Sports

Power of family drives Shaw, as she aims to become All-American in 400

By: Jonathon Zenk, Assistant Director of Communications Story Links EUGENE, Oregon—Ever since she was a little girl, track and field has been in Maygan Shaw’s blood. In a long line of athletes in her family, the Northwestern State sprinter has not only proved to be the best in her family, but […]

Published

1 month ago

June 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

By: Jonathon Zenk, Assistant Director of Communications

EUGENE, Oregon—Ever since she was a little girl, track and field has been in Maygan Shaw’s blood.

In a long line of athletes in her family, the Northwestern State sprinter has not only proved to be the best in her family, but also arguably the best women’s sprinter the school has ever produced.

Shaw, a native of Pineville, has a chance to do what other family members couldn’t—become an All-American in an open event.

In 2024, she earned her way to a Second Team All-American spot as a member of the 4×400 relay team after finishing 16^th in the relay finals.

Shaw made the nationals after running a 51.68 in the 400-meter dash at the NCAA East First Round in which she finished eighth to earn a spot in Oregon. She is one of 12 in the event to go to nationals from the East regional, which includes fellow Southland Conference runner Onyah Onyinye Favour of Southeastern Louisiana.

“It feels good to be able to go back,” Shaw said. “Eugene is such a beautiful city. And they have such a nice facility, so I’m excited to be able to run on such a quality track.”

She has the opportunity to become an All-American at the NCAA nationals on the campus of the University of Oregon in the 400, as the women’s time at nationals begins Thursday.

The semifinals in the 400 start at 7:41 p.m. Shaw is in the third heat out of three with each heat having eight runners, and it can be viewed on ESPN.

It did not take long for associate head coach Adam Pennington to see greatness in her as a freshman.

“Early on in her career, I knew how special she would be,” he said. “She won a conference title in her first ever championship. But I’d say this year I seen something different. It’s been the first year she hasn’t been overshadowed by other ladies. From the beginning of the fall you could just see she was on a mission.”

Growing up in a family with so many track athletes, she was able to forge her own path, but her love for the sport started with her parents, Rickey and Maggie Sanders.

Rickey (high jump) and Maggie (hurdles) each helped Maygan reach this point, especially Rickey, who helped her train in high school.

“I love my dad, and I appreciate how far I’ve been able to come with his help, especially since he helped me train a lot in high school,” Shaw said.

While her parents had a giant impact on her career in track and field, she held a special relationship with her grandfather.

Maygan’s grandfather, Larry Shaw, ran track when he was in high school, clocking in the 51s in the 400.

“My grandpa and I were really close,” Shaw said. “We used to visit him often and he would babysit us all the time growing up. I really loved spending time with him and I’m glad he got to see some of my races in middle school.”

One of Maygan’s goals was to run in the 51s, just like her departed grandfather.

Mission accomplished.

Going into her home meet, the Leon Johnson NSU Invitational, she had a month—or as it turned out, two months—remaining in her collegiate career.

It turns out the elder Shaw was with her that day, as she ran a blistering personal best time of 51.87. Not only did she run a personal record, school record, meet record and Walter P. Ledet Track and Field Complex record, she also accomplished that elusive goal of running in the 51s—just like her grandfather.

“It felt rewarding,” Shaw said. “It felt great to be able to reach a goal that seemed impossible for my circumstances growing up. I’m glad I got to meet that goal, and I know he’s really proud of me.

“At first, it didn’t feel real. It was mind-boggling. And to this day, it feels surreal. I just really want to do it again.”

And then she did it again, just two weeks later, smashing that previous best with a new personal record, clocking a blistering 51.19 on April 26 at the LSU Alumni Gold.

If her grandfather were here right now, he would be excited for how much his granddaughter has accomplished and will be right with her every step of the way, both on the track and off. On the track, she has one more goal in mind—to become a first team All-American.

“Being an All-American would be huge,” Pennington said. “I believe if she became an All-American, it would be the first lady sprinter ever in an open event for NSU. We didn’t just come this far to come this far. So that would be huge for her and every lady to ever wear a Demon uniform.”

Going to college in Natchitoches made sense for the Pineville High standout, as she could compete and go to school near her family.

It also didn’t hurt that Pennington is from the area.

“When recruiting her. what stood out most was her just being from central Louisiana,” he said. “We are from the same area and for her to have some success in high school in that area, we knew she had upside.”

As she prepares for her final collegiate meet, what Shaw will miss the most is not what happened on the track, but the relationships built off it.

“I think what I remember most are at the relationships that I formed while going to this school,” Shaw said. “I’ve said it countless times, but the team is really close and I really feel like it’s a home away from home when I step on the track. I’m sure I’ll see a bunch of them at my wedding.”

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Sports

Spalding Water Polo have been nominated for the Swim England Water Polo Club of the Year award

Spalding Water Polo Club has been nominated for a coveted national award. Their name has been put forward for the Swim England Water Polo Club of the Year accolade. The news has been hailed as a ‘massive and wonderful achievement’ for the club who meet at the Castle Sports Complex in Spalding and also train […]

Published

14 minutes ago

July 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Spalding Water Polo Club has been nominated for a coveted national award.

Their name has been put forward for the Swim England Water Polo Club of the Year accolade.

The news has been hailed as a ‘massive and wonderful achievement’ for the club who meet at the Castle Sports Complex in Spalding and also train in the summer at the Bourne outdoor pool.

The Spalding team at the Hertfordshire League tournament.

The annual awards bring the entirety of the aquatics community together to celebrate the individuals, groups and organisations for their outstanding contributions throughout the past 12 months.

In 2025, the awards will highlight achievements from clubs, coaches, teachers, volunteers, inclusion, health and much more – showcasing those that create great experiences across aquatics.

The Club of the Year awards are discipline-specific, highlighting the unique contributions of clubs across aquatics.

It highlights where clubs go above and beyond to create exceptional experiences both in and out of the water, placing their members at the heart of everything they do.

The ceremony will be held at the Great Hall at the University of Birmingham on Saturday, November 29.

The Spalding club play in the Hertfordshire League and took part in its tournament at Letchworth Lido.

Six matches would be played by each team, with a game lasting eight minutes.

Things would not be easy for Spalding as they had several players pull out at the last minute which meant they travelled with only eight players, little more than half a full squad, and no recognised goalkeeper.

Having agreed a rota for goalkeeping, captain Nathan Henfrey took the first game in goal against Dunstable.

Spalding were switched on from the start, keeping a solid defence and scoring twice through Adam Found and Sam Murray for a 2-0 opening game win.

The second game against host team Hertford saw Frazer McGruer in goal for Spalding.

Spalding scored first through Dan Leigh but Hertford were able to equalise.

Spalding were then able to capitalise on a turnover foul which allowed Henfrey to score the winning goal of the game in a 2-1 success.

The third game saw Spalding play Enfield where this time Leigh went in goal.

The game was even with both teams scoring twice, the two Spalding goals coming from Murray.

However, in the final minute, Spalding gave away a penalty allowing Enfield to take a 3-2 win.

Going into the fourth game against Cambridge, McGruer volunteered to take the remaining games in goal.

This brought about Spalding’s most dominant performance after a 4-1 victory with goals coming from Adam Found, Henfrey, Adam Gibbons and Murray.

Moving into the last few games, a couple of players volunteered from Hertford to boost Spalding’s substitute options.

However, the Spalding players were noticeably tiring against what would prove to be the toughest opponents of the night.

Bedford were able to beat Spalding 5-0 before Watford defeated them 5-1, Leigh getting the goal in the final game.

The Spalding players, including Lola Westrick and Paige Cheek, deserve great praise for putting in a tremendous amount of effort and working well as a team.

Spalding finished the night with three wins and three losses, putting them fourth out of the seven teams. Watford were the overall winners.

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Volleyball Receives 2025 AVCA Team Academic Award

Story Links Rock Hill, S.C. — For the 12th time in program history, the Winthrop Volleyball team has garnered the distinction of American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award, sponsored by INTENT. Volleyball programs that maintain a year-long grade-point average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale are […]

Published

32 minutes ago

July 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Rock Hill, S.C. — For the 12th time in program history, the Winthrop Volleyball team has garnered the distinction of American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award, sponsored by INTENT.

Volleyball programs that maintain a year-long grade-point average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale are honored with the Team Academic Award, a feat which 1,450 collegiate and high school programs were able to achieve.

“It is very exciting to see that the record-setting, on-court successes during the 2024-25 season have extended to the classroom,” says 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.”

The Eagles registered a 3.65 GPA over the course of the 2024-25 academic year, with a record-setting performance of a 3.78 GPA in the Spring 2025 semester for the highest mark in program history. In the spring, every Eagle held a 3.0 GPA or higher with five perfect 4.0 marks, and nine athletes over a 3.5 GPA.

LINK TO AVCA RELEASE

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Five A-10 Volleyball Teams Earn AVCA Team Academic Award

Story Links WASHINGTON – Five Atlantic 10 Conference volleyball programs recieved the 2025 AVCA Team Academic Award. The award, which is sponsored by INTENT, was announced on Monday. Davidson, Dayton, Duquesne, Fordham and Loyola Chicago were recipients of the honor. Eligible programs maintained at least a team GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 […]

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48 minutes ago

July 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WASHINGTON – Five Atlantic 10 Conference volleyball programs recieved the 2025 AVCA Team Academic Award. The award, which is sponsored by INTENT, was announced on Monday.

Davidson, Dayton, Duquesne, Fordham and Loyola Chicago were recipients of the honor. Eligible programs maintained at least a team GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale over the course of the 2024-25 year.

Dayton, the 2024 regular season champions, won the award for the eighth conseuctive season and 14th overall. Duquesne won its seventh consecutive award and 15th overall. Fordham collected its eighth overall honor.

Davidson received the Team Academic Honor Roll distinction. The Team Academic Honor Roll is awarded to programs that are in the top 20 percent of GPAs in their division.

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Beach Volleyball Earns AVCA Team Academic & Honor Roll Awards

Story Links LEXINGTON, Ky. – The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced today that Missouri State’s beach volleyball program has earned the prestigious 2025 AVCA Team Academic Award, sponsored by INTENT. This award recognizes teams that sustain a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher across the academic year. In addition to the […]

Published

53 minutes ago

July 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced today that Missouri State’s beach volleyball program has earned the prestigious 2025 AVCA Team Academic Award, sponsored by INTENT. This award recognizes teams that sustain a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher across the academic year.

In addition to the Team Academic Award, the Bears were recognized on the AVCA Team Academic Honor Roll, an honor reserved for teams that hold the top 20% of team GPAs across all programs in their division.

Missouri State posted an impressive 3.76 cumulative GPA for the 2024–25 academic year, with a 3.78 in the fall and 3.74 in the spring. Every student-athlete on the roster recorded at least a 3.00 GPA each semester, totaling 39 semesters at 3.00 or higher, including 33 at 3.50 or above and nine perfect 4.00 semesters.

#GoBears

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Temple University

PHILADELPHIA – The American Volleyball Coaches Association has announced the 2025 Team Academic Award sponsored by INTENT for the 2024-25 academic year. “It’s very exciting to see that the record-setting, on-court success during the 2024-25 season have extended to the classroom,” says AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. Temple is a part of a cohort […]

Published

1 hour ago

July 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

PHILADELPHIA – The American Volleyball Coaches Association has announced the 2025 Team Academic Award sponsored by INTENT for the 2024-25 academic year.

“It’s very exciting to see that the record-setting, on-court success during the 2024-25 season have extended to the classroom,” says AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon.

Temple is a part of a cohort of 1,450 other collegiate and high school volleyball teams that maintained a year-long GPA of at least a 3.3 on a 4.0 scale.

Gordon continued,” 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.”

The Owls finished the 2024-25 academic year with a team cumulative GPA of 3.54. 15 student-athletes finished the school year with at least a 3.0 GPA, which accounts for 94% of the team.

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Best quotes from day eleven of the World Aquatics Championships

Day eleven of the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025 delivered drama and thrill as artistic swimming crowned new champions, while Greece stunned by defeating defending champions USA in the women’s water polo semi-final, setting up a gold medal showdown with Hungary on Wednesday. In the artistic swimming competition, athletes delivered flawless performances across the […]

Published

1 hour ago

July 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

In the artistic swimming competition, athletes delivered flawless performances across the Men’s Solo Free Finals and Women’s Duet Technical Finals, while twenty six teams competed in the Team Technical Prelims with eyes on championship glory.

Hear more about it all below.

Artistic Swimming

Filippo PELATI (ITA) – Bronze in the Men’s Solo Free Finals

On the result:

“I’m very happy with my performance because I didn’t expect the result. I was only enjoying the moment and I only felt the music and the choreography and thought about nothing. I’m very proud of myself and happy to win a bronze. It’s very important for me; it’s like a gold medal and I’m very emotional.”

On his first World Championships medal:

“Now it’s confirmed, because last year I took part in the junior worlds in Lima and I won the bronze in the mixed duet technical and placed fourth (in both solo free and technical). So for me, now (this) seems like a gold. And also because it’s with all the best male artistic swimmers – every (swimmer) is the best one. I’m very proud.”

Eirini-Marina ALEXANDRI (AUT) – Gold in Women’s Duet Technical Finals

On whether being twins gives them an advantage:

“We have a special connection because we know how we feel. I know how she feels even if I just look at her, so I know what I have to tell her to calm her down. And the same applies for her; she knows everything about me and we can communicate very easily. If it’s another girl, then sometimes maybe you have to be careful how you tell them things.”

Water Polo

Kathy ROGERS (GBR), captain and Player of the Match – re. FRA V GBR (9-14)

On their Singapore 2025 campaign and the future:

“There’s going to be a really good future. It’s going to be really big. We’re getting more support from Swim England and Aquatics GB, so it’s a really exciting time.”

Tilly KEARNS (AUS), Player of the Match – re. AUS-JPN (21-17)

On how close the match was:

“From a disappointing quarter-final, it’s always hard to get up and play another game when it’s not for a medal and it’s not for the result that you want. But we’re a team that always gets around each other and we love each other a lot, so we wanted to play for each other.”

Eleftheria PLEVRITOU (GRE), captain – re. GRE v USA (14-10)

On the match:

“It was amazing today. We played really good. My team is ready for the final, ready for the gold. At the beginning, it was just the attack that we were stuck a little bit. We couldn’t score. That’s why, I think the score was close. Until the third quarter, it was close…We played amazing in the last minutes. We controlled the game with the time.”

Boglarka NESZMELY (HUN), Player of the Match – re. HUN v ESP (15-9)

“It was a perfect win from us. Our team, we played really, really good water polo. We did what the coach said so thanks to my teammates, thanks to my coach and to everybody who helped us. I’m so blessed to be a part of this team because it’s a huge thing for us, reaching the final. Our team is basically a new team and we have a lot of young players, including me, so it’s a huge thing for us. It means everything because Hungary is a water polo nation and I’m so thankful.”

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