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SPORTS BRIEFING | News, Sports, Jobs

Published

7 months ago

May 24, 2025

Purdue Fort Wayne dropping sports

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — Purdue Fort Wayne joined a line of schools dropping sports because of budget cuts and the looming era of revenue sharing with athletes, announcing Friday it would discontinue its baseball and softball programs immediately.

The university announced $6 million in budget cuts Thursday, and discontinuing the two sports will save about $1 million.

The Mastadons are members of the Horizon League and Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association and will sponsor 14 Division I sports.

“This is one of the saddest days in my 25 years as a Mastodon,” athletic director Kelley Hartley Hutton said. “We know this news will upset our student-athletes, alumni and fans. It was not made lightly, and we are committed to supporting those affected through this transition.”

Harley Hutton said budget challenges across the university, in combination with changes in the NCAA model, led to a re-evaluation of the athletic program.

After the Mastadons exit, there are now only five baseball schools in the Horizon League which includes Youngstown State. The NCAA requires the conference to have six teams to qualify for an automatic bid in the NCAA tournament. In the 2026 season, the Horizon League will have five before Northern Illinois enters in 2027.

Stephen F. Austin announced Thursday it would drop bowling, men’s and women’s golf and beach volleyball. Eastern Illinois announced on May 12 it would discontinue men’s and women’s tennis.

Guardians tame Tigers again

DETROIT (AP) — Slade Cecconi gave up a run and five hits over six innings, José Ramírez tripled and scored in a two-run first inning and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Detroit Tigers 3-1 on Friday night.

Steven Kwan had three hits and an RBI for Cleveland.

Cecconi (1-1) struck out six and allowed two walks in his second start of the season. Hunter Gaddis followed with two scoreless innings and Emmanuel Clase pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 10th save.

Jackson Jobe (4-1) gave up two runs on four hits and two walks in five innings to take his first career loss. The Tigers won his first eight starts — the longest streak to start a career in franchise history.

Kwan led off the game with a double and Ramírez hit a triple over the head of Javier Báez in center field for a 1-0 lead before Carlos Santana added a two-out RBI single for a 2-0 lead.

The Guardians held the Tigers scoreless for the first 14 1/3 innings of the series, but Spencer Torkelson broke the streak with his 13th homer in the sixth inning.

Bo Naylor led off the ninth with a triple and Kwan made it 3-1 with an RBI single.

Brookfield sells stadium

BROOKFIELD — The Brookfield School District sold the old football field with nearly 9 acres for $196,000 in an auction that ended Monday.

WKBN reported the board of education was informed the buyer is Mohammad Matariya, who lives in the local area.

On Wednesday, the board also approved the purchase of the bleachers that went up for auction. High Steel Rodeo in North Bloomfield purchased two lots of bleachers for $30,792, and the Sheakleyville Community Volunteer Fire Department in Mercer County purchased another set for $22,600.

The George A. Nichols Field was home to the Brookfield football team for 50 years. The Warriors started playing at the new stadium last fall behind the school.

Wieners invade Brickyard

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Give the Borg-Wiener Trophy at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to the Wienermobile affectionately known as Slaw Dog.

In a down-to-the-wire race among the six iconic Wienermobiles that serve as goodwill ambassadors for Oscar Mayer, the hot dog-on-wheels representing the Southeast proved to be the big dog on Carb Day ahead of Sunday’s running of the Indianapolis 500.

It made a dramatic pass of the Wienermobile repping Chicago at the finish line to win the inaugural Wienie 500 on Friday.

The margin was about a half a bun.

“You are standing in a moment in hot dog history right now,” Sarah Oney, who was co-piloting the Wienermobile representing New York with Connor Wolff, told The Associated Press. “This is the first-ever time we have honestly had all six Wienermobiles together and especially at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”

It was the definition of a wiener-take-all race, too: The driver and co-pilot of the No. 3 dog, who managed to roast the rest of the Wienermobiles on a cool, sunny afternoon, got to stick around for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500.

The Wienermobiles have been around since 1936 as a promotional vehicle for Oscar Mayer — not to be confused with Louis Meyer, the first three-time winner of the Indy 500. They travel around the country, logging about 20,000 miles annually, though none were probably as important to the hotdoggers on board as the 5 miles they drove on Friday.

Oney and Wolff jumped into the lead when the green flag flew at the historic yard of bricks, and the six Wienermobiles slowly picked up speed until they reached about 65 mph. They were right in each other’s grills down the backstretch, and swapped the lead among themselves several times until the second of two laps, when the No. 4 dog led the field out of Turn 2.

That’s when smoke began pouring from its rear, and that dog was cooked.

The Wienermobile wearing No. 1 assumed the lead as the field headed onto the front stretch, and a crowd of nearly 80,000 fans who had just watched the final practice for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 was standing and cheering.

That’s when the Wienermobile from the Southeast, which had doggedly hung around the lead for most of the race, made its big move. It passed the the Wienermobile repping Chicago just in time to relish in the sweet taste of victory.

It might have been the fastest Wieners have gone since Joey Chestnut’s heyday on Coney Island.

“The Indy 500 marks the unofficial kickoff of summer and the start of hot dog season,” said Kelsey Rice, brand communications director at Chicago-based Oscar Mayer. “It’s only fitting that we bring a race of epic proportions to the Speedway and celebrate a timeless tradition: delicious meats and a little friendly competition to kick off a summer of wieners.”

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

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Four Members of Pack Volleyball Earn Academic All-District Honors

Published

23 minutes ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

GREENWOOD, Ind. – Four members of the NC State volleyball team earned Academic All-District Honors as announced by College Sport Communicators (formerly known as CoSIDA) Tuesday afternoon.

The award recognizes student-athletes for their performance in the classroom in addition to on the court. To qualify, one must have a grade point average of 3.5 and be at least a sophomore both academically and athletically.

Lily Cropper, Sydney Daniels, and Elaisa Villar earn the honor for the first time in their career while Courtney Bryant earns it for the second year in a row.

Bryant is the first student-athlete to earn the honor consecutively since Brie Merriweather did so in 2012 and 2013.

Cropper, Villar and Byrant appeared in all al 30 matches for the Wolfpack this season, while stuffing the stat sheet for their respective positions.

Daniels also appeared in all 30 matches for the Pack as a defensive specialist and wore the libero jersey for eight of those matches.

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Catherine Burke Brings Depth at Middle Blocker for Demon Deacons Volleyball

Published

40 minutes ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wake Forest volleyball program and head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer announced the signing of Catherine Burke on Wednesday.

Burke will join the Demon Deacons’ roster for the 2026-27 school year with one final season of eligibility remaining.

Catherine Burke | 6-3 | Middle Blocker | Glenview, Ill. | Penn State

Competing as a middle blocker, Burke comes to DEACTOWN from Penn State, where she spent the last three years. In 2024, she was a member of the Nittany Lions’ national championship roster while also landing a spot on the Academic All-Big Ten Team. An Illinois native, Burke ranked as the No. 86 recruit overall and No. 4 in the state by PrepDig.com as a four-year standout at Loyola Academy. Within club volleyball, she played multiple years with both Wildcat Juniors and Adversity VBC.

Personal

Catherine is the daughter of Jim and Erin Burke, as her father, Jim, played lacrosse at Colby College. She has one older brother, Jack, who played hockey at Navy, one older sister Annabelle, who played lacrosse at Michigan, and three younger sisters: Emma, Nora, and Lily.

From Coach Hulsmeyer

“I’m very excited about the addition of Catherine to our program. She has consistently performed at the highest level against the best players in the country. It is all those players like her who work behind the scenes that create championships as it did for Penn State. A special thanks to Tina Readling on our staff, who was able to see the contributions Catherine made and what she brings to Wake Forest as a graduate student.”

Follow the Deacs

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | GoDeacs.com

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Baylor’s Ezekiel one of three finalists for The Bowerman

Published

49 minutes ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

GRAPEVINE, Texas – Baylor’s first-ever finalist for college track & field’s most prestigious honor, reigning NCAA outdoor 400-meter hurdles champion Nathaniel Ezekiel will join the two other male finalists and three female semifinalists for The Bowerman Presentation on Thursday at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center.

Hosted by ESPN broadcaster and former University of Indiana runner Larra Overton, The Bowerman Presentation will be streamed live by RunnerSpace beginning at 6:30 p.m. with the red-carpet entrance to the Grapevine Ballroom. The Bowerman is given annually to the top collegiate track and field men’s and women’s athlete of the year.

A nine-time All-American and six-time Big 12 champion, Ezekiel capped off his collegiate career by winning the NCAA outdoor 400-meter hurdles title with a school-record time of 47.49. He also broke the school indoor mark in the 400 meters (44.74), winning the silver medal at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships.

Ezekiel, who represented his native Nigeria at the 2024 Olympics in the 400 hurdles, turned pro this summer and finished fourth at the World Track and Field Championships with a Nigerian-record time of 47.11.

The other male finalists are Ja’Kobe Tharp from Auburn, who won NCAA championships in the indoor 60-meter hurdles and outdoor 110-meter hurdles; and Arkansas sprinter Jordan Anthony, who swept NCAA titles in the indoor 60 meters and outdoor 100 meters.

On the women’s side, the finalists are distance runner Pamela Kosgei from New Mexico, 3,000-meter steeplechaser Doris Lemngole from Alabama and 400-meter hurdler Savannah Sutherland from Michigan. Five of the six schools have finalists for the first time in their programs’ history.

Last year’s winners were University of Texas decathlete Leo Neugebauer and record-setting distance runner Parker Valby from Florida.

The RunnerSpace live stream is available at: https://the-bowerman-presentation.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=14920&do=videos&video_id=436664

For the latest news on the Baylor track and field team all year long, follow its official Facebook, X and Instagram accounts: @BaylorTrack.

– BaylorBears.com-

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Three-Time National Champion Sits Atop Women’s Volleyball Postseason Poll

Published

55 minutes ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 2025 NAIA Women’s Volleyball Postseason Poll is topped by Indiana Wesleyan after the Wildcats won their third Red Banner in three years.

Both Indiana Wesleyan and Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) made moves up seven spots in the postseason poll. Nine other teams made a move up, including Cornerstone (Mich.) and Huntington (Ind.), who joined the Top 25 from receiving votes. Three teams remained at the same rank as the final season edition of the Top 25: Concordia (Neb.), Corban (Ore.) and Mobile (Ala.).

Receiving Votes: Northwest (Wash.) 44, Park (Mo.) 43, Taylor (Ind.) 35, Southern Oregon 29, Walla Walla (Wash.) 28, Marian (Ind.) 20, Montana-Northern 19, Nelson (Texas) 14, Columbia International (S.C.) 14, Grand View (Iowa) 12, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 5, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 3, OUAZ(Ariz.) 3, Bethel (Kan.) 2

Poll Methodology

The national poll is for publicity purposes only and does not influence the selection process for national championship consideration.
A panel of head coaches representing each conference and the Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) votes in the poll.
The Top 25 teams are selected using a points-based system:
- 30 points for a 1st-place vote, 29 for 2nd, 28 for 3rd, and so on.
The highest and lowest rankings received by each team are discarded before final tallying.
Teams receiving only one point are not listed as “receiving votes.”
For the Preseason Poll, there is no “previous ranking” column since it is the initial poll and differs from the prior rating system.

Key: RV – Receiving Votes, NR – Not Ranked, ▲– Climbed, ▼– Dropped, ● – Steady

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KWHS senior Madyn Waring signs to Oregon State for track & field

Published

1 hour ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

CASPER, Wyo. –– Kelly Walsh High School athlete Madyn Waring will compete in track and field at Oregon State University.

The KW senior held a signing ceremony on Tuesday with family and classmates to announce the signing, which will take her to Corvallis, Oregon, a region known for its quality college track and field athletics.

“It’s really exciting,” she said. “They compete a lot of their outdoor meets at Hayward Field in Eugene, which is like a track capital of the world. So many people don’t get to compete there in their lifetimes, so to be able to compete there is really exciting.”

As an added bonus, OSU has joined the PAC 12 starting next year. “Maybe having a chance at that PAC 12 title is really cool,” she added.

Waring said that OSU is particularly unique because they feature only women’s track, with no men’s team at all. “I like to have the attention on me, as you most likely know,” she joked while addressing the assembled crowd. “That was kind of a bonus.”

Waring said she had considered a number of other schools over the previous year, including an Ivy League school and even the Navel Academy. She made a visit to Boise State at one point, but was quickly won over by OSU. “I decided that it was the better fit and aligned more with what I was wanting in a college experience.”

Waring’s high school athletic skills were strong on the basketball and volleyball courts, but she fell in love with track & field, and decided it offered more options in her college career. “It was always [more] about the school than the sport,” she said.

“What I like about track is it’s all on me,” she continued. “So while coaching can help me a lot and I have teammates, it really comes down to how I perform and the effort I put in myself.”

She’s looking at competing in the heptathlon, which includes seven events over two days. “I don’t think I would ever get bored, there’s always something to grow in,” she said, adding that she has never tried the javelin since Wyoming doesn’t offer that activity. “I think my volleyball arm might lend itself well to that,” she said.

Outside of sports, Waring is excited to pursue a degree in environmental engineering, and OSU has been listed as an R1 research institution by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

“It checks all the boxes in that way,” said Waring.

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NTDP/WNT Athletes Ready to Shine in 2025 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Semifinals

Published

1 hour ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dec 16, 2025) – From the NTDP courts to the NCAA semifinals, the impact of USA Volleyball’s development pipeline is on full display once again. Athletes and coaches from all four teams will bring rich experience from NTDP programs and U.S. national teams, showing how the pathway continues to prepare players and staff for the sport’s biggest stages.

The NCAA semifinals are set for Thursday, Dec. 18. No. 1 Pitt and No. 3 Texas A&M square off in the first semifinal at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by No. 1 Kentucky and No. 3 Wisconsin, 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first match. Both matches are live on ESPN.

The final is December 21 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Pitt

Pitt’s roster is led by 2025 U.S. Women’s National Team athlete Olivia Babcock, who competed with the team during Volleyball Nations League. She also helped the senior national team earn silver at the 2024 NORCECA Pan American Cup Final Six.

Fifty-eight percent of Pitt’s NTDP-eligible roster (international athletes not included) have either participated in an NTDP Training Series or with an age-group national team.

Blaire Bayless: 2024-25 U21 National Team (2024 U21 Continental Championships, gold; 2025 U21 Pan Am Cup, gold); 2023 U19 National Team (2023 Pan Am Cup, gold and MVP)
Abbey Emch: 2025 U19 National Team (2025 U19 World Championship, silver)
Bre Kelley: 2022-23 U21 National Team (2022 U21 Pan Am Cup, gold; 2023 U21 Pan Am Cup, gold); 2018 U18 National Team (2018 U18 Continental Championship, gold)

Babcock, Bayless, Emch, Sophia Gregoire, Ryla Jones and Haiti Tautua’a are all NTDP Training Series athletes.

Head coach Dan Fisher brings extensive USA Volleyball history to Pitt’s sideline, including coaching stints with the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams. He’s also led age-group national teams to multiple Pan American Cup golds. Fisher and assistant coaches Kamalani Akeo and Kellen Petrone hVW also both coached with NTDP.

Texas A&M

Texas A&M’s emergence this season reflects its deep ties to NTDP.

Ifenna Cos-Okpalla was MVP and Best Blocker of the gold-medal winning 2025 U23 Pan Am Cup team, and Logan Lednicky was part of the 2025 Women’s National Team, competing in weeks one and two of Volleyball Nations League. Kirra Musgrove was on the 2024 Girls U19 National Team.

Sixty-nine percent of TAMU’s NTDP-eligible roster (international athletes not included) have either participated in an NTDP Training Series or with an age-group national team.

Musgrove, Addi Applegate, Megan Fitch, Lexi Guinn, Margot Manning, Taryn Morris, Morgan Perkins, Ava Underwood and Maddie Waak are all NTDP Training Series athletes.

Head coach Jamie Morrison brings world-class credentials from his years with both the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams, as well as leading multiple age-group national teams to gold medals.

TAMU Director of Analytics Joe Skinner is a former coach with the U.S. Men’s Sitting National Team (helping lead them to the 2016 Paralympic Games) and has also coached with NTDP, as has assistant coach Jeff Fiorenza.

Kentucky

Kentucky continues its proud NTDP tradition, led by Brooklyn DeLeye, MVP of the 2024 and 2025 U21 NORCECA events, and Eva Hudson, who played for the 2025 U.S. Women’s U23 National Team and the 2024 senior national team. DeLeye was also part of the 2023 U19 National Team.

Seventy-one percent of Kentucky’s NTDP-eligible roster (international athletes not included) have either participated in an NTDP Training Series or with an age-group national team.

Eva Hudson: 2025 U23 National Team (U23 Pan Am Cup, gold); 2024 Women’s National Team (Pan Am Cup Final Six, silver); 2024 Women’s National Team Spring Training; 2023 U21 National Team (U21 Pan Am Cup, gold)
Brooke Bultema: 2025 U23 National Team
Molly Tuozzo: 2025 U21 National Team

Hannah Benjamin, Bultema, Jordyn Dailey, Kassie O’Brien, Asia Thigpen, Kennedy Washington and Georgia Watson are all NTDP Training Series athletes.

Associate head coach Meredith Jewell and assistant coach Kyle Luongo have both worked within NTDP.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin showcases a strong NTDP background, with Carter Booth also having senior U.S. National Team experience.

Sixty-nine percent of Wisconsin’s NTDP-eligible roster (international athletes not included) have either participated in an NTDP Training Series or with an age-group national team.

Carter Booth: 2024 Women’s National Team (Pan Am Cup Final Six, silver); 2020-21 U20 National Team; 2019 U18 National Team (U18 World Championship, gold)
Mimi Colyer: 2023 U21 National Team
Charlie Fuerbringer: 2025 U21 National Team; 2023 U19 National Team (U19 World Championship, gold); 2022 U19 National Team
Natalie Wardlow: 2025 U19 National Team; 2024 U19 National Team
Aniya Warren: 2025 U19 National Team; 2024 U19 National Team (U19 Continental Championship, gold)

Colyer, Grace Egan, Fuerbringer, Addy Horner, Madison Quest, Kristen Simon, Wardlow and Warren all have NTDP Training Series experience.

Assistant coach Lauren Carlini, a 2024 Olympian and longtime Women’s National Team setter, brings elite experience to the Badgers’ bench, and assistant coach Brittany Dildine has worked with NTDP.

From collegiate courts to the international arena, NTDP athletes continue to elevate the level of play. As the NCAA semifinals unfold, these connections underscore USA Volleyball’s commitment to developing world-class talent, with coaches and players alike from youth programs to the highest stages of competition.

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