College Sports
Legendary Gymnastics Coach to Speak at College of Education and Health Professions Commencement
Valorie Kondos Field, the former head coach of the seven-time NCAA champion UCLA Bruins gymnastics program, will be the keynote speaker at this spring’s College of Education and Health Professions commencement ceremony. “Miss Val,” as she is affectionately known by the athletes she coached, will share her life lessons and insights with the more than […]
Valorie Kondos Field, the former head coach of the seven-time NCAA champion UCLA Bruins gymnastics program, will be the keynote speaker at this spring’s College of Education and Health Professions commencement ceremony.
“Miss Val,” as she is affectionately known by the athletes she coached, will share her life lessons and insights with the more than 700 graduates who will gather for their 12:30 p.m. commencement on Saturday, May 10, at Bud Walton Arena.
Dean Kate Mamiseishvili’s leadership approach has been inspired by University of Arkansas coaches and other sports leaders this academic year, so Kondos Field was a fitting speaker for the college’s commencement.
“Miss Val is a bold visionary who dreams big and inspires those around her to do the same,” Mamiseishvili said. “I know our graduates will enjoy hearing from such an enthusiastic and accomplished coach.”
Kondos Field also has an Arkansas connection. Her husband, Bobby Field, a former UCLA football coach and administrator, played for the Razorbacks football team. A starter in the defensive backfield, he was nicknamed “the monster man” for his performance in the famous 1969 “Big Shootout” game against Texas.
Kondos Field was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010, an honor she shares with her husband. They are the first married Hall of Fame duo in UCLA Athletics history.
In addition to Kondos Field’s seven NCAA championship wins, she was named National Coach of the Year four times. In 2019, she received the UCLA Professional Achievement Award for her superior achievements in the field.
In the book Life is Short, Don’t Wait to Dance, Kondos Field shares the many lessons she learned throughout her legendary coaching career. She has also shared her leadership lessons with College of Education and Health Professions students. Kondos Field and University Professor Emeritus Ro Di Brezzo taught the college’s fall 2024 Dean’s Seminar, Leadership in Coaching: Lessons from Lincoln to Lasso.
The University of Arkansas will livestream all commencement ceremonies on the U of A YouTube channel.
About the College of Education and Health Professions: The College of Education and Health Professions’ six departments prepare students for a wide range of careers in education and health, including teaching, nursing, counseling, educational leadership and policy, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, public health, exercise science, and many more. The college has approximately 360 faculty and staff members, serves more than 6,000 students, and supports over 20 research and service units. Guided by the WE CARE strategic plan, the college strives to advance impactful research that improves people’s lives, increase transformative learning opportunities for its students, engage in meaningful partnerships across Arkansas and beyond, and embrace a culture of caring that empowers people to thrive in all aspects of life.
College Sports
David Pollack on Lane Kiffin: ‘Lane don’t give a crap what you think’
Lane Kiffin is an unparalleled figure in college football. The sixth-year Ole Miss head coach is known as much for his wit and occasional social media trolling as his wins on the field. Still, it’s Kiffin’s uncompromising authenticity and affable personality that has made him arguably college football’s most entertaining head coach. It’s also what […]

Lane Kiffin is an unparalleled figure in college football. The sixth-year Ole Miss head coach is known as much for his wit and occasional social media trolling as his wins on the field.
Still, it’s Kiffin’s uncompromising authenticity and affable personality that has made him arguably college football’s most entertaining head coach. It’s also what makes him someone Georgia Bulldogs alum David Pollack would follow into the heat of battle, on or off the field.
“Lane don’t give a crap what you think. And my favorite thing about Lane is Lane is a little bit socially awkward. Like he’s a different person,” Pollack said recently on his podcast, See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack, when discussing football’s best motivators. “Lane doesn’t like crowds. But when he goes back to Knoxville as an Ole Miss coach, and it’s the first time he’s been back to Knoxville and people are throwing things at him, he was like, ‘I guess they don’t like me very much.’ But just so real.”
As Pollack recalled, Kiffin — who infamously left Tennessee in the dead of night after just one season as head coach to take the USC job in January 2010 — has occasionally embraced the villain role at times, especially with regards to Volunteers fans. That particular conflict reached its climax in 2021 when Kiffin returned to Neyland Stadium for the first time as an opposing coach. The game, which ended in a 31-26 victory for Kiffin and Ole Miss, was even briefly halted when Tennessee fans threw everything from golf balls to mustard bottles onto the field, many in his direction.
Since that game, Kiffin rarely misses an opportunity to poke fun at the Vols and their fans on social media, including once suggesting Tennessee ink a corporate sponsorship with French’s mustard and put their logo on the Neyland Stadium field. For Pollack, Kiffin’s social media trolling is just another reason for his Ole Miss players to love playing for him.
“His social media comes into play, because he’ll take shots. … He’ll say exactly what he thinks. … And I think you appreciate that as a player, as a person, you always appreciate the realness,” Pollack added. “I’m not following any of these guys, or anybody, unless I believe that you believe what you’re saying. It might look different, Kirby (Smart) doesn’t have the same personality as Lane by any stretch, but I know it’s authentic to him and he’s going to say what he believes.
“I think the same thing with Lane, which makes it really fun and unique and different. That’s why you’re just thankful that personalities are so different in this world.”
College Sports
College Coach of the Century #13
DUBUQUE, Iowa — Number 13 on our countdown of the best college coaches from eastern Iowa is former Loras soccer coach Dan Rothert. Coach Rothert was with Loras for 22 years, 18 of which were spent as both the men’s and women’s coach. He was a 14-time ARC conference coach of the year, and was […]


DUBUQUE, Iowa — Number 13 on our countdown of the best college coaches from eastern Iowa is former Loras soccer coach Dan Rothert.
Coach Rothert was with Loras for 22 years, 18 of which were spent as both the men’s and women’s coach. He was a 14-time ARC conference coach of the year, and was the 2012 national coach of the year.
He brought the Loras men’s team to five Final 4s, and was a DIII national runner-up in 2015.
This year we’re celebrating the best of the best from the sports world in Eastern Iowa over the last 25 years. The over-arcing theme of this series will be “The Stories of the Century”. During this year, we’ll count down the top 25 athletes, coaches, and teams from the past 25 years.
The year will be divided up into fourths, with the first portion of the year being dedicated to the best athletes (both high school and college) from the last 25 years.
Every Monday we’ll be releasing two more prep athletes, and every Wednesday we’ll announce two college athletes who will be added to the list.
College Sports
Glenwood soccer stalwart Rangel Gonzalez takes 'next step' with commitment to Iowa Central
(Glenwood) — One of the most prolific boys soccer players in the area, Virginio Rangel Gonzalez of Glenwood, has made his college decision in signing with Iowa Central recently. “It’s a next step in my soccer career,” Rangel Gonzalez said. “It’s a dream come true.” While wrapping up a distinguished career with the Rams, Rangel […]


(Glenwood) — One of the most prolific boys soccer players in the area, Virginio Rangel Gonzalez of Glenwood, has made his college decision in signing with Iowa Central recently.
“It’s a next step in my soccer career,” Rangel Gonzalez said. “It’s a dream come true.”
While wrapping up a distinguished career with the Rams, Rangel Gonzalez has posted 15 goals and two assists in his senior season. He also totaled 13 goals and 14 assists in his previous three years while helping Glenwood win 46 times.
“(Iowa Central) is not far from home,” Rangel Gonzalez added. “At first, I went all the way to Reno to check out a junior college, but I came back and was realizing why go far for a community college when there’s a lot here in Iowa. Financially, it’s a cheaper option, too, so I was looking at Iowa Western and Iowa Central and a couple other ones.”
Rangel Gonzalez started a dialogue with the Tritons over email and eventually decided to check out the Fort Dodge campus.
“I just liked it,” he said. “It’s a beautiful campus. It’s close to Des Moines, so I just went with my gut and committed to Iowa Central.
“It’s been a goal since middle school and since I started playing club. I realized that after high school, college soccer is a thing I wanted to do. A lot of players go to JUCO to build up their skills and then try to make it on to bigger colleges. I feel like that’s the best route for me as of right now.”
Listen to much more with Rangel Gonzalez on his college decision in the audio file below.
College Sports
Kayla Treanor – Penn State
Kayla Treanor was named the 10th head coach in Penn State’s women’s lacrosse history in May 2025. Treanor, a highly decorated player at Syracuse, comes to Happy Valley after serving as the head coach at Syracuse for the last four years. “We are thrilled to welcome Kayla Treanor to our Penn State family as our […]

Kayla Treanor was named the 10th head coach in Penn State’s women’s lacrosse history in May 2025. Treanor, a highly decorated player at Syracuse, comes to Happy Valley after serving as the head coach at Syracuse for the last four years.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kayla Treanor to our Penn State family as our women’s lacrosse head coach,” said Kraft. “Her unparalleled experience as both a player and coach make her the perfect leader for our program. I know Kayla will elevate our program to new heights after seeing firsthand her passion for developing student-athletes, championship mindset and commitment to excellence.”
As the head coach at Syracuse, Treanor compiled a 59-24 record and guided the Orange to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including back-to-back National Semifinal bids in 2023 and 2024. Treanor and the Orange played the No. 1 strength of schedule in the country in 2024 and 2025. Among the many accolades received by Syracuse student-athletes under Treanor, Meghan Tyrell was a two-time Tewaaraton Award finalist in 2022 and 2023.
This year, Syracuse advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and had a trio of US Lacrosse Magazine All-Americans. Under Treanor’s guidance, Emma Ward became SU’s all-time assists leader. In September 2024, Treanor was selected to be an assistant coach for the U.S. Women’s Senior National Team for the 2026 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship in Japan.
In 2024, the Orange won their second-straight ACC regular-season title and advanced to the National Semifinals before falling to eventual National Champion Boston College. Syracuse finished with a 16-6 record after holding opponents to less than 10 goals in 11 games. She mentored four IWLCA All-Americans, including first-teamers Katie Goodale and Emma Tyrrell. Tyrrell became just the ninth Division I player to record 400 career points and finished her career ranked sixth on the NCAA all-time point list. In addition, Kate Mashewske set the NCAA single-season record for draw controls with 234.
Treanor’s 2023 squad won its first 15 games of the season for the best start and longest winning streak in program history. Syracuse finished the season with 18 wins, the fourth-most wins in program history. The Orange occupied the No. 1 spot in the Inside Lacrosse/IWLCA poll for five consecutive weeks and earned a share of the ACC regular-season title with an 8-1 record. In her first year at the helm, Treanor helped the Orange defeat eight ranked teams. Syracuse advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals and finished with a 15-6 record.
Prior to returning to lead her alma mater, Treanor spent four years at perennial contender Boston College, serving as associate head coach in 2020 and 2021 and assistant coach in 2018 and 2019. In her four years at BC, the Eagles advanced to the championship game three times (2020 season was cancelled due to COVID) and won a national championship in 2021. Under her tutelage, Sam Apuzzo and Charlotte North won the Tewaaraton Award for the most outstanding American college lacrosse player. Treanor also spent one year as an assistant coach at Harvard in 2017.
As a player, Treanor led Syracuse to four consecutive Championship Weekend appearances from 2013-16, including a spot in the 2014 National Championship game. She is the only player in program history to earn IWLCA first-team All-America honors each of her four seasons. She was also a three-time finalist for the Tewaaraton Award and earned IWLCA Attacker of the Year three consecutive years. Treanor was the ACC Offensive Player of the Year in 2014, 2015 and 2016. She left Syracuse as the Orange’s all-time scoring leader.
Treanor also found success as a player with Team USA. She helped the U.S. win gold at the 2017 and 2022 World Championships and was selected to the All-World Team both years. Treanor retired after the 2022 championships as U.S. Lacrosse’s all-time leader in points (77) and goals (44). Treanor also played professionally from 2017-21.
College Sports
5 things to know about the 2025-26 Bulldogs women’s hockey schedule – Duluth News Tribune
DULUTH — The picture for 2025-26 at Amsoil Arena is now complete as the Minnesota Duluth’s women’s hockey program revealed next season’s schedule Wednesday in conjunction with the WCHA releasing its league schedule. The Bulldogs are coming off a fifth-straight NCAA tournament appearance in 2024-25 and will be entering their second season under head coach […]

DULUTH — The picture for 2025-26 at Amsoil Arena is now complete as the Minnesota Duluth’s women’s hockey program revealed
next season’s schedule
Wednesday in conjunction with the
WCHA releasing its league schedule.
The Bulldogs are coming off a fifth-straight NCAA tournament appearance in 2024-25 and will be entering their second season under
head coach Laura Schuler
in 2025-26. The Sept. 20 start date is the earliest for a regular season game in program history.
Below is a combined men’s and women’s schedule for 2025-26, plus five things to know about the Bulldogs 2025-26 women’s hockey schedule.
You can read five things to know about the men’s schedule here.

Gary Meader / Duluth News Tribune
UMD only has 14 home games
The Bulldogs will play 20 of their 34 regular season games in 2025-26 on the road, including the first six games. Four of the six nonconference games are road games while two are at a neutral site.
UMD plays four games in seven days to start the season, opening with a Saturday-Sunday series at Mercyhurst on Sept. 20-21 in Erie, Pennsylvania. Then they travel four hours east through New York to Syracuse to play the Orange in a Thursday-Friday series Sept. 25-26.
UMD opens WCHA play Oct. 10-11 at defending league and national champion Wisconsin at LaBahn Arena in Madison.
The Bulldogs are heading to Ireland
Two of the Bulldogs’ six nonconference games will take place across the pond, and that doesn’t mean Lake Superior.
UMD will take part in the 2026 Friendship Series
on Jan. 2-3 in Belfast, Northern Ireland — part of the United Kingdom — along with Boston University, Harvard and Quinnipiac. UMD is the first WCHA member to take part in the event.
This will be the first overseas trip for the Bulldogs women’s hockey program. UMD said
in its schedule announcement
more details about the Friendship Series will be available in the coming weeks. The official travel partner of the Friendship Series, Cara Travel Group,
has packages available now on its website for fans.
There’s only three doubleheader weekends

Clint Austin / File / Duluth Media Group
It’s actually more like two-and-a-half doubleheader weekends for UMD men’s and women’s hockey during the regular season at Amsoil Arena in 2025-26.
The only doubleheader of the first half is on Saturday, Oct. 18, when the women host Minnesota State and the men have Bemidji State.
The Bulldogs men are at the Beavers on Friday night
, while the Mavericks are in Duluth all weekend for a WCHA series.
The other two doubleheader weekends at Amsoil Arena are Jan. 9-10 when the women return from Ireland to host Wisconsin, while the men have a nonconference series against Lindenwood (St. Louis, Missouri). The women host Bemidji State and the men have North Dakota on Feb. 6-7.
Another doubleheader is possible if the women secure home ice for the WCHA quarterfinals. That best-of-three series would be played when the men are hosting Colorado College on Feb. 27-28.
Bulldogs will miss time for the Olympics

Clint Austin / File / Duluth Media Group
UMD could be without four players for the final 6-8 games of the 2025-26 regular season because of the 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 6-22 in Italy.
Senior forward
Thea Johansson
and junior defenseman Ida Karlasson of Sweden, senior defenseman
Krista Parkkonen
of Finland and junior goaltender
Eve Gascon
of Canada are all candidates for their respective country’s Olympic women’s hockey teams. They could also miss additional time during the season for pre-Olympic camps.
UMD is scheduled to play series against Bemidji State, St. Thomas and Minnesota during the Olympics — which coincide with the final three weeks of the regular season. UMD also travels to Ohio State on Jan. 30-31. That’s the weekend before the Olympics begin.
No countries — not even the United States and Canada — will be centralizing their national/Olympic teams in 2025-26 because of the PWHL, so UMD won’t lose a player like Gascon for the entire season. That also means Gascon cannot take an Olympic redshirt season like Ashton Bell did in 2021-22 or Maddie Rooney in 2017-18.
UMD, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio State and St. Cloud State will all likely be missing players to the 2026 Winter Olympics over the final month of the regular season.
Is the WCHA Final Faceoff getting a new look?

Clint Austin / File / Duluth Media Group
One notable date missing from the league’s schedule release Wednesday was the 2026 WCHA Final Faceoff. The league has yet to make an official announcement about the 2026 league semifinals and final
after Amsoil Arena hosted in 2025.
The event is expected to begin rotating again after spending nine consecutive seasons at Minnesota’s Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. St. Thomas announced this week its new rink in St. Paul, Anderson Arena, will open on Oct. 24, making it a prime candidate to be the next host.
To broaden the pool of Final Faceoff sites and accommodate rinks that host men’s and women’s hockey — such as Anderson Arena and Amsoil Arena — the WCHA’s championship weekend will likely take place over three days instead of two in the future with semifinals on Thursday and championship on Saturday.
College Sports
Illini Soccer Bolsters Roster with Pair of Transfers
Story Links CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois soccer head coach Katie Hultin announced the additions of Cayla Jackson (Clermont, Fla.) and Lauren Smith (Frisco, Texas) to the Fighting Illini roster for the 2025 season. CAYLA JACKSON | FORWARD | CLERMONT, FLA. | GEORGIA // EAST RIDGE HS // TAMPA BAY UNITED ABOUT JACKSON Made 16 appearances, seven starts, in her freshman season […]

Story Links
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois soccer head coach Katie Hultin announced the additions of Cayla Jackson (Clermont, Fla.) and Lauren Smith (Frisco, Texas) to the Fighting Illini roster for the 2025 season.
CAYLA JACKSON | FORWARD | CLERMONT, FLA. | GEORGIA // EAST RIDGE HS // TAMPA BAY UNITED
ABOUT JACKSON
Made 16 appearances, seven starts, in her freshman season at Georgia
Scored the game-winning goal on her collegiate debut vs. Illinois on Sept. 5, 2024
Played for Tampa Bay United ECNL and East Ridge High School
Ranked in IMG Top 150 rankings
Named to First Team ECNL in 2021-22 and Second Team ECNL in 2022-23
Selected to ECNL Girls National Training Camp in 2022
Helped lead Tampa Bay United to ECNL U16 Final Four
Selected to ODP and USYNT U-14, U15, and U-16 player pools
Twice named to Orlando Sentinel First Team All-Central Florida
Named to three All-Area First Teams
Set school records for most goals in season and career
Captained East Ridge for two seasons
Scored 46 goals with 22 assists in junior season
Scored 38 goals with 17 assists in sophomore season and earned district championship.
Jackson joins the Illini after spending 2024 at Georgia. During her freshman campaign with the Bulldogs, Jackson scored one goal, on her collegiate debut vs. Illinois on Sept. 5, in 10 appearances, all coming off of the bench.
HULTIN’S TAKE: “We’re excited to welcome Cayla Jackson to our Fighting Illini famILLy. After a solid year at Georgia and a standout youth career, Cayla has proven herself to be a smart, technical and dynamic player. She brings a high level of skill and creativity to the field, but just as importantly, she’s a person of strong character, with an incredible work ethic, a positive attitude, and natural leadership qualities that will make an immediate impact.”
WHY ILLINOIS: “I chose Illinois because it felt like home. My father went to Illinois State and this is the second time I’ve been recruited by the University with a completely different staff. I also scored my first collegiate goal versus Illinois and I feel as though God’s purpose was for me to be here.”
LAUREN SMITH | DEFENDER | FRISCO, TEXAS | TEXAS TECH // MEMORIAL HS // STING DALLAS BLACK 06
ABOUT SMITH
Was a mid-year enrollee at Texas Tech…did not feature in a game with the Red Raiders
Two-time all-district selection at Memorial HS
Was named team’s defensive player of the year as a freshman
Attended elementary and middle school with current Illini Bella Zanoni
Smith joins the Illini after spending the spring at Texas Tech as an early enrollee. She was a two-time all-district selection at Memorial HS, where she tallied 10 goals in her high school career. She was also named the team’s defensive player of the year as a freshman.
HULTIN’S TAKE: “We’re excited to add Lauren Smith to our program. She had a strong youth career and gained valuable experience this spring that has prepared her well for the college level. Lauren will be a great addition to our back line. She’s athletic, dominant in the air and brings a relentless mentality when it comes to protecting our goal. We’re looking forward to the impact she’ll make in our defensive unit.”
WHY ILLINOIS: “I chose Illinois because I feel it is the best fit for me and will give me the best opportunity both athletically and academically.”
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