Sports

Rest for success: The science behind sleep and why students need it

Larena Tannert is a journalism sophomore and opinion columnist for Mustang News. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang Media Group. Towards the end of my freshman year, after a week straight of surviving on less than five hours of sleep each night, I found myself blankly staring at […]

Published

3 weeks ago

May 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Larena Tannert is a journalism sophomore and opinion columnist for Mustang News. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang Media Group.

Towards the end of my freshman year, after a week straight of surviving on less than five hours of sleep each night, I found myself blankly staring at my computer in my common room, trying to complete a simple assignment that should have taken 30 minutes.

This night became my breaking point. I quickly realized that sleep was much more important than I ever recognized. Once I learned to prioritize it, my physical, social and emotional health all improved significantly. I wish I knew then what I know now: making sleep a priority isn’t just good for your health, it actually improves your grades.

Two hours had gone by, and I had only written a single paragraph. My eyes were drooping, and I was slowly nodding off, thoughts scattered as I leaned back into my chair.

Earlier that day, I had completely blanked during a class discussion. When the professor called on me, I had to shamefully ask her to repeat the question. Walking back to my room that evening, I nearly stepped into traffic because I had lost any ability to focus or complete simple tasks, such as looking both ways before crossing a street.

The worst part? I wasn’t even partying or procrastinating. I was genuinely trying to manage my busy schedule: keeping up with coursework and intramurals while maintaining some semblance of a social life.

Sleep had become an expendable luxury in my packed schedule—the first thing sacrificed when time ran short. I was going to sleep at 3 a.m. every night, often on my dorm’s common room couch rather than my own bed.

When I first arrived on campus, I quickly learned that the college lifestyle often treats sleep as optional. Between social events, club meetings, study groups, and assignments, sleep becomes the first thing to be sacrificed. The pressure to do it all can be overwhelming.

I pulled all-nighters before exams and stayed up late to finish papers. I thought everyone did this. I mean, just walk into any college study spot and you’ll see it: students hunched over laptops, chugging coffee, and bragging about how little they’ve slept.

The results? My concentration faltered, my anxiety increased, and surprisingly, my grades suffered despite spending more time studying.

So I made a decision that changed everything: I prioritized sleep.

Now, I aim for 9-10 hours every night, even (especially) during exam weeks. This means sometimes saying no to late-night hangouts or starting assignments earlier in the day. But the benefits have been undeniable.

First, my academic performance improved significantly. Research backs this up – sleep helps consolidate memories and enhances productivity. Those extra study hours gained by skipping sleep? They’re actually counterproductive when your brain is too exhausted to function.

Second, my mental health stabilized. Sleep deprivation is strongly linked to anxiety and depression, issues already prevalent among college students. When I’m well-rested, I can handle stress more effectively and maintain a positive attitude.

Third, my physical health benefits. Regular sleep strengthens immunity, supports healthy weight management, and gives me the energy for physical activity. As someone who plays beach volleyball almost daily, it is important for me to be energized and refreshed, something a good night’s sleep provides.

Of course, maintaining good sleep habits in college requires strategy and discipline. I’ve learned to keep a consistent sleep schedule, even on weekends, use my bed only for sleeping, not studying, create a relaxing pre-sleep routine, plan ahead for big assignments to avoid last-minute panic, and minimize caffeine after noon.

College is a time of immense growth and opportunity. The pressure to maximize every moment is real. But I’ve learned that sacrificing sleep doesn’t actually give us more time, it makes the time we have less productive and enjoyable.

So, to my fellow students: sleep isn’t lazy. It’s strategic. It’s self-care. And it might just be the competitive advantage you need to thrive and achieve academic success.

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Sports

Andover Swimming and Water Polo Club girls secure wins

The Andover Swimming and Water Polo Club (ASWPC) girls competed in the Hampshire Ladies League in Winchester and secured two commanding victories. The team, aged between 14 and 16, began the weekend with a 16-2 win against The Channel Islands, showcasing their dynamic offensive play and strong defence. They followed this with a 21-2 victory […]

Published

23 minutes ago

June 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The Andover Swimming and Water Polo Club (ASWPC) girls competed in the Hampshire Ladies League in Winchester and secured two commanding victories.

The team, aged between 14 and 16, began the weekend with a 16-2 win against The Channel Islands, showcasing their dynamic offensive play and strong defence.

They followed this with a 21-2 victory against Southampton University, demonstrating consistent scoring and solid teamwork.

Their success is even more impressive given their age and the experience of their opponents.

Coach Scott Buchan’s dedication and the players’ fitness and swimming strength have been key to their achievements.

The club recognised the girls’ efforts, stating: “Huge congratulations to the team: Ellie (captain), Abi, Jess, Meg, Kitty, Molly, Aimee, Lucy, and Alice – your club and community are proud.”

The team had already achieved a win and a narrow loss before the weekend’s matches.

They are now looking forward to their remaining fixtures, which will decide their final position in the league.

The club is hopeful of their potential success, given their impressive performance so far.

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Sports

Bradley senior qualifies in 1500

Bradley runner Jack Crull is headed to the national finals. The fifth-year senior earned a spot in the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships, set for June 11-14 in Eugene, Oregon. He is one of 24 qualifiers in the men’s 1,500-meter run, with a time of 3 minutes, 47.31 seconds. Crull is the first BU track athlete […]

Published

36 minutes ago

June 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Bradley runner Jack Crull is headed to the national finals.

The fifth-year senior earned a spot in the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships, set for June 11-14 in Eugene, Oregon. He is one of 24 qualifiers in the men’s 1,500-meter run, with a time of 3 minutes, 47.31 seconds.

Crull is the first BU track athlete to qualify for nationals since Tiana LoStracco made the women’s 800 field in 2023. He is the first men’s athlete headed to Eugene since Daniel Gagne made the 1500 in 2017. He and Gagne are BU’s only NCAA outdoor finalists since 1955.

Crull advanced after his performance last week at the NCAA West First Round in College Station, Texas. He finished second in the first round heat and then fifth in the quarterfinal heat to advance — lunging to the line to defeat the next runner by .09 and earn the final spot in the semifinals.

Crull’s next race is the national 1,500 semifinals, scheduled for 6:21 p.m. CT on June 11. The finals are 7:12 p.m. on June 13.

Six other Bradley athletes competed in the first round at College Station, but did not advance beyond their first race: Jaxson Copelin (men’s 800) Jamie Phillips (men’s 800), Abigail Hancock (women’s 1500), Kaitlyn Sheppard (women’s 1500), Trixie Wraith (women’s 1500) and Nadia Potgieter (women’s 5000).

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Sports

ICE defends arrest of Milford High School student, though teen was ‘not the target’

Despite a Milford High School student not being the intended target of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents over the weekend, federal officials on Monday defended the decision to arrest the teenager. “He’s 18 years old. He’s unlawfully in this country, and we had to go to Milford to look for someone else, and we […]

Published

37 minutes ago

June 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation

“He’s 18 years old. He’s unlawfully in this country, and we had to go to Milford to look for someone else, and we came across him, and he was arrested,” said acting ICE Boston Office Director Patricia Hyde at a June 2 press conference at the John J. Moakley Courthouse in Boston.

Hyde was joined by Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, along with U.S. Attorney Leah Foley and ICE Boston spokesperson James Covington, where the officials announced nearly 1,500 people were detained by ICE in Massachusetts over the course of May.

Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, 18, was picking up some of his volleyball teammates on Saturday morning when four vehicles driven by ICE representatives surrounded his car. Agents jumped out and detained Gomes, his girlfriend told NBC Boston.

That “someone else” who Hyde mentioned the ICE agents were actually looking for was Gomes Da Silva’s father, said Lyons.

ICE had “intelligence” on Gomes Da Silva’s father “from a local law enforcement agency,” Lyons said, and ICE agents stopped the car Marcelo Gomes Da Silva was driving to volleyball practice that morning because it was his father’s.

The Milford Police Department had no part in assisting the detainment of Gomes Da Silva and did not make notifications to the agency about the location of his father’s car, Police Chief Robert Tusino said.

Lyons told reporters on Monday, “We were looking for his father — obviously, he’s the father of the year, because he brought his son up here illegally as well.”

Reporters challenged Lyons on the decision to arrest a high school student and asked what danger the teenager — who was about to play in the graduation ceremony band the next day — was to his community.

Lyons deflected by asking reporters questions back.

“I‘ll put it back on you: What about an 18-year-old who was stopped for a traffic violation by Mass. State Police? … would you be asking that same question to the Mass. State Police for not arresting him?” he asked.

“I didn’t say he was dangerous. I said he’s in this country illegally, and we’re not going to walk away from anybody,” Lyons said.

Gomes Da Silva’s attorney filed a writ of habeas corpus petition within the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts on Sunday, and a judge has ordered the teenager to remain in the state.

However, Gomes Da Silva is being held in Burlington, Vermont, even with the judge’s 72-hour order and his attorney’s request for his immediate release, according to reports from WCVB. His attorney told the outlet the teenager came to the U.S. on a student visa from Brazil with his family in 2012 and has since lived in Milford.

When asked about Gomes Da Silva’s rights to due process, Lyons promised the teenager “will go in front of an immigration judge” and “have the opportunity to post bond.”

“The whole due process thing — ICE doesn’t just scoop people off the street and remove them. Everyone gets due process, and that is what the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the immigration courts are for,” Lyons said.

ICE blames sanctuary cities

Officials also blamed sanctuary cities — communities that decline to cooperate with federal immigration authorities — for ICE’s presence throughout the state.

“Sanctuary policies put us in a position to go out into communities and look for people,” Hyde said. “When jurisdictions don’t cooperate with ICE and we don’t arrest people, in custodial arrests, then we must go out into the community. And when we go out into the community and we find others who are unlawfully here, we are going to arrest them.”

Lyons shared the same sentiment. “… if sanctuary cities would change their policies and turn these violent criminal aliens over to us, into our custody instead of releasing them into the public, we would not have to go out to the communities and do this.”

Community, officials push back

As the press conference unfolded Monday, Gomes Da Silva’s classmates led a walkout at Milford High School, reports from Channel 7 showed.

This followed a massive protest on Sunday at the Town Hall, where hundreds of people — including students in caps and gowns from graduation — marched to demand Gomes Da Silva’s immediate freedom.

Gov. Maura Healey is also demanding answers after Gomes’ arrest.

“I’m disturbed and outraged by reports that a Milford High School student was arrested by ICE on his way to volleyball practice yesterday,” Healey said in a statement Sunday morning. “Yet again, local officials and law enforcement have been left in the dark with no heads up and no answers to their questions.”

The governor is pressuring ICE to provide information about why the student was arrested, where he is now and “how his due process is being protected.”

Milford High’s boys volleyball coach Andrew Mainini said he assumed some of his players had overslept when they didn’t show up to practice on Saturday, according to the Boston Globe. A half-hour later, Mainini said a student texted him saying their group had been stopped by immigration agents and that one of them had been detained.

The high school student wasn’t detained on school grounds, Milford Public Schools Superintendent Kevin McIntyre said. A number of Milford parents have also been arrested by federal immigration officers in recent weeks, McIntyre said.

“The Milford Public Schools play no part in immigration enforcement and support all of our students and families, including those who are immigrants to the United States. They are members of the community, students in our classrooms, athletes that compete representing Milford, musicians, artists, friends, and neighbors,” McIntyre’s statement read.

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Sports

Iowa Democratic Rep. and minor league pitcher J.D. Scholten to run against Sen. Joni Ernst

Published

45 minutes ago

June 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Iowa Democratic Rep. and minor league pitcher J.D. Scholten to run against Sen. Joni Ernst

Democratic Iowa state Rep. J.D. Scholten announced June 2 that he is running for the U.S. Senate in 2026, seeking to take on Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst.Scholten, 45, is a second-term state representative from Sioux City. He is a professional baseball player for the Sioux City explorers and runs an anti-monopoly blog on Substack.Scholten said Ernst’s recent comments at a town hall on Medicaid cuts were “pretty instrumental for me” getting in the race.Democratic Iowa state Rep. J.D. Scholten is launching a run for the U.S. Senate, seeking to take on Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst in 2026.Scholten’s announcement comes days after Ernst sparked a national backlash over comments she made about Medicaid at a town hall in Parkersburg.As Ernst was answering a question about the proposed Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump’s tax package, an audience member shouted, “people will die!” Ernst replied by saying, “People are not — well, we all are going to die. For heaven’s sakes, folks.”

Ernst later posted a sarcastic apology video on Instagram.

In an interview with the Des Moines Register, Scholten said Ernst’s comments were “pretty instrumental for me.” He said he heard about the remarks while he was on the way to a funeral.”And just sitting there, contemplating life like you do at a funeral, I just thought I need to do this,” he said. “And so then when she doubled down on Saturday with her, I felt, very disrespectful comments, I was like, ‘OK, game on.'” J.D. Scholten Scholten’s announcement was first reported by the Sioux City Journal.

Scholten, 45, is serving his second term in the Iowa House, where he represents parts of Sioux City.

Before he was elected to the Iowa House he ran unsuccessfully for Congress in Iowa’s conservative 4th Congressional District in 2018 and 2020, where he built a national following by challenging controversial Republican U.S. Rep. Steve King.

Scholten helps run a blog on Substack called “You’re Probably Getting Screwed,” which covers economic concentration in America and pitches itself to “those who feel economically left behind.”

“I fundamentally believe that we deserve more than a GoFundMe broken health care system, a JBS food system and a Dollar General economy,” he said. “I will continue to run, as I did in my congressional campaigns, (to) fight for universal health care, fix the economy so it works for everybody and secure our democracy from the special interests like the billionaires that are dictating it.”Scholten’s Senate announcement comes one day after his professional baseball team, the Sioux City Explorers, shared that he has been added to the team’s active roster and is expected to play this summer. Scholten made his return as a pitcher for the Explorers last year at the age of 44, a decade after he first retired from professional baseball.

Scholten said he still plans to play baseball this season. Afterwards, he said he intends to repeat his strategy from his congressional bids by buying an RV dubbed “Sioux City Sue” and traveling around the state.

State Rep. J. D. Scholten, 44, pitches for the Sioux City Explorers during a game against the against the Lincoln Saltdogs in in Sioux City, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024.

“Until then, I think every campaign across the country is trying to get attention somehow,” he said. “And continuing to play baseball is just my way of being able to get out there and talk to voters of all different backgrounds and get my foot in a lot of doors.”

Scholten is the second Democratic candidate to announce a Senate campaign. Nathan Sage, director of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, got into the race in May.

State Sen. Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, is also considering running for Senate next year. And state Rep. Josh Turek, D-Council Bluffs, has also previously said he is considering a campaign.

Scholten said his experience running for federal office will help him stand out in the primary.

“We’re the only one who’s ran for federal office, and not only did I do that, we moved the needle 24 points in 2018 and this year’s shaping up to be similar to that,” he said. “I’m the only one who has won in a Trump district like I did last fall and every single race I’ve overperformed the top of the ticket, so if it’s about electability I think I can be the best candidate for Democrats.”

One Republican challenger, Joshua Smith, has announced a campaign against Ernst for the GOP nomination.

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on X at @sgrubermiller.

Sports

Miami Monday – Miami University RedHawks

Story Links WELCOME BACK TO MIAMI MONDAY Thank you for checking out Miami Monday! In addition to this update, continue to stay up-to-date with Miami Athletics via MiamiRedHawks.com and our social media platforms. In conjunction with Miami Athletics, Missy Friede, (513) 255-0193, missysellsohio@gmail.com is proud to bring you this edition of Miami […]

Published

53 minutes ago

June 2, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WELCOME BACK TO MIAMI MONDAY
Thank you for checking out Miami Monday! In addition to this update, continue to stay up-to-date with Miami Athletics via MiamiRedHawks.com and our social media platforms.

In conjunction with Miami Athletics, Missy Friede, (513) 255-0193, missysellsohio@gmail.com is proud to bring you this edition of Miami Monday. Missy Friede, a licensed realtor with Keller Williams Seven Hills Realty, would like to be your hometown connection for all your real estate needs in Oxford, Cincinnati and everywhere in between in Butler and Hamilton County.

Miami Monday will pause for the summer months with one additional June edition and one July edition. It will resume a normal weekly schedule in early August.

MIAMI SWEEPS REESE AND JACOBY TROPHIES!

For just the fourth time in school history, the Miami University Athletics Department finished atop both the Reese and Jacoby All-Sport standings. This is the 26th time Miami has captured the Reese Trophy (top MAC men’s athletic program), and it’s the seventh Jacoby Trophy (top MAC women’s athletic program). Miami last won both trophies in the same year in 2019. In all, Miami captured a school-record 10 championships from football, baseball (x2), men’s swimming (Missouri Valley Conference), field hockey (x2), softball (x2) and tennis. Miami’s synchronized skating team added a collegiate national championship for the 23rd time in program history as well.

READ MORE | FRONT ROW FEATURE: BACK ON TOP

SCALLY ADVANCES TO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Ella Scally finished 10th in the long jump at last week’s NCAA East First Round to qualify for the Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. Allie Melchiorre (47th place, javelin), Ella Rigel (25th place, hammer), Adam Smith (34th place, discus) and Abby Suszek (40th place, 400m) also competed for the RedHawks in Jacksonville, Fla. Scally advances to represent the RedHawks at the national championships on Thursday, June 12 at 8:40 p.m. ET.

WOMEN’S JACKSONVILLE RECAP | MEN’S JACKSONVILLE RECAP

NCAA MEET CENTRAL

KICK TIMES ANNOUNCED FOR SIX FOOTBALL GAMES

The Mid-American Conference office announced six kick times for the 2025 Miami football season. The RedHawks open by visiting Wisconsin (9 p.m. ET on Aug. 28, Big Ten Network) and Rutgers (3:30 p.m. on Sept. 6, Peacock). Home games at Yager Stadium include Sept. 27 vs. Lindenwood (3:30 p.m. on ESPN+) and Nov. 12 vs. Toledo (7 p.m.). MACtion trips to Ohio (Nov. 4) and Buffalo (Nov. 19) will both kick off at 7 p.m. The rest of the 2025 kick times will be announced at a later date.

READ MORE

BANN, DENYSIEWICZ-SLOWEK EARN MAC MEDAL OF EXCELLENCE; CONDIT INDUCTED INTO MAC HALL OF FAME

Zach Bann (swimming and diving) and Catherine Denysiewicz-Slowek (tennis) were recognized last week with the MAC Medal of Excellence. The Medal of Excellence is presented annually to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each of the 12 Conference member institutions. Former volleyball head coach Carolyn Condit also was inducted into the MAC Hall of Fame last week as part of a five-member class.

READ MORE ON BANN; DENYSIEWICZ-SLOWEK | READ MORE ON CONDIT

ADDITIONAL NEWS AND UPDATES

Miami Baseball concluded its season with losses to Tennessee and Wake Forest in the Knoxville Regional of the NCAA Tournament last week; Miami finishes the year at 35-23 after advancing to the NCAA regionals for the first time in 20 years.

Five Miami Softball student-athletes earned Academic All-MAC recognition: Mckenna Campbell, Shelby Kunkel, Chloe Parks, Madie Patton and Erin Pinter.

Miami Golf announced its complete 2025-26 schedule. The RedHawks will host three team events next year, including the Moraine Intercollegiate, the Sweetens Cove Intercollegiate and the Muirfield Shootout.

REDHAWK FOOTBALL ROAD SHOW

Cincinnati – Saturday, June 7

Join Miami Football and head coach Chuck Martin as they host the final RedHawk Road Show in Cincinnati! This event is scheduled to run from 6-9 p.m. There is no cost to attend, but RSVPs are required if you plan to check out the RedHawk Road Show!

RSVP Cincinnati

SECURE YOUR 2025-26 SEASON TICKETS TODAY!

Don’t miss a minute of the action in 2025-26; secure your season tickets for next year now! Volleyball season tickets are on sale now for $40 per ticket ($28 for faculty/staff). Football season tickets are available for as low as $156 per ticket; renew online or purchase new through the Miami Athletic Ticket Office. Hockey season tickets are available for as low as $336; renew online or purchase new through the Miami Athletic Ticket Office. Deposits to secure men’s basketball and women’s basketball can also be placed. For $56 per ticket, you can secure your season tickets for men’s basketball. For $31 per ticket, you can secure your season tickets for women’s basketball. The momentum is strong, so act now!

VOLLEYBALL 2025 SEASON TICKETS

FOOTBALL 2025 SEASON TICKETS

HOCKEY 2025-26 SEASON TICKETS

MEN’S BASKETBALL 2025-26 SEASON TICKET DEPOSIT

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 2025-26 SEASON TICKET DEPOSIT

UPCOMING EVENTS

June 12 – Track & Field at NCAA Championships (Eugene, Ore.), 8:40 p.m. ET

Home games noted in bold

Dates, times, locations tentative and subject to change; Access MiamiRedHawks.com for updated schedule information

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

BB: Miami Comeback Falls Short Against Wake Forest in NCAA Regional

BB: RedHawks Open NCAA Regional by Dropping to Tennessee

GF: Miami Golf Announces Schedule For 2025-26

SB: Five RedHawks Earn Academic All-MAC

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Sports

ICE defends arrest of high school student driving to volleyball practice

Federal immigration officials are defending the arrest of a high school student who was detained on his way to volleyball practice. Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Boston field office, said the 18-year-old was taken into custody Saturday because he is in the country illegally. “We were looking for his father,” […]

Published

58 minutes ago

June 2, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Federal immigration officials are defending the arrest of a high school student who was detained on his way to volleyball practice.

Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Boston field office, said the 18-year-old was taken into custody Saturday because he is in the country illegally.

“We were looking for his father,” Lyons said at a news conference Monday. “Obviously, he isn’t father of the year. He brought his son up here illegally as well.”

Lyons said officers initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle the teen was driving and determined he was in the U.S. unlawfully. He emphasized that ICE agents have the authority to detain individuals who are in the country illegally.

RELATED STORY | 36 Chinese and Taiwanese nationals arrested in Los Angeles nightclub raid, officials say

“I didn’t say he was dangerous. I said he’s in this country illegally, and we’re not going to walk away from anybody,” Lyons told reporters.

He added that his agency has taken in nearly 1,500 immigrants into custody in Massachusetts in May.

The teen will appear before an immigration judge and will have the opportunity to post bond, Lyons said. The teen’s father has not turned himself in, he added.

RELATED STORY | Students, immigration attorneys worry about pause on student visa appointments

Friends told NBC News that the student was born in Brazil and has attended school in the district since the age of 6.

The arrest has sparked backlash in the community, with protests erupting and local officials demanding answers.

“I’m disturbed and outraged by reports that a Milford High School student was arrested by ICE on his way to volleyball practice,” Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement. “Local officials and law enforcement have been left in the dark with no heads-up and no answers to their questions.”

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