Dylan Lopez can kick it with the pros.

Long Island’s newest soccer team, the Fighting Tomcats, has signed the 16-year-old, a soon-to-be Connetquot High School senior varsity star, as the start-up squad’s youngest player.

“They’re obviously much older than me,” Lopez told The Post minutes after inking his deal with the National Premier Soccer League squad that calls Hofstra University home.

“I think just playing with them in this environment is really going to push me and just get used to a higher level,” added the midfielder, who dreams of taking his talents to Spain one day.

The Ronkonkoma native’s deep desire is exactly what the club’s owner — Massapequa soccer legend Jim Kilmeade, the brother of Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, who is also an investor — is shooting for with the new team of 30 that’s almost entirely local.

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“We believe that we can identify and launch players into European careers,” Jim said, adding that the Tomcats are also developing a free youth academy on Long Island.

Lopez gets the best of both worlds with his deal that has no compensation.

Playing with the Tomcats, formally called the American Soccer Club, won’t prohibit him from playing with his competitive Atlantic United travel team, or Connetquot next fall.

Long Island’s newest soccer team, the Fighting Tomcats, has signed 16-year-old Dylan Lopez. Photo courtesy of Dylan Lopez

“When you live on Long Island, you don’t really get opportunities like these,” Lopez said. “It’s usually those people in Europe that get these chances.”

Now, the teen being recruited by Sacred Heart University has the chance to show what he’s made of on a grander stage.

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The moment is a dream come true for his mom and twin brother, Brandon, with whom Lopez has played his entire life.

“He’s always been there,” Lopez said of his sibling, who is one minute younger. “Every time we’re on the field, it’s always a competition between us. And we just keep pushing each other — going back and forth. It’s really helped me … and he’s super excited for me.”

Bragging rights among family — and friends — are full-time for the food runner at Stella Trattoria in Blue Point, who had to call out of work when he got the good news.

“They’re all going to be shocked,” Lopez said. “It’s going to be a good senior year.”

Put your best foot forward as the sun is finally expected to shine this weekend, with two 5K runs that go for great causes.

The “Hope Is Here” run, which raises money for parental mental health awareness, kicks off at 9 a.m. Saturday at First Responders Memorial Park and Ball Field in Islandia, with a registration fee of $45.

The Sayville Fire Department is also hosting its annual 5K at the same time, with a registration fee of $40, starting at the town’s firehouse.

College basketball coaches around the country have been attending events around the country the last six weeks, scouting recruits mainly in the 2026 and 2027 classes.

2026 recruits are starting to lock in official visits over the coming months as they are set to begin their senior years. Many of these visits will take place later this summer and into fall before the high school basketball season starts.

One visit BYU has locked in is talented 2026 Guard Austin Goosby. Sources close to Austin tell me that he has scheduled an official visit to BYU September 26-28. September is still a few months away, so we’ll see if that date gets adjusted as we move closer.

Austin is arguably the best LDS prospect in the country and is rated as the #30 overall recruit in the 2026 class according to 247 Sports. Austin lives in the Dallas area but has family on his mom’s side that lives in Utah. He has one cousin that is attending BYU and other on a mission after starting at BYU.

Austin took an unofficial visit to BYU the weekend of March 8 and attended the BYU-Utah game in the Marriott Center. I spoke with his dad after that visit.

“Kevin Young is a basketball genius; it’s a whole other level of intelligence.” Austin’s dad told me after the visit. “We were blown away by Coach Young and BYU.”

Austin has offers from all over. Duke offered him this past week, and he also has offers from Texas, Kansas, Baylor, Texas A&M, UCLA, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Miami, Florida State, Kansas State, and others.

Texas should be right at or near the top of Austin’s list during his recruitment. Austin’s brother, Trevor, is an offensive lineman on the football team and the family is a UT family.

Austin is one of the top priorities for BYU this class. Kevin Young has been in consistent communication with Austin, and BYU established themselves as a real player in Austin’s recruitment after Austin’s visit back in May.

You can watch highlights of Austin below. Austin is a talented scoring wing that can really get to the basket and knockdown outside shots. He projects as a NBA player and would likely be in school for multiple seasons.

Former champ meets former title challenger. That’s the main event of UFC Baku this Saturday, where Jamahal Hill, the promotion’s former light heavyweight champ, meets Khalil Rountree Jr., a recent title challenger.

Hill and Rountree have been booked twice before, at UFC 303 last year, then again this past April. It seems the third time’s the charm, and Hill has certainly had time to think about what he’ll see in the octagon this Saturday.

“I’m expecting a hard fight. I’m expecting him to come with everything. He wants to get back in there, fight for another championship,” said Hill (12-3, 1NC) during this week’s media day, noting that Rountree “fell just short” in his title fight against Alex Pereira last year. “I can only imagine the type of fuel that gives you. So I’m expecting him to come with everything.”

Asked where a win over Rountree would put him in a division currently headed up by Magomed Ankalaev, Hill dismissed the question. “I’m not really concerned with that right now. My only concern right now is just making sure I get the win.”

Truth be told, Jamahill Hill is fighting down the rankings on Saturday, if only because of a lack of options. He enters the UFC‘s debut in Azerbaijan off a loss to ex-champ Jiri Prochazka, the #2-ranked light heavyweight, and has already been turned back by fellow ex-champ Alex Pereira, who sits ranked #1. With Hill at #4, the only name ahead of him outside of the champ is Carlos Ulberg, who would almost certainly have the next title shot were a rematch between Ankalaev and Pereira not still a possibility.

Hill later addressed comments by Khalil Rountree Jr. saying he wasn’t expecting to be bloodied in the fight. “If he’s not expecting to have any blood, then he’s not really ready for war. He don’t really understand what’s in front of him. He can expect that but when I open his face up and he starts to see it, we’re gonna see what he does and how he reacts then.”

“This guy gets hit more than he hits anybody. That’s literally a stat of his whole career. That’s a wild statement, that’s wild. But he’s said a lot of delusional things.” Hill believes Rountree is “hanging his hat” on lasting longer against Alex Pereira than Jamahal Hill himself. “We have other common opponents. One that I knocked out, one that knocked him out. So it’s like, it is what it is. Whatever he has to do to sleep at night, whatever he has to do to get himself up to fight and get in there, I’m good with it. It is what it is. He’s already made up a fake beef with himself. F*cking weirdo.”

Watch the full UFC Baku media day appearance by Jamahal Hill above.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — At the start of the academic year, Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier encouraged students to remember they are part of a community “doing remarkable things.” With a common purpose and relying on long-held values, he reminded them, today’s students have the opportunity to set new standards of individual and collaborative excellence.  

Vanderbilt student-athletes spent the ensuing months showing the campus, conference and country just how remarkable Commodores can be.    

Compete against the best? Lead the way? Live up to a legacy?  

No matter the circumstances, each victory and accolade spoke to the same theme, the statement growing louder as team after team and athlete after athlete met the moment.  

This is who we are. This is what we do. This is Vanderbilt.  

“This memorable year is further proof of what is possible for Vanderbilt Athletics,” said Candice Storey Lee, vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs and athletic director. “Across each of our sports, Vanderbilt student-athletes, coaches and staff competed with a tireless commitment to reaching the full heights of their potential. Commodores challenged each other to grow, and what they achieved, together, challenges all of us to be relentless in pursuit of even better days.”    

From every corner of the Frist Athletics Village to the fairways of Vanderbilt Legends Club and beyond, from the Birmingham Bowl to an SEC title in Hoover to NCAA Tournaments aplenty, Vanderbilt student-athletes and teams transformed 2024–25 into a year that will live long in the memory and a blueprint for even bolder ambitions ahead.  

“I commend our student-athletes, coaches and staff on their hard work and remarkable achievements,” Diermeier said. “Working together to make each other better as a paradigm of radical collaboration, Vanderbilt student-athletes set new standards of excellence and brought us together as sports uniquely can. They remind us of what it means to dare to grow. As we embrace new models that support excellence in education, research and athletics alike, underscored by our recent launch of Vanderbilt Enterprises, we remain proud but not satisfied.”   

Championship Collaboration 

Nearly 75 percent of Vanderbilt programs either competed in NCAA Championships or bowl games or saw student-athletes advance to NCAA Championships.  

In some cases, success meant going where no Vanderbilt team had gone before. When E. Bronson Ingram Chair in Football Clark Lea’s team memorably defeated No. 1 Alabama on Oct. 5, the 40-35 victory marked the first time in program history that the Commodores took down the nation’s top-ranked team.  

Soon thereafter, head coach Darren Ambrose’s women’s soccer team secured the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance by eliminating No. 1 seed Florida State in Tallahassee, Florida, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.   

And for the first time ever, Vanderbilt’s football and men’s and women’s basketball teams were all ranked nationally during the same academic year.  

Success also required reclaiming ground. Proving itself far more than a one-week wonder, football reached its first bowl game since 2018 and claimed its first bowl title since 2013 by outlasting both Georgia Tech and inclement weather in the Birmingham Bowl.  

In head coach Mark Byington’s first season, men’s basketball defeated four top-15 opponents for the first time since the 1980s. And when head coach Shea Ralph’s women’s basketball team reached the NCAA Tournament for the second season in a row, it meant that men’s and women’s basketball shared March Madness for the first time since 2012.  

Success also requires maintaining established excellence, something that is harder than ever as competition grows more fierce. Head coach Tim Corbin’s VandyBoys won the SEC Tournament for the fifth time overall, the fourth time under Coach Corbin and the third time in the past six tournaments—en route to a national-best 19th consecutive NCAA Tournament.  

Remarkably, the VandyBoys don’t even have sole possession of the longest postseason streak on campus: Head coach John Williamson led women’s bowling to the NCAA Tournament for the 19th consecutive season.   

Thomas F. Roush, M.D., and Family Men’s Golf head coach Scott Limbaugh led his team to the NCAA Championships for the 11th consecutive year, while the women’s golf team turned a stirring regional comeback into a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships.  

Individual Inspiration   

What was the most Vanderbilt moment of the year? The celebration that spilled into the Cumberland River? Back-to-back basketball wins against Tennessee in the span of scarcely 24 hours? There are many worthy candidates. But it’s hard to do better than Mikayla Blakes setting an NCAA Division I women’s basketball record for most points in a game by a true freshman—and then breaking it two weeks later with 55 points against Auburn, to set the women’s record for all freshmen and any SEC player.  

Maybe it was women’s tennis’ Célia-Belle Mohr becoming the first student-athlete in that championship-winning program’s history to be honored as a five-time All-American. The Frenchwoman swept to singles and doubles honors alongside freshman Sophia Webster.  

Proud but not satisfied, indeed.  

As the conference and the country took notice, Vanderbilt earned respect. Blakes earned the Tamika Catchings Award as the nation’s best freshman. Lea’s peers honored him as SEC Coach of the Year, and mesmerizing quarterback Diego Pavia was named SEC Newcomer of the Year.  

Mark H. Carter and Family Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball Head Coach Mark Byington was named 2025 Skip Prosser Man of the Year in recognition of his success on the court and his exemplary moral integrity. 

Even the architect got in on the action: Lee was a recipient of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics AD of the Year Award and one of five finalists for the Sports Business Journal Athletic Director of the Year.  

Mark H. Carter and Family Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball Head Coach Mark Byington was named 2025 Skip Prosser Man of the Year in recognition of his success on the court and his exemplary moral integrity. 

Even the architect got in on the action: Lee was a recipient of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics AD of the Year Award and one of five finalists for the Sports Business Journal Athletic Director of the Year.  

Community Building  

Commodore Nation was front and center throughout the year. Fans filled FirstBank Stadium to capacity for five of football’s seven home games. Memorial Magic took on new life—and new decibels—throughout basketball season. Around Nashville and across the country, text message chains blew up and old friends reconnected as the Dores thrived.  

That’s the power of sport, its ability to bring people together. But as the past year proved, that’s a two-way street. The power of a community brought Vanderbilt to new heights.  

Vanderbilt dedicated the state-of-the-art Huber Center for men’s and women’s basketball, made possible by George and Cathy Huber and legions of Commodore fans who continue to support Vandy United, part of the Dare to Grow campaign.  

Alumnus Mark H. Carter, who spent some of his favorite undergraduate hours in Memorial’s student section, endowed the men’s basketball head coaching position.  

Former Vanderbilt All-American and NFL standout Casey Hayward committed the largest- ever philanthropic gift by a football alumnus who played professionally.  

Vanderbilt supporters didn’t just come along for the ride in 2024–25. They fueled the rocket.  

Now, a new year awaits. And with it, following final approval of the House settlement, a new era of collegiate athletics. Even as Commodores reached new competitive heights this past year, preparations continued to lead the way and create the conditions for success in the new model. In May, Vanderbilt appointed global hospitality leader Markus Schreyer as CEO of the new Vanderbilt Enterprises, which has an initial focus on enhancing Vanderbilt Athletics resources, support for student-athletes and the fan experience. 

From the opening serve of volleyball’s first home game on Wyatt Lawn, 2025–26 is again sure to be a year unlike any other.  

Because more than anything, 2024–25 proved that we’re just getting started. 

Before the 2025 NBA Draft, we’ll take an in-depth look at different prospects here at Liberty Ballers and try to figure out which players would be the best fit for the Sixers at Nos. 3 and 35. Next up in this series is Arkansas’ Adou Thiero.

Arkansas star Adou Thiero had a breakout year in the SEC during his junior season playing under John Calipari in Fayetteville after transferring in after two seasons at the University of Kentucky. Often viewed as and mocked as an early second-round prospect, I believe Thiero can return top-20 if not lottery value if he can develop in a couple of key areas.

Let’s take a look at what gives Thiero such significant upside as a potential legitimate two-way difference maker.

Profile

Stats (PER 40 Min):

21.9 PPG

8.5 REB

2.7 AST

2.4 STL

1.3 BLK

54.5% FG

60.5 TS%

25.6% 3PT (2.3 3PA)

68.6% FT (9.4 FTA)

Team: Arkansas

Year: Junior

Position: Forward

Height: 6’7 ¹⁄₂ (In Shoes)

Weight: 218 lbs

Wingspan: 7’0

Born: May 8, 2004 (21 years old)

Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Strengths

Athleticism

Thiero is a truly nuclear athlete even by NBA standards. Whether it’s blowing by defenders off the bounce with a lightning quick first step, skying through the air for gravity-defying slams, or seemingly coming out of the rafters to erase shot attempts, Thiero’s athleticism pops in basically every aspect. He was 46th in the country in total dunks with 45 made on the season despite only playing 27 games and only 51% of Arkansas’ total minutes on the season as he was limited with injuries. That is an astounding number for a 6-foot-7 wing.

Defense

Thiero is an excellent defensive playmaker posting 3.7 stocks per 40 Minutes, an outstanding level of defensive playmaking for a wing prospect.

Arkansas was significantly better on defense as a team with Thiero on the floor, good for 98 points per 100 possessions conceded with Thiero on and plummeted to 106.4 points per 100 conceded with him off the floor. Teams shot worse from all over the floor with his presence on the court. He is a force as a secondary rim protector and weakside shot blocker due to his 7-foot wingspan and special vertical athleticism. Thiero does a great job of contesting without fouling at the rim, at times walling up with two hands or swatting away shots emphatically.

His outlier quickness and quick hands coupled with his 6-foot-7, 218-pound frame makes him a stifling on-ball defender. Thiero plays with a relentless motor and always has to be accounted for as he is looking to jump passing lanes, chase down players for steals and deflections, and wreak havoc as an off-ball defender.

Driving/Rim Finishing

Over 55% of Thiero’s attempts at the rim were self-created and he finished over 58% of his rim attempts in the half court and 61.6% at the rim overall. His blur of a first step and grab-and-go ability in transition make him a difficult cover as a driver and play finisher especially when he gets a head of steam.

Thiero scored on 1.017 points per possession on his half court attempts this past season at Arkansas which puts him in the 82nd percentile, per Synergy. He also displays excellent floater touch which is a great counter to have to his driving and one that will be greatly needed — especially early in his career as he looks to improve as a jump shooter.

Thiero is also an outstanding weapon as a cutter off the ball where he ranked in the 97th percentile at 1.641 points per possession and finished 84% of his field goals on basket cuts.

Rebounding

Thiero has pulled down 8.7 rebounds per game per 40 minutes throughout his college career. During the 2024-2025 season with the Razorbacks, he put out an impressive 7.7 ORB%, a lot of those ending in put-back points for Thiero by way of layups and put-back dunks. We have seen how important extra possessions and rebounding are throughout the NBA playoffs. Thiero is a legitimate weapon on the glass from the forward spot.

Foul Drawing

Thiero posted a 69.2% free throw rate which is higher than any of the projected first-round prospects coming from the NCAA this season. Thiero uses his first step, strength, and creative rim finishing to apply constant pressure on the rim and get himself to the line at a high rate. This is an important trait for Thiero to help him bring offensive value and generate easy scoring opportunities.

Potential Swing Skill

Playmaking

Thiero’s 1.1 Ast/TO ratio is not going to jump off the page but as you dig deeper into the tape and his profile you will see that there is some untapped playmaking upside. Thiero was a point guard in his high school days as he was just 6-foot tall his junior season and that flashes at times throughout his college film as well. Thiero’s 14% assist rate is a solid number given his archetype. He has showed the ability to make passes on the move, throw skip passes with both hands, passes to rollers out of pick-and-roll, and hit quick extra passes to shooters and cutters as well.

There may be more there than we have seen to this point and improvements to either his handle or shooting could allow him to bend defenses more and leverage some of his passing chops as well.

Areas of Concern

Shooting

Thiero at this time is a complete project at as a shooter. He made just 21 threes in 72 games in his college career at a pedestrian 28.4% clip. Thiero also is a below average free throw shooter for his archetype shooting just 71.1% from the line in his career. While the form on his jumper does not seem to be broken, he has failed to knock it down with any kind of consistency or efficiency. Thiero’s floater touch, rim touch, and flashes of pull-up shooting from two give some optimism for his potential development as a shooter, but it is best to view it as a complete work in progress at this stage.

Overall

Adou Thiero is one of the most underrated prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft. His defensive impact, defensive versatility, S tier athleticism, elite play finishing capabilities, relentless motor, and intriguing ball skills make him a top-20 prospect in this class — with potential to be even more if he lands with the right team to utilize and find value in his current skillset while he looks to develop as a shooter.

Thiero’s shooting development will ultimately determine his ceiling while his other skills give him avenues to immediate role player value in the right system. Given the Sixers’ excess of perimeter shooting, Thiero could slot into a nice role as a transition scorer, driver, cutter, defender, and rebounder and he should be near the top of Sixers wish list early in the second round.

Row, row, rowing boats is what the Rochester Rowing Club (RRC) is all about. But they don’t row gently down the stream.

For the last 35 years, the rowing club has been using Silver Lake as a place to practice its perfectly synchronized strokes.

The club was founded in 1990 by Bill Pavlicek, Doug Burninger, Keith Laughman, Chris Chute and Jeff van Fossum. Pavlicek, who lived on the banks of Silver Lake, was the club’s first president. He recruited rowers and bought two mahogany racing boats from Columbia University in New York.

Since then, the RCC has expanded from racing in regional regattas in small numbers to including a junior rowing program and recruiting young rowers who have won at international competitions. In 2004, a team of four RRC women rowers including Cadence Nelson, Kristin Haraldsdottir, Megan Britson, Lucy Krusel, and coxswain Meg Flannery — coached by Bob Krentlerwon — won bronze at the U.S. Rowing Youth Nationals and won the Groton Cup at the Women’s English Henley regatta.

Currently, the RRC has a varsity and junior varsity team that is open to rowers in grades seven to 12. The junior varsity team practices three to four days a week while the varsity team practices five to six days a week throughout the year. The club also offers sessions in the summer for interested students and offers adults the chance to row recreationally or compete in regional regattas.

Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin

“We are trying to build up our adult team and have seen an increasing interest in the past two years,” says former RRC president and current board member Binnur Taner. The club is unique in that it offers both junior and adult programs that allow student athletes to return and join after high school or college.

Taner’s children Ilkim and Biricik have both rowed for the Rochester Rowing Club. “The sport itself demands discipline and resilience, which are critically important for social development,” says Taner. “Over the past several years, our rowers have competed and received medals at many regattas. Just this year, we (sent) eight of our 10 varsity rowers to represent the club at this year’s National Youth Championship in Sarasota, Florida.”

The National Youth Championship took place on June 14-15, 2025, and the Rochester Rowing Club’s varsity quad placed seventh in the nation. The club’s second varsity quad placed also placed seventh in the B Final.

Michelle Vogl is the current head coach for the club. She attended the University of Minnesota and was part of its team in 2001.

“I absolutely love being around, on, or in water,” she says. “I love how unique the sport of rowing is and how challenging it is.”

Vogl joined the club in April of 2023 and is part of the club’s adult team which has its own coach. She became the club’s head coach for its junior program in June of 2024. She currently has 10 rowers on the club’s varsity team and nine rowers on the junior varsity team.

Vogl’s team has competed at events from Minneapolis to Ohio and from Florida to Ontario. “I am thrilled that eight of our rowers qualified for nationals,” says Vogl. “We are small, but mighty.” This is the second year that the club has sent eight female rowers to nationals.

Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin

When Vogl prepares her rowers, she incorporates aerobic and anaerobic workouts, strength training, long rowing pieces to build stamina and short sprinted pieces to prepare for races. She says her rowers learn physical and mental endurance, pain tolerance and discipline. She says that rowing together in a boat also teaches team members how to work together as one unit. “I love helping the kids succeed and reach their goals,” says Vogl. “It is fulfilling to see their skills and confidence grow. It has also helped me to become a better rower myself.”

Sasha Ting is a 16-year-old and one of the club’s team captains. She joined the team when she was in eighth grade in 2021. “Some people might think there isn’t a lot to love about a sport that was originally used as a form of torture,” she says. What keeps her coming back is the sense of accomplishment. “When the boat’s moving together, and you can actually feel the power and glide of each stroke, it’s just a really cool feeling,” she says.

Ting is one of the rowers who competed at nationals. She competed in a quad boat along with Kara Garvey, Miriam Daire and Elyse LeQuire. Ting says that she and her teammates do a good job of balancing “competitiveness with actually enjoying the moment.”

LeQuire who is 17 years old, joined the club during the pandemic. “I was tired of sitting around,” she says, adding that “rowing is a unique sport that trains you physically and mentally, and it is super fun.” Though she says rowing requires grit, she also says the sport is inclusive. “This sport is accepting of everyone, and we work our hardest to make everyone feel included and like they belong.”

“With my boat, we have had a long collective goal of qualifying for nationals, and we have that goal in mind with every practice,” says LeQuire. “It is such an amazing feeling, knowing that we earned it and worked for it.”

Abbey Holm, 17, is another team captain for the club. She started rowing in 2020 when she was just completing seventh grade and also qualified to compete at nationals. Though Holm says that rowing has taught her work ethic, time management and not giving up, it’s clear that it is also a source of humor and joy for her. “We have a good luck charm,” she says, “it’s a plastic goose we dressed up in bandanas, American girl fall sunglasses and jewelry, his name is ‘Jack’ (after our favorite goose at silver lake), and we take him to every regatta.”

Open communication and hard work are both required to make the RRC successful. As Ting puts it, “no matter how strong you are, the boat won’t move right unless everyone’s completely in sync.”

Learn more about Rochester Rowing Club at

rrcmn.org.

Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin

Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin

Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin

Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin