Sports
Marty Brennaman receives behind
With Reds Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman’s statue commemoration slated for September 6, the team’s longtime voice got a special preview of his likeness in bronze along with a peek at the process behind its creation.
Brennaman will be the first broadcaster to be honored by the Reds with a bronze statue, joining eight Reds players outside of Great American Ball Park. The legendary commentator spent 46 years broadcasting for the Reds, which included the 1975, 1976 and 1990 World Series championship seasons.
The exclusive look, courtesy of John Cline and his crew at Casting Arts and Technology, allowed Brennaman to get a glimpse of the statue’s head, torso and other sections. The preview was just the most recent aspect of the statue process for Brennaman, as he’d been working with sculptor Tom Tsuchiya for several months. Brennaman’s experience of seeing the bronze getting poured, seeing the statue’s head and being able to tour the foundry wasn’t something you get to do every day.
“For want of a better word, it’s unique,” Brennaman said. “How many people get a chance to look at their own head in bronze? What this has done is it has reaffirmed my high regard for Tom Tsuchiya and for John Cline and the fact that most of these guys are perfectionists. They want to get it, they want to do it, but they want to do it right and they’ve done it right.”
Initially hesitant to get any early looks with concern of spoiling the surprise at the unveiling, Brennaman gave in to the idea of seeing it in parts with some encouragement from his wife, Amanda. According to him, being able to view the statue in pieces has “heightened the anticipation” for the reveal.
Brennaman found out he’d be cast in bronze back in March. Executive Director of the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum Rick Walls invited Brennaman and Amanda to Great American Ball Park for what he thought was a meeting and an interview about the Opening Day tradition in Cincinnati.
After a back-and-forth about Opening Day, Walls asked a question about the broadcaster’s involvement in emceeing dedication ceremonies for many of the statues stationed around them outside of Great American Ball Park.
Encore Technologies CEO John Burns, a close friend of Brennaman and whose company is a leading supporter of the statue project, then asked where Marty’s statue was. After Brennaman gave a tongue-in-cheek response — “they said it’s in the mail.”
Walls and Burns broke the news that, in the very spot they were standing, he’d be joining the existing Reds legends with his own statue in September.
“You have got to be kidding,” Brennaman responded. “Are you serious? I don’t know what to say. I’ve dreamed about this, I thought about it. I never thought it was going to happen. I’m speechless. This is one of the more special things that has ever happened to me.”
For Walls, entering Brennaman into bronze immortalization goes much further than his illustrious career behind the Reds’ microphone.
“The beauty of it is this is not just about him calling games,” Walls said. “This is about everything he has meant to the Reds Community Fund, the Reds Hall of Fame, Reds fans and the Reds brand anywhere and everywhere. I find it hard to imagine somebody else having much more of an impact over that long of a time. Being like Pete Rose, like Johnny Bench. Those guys are synonymous with Cincinnati. When you see them, you think Cincinnati Reds. Marty? Reds broadcaster. They all know him. To be able to recognize that somebody like that is synonymous and has risen to that level [makes for] an easy decision.”
With Brennaman becoming the first Reds broadcaster to receive a statue, he also joins a slim list of MLB commentators like Bob Uecker, Harry Caray and Ernie Harwell, among a handful of others. As Walls puts it, “Marty is an anomaly.”
The process of making the statue begins with Tsuchiya, whose work includes all eight of the current statues around Great American Ball Park. It starts with concept brainstorming, which turns into digital scans, clay sculpting with Brennaman in the studio and then having molds created from the clay statue.
Tsuchiya’s portfolio of statues contains the likes of Rose, Bench, Joe Morgan and other iconic players, but this was the first broadcaster he’s sculpted. The difference in profession created new challenges to overcome.
“When it comes to baseball figures, [you can] depict them in a baseball pose,” Tsuchiya said. “This one is unique because I’m dealing with someone where they’re not necessarily in an action pose. When Marty announced, he wasn’t someone who was like Harry Caray, who would’ve been theatrical in his body language. Marty said he was never like that. He just sits rather stoically looking at the desk. His facial expressions here would be of joy and enthusiasm, but he wouldn’t necessarily show a lot of movement in his body language. It was a challenge to make it look alive looking and dynamic.”
Tsuchiya’s precision was noted by Brennaman, mentioning that the sculptor would take measurements down to the distance between his eyes. Tsuchiya, a Cincinnati native and lifelong Reds fan, takes a lot of pride in his work, believing this to be “special,” as he “helps create something that is enjoyed by my family, friends and other members of the community.”
The work then continues by replicating the statue in wax that holds plumbing for the stability of the sculpture and then cut into parts. The wax sections are reinforced with ceramic and fired in a kiln. The ceramic mold is then filled with some toasty, 2,050-degree Fahrenheit molten bronze before being left to cool.
Cline doesn’t get a lot of face time with the subjects of their builds. The experience of having Brennaman witness part of the process was memorable.
“It’s fun to have the actual subject here. It’s kind of interesting and enjoyable when people have an interest in that whole process,” Cline said. “Most of the time people have no idea how this stuff is done. Having Marty here has been fun. You can kind of see that he’s taken an interest in it. … It’s exciting because having the opportunity to know and meet a subject who is being commemorated is kind of rare.”
After the bronze pieces are knocked out, the plumbing is removed, the pieces get cleaned up, welded and dressed, and the metal gets colored with heat. From there, final touches are made before its transportation, installation and unveiling alongside other hallowed names from Reds history.
It means a lot to Brennaman that his statue will conveniently face Joe Nuxhall Way, the street named after his friend and longtime broadcasting partner who also has a statue (as a player) outside the ballpark on Crosley Terrace. It will also sit between the Rose and Morgan statues, two Big Red Machine legends he says he was “closer to than any other players on the team.”
As anticipation for the special day builds, Brennaman knows how important both the honor and the day will be for him.
“This is bigger than the baseball Hall of Fame for me,” Brennaman said. “This is bigger, and people are stunned when I say that. But I say, ‘wait a minute, let’s think back here.’ I came here in 1974 and succeeded Al Michaels, who became a pretty good broadcaster. Had it not worked, nothing since then would’ve ever happened for me.
“To be accepted by the people here is much more important for me than for some guy in San Bernardino, California saying, ‘I know who Marty Brennaman is.’ That’s nice, but this is what it’s all about right here. I’m going to follow in the same footsteps as Pete Rose and Joe Morgan, who both said the same thing. This was bigger than the Hall of Fame for them and it’s bigger than the Hall of Fame for me.”
Fans can join in on the celebration by attending the pregame ceremony at 4 p.m. outside the ballpark, open to all fans before the September 6 game against the New York Mets. Fans in attendance at that night’s game will also receive an oversized commemorative ticket honoring the occasion.
LEXINGTON, KY. – The Wofford volleyball team was defeated by the No. 1 seeded Kentucky Wildcats 3-0 on Thursday night inside of Historic Memorial Coliseum in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Terriers close the season 17-14 with a 10-6 record in conference action. Kentucky will take on UCLA tomorrow night.
“Our mindset was to come out and leave it out there,” said head coach Lynze Roos. “I feel like we competed in some really good points. They got some separation and that was tough, but I’m really proud of the way that these women competed in the season that we had.”
Wofford totaled 27 kills on 26 assists throughout the match. On defense, the team posted 54 digs and four blocks. The Wildcats finished the match with 45 kills on 44 assists. Kentucky also posted 56 digs and four blocks.
Leading Wofford was Bradley Brown who had 10 kills on a .259 hitting percentage. Brown also led the team with three blocks. Following behind was Chloe Smith with six kills. Maddy Frazier dished out a team-high 13 assists, while Taylor Pecht had 10. Laney Klika recorded a team-high 13 digs, along with 10 from Caroline Przystup. Annemarie Rakoski and Natalie Arnold tallied one block apiece.
“We talk a lot about playing relentless defense and going for every single ball. We knew that tonight was going to be a tough task, but you never really know unless you go for it,” said Laney Klika.
“We talked a lot before the game about playing how we play and not letting their offense or defense change the way that we like to play,” added Annemarie Rakoski.
“It was amazing just to be able to have some family and friends that I don’t get to see very much anymore come watch me play. It was super cool to just have that support,” said Chloe Smith.
Kentucky grabbed the first two points of set one, but Wofford responded with a solo block by Annemarie Rakoski. Another solo block from Bradley Brown kept the Kentucky lead within one point. With the Wildcats leading 13-8, Kentucky would add four unanswered points to bring the Wofford deficit to nine points. The Terriers could not overcome the Kentucky lead, losing set one 25-11.
The teams were back-and-forth to start set two, as the Terriers would take an early 5-4 lead. Wofford took its biggest advantage – a 15-13 lead – after a pair of Kentucky attacking errors. The Wildcats fought back to take a 20-19 lead, and the team scored the final five points of the stanza to take set two 25-19. Bradley Brown totaled eight kills and one block in the second set alone.
Wofford jumped out to a 2-0 lead to start the third set of the match by way of a Bradley Brown kill. Kentucky responded with a 7-1 run, however, to regain the lead. The Wildcats would eventually take a 13-4 advantage. Wofford cut the deficit to six points a few rallies later, but the team would lose set three and ultimately the match.
Wofford concludes the season 17-14 with a 10-6 mark in Southern Conference play. The team entered the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed and defeated both No. 6 Samford and No. 2 Furman to reach the championship match. The Terriers took down No. 1 ETSU to win their third-straight conference championship and earn another bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Junior Seren Rodgers secured a third place finish in the pentathlon, totaling 3,771 points. With the result, the Taunton, England, native now sits sixth all-time in program history in the women’s indoor pentathlon.
Overall, Rodgers recorded three podium finishes during the competition, including a pair of runner up results in the long jump, where she recorded a jump of 10.32 meters, and the 800m, crossing the line in 2:19.62. Rodgers also claimed third place in the 60m hurdles after clocking a time of 8.86 seconds.
Meanwhile, freshman Julia Aere also competed in the pentathlon, securing eighth place with 3,462 points in her collegiate debut. The Delray Beach, Fla., native placed inside the top-10 in all five events, highlighted by a third place finish in the shot put after recording a distance of 11.13 meters, as well as a fifth place result in the 800m after recording a time of 2:27.34.
Notable Finishes
Pentathlon
2025-26 Indoor Track and Field Top-10 Marks in School History
From the Staff
“I’m really pleased with how the competition progressed today. Julia and Seren competed well and this meet was a great measure of how hard we have worked throughout the fall semester. It gave us a chance to get out, perform at a high level and still recognize that we left some points on the table, which is exciting. We are in a great place heading into the holiday break and this will keep us motivated and hungry. These two ladies set the tone early for the team and we are eager for the rest of the team to compete this weekend.” – Assistant Coach Ryan Grinnell
Up Next
The Demon Deacons return to action on Saturday with a pair of meets. One group of Wake Forest athletes will travel to Boston to compete in the 5K race at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. Meanwhile, several Deacs will compete at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick-off at the JDL Fast Track.
After the Lopes dominant WAC indoor run of 14 conference titles between the men’s and women’s teams, GCU will compete in its first season as a Mountain West member.
“This schedule and competition should prepare both our men’s and women’s teams to make a lot of noise at our inaugural Mountain West Conference Indoor Championships, as well as send a lot of our athletes to the NCAA Indoor Championships,” GCU head coach Tom Flood said.Grand Canyon’s indoor schedule will feature meets in trips to Flagstaff, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Reno, Nevada.
“Again, we are really excited about our indoor schedule,” Flood said. “We will again be competing at some of the finest indoor facilities in the country and against some of the best track and field programs in the country.”
The 2025-26 season begins Thursday as the Lopes travel to Reno, Nevada, before taking a break until the new year. From there, they will travel to Flagstaff and Albuquerque before heading back to Reno for the Mountain West Indoor Championships.
GCU aims to represent at the NCAA Indoor Championships, which will be held March 13-14 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
For the full indoor schedule, click here.
A new era in Hope College track and field begins today with the first indoor meet of the 2026 season.
Beginning at noon, the Flying Dutch and Flying Dutchmen are competing at the Grand Valley State University Holiday Open under the leadership of first-year head coach Jordan Bartolazzi, the 11th women’s head coach in program history and the 13th men’s coach.
Bartolazzi, who built his alma mater, Elmhurst University (Illinois), into a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin power before coming to Hope, is thrilled with the progress both teams made during preseason workouts.
“There was a lot of good stuff going on here to build on,” Bartolazzi said. “Our focus, with every practice, has been preparing to compete, whether we’re an All-American or trying to crack the conference lineup. We have a lot of student-athletes working really hard. We’ve been having a ball. There has been really good energy. I think it’s been a good start for us.”
The Flying Dutch, who finished third in the MIAA Women’s Indoor Track and Field Preseason Coaches Poll, feature a roster of 73, with 17 seniors, 17 juniors, 14 sophomores and 25 freshmen.
The Flying Dutchmen, who also tookl thjird in the MIAA Men’s Indoor Track and Field Preseason Coaches Poll, have a roster of 64, with 18 seniors, nine juniors, 17 sophomores and 20 freshmen.
Coaching Staff
Head coach: Jordan Bartolazzi, first season
Distance coach: Mark Northuis
Distance assistant coaches: Dan Campbell, Mike Northuis
Throws coach: Paul Markel
Jumps coach: Addy Gerig
Pole vault coaches: Jon Lunderberg, Ben Turner
Women’s Roster
Senior Sara Schermerhorn (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City West) is Hope’s top returner after claiming All-America honors in four events for the second consecutive season in 2025: indoor and outdoor 200 meters and indoor and outdoor 400 meters.
The exercise science major swept MIAA Most Valuable Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete honors as a junior and earned MIAA Most Valuable Indoor Track Athlete accolades in back-to-back seasons. She became the first sprinter in league history to win titles in the 60, 200 and 400 at the same meet.
Schermerhorn set MIAA records in the indoor 200 and 400 meters last season. She also ran on the MIAA champion 4×400 relay, which returns two other sprinters: senior Frances Cozzens (Lyman, New Hampshire / Saint Johnsbury Academy) and sophomore Sofia Fisher (Lombard, Illinois / Montini Catholic).
Hope returns three runners from the MIAA champion distance medley relay: senior Molly Durow (Glenview, Illinois / Glenbrook South), junior Amanda Markham (Hoffman Estates, Illinois / William Fremd) and sophomore Lily Sackrider (St. Johns, Michigan / St. Johns).
Durow is coming off an All-America cross country campaign this fall. The special education major finished 32nd at the Division III national championships and was runner-up at the Great Lakes Regional and MIAA Championships.
“We have great leadership,” Bartolazzi said. “Not only do we have some great upperclassmen, but we have some really wonderful seniors who have made an effort to welcome our freshmen and newcomers to the program. It’s a gift to have great senior leadership in year one.”
Men’s Roster
Hope returns senior sprinter Liam Danitz, the 2025 First Team All-MIAA honoree and MIAA Most Valuable Men’s Indoor Track Athlete.
Danitz (West Branch, Michigan / Ogemaw Heights) set an MIAA record in the 200-meter dash (21.59), earned First Team All-America honors with a fifth-place national finish in the 200 (21.93), and took second in the 60-meter dash (6.83) for All-MIAA Second Team honors.
The exercise science major also contributed to an All-MIAA Second Team 4×400 relay alongside returning junior Dylan Terpstra (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville).
Senior Erickson Kunzler (Marne, Michigan / Grand Rapids Catholic Central) returns as the MIAA 800-meter champion after posting a winning time of 1:56.09.
Senior Carston Cole (Holland, Michigan / West Ottawa) and junior Carter Dean (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City West) also return from last year’s All-MIAA First Team distance medley relay.
Cole recorded Hope’s top cross country finish at nationals this fall. The Flying Dutchmen placed 23rd in the nation as a team and made history with their first Great Lakes Regional title since 1980 and first MIAA crown since 1986.
Sophomore Logan Begeman (Portage, Michigan / Portage Central) ran away with the Great Lakes Regional and MIAA individual championships.
“They’re hungry,” Bartolazzi said of the Flying Dutchmen. “Having that breakthrough season in cross country is such a gift. They felt like they were close and believed they could compete at the conference and national levels. They showed they could. That carries over to the track season.”
Schedule
The Flying Dutch and Flying Dutchmen are scheduled to compete in 10 indoor meets and eight outdoor meets.
The MIAA Indoor Championships are Saturday, Feb. 28, at Trine University.
The NCAA Indoor Championships are Friday-Saturday, March 13-14, in Birmingham, Alabama.
Hope will host the MIAA Outdoor Championships on Friday-Saturday, April 30-May 1, at Brewer Track.
The NCAA Outdoor Championships are Thursday-Saturday, May 21-23, in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
“One thing I wanted to do this year was get our student-athletes on banked tracks a little more,” Bartolazzi said. “Nationals will be on a banked track, so I want them to know what that feels like. It’s a great thing in West Michigan — you don’t have to go far to race against really good people.”
Blue-Gold Invite
Loftus Sports Center – South Bend, Indiana
Friday, December 5, 2025
Live Results
McFerrin-12 Degree Invite
Fasken Indoor Track – College Station, Texas
Saturday, December 6, 2025
Live Results | Watch
Sharon Colyear Danville Season Opener
BU Track & Tennis Center – Boston, Massachusetts
Saturday, December 6, 2025
Live Results | Watch
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DALLAS, Texas (SMU) — The Mustangs will open up their 2025-2026 track and field season across three different meets this weekend. The distance ponies will split between Notre Dame’s Blue-Gold Invite and Boston University’s Sharon Colyear Danville Season Opener. The rest of the team will travel to Texas A&M’s McFerrin-12 Degree Invite.
This meet will serve as a soft opener for the Mustangs with the remainder of the season beginning in mid-January. The distance athletes are coming off a successful cross country season, which concluded with an appearance at the national championship for Rose Mburu, but this will be the first competition for the sprints, jumps, and multis after fall training.
The action will begin on Friday at Notre Dame and continue at the other two meets on Saturday.
The meet is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. and will include a combination of field and sprint events.
Admission is free to fans. Live results from the OU Winter Field Fest can be found via TimingInc.
The Sooners are coming off their first season in the SEC, where they claimed seven individual conference titles.
OU Winter Field Fest Schedule of Events
Triple Jump (M) – 1:30 p.m.
Weight Throw (M) – 1:30 p.m.
High Jump (W) – 2:30 p.m.
Triple Jump (W) – 3 p.m.
Pole Vault (W) – 3 p.m.
Weight Throw (W) – 3 p.m.
60M Hurdles Prelims (W) – 3 p.m.
60M Hurdles Prelims (M) – 3:15 p.m.
60M Dash Prelims (W) – 3:30 p.m.
60M Dash Prelims (M) – 3:45 p.m.
Long Jump (M) – 4:30 p.m.
Shot Put (M) – 4:30 p.m.
60M Hurdles Finals (W) – 4:30 p.m.
60M Hurdles Finals (M) – 4:40 p.m.
60M Dash Finals (W) – 4:50 p.m.
60M Dash Finals (M) – 5 p.m.
Pole Vault (M) – 5:30 p.m.
Long Jump (W) – 6 p.m.
High Jump (M) – 6 p.m.
Shot Put (W) – 6 p.m.
For more information on Oklahoma Track & Field, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Track) and like Oklahoma Sooners Track & Field and Cross Country on Facebook.
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