NEW YORK, NY – Manhattan University, an NCAA Division I member institution with 21 men’s and women’s sports teams, has announced a pioneering, long-term alliance with the U.S.-based sportswear brand, Capelli Sport. This groundbreaking partnership ushers in a new era for Manhattan University’s athletic programs and signifies Capelli Sport’s first step and expansion into collegiate athletics.

The joint announcement was made by Irma Garcia, Director of Athletics, and George Altirs, President and CEO of Capelli Sport, which was founded in 2011 and has strong roots in international soccer.  

The initial phase of the new partnership will provide all of Manhattan’s student-athletes, coaches, and staff with customized, team and sport-specific, high-performance Capelli Sport uniforms and training gear. 

In addition, both Manhattan and Capelli Sport have agreed to explore and collaborate on select co-branding initiatives, retail opportunities, and sponsorship ideas to expand the partnership across Manhattan Athletics and provide campus-wide options for all students and the Jasper alumni base.

“This partnership is about more than uniforms. It’s about progress,” said Irma Garcia, Director of Athletics. “Capelli Sport understands the power of storytelling through sport, and together, we’re redefining what it means to be a Jasper. From the Bronx to the national stage, our teams will be competing with pride, purpose, and a brand that represents our vision for the future.”

“I am thrilled with this new, cutting-edge alliance between Manhattan and Capelli Sport, and know that this is just the first step of many between our two organizations that share a similar vision and passion for sports,” said Frederick Bonato, President of Manhattan University.

Capelli Sport is a U.S.-based sportswear and footwear company founded in 2011 by entrepreneur George Altirs.  Headquartered in New York City, it operates as a subsidiary of GMA Accessories Inc.  Capelli Sport’s Manhattan University alliance marks the company’s first comprehensive, NCAA Division 1 partnership. Capelli was recently announced as the official apparel partner of USA Lacrosse and USA Field Hockey.

“This partnership with Manhattan University marks a pivotal moment in Capelli Sport’s journey to becoming a leader in multi-sport outfitting. Supporting all 21 Division I programs at one institution reflects our commitment to excellence across every sport. Manhattan University sets the standard for what a comprehensive partnership should look like, and together, we’re laying the groundwork for the next chapter of growth in collegiate athletics,” said Capelli Sport Founder & CEO, George Altirs.

This partnership promises to elevate Manhattan University’s athletic programs and provide student-athletes with top-tier performance gear. Fans can look forward to an early preview of the new look and branding this summer,with official rollouts across social media and GoJaspers.com leading into the fall season.

About Manhattan University

Located in Riverdale, Bronx, New York, Manhattan University is a private, Catholic liberal arts institution offering more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. As a proud NCAA Division I member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), Manhattan Athletics has a long-standing tradition of academic and athletic excellence. Learn more at gojaspers.com.

About Capelli Sport

Capelli Sport is a global sports brand based in New York City. The company is a leader in sports, lifestyle apparel and equipment. Capelli Sport enables athletes and teams to maximize their potential through a unique global sports ecosystem.  Learn more at capellisport.com and find Capelli Sport on Instagram (@CapelliSport).

Lai Xiang-chen became the first Taiwanese woman to play professional volleyball in Germany after a German team announced signing her on Sunday.

The VfB Suhl LOTTO Thuringen professional women’s volleyball team announced Lai’s signing on its official Web site and Instagram, saying it was pleased to add the 30-year-old Lai as the team’s libero to strengthen its defense.

“Lai brings international quality to the libero position,” the team wrote. “With her training in Taiwan’s competitive youth programs and several seasons in her home country’s top league, Lai established herself as a key player in reception and defense.”

Photo: CNA

VfB also praised Lai’s previous achievements such as playing for Taiwan’s national team several times at international tournaments, including the Asian Women’s Volleyball Cup, the Asian Volleyball Championship and the Asian Games.

VfB is pleased to welcome Lai for her strong technique, speed and skill in reception and defense, head coach Laszlo Hollosy said.

“Xiang-chen impressed us not only with her game intelligence, but also with her professional attitude and presence on the court,” Hollosy said. “We are convinced that she will play an important role in our defensive structure and be a key figure in the coming season.”

Before Lai, the only other Taiwanese woman to play volleyball professionally in Europe was Yang Yi-chen who joined Italy’s Lardini Filottrano as a setter in 2018.

Lai most recently played for China’s Guangdong Shenzhen Glorious in the China Volleyball League for two seasons from 2023 to this year before getting her German contract.

Lai said she chose Suhl, because she believes it is a great environment for her to develop further as a player and as a person.

“I’m excited about the new challenges and look forward to being part of the team and giving my best in the coming season,” she said over VfB’s Web site.

In another statement, Lai said that she had wanted to play in Europe early on in her career and that she was able to get the opportunity to fulfill the dream after VfB came across her tournament tapes by chance.

The opportunity to play in Germany is not only a career milestone but also a chance to find new excitement and growth, she added.

Lai said she would spend time in Taiwan getting into better physical shape for the start of the new European season in October.

Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News)- A fourth person has been convicted for their role in the jury bribery scheme connected to the Feeding our Future fraud case. 

See Also: Fight Leads to Shooting Death of Young Minnesota Man 

As of June 12, 72 people have been charged and 46 have been convicted in the scheme that saw the theft of $250 million in taxpayer dollars earmarked to help feed hungry children during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The bribery targeted a jury tasked with deciding the fate of seven individuals charged in connection with the massive fraud scheme during a trial last Spring. 

Minnesota Man Admits to Role in Feeding our Future Trial Juror Bribery Scheme

36-year-old Abdiaziz Farah was one of five people charged in connection with the bribery scheme. Two of his brothers were on trial at the time of the bribery. 

A news release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office says Farah and his co-defendants identified juror 52 as a target for the bribe.

The group surveyed the juror’s home and on June 2 of last year, one of the co-conspirators, identified as Ladan Ali, delivered $120,000 in cash to a relative of the juror and said there would be more money coming if the juror voted to acquit the seven defendants, federal court documents say. 

The investigation that led to the disclosure of the bribery scheme led to the dismissal of the targeted juror and a second juror who was aware of it. 

The news release says Farah was seated in the courtroom when law enforcement announced the discovery of the bribe. He factory reset his phone after being ordered by the judge presiding over the federal case to turn it over.

Farah pleaded guilty to his role in the bribery scheme on June 17. His sentencing date will be scheduled at a later time. 

In April, Abdulkarim Shafii Farah became the third person to plead guilty in the bribery case. Ali has also pleaded guilty.

Colorado College posted its highest finish in 20 years and ended in the top 18 percent of all Division III schools nationally in the final 2024-25 Learfield IMG Directors’ Cup Standings, released by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
 
CC finished the ’24-25 academic year in 76^th place, its highest since placing 48^th in 2005, with 264 points, the second-most points among Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference schools.
 

This spring, Rabbit Barnes and Isabel Olson earned first-team All-America honors and Alison Mueller-Hickler was a second-team selection at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, while the women’s lacrosse team advanced to the second round of the Division III Tournament, combining for 83.5 Directors’ Cup points.
 
Beginning in 1993, the Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today. Throughout the course of the year, points are awarded based on a school’s finish in up to 18 sports – nine men and nine women – in NCAA Championships. Colorado College is uniquely positioned as a multi divisional institution, sponsoring 15 Division III sports and 2 Division I sports.

Of the 431 schools competing under the NCAA Division III banner, 324 registered points in the Directors’ Cup standings for all seasons. 

“It has been another incredible year for our student-athletes and coaches,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Lesley Irvine said. “We talk about championship culture here every day and to see our teams thrive competitively while also achieving so much in the classroom and community is incredible. We are so proud of them and it’s an exciting time to be a Tiger.”

In the fall, the women’s cross country team advanced to the NCAA Division III Championships for the fourth straight season and posted a program-best sixth-place finish, good for 73.5 points. Olson and Sydney Rankin were named All-Americans.

 

Meanwhile, the men’s soccer team competed to the NCAA Division III Championships for the second consecutive season before falling to Claremont in the second round. The Tigers collected 50 points and finished 20^th in the final United Soccer Coaches Division III Top 25 Poll.

Sophomore Will Shuflit qualified for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships after winning the SCAC individual title and placing fifth at the West Region Meet. He earned All-America honors with a 30^th-place result at the national meet, good for 30 points in the Director’s Cup standings.

 

In the winter, the women’s basketball team appeared in the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time since 1990, racking up 25 points in the Director’s Cup standings.

 

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Three early-season tournaments and 10 home appearances on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center comprise Western Carolina’s 27-match 2025 volleyball schedule announced today by 15th-year head coach Karen Glover.

The Catamounts make a pair of trips out of the Carolinas, opening in late August with a trio of weekend tournaments beginning in South Florida against Florida Atlantic out of the American Athletic Conference (AAC). The tournament slate continues with a trip to Asheville to battle a trio of opponents at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center, the host venue of the 2025 Southern Conference Volleyball tournament, and a two-game tournament at the North Alabama Volleyball Classic.

In their lone appearances in Cullowhee until early October, the Catamounts open the 2025 slate with a home match against UNC Pembroke in an exhibition match on Friday, Aug. 22. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. Western Carolina also renews its mountain rivalry with UNC Asheville on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 6 p.m.

The first of three consecutive tournaments opens at Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton. The Catamounts are slated to face Big 12 foe Texas Tech and Kent State on Friday, Aug. 29, before battling the host Owls the following afternoon. WCU returns to the road on Friday, Sept. 5, with a matchup against former SoCon foe College of Charleston in the Blue Ridge Classic, hosted on the Harrah’s Cherokee Center court. The Blue Ridge Classic closes the next day with a doubleheader against Bradley and Charlotte.

Western Carolina opens its 2025 regular-season home slate on Tuesday, Sept. 9, with a mountain rivalry matchup in Cullowhee against UNC Asheville.

The final scheduled tournament of the 2025 regular season sees the Catamounts head to Florence, Ala., for the UNA Volleyball Classic, hosted by the Lions. WCU and UNA battle on the opening day, Friday, Sept. 12, before squaring off against SEC opposition Alabama the next afternoon. The Catamounts then have a pair of standalone games to close out the 2025 nonconference slate, including a trip to Rock Hill on Sept. 18 to face Winthrop and to Charlotte to face Queens University the following night.

For the fifth time in the last seven seasons, WCU’s Southern Conference schedule begins with a pair of road matches. The first is on Friday, Sept. 26, against The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. Then, the team travels the next night to Spartanburg for a showdown against the 2024 tournament champion, Wofford, which closes out September.

The month of October begins with a season-long four-game homestand, beginning against mountain-rival ETSU (Oct. 3), before hosting in-state foe UNCG (Oct. 4). The Catamounts continue their home swing with a Thursday, Oct. 9, match against Chattanooga, before welcoming Samford (Oct. 10) to close out the four-game stretch.

Western Carolina returns to the road to wrap up the first half of SoCon action, traveling to Mercer (Oct. 17) and chromatic rival Furman (Oct. 18) to close out the opening half of league action.

The Catamounts open the second half of the league slate with a pair of home tilts against Wofford (Oct. 23) and The Citadel (Oct. 24) before closing out the month with a trip to Greensboro against UNCG (Oct. 31).

The final month sees the Catamounts open with a road trip to ETSU on Friday, Nov. 1, before the final road swing of the 2025 regular season at Samford (Nov. 7) and Chattanooga (Nov. 8). Western Carolina returns home for the final time in 2025 to battle Furman on Friday, Nov. 14 before celebrating Senior Night on Saturday, Nov. 15 against Mercer.

The SoCon Tournament is scheduled for Nov. 21-23 at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C., moving to the neutral location to crown this season’s champion and deliver the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA tournament field. The 2024 tournament was slated for Asheville a season ago but was moved to Wofford’s on-campus facility after Hurricane Helene forced the venue switch.

Western Carolina returns nine letterwinners from the 2024 squad, including two of its top defensive threats from a season ago: senior Janelle Blue (111 blocks, 156 kills) and classmate Samantha Jo Mikosky (73 blocks).

Complete promotional and broadcast schedules will be announced in the coming weeks. Most home matches are slated to be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live stats available online at CatamountSports.com.

Keep track of everything related to Catamount volleyball and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts, @catamountvb), and Twitter (@catamounts, @catamountvb).

FORT WORTH – The defending national champion TCU beach volleyball program has added seven newcomers to its 2026 roster, head coach Hector Gutierrez announced on Monday.
 
“We’re bringing a really talented freshman class with a lot of success nationally, like Hannah Taylor, and internationally like the others,” Gutierrez said. “I think it’s a good mix, because we’re bringing those three transfers in with a lot of college experience, especially with Natalie Glenn and Anna Long. That’s something that’s going to make us very strong. We’re really excited and looking forward to have all the returners from last year plus this new blood. We’re looking forward to see what this group can do throughout the season.”

Of the seven incoming players, three come to Fort Worth as transfers. Two of these transfers join TCU from teams that competed in the NCAA Tournament last season.

 

Three of the four freshmen join TCU as international students. Sanna Madestam and Emilia Saxne are Swedish natives and both attended the same high school, Ållebergsgymnasiet. Melina Mol joins TCU from Norway. The three players will mark the first members of the TCU beach volleyball team from Sweden and Norway. Hannah Taylor joins TCU as a St. Louis, Missouri, native and becomes just the second Frog from Missouri in the program’s history, and the first in over a decade.

The group of newcomers join the existing nucleus returning to the TCU roster for next season with 14 Frogs set to be back. Notably, Big 12 Freshman of the Year Sofia Izuzquiza and Big 12 Pair of the Year honoree Anhelina Khmil will both compete in 2026.

 

TCU is looking to build off its incredible 2025 season, which saw the Horned Frogs win the program’s first ever National Championship. In addition, the Frogs claimed the inaugural Big 12 Championship, marking the third consecutive conference crown for the program.

 

The 2025 season was a culmination of sustained success over multiple seasons. Dating back to 2020, TCU is the second-winningest program in collegiate beach volleyball with 174 total wins. This decade, the Horned Frogs are averaging almost 33 wins per season (excluding the COVID-shortened season in 2020). 

 

A full list of newcomers, along with their bios, can be found below. Each players class listed will be their class for the upcoming season.

 

Natalie Glenn | 5-10 | Senior | Southlake, Texas | Long Beach State / Minnesota

Natalie Glenn returns home to Texas after spending the previous three seasons at Long Beach State. During her time at LBSU, she was extraordinarily successful and earned many different accolades. Last season, she played in the third flight and posted a record of 26-13 along with being named to the All-Big West Second Team. In her sophomore year, she went 27-9 and was named to the All-Big West Second Team along with being an AVCA Top Flight Award recipient (Flight 3). During her freshman campaign in Long Beach, she was an All-Big West Honorable Mention and an AVCA Top Flight Award recipient (Flight 5).

 

Anna Long | 6-0 | Graduate Student | Lakeside Park, Ky. | Florida State

A Florida State transfer, Anna Long joins TCU after competing heavily in her first three collegiate seasons. During 2024, she earned a 21-7 record and was named to the CCSA All-Conference First Team. The 2023 campaign was also successful for Long, going 28-11. In 2022, she earned CCSA All-Freshman honors in her first collegiate season. 

 

Sanna Madestam | 5-10 | Freshman | Halmstad, Sweden | Ållebergsgymnasiet

Joining the Frogs from Sweden, Madestam boasts high-level international experience. She won the Swedish beach tour two times in the past year and has a couple of Swedish champion gold medals in various youth classes. She also competed in indoor volleyball, being selected as Player of the Year at her high school. 

 

Melina Mol | 5-11 | Freshman | Bergen, Norway

Becoming the first TCU beach volleyball player from Norway, Melina Mol has already accumulated multiple accolades in her young career. She is a five-time Norwegian tour senior gold winner and a two-time Norwegian U17 and U19 gold medalist. Mol also was Nevza Gold Senior and Norwegian Championship Senior Gold. She has been selected for the National Team every year since she was 16.

 

Emilia Saxne | 5-11 | Freshman | Asmundtorp, Sweden | Ållebergsgymnasiet

Also coming to TCU from Sweden, Emilia Saxne has earned multiple experiences at an elite level. She is an eight-time gold medalist at the Swedish Youth Championships and finished seventh in the European U20 Championships in 2023. Saxne also is a two-time gold medalist on the Swedish Beach Tour and competed for Sweden in Euro U18, U20 and U22. 

 

Adriana Serrano Ferro | 5-9 | Junior | Majadahonda, Spain | Grand Canyon

Another transfer for the Frogs, Adriana Serrano Ferro joins TCU after competing in a majority of Grand Canyon’s matches for the past two seasons. Last season she primarily played in flight No. 1, while she earned time at flight No. 3 during her freshman campaign. She picked up eight ranked wins during her two seasons in Phoenix. 

 

Hannah Taylor | 5-10 | Freshman | St. Louis, Mo. | Clayton HS

The lone incoming freshman from the United States, Hannah Taylor joins TCU with a stacked resume. She was a 16U USAV National Champion, 18U ECC Champion and 18U AAU National Champion in her career. Her accomplishments were not limited to the playing surface, as she also was awarded P1440 Scholarship for top performance, grades and community service during her sophomore, junior and senior years.