Sports

Josh Shapiro Silent on Women's Sports Bill After It Passes Senate

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has declined to tell The Daily Signal whether he will sign or veto a measure to protect women from unfair competition in sports, after the bill passed the state Senate in a bipartisan vote Tuesday. The Daily Signal reached out multiple times and connected twice with a staffer, but Shapiro’s office […]

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2 months ago

May 8, 2025

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Josh Shapiro Silent on Women's Sports Bill After It Passes Senate

The Daily Signal reached out multiple times and connected twice with a staffer, but Shapiro’s office did not provide a response by the deadline. Shapiro has previously opposed a substantially similar bill.

“This bill is nothing more than cruel, designed to discriminate against transgender youth who just want to play sports like their peers,” he wrote in 2021. “Our [Gov. Tom Wolf] will veto this & defend our LGBTQ+ community — but *this* is the GOP’s vision for Pennsylvania.”

Shapiro may be declining to take a stand on the issue due to presidential ambitions.

Senate Bill 9, the Save Women’s Sports Act, passed the Senate, 32-18, on Tuesday. Five Democrats joined 27 Republicans in voting for the bill. (Republicans enjoy a slight majority, 27-to-23.)

It remains unclear if the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (where Democrats have a one-seat majority, 102-to-101) will take up the bill.

Lisa Boscola, one of the Senate Democrats who voted for the bill, said she supports inclusion but emphasized that men enjoy biological advantages over women in many sports.

“I do empathize with individuals in transition, a person trying to come to grips with who they are,” she declared in a speech on the Senate floor. “A decision like this cannot be easy, and it can be for some isolating and scary. Sports is an opportunity to be included, but it must be done correctly, safely, and fairly.”

“Separating biological males and females for sports, especially after puberty, is necessary for fairness,” Boscola said. “Let’s talk reality. We divide boys and girls for sports by biology starting around the teenage years because the process of growing into men and women has a clear impact on athleticism.”

She mentioned Lia Thomas, a male swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania who competed in men’s events before identifying as female and joining the women’s team.

“Looking at rankings of Lia Thomas, the swimmer at UPenn, you also gain some perspective of the difference of physical ability,” Boscola noted. “In the 2018-2019 season she was, when competing in the men’s team, ranked 554th in the 200 freestyle, 65th in the 500 freestyle, and 32nd in the 1650 freestyle. In the 2021-2022 season, those ranks are now, when competing in the women’s team, fifth in the 200 freestyle, first in the 500 freestyle, and eighth in the 1650 freestyle and that was with two years of hormone treatments.”

It seems Pennsylvania Democrats are operating on the presumption that Shapiro will veto the bill.

“You know this bill is not going anywhere in the House,” Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, a Democrat, said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “You know it’s not going anywhere to the governor’s desk. This is simply being done for political reasons to be able to create a divisive chamber here.”

Costa called the bill discriminatory, “unnecessary, unwarranted, and unconstitutional in my mind.”

When the bill first passed out of the Senate committee in March, a spokeswoman for House Majority Leader Matt Bradford dismissed it as political theater.

“In the House, we remain focused on building good schools for every kid, cutting costs for working families and making sure everyone can see a doctor,” Elizabeth Rementer said at the time.

Rementer did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment on whether the House will take up the bill.

Sports

North Carolina A&T and Campbell Represented Amongst CAA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Major Award Winners

North Carolina A&T and Campbell Represented Amongst CAA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Major Award Winners 6/26/2025 1:30:00 PM Ben Kane RICHMOND, Va. (June 26, 2025) – Campbell and North Carolina A&T both garnered CAA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field major awards for their performances in the 2025 season. North […]

Published

11 minutes ago

June 26, 2025

Your Sports Nation

North Carolina A&T and Campbell Represented Amongst CAA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Major Award Winners

6/26/2025 1:30:00 PM

Ben Kane

RICHMOND, Va. (June 26, 2025) – Campbell and North Carolina A&T both garnered CAA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field major awards for their performances in the 2025 season.

North Carolina A&T’s Xavier Partee was named the Field Athlete of the Year, while his teammate and fellow All-American Xzaviah Taylor earned Track Athlete of the Year honors. Campbell’s Mehki Dupree was named the Rookie of the Year, and the Aggies’ Allen Johnson was named Coach of the Year.

Partee was named an honorable mention All-American in the triple jump in a season that saw him crowned the CAA Champion in his signature event. The second-year jumper recorded the longest jump at the CAA Championship since 2001 with a winning leap of 15.88m.

Taylor won two CAA outdoor titles in both the 400m and 400m hurdles, while contributing to a second-place finish in the 4x100m. The sophomore was named a Second Team All-American in the 400m hurdles, while also garnering All-American honorable mentions with the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams.

Dupree secured the top podium spot in the 200m race at the conference championship to go with a third-place mark in the 110m hurdles. Qualifying for the NCAA East Regional, the freshman finished 18^th in his signature event. Dupree ran an impressive 20.43 in the 200m this past season, ranking him 33rd in the nation.

Johnson led his program to a 36-point victory in the CAA Outdoor Championships, having won six event titles in total. Under his tutelage, the Aggie men qualified 16 student-athletes for the NCAA East Regionals this season and saw his athletes qualify for the 400m hurdles, 110m hurdles, 4x100m relay and men’s triple jump at the NCAA Nationals.

The following student-athletes earned All-CAA honors for placing top three in their respective event(s) at the 2025 CAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

2025 Men’s Outdoor Track & Field All-CAA Honorees

100m: Deondre McInTosh, Hampton (10.35); Tristen Howard, Northeastern (10.40); Jaeden Gumbs, N.C. A&T (10.40)

200m: Mekhi Dupree, Campbell (21.19); Deondre McInTosh, Hampton (21.31); Brunner Williams, Northeastern (21.45)

400m: Xzaviah Taylor, N.C. A&T (46.01); Elijah Thomas, N.C. A&T (46.19); Caleb Gurnell, N.C. A&T (46.25)

800m: Dyimond Walker, N.C. A&T (1:48.29); Dawson Grogan, N.C. A&T (1:48.38); Conall Rogers, Northeastern (1:49.39)

1500m: Collin Gilstrap, Stony Brook (3:48.65); Caleb Wilcox, William & Mary (3:51.42); Tomas Barry, Monmouth (3:53.51)

5000m: Abraham Longosiwa, Hofstra (14:55.54); Steven Struk, Stony Brook (14:55.90); Henry Gartner, Stony Brook (14:56.53)

10,000m: Abraham Longosiwa, Hofstra (29:33.48$); Nico Boyle, Northeastern (30:31.31); Henry Gartner, Stony Brook (30:36.73)

110m Hurdles: Cameron Wright, UNCW (14.11); Khairi Williams, UNCW (14.33); Mekhi Dupree, Campbell (14.33)

400m Hurdles: Xzaviah Taylor, N.C. A&T (51.07); Isaiah Taylor, N.C. A&T (51.43); Cameron Rodgers, Northeastern (51.51)

3000m Steeplechase: Nellie Ambriton, Hampton; Collin Walsh, William & Mary; Gavin Rossi, Monmouth

4x100m Relay: Northeastern (39.53); N.C. A&T (39.57); Hampton (40.10)

4x400m Relay: N.C. A&T (3:07.49); Hampton (3:08.65); UNCW (3:09.21)

High Jump: Donovan Lara, UNCW (2.08m); Ivan Poag, UNCW (2.04m); Yule Pieters, N.C. A&T (2.04m)

Long Jump: Bryson Robinson, UNCW (7.53m); Ivan Poag, UNCW (7.16m); Ahmad Brock, Monmouth (7.15m)

Triple Jump: Xavier Partee, N.C. A&T (15.88m); Armon Wright, William & Mary (15.51m); TyHeak Buie, N.C. A&T (15.36m)

Pole Vault: Reagan Wise, Campbell (5.13m); Dalton Yeust, Monmouth (5.03m); Jan Volkmar, Monmouth (4.78m)

Shot Put: Brayden Hodgest, N.C. A&T (17.61m); Carlos Alexander, N.C. A&T (17.56m); Alex Henry, N.C. A&T (17.19m)

Discus: Isaiah Battle, Monmouth (50.56m); Carlos Alexander, N.C. A&T (49.38m); Brayden Hodgest, N.C. A&T (49.23m)

Hammer Throw: Nicholas Pisciotta, Northeastern (60.99m); Isaiah Battle, Monmouth (60.19m); AJ Bailor, Monmouth (55.38m)

Javelin: Miles Higgins, UNCW (63.73m); Alex Ust, William & Mary (53.57m); Tyler Cappadona, Monmouth (53.48m)

Decathlon: Brian Walsh, William & Mary (7076); Jan Volkmar, Monmouth (7049); David Strong, Monmouth (7028)

# – CAA Record

$ – Meet Record

Follow the CAA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get up-to-date information and learn more about all CAA member institutions and their teams.

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Matt Fisher is The Star’s Boys Volleyball Player of the Year for 2025

Matt Fisher is no stranger to high school sporting success. A year ago, he celebrated with his Camarillo High teammates after winning a CIF-Southern Section Division 4 baseball championship. Fisher then made a decision that would completely change the trajectory of his athletic career. He decided to focus solely on volleyball. A year later, Fisher […]

Published

12 minutes ago

June 26, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Matt Fisher is no stranger to high school sporting success.

A year ago, he celebrated with his Camarillo High teammates after winning a CIF-Southern Section Division 4 baseball championship.

Fisher then made a decision that would completely change the trajectory of his athletic career.

He decided to focus solely on volleyball.

A year later, Fisher is the Coastal Canyon League co-MVP, the best player on the area’s top-ranked boys volleyball team and The Star’s Boys Volleyball Player of the Year for the 2025 season.

“Last year was kind of my first glimpse at (the award), knowing that I am right there,” said Fisher, who made The Star’s All-County First Team last season. “I got to tell my mom, both my parents, my grandparents — that was a cool feeling.”

For Fisher, becoming a full-time volleyball player was a return to the family business.

Dan Fisher, his uncle, is the head volleyball coach at the University of Pittsburgh and was named the 2024 American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I National Coach of the Year. Fisher grew up around the sport, but only found his passion for it later.

“All I really knew was baseball,” Fisher said. “Volleyball just kind of started to creep into my life.”

In a short time, Fisher put together quite the career at Camarillo.

He ended his senior season as the program record-holder for assists in a single season after recording 562 this spring. He also amassed 115 kills, 31 solo blocks and 22 aces this season.

Those marks, awe-inspiring on their own, are made all the more impressive when Fisher’s injury history is taken into account.

Playing at an open gym in December, Fisher felt a sudden, debilitating pain in his back. He was diagnosed with a pars defect — stress fractures in his spine — as well as disc displacement.

“The next few days after that initial game, I was barely able to get out of bed,” Fisher said. “I wasn’t able to move, bend down, anything. It was excruciating pain.”

The senior was seriously limited early in the season, only playing a few rotations per match with seriously limited mobility. Four months of physical therapy helped finally get him back on the court.

Fisher’s injury showed just how integral he was to Camarillo’s play, but it also pushed every member of the team to rely on one another, according to head coach Stephen Zavala.

“In the very beginning of the season, everyone looked for Matt — ‘Matt is going to get us out of this slump,’ ” Zavala said. “He said, ‘It’s not a one-man show. It requires six people on the court.’ He really built that trust.

“We held him back, didn’t want him to play in the front, jumping, too much. Once he came back, we let the reins go and he was going at it.”

Some of Fisher’s best performances came during Camarillo’s tournament play, helping lead the Scorpions to a sixth-place finish at the vaunted Karch Kiraly Tournament of Champions at Santa Barbara High.

“He popped off,” Zavala said. “He was there to prove something.”

Fisher’s stellar play continued into Coastal Canyon League play, where he had 57 assists, 18 kills and four solo blocks in a win over Oak Park. The big outing demonstrated the senior’s most impressive skill: picking apart an opposing team’s blocking scheme, piece by piece.

That skill paired nicely with Camarillo’s stable of athletic hitters like Stanley Filiaga and Breck Bray, whom Fisher credited with helping lead the program to a successful season.

“Without the hitters, there is no success,” Fisher said. “It came through hard work with the hitters, being able to connect with them and figure out what they need to be successful, how to get them open, what they are most comfortable with. All the props to them — they were amazing this season.”

Camarillo earned a co-league championship with Royal and reached the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 playoffs, where the Scorpions lost to Santa Monica in five sets in the first round to end their season with a 20-6 record.

Every aspect of Fisher’s game, from his on-court skills to his leadership and even in his respect for the sport, evolved while he played for the 2024 Boys U19 National Team last year, he said.

“You are representing the country,” Fisher said. “Not just your high school, not just maybe your city, not your club, but the country. Everybody that lives in the USA.”

When Fisher returned from that experience, he was a different player, according to Zavala.

His focus was no longer just on becoming the best player he could be, but also on helping his team to evolve and reach their goals.

“From Day 1 to the end of the season, it was, ‘How can we make everyone better?’ ” Zavala said. “Matt implemented that.

“Even our third on the bench, he was trying to make that guy better so that he makes the No. 2 better, who makes the No. 1 better. It was full circle, from beginning to end. I think that was what really made this team very, very special this year.”

Fisher, who will continue his academic and volleyball career at Concordia University in Irvine next year, said he hopes the improvement Camarillo showed over the past four years can be an inspiration for other players and teams.

“As long as you put in the work and as long as you put faith in the system and your coaches, you will succeed,” Fisher said. “There is so much success to happen and so much untapped potential in every single player. I just hope that we were able to show that is a possibility. Success is a possibility, no matter where you start.”

Dominic Massimino is a staff writer for the Star. He can be reached at dominic.massimino@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcsdominic on Twitter and Instagram.

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Track and field places nine on CSC Academic All-District team

Story Links WALTHAM, Mass. – Nine members of the Brandeis men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District At-Large teams. Honorees on the CSC Academic All-District teams must be at least sophomores in academic standing with a grade-point […]

Published

28 minutes ago

June 26, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WALTHAM, Mass. – Nine members of the Brandeis men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District At-Large teams.

Honorees on the CSC Academic All-District teams must be at least sophomores in academic standing with a grade-point average of 3.50 or higher. For track and field, they also must rank among the top 50 in the region in an individual event or among the top 50 at the NCAA Regional Cross Country Championships.

The Judges’ honorees for the 2024-25 season are:

WOMEN

Alisha Anderson – Junior – Pole Vault – Denver, Colorado – 3.95 GPA – Biology major

Kyra Au – Senior – XC/Distance – Great Neck, New York – 3.76 GPA – Business / Environmental Studies double major

Hannah Bohbot-Dridi – Senior – Hurdles/Sprints – Mountain View, California – 3.54 GPA – Politics major

Aïana Colas – Junior – High Jump – Strasbourg, France – 3.97 GPA – Biology major

Zada Forde – Senior – Cross Country/Distance – Amherst. Massachusetts – 3.83 GPA – Sociology / Environmental Studies double major

MEN

Lucas Dia – Senior – Steeplechase/Distance – Montclair, New Jersey – 3.58 GPA – Computer Science / Economics double major

Lin Lin Hutchinson – Senior – Jumps – Portland, Oregon – 3.79 GPA – American Studies / Independent Interdisciplinary Studies double major

TJ Showstead – Junior – Heptathlon/Decathlon – Plymouth, Massachusetts – 3.77 GPA – Chemistry major

Matthew Yue – Junior – Sprints, Long Jump – Vancouver, British Columbia – 3.72 GPA – Applied Mathematics / Computer Science major

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Kenzie Foley Becomes First SCSU Volleyball Alumna To Go Pro

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) — A former standout St. Cloud State University volleyball player has signed a contract to play professionally. Former outside hitter Kenzie Foley of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa has signed a professional contract with a team in Germany. Foley becomes the first St. Cloud State Volleyball alumna to sign a professional contract. She was 2021 […]

Published

29 minutes ago

June 26, 2025

Your Sports Nation

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) — A former standout St. Cloud State University volleyball player has signed a contract to play professionally.

Former outside hitter Kenzie Foley of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa has signed a professional contract with a team in Germany.

Foley becomes the first St. Cloud State Volleyball alumna to sign a professional contract.

She was 2021 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) DII National Freshman of the Year and 2023 AVCA DII National Player of the Year

She helped guide the Huskies to four straight NCAA Tournaments for the first time in program history.

SCSU head coach Chad Braegelmann.

“She’s a competitor and loves sports – the atmosphere, challenging herself and being part of a team are all very important to her. This experience, and others like it will come from our team success. If we don’t win matches and have a competitive team these opportunities don’t present themselves as readily. We hope she’s one of many others going forward to get this opportunity.”

She was named the 2024-25 St. Cloud State Female Senior Athlete of the Year, which is awarded annually to the top female Husky.

Foley is set to begin her professional career in Suhl, Germany this fall.

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Take a trip back to summer in the ’70s and ’80s — when Ring Pops ruled, bikes meant freedom, and Press Your Luck kicked off the day. These photos hit all the nostalgic notes.

Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz

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Beach Volleyball W/M Semi Final

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June 26, 2025

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Big Ten, Big 12 Enter Into Partnership With PayPal, Venmo

Student-athletes in the Big Ten Conference and Big 12 Conference have a new way to receive their compensation, as the two college sports conferences entered into a partnership with PayPal and Venmo. The agreement follows a recent court ruling in the House vs. NCAA settlement allowing colleges to pay student-athletes directly. Current NCAA athletes are […]

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41 minutes ago

June 26, 2025

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Student-athletes in the Big Ten Conference and Big 12 Conference have a new way to receive their compensation, as the two college sports conferences entered into a partnership with PayPal and Venmo.

The agreement follows a recent court ruling in the House vs. NCAA settlement allowing colleges to pay student-athletes directly. Current NCAA athletes are eligible to receive up to $20.5 million from individual schools, while former collegiate athletes are eligible to receive up to $2.8 billion in compensation.

Big Ten and Big 12 universities will be able to send payments directly to students via PayPal, which in turn empowers them to take advantage of the payment company’s ecosystem to pay for their tuition, buy books from the university bookstore, and make purchases for extracurricular activities, such as tickets to a sporting event.

“We’re proud to help lead this transformation in college athletics by making it easier and faster for student-athletes to receive funds, and we continue to bring trusted and innovative commerce solutions to the heart of campus life,” said Alex Chriss, president and CEO of PayPal, in a statement. “From receiving institutional payments to making everyday purchases, we’re helping student-athletes, families, and schools engage in new ways that are modern, secure, and built for the future.”

“We look forward to partnering with PayPal to ensure a secure, rapid, and reliable way for student-athletes to receive institutional payments as we welcome in this new era in college athletics,” Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti added.

“We are thrilled to enter into this landmark partnership with PayPal and Venmo,” said Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark in a statement. “As we embark on a new era of college athletics, aligning with a global leader like PayPal will unlock a wealth of opportunities for the Big 12. This partnership will also empower our student-athletes to receive payments through a secure, trusted platform they already know and use.”

Additionally, the partnership includes Venmo becoming the presenting partner of the inaugural Big Ten Rivalry Series, which encompasses football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball.

Venmo will also serve as the official partner of the Big 12 Conference across Big 12 football, basketball, and Olympic sports championships for both men’s and women’s teams. And the Venmo brand will be seen across all 16 institutions’ athletic events.

The PayPal-owned peer-to-peer social payments platform will collaborate with the Big Ten and Big 12 to facilitate acceptance for real-world campus spending, including purchases at bookstores. Students will also be able to earn in-store and onlikne rewards if they choose to also sign up for the Venmo Debit Mastercard. And they will be able, for a limited time, to earn up to 15% cash back from select national brands.

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