SAN DIEGO — San Diego State Athletics proudly announces the launch of the Student-Athlete Recruitment and Retention Fund, a bold initiative designed to elevate Aztec Athletics as we enter a new era of college sports. This fund will play a critical role in strengthening our ability to recruit, retain, and support top-tier student-athletes as we prepare to transition into the Pac-12 Conference. All contributions are tax-deductible.

As the college athletics landscape evolves, particularly with the passing of the House Settlement that was approved earlier today (June 6, 2025), this fund ensures SDSU is prepared to meet the future head-on. With the implementation of the House Settlement on July 1, 2025, universities will be permitted to directly share revenue with student-athletes, in exchange for licensing their NIL, in addition to continuing to offer scholarships, housing, meals, and other essential benefits. Revenue sharing for schools will be capped at approximately $20.5 million in 2025-26, with increases in subsequent years.

San Diego State is committed to making forward-thinking investments that support the holistic development of our student-athletes. The Student-Athlete Recruitment and Retention Fund is the first step of significant investments we will make to remain competitive in this new chapter, ensuring that Aztec Athletics continues to thrive both on and off the field.

“As we prepare for our entry into the Pac-12, this fund is a vital step in ensuring we continue to compete for championships while also aligning SDSU Athletics with the future of college sports,” said SDSU director of athletics John David Wicker. “Our student-athletes deserve the very best, and this initiative allows us to directly invest in their experience while sustaining the proud tradition of Aztec excellence.”

Building on a Strong Foundation
We are incredibly grateful for the impactful work of the MESA Foundation and Aztec Link, whose leadership has driven tremendous progress in the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) space over the past several years. Their efforts have empowered student-athletes and their families with life-changing opportunities and helped SDSU remain competitive on the national stage.

Through collaboration with Aztec NIL, SDSU’s internal name, image, and likeness department, both collectives will continue to play a vital role moving forward by creating partnerships with businesses, charitable causes and through unique fan engagement opportunities.  As the Student-Athlete Recruitment and Retention Fund comes online, MESA Foundation and Aztec Link will remain essential to SDSU’s NIL fundraising strategy, complementing our overall approach to the student-athlete experience.

How the Aztec Nation Can Get Involved
If you’ve previously supported NIL efforts through MESA Foundation or Aztec Link—thank you! As we navigate this new era, we have created an FAQ document to help cover common questions. When we learn more from the ruling and corresponding NCAA rule changes, we will update this link for FAQs.

Here’s how you can continue supporting Aztec student-athletes in this next phase:

• Continue your support through existing NIL channels to help create opportunities in our community for student-athletes.
• Make a donation or commit to a pledge to the Student-Athlete Recruitment and Retention Fund
• Purchase season tickets to our ticketed sports as another way to increase revenue that can be shared with student-athletes.

  Make your gift today and help lay the foundation for our future in the Pac-12. Contributions to the Student-Athlete Recruitment and Retention Fund will also count toward exclusive donor recognition programs, including your Aztec Club priority points. If you’re interested in providing leadership-level support or have any questions, please contact the Aztec Club at (619)-594-6444 or aztecclub@sdsu.edu.

  Supporters of MESA Foundation and Aztec Link will receive more information in the coming weeks about opportunities to continue supporting NIL while also participating in this new fund.

  About San Diego State Athletics
  San Diego State Athletics is dedicated to excellence in academics, competition, and personal growth for all student-athletes. With our move to the Pac-12 Conference in 2026, Aztec Athletics is poised for unprecedented opportunity and national prominence. This is more than a moment—it’s our future. And it starts now.

From sweeping the Sun Belt Outdoor Conference Championships to ranking inside the top 25 in the nation, the Texas State track and field season has been a success.

The Sun Belt Conference Track and Field Coach of the Year John Frazier believes that the team’s success stems from consistency.

“It’s a lifestyle, no one is perfect but if you are doing the right things most of the time, you are more likely to be successful,” Frazier said. “Getting to bed early, eating right, making good decisions, staying on top of studies and going to the training room, all of these things play into the team’s success.”

With this mentality at the forefront, the Bobcats were able to reach new heights, such as the aforementioned sweeping of the Sun Belt Outdoor Conference Championships. This marked the first time in program history that both the men’s and women’s team won the outdoor championship in the same season.

A Bobcat who made a huge impact this season was multi-sport athlete Drew Donley. In his first season of collegiate track, Donley earned the Sun Belt Men’s Newcomer of the Year honor.

“I went straight from football season to track season, me and all my track teammates worked really hard, it’s not just me, we all pushed each other to be better,” Donley said. “I didn’t really come in with any expectations because I had no idea what to expect, instead I just worked as hard as I could and prayed to God about the season. It has been a blessing and a lot of fun but we aren’t done yet.”

Donley emphasized that winning in a team setting was a little sweeter than just winning a solo event such as the 200m.

“Both men’s and women’s side, everyone had a really good meet [Conference Championships Outdoor] and it was just cool to see everyone doing good at their own event and it coming together as a team,” Donley stated. “Honestly it felt better winning as a team more so than just winning the 200 or the one, it was really cool to see the hard work that the team put in pay off and win as a team.”

Melanie Duron, a shot putter and the only Bobcat to ever win the shot put at the Outdoor Championships in back-to-back seasons, described the team as more of a family rather than peers.

“There are a lot of track teams that are divided but we are really united, and the support that each and every one of us gives one another is amazing,” Duron said. “After seeing the hard work and effort being put in by both the women and men, I had no doubt that we could sweep the Outdoor Championships.”

There are four areas you must have covered when it comes to constructing a championship volleyball team.

A handsy, see-the-whole court, traffic cop, pinpoint setter is a great start. Plus a defensive-minded, get-on-the-floor libero to dig everything out in the back.

Then you have the pin-hitters. The jumping-jack guys on the outside who can tee off and blast kill after acrobatic, power-swing kill.

But if you really want to go deep — think navigating a playoff bracket, littered with landmines — you better have a couple of sturdy middles. The tall guys in the front row who will sacrifice their hands to get all-important blocks, and chip in with some booming kills of their own.

Manheim Central is covered in all of those areas. Saturday, the Barons leaned on their trusty middles, who put on a show.

Blake Neiles, who goes 6-foot-3, dominated at the net with seven kills and five clutch blocks, 6-foot-4 all-star Landon Mattiace chipped in with seven kills and three blocks, and the Barons downed Dock Mennonite Academy 3-0 in a PIAA Class 2A quarterfinal at Cocalico in Denver. 

Set scores were 25-14, 25-17 and 25-12, as Central did, well, Central things. The Barons — who will take on familiar foe York Suburban in the state semifinals on Tuesday, site and time to be announced — got contributions from everyone around the rotation, particularly Neiles and Mattiace in the middle.

“For a middle, our main job is blocking and getting the ball out to our hitters, and then putting up a wall,” Neiles said. “I’ve had some ups and downs, and my blocking isn’t always the best. But I always try my best.”

Neiles was at his absolute best against Dock Mennonite. The Pioneers, out of Lansdale in Montgomery County, had very few answers above the net on Saturday — which featured a 10 a.m. start because Dock Mennonite had graduation later in the day. 

“Blake blocked extremely well,” Central coach Craig Dietrich said. “And he got a lot of touches, even if he didn’t get the block. We got a lot of contributions in the middle from him and Landon.”

When those two are wreaking havoc up front, the Barons (22-1 overall) give everyone headaches. 

“If we can get our middles going, we’re kind of unstoppable,” said Central libero Colin Rohrer, who had nine digs Saturday. “Landon jumps so high, and he can pretty much swing over anybody. And when Blake gets hot, he’s pretty hard to stop.”

Dock Mennonite, the District 1/11 sub-regional champ, which survived an 11-match losing skid to make the postseason, simply could not contain Central’s dynamic duo in the middle.

“If that block isn’t there, then they can swing wherever they want,” Rohrer said. “We happen to have a really good block, so that makes it easier to play defense. Blake had so many great blocks today. He was going crazy.”

Dock Mennonite (7-16) hung around early in the first set. It was 7-7 when Central, the District 3 champ, pounced. Reagan Miller’s kill got the Barons rolling. Then came back-to-back slams by Caleb Groff and Mattiace, and Central seized control.

The Barons — who fell to Dock Mennonite in the state quarterfinals in 2022 — pushed their lead to 20-11 on Neiles’ block, before Miller and Neiles had kills.

Miller (8 kills, 4 blocks) closed out the first set with a blistering ace and Central, the reigning L-L League runner-up and at No. 2 in the PVCA Class 2A state rankings, was quickly up 1-0. 

It was 6-6 in the second set when the Barons found another gear. Mattiace had a kill, Neiles had back-to-back blocks — he completely bottled up the space above the net throughout — and Miller’s block polished off a 5-0 run and Central was up 11-6.

Later, the Barons had a 4-1 clip — featuring kills by Neiles and Mattiace and a block and an ace by Miller — for a 17-11 cushion. And Central, the three-time reigning L-L League Section 2 champ, closed out the second set when Mattiace had a kill, and Neiles had two slams for a cozy 2-0 lead. 

Central went for the jugular in the third, with Neiles delivering consecutive kills for an 8-4 lead. Miller’s ace gave the Barons a 10-5 cushion. And Central sewed it up thanks to kills from Groff (7 kills), Neiles and Weston Longenecker, a setter dump from Musser — he had five of those, plus 25 assists — and Mattiace’s ace. 

“I had one goal, and that was to help us get back to the state semifinals,” Neiles said. “That’s everyone’s goal. Now it’s one game at a time.”

Starting Tuesday against York Suburban, which topped District 2 champ Holy Redeemer 3-0 on Saturday. The Barons have already blanked the Trojans twice this season: 3-0 in a nonleague match back on May 5 in York, and 3-0 in the district title match on May 29 in Manheim. 

The rematch is for a trip to the Class 2A state championship next Saturday at Penn State’s Rec Hall.

Tuesday’s other semifinal will pit District 10 champ Meadville — which topped Central in last year’s PIAA finale — against WPIAL winner Shaler. 

Meadville KO’d Ambridge 3-0 and Shaler blanked Brandywine Heights 3-0 on Saturday. 

X: @JeffReinhart77

MORE L-L LEAGUE VOLLEYBALL COVERAGE

Some wrestling royalty will be part of the next group of potential WWE stars.

Offensive Player of the Year: Josh Rocha, Holy Redeemer

Defensive Player of the Year: Luke Joseph, Crestwood

Coach of the Year: Jeff Stec, Crestwood

First Team: Josh Rocha, Holy Redeemer; JJ Stec, Crestwood; Jack Wasiakowski, Holy Redeemer; Gino Gualandi, Delaware Valley; Jordany Rodriguez Disla, Wilkes-Barre Area; Luke Peereboom, Delaware Valley; Carlos Guzman, Berwick; Zachary MacBain, Tunkhannock.

Second Team: Jackson Matash, Berwick; Kendrick Ortiz, Hazleton Area; Tom McLaughlin, Crestwood; Carter Brunn, Dallas; Davyn Piatt, Hanover Area; Zachary Zubritski, Greater Nanticoke Area; Brady Rushton, Greater Nanticoke Area; Eric Choi, Delaware Valley.

Honorable Mention: Grant Nielsen, Delaware Valley; Reylie Ramirez, Wilkes-Barre Area; Max Mohutsky, Holy Redeemer; Ireneo Panecatl, Hanover Area; Evan Thomas, Hazleton Area; Jack Greening, Delaware Valley; Zachary Koons, Crestwood; Christopher Miller, Dallas; Clark Groth, Crestwood; Carlos Tecotl, Valley West; Zabwon Welch, Valley West.

First Team Defense: Luke Joseph, Crestwood

Second Team Defense: Derek Romero, Valley West

Honorable Mention Defense: Jose Carinna, Wilkes-Barre Area

Originally Published: June 8, 2025 at 12:00 AM EDT