Sports
Nolan Smith Named Tennessee State Head Men's Basketball Coach


Tennessee State University has named Nolan Smith as its new head men’s basketball coach, bringing in a national champion, former NBA player, and one of the most respected young coaches in college basketball.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to be named head coach at TSU,” Smith said. “First and foremost, I’m ready to give my heart and energy to our players every single day as we prepare to win and proudly represent the university and the state. I’m excited to immerse myself in the TSU and Nashville community and contribute far beyond the court. I’m built for this challenge — and TSU is built to win. So let’s win! Go Tigers!”
Smith joins TSU following the 2024–25 season as an assistant coach at the University of Memphis under Penny Hardaway. At Memphis, he played a key role in player development and recruiting, helping guide a young roster through one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country and a competitive American Athletic Conference slate.
“Nolan Smith is a championship-caliber leader with elite playing experience, high basketball IQ, and a proven track record of developing NBA talent,” said Director of Athletics Dr. Mikki Allen.
“He brings top-tier recruiting connections, a player-first approach, and a deeply authentic bond with today’s student-athletes. Shaped by some of the game’s best, Nolan will lead our program with integrity and impact on the court and in the community. Our future is in great hands.”
Before Memphis, Smith served two seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Louisville (2022–24), where he was instrumental in roster development and known for his mentorship of guards. He joined Louisville after six seasons on the coaching staff at his alma mater, Duke University.
“If anyone is deserving of this position, it’s Nolan,” said Memphis head men’s basketball coach Penny Hardaway on Smith’s hire. “He is prepared and ready for the job. Nolan’s time at Memphis was short, but he made a huge impact on our program. I’m very confident he will do the same at TSU.”
Smith spent his entire playing career at Duke under Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski, widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history. That experience helped shape Smith’s foundation as a tactician, motivator, and leader.
“I’m so happy for Nolan and his beautiful family,” said Krzyzewski. “Nolan was an All-American and a national champion at Duke. He was a joy to coach, and our fans loved him — they called him ‘The People’s Champ.’ He was also an exceptional assistant coach. Now, he’s ready to be an exceptional head coach at Tennessee State. I’m incredibly proud of him.”
Roaming the Cameron Indoor sidelines, Smith began as a special assistant before being promoted to director of basketball operations and player development. In 2021, he was elevated to assistant coach. During his tenure, he helped guide the Blue Devils to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Final Four run in 2022 and several ACC championships. Smith worked closely with NBA-bound stars such as Zion Williamson, Jayson Tatum, RJ Barrett, and Paolo Banchero. In total, 25 players he coached at Duke went on to the NBA.
As a player, Smith was one of the most decorated guards in Duke history. From 2007 to 2011, he helped lead the Blue Devils to the 2010 NCAA national championship. He was named the South Regional Most Outstanding Player and earned All-Final Four honors during that run. As a senior in 2011, Smith averaged 20.6 points per game, led the ACC in scoring, and was named ACC Player of the Year, ACC Tournament MVP, and a consensus First-Team All-American. He finished his collegiate career with 1,911 points, ranking 17th all-time in Duke history.
Smith was selected with the 21st overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He played two seasons in the NBA before continuing his professional career in the NBA G League and overseas, including stops in Croatia and Turkey.
Off the court, Smith is known for his activism and community engagement. He serves on the board of the Durham-based non-profit “The Brotherhood,” which focuses on mentorship, empowerment, and education for young men of color. He’s also been a national advocate for mental health awareness, player rights, and racial equity in college athletics.
Smith is the son of the late Derek Smith, a former NBA player and assistant coach, and has long carried on his father’s legacy both on and off the court.
Smith and his wife, Cheyna, have three children: Camryn, Derek “Deuce,” and Kai.
Sports
Spartans Capture a Pair of Event Titles at Wolverine Invitational
Location: U-M Indoor Track & Field Building | Ann Arbor, Mich.
Live Results
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State indoor track & field returned to action at the Wolverine Invitational Saturday capturing a pair of event titles.
In the men’s pole vault, Adam Blue finished first with a personal best vault of 5.13m. He cleared 4.90m and 5.13m on his first attempts, but was not able to clear 5.23m. His previous high was 4.97m at the Spartan Invitational in 2024.
Michigan State’s other event win came in the field events with Leila Barmore winning the women’s long jump. She reached her longest jump on her second attempt, reaching 5.78m. Gabrielle Jeffries finished 14th with a jump of 5.15m.
In the men’s long jump, Andrew Harding finished fifth with a long jump of 7.19m. Dylan Terryberry set a new PR in the high jump (1.88m), finishing seventh.
In running events, Logan Allen finished third in the final of the men’s 60m hurdles with a time of 8.05. Cameron Cheetam qualified for the final of the men’s 60m after qualifying with a time of 6.87. In the final, he finished third, crossing in 6.81. In the prelim, Carter Bissell set a new personal best in the 60m prelim with a time of 7.11.
In the women’s 300m, Elizabeth Anderson and Alexys Wilson both had personal bests. Anderson finished 11th with a time of 39.61. Wilson was 14th with a time of 40.38.
Michigan State will return to Ann Arbor next week for the Simmons Harvey Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 17.
Sports
Men’s Track & Field Opens Indoor Slate With Snowflake Invitational
Andreas Panagos set a new personal record in the weight throw at the Snowflake Invitational.
The Middlebury men’s track and field team opened the indoor campaign in strong form, accumulating 10 event titles during its annual Snowflake Invitational on Saturday from Virtue Field House.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Caleb Smith secured the top spot in the long jump with a leap of 6.73 meters, headlining a Panther sweep of the top-six spots. He also won the pole vault by clearing 4.25 meters.
- Toby Warmack posted a 1.97m effort in the high jump to grab gold. Sam McGarrahan and Smith followed in second and third place at 1.87 meters each.
- The 400m race saw Joey Caspar cross the finish line first with a time of 49.87 seconds. Emerson Kington followed in second place at 50.81, while Wyatt Lawton rounded out the podium finishers (51.03).
- Andreas Panagos logged a toss of 14.36m to earn top honors in the weight throw.
- Donnell Harvey Jr. opened the indoor season in style, taking first in the 60m race (6.90). The sophomore also finished in the top spot during the 200 with a time of 22.49.
- Jack Ulrich led the pack in the 800, clocking in at 2:03.42.
- Owen Johnson crossed the finish line in 8:54.45 to win the 3,000, while Felix Rogovin posted a time of 9:05.50 to earn second.
- The final top placing came for the Panther 4×400 relay team. Kington, Caspar, Nate Gardner and Sebastian Pantzer logged a combined clocking of 3:28.62.
- Pantzer also logged a runner-up effort in the 200 (22.83) with Gardner trailing in third by one-tenth of a second.
- Smith and Quinn Kennedy landed second and third in the 60 hurdles, respectively. Smith’s time of 8.63 seconds sat nine-tenths of a second off the winner, while Kennedy’s 8.64-second effort set a new personal best.
- Kennedy and Calvin Szoradi rounded out the top-three performers in the shot put at 12.76 meters and 12.56 meters, respectively.
- Tony Wang placed second in the triple jump, soaring 13.05 meters, while Caden Cote cleared 4.10 meters to finish as the runner-up in the pole vault.
NOTES
- Panagos moved the weight 1.44 meters further than his prior best effort in the navy and white.
Middlebury returns to the Virtue Field House to host its annual Winter Classic. The action begins on Friday at 2:00 p.m., followed by the second day of competition at 9:00 a.m. Saturday.
Sports
Hoosiers Finish Strong in Final Day of Rod McCravy
“I was very pleased with our effort this weekend,” said head coach Ed Beathea. “We broke 2 school records and had several outstanding performances. This was a very positive start to the season for us.”
The final day had a heavy focus on the track, starting with the sprints. Jasiah Rogers earned the first win of the day in the 60-meter sprint with his time of 6.77.
Several personal bests were broken in the men’s and women’s 300 meter. Kristina Vincic ran a 39.78 in the women’s contest. Trelee Banks-Rose continued to extend his school record time with his time of 32.89, winning the race. Tamer Saleh (9th) and Christian Woodson (11th) also set personal bests with times of 34.04 and 34.09, respectively.
In the 800, the Hoosiers had seven finishers in the top 15 in the women’s race, including Nola Somers Glenn (2nd; 2:08.77), Lily Myers (3rd; 2:08.86 PR), Catie McCabe (4th; 2:09.56 PR), Michaela Quinn (6th; 2:12.99), Ellia Hayes (2:15.85 PR), Joey Rastrelli (13th; 2:17.00), and Ava Jarrell (14th; 2:17.42).
Nico Colchico ran to the win as the lone Hoosier in the men’s 800 meter with his time of 1:49.50.
The Hoosiers had two finishers in the top 10 with Katelyn Winton (4:56.15) and Maddie Rocchio (5:02.11) finishing seventh and ninth, respectively.
Jessica Hegedus (9:53.68) and Mary Eubank (10:05.98) each recorded personal best times to finish fifth and ninth, respectively in the women’s 3,000-meter run.
The track closed with season best times in the men’s and women’s 4×400 relays. The quartet of Kristina Vincic, Veronica Hargrave, Ava Olomajeye, and Kiera Davis ran a time of 3:39.98, finishing sixth overall.
In the men’s race, the team of Cameron Mullens, Kalen Sargent, Tyler Tarter, and Daquan Tate recorded a fourth place finish with a time of 3:11.14.
In the field, Kelly Moran (12.14m/39-10) started the day with an eighth place finish in the women’s triple jump.
Tyler Carrell followed in the pole vault with a second place finish off a season best mark of 5.40m/17-8.5. Lukas Brauc (5.00m/16-4.75) also opened his first meet as a Hoosier with a sixth place finish.
In the shot put, Seth Brosseau claimed a fifth place finish with his distance of 17.03m/55-7.5.
The Hoosiers will be back at home next week as they host the Indiana Invitational. The meet will span two days from Friday, January 16, to Saturday, January 17.
Follow Indiana track and field and cross country via X, Facebook and Instagram.
#NeverDaunted
Sports
Track and Field Competes at Dartmouth to Open up 2026
With only partial squads traveling from both Brown programs, the women’s team finished in second place in the meet, coming in behind first place Dartmouth, and ahead of third place Vermont and fourth place UMass Lowell.
The men’s team placed fourth behind Dartmouth, UMass Lowell, and Vermont, respectively.
WOMEN
Junior Alyssa Jackson led the way in the 60m dash with a time of 7.71 seconds, with freshman Anya Anderson also earning a point for her fourth place finish in 8.06. Junior Anna Pollak took runner-up at 26.77 in the 200 meters and freshman Sydney Ruckett (58.25) took first place in the 400m dash.
Brown took three of the top four spots in the finals of the 60m hurdles, with Simone Dunbar (8.89) placing second, followed by Jannah Maguire (8.97) and Kareema McKenzie (9.02) in third and fourth, respectively.
In the field events, senior Nene Mokonchu finished in a three-way tie for first place in the high jump at 1.65m. In the long jump, senior Rachel Bibiu (5.38m) took second place and freshman Clara Fan (5.26m) finished third. The Bears also picked up a win and nine points in the triple jump with freshman Joyce Olawalye winning the event at 11.53m. Fan (1.28m) took second and Bibiu (11.03m) finished fourth.
Sophomore Giana DeCesare took runner-up in the weight throw with her mark of 15.32 meters, and junior Amiya Hopkins finished fourth in the shot put with a 12.47m mark.
MEN
Leading the way for Brown on the track were senior sprinters Elias Archie and Solomon Miller, with Archie taking home first place in the 60m dash by crossing the finish line in 6.88 seconds, followed by Miller in third place in 6.93.
Junior Jake Haley scored a point with his fourth place finish in the 500 meters with a time of 1:07.18.
In the field events, junior Gabriel Liem Thai took second place in the pole vault (4.45m), freshman Jerald Evangelista placed third in the triple jump (13.27m), and freshman Sean Wilton finished third in the shot put (15.30m).
The Bears will return to action next Saturday, January 17 at the Beantown Challenge at Harvard.
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Sports
Tigers Win Six Events at Alexis Jarrett Invitational
Mizzou track and field opened its indoor track and field season Saturday hosting the second annual Alexis Jarrett Invitational at the Hearnes Center Fieldhouse and claimed six event titles, despite competing a limited number of student-athletes.
Other schools competing included SIU-Edwardsville, Central Methodist, Kansas City, Iowa Western Community College, Barton County Community College and Cottey College.
TOP TIGERS
Senior sprinter Robert Hines was a two-time winner. He claimed the 200m dash with a time of 21.82 – just four-tenths of a second off his indoor personal best – and also won the 60m dash in 6.87.
Senior Anna Vedral won the women’s pole vault at the Alexis Jarrett Invitational for the second straight year clearing 3.90m (12-9.5) and sophomore Anna Ferguson (3.60/11-9.75) took second after tying for the runner-up spot a year ago.
Senior Petra Gombas secured the Alexis Jarrett Invitational title for the second straight year with a throw of 19.91m (62-11.5).
RECAP
Sophomore Marlena Tresnjo won the women’s high jump at 1.76m (5-9.25).
The Tigers were especially strong in the throwing events.
Junior Garik Pozecki had a spirited competition with SIU-Edwardsville’s Grant Milbrath in the men’s weight throw and finished second by a single centimeter, throwing 21.62m (70-11.25), a personal best and the sixth-best mark ever at Mizzou, to Milbrath’s 21.63m (70-11.75). Teammates Clayton Kamp and T.J. Wiggins followed Pozecki in third and fourth with respective throws of 17.92m (58-9.5) and 16.83m (55-2.75).
The Tigers swept the women’s weight throw, taking the top five positions. Gombas’ victory was followed by teammates Reagan Kimrey (19.12/62-8.75), Delilah Pippen (PR – 16.72/54-10.25), Ames Burton (16.62/54-6.5) and Kaitlyn Morningstar (PR – 16.60/54-5.5).
Junior Chase Crawford won the men’s shot put with a personal best throw of 17.62m (57-9.75). Teammates Sam Albert (PR – 15.83m/51-11.25) and Kamp (14.86m/48-9) were third and fifth, respectively.
In his Mizzou debut, Houston transfer Dillon Leacock was second in the 60m hurdles (8.29) and eighth in the 200m dash (22.44) – both events in which he had not competed before.
Multi-event athlete Sophia Wydra, a freshman, also made her debut in the black-and-gold and competed in three events: women’s long jump, sixth, 5.45m (17-10.75); women’s 60m hurdles, ninth, 9.24; and shot put, third (11.42m/37-5.75).
Former Tiger Arianna Fisher, competing unattached, won the women’s triple jump (12.81m/42-0.50), an event in which she holds the Missouri school indoor record (14.06m/46-1.5).
UP NEXT
Next week, Missouri hosts its second of five consecutive home meets – the Show-Me Showdown – inside the Hearnes Center Fieldhouse on Friday, Jan. 16.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For all the latest on Mizzou Track and Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and X (MizzouTFXC).
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