STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Lauren Roy and Sir Jonathan Sims will be competing for both Tarleton State and their respective countries starting on Wednesday at the 2025 World University Games in Rhine-Rhur at the Lohrheidestadion.
 
The World University Games are comprised of the top athletes across the world currently attending university institutions. Overall, the World University Games expand across 19 sports, ranging from Archery to basketball to volleyball to athletics (track and field). Tarleton State is the only member of the WAC to have athletes representing them this year.
 
Roy will compete first running in the sixth heat of the women’s 200 at 5:10 a.m. CT on Wednesday morning. The semifinals will be held on Thursday at 11:40 a.m. CT with the finals later in the day on Thursday at 2:25 p.m. CT.
 
Sims will be competing in the men’s long jump. The opening round will be held on Wednesday at 1:10 p.m. CT with the finals slated for Thursday at 11:18 a.m. CT.
 
All events will be streamed online here and through Discovery+ (subscription required).
 
Lauren Roy will be running the 200-meter dash while representing Tarleton State and Team Ireland. The senior is one of the 45 women competing in the event, representing 32 different countries. Roy is the only member of Team Ireland racing in the 200. She will be competing against the other 44 women for 24 spots in Thursday’s semifinals. Roy will need to finish in the top three in her heat or in the next best six overall among the six heats to be a part of the 24 advancing women. Once in the semifinals, eight will reach the finals with the top two in each heat and the next best two claiming the eight spots.
 
Roy ranks as the second-fastest athlete in her heat this season. Roy’s personal and season best of 23.27 is the second best this year to Kristie Edwards of Australia. Overall, Roy ranks eighth this season amongst the 45 athletes.
 
Sir Jonathan Sims will be competing in the long jump for Team USA and Tarleton State. He is one of two members of Team USA competing in the event alongside UConn student-athlete Marc Morrison. Sims is one of 43 athletes competing across 33 different countries. Sims will
 
Sims ranks 10^th overall in the field this season. Sims’ best leap of 7.97 meters came at the Michael Johnson Invitational earlier this spring at Baylor University. This will be his first time competing in Germany for Team USA. However, Sims spent four years of his early childhood living across the country of Germany.
 
The pair of Texans will look to add to the international exposure that Tarleton State has already received this year. Last week, Roy was a member of Team Ireland’s 4×100 relay squad that set the new Ireland national record. Freshman Prestina Ochonogor earned gold at the African U20 Championships last week in the women’s long setting a new meet record of 6.71 meters.
 
Sir Jonathan Sims and Victoria Cameron will be in action from July 31 – August 3 in Eugene, Ore. For the USATF National Championships. Roy, Ochonogor and Lokesh Sathyanthan will also be competing in their national championships later in August. The group will be competing for a chance to represent their countries at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan in September.
 
 
 

NAPERVILLE — Carthage and Loras of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) were among the collegiate men’s volleyball teams to earn the 2025 Team Academic Award from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), the organization announced Monday.
 
Teams that maintained a year-long grade-point average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale) were honored. Additionally, Carthage earned a spot on the Team Academic Honor Roll, recognizing programs in the top 20% of GPAs for their division.
 

• Skims has reached a partnership deal with League One Volleyball.
• Women’s volleyball has seen growth at both the amateur and professional level in recent years.
• The popular undergarments brand started by star Kim Kardashian and Swedish entrepreneur Jens Grede has been ramping up its efforts in the women’s sports category.

Skims is deepening its ties in women’s sports with a new partnership in League One Volleyball.

The popular undergarments brand started by star Kim Kardashian and Swedish entrepreneur Jens Grede will become the official loungewear, intimates and sleepwear partner of the emerging volleyball league. They did not disclose the size of the deal.

The partnership comes as Skims has been ramping up its efforts in the women’s sports category. In February, the company announced it was teaming up with Nike as it looks to win over more women and take on competitors such as Lululemon, Alo Yoga and Vuori.

League One Volleyball — or LOVB, pronounced “love” — was founded in 2020 and consists of the largest community of youth volleyball clubs in the country. LOVB launched a professional league in January.

“This partnership with LOVB is an exciting opportunity to expand our reach at the intersection of fashion, culture and sports,” said Grede, co-founder and CEO of Skims. 

Skims said as part of the deal, the brand will also participate in the LOVB community, including athlete-driven events and leaguewide activations. The brand said it plans to help elevate the voices of female athletes of all levels and highlight volleyball’s growth across the U.S.

“Together, we look forward to inspiring confidence and empowering athletes at every level through innovative products, community activations, and storytelling that celebrates the athletes on and off the court,” Kardashian, co-founder and chief creative officer of Skims, said in a statement.

Skims sees huge potential in volleyball, calling it “America’s next major sports league.” In recent years, the sport has seen huge upticks both in fans and television ratings.

In 2023, 92,000 fans recorded the largest-ever crowd for a women’s sports event when the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ women’s team took on the Omaha Mavericks.

The 2024 Women’s NCAA Volleyball Tournament was the most-consumed ever for ESPN, with more than 1.3 billion minutes watched across its platforms, according to the network. The entirety of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament finished up 41% year over year, ESPN said.

In May 2024, ESPN secured the media rights for League One pro matches.

“Partnering with Skims is an incredible milestone for our league and clubs,” said Michelle McGoldrick, LOVB’s chief business officer. “Together, we’re not only supporting our remarkable athletes on their journey to becoming household names, but also helping to inspire the next generation of players and fans.”

SEARCY – Nine members of the Harding University women’s track and field team have earned All-Academic Athlete honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for their outstanding performance both in competition and in the classroom during the recent season.

To qualify for the prestigious individual award, student-athletes must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale through the end of the semester of competition. Additionally, they must have either finished among the top 50 individuals on the TFRRS descending order lists in their respective events, competed at the NCAA Indoor or Outdoor National Championships, or been a member of a top-35 ranked relay team (or participated in a relay at the national championships).

The nine Harding Lady Bisons recognized for their academic and athletic achievements are:

• Kiera Blankinship (Marriage and Family Counseling) – 4.00 GPA, No. 21 in Outdoor High Jump

• Jayden Bowman (Health Studies) – 3.80 GPA, Outdoor 4×400 relay

• Tetiana Kharashchuk (Kinesiology and Sport Administration) – 4.00 GPA, No. 13 in Outdoor 400 meters

• Leila Ngapout (Exercise Science) – 3.45 GPA, No. 16 in Outdoor 4×400 relay

• Omolara Ogunmakinju (Kinesiology & Sport Administration) – 3.90 GPA, No. 6 in Outdoor 400 meters

• Hanna Onufriieva (Kinesiology & Sport Administration) – 3.88 GPA, No. 9 in Outdoor Triple Jump

• Josie Parks (Exercise Science) – 3.87 GPA, No. 40 in 3,000-meter steeplechase

• Cadence Sansom (Criminal Justice) – 3.85 GPA, No. 17 in Outdoor Pole Vault

• Karyna Vehner (Kinesiology & Sport Administration) – 3.67 GPA, No. 12 in Outdoor Triple Jump

In addition to the individual honors, the Harding women’s track and field team earned the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team award, boasting a cumulative team GPA of 3.58. To qualify for this team distinction, programs must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

About the USTFCCCA All-Academic Awards: The USTFCCCA annually recognizes NCAA Division I, II, and III student-athletes and teams for their academic achievements in collegiate cross country and track & field. These awards highlight the commitment of student-athletes to excellence in both their athletic endeavors and academic pursuits.

BABSON PARK, Mass.—The Babson College women’s volleyball team was recognized for their success in the classroom by earning Team Academic Award honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) on Monday afternoon. 

Under the guidance of 15th-year head coach Eric Neely, the Beavers concluded the 2024-25 academic year with a 3.32 team grade-point average. Nine student-athletes were named to Babson’s Dean’s List in either the fall or spring term and five members of the program finished with at least a 3.30 GPA in both semesters. 

The AVCA Team Academic Award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.30 on a 4.0 scale or 4.10 on a 5.0 scale. 

The Beavers were among 228 Division III programs recognized by the AVCA. In all, a record 1,450 collegiate and high school teams garnered AVCA Team Academic honors. 

Babson concluded the 2024 campaign with a record of 22-7 after falling to MIT in the NEWMAC Tournament quarterfinals. The Beavers are set to open the 2025 season on Friday, August 29, against nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. 

 

The AVCA is proud to reveal the 30 players who are part of the 2025 Division I Watch List for its Player of the Year Award, presented by Nike Volleyball.

The players on the preseason list are being revealed starting July 22 and concluding July 24 in three groups of 10. There is no order to which list the players are on, except that all of a school’s candidates will appear the same day.

The Preseason Watch List was compiled by the AVCA Division I Women’s Volleyball Awards Committee. They will also be the group working on the additional phases of the Player of the Year process, which include:

• Midseason additions to the list [October]
• Naming the semifinalists [November]
• Revealing the finalists [likely Dec. 15]
• The announcement of the Player of the Year in Kansas City at the AVCA Awards Banquet on Friday Dec. 19.
  

NOTE: Players who aren’t on the preseason Watch List can still be added as the season progresses.

AVCA Player of the Year Watch List (Group One – July 22)

The 2025 AVCA Player of the Year Award is presented by Nike Volleyball.