During the June 17 meeting, the San José City Council approved guiding principles for a new partnership between San José State University and the City of San José to revitalize the Police Activities League (PAL) Stadium Complex in East San José.

“I’m always grateful to partner with San José State University on new endeavors that will benefit the San José community,” says San José City Manager Jennifer Maguire. “This newest collaboration creates an important shared vision for the future of PAL Stadium — one that honors legacy and expands opportunities for youth, athletes and communities in East San José.”

Plans for stadium upgrades will include a new track and field, upgraded seating and lighting, improved accessibility and an updated press box. These improvements will benefit current PAL users and the East San José community, while also transforming the stadium into the new home of SJSU’s nationally ranked track and field program — honoring its “Speed City” legacy and Olympians Tommie Smith, ’69 Social Science, ’05 Honorary Doctorate and John Carlos, ’05 Honorary Doctorate.

“Speed City is more than a chapter in our history; it is a living tribute to courage, excellence and justice. This partnership, made possible by the City of San José and funding provided by Assemblymember Ash Kalra, breathes new life into that legacy by creating a space where our student-athletes, youth and community can thrive together,” says SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson. “We are proud to honor the profound impact of Tommie Smith, John Carlos and generations of Spartan champions through a project that uplifts both sport and social progress.”

Backed by a $9 million state investment secured by Kalra, the project includes the Speed City Legacy Project, a physical space to honor the SJSU’s track and field program legacy and connections to history, which will also support youth and community wellness. SJSU and the city will share leadership on design and operations, working closely with the PAL nonprofit to deliver programs that ensure that the stadium remains a hub for youth athletics and academics.

“I’m excited for this partnership between SJSU and the City of San José to improve PAL Stadium and transform it into a state-of-the-art joint-use track and community center. Modernizing and improving PAL stadium will uplift our communities, educate them about Speed City’s legacy and honor Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ stand for human rights,” says Kalra. “I’m proud to have championed state funding to bring this vision to fruition and will continue to strongly support this project.”

This announcement marks the first step in this exciting partnership. More details including final roles, responsibilities and site design, will be negotiated and presented to the San José City Council for approval in a future agreement.

Read the City Council Memorandum for more information on the guiding principles and partnership.

What They Are Saying

SJSU Athletic Director Jeff Konya:

“SJSU and certainly our athletics department and track programs are thrilled to learn the news that the ‘Speed City’ legacy project is moving forward at the PAL facility. The final project will yield a wonderful community asset for the city of San José, while at the same time serving as a first-class home for Spartan track and field. And it will be a tremendous place where the history and lasting cultural impact of SJSU Speed City can be celebrated for years into the future.”

San José Mayor Matt Mahan:

“We’re thrilled to honor SJSU’s Speed City legacy in a way that brings lasting value to our community,” says San José Mayor Matt Mahan. “This partnership will create an exceptional athletic facility where local youth can train, learn and dream alongside elite athletes. This is how we build opportunity and pride in every San José neighborhood.”

San José Councilmember Peter Ortiz:

“East San José deserves world-class facilities and investment, and that’s why I’m excited about what this project will deliver,” says Councilmember Peter Ortiz. “This partnership will ensure that PAL Stadium remains a place where young people from East San José can grow and thrive.”

Dordt University is a private institution of higher education, committed to the Reformed Christian perspective. Located in the heart of the vibrant midwest in the thriving community of Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt University seeks to provide a holistic learning experience for our students, in which they can develop Christian insight to discern and challenge modern worldviews of our age in light of God’s Word.

DURHAM, N.C. – Five North Carolina Central golfers earned Academic All-District At-Large Team honors from the College Sports Communicators (CSC) on Tuesday, June 17.

The CSC awarded Jalen Brown, Kyle Gregory and Kobe Narcisse on the NCCU men’s team and Trinity Ahing and Sidney Renville on the Eagles’ women’s team. The Academic All-District At-Large Teams recognize the nation’s top student-athletes in four divisions – NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA – for their combined performances in competition and in the classroom.

The NCAA sports represented in the CSC Academic At-Large category include golf, gymnastics, fencing, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, men’s volleyball, water polo, wrestling, women’s beach volleyball, women’s bowling, women’s crew/rowing and field hockey.

To be eligible for the honor, a golf student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically and have at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average (GPA). The student-athlete must have competed in 70 percent of the institution’s team golf scoring events or competed in the conference championship golf tournament.

For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com, or download the NCCU Eagles Athletics app.

 

Oregon House passes ‘jock tax’ bill to help fund MLB stadium, heads to Gov. Kotek next

Published 3:09 pm Tuesday, June 17, 2025

SEATTLE – Coming off the two best NCAA Track & Field Championship finishes in program history, added to another strong fall cross country campaign, the Washington women’s track & field and cross country program finished second overall in the USTFCCCA Terry Crawford Program of the Year rankings. This is the highest finish ever for the Huskies in the Program of the Year rankings, which began in 2008-09.
 
The UW men also had a top-10 finish, their third in the past four years, as they placed ninth in the John McDonnell Men’s Program of the Year final standings.
 

The Program of the Year rankings require teams to qualify and score at all three of the NCAA Championships in an academic year, starting with cross country in the fall, then indoor track & field in the winter, and outdoor track & field in the spring. Missing out on one of those three eliminates a program from contention.
 
The UW women finished No. 2 nationally this year, trailing only Oregon. The Huskies finished fourth at NCAA Outdoors and at NCAA Indoors, both easily the highest finishes in program history. In the fall, the women were 13th in cross country. Behind Oregon and Washington was Stanford at No. 3, then No. 4 BYU, and No. 5 Arkansas.
 
The women previously had a high of No. 3 in the 2011-12 season.
 
Arkansas won the men’s Program of the Year award, followed by Oklahoma State and BYU. Washington finished ninth. The men missed out in 2023-24, but were No. 3 in 2022-23 and No. 7 in 2021-22.
 
The men’s cross country team was 16th at nationals in the fall, then the Dawgs were 19th at the NCAA Indoor Championships, and 30th at NCAA Outdoors last week.
 

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Georgi Binev, Kellen Larson and Skyler Varga received Academic All-District honors as winners from the At-Large teams were announced Tuesday by College Sports Communicators (CSC).
 
The At-Large program is designed to recognize student-athletes who compete across 22 various NCAA sports that continue to compete at a high level while achieving in the classroom. Nominees for the honor have to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher, be at least a sophomore academically and meet performance minimums in their respective sports.
 
All three played a major part in Long Beach State’s National Championship run in 2025. Georgi Binev was the Elite 90 award winner, recognizing the highest GPA among NCAA Championship participants, while both Kellen Larson and Skyler Varga have the rare opportunity of becoming both an Athletic and Academic All-American, an honor achieved by only three other student-athletes in Long Beach State history.
 
The Academic All-District honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. Women’s All-Americans from the At-Large program will be announced July 8, while Men’s All-Americans will be announced on July 9.