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≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

● International Olympic Committee ● President-elect Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) is not wasting time as she gets ready to take charge of the IOC on 23 June – Olympic Day – in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Following up on her promise after election in March, she has called the IOC members to Lausanne for a day-and-a-half “consultation” on the “theme of ‘Pause and Reflect’” to begin discussions on key issues which remain hot: Russian and Belarusian participation at Milan Cortina 2026, protection of the women’s category, member involvement in IOC programs and especially in future host-city selections and so on.

The new IOC Executive Board will then meet on 25-26 June.

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The LA28 organizing committee announced CDW as its 11th “Official Supporter” of the Games, becoming “Official IT Equipment Services and Solutions Provider” for the organizing committee and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

The agreement, announced last Thursday, covers both hardware and software support for both organizations.

● NCAA ● The state of Louisiana agreed to increase the tax on sports betting from 15% to 21.5% and agreed to share a quarter of the total tax revenue generated from in-state betting – estimated to be about $24.3 million – equally with the 11 public universities with football programs. The money must be used for athlete support, such as scholarships, insurance, medical coverage, facility enhancements and litigation fees.

North Carolina already has a betting tax-sharing plan.

¶

Washington State announced Monday it is reducing its track & field program substantially:

“Earlier today, WSU Athletics leadership met with members of the men’s and women’s track and field team to inform them that the program will be shifting to a distance-focused approach. This change gives the WSU Track & Field program the best opportunity to remain competitive at the conference and national levels in distance events in cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field. It does mean, however, that field events (e.g., jumps, throws) will no longer be supported, effective immediately, and the number of sprint and hurdle opportunities will be limited moving forward.

“Impacted student-athletes will have their scholarships honored should they choose to remain at WSU. WSU understands the significant impact this decision has on Cougar student-athletes, coaches, and fans. Transition support and services will be provided to those student-athletes who choose to seek to continue their academic and athletic careers at other institutions.”

Distance running has been the signature element of Washington State’s program over decades, including stars like Gerry Lindgren, Samson Kimombwa, Henry Rono, Bernard Lagat and others. But the program, especially under ferocious head coach John Chaplin, was a national contender in all phases and won the 1977 NCAA Indoor men’s title.

This is yet another impact of the changes in collegiate athletics, now in view of direct payments to primarily football and basketball players of up to $20.5 million for the academic year beginning 1 July. Expect many more announcements of this kind.

¶

SwimSwam.com reported that as efforts to raise money to endow the Cal Poly swimming and diving program reached only $10 million out of a $20 million requirement, the program is being cut.

Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong wrote: “I know this is difficult news for participants and supporters of the programs, and we want to recognize and again express our appreciation for the work they have done.

“This is an unfortunate reality given the approved NCAA House settlement, state budget and the tenuous situation moving forward for both the state and the NCAA. I want to reiterate that the significant and unequitable changes in the NCAA and the House settlement (and new organizations resulting from this settlement) had an impact that weighed heavily in this decision.”

● Athletics ● The Tyreek Hill sprint challenge to Noah Lyles was supposed to happen this weekend, but didn’t.

Lyles explained at the Sport Beach event in Cannes (FRA):

“We were very deep into creating the event. In fact, it was supposed to happen this weekend. Unfortunately there were some things, complications, personal reasons that it just didn’t come to pass, but we were full on.

“We were gonna have a big event, we were going to shut down New York Times Square and everything, we were gonna have all the billboards for the event, it was going to be a lot of fun.”

There were no more details; Hill, for his part, did race in a 100 m at the Last Chance Sprint Series meet at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California last Friday, winning heat five in 10.15 with a +1.2 wind reading, a lifetime best.

That did not scare Lyles in the least, but Hill, 31, did race the 100 for the first time in 12 years. Lyles has not run a 100 this season.

¶

Arkansas sophomore and NCAA men’s 100 m champion Jordan Anthony, who won the SEC title in 9.95 and the NCAA West regional in 9.75w (+2.1), announced Tuesday that he is going pro in track & field and abandoning his promising wide receiver role on the Razorbacks football team.

¶

At the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku (FIN), the U.S. saw a win for Dylan Beard in the men’s 110 m hurdles in 13.16 (wind: -0.1 m/s) and 2023 Worlds women’s hammer runner-up Janee Kassanavoid was third, at 73.15 m (240-0), behind Olympic champ Cam Rogers (CAN: 74.59 m/244-8).

Italy’s World Indoor champ Mattia Furlani won the men’s long jump at 8.11 m (26-7 1/4) and discus stars Kristjian Ceh (SLO: 2022 World Champion), Matt Denny (AUS: Paris Olympic bronze) and Daniel Stahl (SWE: Tokyo Olympic champ) all surpassed 70 m, with Ceh winning (70.61 m/231-8) over Denny (70.52 m/231-4) and Stahl (70.19 m/230-3).

● Judo ● Two more for Japan at the 2025 IJF World Championships, as Paris Olympic runner-up Sanshiro Murao won an all-Japan final in the men’s 90 kg class from 2024 World Champion Goki Tajima.

The women’s 70 kg final was the first Worlds gold for Shiho Tanaka, winning over 2022 Worlds runner-up Lara Cvjetko (CRO). Through 10 classes, Japan has six golds and 11 total medals Wow.

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Boston Fleet coach Courtney Kessel is in final discussions to take over as women’s hockey coach at Princeton, two people with knowledge of talks told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The people spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because Kessel’s hiring is not complete and the process could take weeks to finalize.

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The move would be a homecoming for Kessel, who previously served as an assistant at Princeton under Cara Gardner Morey. She would succeed Gardner Morey, who left the Tigers in May upon being hired as general manager of the PWHL’s expansion team in Vancouver.

Kessel’s ties to Princeton played a major role in her decision to pursue the job. The choice to leave the PWHL was considered a difficult one for the 35-year-old, who is proud of the relationships she formed with staff and players in helping launch the Fleet. She had a 27-19-8 record with the franchise.

Boston reached the Walter Cup finals last year in its inaugural season, where it lost a decisive Game 5 to Minnesota. This season, the Fleet missed the playoffs by the slimmest of margins.

From Toronto, Kessel played at New Hampshire, where she was a 2010 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, given to the MVP of women’s college hockey. She also represented Canada at three world championships, including a gold-medal win in 2012.

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After four years as an assistant at Princeton, Kessel served as associate head coach at Boston University in 2023-24 before being hired as the Fleet’s first coach.

The Fleet have undergone major changes this offseason. Star forward Hilary Knight left Boston to sign with the PWHL’s expansion team in Seattle. The Fleet also have an opening at assistant general manager after Meghan Turner was hired as Seattle’s GM.

The PWHL will now have three coaching vacancies, with Seattle and Vancouver having yet to fill their positions.

Princeton’s program flourished during Gardner Morey’s eight seasons as coach. The Tigers won their first Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament title in 2020 as part of a school-record 26-win season.

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AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

When he was taken second overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, the expectation was clear: Artyom Levshunov would become an elite, No. 1 defenseman for the Chicago Blackhawks.

At just 18 years old, Levshunov was already polished beyond his years. His lone college season at Michigan State felt almost too easy. In 38 games, he nearly averaged a point per game with a staggering +27 rating — all while being the third-youngest player in college hockey.

This wasn’t your average freshman. This was a full-grown man who just happened to be 18.

He carried himself like it, too. His teammates couldn’t believe the frame on him. Red Savage, who was a junior during Levshunov’s season with the Spartans, was floored.

“It’s insane,” Savage said, per a 2023 article from The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler. “I’ve never seen an 18-year-old that big. He’s just a big ball of muscle. He doesn’t have an ounce of fat on him. And he doesn’t understand how big he is sometimes. He’ll just wreck someone in practice without even knowing and start laughing at the guy.”

There’s a lot to be said for someone with not just that build, but that mindset.

Coaches rave about players like Levshunov — the ones who toe the line between relentless and borderline psychotic. Arrive. Wreck. Leave.

His work ethic only added to the legend. After one practice, MSU head coach Adam Nightingale was asked whether it was common to see Levshunov still out on the ice long after the team had wrapped.

“He’s a worker,” Nightingale said, per the aforementioned article. “Sometimes you actually have to pull him back. You can tell he’s super committed, with where he’s come from.”

It was always expected that Levshunov would be a one-and-done in East Lansing. His body and hockey mind were already pro-ready. The next step was simple: send him to the AHL and let him marinate.

For most of the 2024-25 season, he suited up with the Rockford IceHogs, where he posted 22 points (5G, 17A) in 52 games. There were growing pains, as expected. But toward the end of his AHL stint, the flashes started coming.

David St-Louis of Elite Prospects took note:

“In the AHL, Levshunov has shown an ability to pick up the puck on the wall, protect it, and use the net to separate from the opposition. He has managed to not only read the pressure of a first forechecker, but also evade a second one to pass to teammates in space.”

St-Louis added that if those breakout skills are honed, Levshunov could become a “highly effective puck-mover at the NHL level.”

And then came the call-up.

With the Blackhawks deep in the rebuild and injuries piling up, Levshunov was given an NHL look — and didn’t flinch. He played 18 games, tallied six assists, and looked more comfortable than many would expect from a teenage blueliner. In fact, St-Louis suggested he might’ve looked better in the NHL than he did in the AHL.

It sounds wild, but some guys are just built for the show.

Rookies — especially defensemen — tend to look lost on bad teams. The game is chaotic, support is spotty, and mistakes are amplified. But Levshunov played with poise. His playmaking flashed in subtle moments — like faking a point shot and dishing to a wide-open teammate — and he never looked overwhelmed.

At 4:50 of the video below, it shows Levshunov’s sneaky playmaking ability. It got to the point where he even faked his own teammate on the power play. Normally known for his shot, the expectation for him was to shoot, and instead, he faked everyone out.

His heavy shot and elite skating are already known commodities. But if he’s unlocking vision and confidence with the puck, the full breakout might come sooner than expected.

He’s 19. There’s plenty to clean up. Defensive details, reads, positioning — they’ll come. But that’s what time and reps are for.

Victor Hedman — another second-overall pick — didn’t arrive overnight either. And now he’s a Conn Smythe winner and two-time Cup champ.

Levshunov’s not there yet. But he’s showing the foundation.

He’s poised. He’s built for the grind. And nothing about his game looks overwhelmed.

For Artyom Levshunov, Year 1 was just the beginning.

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MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State women’s golfers Alenka Navarro and Noa van Beek along with men’s golfer Kobe Valociek have been named 2024-25 Academic All-District honorees, College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced Tuesday.
 
Navarro, an athletic training and rehab sciences major, earned a 3.525 GPA. van Beek, who is a marketing major, produced a 3.778 GPA. Valociek, who transferred in from Virginia Tech for the 2024-25 season, put together a perfect 4.0 GPA while working on his certificate in Data Analytics.
 
A sophomore this past season, Navarro competed in 12 events, putting together a 73.58 scoring average to rank sixth in program history as she earned one top-five finish and six top-20 showings. Her best finish of the year was a tie for third place at the season-opening Powercat Invitational, while her lowest 54-hole score was even-par 216 at both the Ron Moore Intercollegiate and NCAA Lexington Regional. A product of Mexico City, Navarro capped her sophomore campaign by tying for 14th place in the NCAA Championship.
 
A native of Oene, Netherlands, van Beek was a member of the scoring lineup for all 13 events, producing a 74.29 scoring average in addition to a top-10 and three top-20 finishes. Her best finish of the season was a tie for seventh place at the MountainView Collegiate after recording a 54-hole score of 3-over par 219.
 
Valociek made an impact on the Wildcats during his lone season in Manhattan as he ranked second on the team with a 72.32 scoring average while producing one top-five, four top-10 and sixth top-20 finishes in addition to leading the team in percentage of rounds counted toward the team score (90.32). His best finish of the season was a tie for fourth place at The Prestige following his best 54-hole score of the season at 7-under par 206, which included a career-low tying round of 66.
 
To be included on the CSC Academic All-District teams, an undergraduate student-athlete must have at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale, while graduate student-athletes must have at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA as both an undergraduate and graduate student. On the course, golfers must be in the lineup for 70% of an institution’s team scoring events or in the lineup at the conference championship tournament.

 

CSC Release

SAINT PETER, Minn. – Twelve Gustavus student-athletes were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District at-large team on Tuesday, June 17. 

Each institution may nominate up to six male and six female student-athletes for Academic All-District recognition in the at-large category, which includes fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, water polo, men’s volleyball, men’s wrestling, women’s beach volleyball, women’s bowling, women’s crew/rowing and women’s field hockey.

The six men honored were (listed alphabetically by sport) junior golfer Pelayo Perez Crespo (Sotogrande, Spain/Sotogrande International), senior hockey defender Kylar Fenton (Grafton, Wis./University School of Milwaukee), sophomore hockey forward Drew Holt (Eden Prairie, Minn.), fifth-year hockey defenders Landon Johnson (Little Falls, Minn.) and Jack Kubitz (Wayzata, Minn./Orono) and sophomore defender Jackson McCarthy (Buffalo, N.Y./Mount St. Charles).

The six women honored were junior golfer Lauren Hubbart (Hastings, Minn.), junior gymnast Maddox Lee (Hugo, Minn./Lakes International Language Academy), senior gymnast Marley Michaud (Sartell, Minn.), sophomore hockey forward Avery Braunshausen (Lake Elmo, Minn./Stillwater Area), fifth-year hockey forward Brooke Power (Lakeville, Minn./North) and sophomore hockey player Kylie Scott (Dayton, Minn./Champlin Park).

Nominees must be of sophomore status with a 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher. Athletically, golf nominees must have competed in 70 percent of the team’s total varsity events that were team scoring events. Gymnasts must be ranked in the top 75 in any event within their division according to Road To Nationals rankings. Hockey players must have competed in 90 percent of the team’s total games or have started in 66 percent.

Academic All-District honorees are eligible for Academic All-America distinction if advanced to the national ballot, which will be voted on by organization members and announced on Tuesday, July 8 (women) and Wednesday, July 9 (men).

The honor is the second for Perez Crespo, Kubitz, Fenton, Lee, and Power. 

Perez Crespo, an economics major with a 3.53 GPA, was selected to the All-MIAC Honorable Mention team on May 12, 2025. In his junior season, Perez Crespo averaged an even 76.0 in 25 rounds. Through 10 events, he collected a trio of top 10 finishes and one in the top five (Bobby Krig Invite). 

The Gustavus men’s golf team won four tournaments in the 2024-25 season – the most since the 2012-13 season (5) – and placed in the top five of five others, including the 2024 MIAC Championship where the Gusties finished fifth of nine teams. Gustavus went 56-14 against MIAC competitors and recorded a scoring average of 298.6 in 29 rounds. 

Fenton graduated in the spring as a computer science major with a 3.74 GPA. On the ice, he skated in 27 games, collecting a pair of goals and six assists for eight points from the blue line. Fenton managed a +6 rating and totaled two of his six assists in the team’s MIAC playoff title game against St. Olaf. He finished his career with seven goals and 18 assists in 93 games played, and will garner his third consecutive Academic All-MIAC award later this summer. 

A financial economics major with a 3.71 GPA, Holt helped lead the high-powered Gustavus offense with eight goals and 18 assists in 28 games played. The sophomore collected his second All-MIAC honor and ranked second in assists in the conference when the regular season concluded with 17. He owned a +11 rating alongside seven multi-point games, including a three-assist performance against Hamline on Feb. 21. 

Johnson ended his collegiate hockey career skating in 27 games with six assists. A physics, mathematics, and statistics major with a 3.81 GPA, Johnson carried a +14 record from the blue line. An AHCA All-American Scholar last season, Johnson is expected to collect the honor once more, along with MIAC Academic All-Conference honors, later this summer. He concluded his career with 75 games played and nine assists. 

Kubitz helped captain the Gusties from the blue line, totaling two goals and seven assists for nine points in 26 games. An economics and sociology major with a 3.80 GPA, Kubitz is expected to earn his fourth MIAC Academic All-Conference honor this summer. He finished his career with four goals and 25 assists in 83 games played.

A sophomore DI transfer for the Gusties, McCarthy made an instant impact on the ice, skating in 26 games with a goal and 15 assists. A biology and psychology major with a 3.95 GPA, the Buffalo, N.Y. native was selected to both the MIAC All-Conference and All-Playoff teams. 

The men’s hockey team saw a historical turnaround this season, finishing 16-10-2 and 10-4-2 in the conference. Five were named All-Conference, while the team led the league in nearly every offensive statistical category. The Gusties claimed both MIAC Championships, including the playoff championship at home, to punch a ticket back to the national tournament, where they fell in the first round.

Hubbart, a nursing major with a 3.73 GPA, was second on the team with an average of 82.6 through all 17 rounds of Gustie golf this season. In her junior season, Hubbart collected three top 10 finishes and one in the top five, a fourth place finish at the UW-Eau Claire Georgianni Invite. She ended her season taking eighth of 57 at the Bethel Rumble at the Ridge and ninth of 71 at the St. Olaf/Carleton Spring Invite. 

Aside from the MIAC Championship, where the women’s golf team finished fifth out of 10 teams, Gustavus finished in the top five of three other tournaments in 2024-25. The Gusties went 27-24 against MIAC schools, and recorded an average of 332.0 over 17 rounds. Individually, three Gusties posted top five finishes and added three more in the top 10 of different events.

Lee collects her second All-District distinction with a 3.67 major in physics alongside a pair of top 40 marks in the Road to Nationals (RTN) rankings. Lee finished 39th in bars and 40th in beam. She collected WIAC Athlete of the Week honors earlier this season after posting the fifth-highest all-around total in program history. Her career-high all-around score is a 38.300, a score she set in the 2023-24 season, which ranks third in program history behind only Alex Kopp ’17 (38.525) and Annie Corbett ’23 (38.450). Her season bests included a 9.450 on vault, 9.550 on bars, 9.775 on beam (career-high, program record), 9.575 on floor and 38.050 in all-around competition.

Michaud graduated in the spring with a 3.85 GPA in biology. Her top floor score ranked 43rd according to RTN. The senior collected her second consecutive All-WIAC honor in the all-around at this season’s championship after finishing in the top six. She helped the Gusties break a number of records in her final year of collegiate gymnastics, including her own career-high 37.875 in the all-around against Simpson on Feb. 23. Her top season scores including a 9.525 on vault, 9.050 on bars, 9.700 on beam (career-high) and 9.750 on floor (career-high).

The Gustavus gymnastics team posted a record year, surpassing the 190 mark for the first time in program history. The Gusties set the vault record five times, posting the first 48 in program history and setting the mark at 48.025. The team also set the beam record, now at 48.300, and posted a team record score of 190.275 against Simpson. Gustavus finished seventh at the WIAC Championships and posted two team scores that rank in the top five in program history. Lili Guy (Glendale Heights, Ill./Glenbard North) was the team’s sole qualifier to the NCGA National Championships, which were hosted in Saint Peter for the first time since 1999. 

A business management major with a 3.96 GPA, Braunshausen skated in 28 games with a goal and two assists. She scored her only goal of the year against Hamline, the overtime-game winner in the team’s regular season finale. Braunshausen was a 2024 AHCA All-American Scholar and is expected to collect her first MIAC Academic All-Conference honor later this summer.

One of the Gusties’ most recent prolific scorers, Power concluded her fifth and final season with 13 goals and 11 assists for 24 points in 28 games played. She joined the program ranks with 100 career points and finished with 114, which puts her 10th in the program ranks. An exercise physiology major with a 3.93 GPA, the team captain became just the 25th player in recorded MIAC history to receive All-Conference recognition in four seasons. She set the MIAC record for career power play goals (22), finished second the conference record books in both short-handed goals (5) and game-winners (20). In her final season, she was one of the nation’s statistically most accomplished active players, ranking in the top-10 of a number of statistics in all of college hockey. Among active Division III women’s hockey players, she ranked first in career game-winning goals (20), second in goals (67) and power play goals (21), third in short-handed goals (five), eighth in points (114) and goals per game (0.56), and 11th in games played (120). Her 20 game-winners were good for third in all levels of women’s hockey, while her 21 power play tallies were fifth. She became the 15th member of the Gustie 100 point club earlier this season, and she and her sister Erica ’18 are the only sisters in the history of Gustavus and MIAC women’s hockey to both eclipse 100 points. She finished her career with 114 points (68 G, 46 A) in 121 games played.

Scott, who was named a team captain for the 2025-26 season, played in 28 games between forward and defense. She scored three goals with 13 assists and started the season with a six-game point streak. A biology pre-med major with a 3.74 GPA, Scott also serves on the Student-Athlete Advisor Committee leadership team and was a part of the group that helped find a lifesaving match for a 33-year-old man battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. She was a MIAC All-Playoff selection last season and is expected to earn her first Academic All-MIAC honor this summer. 

Women’s hockey finished the 2024-25 season 21-7-0 overall and 15-3-0 in the conference and was ranked as high as No. 2 nationally in both the USCHO.com and DIII Hockey News rankings. Gustavus was the MIAC Playoff runner-up, and received an at-large bid to its 18th national tournament appearance, falling to St. Norbert (Wis.) in the first round. 

 

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