Sports

ProSpace Interiors owner hopes more local businesses choose NIL deals to support CMU athletes

Tim Harty, The Business Times Colorado Mesa University women’s basketball player Olivia Reed Thyne, left, and ProSpace Interiors owner and President Dave Huerkamp agreed to a Name, Image and Likeness deal that paid Reed Thyne to appear in a television commercial for ProSpace Interiors. Reed Thyne, an NCAA Division II All-American player and an Academic […]

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1 month ago

May 13, 2025

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ProSpace Interiors owner hopes more local businesses choose NIL deals to support CMU athletes

Tim Harty, The Business Times

Colorado Mesa University women’s basketball player Olivia Reed Thyne, left, and ProSpace Interiors owner and President Dave Huerkamp agreed to a Name, Image and Likeness deal that paid Reed Thyne to appear in a television commercial for ProSpace Interiors. Reed Thyne, an NCAA Division II All-American player and an Academic All-American, is the first CMU athlete to be paid to be in a TV commercial, according to the university. Photo courtesy of ProSpace Interiors.

Having been mentored early in his working career by some prominent Grand Junction business and community leaders – Max Krey, Pat Gormley and Herb Bacon among them – Dave Huerkamp believes successful businesses should give back to the community that helped them succeed.

By no means does Huerkamp, owner and president of ProSpace Interiors, 634 Main St. in Grand Junction, consider himself in the company of the aforementioned hallowed trio. He acknowledged, “We’re a relatively small company.” But, he added, “I really believe in giving back and supporting the community.”

With that mindset, he finds places and causes in the Grand Valley to make donations. And, like Krey, Gormley and Bacon were, Huerkamp is a benefactor of Colorado Mesa University. He provides scholarships in the nursing program, the Davis School of Business and the athletics programs, estimating 10 students currently have scholarships funded by ProSpace Interiors, which sells, installs and repairs office furniture and designs office spaces.

Huerkamp is a fan of CMU athletics, and he recently provided his financial support in a new way: ProSpace Interiors paid Colorado Mesa University women’s basketball player Olivia Reed Thyne via a Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deal to be in a ProSpace Interiors television commercial.

CMU Compliance Director Taya Baumgartner said it is the first NIL deal in which a Colorado Mesa athlete has been paid to do a TV commercial. Other CMU athletes have gotten NIL money, but usually in small amounts – $10 here, $20 there – through Opendorse, a company that specializes in NIL deals for student-athletes and partnered with CMU in February 2024.

Soon after the TV commercial with Reed Thyne began airing, Huerkamp got the feedback he hoped to hear, and it had nothing to do with ProSpace Interiors making money.

Of course, the reason for advertising is to ultimately make money, but Huerkamp had a more altruistic reason as well: Getting other businesses to see what CMU has to offer and in turn support the university, especially the athletic programs.

“I have already talked to at least a dozen other business owners that because of the deal that we did with Olivia, they’re interested in doing that, whether it’s women’s basketball or the football team or baseball or wrestling,” Huerkamp said. “I think it’s already opened up some of those doors. I’m pretty sure one of Olivia’s teammates is going to be getting something similar from another local business here in town, just because of what we did with Olivia.”

Colorado Mesa University women’s basketball player Olivia Reed Thyne sits in a chair at a desk in an office at ProSpace Interiors, which paid her through a Name, Image and Likeness deal to appear in a television commercial for the business. ProSpace Interiors, which opened in Grand Junction in 1970, sells, installs and repairs office furniture and designs office space, and owner Dave Huerkamp is a self-professed fan of Colorado Mesa sports. Photo by Tim Harty.

Many NCAA Division II athletes receive athletic scholarships, but at many universities, including Colorado Mesa, those tend to be partial scholarships. Huerkamp thinks Grand Junction businesses can help CMU athletes and their respective programs remain competitive in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, where some schools are able to do more for their athletes.

“One of the reasons that I wanted to get a little bit of publicity related to this NIL deal was not only to let other business owners know or think about supporting student athletes, but the bigger thing is just being involved in athletic fundraising,” Huerkamp said.

“Some of the other teams that Olivia and her teammates compete against all the time, those programs are fully funded, so they’re able to give out large scholarships to the entire team. CMU is still in the process of getting fully funded. I think they’re just barely over 50 percent.

“So, the bottom line is most of these student athletes, even if they are a scholarship student athlete at CMU, they’re not getting a 100 percent, full-ride scholarship. … This is really a way to support those student athletes, because they have to work so hard in school to keep up their grades and in athletics, to help them get through four years of school.”

Huerkamp said what he’s really hoping for, big picture, is business owners will help support CMU’s student athletes and athletic programs.

He thinks the support for the university will come back to those businesses that open their pocketbooks.

“Seriously,” Huerkamp said, “I got a call from a local business that was planning to get stuff from another company, and they called ProSpace, because they saw Olivia (in the TV commercial). They thought it was so awesome that we were doing a deal like this with a local student athlete, and they picked up the phone and called us instead of calling someone else.

“So, there is a very definitive, positive, business and marketing portion of this. It’s not just, ‘Oh, I like CMU, and I like women’s basketball.’ It’s a relationship, like the NIL deals were intended to work. And it’s kind of like (Division II) in general, it’s really the essence of college athletics, right? These kids do go to school, they do study.”

HEY, THIS IS REALLY EASY!

ProSpace Interiors owner and President Dave Huerkamp was surprised when he learned his business was the first to pay a Colorado Mesa University student athlete to be in a TV commercial.

Name, Image and Likeness deals have been around for several years, but Colorado Mesa is an NCAA Division II program for athletics, and where NIL really gets used – and big-dollar deals get done – is at the Division I level in the higher-profile sports.

Huerkamp hopes his distinction of being first with a TV-commercial NIL deal for a CMU athlete, All-American women’s basketball player Olivia Reed Thyne, serves as the first domino to fall. He thinks it will.

After the TV commercial aired, he said, “I’ve had a couple of people say, ‘Hey, that’s really awesome. How does that work?’ and, ‘Can I do that?’ Like, yeah, you can. I mean, it’s really easy.”

Actually, he added, “It’s amazingly easy. That’s the thing I was surprised about.

“Now, I did do quite a bit of research going into it as far as the NCAA rules and all that sort of stuff, because the last thing I wanted to do was create an issue for Olivia and her eligibility. But, yeah, there’s just a few little minor guidelines. Other than that, any business can connect with any student athlete or team that they want to help support and really work out any deal that’s agreeable to both parties. So, it’s pretty awesome.”

COMPLIANCE IS IMPORTANT

Helping make NIL deals easy, and compliant, is Colorado Mesa’s partnership with Opendorse, which markets itself as: “The best NIL deal marketplace for athletes to build and monetize their name, image, and likeness value.”

On its website, opendorse.com, Opendorse says under the heading of What We Do: “Opendorse is the leading athlete marketplace and NIL technology company, providing technology and services to the athlete endorsement industry. We serve the full lifecycle of supporting athletes: educating, assessing, planning, sharing, creating, measuring, tracking, disclosing, regulating, listing, browsing, booking, and more.

“Our industry-leading NIL solutions help athletes connect with advertisers, colleges, collectives, and supporters to understand, build, and monetize their brand value.”

The reason a partnership is necessary with Opendorse is because CMU can’t facilitate any deals for its student-athletes. That’s illegal.

“If the athlete is interested in an NIL deal, they have to put the work in to get those,” CMU Compliance Director Taya Baumgartner said. “We can’t say, ‘Oh, hey, we have this deal for you,’ and then set it up that way.”

Or a business can start the NIL talks.

“It’s a pretty simple process for the businesses’ side,” Baumgartner said. “They can either contact that athlete and propose a deal, or they can go on that marketplace that’s on the Internet for Opendorse and propose a deal through that to the athlete.

“But then from there, once they propose the deal, Opendorse just makes sure that they’re not breaking any rules.”

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All Change In Indy? A U.S. Nationals Finals Continuity Review

2025 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Prior to the championships we examined the turnover in the finals of each Trials/U.S. Nationals since 2013. With several stars sitting out this year after the shortened Olympic Cycle between Tokyo and Paris it was expected that there would be new faces in the top eight of a lot of events […]

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36 seconds ago

June 23, 2025

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2025 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Prior to the championships we examined the turnover in the finals of each Trials/U.S. Nationals since 2013. With several stars sitting out this year after the shortened Olympic Cycle between Tokyo and Paris it was expected that there would be new faces in the top eight of a lot of events in 2025, and that did prove to be the case.

We’re looking at only Olympic events here, so this is a straight comparison to 2024.

NB. The 800 and 1500 were run as timed finals this year in contrast to the heats-and-finals setup last year. When we refer to 2025 finalists in these events we’re talking about the top-eight finishers, even though some came from the early heats.

The Methodology

To compare the continuity of Trials finals, we have devised a Finals Continuity Score. Each swimmer in a Trials final receives a score based on their finishing position in that event. At the next Trials, we add up the scores of the returning swimmers and divide by the maximum possible score (all swimmers returning).

Example:

2021 Women’s 200 IM

Alex Walsh- 8 points
Kate Douglass- 7 points
Madisyn Cox – 6 points
Torri Huske – 5 points
Meghan Small – 4 points
Melanie Margalis- 3 points
Beata Nelson- 2 points
Emma Barksdale – 1 point

2022 Women’s 200 IM

Alex Walsh – 8 returning points
Leah Hayes – NEW
Beata Nelson – 2 returning points
Mackenzie Looze – NEW
Isabelle Odgers – NEW
Sara Stotler – NEW
Abby Hay – NEW
Teagan O’Dell – NEW

Total returning points: 10

Maximum possible returning points: 36

Final Continuity Score – 0.278 (10/36)

Note that this methodology does not look at why a swimmer does not return – someone missing the final in 9th is treated the same way as a swimmer who did not enter the event, such as Kate Douglass in the example above.

How did 2025 fare?

The men saw their biggest turnover of finalists in over a decade, with an average continuity score of less than 0.50 – nearly 20% less than the previous lowest in 2021. This was also a huge drop in returning finalists compared to last year, caused both by big names sitting out (Ryan Murphy, Caeleb Dressel, Hunter Armstrong) and others missing finals they were expected to be in (Brooks Curry, Matt King).

The women fared slightly better, only dropping to 0.554, however that is still the lowest since 2017. Most of the big names returned, which was reflected in the size of the World’s squad; 20 different women hit one of the four World Championship priorities compared to 27 men.

By Event

Outside of breaststroke, the 200s were the most continuous distance at this year’s Championships. The 200 IM saw five of the eight finalists from Olympic Trials return including all of the top three, joint most of any event along with the 200 fly.

Despite the comparatively high score for the 200 free, only three finalists returned; Luke Hobson (1st in 2024), Chris Guiliano (2nd) and Kieran Smith (4th). That’s one fewer than the 100 backstroke (Jack Aikins, Will Modglin, Jack Wilkening, Tommy Janton), where three of the four returners finished 6th-8th last year.

Half of the events had only two returning finalists from 2024 – that was every event from the 1500 downwards, excluding the 100 back.

The scores were much higher for the women, which saw only three events (200 breast, 1500 free, 400 free) have two returners compared to the seven the men had. Backstroke was the highest scoring stroke with both distances in the top two, each with six returning swimmers.

Katie Ledecky ensured a level of consistency in the 400 and 1500 free, with only a single swimmer returning other than her: Kate Hurst in the 1500 and Madi Mintenko in the 400. Interestingly, both of those finished in the same position in both 2024 and 2025, fourth for Hurst and eighth for Mintenko.

At least half the finalists returned for nine of 14 events, with 10 events scoring at least 0.50. The 100 free was the highest scoring event with only exactly half the final to return – those were last year’s top four of Kate Douglass, Torri Huske, Gretchen Walsh and Simone Manuel, who took the top four spots once again in 2025, albeit in a different order.

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June 23, 2025

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Manhattan University Announces Innovative Apparel & Equipment Partnership with Capelli Sport

Story Links NEW YORK, NY – Manhattan University, an NCAA Division I member institution with 21 men’s and women’s sports teams, has announced a pioneering, long-term alliance with the U.S.-based sportswear brand, Capelli Sport. This groundbreaking partnership ushers in a new era for Manhattan University’s athletic programs and signifies Capelli Sport’s first […]

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June 23, 2025

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NEW YORK, NY – Manhattan University, an NCAA Division I member institution with 21 men’s and women’s sports teams, has announced a pioneering, long-term alliance with the U.S.-based sportswear brand, Capelli Sport. This groundbreaking partnership ushers in a new era for Manhattan University’s athletic programs and signifies Capelli Sport’s first step and expansion into collegiate athletics.

The joint announcement was made by Irma Garcia, Director of Athletics, and George Altirs, President and CEO of Capelli Sport, which was founded in 2011 and has strong roots in international soccer.

The initial phase of the new partnership will provide all of Manhattan’s student-athletes, coaches, and staff with customized, team and sport-specific, high-performance Capelli Sport uniforms and training gear.

In addition, both Manhattan and Capelli Sport have agreed to explore and collaborate on select co-branding initiatives, retail opportunities, and sponsorship ideas to expand the partnership across Manhattan Athletics and provide campus-wide options for all students and the Jasper alumni base.

“This partnership is about more than uniforms. It’s about progress,” said Irma Garcia, Director of Athletics. “Capelli Sport understands the power of storytelling through sport, and together, we’re redefining what it means to be a Jasper. From the Bronx to the national stage, our teams will be competing with pride, purpose, and a brand that represents our vision for the future.”

“I am thrilled with this new, cutting-edge alliance between Manhattan and Capelli Sport, and know that this is just the first step of many between our two organizations that share a similar vision and passion for sports,” said Frederick Bonato, President of Manhattan University.

Capelli Sport is a U.S.-based sportswear and footwear company founded in 2011 by entrepreneur George Altirs. Headquartered in New York City, it operates as a subsidiary of GMA Accessories Inc. Capelli Sport’s Manhattan University alliance marks the company’s first comprehensive, NCAA Division 1 partnership. Capelli was recently announced as the official apparel partner of USA Lacrosse and USA Field Hockey.

“This partnership with Manhattan University marks a pivotal moment in Capelli Sport’s journey to becoming a leader in multi-sport outfitting. Supporting all 21 Division I programs at one institution reflects our commitment to excellence across every sport. Manhattan University sets the standard for what a comprehensive partnership should look like, and together, we’re laying the groundwork for the next chapter of growth in collegiate athletics,” said Capelli Sport Founder & CEO, George Altirs.

This partnership promises to elevate Manhattan University’s athletic programs and provide student-athletes with top-tier performance gear. Fans can look forward to an early preview of the new look and branding this summer,with official rollouts across social media and GoJaspers.com leading into the fall season.

About Manhattan University

Located in Riverdale, Bronx, New York, Manhattan University is a private, Catholic liberal arts institution offering more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. As a proud NCAA Division I member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), Manhattan Athletics has a long-standing tradition of academic and athletic excellence. Learn more at gojaspers.com.

About Capelli Sport

Capelli Sport is a global sports brand based in New York City. The company is a leader in sports, lifestyle apparel and equipment. Capelli Sport enables athletes and teams to maximize their potential through a unique global sports ecosystem. Learn more at capellisport.com and find Capelli Sport on Instagram (@CapelliSport).

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Lai Xiang-chen to play for German volleyball team

Lai Xiang-chen became the first Taiwanese woman to play professional volleyball in Germany after a German team announced signing her on Sunday. The VfB Suhl LOTTO Thuringen professional women’s volleyball team announced Lai’s signing on its official Web site and Instagram, saying it was pleased to add the 30-year-old Lai as the team’s libero to […]

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20 minutes ago

June 23, 2025

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Lai Xiang-chen became the first Taiwanese woman to play professional volleyball in Germany after a German team announced signing her on Sunday.

The VfB Suhl LOTTO Thuringen professional women’s volleyball team announced Lai’s signing on its official Web site and Instagram, saying it was pleased to add the 30-year-old Lai as the team’s libero to strengthen its defense.

“Lai brings international quality to the libero position,” the team wrote. “With her training in Taiwan’s competitive youth programs and several seasons in her home country’s top league, Lai established herself as a key player in reception and defense.”

Photo: CNA

VfB also praised Lai’s previous achievements such as playing for Taiwan’s national team several times at international tournaments, including the Asian Women’s Volleyball Cup, the Asian Volleyball Championship and the Asian Games.

VfB is pleased to welcome Lai for her strong technique, speed and skill in reception and defense, head coach Laszlo Hollosy said.

“Xiang-chen impressed us not only with her game intelligence, but also with her professional attitude and presence on the court,” Hollosy said. “We are convinced that she will play an important role in our defensive structure and be a key figure in the coming season.”

Before Lai, the only other Taiwanese woman to play volleyball professionally in Europe was Yang Yi-chen who joined Italy’s Lardini Filottrano as a setter in 2018.

Lai most recently played for China’s Guangdong Shenzhen Glorious in the China Volleyball League for two seasons from 2023 to this year before getting her German contract.

Lai said she chose Suhl, because she believes it is a great environment for her to develop further as a player and as a person.

“I’m excited about the new challenges and look forward to being part of the team and giving my best in the coming season,” she said over VfB’s Web site.

In another statement, Lai said that she had wanted to play in Europe early on in her career and that she was able to get the opportunity to fulfill the dream after VfB came across her tournament tapes by chance.

The opportunity to play in Germany is not only a career milestone but also a chance to find new excitement and growth, she added.

Lai said she would spend time in Taiwan getting into better physical shape for the start of the new European season in October.

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Fourth Conviction Linked To Fraud

Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News)- A fourth person has been convicted for their role in the jury bribery scheme connected to the Feeding our Future fraud case. See Also: Fight Leads to Shooting Death of Young Minnesota Man As of June 12, 72 people have been charged and 46 have been convicted in the scheme that saw […]

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24 minutes ago

June 23, 2025

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Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News)- A fourth person has been convicted for their role in the jury bribery scheme connected to the Feeding our Future fraud case.

Minnesota Man Admits to Role in Feeding our Future Trial Juror Bribery Scheme

36-year-old Abdiaziz Farah was one of five people charged in connection with the bribery scheme. Two of his brothers were on trial at the time of the bribery.

A news release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office says Farah and his co-defendants identified juror 52 as a target for the bribe.

The group surveyed the juror’s home and on June 2 of last year, one of the co-conspirators, identified as Ladan Ali, delivered $120,000 in cash to a relative of the juror and said there would be more money coming if the juror voted to acquit the seven defendants, federal court documents say.

The investigation that led to the disclosure of the bribery scheme led to the dismissal of the targeted juror and a second juror who was aware of it.

The news release says Farah was seated in the courtroom when law enforcement announced the discovery of the bribe. He factory reset his phone after being ordered by the judge presiding over the federal case to turn it over.

Farah pleaded guilty to his role in the bribery scheme on June 17. His sentencing date will be scheduled at a later time.

In April, Abdulkarim Shafii Farah became the third person to plead guilty in the bribery case. Ali has also pleaded guilty.

The Most Popular Outdoor Midwest Water Parks to Visit This Summer

To put together our list of the most popular water parks, we took a look at parks with a 4.4-star or higher rating on Google and 500 or more total reviews (additional water parks with 4+ stars are listed at the end). Some of them are MASSIVE water parks with a seemingly endless number of slides and attractions, while others are small (but very nice!) aquatic parks run by city governments. Whatever type of park you’re looking for, you have plenty of options!

Gallery Credit: Courtlin

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Tigers Produce Best Division III Director’s Cup Ranking in Two Decades

Story Links Colorado College posted its highest finish in 20 years and ended in the top 18 percent of all Division III schools nationally in the final 2024-25 Learfield IMG Directors’ Cup Standings, released by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). CC finished the ’24-25 academic […]

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54 minutes ago

June 23, 2025

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Colorado College posted its highest finish in 20 years and ended in the top 18 percent of all Division III schools nationally in the final 2024-25 Learfield IMG Directors’ Cup Standings, released by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).

CC finished the ’24-25 academic year in 76^th place, its highest since placing 48^th in 2005, with 264 points, the second-most points among Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference schools.

This spring, Rabbit Barnes and Isabel Olson earned first-team All-America honors and Alison Mueller-Hickler was a second-team selection at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, while the women’s lacrosse team advanced to the second round of the Division III Tournament, combining for 83.5 Directors’ Cup points.

Beginning in 1993, the Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today. Throughout the course of the year, points are awarded based on a school’s finish in up to 18 sports – nine men and nine women – in NCAA Championships. Colorado College is uniquely positioned as a multi divisional institution, sponsoring 15 Division III sports and 2 Division I sports.

Of the 431 schools competing under the NCAA Division III banner, 324 registered points in the Directors’ Cup standings for all seasons.

“It has been another incredible year for our student-athletes and coaches,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Lesley Irvine said. “We talk about championship culture here every day and to see our teams thrive competitively while also achieving so much in the classroom and community is incredible. We are so proud of them and it’s an exciting time to be a Tiger.”

In the fall, the women’s cross country team advanced to the NCAA Division III Championships for the fourth straight season and posted a program-best sixth-place finish, good for 73.5 points. Olson and Sydney Rankin were named All-Americans.

Meanwhile, the men’s soccer team competed to the NCAA Division III Championships for the second consecutive season before falling to Claremont in the second round. The Tigers collected 50 points and finished 20^th in the final United Soccer Coaches Division III Top 25 Poll.

Sophomore Will Shuflit qualified for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships after winning the SCAC individual title and placing fifth at the West Region Meet. He earned All-America honors with a 30^th-place result at the national meet, good for 30 points in the Director’s Cup standings.

In the winter, the women’s basketball team appeared in the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time since 1990, racking up 25 points in the Director’s Cup standings.

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