Sports

State Won’t Let SBA Crisis Derail Badminton Development

KUCHING: The Sarawak Government will not allow the ongoing leadership crisis within the Sarawak Badminton Association (SBA) to impede the sport’s development. Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said his ministry is actively working to resolve the internal dispute, which has escalated to the courts, and is prepared […]

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4 weeks ago

June 1, 2025

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KUCHING: The Sarawak Government will not allow the ongoing leadership crisis within the Sarawak Badminton Association (SBA) to impede the sport’s development.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said his ministry is actively working to resolve the internal dispute, which has escalated to the courts, and is prepared to implement a contingency plan should the situation fail to improve.

“If things do not proceed as we hope, and if badminton is affected and we are unable to develop the sport due to the internal problems among members, then we will activate a contingency plan to resolve the issue and start afresh,” he explained.

He said this when met during his visit to the Sarawak International Youth Football Championship 2025 (SIYFC25) held at Sarawak Stadium today.

Abdul Karim added that the ministry’s main approach for now is to encourage dialogue among all parties involved in SBA to reach an internal resolution.

“The best way to solve this problem is to sit down together and try to find a good solution. That is what I am trying to do,” he said.

He also acknowledged that the association’s internal crisis could disrupt athlete development, training programmes, and efforts to nurture new talent in badminton across Sarawak.

The SBA crisis reportedly began last year following a split among top committee members, which eventually led to legal proceedings.

Commenting further, Abdul Karim stressed that the state government does not want internal disputes to jeopardise the future of athletes or the sports industry as a whole.

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Texas Longhorns Win 4th Directors Cup in Five Seasons Thanks in Part to NCAA Swimming Title

The Texas Longhorns have won their 4th Directors Cup in five seasons, narrowly beating out USC and Stanford in one of the most competitive battles in the history of the award. The top three teams were separated by only 4.5 points at the end of the season. The award, originated in 1993, evaluates athletic department […]

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1 minute ago

June 27, 2025

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The award, originated in 1993, evaluates athletic department successes across the NCAA sporting spectrum to see which schools lead the way in diverse athletic programs.

Stanford owns 26 of the 31 awards given all-time. The only other two Division I schools to win are Texas, which has now won four of the last five, and North Carolina, which won the first edition in the 1993-1994 season.

The win for the Longhorns was secured, ironically, by their long-time rivals Texas A&M. When the Aggies tied USC with 41 points to be named co-champions of the men’s outdoor track & field championships, the Trojans were knocked out of contention for the title. If they had won the track & field championship outright, they would have also won the Directors Cup title.

Top 10 Standings – 2024-2025 Division I Directors Cup Standings

Texas – 1,255.25
USC – 1,253.75
Stanford – 1,251
North Carolina – 1,195.25
UCLA – 1,149
Tennessee – 1,078
Florida – 1,072
Ohio State – 1,032.25
Oklahoma – 1,017.20
Duke – 1,010

The Virginia Cavaliers, winners of the women’s NCAA title, finished 12th overall.

Teams score points based on the national finishes of their best 19 athletics programs. Five of those must be men’s and women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, women’s soccer, and baseball, while the other 14 can be any NCAA sanctioned championship sport (including swimming & diving, and water polo).

The Longhorns scored big points in swimming this year, with their men securing their record-setting 16th team title and the women finishing 3rd. That accounted for 185 of Texas’ points.

The Longhorns made their big move in the spring season, though, in spite of a disappointing early exit for the baseball team at the hands of UTSA in the Austin regional final as the #2 overall seed in the tournament. USC was also eliminated in the regional final, though for the Trojans that finish was better-than-seed.

The Texas softball team, though, came away with a clutch NCAA title late in the year, upending their former Big 12 rivals from Texas Tech in the Women’s College World Series.

As college athletics evolve post House settlement, with schools allowed to share revenue with athletes, the Directors Cup will become a crucial measure of which schools are maintaining and financially supporting broad athletics departments, and which are siphoning off resources from low-revenue sports like swimming & diving to fund more high-profile sports like football and basketball.

Full List of 2024-2025 NCAA Division I Team National Champions

Women’s Swimming & Diving: Virginia
Men’s Swimming & Diving: Texas
Men’s Water Polo: UCLA
Women’s Water Polo: Stanford
Men’s Basketball: Florida
Women’s Basketball: UConn
Baseball: LSU
Men’s Cross Country: BYU
Women’s Cross Country: BYU
FCS Football: North Dakota State
FBS Football: Ohio State
- Note: The FBS football championship is not, technically, an NCAA Championship, but it is used for Directors Cup standings, alongside the FCS football championship, which is an NCAA Championship.
Men’s Golf: Oklahoma State
Men’s Gymnastics: Michigan
Women’s Gymnastics: Oklahoma
Men’s Ice Hockey: Western Michigan
Women’s Ice Hockey: Wisconsin
Men’s Indoor Track & Field: USC
Women’s Indoor Track & Field: Oregon
Men’s Wrestling: Penn State
Men’s Tennis: Wake Forest
Women’s Tennis: Georgia
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field: USC & Texas A&M (co‑champions)
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field: Georgia
Softball: Texas
Men’s Soccer: Vermont
Women’s Soccer: North Carolina
Men’s Volleyball: Long Beach State
Women’s Volleyball: Penn State
Women’s Beach Volleyball: TCU
Women’s Bowling: Youngstown State
Field Hockey: Northwestern
Women’s Rowing: Stanford
Rifle (Co‑ed): West Virginia
Skiing (Co‑ed): Utah
Fencing (Co‑ed): Notre Dame

NCAA Division II, Division III, and NAIA

The Directors Cup for NCAA Division II athletics, which counts up to 15 teams that must include men’s and women’s basketball, men’s baseball, and women’s volleyball, was won by Grand Valley State. The Lakers had a 4th place national finish in men’s swimming and an 8th-place national finish in women’s swimming.

GVSU has won five consecutive Directors Cups, nine out of the last ten, and 16 overall. No other school has won more than six (UC Davis). In fact, only one other Directors Cup has been won by a school still in Division II Athletics – Adams State in 1998-1999.

Nova Southeastern, which won the women’s swimming & diving title, finished 9th, while Drury, which won the men’s title, finished just 57th overall. Men’s swimming & diving scored almost 30% of their total points (100/344).

In NCAA Division III athletics, Johns Hopkins won the Directors Cup for the third-straight season. Division III schools can count up to 18 teams, four of which must be men’s and women’s basketball and men’s and women’s soccer.

Williams, who finished 8th this year in the standings, is the dominant team in Division III history with 22 wins. JHU is the only other school with multiple titles.

Women’s swimming & diving champions MIT finished 6th in this year’s overall standings, while men’s swimming & diving champions Denison were 20th in the final Division III Directors’ Cup standings.

In NAIA, 13 teams can score, four of which must be men’s and women’s basketball, men’s soccer, and women’s volleyball. The University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky won the NAIA Directors’ Cup this year, their second-straight title and second overall title.

That was another school boosted by big swimming & diving points, with both their men’s and women’s programs finishing 4th at the NAIA Championships and picking up 80 points each.

SCAD Savannah, which won both the men’s and women’s NAIA titles in swimming & diving this year, finished 11th in the Directors’ Cup standings.

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T&F’s Ezekiel Sits as Semifinalist on Bowerman Watchlist

NEW ORLEANS – Baylor track & field star Nathaniel Ezekiel added another honor to his accolade list as a semifinalist for the Bowerman Award, the organization announced on Thursday afternoon. Ezekiel has spent the most time on the watchlist out of the semifinalists, second behind North Carolina’s Ethan Strand. Ezekiel is Baylor’s third semifinalists […]

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9 minutes ago

June 27, 2025

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NEW ORLEANS – Baylor track & field star Nathaniel Ezekiel added another honor to his accolade list as a semifinalist for the Bowerman Award, the organization announced on Thursday afternoon.

Ezekiel has spent the most time on the watchlist out of the semifinalists, second behind North Carolina’s Ethan Strand. Ezekiel is Baylor’s third semifinalists in program history as KC Lightfoot (2021) and Trayvon Bromell (2014, 2015) also made the honor.

The Bowerman is bestowed to collegiate track & field’s top male and female athlete for the year. The Bowerman Advisory Board, and ultimately, The Bowerman Voters, are instructed to consider performances inclusively from the collegiate indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons only.

Ezekiel’s historic senior season was highlighted by the NCAA Outdoor Championships, running his final lap in a Baylor uniform with a personal-best of 47.49 and the No. 3 all-time mark in collegiate history to win the 400-meter hurdles title. The Nigerian was the first national champion for Baylor in the 400mH since Bayano Kamani in 2001 and only the third Bear to win the event.

Ezekiel ended his Baylor career with multitudes of honors, including 2025 USTFCCCA Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, Big 12 Indoor and Outdoor Athlete of the Year, a nine-time All-American in the indoor and outdoor seasons and the BU program record holder in the 400mH, the indoor 400m and a member in the indoor 4×400 relay. Most notably, Ezekiel concluded his collegiate career as the only athlete in NCAA history to have multiple all-time top ten marks in the 400mH, owning four.

The finalists for the Bowerman award will be announced Tuesday, July 8 with online fan voting happening from July 8-10. The Bowerman winners will be announced on Thursday, December 18 at the USTFCCCA Convention in Grapevine, Texas.

THE BOWERMAN MEN’S SEMIFINALISTS
Mykolas Alekna, California (Discus)
Jordan Anthony, Arkansas (Sprints)
James Corrigan, BYU (Mid-Distance/Steeple)
Nathaniel Ezekiel, Baylor (Sprints/Hurdles)
Ishmael Kipkurui, New Mexico (Distance)
Carlie Makarawu, Kentucky (Sprints)
Ralford Mullings, Oklahoma (Throws)
Brian Musau, Oklahoma State (Distance)
Ethan Strand, North Carolina (Mid-Distance/Distance)
Ja’Kobe Tharp, Auburn (Hurdles)

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U.S. Men’s National Team Charges Back to Defeat China to Start 2025 VNL Week Two

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 25, 2025) – The U.S. Men’s National Team rallied from a 2-1 set deficit to defeat China, 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 19-25, 25-16, 15-11) in the opening match of the second week of Volleyball Nations League (VNL) on Wednesday at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The U.S. win was the ninth […]

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10 minutes ago

June 27, 2025

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 25, 2025) – The U.S. Men’s National Team rallied from a 2-1 set deficit to defeat China, 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 19-25, 25-16, 15-11) in the opening match of the second week of Volleyball Nations League (VNL) on Wednesday at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The U.S. win was the ninth in its last 10 meetings with China.

The U.S. (3-2) will return to the court tomorrow, Thursday, June 26m at 5:30 p.m. PT to face North American rival Canada (2-3).

GET TICKETS TO WATCH THE U.S. MEN COMPETE IN HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILLINOIS

The U.S. finished with 13 more kills than China (65-52), and though the U.S. men were outblocked 16-12 for the match, most of the blocks came in the first three sets as China had only one block in each of the final two sets. Both teams served three aces with China making three fewer errors.

Eleven U.S. players scored and all 14 played in the match. Outside hitter Jordan Ewert led all players with 16 kills and 18 points, adding a pair of blocks, and paced the team with six successful receptions.

“It was an important match for a lot of us, the first time getting to play in front of our friends and family representing the national team. For the first match having such a big crowd and supportive fans and then to get the ‘W’ is huge. It gives us a lot of confidence going into the rest of the week,” Ewert commented. “We were playing against a good team. They made adjustments and we had to make adjustments. We made those adjustments in the fourth set and it worked out. The fifth set is always a battle and we pulled it out. They were a great team and they did some impressive things defensively, so we had to adjust and did well.”

Opposite Kyle Ensing scored 12 points on 10 kills, a block and an ace. Outside hitter Jacob Pasteur recorded 11 kills and outside Ethan Champlin came in to start the fourth set and finished with 10 kills. In addition to running the offense, Micah Ma’a scored five points on three kills, a block and an ace. In just under two sets, veteran libero Erik Shoji registered five successful receptions and led the team with four digs.

“It was a 14-man effort. Everybody was on the floor at some point and eventually we found a combination that put together some really good volleyball. It’s not a bad thing to play a little extra as we are learning, even if it gives me a few more grey hairs,” head coach Karch Kiraly said. “I’m really proud of the way the guys responded after losing that third set. They came out really strong in the fourth and really strong in the fifth. It’s nice to come out to a lead. Whatever combination we put out, they were working and there was a lot of effort. It didn’t always work but credit to all the guys for enduring, for rolling with all the changes we threw at them.”

A perfect Pasteur pass led to a second consecutive kill by Ensign to give the U.S. a 16-10 lead in the first set. The U.S. was passing at a 71 percent efficiency at that point. The lead was still six points, 18-12, when China went on a 6-1 run to close the lead to one point.

A Pasteur kill made it 20-18 and with a 21-19 lead, Pasteur’s strong serve led to a well-placed tip by Ewert. Ensign followed with a block on an attempted tip for a 23-19 lead. China fought off two set points after falling behind 24-20 but a kill on a back row attack by Pasteur ended the set. Ensign led the team with seven points on six kills and his late block.

Strong serving sent China out to a 6-3 lead in the second set. The U.S. called a quick timeout and rebounded to even the set 7-7, but China scored the next three points and led by at least two points the remainder of the set. Pasteur led the U.S. with five kills in the set.

Trailing 21-17 in the second set, the U.S. suffered a big blow when three-time Olympian Shoji landed awkwardly after going up for a jump set and had to be assisted off the court.

The teams split the first 12 points of the third set before China ran off six consecutive points and forced the U.S. to use both of its timeouts. A block by Cooper Robinson after a strong serve by Matthew Knigge brought the U.S. within two points, 18-16. China scored five of the next six points to put the set out of reach. Through three sets, China was serving at 54 percent.

Champlin and Hobus entered the match in the fourth set and keyed a 7-1 U.S. start that forced China to use both its timeouts early in the set. The lead quickly grew to eight points 12-4 on a Champlin kill. China pulled no closer than five points the rest of the set.

Middle blocker Shayne Holdaway made his U.S. National Team debut in the set and served an ace for a 21-13 lead. Champlin ended the set with his seventh kill, hitting .545. Holdaway added two blocks for three points and Ewert recorded three kills.

Ewert scored the first two points of the deciding set, one on a tip and another on a block, and a Gabi Garcia kill put the U.S. ahead 3-0. Champlin made a perfect pass and then scored on a back row attack and Garcia pounded a ball as the U.S. scored five of the first seven points in the set.

China pulled within two points three times but could get no closer. With a 9-7 lead, the U.S. scored three consecutive points. After a net violation on China, Jeff Jendryk came up with a block and then Robinson put a ball away after a great dig by Ma’a and a set from Dagostino.

A Holdaway kill and Champlin’s 10th point in just a set and a half gave the U.S. five match points at 14-9. China scored two points before Garcia sealed the comeback win with a kill. Jendryk, Garcia and Champlin each scored three points in the set which saw six different U.S. players score.

U.S. Men’s Week Two Roster for 2025 VNL

No. Name (Pos., Ht., Hometown, College, USAV Region)
4 Jeff Jendryk (MB, 6-10, Wheaton, Ill., Loyola Univ. Chicago, Great Lakes)
5 Kyle Ensing (Opp, 6-7, Valencia, Calif., Long Beach State Univ., Southern California)
6 Quinn Isaacson (S, 6-2, Plainfield, Ill., Ball State, Great Lakes)
7 Jacob Pasteur (OH, 6-4, Westminster, Md., Ohio State Univ., Chesapeake)
9 Gabi Garcia (OPP, 6-7, San Juan, Puerto Rico, BYU)
10 Kyle Dagostino (L, 5-9, Tampa, Florida, Stanford Univ., Florida)
12 Shane Holdaway (MB, 6-6, Huntington Beach, Calif., Long Beach State, Southern California)
14 Micah Ma’a (S, 6-3, Kaneohe, Hawaii, UCLA, Aloha)
15 Kyle Hobus (OPP, 6-7, San Pedro, Calif., CSUN, Southern California)
18 Cooper Robinson (OH, 6-7, Pacific Palisades, Calif., UCLA, Southern California)
22C Erik Shoji (L, 6-0, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford Univ., Aloha)
25 Ethan Champlin (OH, 6-3, Oceanside, Calif., UCLA, Southern California)
26 Matthew Knigge (MB, 6-7, New Egypt, N.J., Vassar, Garden Empire)
29 Jordan Ewert (OH, 6-5, Antioch, Calif., Stanford, Northern California)

Head Coach:  Karch Kiraly
Assistant Coach: Luka Slabe
Assistant Coach: Javier Weber
Performance Analyst: Nate Ngo
Physiotherapist: Aaron Brock
Senior Strength and Conditioning Coach: Tim Pelot
Senior Sports Dietitian: Shawn Hueglin
Mental Performance Coach: Andrea Becker
Team Manager: David Dantes
Consultant Coach: Chris McGown
Consultant Coach: Marv Dunphy
Team Doctors:  Eugene Yim, Mark Hutchinson, Michael Shepard, Warren Young

2025 Volleyball Nations League Schedule for Week 2
NOW Arena
Hoffman Estates, Illinois
All times PDT; Matches will be shown live on VBTV and either CBS Sports Network or Big Ten Network

June 25 USA def. China, 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 19-25, 25-16, 15-11)
June 26 at 5:30 p.m. vs. Canada
June 28 at 5:30 p.m. vs. Poland
June 29 at 5:30 p.m. vs. Italy

Week 1 Results
June 11: Ukraine def. USA, 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-23)
June 12 USA def. Iran, 3-2 (19-25, 21-25, 25-21, 25-23, 17-15)
June 14 Slovenia def. USA, 3-1 (25-22, 27-25, 20-25, 25-23)
June 15 USA def. Cuba, 3-1 (25-22, 25-18, 18-25, 25-23)

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Track and Field: Degen and Lelwica earn Academic All-District honor – Brainerd Dispatch

COLLEGEVILLE — Former Brainerd Warriors Max Lelwica and Mitchell Degen were two of five St. John’s University track and field athletes named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team Tuesday, June 24. Nominees must be a sophomore or older with a 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher. They also must finish in the top 50 […]

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30 minutes ago

June 27, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Nominees must be a sophomore or older with a 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher. They also must finish in the top 50 of their respective NCAA Regional.

Degen is a global business leadership major with a 3.79 GPA. He won the 2025 MIAC title in the javelin with a throw of 58.46 meters. His career best in 60.15 meters, which was second best in the region and 29th in the nation.

Lelwica is now a two-time Academic All-District athlete and graduated with a 3.68 in biochemistry with a pre-medicine emphasis. He placed third in the decathlon at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships with a score of 6.848. Lelwica earned All-American second-team honors with a ninth-place finish in the heptathlon at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships.

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Bridgewater St.

BRIDGEWATER STATE UNIVERSITY Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer This event doesn’t have a set start time, but PrimeTime will be available once the event begins. Live statistics will be available at the start of the event in: Game Information Sat, Sep. 6, 202512:00 PM EDT Date & Time […]

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32 minutes ago

June 27, 2025

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BRIDGEWATER STATE UNIVERSITY

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This event doesn’t have a set start time, but PrimeTime will be available once the event begins.

Live statistics will be available at the start of the event in:

Game Information

Sat, Sep. 6, 2025
12:00 PM EDT

Date & Time

Smith
(Neutral)

Location

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Yankees' Brent Headrick

Now Playing Share Link copied! Headrick (undisclosed) was placed on Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s seven-day injured list Thursday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports. It’s not yet clear what type of injury Headrick is nursing, but he’ll be out of action for at least the next seven days. The lefty reliever was sent from […]

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37 minutes ago

June 27, 2025

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Headrick (undisclosed) was placed on Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s seven-day injured list Thursday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

It’s not yet clear what type of injury Headrick is nursing, but he’ll be out of action for at least the next seven days. The lefty reliever was sent from the big club to Triple-A on June 12 after posting a 4.73 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 16:3 K:BB over 13.1 innings with the Yankees. Headrick has recorded a 4.40 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 12:5 K:BB across 14.1 frames with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on the campaign.