Sports

Pride of Relentlessness – Stanford Cardinal

Ryann thinks she gets her humor from Peter. There are flavors of sarcasm and honesty that permeate the Neushul household. “What I appreciate most about my father is that he tells me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear,” Ryann said. “And to me, that is the biggest kindness you can […]

Published

1 week ago

May 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Ryann thinks she gets her humor from Peter. There are flavors of sarcasm and honesty that permeate the Neushul household.

“What I appreciate most about my father is that he tells me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear,” Ryann said. “And to me, that is the biggest kindness you can show a person you love. I don’t want someone around who, when there’s food stuck in your teeth, won’t point it out. The great thing about my dad is he will always tell you — ‘There’s food in your mouth, Sweetie. Just thought you should know.’ Or, in the case of water polo, ‘Yeah, I think you could have done better there. Work on that shot in practice.’”

Cathy is no-nonsense. In parenting and coaching, there are rules to follow. And if there is a rule, it must be followed. Unapologetically strict, Cathy kicked out Ryann out of her share of practices, holding her daughters to the highest of standards.

When Ryann was 13, she told her mom that she was too tired to go to soccer practice.

“OK,” Cathy said. “If we’re going to miss this practice, we’re done with soccer forever.”

“Just one practice?”

“You can’t decide when you want to go to practice. This isn’t optional. If you’re not buying into a team and committed to going, you’re done.”

Cathy doesn’t recall that conversation, but agrees it’s something she would have said. Ryann indeed never played soccer again, and the lesson stuck, though she never would have done the same in water polo, which she enjoyed more anyway. It emphasized the importance of showing up and committing to a team.

“I feel this sense of loyalty and honor to any team I’m on, because of how important my mom stressed that,” Ryann said. “You don’t get a player like myself or my sisters without a mother who’s pushing the importance of it.”

Kiley, a USA Water Polo Hall of Famer, recently was hired to give a personal hour-long training session to a young player. The thought amused her. Kiley never had a private lesson, partly because each day in the pool with her parents and sisters was a personal training session of its own.

When Ryann was nine and Kiley already a 16-year-old star, Kiley took her little sister into the pool and dared Ryann to block her shot. Ryann didn’t have a chance, but Kiley never relented.

“You need to get your block up because I’m going to keep shooting,” Kiley told her.

Shot after shot after shot, these were the types of lessons that can’t be bought.

“When I played against Ryann, I never grabbed her suit,” Kiley said. “I never kicked her. I never punched her. I never had to kick off of her to do something. I would say 95 percent of water polo players need to do that. But against Ryann, I was always like, ‘I will beat you and I will do it the right way.’”

Ryann welcomed these trials, and continues to challenge herself in any way possible.

“This game makes you fight, it makes you find the will,” she said. “Sometimes, it feels like you got hit by a car, and you’ve got to keep playing. You have to dig deep – you have to dig real keep – and that digging deep is what prepares you for the Olympic Games. If you don’t have that hard work, if you don’t have that toughness, then you don’t have anything to draw from.”

On a similar subject, Ryann recalled this story:

“I want to get faster at swimming,” a teammate once asked at practice. “How do I do that?”

Aria Fischer, a former Cardinal who won gold in Rio, mulled the question over and came up with this answer.

“You wake up and you swim,” Fischer said. “And the next day, you wake up and you swim again. And the day after that, you wake up and swim. Day after that … swim. You swim and then you swim and then you swim until you get faster.”

In other words, you can’t do it without the work.

“In water polo, you’re always tired,” Neushul said. “So, if you make decisions while you’re super rested all the time in practice, it may look really beautiful, but then you’re going to get in the game and you know, this Italian woman’s going to be hitting you, and you’re going to have to make a decision.

“That’s what water polo is. It’s being pushed to your physical and mental limit. Every week you’re like, How am I going to get up tomorrow? But you get up. The human body, and your mentality, can do so much more than you think it can.”

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Sports

Naperville North girls water polo captures ninth sectional title after beating Naperville Central

Published

25 minutes ago

May 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

What seems to be a yearly occurrence, Naperville North competes in the IHSA Girls Water Polo Sectional Final, as they take on Naperville Central. North is in search of the program’s ninth sectional plaque, and seventh in a row. Today marks the final home game for Hall of Fame Head Coach Andy McWhirter, who looks to go out with a bang against a Naperville Central squad that’s looking for its first sectional title since 2017. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.

Huskies get right to work and open with a commanding lead

Huskies waste no time! Ria Vaid lobs a pass over to Ava Podkasik and fires in the first goal of the game.

One goal is nice, but two are even better. Natalie Brown chases the loose ball, dribbles, and wins the one-on-one battle.

Later on, Brown dry passes to Payton Schrier, and she skips it in. North leads 5-0.

The Redhawks need an answer, but Rugi Stackevicius jumps out of the net for a save and swims the rock out of harm’s way.

The Huskies get back to the scoring. Podkasik sidearms a shot into the right corner as North continues to open the floodgates.

Into the second quarter, and Cate Czochara finds Ria Vaid as she throws a laser right into your living room.

Naperville North adds another IHSA girls water polo sectional title to the trophy case

It’s all blue and orange since the first whistle, with Molly Depies tallying up the goals. Caire Plackett scores the lone goal for the Redhawks, but it’s Naperville North that emerges victorious, 12-1, culminating in the program’s ninth sectional title.

New Naperville North AD Jon Periero jumps in the water to celebrate with the team as the Huskies move on to the state series! They’ll face Fremd in the IHSA Girls Water Polo State Quarterfinals at 5:45 p.m. at Stevenson High School on Thursday, May 22.

For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page.

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Sports

NY Mets minor league pitching pipeline chock

Published

1 hour ago

May 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NY Mets minor league pitching pipeline chock

The winds of change are clearly blowing through the New York Mets organization, particularly when it comes to pitching development. Since the arrival of David Stearns, the Mets have seemingly unlocked a new level of pitching transformation at the major league level. This newfound prowess isn’t confined to Queens, however. Across the various minor league circuits and Mets affiliates, a palpable improvement in pitching staffs, especially their ability to generate swings and misses, has become increasingly evident this season.

According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Mets currently rank second in Major League Baseball in the sheer number of minor league pitchers boasting a strikeout rate of 30% or higher. This impressive statistic underscores that the Mets’ pitching infrastructure is evolving into a significant advantage not only at the MLB level but is also beginning to bear fruit within the farm system – a crucial area where the Mets have yearned for consistent success for quite some time.

Strikeout surge throughout Mets system

The Mets are now showcasing a wealth of promising pitching talent across all levels of their minor league affiliates. While the organization might not possess the same echelon of top-tier prospect pedigree it did in the previous decade, the potential within their bullpen ranks is undeniable. Many of the pitchers highlighted by Sammon in his recent post on X are demonstrating an exceptional ability to rack up strikeouts.

A compelling case in point is Raimon Gomez, whose electric velocity has garnered attention. He currently sports an impressive 36.4% strikeout rate while simultaneously inducing near-elite levels of weak contact, allowing a mere 12% hard-hit ball rate. Similarly, Jack Wenninger, a Double-A Mets pitcher, appears to be on a trajectory to contribute at the major league level sooner rather than later. His stellar strikeout-to-walk ratio highlights not only his ability to miss bats but also his commendable command.

Perhaps the most captivating pitching prospect within the Mets’ system since last season is Jonah Tong. This young left-hander, currently dominating hitters at the Double-A level, has put up staggering numbers.

According to Fangraphs, Tong boasts an absurd 44.7% strikeout rate, holding opposing hitters to a paltry .162 batting average, all while maintaining an ERA around 2.50 supported by an equally impressive Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP). Tong is joined on this list of high-strikeout arms by Blade Tidwell, who has already experienced his MLB debut, albeit in a less-than-efficient outing. However, Tidwell has consistently demonstrated a strong ability to limit damage during his time in the minor leagues.

The data clearly indicates a system-wide boost in pitching prowess. Among all eligible pitchers within their organization, the Mets boast at least 43 hurlers who are striking out batters at a rate of at least one per inning. This figure surpasses even the Boston Red Sox, the team cited by Sammon as leading the league in the percentage of minor league pitchers with a 30% or higher strikeout rate.

The burgeoning strikeout numbers throughout the Mets’ minor league system offer a compelling glimpse into a brighter future for the organization’s pitching depth. This wave of arms, capable of consistently missing bats, signals a significant step forward in the Mets’ long-term strategy and provides a much-needed foundation of talent that could pay dividends in the years to come.

Sports

Sammi Thiele Joining Emory For 5th Year After Undergraduate Career With Austin College

Sammi Thiele will join Emory for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year to use her COVID-19 fifth year of eligibility. Thiele spent her undergraduate career at Austin College and spent the last year finishing her masters degree at Austin College while teaching at the local high school as the head swim coach. In addition to swimming […]

Published

2 hours ago

May 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Sammi Thiele will join Emory for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year to use her COVID-19 fifth year of eligibility. Thiele spent her undergraduate career at Austin College and spent the last year finishing her masters degree at Austin College while teaching at the local high school as the head swim coach. In addition to swimming at Austin College, she also played water polo for four years.

“So incredibly excited to announce my commitment to swim at 5th year at Emory University while pursuing a master’s in business management”

As a junior, Thiele qualified for the 2023 NCAA Championships finishing 23rd in the 100 backstroke in a 56.73. That was just off her lifetime best at the time of a 56.23 that she swam at the 2023 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships.

She made huge strides as a senior, dropping about a second and a half in the 100 backstroke to finish 3rd at 2024 NCAAs touching in a 54.73. She also was 7th in the 200 back in a 2:02.55 but swam a 1:59.67 in prelims. She finished 4th in the 200 IM in a lifetime best of a 2:01.86.

Thiele’s SCY best times are:

100 back: 54.73
200 back: 1:59.67
200 IM: 2:01.86

The Emory women finished 6th at the 2024 NCAA Championships, the last meet Thiele swam at, and moved up to 5th this past season with 337 points. Denison was 4th with 370.5 points.

Thiele’s time from 2024 NCAAs in the 100 back would have finished 4th this year. Emory notably did not have any ‘A’ finalists in the event but had two ‘B’ finalists. Her 200 back best time would have been 7th at 2025 NCAAs, adding points to another event the team had no ‘A’ finalists in. Emory also had zero ‘A’ finalists in the 200 IM, an event she would have been 5th in.

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Bissoondial, Men’s 4×100 Meter Relay Nab Spots in NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

Story Links Indianapolis, IN — WPI graduate student Avinash Bissoondial (Millbury, MA) and the Engineers 4x100m relay squad of Sam Manteria (Wilbraham, MA), Ethan Schnyer (Nashua, NH), Alex Cole (Weymouth, MA), and Tristan Andrew (Newtown, CT) have earned spots in next weekend’s NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The three-day […]

Published

2 hours ago

May 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Indianapolis, IN — WPI graduate student Avinash Bissoondial (Millbury, MA) and the Engineers 4x100m relay squad of Sam Manteria (Wilbraham, MA), Ethan Schnyer (Nashua, NH), Alex Cole (Weymouth, MA), and Tristan Andrew (Newtown, CT) have earned spots in next weekend’s NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The three-day event will begin on Thursday, May 22 at the SPIRE Institute’s Outdoor Track and Field and hosted by the North Coast Athletic Conference.

The 4×100 meter relay will make its debut Thursday at 5:15pm in the preliminaries. The foursome secured a spot in field on the final day of competition on Thursday, May 15th by smashing their own school record in a time of 40.66 at the UMass Amherst Final Qualifier. The Crimson and Gray shared the 12th best time nationwide with Roanoke and WPI was the only New England in either of the two men’s relay event’s 16-team fields. If the Engineers are qualify for the finals, they would race again on Saturday, May 24th at 1:05pm.

Bissoondial will be making his first appearance at an NCAA Track and Field Championships but is no stranger to NCAA competition as the graduate student appeared in three Cross Country championships, including this past fall, and was an alternate for a fourth championship. Bissoondial will race in the 5,000 meters and secured his spot in Ohio by winning last weekend’s Farley Inter Regional Extravaganza (FIRE) Meet at Williams. The graduate student shattered his own school record by 25 seconds by registering a time of 14:09.22, the 13th quickest in the 22-person field. The 5,000 meter is the penultimate track event on Saturday and slated for a 5pm start.

NCAA Selections

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Sports

Iowa Cubs baseball

Published

2 hours ago

May 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

About 45 minutes prior to the start of the May 17 game between the Iowa Cubs and St. Paul Saints, pitcher Kenta Maeda walked to the outfield, shuffling past some fans who had been on the field for a pre-game catch.The moment offered a quick reminder that Maeda, who was getting ready to warm up for his start with Iowa, was once again back in the minor leagues and once again trying to prove he could pitch in the majors.The former star showed there’s still some convincing to do after he was roughed up in his organizational debut, surrendering four runs in just two innings of work for the Iowa Cubs at Principal Park. Kenta Maeda throws a pitch for the Iowa Cubs on May 17. “We haven’t really done much since it’s only been a couple of days since joining the team,” Maeda said through a translator following the game. “So today’s outing wasn’t the best, obviously. But starting tomorrow is when we’ll dig deep into what the problem is and how I can fix myself and establish myself as a pitcher.”Maeda, who was released by the Detroit Tigers on May 7, stayed in shape ever since by throwing daily and getting in bullpen sessions at a university in town. While he was going through the wavier process, Maeda said his agent heard from several teams that were interested in him.

One of them was the Chicago Cubs. Maeda was intrigued by the club and figured they could help him following some recent struggles that included him tallying a 7.88 ERA in seven games out of the bullpen with the Tigers this season. So Maeda signed a minor league deal with the Cubs on May 16.

“I think this is a great organization for them to fix my problems and get me back on track. And I really want to be at the big-league level again,” Maeda said. “So I feel like this is a good spot and a good organization to be.”Maeda didn’t waste any time. One day after signing with the club, Maeda was tossed into Iowa’s starting rotation and made his debut with the Triple-A club. It didn’t last long, though.

Maeda lasted just two innings, giving up four runs (all earned) on four hits and two walks and one hit by pitch. St. Paul, the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, sent nine hitters to the plate in the first off Maeda.

Maeda gave up an RBI double to Jose Miranda and then a sacrifice fly to Jeferson Morales to put the Saints ahead 2-0. St. Paul’s Jair Camargo then ripped a two-run double off Maeda to give the Saints a 4-0 lead.

The second inning went much better for Maeda who worked around a two-out double without allowing a run. Maeda threw 56 total pitches including 31 for strikes. He topped out at 89.9 mph.

There was likely some rust to shake off for Maeda who hadn’t pitched in an official game since April 29 with the Tigers. Still, there are hopes that the right-hander, once one of the best pitchers in baseball, could help the Cubs.

“I think it shows that the Cubs have belief in me to get myself back on track and that goes with coaching and just looking over analysis and all of that,” he said. “So I’ll do my best on my part to respond to their expectations.”

The 37-year-old has pitched parts of nine seasons in the big leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins and most recently, the Tigers.

He’s won 68 games over the course of his career, even finishing second in the Cy Young Award voting in 2020. Now, he’s back in the minors trying to show he’s still got plenty left to offer.

“I think it’s a very fun environment,” Maeda said. “It keeps everything fun with the fan engagement as well as at the same time, this is a highly competitive environment and it’ll get me going with talking with the coaches and talking with the data analysts. I’ll just do everything I can to get back on track.”

Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468

Sports

Govs Earn Four Silvers to Conclude ASUN Championships

Story Links Final Results Photo Gallery JACKSONVILLE – Austin Peay State University’s track and field team earned four silver medals on the final day of the 2025 Atlantic Sun Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship, with freshman Taylin Segree being a […]

Published

2 hours ago

May 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

JACKSONVILLE – Austin Peay State University’s track and field team earned four silver medals on the final day of the 2025 Atlantic Sun Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship, with freshman Taylin Segree being a part of three of those podium finishes, Saturday, at Hodges Stadium on the campus of North Florida.

Austin Peay’s first points of the day came in the triple jump, with both Denim Goddard and Myra Eriksson recording counting scores. Emma Tucker then posted the second-best mark of her career in the shot put with a 13.10-meter hurl in the event.

The Governors’ first podium finish of the afternoon came in the 4×100-meter relay, with Gabrielle Miller, Gabrielle Hoskins, Alijanae Cole, and Segree finishing as the runner-up in the event with a time of 45.81.

Next up on the track, Sydney Freeman posted a personal best in the 1500-meter for the fourth-straight meet in which she shaved over two and a half seconds off her previous best set two weeks ago at Vanderbilt’s Music City Challenge.

After qualifying in the 100-meter hurdles yesterday, freshman Emmani Roberts bested her season’s best mark by nearly two seconds with a time of 14.89 to earn fifth in the event.

Segree’s second medal of the day came in the 400-meter where she posted the second-best mark of her freshman campaign with a time of 53.81. Segree’s mark in the 400-meter trails only her previous personal best set yesterday in the preliminary round by six hundredths of a second. Alexis Arnett’s time of 55.84 was a personal best, as the junior earned a fifth-place finish in the event.

Busiwa Asinga then earned APSU’s third silver medal of the day in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:00.47.

In its final event of the day, Mia McGee, Cole, Arnett, and Segree sprinted to a silver finish in the 4×400-meter relays.

This weekend, the Governors obtained their largest point-total since joining the ASUN Conference prior to the 2023 season with 61, while also having their most finalists in the championships at 17.

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