Pannell spent time at third base and outfield while in Knoxville, slashing .351/.632/.425 over 124 games. Her power took a big leap this past season, hitting 13 doubles and 16 home runs which doubled her total from her freshman campaign.

The Milan, Illinois native also showed good plate discipline this season, walking 34 times while striking out just 21 times. Pannell was also named to the NFCA All-Mid-Atlantic Region First Team and the 32^nd best player in the country according to D1Softball’s top 100 players list. She was also the No. 4 ranked player in the portal according to Softball America.

Pannell was also named a CSC Academic All-American for her performance in the classroom and on the field this season.

The rising junior’s addition marks the third All-American and sixth all-conference player added by Gerry Glasco and his staff to a team that finished as national runners-up in the 2025 Women’s College World Series.

 

The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective VC Connect filed a joint lawsuit on Friday against the University of Miami alleging it knowingly induced one of the Badgers’ football players to abandon a lucrative name, image and likeness contract to play for the Florida school this upcoming season.

Allegations of tampering rarely get to this level and the 23-page lawsuit, which was filed in state court in Wisconsin and obtained by The Associated Press, is unusual. Depending on its resolution, it could have a a wider impact on future NIL deals across college athletics.

The player in question in the filing is referred to only as “Student-Athlete A.” But the case summary describes facts that line up with the situation involving cornerback Xavier Lucas, who last December announced his plans to enter the transfer portal.

Shortly afterward, Darren Heitner, who has been representing Lucas, indicated that Wisconsin was refusing to put Lucas’ name in the portal and that it was hindering his ability to talk with other schools. In January, Heitner announced that Lucas would be playing for Miami this fall.

The situation is fallout from the rapid changes engulfing college athletics, specifically a combination of two things: Athletes went to court and won the ability to transfer with much more freedom and the 2021 NCAA decision clearing the way for them to strike NIL endorsement deals now worth millions of dollars. That has changed the recruiting landscape and forced the issue of contracts and signed commitments to the fore.

“Indeed, student-athletes’ newfound NIL rights will be rendered meaningless if third parties are allowed to induce student-athletes to abandon their contractual commitments,” a portion of the lawsuit reads.

Wisconsin said in January that it had credible information that Miami and Lucas made impermissible contact with each other before the former Badgers cornerback decided to transfer.

Wisconsin and VC Connect allege that the inducement for Lucas to attend Miami happened within days of him entering his NIL agreement to play for the Badgers, and that they incurred substantial monetary and reputational harm. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and “a declaration that Miami’s conduct directed towards Student-Athlete A constituted tampering.”

A message left with the University of Miami seeking comment was not immediately returned. In a text message Friday, Heitner declined to comment on the lawsuit but he said that Lucas still plans to attend Miami and play football.

Wisconsin said it had the support of its leadership and the Big Ten Conference in filing the lawsuit, noting its commitment to “ensuring integrity and fundamental fairness in the evolving landscape of college athletics.”

“While we reluctantly bring this case, we stand by our position that respecting and enforcing contractual obligations is essential to maintaining a level playing field,” the statement said. “In addition to our legal action, we will continue to be proactive to protect the interests of our student-athletes, our program and the broader collegiate athletics community.

Lucas, who is from Pompano Beach, Florida, had 12 tackles, an interception and a sack as a freshman for Wisconsin last season.

Heitner said that Lucas hasn’t received any money from Wisconsin and therefore owes no money to the school. Heitner also argued that Wisconsin had violated an NCAA bylaw by not entering Lucas into the transfer database within two business days of the player’s request.

Wisconsin issued a statement at the time saying it hadn’t put Lucas’ name in the portal because he had entered a two-year binding NIL agreement.

In April, the surprise transfers of brothers Nico and Madden Iamaleava from Tennessee to UCLA prompted fresh questions about contracts and buyouts.

Nico Iamaleava, who led Tennessee to the College Football Playoff last season, walked away from a reported $2.4 million NIL contract. Arkansas freshman quarterback Madden Iamaleava entered the portal after spring practices wrapped up.

Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek released a statement indicating he would support efforts by the Razorbacks’ NIL collective to enforce buyout clauses in athlete contracts. Iamaleava reportedly had a contract valued at $500,000 upon signing with Arkansas.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective VC Connect filed a joint lawsuit on Friday against the University of Miami alleging it knowingly induced one of the Badgers’ football players to abandon a lucrative name, image and likeness contract to play for the Florida school this upcoming season.

Allegations of tampering rarely get to this level and the 23-page lawsuit, which was filed in state court in Wisconsin and obtained by The Associated Press, is unusual. Depending on its resolution, it could have a a wider impact on future NIL deals across college athletics.

The player in question in the filing is referred to only as “Student-Athlete A.” But the case summary describes facts that line up with the situation involving cornerback Xavier Lucas, who last December announced his plans to enter the transfer portal.

Shortly afterward, Darren Heitner, who has been representing Lucas, indicated that Wisconsin was refusing to put Lucas’ name in the portal and that it was hindering his ability to talk with other schools. In January, Heitner announced that Lucas would be playing for Miami this fall.

The situation is fallout from the rapid changes engulfing college athletics, specifically a combination of two things: Athletes went to court and won the ability to transfer with much more freedom and the 2021 NCAA decision clearing the way for them to strike NIL endorsement deals now worth millions of dollars. That has changed the recruiting landscape and forced the issue of contracts and signed commitments to the fore.

“Indeed, student-athletes’ newfound NIL rights will be rendered meaningless if third parties are allowed to induce student-athletes to abandon their contractual commitments,” a portion of the lawsuit reads.

Wisconsin said in January that it had credible information that Miami and Lucas made impermissible contact with each other before the former Badgers cornerback decided to transfer.

Wisconsin and VC Connect allege that the inducement for Lucas to attend Miami happened within days of him entering his NIL agreement to play for the Badgers, and that they incurred substantial monetary and reputational harm. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and “a declaration that Miami’s conduct directed towards Student-Athlete A constituted tampering.”

A message left with the University of Miami seeking comment was not immediately returned. In a text message Friday, Heitner declined to comment on the lawsuit but he said that Lucas still plans to attend Miami and play football.

Wisconsin said it had the support of its leadership and the Big Ten Conference in filing the lawsuit, noting its commitment to “ensuring integrity and fundamental fairness in the evolving landscape of college athletics.”

“While we reluctantly bring this case, we stand by our position that respecting and enforcing contractual obligations is essential to maintaining a level playing field,” the statement said. “In addition to our legal action, we will continue to be proactive to protect the interests of our student-athletes, our program and the broader collegiate athletics community.

Lucas, who is from Pompano Beach, Florida, had 12 tackles, an interception and a sack as a freshman for Wisconsin last season.

Heitner said that Lucas hasn’t received any money from Wisconsin and therefore owes no money to the school. Heitner also argued that Wisconsin had violated an NCAA bylaw by not entering Lucas into the transfer database within two business days of the player’s request.

Wisconsin issued a statement at the time saying it hadn’t put Lucas’ name in the portal because he had entered a two-year binding NIL agreement.

In April, the surprise transfers of brothers Nico and Madden Iamaleava from Tennessee to UCLA prompted fresh questions about contracts and buyouts.

Nico Iamaleava, who led Tennessee to the College Football Playoff last season, walked away from a reported $2.4 million NIL contract. Arkansas freshman quarterback Madden Iamaleava entered the portal after spring practices wrapped up.

Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek released a statement indicating he would support efforts by the Razorbacks’ NIL collective to enforce buyout clauses in athlete contracts. Iamaleava reportedly had a contract valued at $500,000 upon signing with Arkansas.

___

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Copyright
© 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

BYU’s AJ Dybantsa to Lead Team USA U19 in FIBA World Cup originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa continues to impress on the international stage. The top-ranked recruit in the 2025 class shined throughout the past week at USA Basketball’s U19 training camp in Colorado Springs, earning a spot among the 12 players for the U19 national team heading to Switzerland.

Team USA is set to depart for Switzerland on June 24 to prepare for the FIBA U19 World Cup. Dybantsa and his teammates will open group play on June 28 against Australia, with additional games scheduled for June 29 and July 1. All three contests will be streamed on YouTube.

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Dybantsa told reporters he wanted to “bring back gold for BYU,” and is no stranger to international success. He helped Team USA win gold at both the 2023 FIBA U16 Americas Championship in Mexico and last summer’s U17 World Cup in Turkey. Most recently, he played a starring role at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, where he tallied 24 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals in a dramatic overtime win against the World Select Team.

Related: BYU’s AJ Dybantsa Becomes College Basketball’s Top NIL Earner

The U19 team features a solid coaching staff led by Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd, with some top assistants, including Kentucky head coach and former BYU leader Mark Pope and North Carolina’s Hubert Davis.

Related: 2025 NBA Draft: What Anonymous Scouts Said About BYU’s Egor Demin

Though Dybantsa won’t face Big 12 competition until BYU opens conference play in December, his time with Team USA offers a valuable early preview to rival coaches.

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With his eyes set on gold, Dybantsa is ready to show off his skills as one of the most exciting talents before heading back to Provo.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.

College sports are rapidly evolving, and recently, it took another step to the professional level after a judge in California settled on a revenue-sharing agreement between the NCAA and players. Now, athletes are allowed to play directly for schools up to about $20 million a year on top of the NIL money. The NIL money is now regulated under the new CEO of the College Sports Commission, Bryan Seeley.

West Virginia and AD Wren Baker released a statement on the new ruling and stated West Virginia planned “for this day for a long time to best position our department for long-term success,” and they weren’t joking around.

Wednesday morning, West Virginia athletics announced the creation of Gold & Blue Enterprises, which is an initiative to “enhance the Mountaineers’ competitive edge,” according to a press release.

The program’s main features are to create a comprehensive NIL support, collaborate with strategic partners, build an innovative business structure, and dedicate leadership and governance.

The comprehensive NIL support is supposed to create services that help student athletes grow their brand to maximize their NIL potential and help with education. WVU already has some NIL collectives, like the Country Roads Trust, but this is the university’s collective. This goes hand in hand with the strategic partners part, which connects student athletes with agencies to make endorsement opportunities.

The innovative business is vague, but it’s said Gold & Blue Enterprises is operating with a “private-sector approach,” supporting the long-term sustainability of WVU sports.

A dedicated leadership and governance is supposed to be created too, but who will be a part of that hasn’t been announced.

This type of university NIL initiative isn’t something new. Once the ruling changed, multiple schools created something like this. Almost all schools had these types of supports created a couple of months ago when this case was brought to the courts in the early spring. In the release, it states that Gold & Blue Enterprises “draws inspiration” from other schools.

There is a dedicated site, goldandblueenterprises.com, but it’s very barebones as of now. It’s mainly a link to donate.

The timeliness of this release shows Baker’s commitment to making WVU consistently competitive and giving the coaches, who have been hired most recently under his leadership, the tools to succeed. Now, the coaches have to do their part and show it on the field/court.

“The launch of Gold & Blue Enterprises is a major breakthrough for WVU Athletics and its student-athletes,” Baker said in the release. “We are taking a hands-on approach to maximize Name, Image and Likeness opportunities for our students and develop innovative partnerships to generate the revenues we need to thrive. I want to thank everyone involved with helping to create and launch this proactive business venture that will work to keep WVU relevant and winning on the national stage. In today’s competitive NIL industry, the launch of GBE is a victory for all Mountaineers.”