NORTHBROOK, Ill. – Samford’s Emily Surcey from women’s tennis and Claire Harrison from track and field have been nominated for the spring National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Good Works Team. The team was designed to honor student-athletes excelling in academics, sports, and community impact. Nominated by athletics administrators, conference office staff, and coaches, these student-athletes embody leadership, service, and character.
 
Surcey served as a co-chair of Samford’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). In this role, she actively advocated for interests and concerns for student-athletes and assisted with initiatives and events sponsored by SAAC. She planned and organized bi-weekly meetings and helped coordinate special events such as Civic Engagement Day. She also helped develop and promote Samford’s CHAMPS Cup competition, which is an inter-team challenge focused on community, academics, professionalism and postgraduate
success.
 
Harrison is a member of the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) at Samford, helping reflect a positive image of Samford Athletics within the community to foster community support and advocate on behalf of the track and field team. This group participates in different community service projects throughout the year and hosts multiple service opportunities every year on Civic Engagement Day. She posted around 44 hours of community service that has been recorded since 2022. She has volunteered with local non-profits including Bundles of Hope Diaper Bank, Grace Klein’s Food Rescue Center, A.G. Gaston Boys and Girls Club and Grace House Ministries.
 
Nominations can be submitted for up to one female and one male student-athlete from each winter sport at an institution. Eligible schools and athletics programs must represent one of five intercollegiate athletics divisions: NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and Junior/Community Colleges. Nominees must have completed at least one year (two semesters) of college coursework at a two-year or four-year institution.
 
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MOSCOW, ID – The Idaho Vandal Volleyball team is hosting a pickleball fundraiser to raise funds for a new gym floor.

Head Coach Romana Kriskova wanted to be a more interactive fundraiser this year.

“We wanted to find a way to connect with the community and to fundraise for our program. Then decided on pickleball it is because it’s made for all ages and genders who want to play,” Kriskova said.

She knew the Ghormley pickleball courts were always packed and busy, bringing plenty of attention.

If you want to get involved, pickleball fundraiser assistant coach Maria Jacobus knows how to help.

“If you want to go to Moscow Park and Rec on the website, you can sign up for registration, and there are a lot of flyers around town,” Jacobus said.

Another assistant coach, Ben Kasun, is looking forward to making new connections.

“I think seeing this community out here engaging with us, we keep trying to find different ways we have worked with the elementary schools, nursing homes,” Kasun said.

With this fundraiser, prizes will be handed out for the top three places.

The first place will receive Vandal volleyball season tickets. The second-place winner will receive a signed jersey from the volleyball team. The third place will receive a signed ball from the team.

Also, coaches and players from the Vandals Volleyball team will be there. Participants will have the opportunity to mingle and get photos with the team.

The Vandals pickleball fundraiser will begin on Saturday, July 27th, with youth co-ed doubles and on Sunday, July 28th, with adult co-ed doubles.

The medals for the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025 were unveiled on the first day of competition on Friday (11 July). These distinctive medals, weighing about 150 grams each, are crafted from recycled aluminum cans as part of the “Trash to Treasure” initiative.

The “Trash to Treasure” initiative is one of the event’s key sustainability programs. Approximately 100,000 cans were transformed into 5,000 medals that will be presented at both the World Aquatics Championships (11 July to 3 August) and World Aquatics Masters Championships (26 July to 22 August).

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These cans were collected by students from five PCF Sparkletots Preschool centres, eight primary
schools and three secondary schools who are part of the School Recycling League. The cans were then processed, cleaned and smelted into medals, with the process overseen by local design agency ipse ipsa ipsum.

At the ongoing Championships – Singapore 2025, about 2,500 athletes are expected to compete in 77 medal events across six aquatic sports – artistic swimming, diving, high diving, open water swimming, swimming and water polo. The World Aquatics Masters Championships, which typically follow the elite Championships, will take place concurrently this year for the first time. More than 6,000 athletes aged 25 and above have signed up to participate in the World Aquatics Masters Championships. The event will feature five aquatic sports – swimming, artistic swimming, water polo, diving and open water swimming. The full schedule for the Championships – Singapore 2025 can be found here.

— The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with World Aquatics. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com. 

Andrew Stone enters his first season as an assistant coach with the Wolverines.

Stone joins from Michigan State after four seasons with the Spartans, after two years as a volunteer assistant and two as an assistant coach. He spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons coaching the MSU Infielders and hitters as well as serving as the team’s first base coach. Stone helped mentor Jack Frank to First Team All-Big Ten honors in 2024 and Ryan McKay to second team All-Big Ten honors in 2025.

Before coaching at MSU, Stone spent two years at Kalamazoo College as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. He helped the Hornets to their second-highest win total in program history and five school records in 2021, including runs and home runs. Kalamazoo also posted the second-best marks in school history in hits and batting average.

He was a five-year player and three-year starter for Western Michigan, playing in 155 career games. Stone finished with a career average of .304 and a .402 on-base percentage. He helped the Broncos with the 2016 MAC Tournament title and an NCAA berth for the first time since 1989.

Stone graduated as a three-time Academic All-MAC selection with a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in sport management from Western Michigan in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. (July 10, 2025) – The U.S. Boys U19 National Team completed 2025 NORCECA U19 Pan American Cup pool play undefeated after a 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-19) victory over Puerto Rico on Thursday night in Cuernavaca, Mexico. 

With the win, the U.S. (3-0) earned a bye in Friday’s quarterfinal round and will return to action in semifinal action on Saturday, July 12, at 5 p.m PT.

The U.S. dominated offensively with 42 kills to only 23 for Puerto Rico. The U.S. more than doubled Puerto Rico in blocks (9-4) and served one more ace (6-5).

Outside hitter Kale Cochran led all players with 14 points on 13 kills and one ace. Opposite Corbin Batista totaled 11 points on eight kills, two blocks and an ace.

Middle blocker Dante Cayaban was the only the other player to reach double digits with 10 points on eight kills and two aces. Middle blocker Isiah Powell led the team with three blocks, adding three kills for six points.

“I think we played a really good match. Puerto Rico came out strong and showed a lot of grit. They didn’t give up even being down two sets and played a strong third set,” Powell said. “We played a really strong, consistent game and showed a lot of energy throughout the match.”

The U.S. used a 7-2 early run to take a 9-5 lead in the opening set and the lead remained at least three for the remainder of the set. A key point was when the U.S. led 14-11 and scrambled to keep a rally going before a Novak block ended the play with a U.S. point. Cayaban recorded six kills and Batista also totaled six points with five kills and a block. The U.S. finished the set with a 17-9 advantage in kills.

The U.S. moved out to a 7-3 lead and was never seriously challenged in the second set. Two great digs by Batista on a rally that concluded with a Puerto Rico hitting error made it 14-7 and the lead soon grew to double digits, 18-8. Cochran ended the set with his fifth point on his fourth kill, this one off a set from Bayer. Hutnick and Batista both added three points on two kills and a block.

After setter Peter Chriss opened the third set with a block, Cayaban served for seven consecutive points, including an ace to make it 7-0. Powell’s third block made it 8-0 before Puerto Rico got on the board. Puerto Rico used a 5-1 run to pull within four points, 9-5, but that was as close as it would get the rest of the way. Cochran registered six kills and outside hitter Thomas Demps IV added five.

2025 Boys U19 National Team Pan American Cup Roster

Name (Pos., Ht., Hometown, School, USAV Region)

2 Ben Bayer (L, 6-1, Menomonee Falls, Wisc., Sussex Hamilton HS, Badger)
3 Thomas Phung (L, 5-10 Garland, Texas, Harvard University, Southern)
6 Thomas Demps IV (OH, 6-4, Raleigh, N.C., Broughton HS, Carolina)
9 Dante Cayaban (MB, 6-7, Saint Cloud, Fla., Saint Cloud HS, Florida)
13 Logan Hutnick (OH, 6-6, Huntington Beach, Calif., Huntington Beach HS, Southern California)
15 Blake Fahlbusch (OH, 6-8, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Loyola HS of Los Angeles, Southern California)
17 Peter Chriss (S, 6-6, Menlo Park, Calif., Menlo Atherton HS, Northern California)
18 Brett Novak (S, 6-6, Lancaster, Calif., Paraclete HS, Southern California)
22 Kale Cochran (OH, 6-7, Roseville, Calif., Whitney HS, Northern California)
23 Corbin Batista (OPP, 6-7, St. George, Utah, Alta HS, Intermountain)
24 Isiah Powell (MB, 6-7, Silver Spring, Md., Springbrook HS, Chesapeake)
25 Brodie Heshler (MB, 6-7, Harrisburg, Pa., Central Dauphin HS, Keystone)

Coaches

Head Coach: Jonah Carson (MVVC)
Assistant Coach: Sean Byron (Marist College)
Assistant Coach: Spencer Wickens (Stanford)
Performance Analyst: AJ Ruttenberg (UCLA)
Team Doctor: Dr. Chris Cornell (Coduhi Clinic)
Team Lead: Brandon Oswald (NTDP)

Schedule

All times PDT

July 8: USA def. Venezuela, 3-1 (20-25, 25-18, 25-16, 32-30)
July 9: USA def. Canada, 3-0 (25-20, 27-25, 25-17)
July 10: USA def. Puerto Rico, 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-19)
July 11: Quarterfinals: Bye
July 12: Semifinals: USA vs. TBA, 5 p.m.
July 13: Medal matches