Sports
Solid Semifinal Saturday For Women's Rowing at NCAAs

WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – On a day when the weather was uncooperative and delayed its racing by nine hours, the University of Pennsylvania women’s rowing team displayed mature racing across all three boats on Saturday evening at the NCAA Championships. As a result, the Quakers will row in their respective Third Finals on Sunday with the opportunity for all three to better their pre-Championships seedings.
The three-day national championship event is taking place on Mercer Lake. All three of Penn’s boats entered the weekend seeded 15th in their respective 22-boat field, but all three could finish as high as 13th tomorrow. In Saturday’s semifinal racing, the Varsity Eight won its C/D semifinal while the Second Varsity Eight and the Varsity Four both were second-place finishers.
“We raced exceptionally well today in the semifinals,” said Penn’s first-year head coach, Bill Manning. “The semis are always tight but each of our three crews raced with great enthusiasm and trust in one another, winning or placing second in races where the top three advanced. We stayed ahead of boats we had defeated previously, and we defeated some other crews who beat us earlier in the year. Our improvement has been crucial to our success. Tomorrow is a new day and the team plans to race their Sunday best.”
Varsity Eight
Penn was in third place at the midpoint of Saturday’s race, with Northeastern nipping on the Quakers’ heels. The Quakers took charge from there, however, rowing through Dartmouth and then Syracuse on the way to winning the race and putting them in one of the preferred lanes for Sunday’s Third Final.
(15) Penn 6:17.229
(17) Syracuse 6:18.073
(11) Dartmouth 6:21.065
(20) Northeastern 6:23.125
(22) Fairfield 6:45.753
Second Varsity Eight
The top three boats—UCF, Penn and Indiana—quickly established themselves in this race, and the Quakers did a good job of holding their lead over the Hoosiers the entire way down the course. Penn’s lead over IU was a little less than two seconds at the 500 and 1000 marks, and exactly a second at 1500, but the Red and Blue held its nerve and took second place by 1.4 seconds. The Knights won the race by a bit more than two seconds over Penn.
(11) UCF 6:30.536
(15) Penn 6:32.818
(17) Indiana 6:34.212
(20) BU 6:40.716
(22) Fairfield 7:12.150
Varsity Four
After a false start, the teams got out safely the second time and Virginia took control early. Dartmouth was second through the midway point of the race, but Penn pushed past the Big Green in the third 500 and kept that lead the rest of the way. Boston University also figured into the mix in the final 500 and actually nipped Dartmouth by almost four-tenths of a second at the finish line, earning the final slot in tomorrow’s Third Final and dropping the Big Green into the Fourth Final.
(17) Virginia 7:10.567
(15) Penn 7:13.633
(19) BU 7:14.917
(13) Dartmouth 7:15.293
(21) URI 7:59.271
SUNDAY SCHEDULE | Watch Live on NCAA.com | Live Results | Penn Boatings (PDF)
7:20 a.m. – V4A Third Final
(by lanes 1-6) #16 Indiana | #15 Penn | #14 UCF | #17 Virginia | #18 Oregon State | #19 BU
7:36 a.m. – 2V8 Third Final
(by lanes 1-6) #17 Indiana | #13 Dartmouth | #11 UCF | #9 Rutgers | #15 Penn | #19 Northeastern
7:52 a.m. – 1V8 Third Final
(by lanes 1-6) #16 Harvard #17 Syracuse | #13 UCF | #15 Penn | #18 Oregon State | #11 Dartmouth
For the latest on Penn women’s rowing, follow @PennWomensRowing on Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.
#FightOnPenn
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Sports
Former Illini basketball sharpshooter Luke Goode engaged to Illinois volleyball star Kayla Burbage
Love is in the air for two of Champaign’s top athletes in recent years. Former Illini men’s basketball wing Luke Goode popped the question to Illinois volleyball middle blocker Kayla Burbage, the couple shared via Instagram on Wednesday.
“Proverbs 18:22: ‘He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord,’” Goode wrote. “Going into the New Years as future Mr. and Mrs. Goode!”
Goode spent the first three years of his college career in Champaign, graduating from the Gies School of Business in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in finance. After his sophomore season was cut short due to a foot injury, Goode bounced back as a junior, playing in all 38 games for the 2024 Elite Eight team. That season, the 6-foot-7 sharpshooter averaged 5.7 points and shot 38.9% from three on just over four attempts per game.
Last season, Goode spent his final year of eligibility playing for his home state Indiana Hoosiers before turning pro. He is currently suiting up for the South Bay Lakers in the NBA G League. In 11 games so far as a rookie, Goode is putting up 7.6 points and 3.0 rebounds in just above 20 minutes per game.
Burbage just finished up her final season of college volleyball. After spending her freshman campaign at Missouri, Burbage decided to make the move to Champaign. As a sophomore and junior, Burbage played in every match on Illinois’ schedule: 60 total. A shoulder injury sidelined the 6-foot-4 North Carolina native for her senior season, but she returned for a graduate year in 2025. In her final season at Huff Hall, Burbage ranked second in total blocks (82.0) for the Illini and had the fifth-most kills on the team (98).
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Dallas Pulse set to make history in season opener at Comerica Center
North Texas’ first women’s professional volleyball team will officially launch its inaugural season on Saturday, Jan. 10.
DALLAS — For North Texas volleyball fans, Saturday’s season opener represents more than just a first serve, it’s the beginning of something the region has been waiting for.
The Dallas Pulse, the region’s first women’s professional volleyball team, will open its inaugural season Saturday, Jan. 10, hosting the Indiana franchise at Comerica Center in Frisco.
The matchup marks the first Major League Volleyball game played by a Dallas-based team and is a milestone moment for the metroplex.
The Pulse will play 14 home matches during the 2026 Major League Volleyball season, giving local fans a consistent opportunity to support a women’s pro team built in their own backyard.
- Saturday, Jan. 10 – Indy
- Thursday, Jan. 15 – San Diego
- Thursday, Feb. 5 – Omaha
- Sunday, Feb. 8 – Grand Rapids
- Thursday, Feb. 19 – Indy
- Sunday, Feb. 22 – Grand Rapids
- Friday, Feb. 27 – Orlando
- Friday, March 13 – Columbus
- Sunday, March 15 – Atlanta
- Saturday, March 21 – San Diego
- Thursday, March 26 – Atlanta
- Friday, April 17 – Columbus
- Friday, May 1 – Omaha
- Sunday, May 3 – Orlando
Leading the team into its first season is head coach Shannon Winzer, who was named to the role in September. The January debut places Dallas at the center of the league’s early growth as women’s professional volleyball continues to gain momentum nationwide.
The timing feels right for North Texas. The region has long been a volleyball hotbed, producing elite athletes through nationally recognized club programs, championship high school teams and top-tier collegiate programs. Until now, many of those players, and the fans who followed them, had no local professional team to rally behind.
Dallas Pulse leadership told WFAA that they hope to change that.
Season ticket deposits are currently open, and the Pulse holds the No. 1 overall pick in the Major League Volleyball Draft scheduled for Nov. 24, giving the team a chance to add a cornerstone player ahead of its debut season.
Major League Volleyball is also preparing for future growth, announcing plans to add expansion teams in Washington, D.C. and Northern California in 2027.
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Tritons Set for Preseason North American Challenge
LONG BEACH, Calif. — UC San Diego men’s volleyball will prepare for the upcoming season with four exhibitions this weekend as part of the North American Challenge. The event will be hosted by Long Beach State on Friday and Sunday at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid.
The Tritons will play two Canadian sides, Alberta and Calagry. They will play each team once on both days of the challenge.
SCHEDULE
Friday, Jan. 2
- 2 PM – vs Calgary
- 4:30 PM – vs Alberta
Sunday, Jan. 4
- 12:30 PM – vs Alberta
- 3 PM – vs Calgary
Live stats for all four matches will be available HERE. Fans interested in attending matches can purchase tickets through Long Beach State HERE.
UP NEXT
The Tritons open the 2026 season at home next Tuesday, Jan. 6. Jessup will visit LionTree Arena for a match that begins at 7 PM.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world’s preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
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