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Katie Ledecky Overcame Tough Competition to Cap Off Season

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Katie Ledecky Overcame Unprecedented Competition to Cap Off Historic Season

Few swimmers have ever matched the magic Katie Ledecky brought to international competition in her first five years of major meets. A 15-year-old prodigy pulling a huge upset at the 2012 Olympics turned into three world titles and a pair of world records one year after that. By 2015, Ledecky had obliterated existing world records in the 400, 800 and 1500 freestyle, and she added 200-meter gold for an unprecedented sweep. Her peak performance came in 2016, her Rio Olympic performance personifying mastery and dominance.

The season Ledecky put together in 2025 has been her best one since, thanks to her first world record in the 800 free in nine years plus one of the hardest-fought victories of her career at the recent World Championships.

katie-ledecky-

Katie Ledecky — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

That’s not to take anything away from the relentless winning of the past eight years. During that span, Ledecky was beaten exactly once in the 800 or 1500 free, and it was at a tune-up meet of little consequence last spring. Several years ago, she surrendered her dominance in the 400 free as Ariarne Titmus and then Summer McIntosh emerged as true rivals, but she has never missed the international podium in that event. She no longer races the 200 free internationally but has remained the vital cog for the American women in the 800 free relay.

But this year has stood out since Ledecky opened the Fort Lauderdale Pro Series meet with the second-fastest time ever in the 1500 free, behind only her world record set seven years earlier. Two days later, Ledecky pulled off another stunner in the 400 free, sling-shotting ahead of McIntosh to record her second-best time ever in that event, coming within tenths of her American record from the 2016 Games.

Those two swims were a precursor to her stunning 800-meter time of 8:04.12 on the meet’s final night. The performance earned Ledecky standing ovation as she embraced current and former teammates and coaches, with former Stanford coach and current USA Swimming National Team Director Greg Meehan calling her “beyond inspiring.”

But world titles had not yet been handed out, and the challenges were coming. First came McIntosh, who fired off a warning shot of 8:05.07 at Canadian Trials, quicker than Ledecky swam at her selection meet. That was followed shortly thereafter by a time of 8:10.84 from Lani Pallister at Australian Trials, quicker than the previous Aussie record set by Titmus en route to Olympic silver behind Ledecky last year.

So for the first time in her career, Ledecky went to Singapore as merely the co-favorite in the 800 free rather than the unequivocal No. 1. What transpired was a testament to both her greatness and her legacy.

The medal count shows that Ledecky expanded upon a résumé that was already the best in the history of the World Championships. Her two additional world titles in individual races brought her career to 18, three ahead of second-place Michael Phelps and four clear of next-best female Sarah Sjostrom. Including relays, Ledecky now owns 23 gold medals and 30 total medals, both second all-time to Phelps. And her win in the 800 free made her the first swimmer to capture seven world titles in a single event.

Look deeper, and you’ll see that Ledecky surpassed the fastest silver-medal-winning times ever. In the 1500, Ledecky won gold by five seconds, but Italy’s Simona Quadarella took silver in 15:31.79, chopping seven full seconds from the European record and annihilating her previous best time by nine.

Quadarella, whose already-sizeable international medal collection would include far more golds if not for Ledecky’s presence, broke up Ledecky’s stranglehold on the top-25 performances in history. She is now within 12 seconds of Ledecky’s world record in the 1500 free. It had been a decade since anyone had ever been that close.

Four days later in the 800 free final, Quadarella swam another huge personal best as she knocked off Rebecca Adlington’s continental standard in the 800 free. The time of 8:12.81 would have won a medal at every previous international competition. Not this time, not even close.

lani pallister, katie ledecky, summer mcintosh

Lani Pallister, Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh on the 800 free podium — Photo Courtesy: Emily Cameron

Before Singapore, Ledecky was the only swimmer to ever break 8:10 at a major competition, and McIntosh was the only other swimmer to ever go below that barrier (on two prior occasions, both this year). This final, though, saw McIntosh and Pallister stick with Ledecky the entire distance. Only in the final meters could the American legend break away, but a championship record of 8:05.62 was required to edge Pallister by 0.36.

Yes, a championship record, quicker than any times Ledecky posted in her previous six title-winning swims. McIntosh was profoundly disappointed with her bronze-medal swim, but her time of 8:07.29 was still a tick quicker than Ledecky’s previous meet record of 8:07.39 from a decade earlier. The times by the top-three performers were the second, third and fourth-fastest times ever at a championship meet, trailing only Ledecky’s result from the 2016 Olympic final.

Though most of her previous wins in the 800 free have been in dominant fashion, Ledecky had faced tougher competition on occasion. Her most difficult win came at the 2019 World Championships, a meet where she battled illness all week and needed a late burst to hold off Quadarella. In the past two Olympic finals, Titmus has stayed close throughout. However, Ledecky was not close to her best form on any of those occasions.

This year, Ledecky took the best shot from all of her main rivals minus Titmus, who took the year away from competition. The 1500 was closer and the 800 down to the wire not because of Ledecky faltering but because of massive improvements from Pallister, McIntosh and Quadarella. None of these women would have dreamed of approaching these times if not for Ledecky showing them what was possible, but yet again, the distance queen came through.

Perhaps we have taken her greatness for granted when the races have been not so competitive, when the records have been out of reach. Not this time; this was maximum Ledecky, the greatest female swimmer ever somehow surpassing herself.



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Kansas State volleyball vs Nebraska in NCAA Tournament channel, time

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Dec. 6, 2025, 6:03 a.m. CT



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Women’s track and field begins indoor season at M City Classic

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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The St. Olaf College women’s track and field team turned in 13 performances that ranked on its all-time performers’ list at the season-opening M City Classic on Friday at the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse.

First years accounted for 11 of the 13 performances that ranked on St. Olaf’s all-time list at the unscored meet, which included teams from the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and club levels. In addition to the top-10 list performances, senior Ella Landis posted St. Olaf’s lone first-place finish at the meet by winning the one-mile run in 5:17.28.

In her first collegiate meet, first year Evangeline Sappington broke onto the program’s all-time performers’ list in both the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash. Sappington was the top Division III finisher and was 10th overall in the 200-meter dash (26.84), while also taking second among Division III competitors and 16th overall in the 60-meter dash. Sappington’s time in the 60-meter dash ranks second on the Oles’ all-time list – just four one-hundredths of a second off the record – and her time in the 200-meter dash is fifth.

Sophomore Izzi Jaeckle clocked in with St. Olaf’s No. 4 time in the 60-meter dash by placing 17th (8.10), while first year Ellie Semple also broke onto the list in 10th with a time of 8.28 seconds to finish 27th. Sophomore Logan Paulsen moved up to seventh on the Oles’ list with a sixth-place performance in the shot put (12.48m, 40′ 11 ½”), while first year Abigal Frei cleared 3.26 meters (10′ 8 ¼”) for a No. 5 all-time result and an eighth-place finish.

First years Svea Frantzich and Claire Stein recorded St. Olaf’s No. 8 and No. 10 scores in the pentathlon by finishing seventh (3,005) and eighth (2,993), respectively. Frantzich tied for third in the long jump (5.44m, 17′ 10 ¼”) and was sixth in the 60-meter hurdles (9.47), which both ranked on St. Olaf’s all-time list. Stein also tied for third in the long jump (5.44m, 10′ 10 ¼”) to highlight her day. First year Annika Walsh was the runner-up in the high jump (1.62m, 5′ 3 ¾”) – fifth all-time – and was seventh in the 60-meter hurdles (9.48) – ninth all-time – as part of a ninth-place finish in the pentathlon (2,881).

St. Olaf will be back in action in 2026 at the Ole Opener at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17 at Tostrud Center.

 



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Second-Screen Golf Experiences : Player Profiles

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At the 2025 JM Eagle LA Championship, IRCODE debuted Player Profiles, a new LIVE+ capability to bring fans closer to athletes without prompts, QR codes, or static triggers.

In addition to offering an on-site fan experience, IRCODE, as a Technology Partner, introduced an interactive viewer experience for fans at home. When players appeared on-screen, viewers used the IRCODE app to scan their screen and instantly accessed a full, interactive profile for shopping their favorite players’ gear, diving deeper into their stories and learning more about the causes that are meaningful to them.

Player Profiles leverages IRCODE’s patented EXACT Match technology and proprietary computer vision, and applies real-time visual recognition to usher in the next generation of second-screen entertainment.



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Catch Saturday’s Basketball and Indoor Track and Field Action

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BEREA, Ohio – Fans can follow or watch Saturday’s Baldwin Wallace University basketball and indoor track and field action via live results, statistics or video.

The men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams open the 2025-26 season when it travels to Cleveland to compete in the Spartan Alumni Holiday Classic hosted by Case Western Reserve University inside the Veale Convocation, Recreation and Athletic Center at 11:00 a.m.

Live Results: 

https://bwyellowjackets.cc/3MlDQcr

FloCollege On Demand Live Video:

https://bwyellowjackets.cc/3KFq6st

The men’s basketball team travels to New Concord for the first game of a men’s and women’s Ohio Athletic Conference and Hoops for Hunger Food Drive doubleheader against Muskingum University on Performance Court inside the Anne C. Steele Center at 1:00 p.m.  Fans can receive free admission to the game with a donation of canned food, a non-perishable item, or a monetary contribution.

Tickets:

https://bwyellowjackets.cc/3WGuwll

Live Statistics:

https://bwyellowjackets.cc/493Gehq

FloCollege On Demand Live Video:

https://flosports.link/47hSw2V

The No. 21 nationally ranked women’s basketball team travels to New Concord for the second game of a women’s and men’s Ohio Athletic Conference and Hoops for Hunger Food Drive doubleheader against Muskingum University on Performance Court inside the Anne C. Steele Center at 4:00 p.m.  Fans can receive free admission to the game with a donation of canned food, a non-perishable item, or a monetary contribution.

Tickets:

https://bwyellowjackets.cc/3WGuwll

Live Statistics:

https://bwyellowjackets.cc/49Ist7Q

FloCollege On Demand Live Video:

https://flosports.link/4qu1Fyr

 



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2025 DII women’s volleyball championship: Bracket, schedule, scores

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Here’s everything you need to know leading up to the first round of the 2025 DII women’s volleyball championship. 

The championship bracket was revealed during a selection show on Monday, Nov. 24, live streamed here on NCAA.com. Twenty-three teams earned automatic qualification, with the remaining 41 teams selected at-large by the Division II Women’s Volleyball Committee. Teams from each of the eight regional sites received initial seeds Nos. 1-8. 

🏆 Watch live: 2025 DII women’s volleyball championship rounds

2025 DII women’s volleyball championship bracket

Click or tap here for the 2025 interactive bracket

The 2025 DII women's volleyball championship bracket

2025 NCAA DII women’s volleyball schedule

  • Regionals: Dec. 4-6
  • Quarterfinals: Thursday, Dec. 11
  • Semifinals: Friday, Dec. 12
  • National Championship: Saturday, Dec. 13

  • Selection show: 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, November 24
  • Regionals: Dec. 4-6
    • Thursday, Dec. 4
      • No. 3 Indiana (Pennsylvania) 3, No. 6 Fairmont State 0
      • No. 3 Anderson (South Carolina) 3, No. 6 Augusta 1
      • No. 3 Lynn 3, No. 6 UAH 2
      • No. 6 Washburn 3, No. 3 Wayne State (Nebraska) 0
      • No. 3 Mercy 3, No. 6 Molloy 2
      • No. 2 East Stroudsburg 3, No. 7 Charleston (West Virginia) 0
      • No. 3 Ferris State 3, No. 6 Quincy 2
      • No. 2 Lenoir-Rhyne 3, No. 7 Lander 1
      • No. 7 Colorado Sch. of Mines 3, No. 2 UCCS 2
      • No. 3 Fresno Pacific 3, No. 6 Western Washington 0
      • No. 2 Barry 3, No. 7 Eckerd 0
      • No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul 3, No. 7 Central Oklahoma 0
      • No. 7 Holy Family 3, No. 2 Adelphi 2 
      • No. 7 Rockhurst 3, No. 2 Ohio Dominican 0
      • No. 3 Angelo State 3, No. 6 Lubbock Christian 1
      • No. 5 Flagler 3, No. 4 Carson-Newman 1
      • No. 1 Gannon 3, No. 8 Fayetteville State 0
      • No. 7 Central Washington 3, No. 2 Simon Fraser 2
      • No. 1 Tampa 3, No. 8 Spring Hill 0
      • No. 8 UIndy 3, No. 1 Missouri-State Louis 2
      • No. 4 St. Cloud St. 3, No. 5 Missouri Western 1
      • No. 1 Bentley 3, No. 8 Bridgeport 1
      • No. 1 MSU Denver 3, No. 8 Colorado Mesa 0
      • No. 4 Pitt.-Johnstown 4, No. 5 Shepherd 0
      • No. 4 West Florida 3, No. 5 Palm Beach Atl. 2
      • No. 1 Wingate 3, No. 8 Emmanuel (Georgia) 1
      • No. 1 Point Loma 3, No. 8 CSUSB 2
      • No. 1 Nebraska-Kearney 3, No. 8 Oklahoma Baptist 2
      • No. 5 Post 3, No. 4 American Int’l 1
      • No. 5 Findlay 3, No. 4 Wayne State (Michigan) 2
      • No. 4 West Tex. A&M 3, No. 5 CSU Pueblo 1
      • No. 5 Alas. Fairbanks 3, No. 4 Alas. Anchorage 0
    • Friday, Dec. 5
      • No. 2 Barry 3, No. 3 Lynn 0
      • No. 3 Indiana (PA) 3, No. 2 East Stroudsburg 1
      • No. 3 Anderson (SC) 3, No. 2 Lenoir-Rhyne 1
      • No. 3 Mercy 3, No. 7 Holy Family 1
      • No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul 3, No. 6 Washburn 0
      • No. 3 Ferris State 3, No. 7 Rockhurst 0
      • No. 3 Angelo State 3, No. 7 Colorado Sch. of Mines 0
      • No. 1 Bentley 3, No. 5 Post 1
      • No. 3 Fresno Pacific 3, No. 7 Central Washington 2
      • No. 1 Gannon 3, No. 4 Pitt.-Johnstown 1
      • No. 1 Tampa 3, No. 4 West Florida 1
      • No. 1 Wingate 3, No. 5 Flagler 1
      • No. 8 UIndy 3, No. 5 Findlay 1
      • No. 4 St. Cloud State 3, No. 1 Nebraska-Kearney 1
      • No. 1 MSU Denver 3, No. 4 West Tex. A&M 1
      • No. 1 Point Loma 3, No. 5 Alas. Fairbanks 1

NCAA DII women’s volleyball championship history

Here is the full list of champions and runners-up since 1981:

Year Champion (Record) Coach Score Runner-Up Site
2024 Lynn (33-3) Adam Milewski 3-2 San Francisco St. Sioux Falls, SD
2023 Cal State LA (24-10) Juan Figueroa 3-1  West Texas A&M Moon Township, PA
2022 West Texas A&M (33-4) Kendra Potts 3-1 Concordia-St. Paul Seattle, Wash.
2021 Tampa (34-2) Chris Catanach 3-0 Washburn Tampa, FL.
2020 Canceled due to Covid-19
2019 Cal State San Bernardino (33-0) Kim Cherniss 3-1 Nebraska-Kearney Denver, Co.
2018 Tampa (33-4) Chris Catanach 3-2 Western Washington Pittsburgh, Pa.
2017 Concordia-St. Paul (34-3) Brady Starkey 3-0 Florida Southern Pensacola, Fla.
2016 Concordia-St. Paul (32-4) Brady Starkey 3-0 Alaska Anchorage Sioux Falls, S.D.
2015 Wheeling Jesuit (39-4) Christy Benner 3-0 Palm Beach Atlantic  Tampa, Fla. 
2014 Tampa (33-1) Chris Catanach 3-0 S’west Minnesota State Louisville, Ky.
2013 Concordia-St. Paul (35-3) Brady Starkey 3-0 BYU-Hawaii Cedar Rapids, Iowa
2012 Concordia-St. Paul (34-4) Brady Starkey 3-2 Tampa Pensacola, Fla.
2011 Concordia-St. Paul (34-2) Brady Starkey 3-0 Cal State San Bernardino Cal State San Bernardino
2010 Concordia-St. Paul (32-4) Brady Starkey 3-1 Tampa Louisville, Ky.
2009 Concordia-St. Paul (37-0) Brady Starkey 3-0 West Texas A&M Concordia-St. Paul
2008 Concordia-St. Paul (37-1) Brady Starkey 3-2 Cal State San Bernardino Concordia-St. Paul
2007 Concordia-St. Paul (36-4) Brady Starkey 3-1 Western Washington Washburn
2006 Tampa (35-1) Chris Catanach 3-1 North Alabama West Florida
2005 Grand Valley State (32-1) Deanne Scanlon 3-1 Nebraska-Kearney Nebraska-Kearney
2004 Barry (34-1) Dave Nichols 3-1 Truman Barry
2003 North Alabama (33-7) Matt Peck 3-0 Concordia-St. Paul Cal State San Bernardino
2002 BYU-Hawaii (27-2) Wilfred Navalta 3-0 Truman West Texas A&M
2001 Barry (32-2) Dave Nichols 3-0 South Dakota State Grand Valley State
2000 Hawaii Pacific (28-0) Tita Ahuna 3-0 Augustana (S.D.) Augustana (S.D.)
1999 BYU-Hawaii (30-2) Wilfred Navalta 3-0 Tampa Battle Creek, Mich.
1998 Hawaii Pacific (31-5) Tita Ahuna 3-1 North Dakota State Kissimmee, Fla.
1997 West Texas A&M (37-1) Debbie Hendricks 3-2 Barry Cal State Bakersfield
1996 Nebraska-Omaha (35-2) Rose Shires 3-2 Tampa Central Missouri
1995 Barry (34-2) Leonid Yelin 3-1 Northern Michigan Barry
1994 Northern Michigan (32-4) Mark Rosen 3-1 Cal State Bakersfield Cal State Bakersfield
1993 Northern Michigan (38-1) Jim Moore 3-1 Cal State Bakersfield Northern Michigan
1992 Portland State (36-1) Jeff Mozzochi 3-2 Northern Michigan Portland State
1991 West Texas A&M (36-2) Jim Giacomazzi 3-0 Portland State West Texas A&M
1990 West Texas A&M (38-1) Kim Hudson 3-0 North Dakota State Cal State Bakersfield
1989 Cal State Bakersfield (21-15) David Rubio 3-0 Sacramento State Cal State Bakersfield
1988 Portland State (36-5) Jeff Mozzochi 3-0 Cal State Northridge North Dakota State
1987 Cal State Northridge (35-6) Walt Ker 3-2 Central Missouri Nebraska-Omaha
1986 UC Riverside (29-7) Sue Gozansky 3-0 Cal State Northridge Sacramento State
1985 Portland State (36-5) Jeff Mozzochi 3-1 Cal State Northridge Portland State
1984 Portland State (33-4) Jeff Mozzochi 3-0 Cal State Northridge Portland State
1983 Cal State Northridge (30- 6) Walt Ker 3-2 Portland State Florida Southern
1982 UC Riverside (31-5) Sue Gozansky 3-0 Cal State Northridge Cal State Northridge
1981 Sacramento State (28-6) Debby Colbery 3-0 Lewis UC Riverside

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The 10 greatest upsets in NCAA volleyball tournament history

We gathered what we think are 10 of the greatest upsets in the history of the tournament since its inception in 1981 and ranked them.

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2025 NCAA women’s volleyball tournament: Bracket, schedule, scores

The DI women’s volleyball championship is here. The full reveal of the 64-team bracket was announced on Sunday, Nov. 30. Here is everything you need to know about the 2025 women’s volleyball tournament.

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Cal Poly Stuns USC and Advances to Seventh Sweet-16 in Program History

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LOS ANGELES — After months of preparation, Cal Poly’s historic Friday night culminated in a stunning five-set upset of fourth-seeded USC (25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25, 15-7), shattering every perfect bracket along the way.

The unseeded Mustangs (27-7) not only advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 for the first time since 2007, the seventh such appearance in program history, but also became the only team in the bracket to defeat two seeded opponents ranked lower than No. 6. Cal Poly’s last deep runs came in 2007, 1989, ‘87, ‘85, ‘84, and ‘82.

In a departure from their typical all-court offense, the Mustangs leaned on their pin hitters to secure a second straight ranked victory. Leading the charge was Emma Fredrick, who delivered a statement double-double with match-highs of 17 kills and 17 digs. Kendall Beshear and Annabelle Thalken followed with 12 kills apiece, with Beshear adding a pair of aces.

Freshman middle Charlotte Kelly anchored the net with a career-high seven block assists, part of a 10-block team effort that quieted USC’s top-50 offense to a .237 hitting percentage. Beshear (14 digs) and setter Emme Bullis (44 assists, 12 digs) also recorded double-doubles, helping limit USC’s top hitters, Leah Ford and London Wijay, to 19 kills on 55 swings.

Cal Poly stormed through the opening set behind relentless blocking, forcing an early USC timeout at 11-6. Despite a late Trojan push to narrow the gap to 22-18, a Caroline Walters timeout steadied the Mustangs, who closed out the frame 25-19.

USC responded by edging ahead 15-13 at the second-set media timeout. But after 13 ties and five lead changes, Cal Poly surged late with a 21-18 advantage and never looked back, taking the set 25-20.

The Women of Troy rallied in the third, building their largest lead at 17-12 and holding on to win 25-20. Momentum carried into the fourth, where USC raced ahead to claim it 25-14 and force a deciding fifth set.

In the tiebreaker, Cal Poly’s second of the tournament, the Mustangs broke a 3-3 deadlock with a commanding 12-4 run, sealing the match and their spot in the Third Round.

Now, one of the finest teams in program history, and a standout in recent mid-major volleyball, travels to Lexington to face No. 1 seed and regional host Kentucky.

The NCAA will announce date and time details Saturday evening. Until then, San Luis Obispo’s humble Mustangs have plenty to celebrate.



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