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Hailey Van Lith Is a 'Sports Illustrated' Cover Star — and This Is How It Happened

Few afternoon emails get the blood pumping like one from a prominent monthly publication on deadline. Just ask Alex Catterton, the director of content and public relations at Visit Fort Worth, who received precisely one of these in late February. As it turns out, Sports Illustrated, the national magazine that practically invented long-form sports journalism, was […]

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Hailey Van Lith Is a 'Sports Illustrated' Cover Star — and This Is How It Happened

Few afternoon emails get the blood pumping like one from a prominent monthly publication on deadline. Just ask Alex Catterton, the director of content and public relations at Visit Fort Worth, who received precisely one of these in late February. As it turns out, Sports Illustrated, the national magazine that practically invented long-form sports journalism, was coming to Fort Worth to photograph Hailey Van Lith, TCU’s star guard and a rising celebrity in the growing sport of women’s basketball.

If you happened to peruse the internet yesterday, you might’ve come across Sports Illustrated revealing the cover star for their digital Swimsuit Issue. And if this is the case, you know the photoshoot the email references was far from your typical magazine shoot — it wasn’t a single page or spread to simply acknowledge Van Lith and her final NCAA stop. No, this shoot was for the cover. And the cover of the Swimsuit Issue, no less.

That’s right, folks. Hailey Van Lith is on the cover of the digital Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. No singular volume of a magazine is more iconic, lauded, or gazed upon. And landing on the cover puts one in rarefied air — it’ll attract as many eyes as Time’s Person of the Year or People’s Sexiest Man Alive. Van Lith now belongs to a club of cover stars that includes Kate Upton, Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, Ronda Rousey, and Beyonce.

And such shoots require their fair share of masterminding to execute. From securing locations and scheduling to catering, transportation, and even a little entertainment, successfully pulling off a photoshoot of this magnitude requires boots on the ground and people with local know-how.

This is where Catterton and the Visit Fort Worth team came in.

The photoshoot would take place in Fort Worth in 15 days, and Sports Illustrated made no bones about leaning on Visit Fort Worth to plan and execute the logistical nightmare that would include photographing multiple athletes — the shoot also included two other Big 12 athletes — in multiple locations. The magazine would bring the talent, and Visit Fort Worth would provide the place.

To put the entire experience concisely, Catterton says, “We scouted the locations, changed locations, had dinner at Joe T’s, woke up at 4 a.m. for breakfast, did a full-day shoot, wrapped the shoot at six that evening, and most of their team flew out that night at seven.”

A lot of work, but the payoff was worth it: Cowtown gets on the cover.

With a quick turnaround, Catterton, working hand in hand with Visit Fort Worth’s director of sports marketing Becca Berger, hit the ground running. “We built a team internally [the day they contacted us] to start prepping,” Catterton says. “I had our social media manager out the following day scouting locations and taking current photos to show [Sports Illustrated]. I wanted them to give us two more weeks so we could’ve had bluebonnets, but they needed [the shoot done] in March.”

The team pitched several locations — many you might easily guess — but we’re not going to travel the road of could-have-beens. After a myriad of emails, texts, calls, and Zoom meetings, the magazine ultimately chose three locations: the Trinity Art Court (the painted basketball court under Lancaster Avenue Bridge), the Crescent Hotel (which is where the visitors stayed), and the Museum of Modern Art.

The court required a fresh coat of paint, which also required approval from the city’s graffiti abatement supervisor — approval that wouldn’t come in time. “Thank goodness,” Catterton says. “It rained the weekend before, and we would’ve never had time to get it done. So, then we were going to line the entire court with vinyl, but it was going to be outrageously expensive. So, we cut that and ended up doing three vinyl circles that would be good for certain shots.”

When SI’s team of 25 — photographer, hair, makeup, wardrobe, editors, assistants, etc. — arrived in Fort Worth the day before the scheduled shoot, they elected to nix the basketball court idea.

Too obvious to shoot a basketball player on a basketball court? One must suppose, but the team was now down a location.

That night, the evening before the shoot, Visit Fort Worth planned a welcome dinner at Joe T. Garcia’s for the entire SI crew and models. The dinner included local tequila from Sarah Castillo’s La Pulga and a custom hat bar pop-up from Brittany Cobb’s Flea Style. But not long after their arrival, upon walking through the iconic outdoor space, the editor-in-chief, MJ Day, and photographer, Taylor Ballantyne, found their replacement: They want to shoot at Joe T’s.

A call to Kelly Lancarte, daughter of Lanny Lancarte and head of marketing for Joe T’s, ensured the space was available for a shoot in the morning. So, new plan: Joe T Garcia’s in the morning and The Modern in the afternoon. The crew began shooting at the Mexican restaurant as the sun came up at 7:43 a.m. and would continue their session at Joe T’s until 3:30 p.m. “It was incredible,” Catterton says. “They shut down the whole back half of the restaurant for us to shoot at all day long.”

The shoot would then move to the The Modern, which came with its own set of obstacles, including some unsightly construction and an event in the café at 5:15 p.m. — “and we had people outside in bathing suits,” Catterton says. But The Modern is where Ballantyne would take the image that now graces the digital cover of the Swimsuit Issue. According to Catterton, all of the solo snaps of Van Lith were taken at The Modern, while group photos of the Big 12 athletes were taken at Joe T’s, which are still included in the magazine.

We’ll be the first to tell you that any project involving a magazine will include more than its fair share of hurdles, but Fort Worth seems to have cleared any and all snags with ease.

Others who contributed to the SI cover shoot include Mackenzie Hughes and the folks at Fort Worth Camera who donated all of the production equipment for the shoot, Henry Abuto who provided the catering for breakfast, Tim Love who catered lunch, Mercedes Maddox and American Hat who provided hats for the athletes, and Lizzy Chestnut Bentley and City Boots who provided boots for the athletes.

“The team in Fort Worth came together,” Catterton says. “I mean, every person that was asked [to do anything] was saying yes and being helpful.”

And Fort Worth sure made an impression on the SI team (check out this glowing write-up). To put things in perspective, according to Catterton, the SI crew of staff and freelancers were in Switzerland the week before heading to Cowtown — they’re accustomed to jaw-dropping locales. And the city might’ve even converted a gal or two to the charms of Western duds. Those Flea Style custom cowboy hats the SI team got the night before? Well, word has it the editor-in-chief was wearing hers the entire day of the photo shoot.

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Texas Tech transfer Darrion Williams commits to NC State

Texas Tech transfer Darrion Williams, one of the top players in the portal, has committed to NC State, he told On3. The 6-6 junior ultimately picks Will Wade and the Wolfpack over Kansas but was also being pursued by Ohio State and Washington. Williams, who recently withdrew his name from the NBA Draft, averaged 15.1 […]

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Texas Tech transfer Darrion Williams commits to NC State

Texas Tech transfer Darrion Williams, one of the top players in the portal, has committed to NC State, he told On3.

The 6-6 junior ultimately picks Will Wade and the Wolfpack over Kansas but was also being pursued by Ohio State and Washington. Williams, who recently withdrew his name from the NBA Draft, averaged 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game this season. He is also a two-time All-Big 12 selection who helped lead the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.

Williams is the seventh transfer portal pickup for the Wolfpack. He joins PF Jerry Deng from Florida State, SF Terrance Arceneaux from Houston, PF Colt Langdon from Butler, PG Tre Holloman from Michigan State, SG’s Quadir Copeland and Alyn Breed from McNeese.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

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Bitpanda Onboards Another Brand Ambassador

Bitpanda has increased its involvement in sports by signing French tennis player Gaël Monfils as its global brand ambassador, noting that he “brings a wealth of experience and passion for cryptocurrency and digital asset trading.” An Early Investor in Crypto According to the crypto exchange, Monfils has been “an active participant” in the crypto space […]

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Bitpanda Onboards Another Brand Ambassador

Bitpanda has increased its involvement in sports by signing French tennis player Gaël Monfils as its global brand ambassador, noting that he “brings a wealth of experience and passion for cryptocurrency and digital asset trading.”

An Early Investor in Crypto

According to the crypto exchange, Monfils has been “an active participant” in the crypto space since 2017, after being introduced to digital assets by a family member. He has built and manages his own crypto investment portfolio.

“Gaël brings something that can’t be manufactured: authenticity,” said Eric Demuth, CEO and Co-Founder of Bitpanda.

Under the terms of the multi-year deal, Monfils will wear the Bitpanda logo on his competition sleeve at all ATP Tour and Grand Slam events. Furthermore, Bitpanda users will be able to meet the tennis star, gain behind-the-scenes access, and receive signed memorabilia.

You may also like: How Much Fancy Sport Sponsorships Actually Cost?

In the ATP singles ranking, Monfils is currently placed 42nd. He also has a large following on social media: 1.2 million on Instagram, 766.8K on X (formerly Twitter), 452K on Facebook, and 80.9K subscribers on YouTube.

He will first display the Bitpanda logo at the upcoming French Open Grand Slam event, also known as Roland Garros. Last year, the tournament attracted a cumulative television audience of approximately 318 million viewers, making it the most-watched tennis event globally in 2024.

The 2025 edition will be “broadcast across 220 territories on more than 170 TV channels”, led by the following national broadcasters. pic.twitter.com/z3FZMfGWpP

May 16, 2025

Bitpanda’s Sports Presence

This new brand ambassador deal comes only weeks after the crypto exchange became the main sponsor of Swiss football club FC Basel 1893.

Monfils is not the only tennis player associated with the exchange, as Bitpanda also has partnerships with athletes such as Alexander Zverev, Stan Wawrinka, and Dominic Thiem. The crypto exchange also collaborates with the ATP Tour. Additionally, the European crypto brand sponsors Paris Saint-Germain, FC Bayern Munich, and AC Milan.

Outside of crypto, retail trading brands are also investing heavily in sports sponsorships. Among the firms offering forex and contracts for differences (CFDs), Swissquote leads with an estimated spend of $15 million last year, followed by eToro and Plus500, which spent $10.5 million and $10.2 million, respectively.

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Expert Claims College Football Power Conferences Secretly Plotted New NCAA With 1 Wild Twist

The landscape of college football is shifting, and whispers of a massive overhaul are growing louder every day. According to a recent episode of the “Locked On College Football” podcast hosted by Spencer McLaughlin, the Power Four conferences—the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12—are quietly crafting a radical proposal to reshape the NCAA’s governance […]

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The landscape of college football is shifting, and whispers of a massive overhaul are growing louder every day. According to a recent episode of the “Locked On College Football” podcast hosted by Spencer McLaughlin, the Power Four conferences—the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12—are quietly crafting a radical proposal to reshape the NCAA’s governance structure.

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3t3qFz_11I16FJm00
With College Sports Network’s Transfer Portal Tracker, you can stay ahead of the chaos. Follow every entrant, commitment, and decommitment as they happen.

Power Conferences Pushing Schools For A “No-Sue” Pact In The New NCAA

This new entity, dubbed the College Sports Commission, would take control from the NCAA and regulate Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation, transfer portal activity, and rule violations. However, according to McLaughlin, there’s a twist to this new arrangement, which is not very sunshine and roses.

Schools that join this system would surrender their right to sue, a move that could lock them into a tightly controlled framework or cause them to face expulsion from their conference.

The NCAA’s authority has eroded in recent years, battered by court losses and an inability to enforce NIL and transfer rules effectively. As McLaughlin noted, citing Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, the NCAA “just shows up and hands out punishments that nobody cares about.”

Legal challenges, like Tennessee’s successful lawsuit against the NCAA over NIL violations, have exposed the organization’s vulnerable side. This was all the reason Power Four conferences needed to step into and fill this void, by any means necessary.

They are proposing a new entity led by a CEO, similar to a professional sports commissioner, to oversee athlete compensation and compliance. This commission would enforce a $20.5 million per-school revenue-sharing cap, starting in 2025–26, and police third-party NIL deals through a clearinghouse operated by Deloitte to ensure “fair market value.”

The catch, as McLaughlin pointed, is very “totalitarian” in nature, according to many. In this new arrangement, schools opting into this system would have to give up their ability to sue the commission over its rules.

This clause aims to shield the new entity from the legal battles that have plagued the NCAA. “It’s a crazy punishment,” McLaughlin said. “If you don’t want to be told what to do… you’re out of the conference.”

Central to this proposal is a plan to have a Big Four accounting firm, likely Deloitte, assess NIL deals for fair market value. Any deal worth $600 or more tied to a school-affiliated entity would face scrutiny to prevent “pay-for-play” arrangements.

McLaughlin warned that this could slash player earnings, as Dellenger’s reporting suggests 80% of current NIL deals might be deemed overvalued.

The House Settlement

The proposed commission dovetails with the House v. NCAA settlement, which awaits final approval on July 7, 2025. The settlement, preliminarily approved in October 2024, will distribute $2.78 billion in backpay to athletes from 2016 onward and allow schools to share up to $20.5 million annually with players.

However, it imposes roster limits (e.g., 105 for football) and requires NIL deal disclosures, raising Title IX and fairness concerns. McLaughlin points at the settlement’s uncertainty, noting that state laws, like Tennessee’s, could undermine enforcement by permitting direct payments if the settlement fails.

KEEP READING: 2025 Way-Too-Early College Football Top 25 Power Rankings

In the end, whether this new NCAA takes hold or collapses under legal scrutiny, one thing is certain: college football’s future hangs in the balance, and the next few months will be a mad scramble for power, money, and control.

College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!



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Texas Tech Red Raiders – Official Athletics Website

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – NiJaree Canady tossed a two-hit shutout against No. 5 seed Florida State and added a solo home run in the seventh inning Thursday evening to propel No. 12 Texas Tech to a 3-0 victory in the NCAA Tallahassee Super Regional opener at JoAnne Graf Field.   Canady (29-6) was near perfect in […]

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla.NiJaree Canady tossed a two-hit shutout against No. 5 seed Florida State and added a solo home run in the seventh inning Thursday evening to propel No. 12 Texas Tech to a 3-0 victory in the NCAA Tallahassee Super Regional opener at JoAnne Graf Field.

 

Canady (29-6) was near perfect in the circle as she didn’t allow a base runner until the fifth inning when the Seminoles (49-11) put two on with one out. Canady found her way out of trouble, though, thanks to a sprinting Demi Elder, who raced to catch a foul ball in left field followed by one of her four strikeouts in the win.

 

It marked the only time the Seminoles put a runner in scoring position as Florida State (49-11) was limited to only a single from Shelby McKenzie in the fifth and then a leadoff single from Katie Dack to start the seventh. The complete game shutout was Canady’s sixth of the season and the fifth for the Red Raiders (49-12) in their last seven games dating back to the Big 12 Championship title run. Tech has now recorded a shutout in 25 of its 49 wins, which leads the NCAA.

 

Canady, who only needed 79 pitches to secure Texas Tech’s first-ever Super Regional win, also helped power the Red Raiders with her bat, smashing a leadoff solo home run in the seventh inning. It was her third home run in the past four games after going deep against both Brown and Mississippi State last weekend in a quick sweep of the NCAA Lubbock Regional.

 

The Red Raiders led from the get-go thanks to the speed of Mihyia Davis, who singled to start the game and scored on a double steal attempt in the first inning for an early 1-0 lead. Texas Tech’s 9-1-2 part of the order combined for six of its eight hits with Davis finishing 2-for-4 overall with Alexa Langeliers and Hailey Toney both going 2-for-3 with Langeliers also reaching for a third time via a walk.

 

The first-inning run marked the fourth time in as many games the Red Raiders have scored in the opening frame, pushing all the momentum to Texas Tech’s side before Canady even hit the circle. The Red Raiders are now 30-1 this season when scoring in the opening inning and 43-5 overall when putting runs on the scoreboard first.

 

Alana Johnson added to the lead in the fourth with a solo home run to straightaway center field, her second long ball already in the NCAA postseason and ninth of the season. The home run chased Florida State starter Ashtyn Danley (14-2), who suffered only her second loss of the season after giving up two runs (one earned) off four hits and two walks in her 3.1 innings of work.

 

The Seminoles sent three pitchers to the circle in the loss as Julia Apsel threw 1.1 shutout innings with Annabelle Widra following by surrendering only the Canady home run in the seventh over her 2.1 innings. The Red Raiders struck out only twice against the Florida State pitching staff with the two relievers giving up four combined hits.

 

The victory adds to Texas Tech’s historic season as the Red Raiders are now one win away from their first-ever appearance at the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. Game two of the three-game series is set for 3 p.m. Friday on ESPN2.



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College baseball’s 10 teams with the most home runs

College baseball’s regular season is over and conference tournaments are underway. Soon, it will be time for the NCAA Tournament to begin with eight teams hoping to make the College World Series. Once again, the SEC is the best conference in college baseball. One big reason why the SEC is superior is power hitting. The […]

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College baseball’s regular season is over and conference tournaments are underway. Soon, it will be time for the NCAA Tournament to begin with eight teams hoping to make the College World Series.

Once again, the SEC is the best conference in college baseball. One big reason why the SEC is superior is power hitting. The SEC is home to four of the top eight best home run hitting teams in college baseball. All four of these teams have hit over 100 home runs and are locks to make the NCAA Tournament. The SEC is also home to the college baseball team with the nation’s most home runs in the Georgia Bulldogs.

Please note that the home run totals and games played totals are through Tuesday, May 20. The record is through Thursday, May 22 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

10. (tied) Davidson Wildcats

Home runs: 98

Games played: 53

Record: 26-28

10. (tied) Kansas Jayhawks

Home runs: 98

Games played: 56

Record: 42-14

8. (tied) Southern Illinois Salukis

Home runs: 102

Games played: 55

Record: 37-19

8. (tied) Ole Miss Rebels

Home runs: 102

Games played: 55

Record: 38-18

7. Oregon Ducks

Home runs: 107

Games played: 54

Record: 41-13

6. Arkansas Razorbacks

Home runs: 109

Games played: 55

Record: 43-12

4. (tied) ETSU Buccaneers

Home runs: 111

Games played: 53

Record: 38-15

4. (tied) Austin Peay Governors

Home runs: 111

Games played: 56

Record: 44-12

3. Tennessee Volunteers

Home runs: 120

Games played: 56

Record: 42-15

2. High Point Panthers

Home runs: 125

Games played: 55

Record: 38-17

Home runs: 132

Games played: 56

Record: 42-15



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College Football Playoff shifts to straight seeding model, no automatic byes for top league champs :: WRALSportsFan.com

By EDDIE PELLS, AP National Writer The College Football Playoff will go to a more straightforward way of filling the bracket next season, announcing Thursday that it will place teams strictly on where they are ranked instead of moving pieces around to reward conference champions. Ten conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director came to […]

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The College Football Playoff will go to a more straightforward way of filling the bracket next season, announcing Thursday that it will place teams strictly on where they are ranked instead of moving pieces around to reward conference champions.

Ten conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director came to the unanimous agreement they needed to shift the model that drew complaints last season.

The new format will no longer guarantee an opening bye week for the four highest-ranked league champions, reserving that benefit for the four top-ranked teams in general. The change was widely expected after last season’s jumbled bracket gave byes to Big 12 champion Arizona State and Mountain West champion Boise State, even though they were ranked 12th and ninth, respectively, by the playoff selection committee.

That system made the rankings and the seedings in the tournament two different things and resulted in some matchups — for instance, the quarterfinal between top-ranked Oregon and eventual national champion Ohio State — that came earlier than they otherwise might have.

“After evaluating the first year of the 12-team Playoff, the CFP Management Committee felt it was in the best interest of the game to make this adjustment,” said Rich Clark, executive director of the CFP.

The five highest-ranked conference champions will still be guaranteed spots in the playoff, meaning it’s possible there could be a repeat of a different sort of shuffling seen last season when CFP No. 16 Clemson was seeded 12th in the bracket after winning the Atlantic Coast Conference. That ended up costing 11th-ranked Alabama a spot in the playoff.

Under the new arrangement, the four top-ranked conference champions will still receive $8 million for their leagues — representing the $4 million they earn for making the playoff and $4 million for advancing to the quarterfinals.

“That was the commissioners’ way of — at least for this year — holding to the commitment that they have made financially to those teams, those conference champions in particular, that would have been paid those amounts under the former system that we used last year,” Clark told ESPN .

Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey was among those who pushed for the change in the upcoming second year of the 12-team playoff, though he remained cautious about it being approved because of the unanimous vote needed.

Smaller conferences had a chance to use the seeding issue as leverage for the next set of negotiations, which will come after this season and could include an expansion to 14 teams and more guaranteed bids for certain leagues. The SEC and Big Ten will have the biggest say in those decisions.

As it stands, this will be the third different playoff system for college football in the span of three years. For the 10 years leading into last season’s inaugural 12-team playoff, the CFP was a four-team affair. The seeding change was first reported by ESPN, which last year signed a six-year, $7.8 billion deal to televise the expanded playoff.

The playoff for the upcoming season begins Dec. 19 on the campuses of the teams ranked 5-8. All games beginning with the quarterfinals will be at neutral sites, ending with the title game on Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium outside Miami.

A look at possible first-round matchups had straight seeding been in play last season. (with result of actual matchup in parenthesis):

— No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Notre Dame. The Tigers still would have gotten in despite being ranked 16th. Notre Dame, a team without a conference, could benefit from this new arrangement because it is now eligible for a bye. (No. 5 Texas 38, No. 12 Clemson 24).

— No. 11 Arizona State at No. 6 Ohio State. The Sun Devils face a juggernaut instead of receiving a first-round bye. (No. 6 Penn State 38, No. 11 SMU 10).

— No. 10 SMU at No. 7 Tennessee. Yes, Alabama, 11th in CFP’s final ranking, still would’ve been the odd man out because of Clemson. (No. 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 10 Indiana 17).

— No. 9 Boise State at No. 8 Indiana. It could’ve been Ashton Jeanty vs. the Hoosiers in a matchup of two of the season’s best stories. (No. 8 Ohio State 42, No. 9 Tennessee 17).

Byes: No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Penn State. Could Texas or Penn State have gone further without having to play that extra game?

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football



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