The Esports World Cup Foundation has partnered with global sports marketing agency IMG to elevate the broadcast coverage and reach new global audiences for the Esports World Cup (EWC), the world’s largest esports tournament and gaming festival, currently taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The agreement will see IMG provide premium broadcast production, content strategy, global rights management, and international distribution via SNTV, a joint venture between IMG and The Associated Press, for the Esports World Cup 2025. Throughout the tournament, IMG will create and produce over 50 hours of programming, covering the thrilling live esports action, as well as digital and social content, and an original documentary showcasing the biggest teams in the competition.

This includes a two-hour show, EWC Spotlight, that will be produced live during every championship weekend from a custom-built studio in the heart of Boulevard City, Riyadh. EWC Spotlight will blend esports highlights, entertainment and pop culture features, behind-the-scenes access, celebrity appearances, educational segments and unforgettable moments with world-class broadcasting, giving viewers worldwide an immersive, all-access experience with esports’ most compelling event.

EWC Spotlight kicks off with a premiere on 10 July, including a live performance by Post Malone, as the Esports World Cup 2025 gets underway with the Opening Ceremony. Hosted by Hugh Woozencroft and Rachel Stringer, EWC Spotlight will welcome more than 60 high-profile celebrity, entertainment and sports guests throughout the summer.

“With EWC Spotlight, we’re creating a new gateway into esports, not just for the millions already engaged, but for the billions yet to discover their passion for competitive gaming,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO, Esports World Cup Foundation. “By blending elite competition, mainstream entertainment, and cultural storytelling, we’re breaking barriers between esports and traditional media. Partnering with IMG, a global leader in sports production and content, allows us to show the world what esports truly represents: an evolution in global entertainment, sports, and culture.”

IMG has also worked with EWC to develop an international distribution strategy for the tournament’s programming and will leverage its network of global media experts to manage the content worldwide. In addition, EWC has appointed SNTV to distribute daily content of the tournament to global broadcasters and media partners via its sports video production and distribution agency, Story10.

Captured using state-of-the-art studio cameras, wire-cams and augmented reality (AR) capabilities, EWC Spotlight’s English-language broadcast will be available exclusively to select media partners globally, reaching a potential audience of over 250 million people.

The show will be available for fans to watch around the world on Fox Sports (US), DAZN (16 countries globally), beIN/TOD (MENA), Channel 7 (Australia), TRT (Turkey), Astro (Malaysia), TAP (Philippines), GOAT (Brazil), Nsports (Brazil), Star Times (South Africa), WHATS TV (Spain), HoyTv (Hong Kong), CHZZK (South Korea), DirecTV (LatAm), among others.

Barney Francis, EVP, studios, IMG, said: “The Esports World Cup is as big as it gets for gaming fans and we’re excited to help bring the tournament to fans across the globe through unmissable and headline-grabbing programming. Combining IMG’s premium production capabilities and creativity with our team of global media experts and strategists, this partnership enables us to provide an elevated viewer experience for fans worldwide, as they watch their favourite teams and personalities battle it out on a world stage.”

The Esports World Cup is the world’s largest professional esports event. With 25 tournaments across 24 games, 2,000 elite players, and 200 clubs from over 100 countries, it will feature the largest prize pool in esports history, over $70 million.

For the first time, EWC will feature chess, with five-time World Champion Magnus Carlsen serving as both competitor and official Global Ambassador. Additionally, football icon Cristiano Ronaldo joins as a Global Ambassador, further strengthening connections between esports and traditional sports.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Virginia’s Gretchen Walsh, named the Honda Cup winner as the 2025 Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year, and Duke’s Cooper Flagg, the consensus Men’s Basketball National Player of the Year, have been chosen as the top female and male ACC athletes for the 2024-25 academic year by a select media panel (55 voters).
 
Walsh earned the 36th Mary Garber Award as the ACC’s most outstanding female athlete, winning the distinction for the second straight year. She is the seventh ACC female student-athlete to win the honor in consecutive years, joining NC State’s Julie Shea (cross country/track, 1980-81), Virginia’s Dawn Staley (basketball, 1991-92), North Carolina’s Mia Hamm (soccer, 1993-94), Maryland’s Jen Adams (lacrosse, 2000-01), Duke’s Alana Beard (basketball, 2003-04) and Boston College’s Charlotte North (lacrosse, 2021-22). This marks the fifth time a UVA student-athlete has claimed the award (Staley, 1991-92; Morgan Brian, soccer, 2015; Walsh, 2024-25). She remains the only swimmer to earn ACC Athlete of the Year honors (women’s or men’s).
 
Flagg was awarded the 72nd Anthony J. McKevlin Award as the premier male athlete in the conference. He is the 17th Duke student-athlete to receive this honor and the first freshman honoree since Duke basketball’s Zion Williamson in 2019.
 
“Gretchen and Cooper each had incredible seasons in their respective sports and represented the ACC at the highest level,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “They have succeeded and dominated not just within our conference, but at the national and international levels as well. We are extremely proud of them and know they will continue to thrive in their future endeavors.”
 
The ACC Athlete of the Year Awards are given in memory of two distinguished journalists. McKevlin was a sports editor of the Raleigh (North Carolina) News and Observer, while Garber, of the Winston-Salem (North Carolina) Journal, was a pioneer as one of the first female sports journalists in the nation.
 

Walsh helped lead Virginia to its fifth straight national title at the 2025 NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving National Championships. She was named the 2025 CSCAA Women’s Swimmer of the Year for the second straight year after winning three individual titles at the NCAA Championships (50 free, 100 free, 100 fly) and setting three NCAA and American records. She was also a part of all four of the Cavaliers’ first-place relay teams, including the 200 medley relay team that set the meet, NCAA, American and US Open records.
 

Walsh also garnered ACC Women’s Swimmer of the Year laurels for the second straight year after earning three individual and four relay titles at the 2025 ACC Swimming & Diving Championships, where she also claimed the ACC Women’s Swimming Most Valuable Swimmer Award.
 
The Nashville, Tennessee, native closed out her collegiate career as a 25-time NCAA Champion, 23-time ACC Champion, 28-time All-ACC honoree and 27-time All-American. She was just the fourth ACC athlete to win the Honda Cup, joining Julie Shea (1980), Dawn Staley (1991) and Mia Hamm (1994). Her impact on the sport reaches beyond the NCAA. Walsh has set 17 world records and 38 American records. She won four medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics (two gold, two silver), helping set two relay world records and one individual Olympic record at the Games. 
 
Flagg was named National Player of the Year by five of the six organizations recognized by the NCAA, taking home the honor from the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), Associated Press (AP), Wooden and Naismith. Flagg also swept the ACC Player and Rookie of the Year awards and was Duke’s first consensus First Team All-American since Williamson and RJ Barrett in 2019.
 
A native of Newport, Maine, Flagg led the ACC champion Blue Devils in points (709), rebounds (278), assists (155), steals (52) and blocks per game (1.4), and ranked among the ACC’s top-10 in four of the five major statistical categories – scoring (3rd), rebounding (9th), assists (8th) and blocked shots (6th). He helped guide Duke to its first NCAA Final Four since 2022.
 
Flagg was the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, going to the Dallas Mavericks. At 18 years, 186 days old, he was the second-youngest No. 1 pick in draft history behind LeBron James (18 years, 178 days old) in 2003 and was the ACC’s 13th No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick and first since Duke’s Paolo Banchero in 2022.
 
Mary Garber Award Voting Leaders
Gretchen Walsh, Virginia, Swimming, 24
Chloe Humphrey, North Carolina, Lacrosse, 13
Olivia Babcock, Pitt, Volleyball, 5
Mirabel Ting, Florida State, Golf, 5
 
Anthony J. McKevlin Award Voting Leaders
Cooper Flagg, Duke, Basketball, 41
Cam Ward, Miami, Football, 4
Vincent Robinson, NC State, Wrestling, 3
 
All-Time McKevlin & Garber Award Honorees:
1954 • Joel Shankle • Duke • M Track and Field
1955 • Dickie Hemric • Wake Forest • M Basketball
1956 • Dave Sime • Duke • M Track and Field/Basketball
1957 • Lennie Rosenbluth • North Carolina • M Basketball
1958 • Dick Christy • NC State • Football
1959 • Lou Pucillo • NC State • M Basketball
1960 • Mike McGee • Duke • Football
1961 • Roman Gabriel • NC State • Football
1962 • Lenn Chappell • Wake Forest • M Basketball
1963 • Art Heyman • Duke • M Basketball
1964 • Jeff Mullins • Duke • M Basketball
1965 • Brian Piccolo • Wake Forest • Football
1966 • Danny Talbott • North Carolina • Football/M Basketball
1967 • Bobby Bryant • South Carolina • Football/M Basketball
1968 • Larry Miller • North Carolina • M Basketball
1969 • Frank Quayle • Virginia • Football
1970 • Charlie Scott • North Carolina • M Basketball
1971 • Don McCauley • North Carolina • Football
1972 • Barry Parkhill • Virginia • M Basketball
1973 • David Thompson • NC State • M Basketball
1974 • Tony Waldrop • North Carolina • M Track and Field
1975 • David Thompson • NC State • M Basketball
1976 • John Lucas • Maryland • M Basketball/M Tennis
1977 • Phil Ford • North Carolina • M Basketball
1978 • Phil Ford • North Carolina • M Basketball
1979 • Renaldo Nehemiah • Maryland • M Track and Field
1980 • Julie Shea • NC State • W Track and Field
1981 • Julie Shea • NC State • W Track and Field
1982 • James Worthy • North Carolina • M Basketball
1983 • Ralph Sampson • Virginia • M Basketball
1984 • Michael Jordan • North Carolina • M Basketball
1985 • B.J. Surhoff • North Carolina • Baseball
1986 • Len Bias • Maryland • M Basketball
1987 • Riccardo Ingram • Georgia Tech • Football/Baseball
1988 • Danny Ferry • Duke • M Basketball
1989 • Danny Ferry • Duke • M Basketball
1990 • Shannon Higgins • North Carolina • W Soccer
1990 • Clarkston Hines • Duke • Football
1991 • Dawn Staley • Virginia • W Basketball
1991 • Christian Laettner • Duke • M Basketball
1992 • Dawn Staley • Virginia • W Basketball
1992 • Christian Laettner • Duke • M Basketball
1993 • Mia Hamm • North Carolina • W Soccer
1993 • Charlie Ward • Florida State • Football/M Basketball
1994 • Mia Hamm • North Carolina • W Soccer
1994 • Charlie Ward • Florida State • Football/M Basketball
1995 • Tisha Venturini • North Carolina • W Soccer
1995 • Randolph Childress • Wake Forest • M Basketball
1996 • Kelly Amonte • Maryland • W Soccer/W Lacrosse
1996 • Kris Benson • Clemson • Baseball
1997 • Sarah Forbes • Maryland • W Lacrosse
1997 • Tim Duncan • Wake Forest • M Basketball
1998 • Vanessa Webb • Duke • W Tennis
1998 • Antawn Jamison • North Carolina • M Basketball
1999 • Cindy Parlow • North Carolina • W Soccer
1999 • Elton Brand • Duke • M Basketball
2000 • Jen Adams • Maryland • W Lacrosse
2000 • Joe Hamilton • Georgia Tech • Football
2001 • Jen Adams • Maryland • W Lacrosse
2001 • Shane Battier • Duke • M Basketball
2002 • Bea Bielik • Wake Forest • W Tennis
2002 • Juan Dixon • Maryland • M Basketball
2003 • Alana Beard • Duke • W Basketball
2003 • Chris Rotelli • Virginia • M Lacrosse
2004 • Alana Beard • Duke • W Basketball
2004 • Phillip Rivers • NC State • Football
2005 • Kelly Dostal • Wake Forest • Field Hockey
2005 • Sean May • North Carolina • M Basketball
2006 • Paula Infante • Maryland • Field Hockey
2006 • J.J. Redick • Duke • M Basketball
2007 • Lindsey Harding • Duke • W Basketball
2007 • Walter Dix • Florida State • M Track and Field
2008 • Angela Tincher • Virginia Tech • Softball
2008 • Tyler Hansbrough • North Carolina • M Basketball
2009 • Casey Nogueira • North Carolina • W Soccer
2009 • Matt Hill • NC State • M Golf
2010 • Whitney Engen • North Carolina • W Soccer
2010 • Ned Crotty • Duke • M Lacrosse
2011 • Katie O’Donnell • Maryland • Field Hockey
2011 • Ngoni Makusha • Florida State • M Track and Field
2012 • Becca Ward • Duke • W Fencing
2012 • Luke Kuechly • Boston College • Football
2013 • Crystal Dunn • North Carolina • W Soccer
2013 • Jarmere Jenkins • Virginia • M Tennis
2014 • Alyssa Thomas • Maryland • W Basketball
2014 • Jameis Winston • Florida State • Football
2015 • Morgan Brian • Virginia • W Soccer
2015 • Laken Tomlinson • Duke • Football
2016 • Molly Seidel • Notre Dame • W Cross Country/Track and Field
2016 • Deshaun Watson • Clemson • Football
2017 • Kenzie Kent • Boston College • W Lacrosse/ W Ice Hockey
2017 • Deshaun Watson • Clemson • Football
2018 • Arike Ogunbowale • Notre Dame • W Basketball
2018 • Lamar Jackson • Louisville • Football
2019 • Ashley Hoffman • North Carolina • Field Hockey
2019 • Zion Williamson • Duke • M Basketball
2020 • Erin Matson • North Carolina • Field Hockey
2020 • Robbie Robinson • Clemson • M Soccer
2021 • Charlotte North • Boston College • W Lacrosse
2021 • Trevor Lawrence • Clemson • Football
2022 • Charlotte North • Boston College • W Lacrosse
2022 • Kenny Pickett • Pitt • Football

2023 • Katelyn Tuohy • NC State • W Cross Country/Track & Field
2023 • Rhett Lowder • Wake Forest • Baseball
2024 • Pat Kavanagh • Notre Dame • M Lacrosse
2024 • Gretchen Walsh • Virginia • W Swimming
2025 • Cooper Flagg • Duke • M Basketball
2025 • Gretchen Walsh • Virginia • W Swimming
 

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Macalester College volleyball head coach Mary Johnston has announced the hiring of Delilah Wolf as the program’s top assistant coach. Wolf is a St. Paul native who had an outstanding playing career at Division I Loyola University Chicago.

“We are excited to have Delilah join our staff,” Johnston said. “Her playing experience stood out in the search process. She will be a great addition to the Macalester community.”

Wolf was a four-year starting setter at Loyola, where she registered 3,721 assists in her career to rank third in the program’s history. In her first season, she ranked fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference with 9.87 assists per set and earned a spot on the MVC All-Freshman Team. Wolf played in every set for the Ramblers as a sophomore and junior, and was third in the MVC with 10.67 assists per set her junior season.

A psychology major, Wolf was named to the MVC Honor Roll after each season. She graduated from Loyola in 2020 and earned a Master’s of Education degree in School and Community Counseling in 2023. Wolf served as a setting coach for Mizuno Northern Lights and worked summer volleyball camps while at Loyola. She has been a volunteer volleyball coach with the St. Paul Public Schools since 2016.

“I am so excited to join Macalester’s volleyball and athletics family,” Wolf said. “I would like to thank head coach, Mary Johnston, for the opportunity to train, coach, and be a part of the staff here at Mac. I cannot wait to get started with this group of current players and continue Mary’s cultural push for competitiveness and success in the program. Go Scots!”

Prior to attending Loyola, Wolf starred for Como Park High School and played her club volleyball at Mizuno Northern Lights.

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A Phoenix man is jailed on multiple charges after police say he repeatedly physically and sexually assaulted a woman, while keeping her locked in a backyard shed for two weeks.

Timothy James Wood, 36, was booked last week on charges including kidnapping and several other felonies.

Shortly after 4 p.m. last Wednesday, July 2, Phoenix police responded to a 911 call from a home in a neighborhood near 19th and Glendale avenues. She told dispatchers that her boyfriend had been assaulting her for days, and she was able to escape the shed she was being held in and run to a neighbor’s home for help.

When officers arrived, she told them she had recently been evicted and was living in a shed behind the home of her boyfriend’s father. She said her boyfriend, Wood, kept her in the shed for at least 14 days, by tying a tow strap around her ankle, chaining the double doors and stacking bricks outside to keep it from opening.

She also told investigators that Wood would beat her if she refused his sexual advances and that he made her wear makeup to hide injuries to her face. Per court documents, she also reported that Wood used an electrical cord to hit her and that he cut her right foot with a wood saw.

The victim also alleged that Wood threatened to kill her at one point while kneeling on her neck, and that he buried her in a crawl space under the shed for two days. According to documents, she was finally able to escape through a rear access door of the shed that wasn’t locked.

Police noted the woman had several visible injuries to her face and other parts of her body, including bite marks. Hospital staff confirmed she had other injuries, including a broken rib.

Wood was arrested at the home and booked into the Maricopa County jail for kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, sexual assault, criminal threat, assault and three counts of aggravated assault.

In his initial appearance, Wood adamantly claimed these were false allegations, saying, “She just got out of the loony bin. … She has these episodes, and I don’t know I’m supposed to call her mom, and when I got home, the police were there. This all kinda broke out.”

However, officers say they found evidence that supports the victim’s claims, like chains and tow straps in the shed as well as a mattress. The forensic nurse determined her injuries were consistent with her claims as well.

Forensic psychologist John Delatorre says this is an extreme example of domestic and intimate partner violence.

“I think on its face, we’re obviously dealing with someone who hates women,” Delatorre said. “Strangely enough, this was a fantasy for him. This is not something that he just kind of came up with out of nowhere.”

He said this case is one where he believes “death was probably imminent.”

There are organizations available to help anyone going through a domestic violence situation in Arizona. For information about Phoenix-specific resources, click/tap here.

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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State Head Cross Country Coach Brad Butler and Cross Country/Track and Field Program Director Angela Martin unveiled the Sycamores’ 2025 cross country schedule Wednesday morning.
 
The Sycamores’ slate features six regular season meets, including two at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, with the annual conference and NCAA championship meets to round out the schedule. Indiana State will square off with plenty of top competition without having to travel far, as three-fourths of the Sycamores’ meets on the schedule are within a three-hour radius of Terre Haute.
 
“Our schedule for the fall is very competitive as we go to some of the best meets in the Midwest,” Butler said. “We are looking forward to racing on some great courses, including hosting our annual John McNichols Invitational out at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. I am excited to have our group back on campus to get the season started.”
 
Indiana State opens its season at a Big Ten-hosted meet for the second straight season with the Sycamores taking part in the Fighting Illini Open August 29 in Savoy, Illinois. Last season, the Sycamores began their campaign with a strong performance at the Sam Bell Invitational in Bloomington, Ind.
 
Following their season opener, the Sycamores will play host to their annual home meet, the John McNichols Invitational, September 20 at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. The meet is among the top early season meets in the Midwest and annually attracts high-level teams and athletes to Terre Haute, while being featured by the NCAA as one of the top meets in the nation.
 
The Sycamores begin the month of October with a trip north, taking part in the Joe Piane Invitational October 3 in South Bend. Indiana State will also have a group of athletes compete under the lights at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course that night in the XC Town Twilight.
 
Indiana State’s final meet before the championship stretch is a familiar one, as the Sycamores will compete in the Bradley Pink Classic October 17. The meet has become a fixture on the Sycamores’ schedule, featuring strong competition while giving the Blue and White a chance to compete against most of the MVC institutions before seeing them at the conference championships. Indiana State will also send a group of its top athletes to the Pre-National Invitational October 18 in Columbia, Missouri, the site of the 2025 national championships.
 
The 2025 MVC Cross Country Championships will take place October 31 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, with Evansville serving as championship hosts. Evansville is also the host site for the 2025 NCAA Great Lakes Regional, which will take place November 14. Missouri is the 2025 NCAA Cross Country National Championships host, with the championship meet taking place November 22 in Columbia.
 
2025 Indiana State Cross Country Schedule
Aug. 29 – Fighting Illini Open (Savoy, Ill. / Orange and Blue Golf Course)
Sept. 20 – John McNichols Invitational (Terre Haute, Ind. / LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course)
Oct. 3 – Joe Piane Invitational (South Bend, Ind. / Burke Golf Course)
Oct. 3 – XC Town Twilight (Terre Haute, Ind. / LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course)
Oct. 17 – Bradley Pink Classic (Peoria, Ill. / Newman Golf Course)
Oct. 18 – Pre-National Invitational (Columbia, Mo. / Gans Creek Cross Country Course)
Oct. 31 – MVC Cross Country Championships (Evansville, Ind. / Angel Mounds Cross Country Course)
Nov. 14 – NCAA Great Lakes Regional (Evansville, Ind. / Angel Mounds Cross Country Course)
Nov. 22 – NCAA National Championships (Columbia, Mo. / Gans Creek Cross Country Course)
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on the Sycamore Cross Country teams, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from the both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
 

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