College Sports

MBB Welcomes SMU Tuesday

Published

5 months ago

January 7, 2025

• Carolina (9-6, 2-1 ACC) plays host to SMU (11-3, 2-1 ACC) on Tuesday, January 7, in a 9 p.m. start at the Smith Center on ACC Network.
• It is the fourth time ever the Tar Heels are playing the Mustangs, and the first time in an ACC contest.
• Elliot Cadeau’s four-point play, Carolina’s first in four seasons, gave the Tar Heels a 74-73 win at Notre Dame on Saturday.
• The Tar Heels led by double digits in both halves, but fell behind by as many as four points after the Irish went on a 12-0 run. Cadeau scored Carolina’s final six points in the last 22 seconds, including a three-pointer and free throw with 4.8 seconds to play.
• For the second time in four games (UCLA), Cadeau then defended the paint on a last-second shot to preserve the victory.
• Ian Jackson led all scorers with a season-best 27 points, becoming the first Tar Heel freshman ever to score 23 or more points in four consecutive games.
• RJ Davis didn’t make a three or score in double figures for the first time this season but delivered a season-high seven assists and passed Armando Bacot for second all-time in UNC scoring and ninth in ACC history.UNC-SMU
• Carolina is 2-1 all-time vs. the Mustangs with wins in Dallas at Reunion Arena in 1986 and the Smith Center in 1987.
• This is the first time the teams have played since a 90-74 Tar Heel victory in Chapel Hill on 12/12/1987. J.R. Reid led all scorers with 21 points, one of four Tar Heels to score in double figures.
• Assistant coach Jeff Lebo played in both of Carolina’s wins vs. the Mustangs. He had 10 points in the win at home and he led the Tar Heels with 22 points in the 88-86 win in Dallas his sophomore season. He was 6 for 12 from three-point range in the win in Texas.
• SMU Director of Athletics Rick Hart is a Carolina alum and former member of the athletic department staff. He is in his 13th year as the Mustangs’ AD.
• The Tar Heels will be playing all three of the newest members of the ACC in a 12-day span over the next four games. Following the SMU game, Carolina plays at NC State on Saturday before hosting Cal (January 15) and Stanford (January 18) next week in the Smith Center.NOVEMBER SIGNEES
• Carolina signed Isaiah Denis of Concord, N.C., and Derek Dixon of Vienna, Va.
• Denis is a 6-5 guard at Davidson Day High School in Davidson, N.C. His parents are Nancy Denis and Frantz Denis, and he plays AAU for CP3.
• Dixon, the son of John and Kari Dixon, is a 6-3 guard at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. He also plays AAU for Team Takeover.SMITH CENTER
• This is the 40th season the Tar Heels are playing in the Dean E. Smith Center.
• Carolina is 5-1 in the Smith Center this season and 482-88 (.845) all-time.
• The Tar Heels are 250-69 against ACC opponents in the Smith Center, including a win over Georgia Tech to begin league play on December 7.MORE MILESTONES FOR RJ
• RJ Davis is the second-leading scorer in Carolina’s illustrious history with 2,353 points. He passed Armando Bacot, who also played in five seasons, for second place in the Notre Dame game, when he scored eight points.
• He broke the UNC career record for three-pointers (304) on December 29 and has the highest free throw percentage ever by a Tar Heel (85.9%).
• Davis’ 29-point outing vs. Florida on December 17 made him the highest scoring guard in Carolina history, eclipsing the mark held by Phil Ford.
• Davis’ career scoring average is 15.4, the eighth-highest by a Tar Heel guard.
• Last year, Davis became the 19th Tar Heel to earn consensus first-team All-America honors. Those 19 players have won consensus first-team All-America honors a total of 28 times.
• Davis joined Lennie Rosenbluth in 1957, Phil Ford in 1978, Michael Jordan in 1983 and 1984, Kenny Smith in 1987, Jerry Stackhouse in 1995, Antawn Jamison in 1998, Joseph Forte in 2001 and Tyler Hansbrough in 2008 and 2009 as the only Tar Heels to make first-team All-America on each of the teams the NCAA recognizes to determine consensus first-team All-America.
• Davis was the 15th Tar Heel to win ACC Player-of-the-Year honors, the first since Justin Jackson in 2016-17. It is the 16th time a Tar Heel has won the award (Larry Miller won twice).NOTABLE
• Junior guard Seth Trimble has missed the last three games due to an upper body injury he suffered in practice on December 28.
• Carolina has scored 150 more points in the second half than in the first (10.0 more per game).
• Saturday at Notre Dame, UNC scored 39 points in the first half and a season-low 35 in the second. It was just the second time all season and first time since the opener vs. Elon the Tar Heels scored more points in the first half than the second.
• The Tar Heels are averaging 37.0 first-half points (while allowing 38.4) and 47.0 in the second half (allowing 40.0).
• Carolina has shot a higher field goal percentage in the second half than it did in the first in 14 of the first 15 games (only against Georgia Tech did UNC shoot better in the first half). That included the Notre Dame game, when the Tar Heels shot 48.1% in the first and 58.3% in the second.
• Carolina has shot 50% from the floor four times in the first half (vs. American, Michigan State, La Salle and Campbell) and 11 times in the second half (vs. Kansas, American, Hawai’i, Dayton, Michigan State, La Salle, Florida, UCLA, Campbell, at Louisville and at Notre Dame). That includes three second-half performances when UNC shot better than 62% from the floor (vs. American, Florida and Campbell).
• The Tar Heels have shot a combined 58.4% from the floor in the second halves of their last six games (La Salle, Florida, UCLA, Campbell, Louisville and Notre Dame). UNC has made 101 of 173 field goal attempts in the second half in those six games.
• The Tar Heels are 22nd in the country in scoring at 84.6 points per game but 328th in scoring defense (79.2).
• However, factoring in the number of possessions, Carolina is 26th in the country in offensive efficiency and 58th in defensive efficiency.
• Carolina has allowed 17.5 more points in its six losses (89.7) than the opponents have averaged in UNC’s nine wins (72.2).
• UNC has allowed 90 or more points four times in 15 games. Opponents had only scored 90 or more six times in the previous three seasons. Four is the most in a season since 2001-02 (five times).
• Carolina is attempting 23.5 three-pointers per game, the second-most attempts in UNC single-season history. In 2028-19, a team that featured Coby White, Cameron Johnson and Luke Maye, the Tar Heels averaged 23.94 three-point attempts, the most in UNC history.
• Over the last seven games UNC is 53 for 199 (26.6%) from three-point range.
• The Tar Heels are shooting 57.0% from two-point range, their highest two-point percentage in a season since the three-point shot began in 1986-87.
• Carolina is making 19.4 free throws per game in its wins, while the opponents are averaging 18.0 attempts in those nine games.
• Carolina is averaging 19.4 made free throws in its nine wins and 21.5 free throw attempts in the six losses.
• RJ Davis leads Carolina in scoring at 17.7 points per game. The Notre Dame game was the first time this season he didn’t score in double figures or make a three-pointer.
• Davis is averaging 15.1 field goal attempts per game. Last year, he averaged 16.4.
• Davis has made 30 three-pointers through 15 games. Last season, he made 44 through 15 games.
• Ian Jackson is the only player to make a three in every game in which he has played (did not play vs. American).
• Carolina’s top four scorers are guards – Davis (17.7), Jackson (14.9), Trimble (14.8) and Elliot Cadeau (10.7).
• Trimble set career scoring highs in each of the first two games this season (15 vs. Elon and 19 at Kansas) then surpassed those with a 27-point double-double in the comeback win over Dayton.
• When Cade Tyson scored a game-high 23 points against La Salle, he became the seventh different Tar Heel to lead UNC in scoring this season. Last year, only four Tar Heels led Carolina in scoring.TAR HEELS AND THE ACC
• Carolina is a charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• This is the 72nd season of ACC men’s basketball.
• UNC has won the regular-season championship 33 times, including the 2023-24 season, when the Tar Heels went 17-3 to win the title outright for the 22nd time. Duke is second with 20 regular-season titles.
• The Tar Heels are 760-314 all-time in ACC regular-season play. The 760 wins are the most by any team.
• RJ Davis was the 2024 ACC Player of the Year and Hubert Davis was the Coach of the Year.
• RJ Davis is the first Player of the Year to return the following season since UNC’s Tyler Hansbrough won the award in 2008 and came back for his senior season in 2009, when he led the Tar Heels to an NCAA title.ROSENBLUTH A COLLEGE HALL OF FAMER
• Lennie Rosenbluth, a prolific scorer who led the 1956-57 Tar Heels to a 32-0 record and UNC’s first NCAA Tournament championship, is one of eight individuals elected to join the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2024.
• Rosenbluth is the 15th Tar Heel to become a member of the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, joining Dean Smith (inaugural class in 2006), Larry Brown, Ben Carnevale, Billy Cunningham, Bob McAdoo, Frank McGuire, James Worthy and Roy Williams (all in the Class of 2007), Phil Ford (2012), Charlie Scott (2015), Sam Perkins (2018), Antawn Jamison (2021), Larry Miller (2022) and Tyler Hansbrough (2023).
• Rosenbluth set the ACC career scoring record with 2,045 points (since broken) and still maintains single-season UNC records for points (897) and scoring average (28.0), both set in 1956-57. He easily holds the highest career scoring average by a Tar Heel at 26.9 points per game, set in 76 games over three seasons from 1954-57.
• Joining Rosenbluth in the Class of ’24 are six players and one coach (Jack Hartman, most notably at Kansas State). The players include Dave Meyers (UCLA), Sihugo Green (Duquesne), Wayne Estes (Utah State), Sam Lacey (New Mexico State), John Rudometkin (USC) and Tom Stith (St. Bonaventure).
SCHEDULE NOTES
• KenPom ranks Carolina’s strength of schedule the fifth-hardest in the country behind Mississippi Valley State, Florida A&M, Jackson State and Memphis.
• Carolina is one of four teams among the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC whose strength of schedule is ranked in the top 10 – UNC (5), Purdue (6), Alabama (9) and Creighton (10).
• Seven of Carolina’s opponents are ranked in the current AP poll – No. 2 Auburn, No. 4 Duke, No. 5 Alabama, No. 8 Florida, No. 11 Kansas, No. 16 Michigan State and No. 22 UCLA.
• This season is the second ever (1967-68) in which the Tar Heels played four top-10 opponents prior to New Year’s Day. Carolina played at No. 1 Kansas, No. 4 Auburn in Maui, No. 10 Alabama and No. 7 Florida in Charlotte.SECOND-HALF COMEBACKS
• Carolina’s loss to Louisville included another second-half comeback from a double-digit deficit. The Cards led by 11 early in the half before the Tar Heels rallied to tie the game at 61 with more than eight minutes to play.
• It was the eighth time UNC faced a deficit of 10 or more points and the sixth time UNC either drew even or took the lead.
• In two of those games, the Tar Heels rallied to win, beating Dayton, 92-90, after trailing by 21 and UCLA, 76-64, after trailing by 16.
• On December 21 in New York, the Tar Heels trailed UCLA, 59-43, with 12:35 to play. The Tar Heels closed within five with 7:06 remaining, within a point 90 seconds later and finally drew even at 72 on Jalen Washington’s second-chance bucket with 1:32 to play.
• Carolina took its first and only lead of the second half with 13.6 seconds to go on a pair of free throws by RJ Davis.
• This season is the first since 2010-11 the Tar Heels have rallied for two wins when trailing by at least 15 points. In 2011, UNC overcame a 19-point deficit to Miami and a 16-point deficit against Virginia Tech.
– Kansas took its first double-digit lead with 9:27 left in the first half, extended the lead to 20 later in the half and led by 15 at the break. Led by three 3FGs by Jae’Lyn Withers, Carolina took its first lead of the second half with 7:09 to play and led, 87-83, with 3:15 to play. The Jayhawks closed the game on a 9-2 run to win, 92-89.
– Carolina led Dayton, 18-17, nine minutes into the game. The Flyers out-scored UNC, 34-15, over the final 11 minutes of the half for an 18-point lead, which Dayton extended to 21 points early in the second half. The Tar Heels still trailed by double figures with 11 minutes to play, took their first lead on an RJ Davis three with 1:52 remaining and won the game on a three by Drake Powell with 1:13 left.
–The comeback win from 21 down tied the largest second-half comeback in UNC history (21 vs. Florida State in 1993) and was one point shy of the largest comeback win in any game in UNC history (22 vs. Wake Forest in 1992).
– Two days later in Maui, Michigan State raced to a 10-2 lead, pushed the margin to 14 with 3:05 left in the half and led by nine at the break. The Tar Heels took their only lead of the second half on a Powell drive with 13:25 to play. Seth Trimble’s three with four seconds to play sent the game to overtime, where the Spartans prevailed, 94-91.
– Florida jumped out to an early 16-6 lead and led by as much as 17 in the first half before Carolina scored the final four points of the opening period to cut the lead to a dozen. The Tar Heels opened the second half on an 11-0 run, took a 70-68 lead on a Trimble three-point play with 7:50 to play and led by four (81-77) at the 4:00 timeout. The Gators then outscored UNC 13-3, including eight second-chance points, for a 90-84 win.JACKSON ON A HISTORIC RUN
• Freshman guard Ian Jackson made 11 field goals (most by a Tar Heel this season) and scored a game-high 27 points in the 74-73 win at Notre Dame.
• The Bronx native is the first Tar Heel freshman ever to score 23 or more points in four straight games. He is the first to score 20 or more in four games in a row since Tyler Hansbrough (2005-06) and the first to lead UNC in scoring in four straight since Cole Anthony (2019-20).
• Phil Ford is only Tar Heel freshman to score 20 or more in five consecutive (he scored 22 or more in all five).
• Jackson has scored 100 points with 10 three-pointers and shot 56.5% from the floor (35 for 62) in the last four games – the only other Tar Heel ever to post those numbers in any four-game stretch was Hubert Davis in 1991-92.
• Jackson has averaged 25.0 points in the last four games and 19.3 over the last eight.
• Overall, he is averaging 14.9 points, the second-highest average on the team behind only RJ Davis.
• In the last eight games he has averaged 30.3 minutes, including 35.3 in the last four.
• Jackson has scored in double figures 10 times, including eight of the last nine games, and leads UNC with five 20-point games (27 at Notre Dame, 26 vs. Campbell, 24 vs. UCLA, 23 vs. Alabama and 23 at Louisville).
• Jackson was named ACC Rookie of the Week for his 26-point performance on December 29 against Campbell.
• Jackson’s 24 points against UCLA were the second most ever by a Tar Heel freshman in Madison Square Garden (25 by Rashad McCants vs. Kansas in 2002).

College Sports

Lu Adds To Sophomore Resume, Named Golfweek’s All-America Honorable Mention

Story Links SEATTLE – After being selected as a WGCA All-American honorable mention last week, Vivian Lu added another accolade to her resume on Wednesday as the sophomore has been named honorable mention of Golfweek’s 2025 Women’s College Golf All-America team. Lu is one of nine Big Ten women’s golfers named to […]

Published

11 minutes ago

June 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

SEATTLE – After being selected as a WGCA All-American honorable mention last week, Vivian Lu added another accolade to her resume on Wednesday as the sophomore has been named honorable mention of Golfweek’s 2025 Women’s College Golf All-America team.

Lu is one of nine Big Ten women’s golfers named to an All-America team as Washington, USC, Ohio State, Oregon, and Northwestern were represented with honors.

The Auckland, New Zealand native was named to the Annika Award Final Fall Watch List at the beginning of her sophomore campaign.

She also earned a spot on the All-Big Ten First Team and WGCA All-American Honorable Mention after leading the Husky lineup in seven tournaments this season.

Golfweek’s 2025 Women’s College Golf All-America Teams

First Team

Carla Bernat, Sr., Kansas State

Carolina Chacarra, Sr., Wake Forest

Kary Hollenbaugh, Jr., Ohio State

Jasmine Koo, Fr., USC

Maria Jose Marin, So., Arkansas

Meja Ortengren, Fr., Stanford

Andrea Revuelta, Fr., Stanford

Kiara Romero, So., Oregon

Mirabel Ting, Jr., Florida State

Lottie Woad, Jr., Florida State

Second Team

Eila Galitsky, Fr., South Carolina

Megha Ganne, Jr., Stanford

Lauren Kim, So., Texas

Paula Martin Sampedro, So., Stanford

Farah O’Keefe, So., Texas

Catherine Park, Jr., USC

Louise Rydqvist, Sr., South Carolina

Amanda Sambach, Sr., Virginia

Kendall Todd, Sr., Arkansas

Suvichaya Vinijchaitham, Fr., Oregon

Third Team

Hannah Darling, Sr., South Carolina

Anna Davis, So., Auburn

Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio, So., Texas A&M

Caitlyn Macnab, Sr., Ole Miss

Marie Madsen, Fr., NC State

Lauryn Nguyen, Sr., Northwestern

Patience Rhodes, So., Arizona State

Rocio Tejedo, Fr., LSU

Avery Weed, So., Mississippi State

Ashley Yun, So., Northwestern

Honorable Mention

Brooke Biermann, Michigan State

Vanessa Borovilos, Texas A&M

Pimpchompoo Chaisilprungruang, Charlotte

Lauren Clark, Kansas

Beth Coulter, Arizona State

Cindy Hsu, Texas

Grace Kilcrease, Oklahoma State

Chloe Kovelesky, Wake Forest

Mackenzie Lee, SMU

Vivian Lu, Washington

Ava Merrill, Vanderbilt

Megan Propeck, Virginia

Catherine Rao, Princeton

Paula Schulz-Hanssen, Arizona State

Andie Smith, Duke

Megan Streicher, North Carolina

Clarisa Temelo, Arkansas

Karen Tsuru, Oregon

Kelly Xu, Stanford

Reagan Zibilski, Arkansas

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College Sports

Benton Maass named Assistant Hockey Coach

Story Links HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech Head Hockey Coach Bill Muckalt has named Benton Maass (pronounced MASS) an Assistant Coach with the Huskies. Maass comes to Houghton after one season as an Assistant Coach at Lindenwood. He played collegiately at New Hampshire and Minnesota State and appeared in 122 professional […]

Published

13 minutes ago

June 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech Head Hockey Coach Bill Muckalt has named Benton Maass (pronounced MASS) an Assistant Coach with the Huskies. Maass comes to Houghton after one season as an Assistant Coach at Lindenwood. He played collegiately at New Hampshire and Minnesota State and appeared in 122 professional games in the AHL and ECHL.

“I developed a great relationship with Benton over the past year and know that he will be a great fit and valuable asset to Michigan Tech,” Muckalt said. “Benton is a tireless worker and has developed a skill for identifying top talent. He has demonstrated that he can relate and communicate effectively with today’s student-athlete and will work with our defense and penalty kill.”

“First off, I’d like to thank Athletic Director Suzanne Sanregret and Head Coach Bill Muckalt for the opportunity to join the hockey staff here at Michigan Tech,” Maass said. “The hockey program has a long and storied history, and I’m excited to get to work with our student-athletes as we prepare for a successful upcoming season, both on and off the ice!”

As an Assistant Coach at Lindenwood, Maass helped develop the Lions in their third year of NCAA Division I hockey. The 2024-25 season included the most wins in program history, with key victories over Notre Dame, Omaha, and Wisconsin. Five players from the roster went on to sign professional contracts.

Maass played 64 games as a defenseman for the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays during the 2023-24 season and tallied 27 points with eight goals and 19 assists, serving as an alternate captain. He skated in 55 games for the Stingrays in his first season with 11 points and 44 penalty minutes. He also played three career games for the AHL’s Hershey Bears and was on the 2023 Calder Cup Championship Team.

The native of Elk River, Minnesota, was initially selected by the Washington Capitals in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL Draft after playing for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs in the NAHL and Elk River High School.

Maass played five seasons of college hockey, tallying 51 career points on 13 goals and 38 assists in 162 games. He began his collegiate career at New Hampshire from 2017-21 before transferring to Minnesota State for the 2021-22 season. At UNH, he was a three-time Hockey East All-Academic Team member and was an alternate captain for the 2020-21 season. The Mavericks won the MacNaughton Cup and Mason Cup as CCHA Regular Season and Tournament Champions and advanced to the Frozen Four NCAA Championship Game.

Former Husky Tyler Shelast will begin his fifth season as an Assistant Coach in 2025-26 after being the Strength and Conditioning Coach during the previous eight seasons. Coach Muckalt is in the process of hiring another Assistant Coach.

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College Sports

How 3M Arena at Mariucci became a go-to site for suburban high school graduation ceremonies

For the first two weeks of June, the grass surrounding 3M Arena at Mariucci glitters with graduation cap-shaped confetti. The 23 high school graduations hosted there this year come almost back-to-back, sometimes three or four in a day. Once the mess from one school is cleaned up, in come thousands more revelers from another. Over […]

Published

43 minutes ago

June 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

For the first two weeks of June, the grass surrounding 3M Arena at Mariucci glitters with graduation cap-shaped confetti.

The 23 high school graduations hosted there this year come almost back-to-back, sometimes three or four in a day. Once the mess from one school is cleaned up, in come thousands more revelers from another.

Over the past 15 years, Mariucci in Minneapolis has increasingly become a go-to location for large suburban high schools looking for an indoor, air-conditioned commencement venue that can accommodate about 6,000 people. For those schools, gone are the days of weather-dependent football field graduation ceremonies or limiting tickets to only the number of family members who can fit into the school gymnasium.

Hosting the ceremony offsite can take some pressure off school administrators, said Jim Skelly, the spokesperson for Anoka-Hennepin Public Schools, which held four of its graduation ceremonies at Mariucci on Sunday, each one spaced out by three hours. But, he clarified, it’s still a lot of work for both school and facilities staff.

“I’m sure the students have no idea how much goes into this,” he said.

Holding multiple commencements in one day is a feat of planning, time management, traffic and parking control, communication, and people-wrangling to ensure that one school crowd can get out before another one comes in, said Craig Flor, the arena’s director of operations.

The university also upped security measures and police presence this week after a shooting injured two people outside the arena after Wayzata’s graduation ceremony on Friday. The U has long required Mariucci attendees to walk through metal detectors and have their bags searched.

After 15 years of hosting such ceremonies, the team has streamlined the logistics, Flor said. And many of the schools start their part of the planning process more than a year in advance, especially if they want a coveted weekend ceremony date, which also have to be planned around religious holidays.

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College Sports

Coaches and international athletes grapple with U.S. visa uncertainties

Michael Rothstein Close Michael Rothstein ESPN Staff Writer Michael Rothstein, based in Atlanta, is a reporter on ESPN’s investigative and enterprise team. You can follow him via Twitter @MikeRothstein. Dan Murphy Close Dan Murphy ESPN Staff Writer Covers the Big Ten Joined ESPN.com in 2014 Graduate of the University of Notre Dame Jun 4, 2025, […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Michael Rothstein
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Michael Rothstein

ESPN Staff Writer
Dan Murphy
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Dan Murphy

ESPN Staff Writer
- Covers the Big Ten
- Joined ESPN.com in 2014
- Graduate of the University of Notre Dame

Jun 4, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

College coaches and international athletes are stuck in an unnerving limbo, saying they’re unsure how to plan for recent changes in U.S. student visa policy that could potentially wreak havoc on their rosters this year.

The State Department confirmed it has stopped scheduling interviews for new student visa applicants. A brief pause would not cause problems for most college sports teams — according to coaches and other specialists who spoke to ESPN — but if the pause stretches late into the summer, it could severely impact some athletes’ ability to reach campus in time to play in their upcoming season. Early summer is a crucial window when many incoming international students typically schedule their visa interviews.

“The main guidance we’ve gotten is don’t freak out yet,” said University of Tennessee Martin basketball coach Jeremy Shulman. “But that ‘yet’ has been the key word.”

Some coaches told ESPN that as much as a quarter of their roster might not be allowed to enter the country this fall if the pause persists.

Shulman — who expects to have 12 international players this year, the most of any Division I basketball team — said he has four players who now are unsure if they will make it to campus.

“It decimates our roster,” he said.

Vermont men’s soccer coach Rob Dow won the national championship last season with 10 international players, including five starters. Six months later, Dow said his plans to bring in “three blue-chip players” could be in doubt if those recruits are unable to enter the country.

None have visa appointments scheduled. He said he’s still trying to get more information.

“It’s just a ton of uncertainty,” Dow said. “Not really sure what is consistent here.”

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters Tuesday that the pause “will go pretty quickly” once consulates and embassies are prepared. She said she expected an update in “a matter of days.”

Shulman has two recently committed freshmen who have yet to secure visa appointments. Two current players returned to their home countries to renew their visas, and they also have been unable to secure appointments. Shulman said he was “scrambling a little bit” for both his players and his program.

“We’re very concerned if we’re going to be able to get these guys even in the country,” Shulman said.

International students typically aim to complete the application and interview process well before their expected arrival date. Before the interview, they must complete an I-20, which the government calls a “certificate of eligibility for nonimmigrant student status.” Applicants also bring transcripts and other support materials the interviewer might request. People who run services to help students in this process told ESPN that 10-50% of the students they work with don’t have visa appointments yet.

A runner from Poland, who plans to compete for Texas A&M, told ESPN he is not concerned yet because Scholarbook — the international athlete placement agency that has helped with his recruitment — told him the pause shouldn’t derail his plans. He asked ESPN to withhold his name for fear of reprisal.

Others aren’t so sure, especially given the pace of recent immigration edicts from the Trump administration targeting international students. “The implication is that once they have everything figured out, they’re going to get the process back up and running,” immigration attorney Amy Maldonado said. “But I don’t trust them or believe anything they say.”

On April 22, the administration aimed to revoke all student visas at Harvard. The university sued the next day and won a temporary injunction. New plans are afoot to impose harsher visa restrictions on Chinese students.

One university international center director who spoke to ESPN on condition of anonymity said that if the pause takes a week or two, “it’ll be a minor inconvenience. If it takes longer than that, it’ll be a considerable inconvenience.”

The pause reportedly is to boost vetting of applicants’ social media posts. One Division I coach said he suggested that his current international players scrub — and possibly delete — their social media accounts since it’s unknown what the new vetting will be. Some reports say the vetting will include deleted posts.

Shulman and other coaches told ESPN it is too soon to know if visa uncertainty will force them to recruit fewer international athletes in the coming years. He termed it a “very tense and scary time.”

The pause is not believed to affect those who already have interview appointments. Current students shouldn’t be impacted unless their visa has expired and they’ve decided to travel outside the country.

Shulman said his two returning players have valid visas that expire later this year, but they went home to renew. It’s unclear why they have not been able to schedule appointments yet.

Dow, the Vermont soccer coach, said if he were not able to get those three international recruits in, it would impact the roster but suggested the deficit would still be manageable.

For other programs, he added, the deficit “might be five or six or nine or 10.”

Shulman and coaches in other sports said they aren’t enacting contingency plans yet, hoping it’s a short pause, but they can’t help but think about it.

“Families are really concerned because this is something most of them have invested a lot of time and money in the process,” said Philipp Liedgens, the director of operations for Keystone Sports Germany, an international athlete placement company. He said the recruiting process could take up to two years — only to experience these problems at the end. Some of those athletes “have no plan for anything else,” he said.

Thomas Bojanowski, the founder of Scholarbook, said he has seen a 25-30% drop in interest from future students in the past six months. Liedgens said his firm has seen enrollments for future classes drop nearly 50% in recent months.

Dow said he has been answering questions from recruits about what it’s now like in the United States compared to media reports from overseas. Universities are trying to answer as best they can. Coaches aren’t sure what to tell current players, either, when they ask if it’s safe for them to leave the country.

One Division I men’s tennis coach said he advised his international players against it.

Vermont has a trip to Europe scheduled in June. Dow said he’s still figuring out whether any of his international players may need to skip the trip because of immigration uncertainties.

Shulman said that while sports are part of this, these decisions impact them as students. Many use college athletics to get a quality education at an American university.

“These kids need and deserve this opportunity here in the States,” Shulman said of his own players. “And I’m hoping that we can get through so they get this experience.”

Last year, the NCAA reported that more than 25,000 international athletes were enrolled in schools across its three divisions. In Division I, international students comprised 30-64% of rosters in a variety of sports, such as tennis, ice hockey, soccer and field hockey, a 2023 NCAA document said.

More than 4,000 athletes come from Canada, and over 1,000 each come from the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany and Australia, according to the latest data provided by the NCAA. The international center director said Canadians should not be impacted because they typically do not have to sit for visa interviews.

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College Sports

Portland Signs Christian Mendoza Ahead of 2025 Season

Story Links PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Men’s Soccer adds another talented freshman to the class of 2025, signing midfielder Christian Mendoza. Christian is a local Oregonian product who has a great technical proficiency in the game. He has elite ball security and our fans will see the ball glued to his foot,” Portland head coach […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Portland Signs Christian Mendoza Ahead of 2025 Season

PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Men’s Soccer adds another talented freshman to the class of 2025, signing midfielder Christian Mendoza.

Christian is a local Oregonian product who has a great technical proficiency in the game. He has elite ball security and our fans will see the ball glued to his foot,” Portland head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt said. “Christian can play anywhere centrally or even as tucked in winger. He has a growth mindset and spent all spring with us learning our system as he graduated high school earlier. He has good experience training with the Timbers first team and playing games with the second team.

Mendoza joins the Pilots as a local product. Mendoza joins after recently playing with Portland Timbers 2 at the MLS NEXT Pro level. The Timbers Academy product played in 22 games with eight starts last season, scoring one goal. Mendoza is listed as the eighth best recruit out of the Pacific Northwest per TopDrawerSoccer and 144^th on the IMG Academy 200 list.

“It’s no secret that we graduated two of the best four-year central midfielders in program history in Nick Fernandez and Sebastian Nava and we think Mendoza can help build our new looking midfield,” Carlin-Voigt said. “The best is ahead of him as he transitions to the physical and high intensity running demands of college soccer.”

This past season, the Pilots finished at 7-4-7 overall and 4-0-4 in WCC play, ending the year on a 10-game unbeaten streak that was the longest on the West Coast and the third longest in the country. They earned four wins over teams that finished in the top 35 in RPI this season as well. They have achieved a top 10 ranking nationally in each of the last three seasons and led the country in goals scored between the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

The Pilots have also had 12 players move on to play in MLS since Nick Carlin-Voigt took over as head coach in 2016. Eight players have been drafted, with Paul Christensen, Rey Ortiz, Kevin Bonilla, Jacob Babalai and Buba Fofanah all being taken in the MLS SuperDraft. Efetobo Aror and Nick Fernandez were taken in the first and second round in this year’s SuperDraft as well, with Fernandez signing with the San Jose Earthquakes in February. Benji Michel and Kris Reaves each signed homegrown contracts with Orlando SC and FC Dallas respectively back in 2018 while Delentz Pierre and Brandon Cambridge each signed with Real Salt Lake and Charlotte FC in 2022 and Tommy Musto signed with LAFC in 2024.

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College Sports

College soccer star from Atlanta dies unexpectedly, school announces

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A DePaul University soccer star from Atlanta died suddenly this week, the Chicago school announced. Chase Stegall, who attended high school at Woodward Academy, died on Monday at the age of 20. “We are heartbroken by the unexpected loss of Chase Stegall, a cherished member of our community, dedicated […]

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1 hour ago

June 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

College soccer star from Atlanta dies unexpectedly, school announces

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A DePaul University soccer star from Atlanta died suddenly this week, the Chicago school announced.

Chase Stegall, who attended high school at Woodward Academy, died on Monday at the age of 20.

“We are heartbroken by the unexpected loss of Chase Stegall, a cherished member of our community, dedicated teammate and kind-hearted friend,” Vice President and Director of Athletics DeWayne Peevy and Head Men’s Soccer Coach Mark Plotkin said in a joint statement.

The university did not release details on his death, however, the DePaul President Rob Manuel said in an email that he was found in his on-campus residence.

Stegall played in 16 games of DePaul’s 17 as a sophomore.

He was also a part of the Southern Soccer Academy in metro Atlanta for more than a decade. That organization said they were “heartbroken” and that “his passion, energy, and character left a mark on everyone.”

His father, Milton Stegall, played in the NFL for three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals before playing for 14 years in the Canadian Football League.

He is also survived by his mother Darlene, and his brother, Collin.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Chase’s family, friends, teammates and all who loved him. His loss will be deeply felt across our entire athletics and university family, and his memory will forever be a part of DePaul University,” the school’s statement went on to say.