Sports

Sarah Bern

Published

5 months ago

August 27, 2025

When Sarah Bern was 15 years old, growing up in Kingston, south-west London, she loved sports but hated her body. Every morning her alarm would ring at 5am and she would run to the gym. After working out she would run straight to school. After school, she would run back to the gym for another workout.

This might sound like commitment, and in a way it was, but one thing Bern, the England rugby union prop currently competing in her third Women’s Rugby World Cup, wasn’t doing was refuelling. In fact, as the 28-year-old tells The Athletic, she was barely eating at all.

“I remember being in school and not fitting in,” Bern, who plays for Bristol Bears in the Premiership, and the only women’s prop to have been nominated for World Player of the Year, says. “I was always so much broader and bigger. I was born big. My sisters (Sammy and Gemma) are so tiny and petite. I look like them but it’s like someone’s gone, ‘We’ll put a load more muscle on you, we’ll make you broader’.

“I spent years trying to figure out how do I look more like them? How do I look more like the women in magazines? I was trying to fit in and I had a period of time where I stopped eating and would excessively train,” says Bern.

Bern’s worried parents, Vicky and Graham, tried to intervene but Bern says she was a “stubborn teenager” unwilling to listen. Everything changed when she attended a rugby camp in the summer before starting Hartpury College in Gloucester, south-west England.

“I wanted to be fit for rugby and to be fit I thought I had to be skinny,” Bern says. “I thought if I’m skinny I’ll be a better player. What I found was that I wasn’t eating, so when I went to rugby camp I was absolutely terrible. I was horrific at rugby. I couldn’t keep up — I didn’t have the energy to keep up. I was getting knocked over left, right and centre. I couldn’t ball carry because I had lost so much weight.

“But it got praised. People would ask me how I got so lean, but they didn’t see how unhealthy I really was,” Bern says at Twickenham, otherwise known as the Allianz Stadium, where the Women’s Rugby World Cup final will be held on September 27.

Sarah Bern in action during an England training session at Pennyhill Park on July 29, 2025 in Bagshot, England (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Bern knew what she was doing was “extremely unsustainable” and, thankfully, something clicked. She realised she needed to not only fuel to train but “train to fuel”. Enrolling at the University of Gloucestershire where she studied sports strength and conditioning helped.

And, while she has since grown tired of eating chicken breast, she knows the value of a high-protein diet in helping to maintain her powerful physique.

Bern can deadlift 210 kilograms and bench 110kg. She burns around 4,000 calories each day, 2,000 during training and 2,000 naturally. She knows that to be able to lift her team-mates into the air and to anchor the scrum with explosive strength, she has to maintain her muscular figure. And she does so with meticulous detail and is now sharing her journey to self-acceptance and body confidence with the world via a blend of silly and empowering social media videos.

She got a masterclass in how to TikTok when becoming close friends with social media phenom Ilona Maher, who joined the Bears in January on a three-month deal. Maher’s arrival shook up the entire sport in England and helped unlock a side to Bern she will never hide again.

She significantly increased her TikTok presence after Maher’s Bristol move, going viral during the Women’s Six Nations, while a controversial video with BBC Sport garnered nearly four million views and a clip of her dancing with fans was also a hit.

“I’ve always felt really self-conscious in swimwear or going to the beach because I’m bigger, broader and muscular. It is not a body type you see every day and I’m so bored of that. So rather than shy away and make myself smaller and fit in, I am going to proudly be myself and celebrate that,” Bern says.

“I don’t want to get up every day and wish I looked like something I’m not. I’d rather help people who look like me, or feel similar, to feel confident in who they are and celebrate themselves instead of looking at magazines and wishing they were something else.”

Bern and Maher went head-to-head in Friday night’s World Cup opener at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland. England, who have not been defeated in three years, thumped the United States 69-7. On the pitch the U.S. have much to learn from England, off it, Bern is extremely grateful to Maher.

“Ilona inspired me to be myself more and to know I don’t need to look a certain way. I can just be myself and if people like it, they like it. If they don’t, they don’t. She’s been a massive inspiration to me and she’s been massive for our sport,” says the softly spoken Bern.

Sarah Bern charges upfield during this year’s Women’s Six Nations match against France (David Rogers/Getty Images)

The prop, who talks about not seeing women like herself on television or in magazines, has in recent weeks featured in British Vogue and modelled for Barbie. She also launched her own fashion brand Below the Shoulder, alongside fellow players Jess Breach, Zoe Harrison and Emma Swords.

She has taken control of her own narrative and become the role model she did not have in the years she needed one the most. Away from social media, Bern says she has finally become the “cool aunt” to her two rugby-playing nieces who are now in secondary school.

“I want to show my nieces they can be whatever type of woman they want to be,” Bern says, not holding back her tears. Along with her two nieces, Bern has two young nephews who are neurodiverse. “I want to show my nephews they can do whatever they want despite challenges they may face.”

The Red Roses, who won the Women’s World Cup in 1994 and 2014, have finished runners-up on six occasions. Bern was in the squad when they lost the last two finals to six-time champions New Zealand. With this year’s final at Twickenham already expected to be the biggest women’s World Cup final ever — it is an 82,000 sellout — Bern wants England go one better in the stadium near where she grew up.

Should England, as many expect, win the title, Bern would experience lifting the cup alongside her girlfriend Mackenzie Carson. The Gloucester-Hartpury player watched the last tournament from her home in Canada before switching international allegiance to play for England in 2023.

“It is so special to be able to go through this experience with Mackenzie,” Bern says. “It’s a really rare thing to do to work on a shared, lifelong dream together. It will be nice to go through it all with my best friend.”

She wants also to look up into the crowd and see her family, particularly her nieces and nephews, looking back at her.

“Everyone wants to win but to build a legacy is important. To start selling out to Twickenham and get record numbers of people invested in our sport means that for the next generation the sky is the limit and that’s what makes me emotional,” Bern says, getting teary again.

“So if we do get to the final, for me, that would be the reward for all the hard work and then it’s go time. There will be no time for emotion then,” she composes herself, the pitch in view down to her left. “You have to go out there and give it your best.”

If you would like to talk to someone having read this article, please try Samaritans in the UK or US as they are trained to discuss a range of subject matters that may be of concern. You can call 116 123 for free from any phone.

(Top photo: David Rogers/Getty Images)

Sports

UT Arlington track and field, baseball, softball, basketball set to compete this spring | Sports

Published

18 minutes ago

January 12, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Collage of athletes for various sports, including baseball, softball, basketball, and track and field. — Photo illustration by Jordan Johnson

With the start of the new semester, UTA sports return as basketball continues its regular season while track and field, baseball and softball gear up for their spring seasons.

Men’s basketball

After falling 98-75 to Grand Canyon University in the Western Athletic Conference tournament last season, the team looks to carry its preseason momentum into the rest of the schedule as it makes a push for another appearance.

Before the team’s three-game win streak, the Mavericks saw a 69-63 loss to Tarleton State University to open the regular season. The team has a chance to get its first win of the season against Tarleton at 7 p.m. Jan. 21 at College Park Center.

The Mavericks will meet California Baptist University two more times during WAC play. The team’s first matchup this season evened the all-time series at 3-3, with the remaining games starting Jan. 31 and Feb. 26.

The Mavericks’ final home game will be against Utah Valley University at 2 p.m. Feb. 21 at College Park Center. The game will serve as a Senior Day matchup honoring UTA’s graduating players in a conference showdown.

The team will look ahead to the WAC tournament, with a chance to cap off the season with a championship push. The tournament will run from March 11 to 14 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

Women’s basketball

The women’s basketball team continues regular-season play, sitting at a 6-10 record. The team will open the spring semester against Utah Tech University at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at College Park Center. The all-time series is currently tied 3-3.

The Lady Mavericks look to wrap up their regular season with a Senior Day home game against Abilene Christian University on March 7. After this game, the team heads straight into the WAC tournament from March 11 to 14 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

Despite a rough start, head coach Shereka Wright looks to lead the Lady Mavericks into another tournament championship match and berth into the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. The 2024-25 season was capped with a single win in the WNIT and a loss to the University of North Texas to knock UTA out of the tournament.

Track and field

Track and field will start its indoor season with the Arkansas Invitational on Friday in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The team will follow up with the Robert Platt Invitational from Jan. 30 to 31 at the Yeoman Fieldhouse in Houston.

The team will conclude its regular season with two more meets. The final meet takes the team to Lubbock, Texas, to compete in the Jarvis Scott Invite from Feb. 13 to 14 at the Sports Performance Center.

Following these events, the Mavericks will aim to finish strong at the WAC championship from Feb. 27 to 28 in Spokane, Washington, looking to earn a bid to the NCAA Championship, which runs from March 13 to 14 in Indianapolis.

Baseball

The baseball team will start its 2026 season facing off against Northwestern State University on Feb. 13. The team will face a tough early challenge against Texas Christian University on Feb. 17 at Globe Life Field. The Mavericks will face the Horned Frogs again April 29 at Lupton Baseball Stadium.

The team will be on the road for a three-game series, where they will get a taste of Southeastern Conference play, pitted against the University of Arkansas from Feb. 27 to March 1 at Baum-Walker Stadium.

The team will wrap up its season with a final series in the WAC tournament from May 19 to 23 at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona.

Softball

The softball team will have its season opener in the New Mexico State/UT El Paso Tournament from Feb. 6 to 8 in Las Cruces, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas.

The team will then host the Dream City Invitational from Feb. 13 to 15 at Allan Saxe Field. The Mavericks will face the University of Wisconsin, The University of Tulsa and Iowa State University, with an opportunity to build some momentum in front of a home crowd for the first time this season.

The team looks to extend its all-time four-game win streak against UT San Antonio in the UTSA Tournament from Feb. 27 to March 1 in San Antonio.

The team will wrap up its 2026 campaign with the three-day WAC Tournament from May 6 to 9 in Stephenville, Texas. The Mavericks also have the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Regionals, which will take place from May 15 to 17.

@tracysansomjr

sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

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SBU Sports: Women’s Track & Field returns to competition at TCNJ Invitational

Published

2 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Your Sports Nation

crop — Danielle Cirrito during Jan. 9 race. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook University Athletics

Stony Brook women’s track & field competed in its first meet of the New Year on Jan. 9 at the TCNJ Invitational from The Armory in New York City. As a team, the Seawolves recorded seven top-eight placements.

HIGHLIGHTS

Amelie Guzman recorded a second-place finish in the 3,000m (10:15.53).
Danielle Cirrito finished second in the mile run event (5:06.99).
Olivia Schwartz placed third in the 500m (1:18.24).
Sophia Squires produced a fifth-place finish in the mile run (5:10.08).
Samantha Osei-Kyei finished fifth in the 500m (1:18.81).
Jade Pazmino placed sixth in the 800m event (2:29.07).
Alejandra Garcia produced a seventh place run in the mile, setting a new PR with a time of 5:13.33.

Up next, the team continues its busy January slate next Friday returning to The Armory for the Ramapo College Invitation on January 16, with action set to begin at 9:30 am.

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Two School Records Fall for Women’s Track & Field in VIrginia

Published

4 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Your Sports Nation

WINCHESTER, Va. – After a week in Florida leading into the spring semester, the Franklin & Marshall’s women’s track & field team competed at Shenandoah’s Kaye & JJ Smith Invitational. The Diplomats got the January portion of their schedule off to a great start with a pair of school records, with four other marks that rank in the top 10 in program history.

Tara Silverman broke the school record in the 3,000 meters that was formerly held by All-American and F&M Hall of Famer Sheena Crawley ’13. Silverman finished in a time of 10:19.87. Teammates Annalise Kauffman (11:01.19) and Georgeia Hodgson (11:36.98) finished second and sixth in that same event.

Lauren Dunnigan once again broke her own school record in the 60 meter dash as she finished with a time of 7.75 seconds during the finals of that event. That is currently the second-fastest time in the Centennial Conference this season. Dunnigan was also the individual champion in the 200 meter dash as her time of 26.56 seconds was the second-fastest in school history. Dunnigan capped her day with a time of 9.15 seconds to take first (her third event title of the day) in the 60 meter hurdles.

The Diplomats finished with five individual titles on Sunday as Jordyn Collie won the 400 meters with a time of 1:05.42. Her performance highlighted seven Diplomats in the top 10 of that event, as Avery Canady (1:06.33) and Abby Bachman (1:06.52) took the silver and bronze positions. Collie was also the team’s top finish in the 800 meters (2:33.68), with Bachman (2:44.52) and Sophia Bloom (2:53.15) each turning in top 10 individual finishes.

Amanda Imhauser and Hayden Adams both had busy days in their return to competition. Imhauser was third in the 60 meter hurdles (10.24) and long jump (4.84m), sixth in the high hump (1.35m) and shot put (9.30m), and seventh in the 200 meters (29.14). Adams took third in the pole vault as she cleared 3.20 meters to rank second in school history. She added a fifth-place showing in the high jump (1.38m). Max McCoy led the Diplomats in the both throwing events as she took third in the shot put (11.13m) and fourth in the weight throw (12.07m). Both of those marks were top 10 performances in school history.

Women’s track & field will return to competition this Saturday, January 17 when the team travels to Catholic’s Cardinal Classic.

Franklin & Marshall Event Winners / Top 10 Performances

60 Meters

1. Lauren Dunning (7.75) – school record

200 Meters

1. Lauren Dunnigan (26.56) – second in school history

3,000 Meters

1. Tara Silverman (10:19.87) – school record

Pole Vault

3. Hayden Adams (3.20m) – second in school history

Shot Put

3. Max McCoy (11.13m) – ninth in school history

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Ball State Finishes Weekend Victorious Versus NJIT

Published

6 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Your Sports Nation

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men’s volleyball team completed a successful weekend at Worthen Arena, defeating NJIT in four sets (25-13, 21-25, 25-12, 25-15) Saturday evening.

The Cardinals (3-0, 0-0 MIVA) limited the Highlanders (0-4, 0-0 EIVA) to a 0.80 hitting clip while averaging .391 themselves, along with a team block total of 15.5 compared to NJIT’s 3. The evening saw just one lead change, three points into the fourth set, as NJIT recorded an attack error at the end of a Patrick Rogers serve.

Rogers led the way as he matched his kill total from the evening prior, tallying 16 while hitting .522, along with six digs, two assists and a team-leading three aces. Ryan Louis was credited with 11 kills on a .318 clip, two aces, four digs and a career-high seven block assists. Wil Basilio earned nine kills, three digs and four block assists.

Ball State’s defense halted the Highlanders at the net, aided by Jacob Surette who recorded a career-best nine block assists, Louis’ seven and Braydon Savitski-Lynde’s five. Savitski-Lynde also completed five kills while hitting .522. Freshman libero Adir Ben Shloosh led the men with eight digs.

Lucas Machado’s hustle was on full display throughout the match, dishing out 37 assists with three kills.

The Cardinals led by as much as 14 in the opening set, highlighted by an 8-0 run which brought them to set-point. After three-straight points by the Highlanders, Rogers punched a kill to finish it, capping off a set that saw Ball State hit an efficient .688 clip.

Set two was a different story, as the score tied seven times until NJIT’s late momentum pushed them just enough to claim the set.

The men’s squad was unfazed, easily taking sets three and four. Rogers swatted nine kills between the two sets, and claimed two of his three aces in set four, with one of those bringing the Cardinals to match point. Surette’s four block assists were also instrumental, including back-to-back blocks assists by him and Basilio.

In his first career appearance with the Cardinals, sophomore Jason Harris put the exclamation point on the weekend with the final kill of the match, finishing with two.

The Ball State men’s volleyball program ride this momentum into next week when it travels to Phoenix, Ariz. for the First Point Collegiate Challenge Tournament at the Phoenix Convention Center. The men square off against No. 1 UCLA Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. ET, followed by No. 9 Stanford Jan. 18 at 4 p.m. ET.

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Gauchos Down Harvard to Start Season 3-0

Published

6 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Your Sports Nation

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men’s Volleyball team defeated Harvard 3-1 Saturday night to close out the final round of the 61st ASICS Invitational. The Gauchos open the 2026 season undefeated, having also beaten Kentucky State and Maryville earlier in the tournament.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Harvard opened the gate with a first-set win, taking it 25-22. The Gauchos hit just 0.074 in the first and were unable to collapse Harvard’s early lead.

The Gauchos finally clicked during the second, bringing it home 25-18. Santa Barbara and Harvard stayed even through the second, with neither team managing to gain more than a three-point lead until the set’s finale. At 19-18, Santa Barbara went on a six-point scoring run that brought them directly to victory.

Santa Barbara shone in the third, capturing a 25-14 success for their cleanest win of the match. The Gauchos made off with a 7-2 head start and stayed at least three points ahead at all times. Senior Owen Loncar sealed the set with a service ace.

Finally, the Gauchos closed out the match by winning the fourth and final set 25-19. They held a slight initial lead before springing multiple points ahead of the Crimson.

Santa Barbara revived their hitting percentage after the grim first set, hitting 57% in the remaining three. As a team, they dug 42 digs and made ten aces.

George Bruening put on a hitting masterclass, annihilating 26 kills and hitting .455. He tied his career record in kills and made ten in the fourth set alone. Ben Pearson delivered the match’s second highest kill count with nine, while Riggs Guy lasered eight. Guy also placed a career-best six assists.

Cole Schobel achieved all over the court, popping 42 assists, five kills, and a block. He also led the match in service aces with four, hit .714, and tied Jason Walmer for the match-high dig count at nine. Joe Wallace followed with seven digs and freshman Dylan Pilkvist made a team leading 5 block assists

UP NEXT

The Gauchos will continue home play for their next match, hosting The Master’s University on Friday, Jan. 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the Thunderdome.

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Men’s volleyball tested in 3-1 season opener against Jessup – The UCSD Guardian

Published

6 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Your Sports Nation

UC San Diego men’s volleyball (1-0, 0-0 Big West) kicked off its 2026 campaign with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Jessup (0-1, 0-0 MPSF) on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at LionTree Arena.

The key to the Tritons’ victory was the offensive firepower of junior outside hitter Josh Ewert, who racked up a game-high 17 kills, including the final point in two of the four sets. Junior outside hitter Leo Pravednikov added 15 kills of his own.

The first set showcased opening-game jitters with both sides committing a multitude of attacking errors. Ewert came to play from the first serve, racking up five kills in the opening set alone. However, Jessup had its own go-to guy — senior middle blocker Clement Osahon Jr. caused major issues for the Tritons early on. By the end of the set, UCSD shook off its early errors and created some separation. Fittingly, Ewert scored the set point, a kill that pushed his team over the line to clinch the first set with a score of 25-20.

The second set started sloppily, but a vicious kill from Triton junior middle blocker Leo Wiemelt ignited a spark. A sneaky dump set from senior setter John Luers extended the Tritons’ lead to six. Yet, UCSD was plagued by service errors following strong kills, allowing Jessup to remain on the Tritons’ heels.

“[The offense] is so potent at times, and then, at times, we struggled with the blockers and getting the ball in the court consistently,” head coach Brad Rostratter said in a postgame interview with The UCSD Guardian. “So, our strengths can be our weaknesses.”

Ewert led the Tritons to set point after a crafty tool of the Warriors’ block. Despite a final 3-point push from Jessup, a powerful kill from senior middle blocker Peter Selcho drove UCSD over the line 25-22.

Jessup refused to go quietly in the third. After a couple of early kills from Ewert, the Warriors found their momentum. UCSD responded with a block from Wiemelt and an emphatic kill and ace from junior outside hitter Sebastiano Sani. However, a solo 3-0 run from Jessup’s senior opposite hitter Carter Depue tied the game at 18. Late Triton errors ultimately allowed Jessup to build its lead and eventually take the set 25-22.

“Their middles did a really good job of committing, slowing down our middles, and touching and defending the middle of the court,” Rostratter said. “It’s something they did really, really well. And we struggled; it took a little bit of adjusting to their higher quick set.”

The Tritons decisively regained control in the fourth set, and Ewert set the tone with back-to-back service aces. UCSD went on an 8-2 run, which included a vicious kill from Selcho and another ace from Ewert. For the first time in the match, the Tritons had a comfortable lead at 18-11. Ewert sent one last back-row kill past the unresponsive Warriors to take the fourth set 25-20 for UCSD.

The Tritons stayed hot with a 3-1 home victory against Daemen on Friday, Jan. 9. UCSD will finish off its three-game homestand against Rockhurst on Sunday, Jan. 11, before heading to Utah to face BYU in a two-game road trip from Jan. 16-17.