Sports
Stanford’s Ryann Neushul Named 2025 Women’s Cutino Award Winner
Courtesy: Stanford Athletics
SAN FRANCISCO – Ryann Neushul was recognized with the most prestigious honor of her career on Saturday night, named the 2025 Peter J. Cutino Award recipient in a ceremony at The Olympic Club of San Francisco.
Presented annually to the most outstanding female collegiate water polo player in the nation as voted by Division I coaches, Neushul is the eighth player in school history to win the award. The Cardinal has been awarded 11 Cutino Award honors overall, with other honorees including Aria Fischer (2023), Makenzie Fischer (2019, 2022), Kiley Neushul (2012, 2015), Annika Dries (2011, 2014), Melissa Seidemann (2013), Jackie Frank (2003) and Brenda Villa (2002).
Neushul, who last month closed out a unique seven-year career which began as a freshman in 2019, became Stanford’s first four-time NCAA champion in school history (2019, 2022-23, 2025) following the Cardinal’s 11-7 victory over USC in the NCAA final on May 11.
One year after taking a leave of absence and redshirt year to train and compete with Team USA at the Paris Summer Olympics, Neushul returned for a seventh season and fueled the Cardinal’s 10th NCAA championship in school history and third over the last four years.
Recognized as the ACWPC Player of the Year last week, Neushul is a four-time ACWPC All-American (2019, 2022-23, 2025) who started all 26 contests as a senior and led the Cardinal in multi-goal games (20) while ranking second in goals (60), assists (39) and shot attempts (105). Neushul departed The Farm with 228 career goals, ranking fifth all-time in school history.
Joining older sisters, Jamie and Kiley, as All-American standouts on The Farm, Neushul was also recognized as Stanford’s eighth MPSF Player of the Year while also earning all-conference accolades for the fourth time. Neushul became the second student-athlete in MPSF history to earn both a player of the year and newcomer of the year honor (2019), joining UCLA’s Maddie Musselman.
Neushul is a four-time NCAA All-Tournament Team selection and three-time MPSF All-Tournament team pick.
A three-time ACWPC All-Academic honoree and three-time MPSF All-Academic selection, Neushul is once again on track for more scholastic honors as she boasts a 3.78 GPA in human biology. She remains in the running for CSC Academic All-America honors, looking to become Stanford’s fourth all-time recipient.
Neushul also serves as a teaching assistant for an on-campus Spanish service learning course and participates in the Bridge Peer Counseling Center, Stanford’s student-run peer counseling center.
Sports
Jordana Price Named Volleyball Associate Head Coach
Price brings a wealth of additional experience to Rehr’s coaching staff, with stops at Tulane, Florida State, South Alabama and Valdosta State after playing as a student-athlete for Florida State and a professional playing career overseas.
“I am excited for Jordana to join us at Houston,” Rehr said. “Her experience as a head coach and recruiting coordinator will be a valuable asset to the program.”
Price most recently coached at Tulane, a position she held for four seasons starting in 2022. During her tenure with the Green Wave, she mentored First Team All-American Conference selection and 2023 American Conference Freshman of the Year Avery Burks. Burks was Tulane’s first American Conference Freshman of the Year as well as their fifth overall and first First-Team All-AC honoree since 2020.
Prior to that, she spent five years as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for Florida State. She helped lead the Seminoles to five All-America honors and four NCAA Tournament appearances. The Seminoles never finished lower than fifth in the ACC while Price was on staff, including a runner-up finish in the 2018 campaign. As recruiting coordinator, she managed the recruitment of a Top 15 class in 2021.
She served as the lead middle trainer and blocking coach for a 2019 squad that ended the season ranked second in the NCAA in blocks per set. Two of Price’s most successful recruits were middle blockers Taryn Knuth and Emma Clothier, who both earned All-ACC honors and were named All-Americans. Taryn was also nominated as the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year, awarded AVCA National Player of the Week and ACC Scholar-Athlete of the year. During Price’s time at FSU, Knuth (.549) and Clothier (.483) finished first and second in the country in hitting percentage, respectively.
In tandem with her collegiate coaching, Price participated in the inaugural Team USA National Training Development Program in 2021 when she worked with the U15/U16 classes. The series focused on several key areas for the young athletes to develop their games. Since then, Price has served with the National Training Development Program in 2021 and 2023-2026 in various series and age groups.
In 2019, Price served as the assistant coach of the U.S.A. Florida Region Girls International Select Team which won the silver medal at the 2019 High Performance Championships.
Her success as a coach at FSU helped her earn AVCA 30 Under 30 honors in 2018.
Before returning to FSU as a coach, Price served as an assistant coach at South Alabama. During her two-year stint with the Jaguars from 2015 to 2017, she helped the team to its best finish in the Sun Belt Conference and its best start to the season at 7-1 in over three decades. She also helped coach the Jaguars to the highest team attacking percentage since 1987 and the most wins since 1994.
Price’s college coaching career started in 2012 at Valdosta State where she served as a graduate assistant and interim head coach. She would go on to graduate Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.
As a student-athlete at FSU, Price was a part of the 2009 ACC Championship team which finished in the Elite 8 after being seeded third in the NCAA Tournament. She ranked first in blocks and fourth in hitting percentage in the ACC during her career. She received the FSU Volleyball Most Influential Player award and was a 2008 AVCA All-East Honorable Mention and 2009 Honorable Mention All-American.
After her college career, Price played professionally as a middle blocker in the Professional Azerbaijan Super League for the Shirvan Club and in the Professional Switzerland LNA League for the Hotel Cristal Volleyball Franches-Montagnes. During this time, she competed against six U.S.A. Senior National team members, won the silver medal at the Swiss Volley Cup Final and claimed a fourth place LNA League finish.
She ended her playing days in the Professional Premier Volleyball League. Price competed for the Indiana Hoosier Exterminators, with the team claiming a gold medal in 2012 at the USA Volleyball Open National Championships. In 2013 with Team Florida, she took home a silver medal in the USA Volleyball Open National Championships.
SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Volleyball by providing NIL opportunities or by joining the Point Houston Club which provides financial support directly to Houston Volleyball for needs beyond its operating budget.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarVB on X, formerly known as Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team’s Facebook page at UHCougarVB. Fans also can follow the team on Instagram at @UHCougarVB.
– UHCougars.com –
Sports
Track & Field Back in Action for a Pair of Meets
WASHINGTON (January 8, 2026) – Howard University men’s and women’s track & field program returns from the winter break for a pair of meets: Rod McCravy Invitational (Jan. 9-10) and Penn Select (Jan. 10).
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Bison Nation can follow all the action via live results. Penn Select will stream on ESPN+.
MEET PREVIEW
MEN
On the track, senior sprinter Dylan Gaines (Houston) sits 14th in the country with a 21.52 mark.
Fellow classmate Jorim Banque (Yaounde, Cameroon) and sophomore transfer Drew Dillard headline the 60-meter hurdles, clocking in with the 31st (7.98) and 37th (8.00) fastest times, respectively.
In the field, Dillard ranks 25th in the high jump (2.07 meters) while fifth-year senior Sean Wray (Stafford, Va.) rounds out at 23rd in the triple jump (14.94 meters).
WOMEN
Nationally, five Bison are ranked top 45 in the 60-meter hurdles: Lindsay Johnson (19th); Gabby White (26th); Lauren Thompson (36th); Aniya Woodruff (38th) and Kimbrel Winfield (45th).
Sprinters graduate Marcia Sey (London, United Kingdom) and junior Yahnari Lyons (Hampton, Ga.) sit 22nd (7.44) and 33rd (7.46), respectively, in the 60-meter dash.
Lyons and Woodruff (Harrisburg, N.C.) also rank among the nation’s top sprinters in the 200-meter dash, posting 24.11 (11th) and 24.65 (41st) times, respectively.
Freshman standout Alexis Jones (New Windsor, N.Y.) rounds out HU with a 4:54.89 mark in the mile run, which ranks 34th in the county.
LAST TIMEOUT
On Dec. 12, both squads competed in the annual Seahawk Shootout, hosted by Wagner College.
On the men’s side, Wray, Dillard and William Shepherd (Plano, Texas) led the charge with victories in the triple jump, 60-meter hurdles and 1000-meter run, respectively.
For the women, several Bison took home gold, including Jones claiming the top spot with a new school record in the mile run and senior Temi Banwo (Allen, Texas) earning two wins in the shot put and weight throw.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
On Jan. 16-17, HU goes to the Empire State for the annual HBCU Showcase.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.
Sports
Track & field picks back up at Rod McCravy Memorial
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bellarmine University track and field will return to action Friday and Saturday at the University of Kentucky-hosted Rod McCravy Memorial at the Louisville-based Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center.
Competition is set to begin at noon (ET) Friday with the high jump and 11 a.m. Saturday with the pole vault, shot put and triple jump. The event marks the second of six straight indoor meets at Norton SLC for the Knights, who will host the Jan. 16 Bellarmine Open and Jan. 23 PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic.
Bellarmine will be getting into full-throttle competition mode starting with the Rod McCravy Memorial. The Knights have competed in one previous meet, but the Commonwealth College Opener was over a month ago on Dec. 6.
Bellarmine had strong showings in the initial meet, highlighted by junior Amelia Svidal (11.79m) and freshman Tola Taiwo (13.90m) both setting new women’s and men’s indoor program records, respectively, in the triple jump. Svidal bested her own record while Taiwo shattered a mark that had stood since 2017.
In addition, senior Jansen Story placed first in the women’s 1000m, as did senior Zander Hooten in the men’s 60m hurdles.
For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow BUKnights on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
Sports
Vote for Gadsden-area volleyball Fan Choice Player of the Year
Jan. 8, 2026, 4:01 a.m. CT
The Alabama high school volleyball season has wrapped up and plenty of Gadsden area standouts had stellar seasons.
Following the season, The Gadsden Times named Cherokee County’s Macy Lea as its player of the year, but is turning the vote to the fans to name the fan choice for player of the year. The list of nominees for the fan vote comes from the all area nominations from around Northeast Alabama.
It was another successful season around the Gadsden-area led by as Cherokee County and Guntersville both won state titles. Westbrook Christian and Boaz both made the Elite Eight as well.
The poll closes on Thursday, Jan. 15 at noon CT.
Vote for Gadsden-area Fan Choice Volleyball Player of the Year
Fan Vote: Gadsden-area Volleyball Player of the Year nominees
- Jolie Alexander, Cherokee County
- Adilyn Bailey, Piedmont
- Karlie Baker, Geraldine
- Mazely Ball, Hokes Bluff
- Avery Barkley, Glencoe
- Maggy Bennett , Etowah
- Makenna Bennich, Hokes Bluff
- Anna Beth Cashman, Southside
- Na’Kiya Bothwell, Piedmont
- Jaxson Bruce, Plainview
- Gracyn Bunt, Glencoe
- Ansley Burns, Albertville
- Cassie Burns, Geraldine
- Sadie Carroll, Albertville
- Sarah Chambless, Geraldine
- Millie Chambless, Glencoe
- Maddie Clanton, Sand Rock
- Ellabee Coffey , Fyffe
- Allie Cone , Ashville
- Ryleigh Cothran , Ashville
- Mary Davenport, Hokes Bluff
- Natalie Delp, Coosa Christian
- Chloe Dodd, Hokes Bluff
- Evelyn Dole, Ashville
- Jenna Duke, Piedmont
- Jayleigh Dupree, Coosa Christian
- Nevaeh Gaidurgis, Cherokee County
- Ava Garrard, Sardis
- Ellisan Givens, Cherokee County
- Molly Grace Lay, Sand Rock
- Jada Gray, Plainview
- Emersyn Greer, Sardis
- Addison Hammontree , Westbrook Christian
- Mylie Harper, Gaston
- Ava Haygood, Cherokee County
- Aubrey Haynes, West End
- Anderson Holman, Coosa Christian
- Nyla Hoult, Jacksonville
- Paitlyn Hughes, Sand Rock
- Sagan Jackson, Plainview
- Harley Jones, Fyffe
- Mylee Kate West, Albertville
- Libby King , Westbrook Christian
- Braylee King, West End
- Natalie Koger, Fyffe
- Caiti Lamberth, Southside
- Macy Lea, Cherokee County
- Landri Lipscomb, Westbrook Christian
- Caitlyn Lynch, Sand Rock
- Keely Massey, Ashville
- Kella McCurdy, Plainview
- Kinlee Montgomery, Glencoe
- Raylee Neal , Westbrook Christian
- Lydia Northam , Ashville
- Evelyn Nowak, Glencoe
- Faith Odom, Plainview
- Abigail Pociask, Plainview
- Emma Proctor, Piedmont
- Lexi Reeves, Coosa Christian
- Jessie Richey, Geraldine
- Charlie Richey, Plainview
- Emma Jones, Boaz
- Emma Rogers, Southside
- Lana Rowell, Geraldine
- Talisha Samaniego , Ashville
- Maddie Sanders #16, Ashville
- Maddie Sanders #40, Ashville
- Rylann Shaw, Southside
- Addison Simmons, Hokes Bluff
- Shelby Sisk , Fyffe
- Charlee Skaggs, Gaston
- Megan Smith, Sand Rock
- Sydney Soriano, Jacksonville
- Ellison Stewart , Westbrook Christian
- Elli Stone , Fyffe
- Mya Swain, Jacksonville
- Shiloh Swords , Fyffe
- Mia Talbot, Glencoe
- Caroline Taylor, Westbrook Christian
- Amiyah Thomas, Piedmont
- Ellie Tolbert, Piedmont
- Cali Wadley , Etowah
- Ansley Wallace, Sardis
- Coley Webb, Gadsden City
- Hannah Westcott, Southside
- Daleigha Wheeler, West End
- Emily Wilborn, Gadsden City
- Lyla Willmore, Sardis
- Vada Willmore, Sardis
- Nataly Woodle , Fyffe
Maxwell Donaldson covers high school sports, Jax State athletics, the outdoors in Alabama and more for the Gadsden Times and USA TODAY Network. Find him on Twitter/X @_Max_Donaldson and contact him at MDonaldson@usatodayco.com.
Sports
Robert Atwater Named Track & Field Assistant Coach
MITCHELL, S.D. — Dakota Wesleyan Track & Field announces the addition of Robert Atwater to the coaching staff as an assistant, bringing with him a plethora of top-end experience as a former college competitor.
Atwater graduated from Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska, with a degree in Sports Management & Digital Marketing in 2025, which is also where he competed as a member of the Warrior Track & Field team for multiple seasons. Atwater is most notably a two-time national champion, claiming titles at the 2024 NAIA Indoor National Championships in the long jump and at the 2025 NAIA Indoor National Championships in the heptathlon. He is also a 12-time All-American, receiving such prestigious distinctions four times in the high jump, four more times in the long jump, twice in the heptathlon, and once in each the triple jump and pole vault. In total, Atwater holds 21 All-Conference honors from the Great Plains Athletic Conference and racked up seven total conference championships, making his winning pedigree a notable addition to the track and field program as a whole.
Coach Atwater also previously won two events at the historic Drake Relays during his time as a competitor and holds many impressive personal records, including a 7′ 2.5″ mark in the high jump, 25′ 3.5″ in the long jump, and a total score of 5396 in the heptathlon. Coach Atwater began his duties on December 22nd of 2025.
Don’t forget to follow Dakota Wesleyan University Athletics across all social media platforms! #RollTige
Sports
Men’s Volleyball Heads To Utah For 2026 Opener
Men’s Volleyball | 1/8/2026 10:00:00 AM
Friday, January 9 | BYU | Provo, Utah | Smith Fieldhouse | 9 p.m. | WATCH LIVE
Saturday, January 10 | BYU | Provo, Utah | Smith Fieldhouse | 9 p.m. | WATCH LIVE
OPENING SERVE VS BYU
Saint Francis and BYU will have their fourth meeting of all time during the opening weekend. These two teams faced each other once in 2010 when the Cougars won 3-1 and then in 2019 during a BYU sweep of the Red Flash. In 2019, Saint Francis finished the year with a 15-14 record, including a 3-2 win against #14 Ohio State.
THE WORD ON THE COUGARS
The Cougars are opening up their 2026 campaign after ending their 2025 season 19-10. BYU finished conference play with a 7-5 record after a close loss to Stanford in the MPSF Quarterfinals. Teilon-Jonathan Tufuga is one of the key returners for the Cougars standing at 6’5″ to grab 194 kills as an outside hitter. The junior had 134 digs, 40 blocks, and 25 aces to end the 2025 season. The second key player is BYU’s setter, Tyler Herget. Herget, the senior, assisted in the scoring by dishing out 818 assists.
PRESEASON POLL
Saint Francis men’s volleyball was picked to tie first in the NEC Preseason Poll. Daemen earned three first-place votes while the Red Flash claimed two. LIU and FDU both took a first-place nod to finish in third and fourth. Following behind, the newly added teams, Manhattan and UMES finish fifth and sixth. Rounding out the poll was D’Youville in seventh.
NEXT TIME OUT
The men’s team travels down to Kentucky to face Northern Kentucky on January 16 and 17.
RETURNERS TO TALK ABOUT
Brady Stump returns as one of the team’s top leaders in kills (266), digs (99), blocks (40), and aces (25). During the 2025 campaign, the All-NEC first team outside hitter was seventh in kills per set, eighth in points per set, and 10th in hitting percentage in the NEC.
Sam Lane also registered 135 kills and 65 blocks, coming in eighth in blocks per set in 2025. He was named to the All-NEC second team due to his dominant blocking abilities. Lane registered a season high of five blocks against Erskine back in April.
Kyle Charles returns to collect more assists as he paced assists per set (9.97) in the NEC. He was announced as the NEC Rookie of the Year and All-NEC first team in 2025. The sophomore racked up three double double and had a season best of 62 assists versus Dominican. Charles collected 887 assists, 106 digs, 46 blocks, and 43 kills.
Back as a graduate student, Richard Kaminski continues to look for digs in the backrow. The libero recorded 10+ digs seven times, accumulating 142 digs and 37 assists in the previous season with the Red Flash. Kaminski finished third in the NEC with total digs and seventh in digs per set.
Nathan Zini returns after a season ending injury to compete in the 2026 campaign. In 2024, the opposite hitter was named NEC Player of the Year, All-NEC first team, and AVCA All-American honorable mention. He registered 410 kills, 125 digs, 63 aces, and 31 blocks. His 63 aces were the most across both Division I and Division II men’s volleyball.
WELCOME TO THE LO’
Eight freshman are looking for their collegiate debut this weekend: Gianluca Gomez (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Saint Joseph Metuchen), Derek Piatek (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mars Area), Tate Myatt (Chicago, Ill./Lane Tech), Luke Colquette (Highlands ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista), Alexander Owens (Tuscon, Ariz./Salpointe Catholic), Nate Duff (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial), Andre Pimienta (Los Angeles, Calif./Wisebum Da Vinci), and Jack Wolgemuth (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest).
ABOUT THE COACH
Mike Rumbaugh enters is 28th season as the Saint Francis men’s volleyball head coach in 2026. Rumbaugh is the second head coach in program history, after Gary Evangelisto, who guided the program for the first 15 years (1984-98). Rumbaugh was named the NEC Coach of the Year for the third-straight campaign. Prior to joining the NEC, Rumbaugh and the Red Flash was a member of the EIVA for the first 24 years as a head coach. Saint Francis registered a winning overall season 10 times during this stretch and participated in the EIVA Tournament 10 times, advancing to the EIVA Championship Game four times (2006, 2007, 2016, and 2017) and winning the EIVA Hay Division twice (2001, 2005). Rumbaugh arrived in Loretto in 1998 after serving a six-year term as an assistant coach with the men’s and women’s volleyball teams at Mercyhurst College. Rumbaugh is a certified official by the United States of America Volleyball Association. He has served as an instructor at USA High Performance and Regional High Performance Camps, and coached the USA Continental Youth Team against domestic and international opponents at the USA Select Competition.
-
Rec Sports3 weeks agoPrinceton Area Community Foundation awards more than $1.3 million to 40 local nonprofits ⋆ Princeton, NJ local news %
-
Sports2 weeks agoBadgers news: Wisconsin lands 2nd commitment from transfer portal
-
Rec Sports6 days agoFive Youth Sports Trends We’re Watching in 2026
-
Sports3 weeks agoIs women’s volleyball the SEC’s next big sport? How Kentucky, Texas A&M broke through
-
Rec Sports2 weeks agoNBA, Global Basketball Community Unite for World Basketball Day Celebration
-
Rec Sports3 weeks agoYouth Sports Business in 2025: The Year the Industry Grew Up
-
Sports2 weeks agoKentucky VB adds an All-American honorable mention, loses Brooke Bultema to portal
-
Rec Sports3 weeks ago
Inside the NWSL’s first combine: Can the league create a more robust pathway for American talent development?
-
NIL3 weeks ago$2.1 million transfer portal QB predicted to join College Football Playoff team
-
Motorsports2 weeks agoDr. Patrick Staropoli Lands Full-Time O’Reilly Ride with Big Machine Racing





