The University Interscholastic League Legislative Council met Wednesday and approved several rule changes across UIL academics, athletics, music and general policy.

In athletics, the council voted to remove the pilot status from water polo, officially sanctioning it as a UIL sport. The council also expanded the current best-of-three series pilot for all baseball playoff rounds prior to the state tournament. Previously limited to Classes 5A and 6A, the expansion now includes 3A and 4A.

“Some schools perceive some coaches as employing gamesmanship while negotiating playoff series details,” UIL’s website stated. “According to the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association, there has been an increased number of instances of schools threatening to invoke a coin flip to determine whether the series will include the best-of-three games or a single game if other demands, such as requiring the opponent to play at their home field or to travel great distances, are not met. Requiring a best of three series unless both schools agree to a one game series eliminates that negotiating tactic.

“For the past two years, in Conferences 5A and 6A, the current pilot program has been successful. The updated pilot expansion aims to align playoff formats across conferences and provide greater consistency throughout conferences in the postseason.”

The council also approved an amendment to Section 1204 of the UIL Constitution and Contest Rules, clarifying regulations regarding scratches and the payment of officials, aimed at better supporting member schools.

In music, a new policy allows marching bands one additional hour of rehearsal time for each non-school day during calendar weeks with fewer than five instructional days.

The council also passed an amendment granting UIL staff the authority to make rule changes as needed to comply with legislation enacted by the Texas Legislature.

All approved rule changes are scheduled to go into effect Aug. 1, pending final approval by the Texas Commissioner of Education.

For more information, visit UIL’s website www.uiltexas.org.

——

Standing Committee on Athletics

The Standing Committee on Athletics reviewed several additional proposals and took a range of actions, with some moving forward for further study and others being denied, rejected or receiving no action.

Proposals Under Continued Study:

— Adding girls’ flag football

— Implementing a shot clock in basketball

— Instituting a mileage cap for playoff game travel

— Updating the PE substitutes exception list

— Creating an optional spring training period for water polo

— Allowing college students in approved programs to coach

— Permitting use of pyrotechnics under professional supervision

— Changing soccer scrimmage rules

— Adding lacrosse as a UIL sport

— Expanding exceptions to the full-time employee coaching requirement

Proposals Denied, Rejected, or Receiving No Action:

— Adding boys’ volleyball

— Adding Conference 3A soccer

— Requiring participation in both volleyball and basketball

— Granting automatic home-field advantage in first-round playoff games to district champions

— Allowing off-campus PE students to participate in after-school activities

— Limiting scratches to a maximum of two

— Mandating instant replay in all playoff games

— Changing regional and state tennis tournament dates

— Reinstating or expanding steroid testing

— Eliminating the requirement that shirt tails be tucked in during play

— Limiting coaching disruptions in volleyball

— Granting varsity eligibility to students in programs of choice

— Adding bowling as a UIL sport

— Adding gymnastics coaches to the UIL Concussion Oversight Team

— Adding table tennis as a UIL sport

EUGENE, Ore. – No. 11 Texas Women’s Track and Field is tied for eighth place following Thursday’s action at the NCAA Outdoor Championships after scoring eight points from two field events. The Longhorns also advanced four track events to Saturday’s finals.

The women’s shot put saw sophomore Nina Ndubuisi finish with the bronze medal with her third-round throw of 18.50m (60-8.50). The throw is the third-farthest throw in UT history, and the third-place result marked Ndubuisi’s best finish at the NCAA meet in four appearances. Her previous best was a fifth at this season’s indoor championships. The third-place finish scored six team points for Texas.

Senior Chrystal Herpin concluded her Longhorn career and finished 11th in shot put with a throw of 17.19m (56-4.75) to earn Second-Team All-America honors.

Sophomore Aaliyah Foster posted her best finish at the NCAA Championships, finishing seventh in the long jump with a wind-aided mark of 6.47m (21-2.75). Her seventh-place finish scored two points for the Longhorns.

The women’s 4×100-meter relay of Carleta Bernard, Holly Okuku, Kenondra Davis and Ramiah Elliott advanced to Saturday’s final after running a time of 43.01 from Heat 1. The time was the sixth-fastest qualifying time of the day.

Akala Garrett solidified her title as a dual hurdler qualifying for both the 100-meter hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles. The sophomore posted the seventh-fastest time in the 100-meter hurdles at 12.93, earning the automatic qualifying spot by finishing second in Heat 2. She later qualified for her second NCAA final in the long hurdles with the second-fastest time at 55.0, the fourth-fastest mark in school history. Freshman Mackenzie Collins finished 17th overall for USTFCCCA Honorable Mention All-America recognition.

Senior Kenondra Davis was the final Longhorn to advance to a Saturday final, recording a personal best in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.45. The time moved her to No. 6 on the school’s all-time performer list. Freshman Holly Okuku placed 21st in the event in a time of 23.11.

Texas Scorers:

Nina Ndubuisi – Shot Put – 3^rd (6 pts)

Aaliyah Foster – Long Jump – 7^th (2 pts)

All-America Honors:

Nina Ndubuisi – Shot Put – 3^rd – First Team

Aaliyah Foster – Long Jump – 7^th – First Team

Chrystal Herpin – Shot Put – 11^th – Second Team

Mackenzie Collins – 400mH – 17^th – Honorable Mention

Holly Okuku – 200m – 21^st – Honorable Mention

The GIST: Unlike the limit, the perfect women’s sports brand marketing strategy does exist — at least according to Parity, who released its latest research report yesterday about the business of women’s sports. Let’s dive into the deets.

The trends: The TL;DR? Women’s sports are thriving, especially in leagues with proven staying power. A whopping 51% of women’s sports fans surveyed identify as WNBA fans while the WTA (20%), NWSL (19%), and LPGA (19%) are the next most popular entities.

• That’s not to say new leagues aren’t making an impact. The PWHL, for example, has strong viewership numbers in the Northeast (10%) and Midwest (11%), and with expansion looming, there’s potential for substantial growth in their newest market out West (2%).

• However, the biggest game-changer for brands is partnering with women athletes. According to Parity, 68% of sports fans trust products promoted by women athletes. And that impact is universal: Even fans who never watch women’s sports are buying in, with 58% reporting that same trust, up 6% YoY.

The specifics: The influence of women athletes isn’t limited to certain brand categories either, though apparel, food and beverage, and health and beauty reigned supreme in both fan awareness and likelihood to purchase. In fact, one in four women’s sports fans said women’s sports sponsorships makes them more likely to buy.

• And that trend is even more pronounced when it comes to Gen Z and millennial consumers — 46% report they’d be more likely to purchase from a brand that sponsors a woman athlete or women’s team. Now that’s good business.

The takeaway: Investing in both women’s sports as a whole and women athletes individually is a proven win for brands, especially as leagues continue to expand their fanbases. But investment itself and ensuring those sponsorships are visible to the general public can require different strategies.

• Fan awareness in categories like apparel is high (63% of women’s sports fans reported being aware of clothing sponsorships), but brands in more niche categories like travel, insurance, and tech don’t necessarily have the same visibility. That means additional partnerships with media companies are integral to maximize ROI. *winks*

EUGENE, Ore. — Kostas Zaltos won the NCAA hammer throw and fellow Greek thrower Angelos Mantzouranis was second to help Minnesota take the Day 1 lead at the outdoor track and field championships Wednesday.

Zaltos and Mantzouranis are the first teammates to go 1-2 in the NCAA hammer throw since Virginia Tech did it in 2011. Zaltos won with a throw of 256 feet, 2 inches in the fourth round to become the first Minnesota outdoor champion since 2018 and just the third since 1971. Mantzouranis, who finished third as a freshman last year, had a personal-best 252-6.

New Mexico also went 1-2 in the 10,000 meters when freshman Ishmael Kipkurui beat defending champion Habtom Samuel with a time of 29 minutes, 7.70 seconds. Last year, Samuel became the first man in school history to win an NCAA outdoor 5,000 or 10,000 title.

Minnesota sits atop the team standings with 23 points, with New Mexico and Florida tied for second at 18.

Jason Swarens of Wisconsin landed a personal-best 69-8 on his final toss to win the shot put and deny Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan his fourth straight NCAA title. Swarens became the first man in Badgers history to win a national title in the shot put and the school’s first male thrower to win an NCAA title since Michael Lihrman won consecutive indoor weight throw titles in 2014 and ’15.

Aleksandr Solovev broke his own Texas A&M record with a clearance of 18-11 1/2 to become the pole vault champion.

Florida senior Malcolm Clemons jumped a 26-4 1/2 on his first attempt and held on to win his first national title in the long jump.

Miami’s Devoux Deysel won the javelin with a throw of 268-2.

The men’s events continue Friday at Hayward Field.