Sports
Naperville North reaches title game at Stevenson’s talent-packed invite
It was a great weekend for the Naperville North boys water polo team as the Huskies competed in the very powerful Stevenson Invitational.
No. 2-ranked Naperville North beat York 16-8 and Lyons 13-8 on Friday before rolling past Lincoln-Way East 13-5 in its first game on Saturday.
Due to prom commitments for both No. 1-ranked New Trier (25-2) and the Huskies (25-4) the title game consisted mainly of junior varsity players. And the Trevians swam away with the team title 8-5 over Naperville North.
Senior Mason Hoffmann was the leading scorer for the Huskies in the tournament with strong support from senior teammate Jack Reif. Junior Caden Tsao scored 2 goals against New Trier, but the Huskies were missing six seniors in the championship game.
“We were really happy with the tournament, and plus this is a really competitive tournament with the top four teams in the state here,” said Naperville North assistant coach George Horn. “Caden (Tsao) stepped up, but New Trier just had a little more experience out there than us.”
Third-ranked York (20-6) toppled the No. 4-ranked host Patriots 12-8 in the third-place game as sophomore Ethan Allen had a game-high 5 goals for the Dukes. York sophomore Teddy Kamenica scored 3 goals as the Dukes led 9-7 heading into the fourth quarter.
“They (Stevenson) are one of the top teams in the state, they have a lot of experience, and they’re well coached so to beat them is a confidence booster,” said York coach Brian Drumm, whose team beat Lincoln-Way East 14-3 on Friday. “C.J. Prodoehl had a nice defensive performance. He was kind of our anchor, and he had two shot blocks in the fourth quarter.”
The Patriots (20-9) had balanced scoring as Armeet Gill, Wes Linnenburger, Kenny Weisner, and Jared Carollo scored 2 goals each. Sophomore goalie Anthony Cardone was under heavy fire from York throughout the contest.
“We’re missing our starting center (Ben Tosyali), but our other guys really stepped up and played well,” said Stevenson coach Sean Wimer, whose team lost 15-10 to New Trier on Friday. “They were focusing on Armeet Gill and some of the other guys got opportunities and they made the most of them.”
The fifth-place game was a real shootout with Naperville Central (20-7) holding off defending state champion Lyons 15-13 for the win. Tied 7-7 at halftime, the Lions (13-10) could not contain James Behrend, who scored 6 goals for the Redhawks, and A.J. Landorff (5 goals). Junior Ben Kozak led Lyons with 4 goals. New Trier beat the Redhawks 13-6 Saturday.
“This has been one of the better tournaments in the state since I’ve been coming here, and all eight teams are ranked in the top 10 in the state,” said Naperville Central coach Bill Salentine, who is in his final season as head coach. “It was a high-scoring game. We played a very good team-oriented game, and the assists were coming from all over.”
After winning the state title, Lyons lost 16 seniors to graduation. “I thought we played well last night in our two games, and we usually don’t give up this many goals,” said Lyons coach Doug Eichstaedt, whose team beat Lincoln-Way East 9-4 and lost to York 7-4 on Friday. “We just couldn’t convert on some opportunities, but our defense wasn’t good enough to win.”
On Friday, the Redhawks beat No. 9 Palatine 10-7, and lost 15-8 to Stevenson. On Saturday, the Pirates (22-7) fell 11-7 to the host Patriots, 14-2 to No. 1-ranked New Trier, and 13-9 to LWE in the seventh-place game.
Sports
Tennessee Tech Closes 2025 with Tennessee State at Eblen Center
By Jeff Bowe, TTU Athletics Media Relations
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech (6-7, 1-1) men’s basketball plays its final game of 2025 against Tennessee State (7-5, 1-1) at Hooper Eblen Center at 7:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Dec. 30.
The Golden Eagles return to the hardwood after an extended break for the holidays to face the Tigers. TSU has won five of the last seven games but most recently fell, 91-82, to SEMO, opening OVC competition 1-1. Tech has won three of the last four games and opened conference play with an 85-74 victory over SEMO, then fell to UT Martin (L, 62-86).
TTU enters today’s game 4-2 at home this season with wins over SEMO, Bethel (101-69), Berea (86-64), and Va. Lynchburg (118-58), and losses to West Ga. (L, 59-61) and UT Martin (L, 62-86).
GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: Tennessee Tech (6-7, 1-1 OVC) vs. Tennessee State (7-5, 1-1 OVC)
Date & Time: Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 7:30 p.m. CT
Venue: Hooper Eblen Center
Watch: ESPN+ | Dylan Vazzano (PxP) and Frank Harrell (Analyst)
Radio: 106.1 The Eagle | Noah McKay (PxP) and Jacob Vinson (Analyst)
Promotion: Purple Haze – WEAR PURPLE!
INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: TSU leads, 41-39
In Cookeville: Tech leads, 23-17
In Nashville: TSU leads, 18-22
Neutral sites: TSU leads 2-0
Current Streak: TTU won 1
Last Meeting: TTU won 77-74 in Cookeville (Feb. 22, 2025)
TECH NOTES
Dani Pounds leads Tech in scoring, averaging 12.5 points per game (19th in OVC), and Mekhi Cameron is second on the team with 12.2 points per game (20th in OVC). Pounds is fourth in the OVC in free-throw percentage, shooting 84.1 from the line. Pounds leads the Golden Eagles in rebounds with 4.8 per game (20th in OVC).
JaJuan Nicholls is second on the team in rebounds per game (4.7), which is 23rd in the conference.
Tennessee Tech’s 118 points against Va. Lynchburg (W, 118-58, 11/10/25) mark the third-most points scored in a single game by an OVC team this season.
Ty Owens is second in the OVC with 4.2 assists per game (54 total). Nicholls is tied for fifth in the conference in blocks per game (1.2) and fourth in the OVC in total blocks (16).
The Golden Eagles are second in the conference in points per game (79.7), as well as fourth in the conference in scoring margin (3.5). TTU holds the second-best shooting percentage in the OVC (47.0, 365-777), making three fewer shots than the conference leaders (Lindenwood, 47.4).
OPPONENT NOTES
Tennessee State (7-5, 1-1) leads the all-time series 41-39 as the teams split the last two matchups during the 2024-25 season.
The Tigers are coming off a hard-fought 91–82 loss to Southeast Missouri at the Gentry Center, while the Golden Eagles also enter the contest following a defeat.
The game marks the return to action for both programs after a 10-day break. Tennessee State will open the 2026 calendar year on the road at Little Rock on Saturday, Jan. 3.
Aaron Nkrumah leads the Tigers in scoring with 17.0 points per game, averaging 4.8 rebounds per contest and 2.6 assists per game. Travis Harper II is second on the team with 15.8 points per game, and Dante Harris is third on the squad per contest with 12.6 points on average.
PURCHASE TICKETS
Tickets for Tennessee Tech Men’s Basketball are on sale now – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office, or order online at TTUsports.com.
FOLLOW THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Fans can be sure to follow the Golden Eagles men’s basketball team on X (@TTU_Basketball), Instagram (TTUMBB), and Facebook (TTU MBB) for all of the news, notes, and updates.
Sports
Top 25 Moments of 2025
Helms, a transfer from Texas A&M, bested his previous Heptathlon score of 5394 which he earned at the Stan Scott Invite and Multis taking place on Jan. 30-Feb. 1, hosted by Texas Tech. He has had immense success in the Key City, posting three different splits at the Red Raider open in the 60m hurdles (8.30), 4x400m (3:16.21, 49.27 split) and pole vault (16-2/4.93m).
At the Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Robertson has etched herself in the record books. At the NCAA Outdoor National Championships, she recorded the best finish by a Bronco since the 2022 campaign by finishing 53rd in a field of 254 total runners.
Robertson was the first Bronco woman to earn All-America honors in the 1,500 since 2019 (Emma Bates). Hanna Ackermann also posted a top finish while in Eugene. Ackermann recorded a time of 9:54.21 in the steeplechase. The time was the third-fastest time in Boise State history.
Helms registered a score of 7,696 in the decathlon. His mark ranks third in Boise State school history and improved his previous mark in the decathlon at the 2025 Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships which were hosted by Fresno State in Clovis, California.
Sports
Shondell Inks Transfer Lameen Mambu – Purdue Boilermakers
Sports
Best of small school volleyball in Palm Beach
Dec. 28, 2025, 10:54 a.m. ET
The 2025 Palm Beach Post All-County teams are here!
The Palm Beach County High School Sports Awards is proud to announce the Player of the Year nominees for small school volleyball.
Player of the Year winners will be announced at the South Florida Fair in a live ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 24. Nominees will be able to register to attend for free, thanks to sponsors. For more information about the show, please reach out to deputy sports editor Eric J. Wallace (ejwallace@pbpost.com).
Sports
Best of large school volleyball in Palm Beach
Dec. 28, 2025, 10:54 a.m. ET
The 2025 Palm Beach Post All-County teams are here!
The Palm Beach County High School Sports Awards is proud to announce the Player of the Year nominees for large school volleyball.
Player of the Year winners will be announced at the South Florida Fair in a live ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 24. Nominees will be able to register to attend for free, thanks to sponsors. For more information about the show, please reach out to deputy sports editor Eric J. Wallace (ejwallace@pbpost.com).
Sports
December 28 – Kelly Sheffield was hired to coach UW-Madison’s Volleyball team
MADISON, Wis. — On this day, December 28, 2012, Kelly Sheffield was hired as Wisconsin’s head volleyball coach, instantly propelling the program into one of the best in the country.
The Badgers had been coached by Pete Waite for the previous 13 years, and the program had been struggling since 2008. Sheffield turned things around immediately in his first season, making it all the way to the national championship in 2013, falling just short to Penn State.
Since then, the Badgers have made the NCAA tournament each season and have not lost more than 10 games in any season since he was hired.
He led the program to the top of the mountain in 2021, when they defeated Nebraska for the first championship in program history.
Since then, they have made the Final Four twice, most recently this past season, where they fell just short to the Kentucky Wildcats in five sets.
Sheffield has also coached 20 different Badgers to 45 All-American nominations, headlined by Dana Rettke and Sarah Franklin who won AVCA Player of the Year honors in 2021 and 2023.
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