However, while McCoy and her team are not responsible for how WSU got into this situation, they are accountable for how WSU responds to it.

That is to say that the optics of a 10-minute Zoom meeting, in which 18-24-year-olds learn that their or their teammates’ athletic pursuits will no longer be supported by WSU, followed by little communication or dialogue, are not great and could have been easily avoided.

Would a question-and-answer period during the Zoom meeting have changed the outcome of numerous current athletes and alumni scorning the university? No, probably not.

However, student-athletes, many of whom have moved across the country or the world to entrust their athletic and academic careers to an institution, deserve a little more grace than that.

“We were upset because they said they had known for weeks but didn’t tell us because a few of us had made it to Nationals and were still competing,” WSU sprinter Ashley Hollenbeck-Willems said.

The WSU track and field program has consistently produced national champions. While some of the program’s most decorated athletes were distance runners, four out of the five athletes to represent WSU at Nationals this past year were sprinters, comprising a 400-meter relay team.

One of those relay team members, Mason Lawyer, set the WSU record in both the indoor and outdoor 200-meter dash this year and competed in the 100 and 200 at Nationals.

Days following WSU “limiting” his events and not renewing his coach’s contract, Lawyer is in the transfer portal.

He joins a slew of WSU athletes in the portal, including Hollenbeck-Willems and Lyons, who must cancel leases and figure out their next steps without the assistance of significant name, image and likeness deals or, for many track athletes, the benefit of full scholarships.

It also leaves three coaches and their families in a similar state of transition.

Coaches and pundits alike warned that Olympic sports could suffer drastically as schools attempt to reorder their budgets to prioritize revenue sharing.

Track and field was the first WSU sport affected. It almost certainly won’t be the last.

WSU, along with the rest of college athletics, is in uncharted waters.

Before any more programs drown at sea, the powers that be — college presidents and athletic directors, conference commissioners and TV executives — should come to terms with the weight of their actions and do everything they can to reverse course.

That won’t happen because TV executives are getting everything they want and everyone else is just trying to survive.

College sports may never be the same again and no one should be spinning it into a positive or spending any energy not attempting to fix what is clearly broken.

“This is never what college sports were meant to be,” Brooke Lyons said. “College sports are meant to build a spirit and community within the universities. Obviously, now we’re seeing it’s just kind of tearing them apart, and it’s lost its purpose. And I think people need to realize that quick, or else there’s going to be a lot more issues like this.”

Perhaps the powers that be in college athletics should start listening to the college athletes themselves.

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com, or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.

Published June 21, 2025 5:26pm

Updated June 21, 2025 5:26pm

Known for her calm demeanor on the court as a player, Cha Cuñada now brings that same steady presence to the Colegio de San Juan de Letran women’s volleyball coaching staff in the NCAA.

The 25-year-old former outside spiker admitted she was never the vocal leader back in her playing years and hat’s exactly what she is using now in guiding the next generation of the Lady Knights. 

“Mostly po talaga, [ang trabaho ko sa team ay] para lang nila akong ate. Parang ako kumbaga ‘yung taga-balance sa team kasi syempre si coach ‘pag nagagalit, so parang sa akin sila nagra-rant or humihingi ng advice,” Cuñada told GMA News Online. 

“Pero at the same time, sa skills din kasi naging player din naman ako kaya tumulong-tulong din ako pagdating sa drill. Pinagkakatiwalaan din naman ako ni Coach O (Oliver Almadro) and ‘yung mga players alam ko naman na nakikinig din naman sila sa akin.”

As a silent operator, Cuñada made sure her game did the talking. 

The 5-foot-5 hitter suited up for both the indoor and beach volleyball teams for Letran from Season 94 to Season 98, a stretch that saw her leading the Lady Knights to a beach volleyball crown in Season 98 and bagging the MVP plum in the process. 

She has now transitioned to coaching, helping Letran head coach Oliver Almadro full-time since Season 99 as they look to lead the rebirth of the Lady Knights. 

Cuñada admitted that transitioning from player to coach wasn’t easy, especially since many of the players on the current roster were once her teammates, making it tricky to strike the right balance in her new role. 

“At first, mahirap kasi maraming players dito ‘yung naabutan pa akong maglaro, sina Lara, si Nathalie [Estreller], si Juday [Nitura]. So parang ang hirap, hindi ko alam kung paano ‘yung magiging approach ko sa kanila,” Cuñada, who previously had stints with Chery Tiggo and Cignal, added.

“Pero na-realize ko na hindi naman lahat kailangan idaan sa taas ng boses, nakikinig naman sila kahit ‘pag kinakausap ko lang nang maayos.”

—JKC, GMA Integrated News

Diversity In Aquatics Launches Caribbean Water Safety Program

Diversity in Aquatics this week launched a water safety program for more than 150 children on the Caribbean island of Grenada.

Celebrating World Oceans Day, the program at Grand Anse Beach was the latest activity in the organization’s goal of “addressing the critical global crisis of drowning disparities affecting communities of color.” The event included ocean swim lessons, water safety workshops and CPR training. There were opportunities for young swimmers to snorkel and get coaching in sailing techniques, and DIA helped host the area’s largest youth swim meet of the annual calendar.

The activity is an effort for the U.S.-based nonprofit to extend its network of life-saving outreach beyond the United States.

“This is about more than sun and surf—it’s about empowering Grenadian youth with skills that save lives and build community,” said Dr. Miriam Lynch, Executive Director of Diversity In Aquatics, in a press release. “Though having a close proximity to water, what we have realized is a lot of communities have a disconnect. In Grenada, a significant percentage of the island’s population does not know how to swim. For us, it was really important to bridge that gap to support the mission of teaching water safety while making a connection to the opportunities in aquatics with no borders.”

Drowning is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the United States, particularly for children. Approximately 4,000 people drown in the U.S. ever year, and the rates are highest in Black, Indigenous and low-income communities that have structural obstacles to accessing swimming education. About 300,000 people drown annually worldwide, per the World Heath Organization.

DIA’s event in Grenada included a session led by Dr. Fran Jackson, associate professor and chair in the English department at Spelman College, on the history of the transatlantic slave trade and a trauma-informed workshop on breathwork led by Thaddeus Gamory, founder of BlueMindfulness.

“There is so much potential for long-term impact and a seismic change in aquatics,“ Gamory said. “Everything starts with learning to swim and being safe in the water. We’re already contributing to it and the potential for it to grow is substantial – as a matter of fact, it’s already in motion.”

The event in Grenada expands DIA’s network of partners, which includes foundations like that Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, historically Black colleges and universities in the United States and philanthropic partners like USA Swimming and USA Water Polo. DIA is looking to broaden its impact across the Caribbean “as a global leader in culturally-responsive water safety education.”

“The tides are turning,” Dr. Lynch said. “Through education, community, and culturally rooted care, we’re ensuring that water isn’t a barrier—it’s a bridge to empowerment, health, and generational healing.”

Diversity in Aquatics is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization committed to promoting equitable access, education, and leadership in aquatic spaces. From grassroots swim lessons to institutional partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and national organizations, DIA works to eliminate racial and socioeconomic disparities in water safety, ensuring that all communities can safely and confidently experience the power of water.

— The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with Diversity in Aquatics. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.

The LaGrange High boys basketball team enjoyed a bounce-back season in 2024-25, and the seniors on the team were at the heart of it. Now, five of those seniors (Jalen Hardy, Jaylon Fryer, Javon Nelson, Torian Reeves, BJ Wortham) have signed to play basketball in college starting in the fall of this year.

Hardy and Fryer will be keeping the good times rolling together at South Carolina Central Christian College. Having a fellow Granger at the next level will help each other adapt to life in college.

“Jaylon committed before me, and then a couple of weeks later, I committed,” Hardy said. “We know how each other plays, so that will be a big help.”

Hardy made the tough transition from Valley High School in Alabama to LaGrange in the summer before his junior year. 

“The speed of the game is different, and it took me a little while to get used to the shot clock, which they don’t have in Alabama,” he chuckled. 

Hardy made a quick impact on the Grangers and came to LaGrange with the intent of getting better and earning a spot on a college roster, which he has been able to do.

Fryer has been on the path to college athletics since he watched his cousins play at the level in his youth. Now that Fryer has signed to the next level, he is ready to keep striving for more.

“When I stepped foot on the college campus, it felt like home. Plus, the coaches are going to let me play two sports, so that’s another major thing for me and a better opportunity than other offers,” Fryer said. 

Fryer will also be a member of the track and field team. 

Nelson will be heading north to play for Minnesota Vermillion. 

“I love the work ethic that coach (Dawson) Dickson has for his players, and I want to go there and make a name for myself,” Nelson said.

The lefty guard will have a chance to go in right away and make an impact, even if it’s a little ways from home.

Reeves had a multitude of options on the table, but has decided to play for Columbia State.

“The coaches there really sold me on how much of an impact I can make on the team there, so that just motivates me to go there and make an impact right away,” Reeves said. 

Reeves was a rim rattler for the Grangers. The high-flying dunk machine gave the LaGrange faithful and the Blue Crew a lifetime worth of memories.

“The support and fans that are here are second to none,” he said. 

A multi-sport athlete, Reeves finished third in the high jump at the 3A state meet and made numerous important plays for the football team, including a touchdown in the Final Four. 

Every team needs a leader, and LaGrange had that in point guard BJ Wortham. The recently graduated Granger will be heading to Riverland Community College. 

“This has been a dream of mine for a long time,” Wortham said. “I want to make an impact quickly, whether it’s one or two years, and then transfer to a major four-year school.”

Wortham led the Grangers with poise and confidence over the past several years and will be nearly impossible to replace for the 2025-26 season.