The Big Ten and SEC are still making waves as the House v. NCAA settlement hits more delays. On this episode of Follow The Money, Dr. R. Bowen Loftin, Jon Heidtke and host Andrew Monaco touch on those topics, the impact of NIL in softball and much more.

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NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Norwich University student-athletes continued to excel academically during the Spring 2025 semester. The 22 varsity programs combined for a department GPA of 3.22, with 12 teams posting GPAs above the average.

A total of 217 Cadets earned a GPA between 3.4 and 3.9, while 55 student-athletes achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA, earning them President’s List honors.

Norwich’s women’s programs were led by Women’s Cross Country, which posted a department-high 3.656 team GPA. Women’s Ice Hockey (3.652) and Women’s Basketball (3.640) closely followed.

On the men’s side, Men’s Ice Hockey led all programs with a 3.651 team GPA, just ahead of Men’s Golf (3.646) and Men’s Tennis (3.636).

Football led the way in terms of total representatives on the Dean’s List with 22. After receiving National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Team Scholar Champions earlier this year, Men’s Wrestling ended the year with 17 student-athletes on the Dean’s List, the second most among men’s teams. Men’s Ice Hockey paced the department in President’s List honorees with 11.

On the women’s side, Women’s Rugby led the way with 19 players on the Dean’s List. Not far behind is Women’s Soccer with 15 student-athletes. Women’s Soccer also tied Women’s Ice Hockey in President’s List honorees with four each.

 

 
Norwich student-athletes continue to uphold the University’s mission by excelling in academics, service, and sport while also upholding the values of Division III athletics.
 
 

Since 1984, the USA Gymnastics Foundation has supported athletes at all levels and in all walks of life. One of the most recent athletes to be lifted up by the Foundation is Niko Greenly, a sophomore gymnast at the College of William & Mary in Virginia.

Since 1984, the USA Gymnastics Foundation has supported athletes at all levels and in all walks of life. One of the most recent athletes to be lifted up by the Foundation is Niko Greenly, a sophomore gymnast at the College of William & Mary in Virginia, who was one of nearly 30 student athletes to be awarded an academic scholarship in 2024 by the Foundation.

“Having this scholarship and knowing the Foundation is behind us and cares for us, it’s certainly important for me [and everyone else] to see,” said Greenly. “Receiving the scholarship allowed me to live out my dream of doing college gymnastics and [I] am very grateful for every dollar that is funded towards such an opportunity.”

The USA Gymnastics Foundation’s support, coupled with outreach by his coaches Tim Klempnauer and Mike Powell, has allowed Greenly to pursue his collegiate men’s gymnastics career with focus and determination. The Foundation’s mission to foster athletic development and expand access to gymnastics opportunities helps ensure that athletes like Niko can thrive both in the gym and the classroom as they work toward their goals.

Being a collegiate gymnast carries many obligations and time commitments. So does studying neuroscience – and Greenly does both. The native of Reno, Nevada finds that gymnastics provides a surrogate family of support as he navigates the college environment.

“The guys here are amazing,” he said. “When I came on my [recruiting] trip, it was just so great to see a family and know that I could fit in. “We became such a tight [knit] class so quickly and I just wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

And when he’s not studying or training with his teammates, Greenly carves out time to have fun and relax. Whether it’s hiking, traveling or spending time at Lake Tahoe with friends, Greenly is making sure he balances his responsibilities and leisure.

Threading that balance definitely works for Greenly and it shows in his performances. Last season, Greenly made still rings finals at the 2024 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships in Columbus, Ohio.

“I took full advantage of the opportunity that the USA Gymnastics Foundation scholarship has given me [and] I was able to make NCAA finals on rings as a freshman,” he said.

He also claimed a deserved silver medal on rings at the 2024 USA Gymnastics Men’s Collegiate National Championships in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The championships, hosted every year by USA Gymnastics, serve as the final competition of the season for military academies and four-year Division I, II or III institutions that sponsor gymnastics as a varsity sport and provide two or fewer full scholarships.

“I think the scholarships and putting on the [USA Gymnastics’ Men’s Collegiate Championships] is a great step,” said Greenly. “The most important thing is that they keep putting effort into us. It shows that people care about us and not just [the Olympians].”

And it seems that the support is already paying off. Just this April, William & Mary set a school record at the 2025 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, when five of their athletes qualified to apparatus finals, including Greenly on parallel bars.

This is just the first step but Greenly knows more can be achieved, especially with the Foundation’s help. The Foundation will continue to support talented athletes like Niko who are pursuing their collegiate athletic goals.

For more information on the USA Gymnastics Foundation and how you can help empower athletes like Niko, visit usagymfoundation.org.

Mason West is hard to miss.

The hulking center is always the center of attention, whether that’s with Edina on Minnesota’s high-school circuit or with Fargo in the United States Hockey League. After graduating from the Minnesota high school hockey ranks this season, West impressed during a short stint where he produced almost a point-per- game with nine points (one goal, eight assists) in 10 contests before participating in a pair of playoff skates.

His exploits on the gridiron got him plenty of attention, too.

The 2025 NHL Draft eligible was also an outstanding quarterback for his high school but has made the decision to focus solely on hockey. The big man with plenty of finesse to his game will certainly have a gaggle of NHL clubs interested in making him part of their organization.

“While it was a small sample size, West looked impressive after joining Fargo coming out of high school,” FC Hockey scout Jacob Roth said. “The team wasted no time using him heavily, as he played an average of 18 minutes in the last 12 USHL games of the season. He didn’t look out of place at all and seemed comfortable in any situation he found himself in.”

Who is Mason West?

West hails from Edina, Minnesota, and attended Edina High, the alma mater of New York Islanders captain Anders Lee. The 6-foot-6, 207-pound forward finished as the No. 56 ranked player in FCHockey’s Final ranking for the 2025 draft. He was the No. 27-ranked North American skater in NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking, too.

Mason West’s Path So Far

West played AAA hockey growing up in Minnesota. As a 14-year-old in the 2022-23 season, the dual-sport star produced 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) in 11 games with the North Stars 15U team. He also played in 30 games of high school hockey, scoring 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists). His team finished the season with a 2-1 loss in the state final.

The following season, West improved on his production total to 38 points (15 goals, 23 assists) in 31 games. Edina returned to the state final, this time beating Chanhassen 2-1 to claim a title.

West returned to Edina to start his draft year, finishing second on the team with 49 points (27 goals, 22 assists) in 31 games. The team finished as section champions but finished third at the state tournament. West potted a hat trick in the semifinals in a 4-3 loss to the eventual champion and top-seeded Morehead. He scored a goal and added an assist in a 4-3 win for Edina in the third-place game.

With his high school hockey over near the start of March, the behemoth joined Fargo in the USHL. West played in his first game of junior hockey shortly after leaving Edina, picking up an assist and five shots on goal in a 4-1 loss to Muskegon. He played in nine more regular season games and got into a pair of playoff games.

West is bound for college hockey next season, opting to stick with the hockey route, though he reportedly had some interesting options to potentially pursue his quarterbacking at the Div. 1 level in the NCAA.

Strengths of Mason West

The right-handed West, who played center and right wing for Edina in 2024-25, moves well for his size and possesses a multifaceted offensive game.

“He has soft hands for a big man and can stick-handle through traffic and out of trouble when needed,” Roth said. ”Positionally, I thought he was really sound, and because of his size, he can really clog a lot of space on the forecheck and in the defensive zone.”

The big-bodied forward has an impressive tool kit that his game is built on.

“His biggest strengths come in his physical stature paired with solid skating and high-end IQ,” FCHockey scout Kyle Pereira said. “It helps that he also has a balanced offensive game, with solid playmaking and shooting abilities.”

Areas of Improvement for Mason West

While West might possess solid shooting capability, there’s still work to be done on it.

“His shot is the only glaring weakness in his game,” Roth said. “It’s a super long motion that he fails to generate much power from at all.”

Elsewhere, his positioning in the offensive zone still has some room to grow.

“He needs to work on his consistency and off-puck tendencies,” Pereira said. “While he is smart, he tends to stick to the medium- and low-danger areas, despite his size and strength. Attacking the higher danger areas could open up his game, and he should be able to do so with his stature.”

Mason West’s Outlook

As West makes the transition to being a hockey player full-time, it will be interesting to see how his game evolves. He’s a very intriguing prospect for a lot of reasons, and a frequent favorite among fanbases as a potential second-round target.

There’s a reason, after all, 27 teams have requested to talk to the 17-year-old at the NHL Scouting Combine.

“I’d define him as a major risk-and-reward prospect, as he has played a very limited amount of high-level hockey but comes with an excellent trait package,” Pereira said. “He’s got size, smarts, and solid skating.” He also made a seamless transition to the USHL.”

West currently profiles as a third-liner in the NHL with some special teams ability. However, he’s got plenty of runway to grow as he dedicates his life to one sport.

The Chicago Blackhawks gave the media a sneak peek at the Fifth Third Arena expansion — still a skeletal collection of steel beams, HVAC systems and construction dust — but they dropped some meatier news during Tuesday’s tour: The Chicago Steel are coming.

The United States Hockey League team will play a final season starting this fall at Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva, its home since 2015, before moving its offices and home ice into the expanded, fancier digs at Fifth Third, the Hawks training facility.

While Hawks players will continue to use the same two rinks they’ve used for practices and training camps since Fifth Third opened in 2017 just south of the United Center, the Steel will play home games at one of two new rinks — the one the Hawks are calling Championship Arena.

It will seat 1,500 and host up to 2,000 with the building also including lounges, a fan patio with a skyline view, a restaurant named after late Hawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz and a 100th anniversary museum called Centennial Hall, which also will house the new Blackhawks Hall of Fame announced last month.

The privately funded expansion, which began in May 2024 and is scheduled to be completed in January 2026, initially was projected to cost $65 million, but a source told the Tribune it likely will land “significantly higher.”

The upgrades are part of a bigger play for the Hawks, who hope to attract more national and international events such as the NHL combine, USA Hockey and high-profile prospect tournaments.

Fifth Third already is scheduled to host next summer’s Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase.

“We really want this expansion to be the epicenter of Midwest hockey,” Hawks Chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz said.

It also augments the 1901 Project, the Hawks’ and Bulls’ 15-year, $7 billion United Center campus development plan that will feature new residences, hotels and an entertainment district.

“I think you’ll see more of that connection” to Hawks games, Wirtz said.

Chicago Blackhawks’ planned Fifth Third Arena expansion is likely just the first of Near West Side projects

“Once we build up the plaza for the 1901 Project, just that experience from going from this building to the United Center through the Malcolm X (College) corridor into a beautiful plaza with restaurants and bars and all that kind of stuff, it’s just going to be a much nicer, seamless experience.”

On a more grassroots level, the Hawks want Fifth Third Arena to be a gathering place, whether people are there for hockey or not.

Malcolm X students can study and West Side groups can hold meetings in its 250,000 square feet of community space, tourists can pop in for coffee, fans can attend watch parties and hockey parents can watch their kids on the ice from a fireplace-heated lounge overlooking Rink 3.

“We spent a lot of time talking to hockey parents — and I am a hockey parent,” said Jaime Faulkner, the Hawks president of business operations, “so I know how frustrating it is when you can’t find a charger or a plug, there’s nothing to eat or drink and you have no place to sit down and you’re freezing cold the whole time. So we’ve thought about all these things to be thoughtful of this.”

The two-story, 135,000-square-foot expansion, designed by Generator Studio, will double the size of the facility and is expected to bring up to 1.5 million people through its doors annually, according to team estimates.

Tuesday’s tour culminated with a walk-through of the Championship Arena footprint. Ironically, the sand floor made the space look more like an indoor desert than somewhere ice will someday be.

“The sand floor we just put down, but we’re about a month away from installing the ice floor in Rink 3 and the championship rink here,” said Ryan Snider, the Hawks executive vice president of affiliates. “That’s all coming fast and furious now.”

Originally Published: June 4, 2025 at 6:00 AM CDT