Georgia standout Dasha Vidmanova has already been awarded the Honda Sport Award for Women’s Tennis for the 2024-25 academic year, this gives the Bulldogs’ four instances of having two winners from different sports in a year (Karra Lynn Joyce, swimming; Courtney Kupets, gymnastics – 2006-07; Kim Arnold, gymnastics; Marissa Catlin, tennis – 1997-98; Cindy Schreyer, golf; Lisa Spain, tennis – 1983-84).
 
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 49 years, recognizing the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports and symbolizing “the best of the best in collegiate athletics.”  The recipient of the sport award is now a finalist for the prestigious Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the 2025 Honda Cup, which will be presented during the live broadcast of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards Presented by Honda on June 30, at 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
 
Butler was chosen by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools.  Each NCAA member institution has a vote. 
 
“I am so honored to receive this award and have my name mentioned with winners of the past, including the great Bulldog Kendell Williams,” Butler said.  “This helps show me the hard work and dedication that I’ve put in is paying off. I want to thank all involved for making me this year’s honoree, and I cannot wait to share this experience with the award winners from the other sports.”
 

Butler, hailing from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., delivered a standout 2025 season, headlined by her individual national title in the 400-meter dash at last week’s NCAA Outdoor Championships.  Her winning time of 49.26 not only set a new school record, but also marked the fifth-fastest performance in collegiate history.  Butler also anchored Georgia’s 4x400m relay to victory, securing the program’s first-ever national title in the event and helping propel the Bulldogs to their first NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship.
 
Throughout the season, the junior dominated the SEC, sweeping both the indoor and outdoor 400m titles.  Her consistent excellence earned her four NCAA First Team All-America honors in 2025 alone, bringing her career total to 11 All-America accolades.  A fixture on the Bowerman Watch List with seven appearances, she also excelled academically as a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
 
A 2024 Olympic gold medalist as part of Team USA’s 4x400m relay squad, Butler continues to affirm her place among the elite in collegiate and international track and field.
 

“What an outstanding accomplishment for such a well-deserving young woman,” Georgia Director of Track & Field Caryl Smith Gilbert said.  “Aaliyah is a unique talent.  She has superior talent and teams that with an elite work ethic.  Aaliyah doesn’t say much, but her actions on the track, in the classroom and in the rest of her life reflect what sort of student-athlete and person she is becoming during this journey in Athens.  She and I, along with the rest of the University of Georgia family, understand what an immense honor this is, and are super appreciative of the recognition.”
 
The CWSA, now in its 49th year, celebrates the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for their excellence in athletics, leadership, academics, and community service.  Since its partnership began in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of award winners and nominees, supporting the growth and success of women’s athletics programs.
 
About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility and the Honda USA Foundation 
For more than 65 years in the U.S., Honda has been committed to making positive contributions to the communities where its associates live and work.  The company’s mission is to create products and services that help people fulfill their life’s potential, while conducting business in a sustainable manner and fostering an inclusive workplace.  Advancing its corporate social responsibility, Honda and the Honda USA Foundation support this direction through giving focused on education, the environment, mobility, traffic safety, and community.  
 
Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.  
 

EUGENE, Ore. – For the third consecutive year, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros track & field program will be represented at the USA Track & Field U20 Championships, this year by freshman Jizzale Davis. 
 
Davis will compete Friday in the women’s 200-meter dash. The first round is set for 6:08 p.m. (CT) and Davis will run in the second of three heats. The top three finishers in each heat plus the next three best times will advance to the final, scheduled for 7:45 p.m. (CT). 
 
Earning this opportunity adds to the successful freshman season Davis put together for the Vaqueros. She racked up three medals at conference championship meets and made the finals in both the 200 and 100-meter dashes at the indoor and outdoor championships. 
 
Davis ran her U20-qualifying time of 23.53 – which is a personal record and the No. 2 time in the UTRGV outdoor record books – as she captured the silver medal at the Southland Conference (SLC) Outdoor Championships in May. She also took fourth in the 100 and with the 4×100-meter relay at the event. The conference meet capped a stellar debut season which saw her open the outdoor campaign with a personal record in the 100 and earn two meet wins at the J. Fred Duckett Twilight in April, taking the victory in the 200 and with the 4×100 relay. 
 
Davis already sits atop the indoor record books in two events – she is tied for the top indoor 200 race in program history and set the program record in the 4×400-meter relay with teammates Aliyah Castillo, Zoë Adams and Trinity Kirk. Davis immediately showed her potential just two months into her career as she captured two bronze medals at the SLC Indoor Championships in the 200 and 4×400-meter relay while also taking eighth in the 60-meter dash.

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ROSEMONT, ILL. – The Big Ten Conference announced the 2025 Big Ten Women’s Outdoor Track and Field postseason individual award recipients on Wednesday, as selected by the conference’s head coaches. The NCAA championship meet was held last weekend at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. 

Michigan’s Savannah Sutherland won Women’s Track Athlete of the Year, while Washington’s Hana Moll was selected as Field Athlete of the Year and Illinois’ Melissa Wullschleger was tabbed as Freshman of the Year. 

Sutherland claimed the new collegiate record in the women’s 400 meter hurdles with a time of 52.46 to claim first place in the event. She beat gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s seven-year-old record of 52.75. 
 
Moll, the 2024 NCAA Indoor National Champion, earned first place in pole vault. To do so, she cleared 4.79m (15-8.5) which broke her twin sister Amanda’s record set in the 2025 Big Ten Outdoor Championships. She also beat the defending NCAA Outdoor Champion Chloe Timberg from Rutgers. 
 
Illinois’ Wullschleger made an impressive debut in the NCAA championships, finishing fourth overall in the heptathlon with a score of 5,928 points. The heptathlete performed exceptionally well in the shot put and javelin on her way to a podium finish. In the shot put, she earned fourth place with a mark of 13.61m (44-8) and in javelin she earned third place with a mark of 5.96m (19-6.75). Wullschleger also became the first All-American for Illinois since 1996. 

Earlier this month, the Big Ten announced the award recipients for Track Athlete of the Championships, Field Athlete of the Championships and Coach of the Year, as well as the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honorees. 
 

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota volleyball head coach Jesse Tupac has announced the addition of Autumn Jordan and An Lieve den Hamer to the Fighting Hawks program for the 2025 season.
The Fighting Hawks add an outside hitter from Arkansas and an opposite hitter from the Netherlands.
 
Head Coach Jesse Tupac on the signees:
“We could not be more excited to announce two new additions to our fall roster.  Our recruiting coordinator, Kristen Tupac, did a phenomenal job bringing in two transfers that will make an immediate and lasting impact on our program.  Both Autumn and An bring high level experience from their collegiate and prep programs; and will add intense competition and depth to an already exciting fall roster.  The 2025 season is lining up to be a very fun year of volleyball, and we cannot wait to get started.  Go Hawks!”
 
Autumn Jordan | 6-2 | OH/OPP | Bentonville, Ark. | Bentonville West HS / Stephen F. Austin
Jordan comes to UND with a resume full of achievements at the prep level. A two-time All-Conference selection and the 6A Tournament MVP, she helped lead her teams to several playoff runs, culminating in a national championship in 2022 with the Ozark Juniors Volleyball Club. She was also named to the All-Tournament Team twice, earned Player of the Match honors four times, was a seven-time Player of the Week, the West All-Star Player, and was named to the 6A West All-Conference team during her high school career. She averaged 1.90 blocks per set in her senior season, leading her team in that category.
Off the court, Jordan graduated Cum Laude and earned the Bentonville Community Scholarship award. She plans to major in kinesiology at UND.
 
Jordan on why she chose UND:
“I chose UND because of the immediate love and respect I received from the players and coaches. You see and hear a lot within the recruiting process, but nothing spoke to me more than the family feel I immediately got from the group. The coaching staff is honest and very transparent, and that’s exactly what I was looking for during my new journey.” 
 
Coach J. Tupac on Jordan:
“Autumn is a rock star human being and a physical presence on both sides of the ball.  Her size and ability to score points on both pins are impressive.  On top of that, she is a one-of-a-kind person who will fit in with our team and program immediately.  We cannot wait for Autumn to join us in Grand Forks.”
 
An Lieve den Hamer | 6-0 | OPP | Apeldoorn, Netherlands | Veluws College Walterbosch / Arizona
Den Hamer arrives in Grand Forks with a diverse background, having developed her game in the Netherlands before continuing her academic and athletic career at the University of Arizona. She trained with the top division with SV Dynamo Apeldoorn for 11 years for coach Rémon ter Harmsel. The Netherlands native trained with the Dutch national youth team in 2020. She helped the SV Dynamo place first at the Internation Youth Tournament in 2018 and 2022. The opposite hitter also was a National Champion with SV Dynamo in Girl 17U in 2022-23. While playing with her 15U team in 2019 she placed first at the United World Games Klagenfurt.
As a freshman at Arizona, she appeared in one set against Texas Southern where she recorded one kill.
She plans to major in marketing at UND.
 
Lieve den Hamer on why she chose UND
“The vibes and energy at UND are amazing. I felt a good connection with the coaches, I love the goals, and I am so excited to get to work.”
 
Coach J. Tupac on Lieve den Hamer:
“From the first conversation we had with An we knew she was a fit for our program. She is incredibly hungry to compete and make history.  And it was clear our values and goals were perfectly aligned.  Along with her season of NCAA play at Arizona, she brings a wealth of experiences internationally as both an outside hitter and opposite.  We are very excited to have An joining our program this fall.”
 
For more information on North Dakota Volleyball, follow on social media @UNDvolleyball or visit FightingHawks.com.

— UND —

 
 

Celebrate the Fourth of July in true island style July 4-6 at South Seas as the island resort hosts a weekend filled with festive activities, live entertainment and spectacular waterfront fireworks, all set against the stunning backdrop of Captiva Island.

Throughout the holiday weekend and all summer long, South Seas offers special short- and long-term stay promotions that bring together the comfort of a waterfront home with the indulgence of luxury resort amenities. 

The South Seas Star-Spangled Celebration features a wide variety of events, activities and food and drink options available to Club Captiva and registered South Seas Resort guests. The celebration kicks off on Friday, July 4 at 9 a.m. with a Kid’s Fishing Tournament at Bayview Pier, followed by a full day of events, including a Watermelon Eating Contest at noon, live music at the Bayview Pool Complex, a Patriotic Resort Cart Parade from 3 to 5 p.m. and fireworks at 9 p.m.

Saturday, July 5 begins with a 9 a.m. patriotic Turtle Trot and One-Mile Fun Run/Walk at Sunset Beach, followed by family-friendly events such as a Patriotic Turtle Craft at 11 a.m., a Rubber Ducky Race down the slide at Bayview Pool at 5 p.m. and a Beach Party from 6 to 8 p.m. at Sunset Beach.

Sunday, July 6 features 11 a.m. Build-a-Beach-Buddy, Jumbo Beach Volleyball and Bingo at 3 p.m. For a full schedule of events for the Star-Spangled Celebration Weekend Activities, visit www.SouthSeas.com/Event/South-Seas-Star-Spangled-Celebration.  

For more information, visit SouthSeas.com, call 800-237-6000 or follow the resort on Facebook at @SouthSeasResort and Instagram at @SouthSeasResort.