Georgia Southern volleyball and head coach Chad Willis announced the addition of two transfer signees recently, as the Eagles welcome Grace Thomas and Beka Pfefferkorn to Statesboro.

“It is a great day for our program!” head coach Chad Willis said. “As we announce two final additions to our roster heading into the 2026 season. Once again, we are fortunate to add depth and talent from the transfer portal as we continue to build for championships. By adding Grace and Beka, we will now have our entire team for next season on campus and training this spring semester. This will be one of our program’s deepest and most competitive groups. I could not be more proud of our staff for building and shaping this roster and I can’t wait to get to work with our team on bringing a Sun Belt Conference Championship home to Statesboro.”

Grace Thomas | MB | Dublin, Ohio | Central Michigan

A 6-foot-1 middle blocker from Dublin, Ohio, Grace Thomas joins the Eagles after spending her first two collegiate seasons with the Chippewa of Central Michigan. In her first collegiate season, Thomas played in 119 sets over 30 matches, tallying 239 kills (2.00/set) and registered a season high 16 twice against Western Michigan and Buffalo. She earned All-Tournament Team honors at the SUNY – UAlbany Tournament, earned a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team, and was named to the Second Team All-MAC. In her sophomore season she appeared in 104 sets over 30 matches, collecting 205 kills (1.97/set). During her two seasons at Central Michigan, she combined to post 170 total blocks (25 BS/145 BA), averaging 0.8 per set.

“Grace is a dynamic attacker whose versatility will be an important component to our offensive and defensive systems. Grace has valuable experience as a two-year starter in the MAC; her speed and physicality drive her efficiency as an attacker and her competitive maturity on and off the court will add great leadership and stability to our squad. We are looking forward to introducing Grace to Eagle Nation!”

Beka Pfefferkorn | OH | Cypress, Texas | FIU

A 6-foot-3 outside hitter from Cypress, Texas, Beka Pfefferkorn joins the Eagles after completing her freshman campaign at Florida International. In her first collegiate season, Pfefferkorn appeared in 103 total sets, collecting 245 kills, averaging 2.45 kills per set, earning her CUSA All-Freshman Team honors. Defensively, the Cypress, Texas, native tallied 64 digs and 45 total blocks. She recorded a career-high 18 kills against Stetson in early September and posted a career-best five block assists against Georgia on the road in Athens.

“Beka is a physical offensive and defensive presence who will add immediate depth and experience to the opposite position. In her freshman campaign, Beka competed and put up some big numbers against quality opponents on her way to earning CUSA All-Freshman Team honors. Beka has an incredibly high ceiling and we’re excited to watch her growth and seeing her impact on and off the court.”

INDIANA, Pa. – Patrick Gildea, a former NCAA Division I student-athlete and assistant coach, has been appointed the next director of cross country and track & field at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
 
Gildea served as a successful assistant coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga since 2023, helping grow the Mocs’ cross country and track and field programs. Gildea competed as an accomplished cross country and track student-athlete at the University of Tennessee in the early 2000s. 
 
“I am excited to bring my experiences to Indiana and the Crimson Hawk family,” Gildea said. “I am grateful to Todd (Garzarelli) and the search committee, who introduced me to the campus during the interview process.”
 
“I am proud to formally welcome Patrick to the IUP department of athletics,” director of athletics Todd Garzarelli said. “I’m confident in Patrick’s ability to restore the national prominence of our cross country and track and field programs.”
 
Gildea helped both UT-Chattanooga men’s and women’s cross country programs to top-20 finishes in a very competitive NCAA DI South Regional this past fall. He’s recruited and mentored numerous student-athletes on the UT-Chattanooga rosters to personal records, all-conference honors and individual conference championship honors.
 
“Patrick is a very accomplished runner, recruiter and versatile coach who understands what it takes to build a championship culture without sacrificing a quality academic or student-athlete experience,” Garzarelli continued. 
 
Individual accolades under the tutelage of Gildea include Ryleigh Simmons, who became the first-ever UTC sprinter to claim the 100-meter title for the Mocs. Lesley Boyd and Maddie Wheatcroft finished first and third, respectively, in the 5000-meter. Emma Thweatt earned Southern Conference all-freshman honors in the 10,000-meter during the 2025 outdoor season.
 
“Everyone had positive things to say about the IUP and the Indiana community,” Gildea said. “I believe that IUP is a place where student-athletes can thrive and be successful. I am looking forward to working with coach (Hanoj) Carter and our student-athletes, while continuing to build foundational relationships within our program.”
 
As a student-athlete, Gildea helped Tennessee to the 2002 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Outdoor Track and Field Championship.
 
He earned all-region honors in cross country in 2001 and 2002 and was named to the All-SEC Team. Gildea was named a SEC Cross Country Athlete of the Week and the Most Valuable Runner. He was one of two Vol runners to score in every race of the season. Gildea received the Vega-Watts Award given for the greatest sacrifice to compete for the team.
 
Following his collegiate career, he went on to compete professionally in track and field. He placed in the top-10 overall in numerous competitions in 2008 and 2009. Gildea achieved international recognition, selected for a pair of International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) World Championship events in 2006 and 2008. He finished seventh at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 10,000-meter run.
 
After running professionally, Gildea was a graduate assistant coach at Saint Francis University from 2010-2012, where he guided numerous student-athletes to All-NEC performances in both cross country and track and field. Following his time at Saint Francis, he was the head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach at West High School, in addition to his teaching duties from 2012-2020.
 
About IUP
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As IUP celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025 and through the Impact 150 comprehensive campaign, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking to its next 150 years of student success, innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.
 
 
 
 

ATLANTA, Jan. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — NIL Club announced the results of a nationwide Brand Deal campaign with Subway, showing how large-scale, athlete-led content can outperform traditional influencer strategies when authenticity and scale are combined.

The campaign featured 174 college student-athletes across multiple sports and programs, who collectively created 183 original posts on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Instagram Stories. The campaign was initially projected to generate 350,000 impressions. By the conclusion of the activation, it delivered 1,071,174 total impressions, exceeding expectations by 206 percent.

Engagement exceeded benchmarks across every major metric. Viewers interacted with the content through likes, comments, shares, and saves, with shares surpassing projected targets by more than four times. Short-form video drove the majority of reach, led by Instagram Reels with 720,399 impressions (67%), followed by TikTok and Instagram Stories.

Instead of relying on a single high-profile athlete or scripted creative, the Subway Brand Deal was intentionally built around scale and authenticity. Student-athletes were encouraged to create content in their own voice, sharing real moments from their daily routines. The posts blended naturally into social feeds and resonated strongly with Gen Z audiences who value relatability, trust, and realism over polished advertising.

“This campaign showed what happens when student-athletes are given the freedom to create content that reflects their real lives,” said Mick Assaf, co-founder of YOKE. “Instead of scripted promotions, we saw genuine moments shared at scale. These outcomes highlight why brands are increasingly turning to college athletes to reach Gen Z effectively.”

The Subway campaign ran through NIL Club’s Brand Deals feature, launched in August 2025, which allows athletes to discover and opt into brand partnerships directly through the NIL Club app. The feature expands access to NIL opportunities for athletes while enabling brands to work with large groups of creators at once, without sacrificing creative freedom or authenticity.

All partnerships on NIL Club are reviewed through a compliance-first process to ensure alignment with NCAA guidelines and applicable state laws. This structure allows athletes to participate confidently while providing brands with regulatory clarity.

The results of the Subway Brand Deal underscore NIL Club’s ability to deliver performance-driven marketing at scale. By leveraging a network of more than 650,000 student-athletes, representing a combined 1.5 billion social followers, brands gain access to diverse, highly engaged audiences in an organic and measurable way.

As NIL Club continues to expand compliant, performance-based opportunities for athletes and brands, the platform remains focused on building sustainable infrastructure that supports the long-term growth of the NIL ecosystem.

About NIL Club

NIL Club, developed by YOKE, is a leading NIL platform that empowers student-athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness through compliant brand partnerships and fan subscriptions. The platform connects athletes and brands through scalable, performance-based campaigns while prioritizing transparency, trust, and protection of eligibility.

Fans can join their favorite athletes’ clubs at https://nilclub.com/colleges

Download the NIL Club App

• Download on the App Store
• Get it on Google Play

Follow NIL Club

For media inquiries or partnership opportunities, contact:

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nil-club-app-delivers-1m-impressions-for-subway-exceeding-goals-by-206-through-174-athlete-creators-302653506.html

SOURCE NIL Club

Football

Jan. 5, 2026

Walk-off overtime TD on 4th down to clinch 2026 FCS Championship

Jan. 5, 2026

Watch the final play of the 2026 FCS championship game, where Montana State quarterback Justin Lamson connected with Taco Dowler on a must-get fourth down touchdown to tie the game in overtime, setting up the walk-off extra point to clinch MSU’s first title since 1984.

NEW ORLEANS – Despite a late 12-0 run in the final five minutes of Monday night’s game, the East Texas A&M University men’s basketball team could not mount the comeback at Lakefront Arena and fell 83-73 to the New Orleans Privateers.
 
The Privateers scored the first five points of the game and never trailed, nor was the game tied at any point beyond the opening seconds. Being held to just five points through the first 10 minutes and trailing 17-5, the Lions answered with a 9-3 run to bring the game within six.
 

Six of the nine field goals made in the first half for the Lions came from deep. In the second half, East Texas A&M brought the game within one possession for the first time since the early minutes of the game on a 9-2 run at the 15:12 mark.
 
The next six points were scored by the Privateers over the next 1:30 to increase their lead back to nine and then jumped out to a game-best 65-50 lead with 7:51 to go. The Privateers were up 69-54 at the 5:53 mark of the second, tying their largest lead of the night.
 
For the next three minutes and 44 seconds, the Lions did not allow a point and cut the deficit down to 69-66. The next eight points were scored by the Privateers, cooling off the Lion rally.
 
Ronnie Harrison (Forney) totaled another double-double as he scored season-best 29 points, while adding 12 rebounds. Damian Garcia (Houston – Dobie) added 18 points for the Lions and Vinny Sigona (Prestonwood Christian Academy) scored 12 off the bench.
 
Gianni Hunt (Lakewood, Calif.) stuffed the stats sheet with five points, six rebounds, and team-high seven assists. For the Privateers, Coleton Benson scored 17, going 10 for 11 at the line.
 
The Lions have now lost five in a row and drop to 6-10 on the season and 1-5 in Southland play, while the Privateers improve to 5-10 overall and 3-3 against Southland opponents.
 

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UP NEXT

The Lions return home to Commerce to host A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday at 5 p.m. and then A&M-Corpus Christi next Monday at 6:30 p.m.

 

-ETAMU-