Release Courtesy John Jay Athletic Communications

NEW YORK – John Jay College Interim Director of Athletics Brandon Fieland has named Michael Sporton as its new Associate Athletic Director for Facilities and Operations. Sporton comes to John Jay College after serving 11 years as the Assistant Director for Championships and Special Events at the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC).

“I am thrilled to welcome Mike to John Jay College as our new Associate AD for Facilities and Operations,” commented Fieland. “I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Mike for over a decade, and I’m excited to collaborate and learn from him in this new capacity. This is a pivotal leadership role within our department, and I’m confident Mike will have a lasting, positive impact on our community. His passion for enhancing the student-athlete experience and supporting their development will serve the Bloodhounds tremendously well. I look forward to working closely with him as we continue striving for excellence on and off the field.”

In his new role, Sporton will oversee client management, contracts, and scheduling of all John Jay Athletics facilities, which include the upkeep and maintenance of the Fitness Center, Main Gymnasium, Auxiliary Gymnasium, Rifle Range, Tennis Court, Pool, Locker Rooms, and Multi-Purpose Rooms.

“I am incredibly honored to join the John Jay College community as the Associate Athletic Director for Facilities and Operations,” said Sporton. “I want to extend my sincere thanks to Vice President Daniel Matos and Interim Athletic Director Brandon Fieland for their support and confidence in me. It’s a privilege to help advance the mission of Bloodhound Athletics and to support our student-athletes by ensuring our facilities and operations reflect the excellence and spirit of this institution. I’m excited to get started and contribute to the continued success of John Jay Athletics.”

During his tenure with the CUNY Athletic Conference, Sporton was responsible for planning, organizing, and executing the conference’s 24 annual championships. He served as a liaison for the conference to the NCAA for all championship-related inquiries. He oversaw multiple special events for the conference, which included the SAAC Leadership & Rules Seminar, Basketball Luncheon, CUNYAC Alumni Celebration, the President’s Ceremony at the Basketball Championship, and the Michael Steuerman Scholar-Athlete Awards Ceremony. From 2014 to 2017, Sporton was involved in coordinating and planning the conference’s major fundraiser, The CUNY Golf Classic. 

A Queens College alum, Sporton held multiple roles at his alma mater, starting as an Athletic Event Assistant/Fitness Center Attendant while also being a member of the Knights’ baseball program. Upon graduation, Sporton spent two years as the Assistant/Interim Sports Information Director at Queens College and also held the positions of Athletics Facilities Coordinator/Event Manager and Assistant Baseball Coach. In this capacity, Sporton conducted and assisted in the supervision of facility maintenance and improvement projects, which included the construction and installation of an indoor batting cage, a gymnasium sound system, outdoor bleachers, and dugouts. He monitored and assisted in the sales, coordination, and scheduling of all athletic facility rentals, which generated upwards of $250,000. Sporton was pivotal in the creation of the intramural program, which included flag football, basketball, softball, swimming, and dodge ball.

Sporton was promoted to Assistant Athletic Director for Fitness & Game Operations in 2011. In this capacity, he was responsible for overseeing all home game operations for Queens College’s 19 sports. He hired and trained all gameday staff and was responsible for submitting all NCAA Regional/Championship bids. Queens College hosted both the 2011 & 2013 NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Tennis Regionals, the 2012 ECC Men’s Basketball Conference Playoffs, and the 2013 ECC Track and Field Championships. During this time, he spearheaded projects that included resurfacing the baseball/softball infields, as well as the renovation and installation of new basketball bleachers.

He managed the Fitness Facility, which not only served Queens College Athletics but the entire campus. Sporton managed a $300,000 budget and generated revenue through the implementation of new marketing strategies to increase membership, notably with the 2012 “Commit To Get Fit” campaign. He hired, trained, and supervised a staff of over 30 workers.

Sporton was a four-year letterwinner and two-year team captain on the baseball team. He led the Knights in virtually every offensive category during his final two seasons as a senior. A product of Archbishop Molloy High School, he led the squad to three city championship finals appearances, including the CHSAA title in 2002.

Sporton holds a +2.9 USGA Handicap in the Met Section, which includes local qualifying into the MET AM, NY State Open, NY State Amateur, and first alternate for the US Amateur.

He resides in College Point, NY, with his wife, Stefanie, and their two sons, Joseph and Nicholas.

For the latest news on the CUNY Athletic Conference, log on to cunyathletics.com – the official site of the CUNY Athletic Conference. Also, become a follower of the CUNYAC on Instagram (@CUNYAC), Twitter (@CUNYAC) and YouTube (@CUNY Athletic Conference), and “LIKE” Us on Facebook (CUNY Athletic Conference).

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team has once again been recognized for excellence in the classroom, earning the 2025 AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2024-25 academic year. The Nanooks are one of 1,458 teams honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, marking a record-breaking total of collegiate and high school programs to receive the distinction.

The award celebrates teams that maintain a year-long GPA of 3.3 or higher on a 4.0 scale (or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale). This is the seventh consecutive year—and the 11th time in program history—that Alaska has earned the AVCA Team Academic Award. The Nanooks first received the honor in 2008.

“It is very exciting to see that the record-setting, on-court successes during the 2024–25 season have extended to the classroom,” said AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. “The fact that more programs earned the Team Academic Award than ever before is evidence of how committed our coaches are when it comes to helping their players reach their goals as both students and athletes.”

Head coach Brian Scott echoed those sentiments, saying, “Our athletes should be very proud of all they accomplished this last year. They competed hard on the court, worked hard in practice, and more importantly, excelled in the classroom. Juggling responsibilities as a student-athlete is very difficult. For them to meet such high standards academically speaks to the high character and work ethic of this great group.”

The Nanooks posted a team GPA of 3.52 this season and had eight student-athletes named to the GNAC Volleyball Academic All-Conference Team, with an additional six named GNAC FAR Scholar-Athletes.

GNAC Volleyball Academic All-Conference

GNAC FAR Scholar-Athletes

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NAPERVILLE – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Women’s All-Academic Teams and All-Academic Athletes for the 2025 NCAA Division III Track & Field season were announced by the organization on Monday.
 

Eight College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) women’s teams and 42 CCIW student-athletes were recognized in the release.
 
For teams to earn the honor, the cumulative team GPA of all student-athletes who used a season of eligibility must be at least a 3.10 on a 4.0 scale through the most recent semester/quarter. Graduate students must take all undergraduate plus graduate coursework into account.
 
Individuals must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a 4.0 scale through the most recently completed grading period. Qualifiers must also meet one of the following athletic criteria: finish the season among the top 50 individuals or participate at the Indoor OR Outdoor National Championships.
 
Qualifiers could have also competed as a member of one of the top 35 relay teams. In addition, any athletes not among the top 35 relay teams, but who participated in the relay at the Indoor OR Outdoor National Championships. Graduate students must take all undergraduate plus graduate coursework into account.
 
2025 NCAA Division III Track & Field USTFCCCA Women’s All-Academic Teams
Augustana
Carroll
Carthage
Elmhurst
Illinois Wesleyan
North Central
North Park
Wheaton
 
2025 NCAA Division III Track & Field USTFCCCA Women’s All-Academic Athletes

Augustana
Cora Deemer
Charlotte Frere
Heather Michalski
McKenzie Reser
Jordyn VanSanten
 
Carroll
Maria Falk
Vanessa Uitenbroek
 
Carthage
Abigail Calhoun
Alexis Mattox
Nicole Tarpley
Jackie Tuzil
 
Elmhurst
Alyssa Busker
Hailey Caraway
Brooke Greaves
Sadie Hartmann
Lauren Marshall
Nakala Nadeau
Hannah Schwarz
Chloe Selmer
Paulina Tinajero
Carmela Woods
 
Illinois Wesleyan
Annalese Chudy
Adriana Crabtree
Isabella Gonzalez
Jordynn Griffin
Lauren Huber
Mackenzie Huber
Carlyssa King
Emma McGrath
Imani Ogunribido
 
North Central
Gwen Berenyi
Anna Cotter
Gabrielle Harding
Alivia Henkel
Natalie Johnson
Kyla Miller
Cali Minkie
Lindsey Novak
 
North Park
Meja Lindberg
Thea Ring
 
Wheaton
Grace Crowder
Caroline Stetina
 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the third straight season, USC Upstate volleyball garnered the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award—the highest team academic honor presented by the organization.
 
Maintaining a 3.68 cumulative GPA during the 2024-25 academic year, the Spartans captured their 12th AVCA Team Academic Award, earning the honor in consecutive seasons under head coach Ali Skayhan—her teams have earned the honor in each of her seven seasons as a collegiate coach.
 
Overall, eight Spartans finished either the fall or spring semesters with a 4.0GPA with six completing the year maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Four Spartans, Caroline Cleveland, Julia Gladhill, Savannah Page, and Ady O’Grady, captured College Sports Communicators Academic All-District nods following the season while Gladhill and Ali Jansen earned the prestigious Christenberry Award from the Big South Conference.
 
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Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics 
Twitter | @UpstateVB | @UpstateSpartans 
Instagram | @UpstateVB | @UpstateSpartans 
YouTube.com/UpstateSpartans
 
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NEW ORLEANS – Tulane Volleyball and Beach Volleyball have been named as recipients of the American Volleyball Coaches Association 2025 Team Academic Award. The honor is provided to collegiate and high school volleyball teams who achieve a year-long grade-point average above a 3.3. 

The two teams contributed to a record-breaking 1,450 recipients of the award, and Volleyball is one of seven American Conference teams to claim it. Both Volleyball and Beach Volleyball are multi-time recipients of the award and earned it this year with overall GPAs of 3.415 and 3.554, respectively.

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The San Diego State water polo team has celebrated academic success, with 15 student-athletes receiving individual honors from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) for the 2024-25 school year. This recognition brings head coach Dana Ochsner’s total to 47 individual awards over the past three years and marks the eighth consecutive year the team has received academic accolades. Among the standout students, seniors Amanda Chambers, Rose Kanemy, and Brooke Lee were recognized for the fourth consecutive year, while several others earned their honors multiple times. The team’s cumulative GPA was 3.38, showcasing their commitment to excellence off the field. This reinforces the program’s strong academic culture in addition to its athletic achievements.

By the Numbers

• 15 individual academic honors earned by San Diego State water polo players this year.
• The team has achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.38, among the nation’s highest.

State of Play

• The Aztecs have maintained a tradition of academic excellence, with eight consecutive years of team honors.
• Earlier this month, the team set a program record with 18 Golden Coast Conference All-Academic honors.

What’s Next

The water polo program will likely continue to focus on balancing athletic and academic achievements, aiming for further growth in both areas as they prepare for the upcoming season.

Bottom Line

The San Diego State water polo team’s recognition for academic excellence highlights its dedication to fostering a culture where student-athletes thrive in both their studies and sport, setting a benchmark for future teams.