By Alexis Demopoulos

A two-year veteran of the Northern Cyclones, forward Isac Martins was proud to announce his NCAA Division II commitment to Saint Anselm College for the 2025-26 season.

Martins, a Lake Barrington, Ill., native, started his NCDC career back during the 2022-23 season when he played in 17 games for the Rockets Hockey Club. Martins signed with the Cyclones for the 2023-24 season and put up 12 points in 32 games. It was a no-brainer for him to return this season. In 51 regular season games, Martins has 26 points (13G, 13A) and he was a big help in the Cyclones’ drive to the New England Division Championship.

“Having played for the Northern Cyclones for two seasons now, I have nothing but great things to say,” said Martins. “The facilities and staff available to the players give them every opportunity to not only succeed but thrive. I couldn’t be more grateful for Coach [Bill] Flanagan, Coach [Chris] Zuccaro and Coach [Bill] Weiand and the effects they’ve had on me as a player and as a person.”

Martins began communicating with Saint Anselm head coach Larry Rocha at the beginning of the season. He explained that Rocha was a big fan of his “speed, tenacity and complete game.” During the recruiting process, Martins was impressed with Saint Anselm and he loved the fact that he would be competing in a competitive hockey conference.

“Saint Anselm has a great program for what I want to study, with lots of resources in order to enable me to be the best student I can be,” said Martins. “On the hockey side, Saint Anselm is always competing to win the NE10, and I look forward to helping continue that over the next four years. Having a rink on campus and a great athletic gym will allow me to improve my game on and off the ice.”

Martins knows it’s important during the off-season to work hard and be ready to level up next season.

“Next season, I will be playing against older and stronger guys so I really am going to be focusing on getting more powerful and explosive in the gym,” said Martins. “Being bigger and stronger will be instrumental if want to be successful at the collegiate level.”

The NCDC congratulates Isac Martins, his family, the Northern Cyclones and Saint Anselm College for his commitment.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Tickets for the second annual State Farm Women’s College Volleyball Showcase, taking place during Labor Day weekend at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, go on sale to the public on Wednesday at 11 a.m. The event features four teams that played in last season’s NCAA Tournament, including the reigning national champion Penn State Nittany Lions.

Penn State will play Arizona State on Sunday, Aug. 31 and will take on TCU on Monday, Sept. 1. Both matches are scheduled for 5 p.m. Both the Sun Devils and Horned Frogs won their first-round matches before falling in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Pitt, which advanced to the National Semifinal, will also play TCU and Arizona State at PPG Paints Arena.

Tickets, which start at $20, will be sold as individual day passes and will be good for admission into both matches on either Aug. 31 or Sept. 1. Fans interested in attending both days of the event will need to purchase tickets for matches on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.

Fans can visit www.ticketmaster.com, www.ppgpaints.arena.com or the PPG Paints Arena box office to secure tickets.

Hamilton College’s Ramon Aroca Gonzalez ’26 tees off in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championship on the 10th hole at Cobblestone Creek Country Club in Victor, N.Y., on Tuesday, May 20 at 12:10 p.m.

Aroca Gonzalez begins his second round on the first tee at Midvale Country Club in Penfield, N.Y., at 7:55 a.m. on Wednesday, May 21. A total of 43 teams and 10 individuals not on one of those teams are playing in the championship. After 36 holes, the field will be cut to the top 18 teams and top six individuals not on one of those teams, and they will play a total of 36 more holes on May 22 and 23.

Aroca Gonzalez is the first Hamilton men’s golfer in the NCAA championship since the Continentals qualified as a team in 2022. He is the 2025 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Men’s Golfer of the Year and has been an all-conference and all-region team selection all three years at Hamilton.

Aroca Gonzalez led the Continentals with an 18-hole stroke average of 72.40 for 20 rounds. He earned four individual medalist honors and finished in the top 10 seven times out of 10 tournaments.

Aroca Gonzalez played both of these courses as part of the Flower City Preview in September 2024. He carded a 4-under par 68 and added a 76 at Midvale CC and posted an even-par round of 72 at Cobblestone Creek CC.

 

Nick Saban has already met in-person with fellow presidential commission co-chair Cody Campbell, the billionaire Texas Tech booster, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger. Nevertheless, the former Alabama head coach and current ESPN College GameDay analyst still isn’t exactly sold on the need for President Donald Trump‘s planned commission on college sports.

“I know there’s been a lot of stuff out there about some commission or whatever. I don’t think we need a commission. I’ve said that before,” Saban said Tuesday ahead of his annual Nick’s Kids golf tournament in Birmingham, according to CBS Sports’ Mike Rodak. “I think we need — we know what the issues are, we just have to have people who are willing to move those and solve those and create some solutions for some of those issues. I’m all for being a consultant to anybody who would think that my experience would be beneficial to helping create some of those solutions.

“I know President Trump is very interested in athletics. He’s very interested in college athletics,” Saban continued, per Rodak. “He’s very interested in maintaining the idea that people go to college to create value for the future in terms of how they develop as people, students, graduation rate as well as having a balanced, competitive playing field. If I can be a consultant to anyone who might be able to help the future of college athletics, I would be more than happy to do that.”

Saban has been tabbed by Trump to headline his presidential commission. Per past reporting, it is expected to “deeply examine the unwieldy landscape of college sports, including the frequency of player movement in the transfer portal, the unregulated booster compensation paid to athletes, the debate of college athlete employment, the application of Title IX to school revenue-share payments and, even, conference membership makeup and conference television contracts,” according to Yahoo! Sports.

While the makeup of the commission is still developing, White House leaders have already begun “pooling recommendations” from those within the Power Four conferences, NCAA and athlete-focused groups for potential committee membership, according to Dellenger. The working group is expected to be limited to 10 or fewer members, with “a goal of political and cultural diversity,” per Dellenger.

Nick Saban ‘not sure we really need’ President Donald Trump’s commission on college sports

Of course, this isn’t the first time Saban has called Trump’s Presidential commission into question. He previously raised doubts during a recent appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show.

“First of all, I don’t know a lot about the commission. Secondly, I’m not sure we really need a commission,” Saban said last week on the SEC Network. “I think that a lot of people know exactly what the issues are in college football and exactly what we need to do to fix them. The key to the drill is getting people together so we can move it forward.

“I’m not opposed to players making money, I don’t want anybody to think that. I just think the system that we (are using), the way it’s going right now is not sustainable, and probably not in the best interest of the student-athletes across the board or the game itself,” Saban continued. “I think we need to protect the brand, and the competitive advantages and disadvantages that are being created right now, and I think we can fix all that. But I think we know how to do it, and not just me but a lot of people, we just have to get everybody together to do it.”

Resilience 

Despite the trials and tribulations Blakely faced in 2024, she was able to learn important lessons along the way.

“It’s definitely taught me resilience and perseverance as well as knowing to push myself and not to give up, and knowing that I know how to navigate around obstacles of any sorts, injuries or things in the gym or out the gym, it’s just taught me so much, and I feel like it’s made me a stronger person,” Blakely said. “Going through two big injuries, one in 2021, and one in 2024, was not easy at all, but I really have learned so much, and has brought me to this moment and who I am today, and has strengthened my faith as well.”

Something that helped Blakely mentally in her recovery was the opportunity to go straight to college following the injury. 

“Going to Florida after such a big injury, and, you know, heartbreaking moment, I think I needed a sort of change of pace,” Blakely said. “It offered such structure that I liked, and being surrounded by new people, a fun environment and something different I hadn’t experienced before. I think that it was very beneficial mentally as well. It helps me a lot, and I had a lot of fun. Even being there with my sister was something that I can enjoy a lot. And even when I stepped foot into Florida, I I told everyone, I told the coaches, I told myself that I was like, I want to compete the first meet, I want to be ready to do bars. I also wanted an opportunity to compete with my sister for that one season that we had together. 

If gymnastics fans have learned one thing about Blakely throughout the years, it’s that she will accomplish the goals she sets for herself. Competing in the NCAA in 2025 despite her injury, was non negotiable for her.

“I had that moment to compete at the first meet, the home opener for the Florida Gators,” Blakely said. “It meant a lot, and I think it just allowed me to have more confidence and belief in myself, knowing all that I had went through and all that I worked through to get to that moment, to compete at the first meet, and then to compete consistently in that bar lineup, it just allowed me to have this moment, like to be proud of myself, especially again, after the summer that I had, I was just like, you were really able to do that, and you worked really hard. You have perseverance, and you worked for this moment.”

Two Colorado College hockey productions have been named finalists for the 2025 SVG College Sports Media Awards, presented by the Sports Video Group (SVG) in association with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
 
The production of the game at Ed Robson Arena against Western Michigan on Feb. 1 is one of 12 finalists in the Outstanding Live Game Production/Collegiate Athletics – Championship category. The other finalists are Boise State Women’s Basketball, Georgia State Men’s Basketball; Kennesaw State Football and Men’s Basketball, Liberty Women’s Basketball, Minnesota Duluth Hockey, Sam Houston State Football: Sam Houston State vs. Texas State, San José State Men’s Basketball, Temple Men’s Basketball and Tulane Men’s Basketball.

In addition, the show open 75 Years of Rivalry prior to the Colorado College – Denver game on Dec. 13, is one of nine finalists in the Outstanding Live Non-Game Production/Collegiate Athletics category, along with Auburn, Baylor, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Princeton, Oklahoma and Virginia Tech.

 

Winners will be selected by a panel of judges and announced at the 16th-annual SVG College Sports Media Awards in association with NACDA, at the SVG College Summit in the Omni Atlanta Hotel on Wednesday, May 28, at 5 p.m. (ET).

 

“I’m thrilled by the record number of submissions for the SVG College Sports Media Awards and congratulations to all the Finalists,”  says Tom Buffolano, chairman of the SVG College Sports Media Awards in association with NACDA. “It is astounding to me how much quality (and volume) comes out of the college video departments. I’m looking forward to a very competitive final round of judging and excited to see the winners announced in Atlanta.”