Tennessee Guard Sues to Play Fifth Year of College Basketball, Citing NIL Pay
Tennessee’s all-time assists leader is seeking one for himself from the courts. Zakai Zeigler, who led the Volunteers to two Elite Eight appearances, is suing the NCAA for a fifth year of eligibility, citing potential lost NIL (name, image, and likeness) earnings. The suit is different from Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia’s successful lawsuit that sought […]
Tennessee’s all-time assists leader is seeking one for himself from the courts.
Zakai Zeigler, who led the Volunteers to two Elite Eight appearances, is suing the NCAA for a fifth year of eligibility, citing potential lost NIL (name, image, and likeness) earnings.
The suit is different from Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia’s successful lawsuit that sought to have junior college not count against a player’s eligibility. Zeigler’s lawsuit asks for a fifth year of eligibility after playing four full years of NCAA sports. The 5-foot-9 point guard played four years at Tennessee before graduating this spring. He was also a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
Zeigler, who filed his suit in the Eastern District of Tennessee, is claiming he could make between $2 million and $4 million in NIL money next season, after he made just $500,000 this past season. The figures are based on an analysis Zeigler sought from Spyre Sports Group, which is Tennessee’s NIL collective, and not on actual deals Zeigler has been offered.
The NCAA traditionally gives college athletes five years to play four seasons, with a redshirt year available if an athlete is injured or needs time to develop, among other reasons. Zeigler is challenging the redshirt rule by arguing his earnings potential was hampered because he didn’t redshirt.
“All NCAA athletes should be eligible to compete and earn NIL compensation during each year of the five-year window—not just those selected to redshirt,” the lawsuit states.
His suit calls an athlete’s fifth year “the most lucrative year of the eligibility window for the vast majority of athletes.” It also says Zeigler’s class is the first in the NIL era to not get an extra year to compete.
The NCAA began allowing athletes to sign NIL deals in July 2021. Athletes who competed in the NCAA between 2016 and 2020 were all granted an additional year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but most of those athletes have exhausted their eligibility by now.
“The NCAA’s rule permitting only four seasons of competition within the five-year eligibility window is an unlawful restraint of trade under federal and state antitrust laws,” Litson PLLC and Garza Law Firm, which is representing Zeigler, said in a statement.
Zeigler needs a fast ruling. He wants an immediate injunction to play next season, as rosters and NIL deals are currently being finalized. If he’s successful, it could have massive ramifications across college sports because it could pave the way for other athletes who exhausted their four years of eligibility to get one more year.
2025 Men’s Soccer Season Tickets | Donate To Championship Fund HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Men’s Soccer is excited to announce its 2025 schedule – a slate that features home games against many prominent programs, including Virginia Tech, Kentucky and others. The 2024 National Finalists will host 11 contests on the pitch at Hoops Family Field in the 2025 […]
2025 Men’s Soccer Season Tickets | Donate To Championship Fund
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Men’s Soccer is excited to announce its 2025 schedule – a slate that features home games against many prominent programs, including Virginia Tech, Kentucky and others.
The 2024 National Finalists will host 11 contests on the pitch at Hoops Family Field in the 2025 season. All home games will start at 7:15 p.m. with the exception of UCSB on September 14 which will start at 2 p.m.
Fans can attain season tickets for as little as $85. To see the limited ticket options that remain for 2025, click HERE.
The regular season gets started with a pair of games at Hoops Family Field – an Aug. 22 matchup against George Mason, followed by a highly-anticipated battle with Virginia Tech on Aug. 29.
It will mark the first time since 2002 that Virginia Tech has come to Huntington for a contest.
In addition to the Hokies, the home schedule includes a pivotal Sun Belt Conference matchup with Kentucky on Oct. 10. That contest is part of a stretch in which the Herd has three home matches in 10 days.
Other non-conference home matchups for the 2025 season include a Sept. 14 match against UCSB, who ended the 2024 season receiving votes, and Oakland (Oct. 14).
Additional conference home matches include Coastal Carolina (Sept. 19), Georgia State (Oct. 4), South Carolina (Oct. 22) and UCF (Nov. 4).
The Mountain State Derby – the annual in-state battle between Marshall and WVU – highlights the road schedule with a Halloween matchup in Morgantown on Oct. 31.
That match features two teams who have each made the NCAA College Cup in the last two seasons and will have a big impact on the SBC regular-season championship race.
Other road contests include non-conference trips to St. Johns (Sept. 5), High Point (Sept. 9) and VCU (Sept. 24) while SBC road matches include Georgia Southern (Sept. 28), James Madison (Oct. 18) and Old Dominion (Oct. 26).
The exhibition schedule for the Herd kicks off with a pair of home matches against Villanova (Aug. 9) and Radford (Aug. 11) followed by an Aug. 15 road contest at Maryland to wrap up the exhibition slate.
To donate to the Marshall Men’s Soccer Championship Fund, click HERE.
2025 Marshall Men’s Soccer Schedule
Aug. 9 Villanova, 7:15 p.m.# (Fan’s First)
Aug. 11 Radford, 7:15 p.m.#
Aug. 15 at Maryland, TBD#
Aug. 22 George Mason, 7:15 p.m.
Aug. 29 Virginia Tech, 7:15 p.m.
Sept. 5 at St. Johns, 7 p.m.
Sept. 9 at High Point, 7 p.m.
Sept. 14 UCSB, 2 p.m.
Sept. 19 Coastal Carolina, 7:15 p.m.**
Sept. 24 at VCU, 7 p.m.
Sept. 28 at Georgia Southern, 7 p.m.**
Oct. 4 Georgia State, 7:15 p.m.**
Oct. 10 Kentucky, 7:15 p.m.**
Oct. 14 Oakland, 7:15 p.m.
Oct. 18 at James Madison, 7 p.m.**
Oct. 22 South Carolina, 7:15 p.m.**
Oct. 26 at Old Dominion, 7 p.m.**
Oct. 31 at West Virginia, 7 p.m.**$
Nov. 4 UCF, 7:15 p.m.**
# = Exhibition
** = SBC action
$ = Mountain State Derby
For all the latest information about Marshall Men’s Soccer, follow @HerdMSoccer on X and Instagram.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS and Android.
Mount Rainier High to host free youth volleyball camp July 21–23
Highline Public Schools will host a free volleyball camp for incoming 4th through 8th grade students from July 21–23, offering local youth the chance to build skills, boost teamwork, and have fun learning the sport. The Kids Volleyball Camp will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day at Mount Rainier High School’s main gym. Open to students entering […]
Highline Public Schools will host a free volleyball camp for incoming 4th through 8th grade students from July 21–23, offering local youth the chance to build skills, boost teamwork, and have fun learning the sport.
The Kids Volleyball Camp will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day at Mount Rainier High School’s main gym.
Open to students entering grades 4 through 8 in the 2025–26 school year, the camp includes coaching from MRHS volleyball players and staff.
“Have fun, improve your game, and be part of the MRHS volleyball community,” organizers said in an announcement.
Registration Now Open
The camp is free to attend, but space is limited and registration is required. Interested families should email Coach Kari Bell at kari.bell@highlineschools.org with the player’s name, age, 2025–26 grade level, a parent or guardian’s contact info, and T-shirt size.
Participants will receive a free T-shirt and participate in skill-building drills, games, and team activities designed to improve athleticism and sportsmanship.
Jane Hedengren wins Gatorade Girls National Track and Field Player of the Year in surprise visit from Katelyn Tuohy
Jane Hedengren had plans to meet her future college coach for a quiet summer check-in over a cup of Joe. What she didn’t expect was a celebration. Instead of just chatting training plans with BYU coach Diljeet Taylor at a local coffee shop, the recent Timpview (Utah) graduate was greeted by family, friends and one […]
Jane Hedengren had plans to meet her future college coach for a quiet summer check-in over a cup of Joe. What she didn’t expect was a celebration.
Instead of just chatting training plans with BYU coach Diljeet Taylor at a local coffee shop, the recent Timpview (Utah) graduate was greeted by family, friends and one of the biggest names in women’s distance running – former NC State star and professional runner Katelyn Tuohy.
That’s when Hedengren learned she’d been named the 2024-25 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year.
Timpson High School (Utah) native and BYU commit Jane Hedengren has been named 2024-2025 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year. / Jesus Baca
“It’s a big honor,” Hedengren said. “I think there’s a lot of incredible women that are working in the country and have had some great performances this year, and so it was really exciting to receive this award and receive it from such an established track athlete herself and phenomenal person. So overall, just really excited and grateful.”
Katelyn Tuohy is widely recognized as one of the most dominant U.S. distance runners of her generation. As a high school standout, she became the first athlete ever to win both the Gatorade National Girls Cross Country and Track & Field Player of the Year awards in the same year, and went on to claim five Gatorade Player of the Year titles in total. At NC State, she earned four NCAA individual championships, set collegiate records in the indoor mile (4:24.26) and 3,000 meters (8:35.20), and helped lead the Wolfpack to a string of team national titles.
She previously presented the 2023-24 Gatorade National Girls Cross Country award to Colorado standout Addison Ritzenhein (Niwot High, Niwot Colorado), said the nerves were still there despite this being her second time delivering the surprise.
Tuohy turned pro in December 2023 by signing with Adidas, and wasted little time making an impact: she ran a 4:25.54 mile to open the 2025 indoor season, set an NCAA-era outdoor 5K personal best of 15:03.12 in 2022, and earned her first professional victory at a meet in Los Angeles.
“I was still very nervous, because I know how special this award is,” Tuohy said. “This is about Jane and her day, and I just wanted to make sure I was contributing to her special day.”
Though they had never met before the surprise, Tuohy and Hedengren quickly found common ground. With Hedengren headed to BYU and Tuohy now racing professionally, they joked that it likely won’t be the last time their paths cross on the track.
Hedengren capped off one of the best prep seasons in recent memory this spring. She shattered the national high school record in the mile at the Brooks PR Invitational with a time of 4:30.76 – breaking Polly Plumer’s iconic mark that had stood since 1982. She also won national titles in the 800 and mile at New Balance Nationals and was the only high school girl to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 1500 meters.
But despite all the wins, medals and records, it’s been the preparation behind the scenes that Hedengren said made the biggest difference.
“I tried to set up my routine in a way that positively contributed to my athletics in a seamless way,” she said. “Just coming back to the basics of really trying to dial in my nutrition and my sleep and not skipping kind of the most valuable parts of performance. And yes, like the little accessory things I was trying to do as well … but I think just having the main thing be the main thing, and trying to come into races with lots of belief and an open mind to what was possible.”
Jane Hedengren poses for a professional photoshoot after being surprised with the 2024-2025 Gatorade Girls National Track and Field Player of the Year by Katelyn Tuohy. / Joe Greer
Hedengren, who began running through a local track group in elementary school, said the sport’s simplicity is what first pulled her in – and what continues to keep her grounded.
“You’re just out there racing, trying to get the most out of yourself,” she said. “It’s pretty amazing to have competitors to compete against and try to get the most out of one another. I think it’s really cool that you can just put in this work and kind of see where you’re heading, and that that work will speak for itself on race day.”
She credits her dad, an All-American runner himself, with helping guide her through the mental and emotional side of competition.
Her father, John D. Hendegren, was an NCAA All-American distance runner at BYU and is now a chemical engineering professor at the university. He was inducted into the BYU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015 and still holds the school record for most CoSIDA Academic All-America honors with five. She credits him with helping guide her through the ups and downs in all aspects of life.
“He’s been able to share lots of valuable lessons, and is just one step ahead of me in this whole process, or a few steps,” Hendengren said. “It’s really, really awesome to have him in my corner. A great person in my life.”
Tuohy – now a pro – said she’s confident Hedengren is ready for the next chapter at BYU.
“I kind of already understand that she’s already so dialed in doing everything correctly,” Tuohy said. “So I guess my best advice would be to continue to lean on her people and enjoy the process. When I look back at college and high school, the memories I have aren’t breaking records or running fast, it’s going on trips with my friends or just goofing around, having a great time.”
As Hedengren gets set to begin her NCAA career in the fall, she’s keeping a wide lens on her goals – focusing on gratitude and long-term growth more than short-term results.
“I want to have a good transition to college and key into that development,” she said. “It’s so vital for young women. And just taking my time with the sport. I’ve got lots of time, so I just want to enjoy myself. I want to treat those around me with kindness and respect and just, yeah, have hopefully a good college career and try to keep an open mind within racing and keep that gratitude for the sport that I love so much.”
Marist’s Christian Teresi tops list of local volleyball All-Americans
When he was in grade school, Christian Teresi would take car rides with his father, Marty, to and from volleyball practices and matches. The soundtrack to those trips often was a particular tune: “Humble and Kind” by Tim McGraw. “He would always play that song and that’s how he raised me,” Teresi said of his father. […]
When he was in grade school, Christian Teresi would take car rides with his father, Marty, to and from volleyball practices and matches.
The soundtrack to those trips often was a particular tune: “Humble and Kind” by Tim McGraw.
“He would always play that song and that’s how he raised me,” Teresi said of his father. “It was all about being humble.”
Even when the awards keep coming.
On June 25, both the Junior Volleyball Association and the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced their All-America teams. The Marist setter/opposite hitter from Mount Greenwood was named on the first team for both organizations.
Both Teresi and RedHawks teammate Nathen Toth made it to the JVA All-National first team for the Class of 2025.
Marist’s Briggs Corona made the JVA’s All-National team for the Class of 2027.
Teresi was also named to the first team by the AVCA, while Sandburg’s Jermiah Aro made the second team along with Toth.
Marist’s Jordan Vidovic was named the High School Coach of the Year by AVCA after leading the RedHawks to their second straight IHSA state championship and finishing second in the nation in the AVCA poll.
Even with collecting the All-America awards, Teresi emphasized staying humble.
“A lot of people don’t even win one, so I am grateful,” Teresi said. “Both my dad and coach Vidovic have told me to be thankful for the awards but put them to the side because there is always room for improvement.
“I’m extremely happy about getting the awards, don’t get me wrong. But I feel like there is way more improvement to be done.”
The Ohio State commit finished off his Marist career with a senior season that featured 638 assists, 359 kills, 212 digs, 86 blocks and 28 aces.
His career assist total of 3,258 is third on the IHSA all-time list. Second is Vidovic, who had 3,704 for Brother Rice from 2002-2005.
“It’s been a fun road,” Vidovic said of coaching Teresi. “His first couple of years were eerily similar to my experience as a player. We both started playing volleyball at such a young age. We had similar freshman seasons and we had similar sophomore seasons.
“To get to challenge him to further that, I remember my own experience and I told him, ‘You gotta avoid this and you gotta avoid that buckle down on this.’ To get to work together was fun the last two years to get over the hump in some ways because I was in similar situations.”
Vidovic is also glad for Toth and Corona.
“To have multiple capable players like that kind of explains the season,” he said. “It’s pretty cool for them to enjoy that together. To see them get recognized across the board basically is just another great cap on the season. It’s well-deserved.”
Teresi, Toth, Marist’s Delvin Biggs, Sandburg’s Will Ashim and Oak Lawn’s Oisin Walsh have their eyes on a national championship.
They were scheduled to open play for the Adversity South club this week in the AAU Boys National Volleyball Championships in the 18 Open division. That’s the top division in the tournament.
Cuban women’s volleyball team denied U.S. visa to compete
HAVANA — The Cuban women’s national volleyball team was denied a chance to play in a tournament in Puerto Rico following the new visa restrictions imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. The Cuban Volleyball Federation said last week that the team, comprising 12 athletes, a referee and several coaches, had their visa request denied and […]
HAVANA — The Cuban women’s national volleyball team was denied a chance to play in a tournament in Puerto Rico following the new visa restrictions imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Cuban Volleyball Federation said last week that the team, comprising 12 athletes, a referee and several coaches, had their visa request denied and will be unable to attend the tournament later this month.
“The disappointment is huge because I train every day, every hour of training is leading up to this and dedicate myself to it,” national team player Laura Suarez told The Associated Press. “It’s really disappointing not to be able to participate in the competition, which is what I’ve been preparing myself for.”
Cuba was scheduled to play in the NORCECA Women’s Final Four tournament in Manatí, Puerto Rico. The tournament includes Puerto Rico, Mexico and Costa Rica and it awards ranking points toward qualification for the Volleyball Nations League.
“We were focused on the competition because it’s right there,” said Dayana Martínez, another player. “Arriving at the embassy and being denied the visa affects us a lot because that competition gives us points to improve our ranking,”
The Cuban team’s coach, Wilfredo Robinson, said the decision means his team is likely to miss out on the Nations League.
“The competition grants points for each match and at the end it all adds up,” Robinson said. “In September, we have another tournament and if we get there needing to achieve 80 or 100 points we are not going to be able to do it.”
The United States added Cuba to a list of 12 countries with restrictions for entering the U.S. or its territories, effective from early June. It includes nationals from Afghanistan, the Republic of Congo, Iran, Venezuela and other nations.
“Denial of visas is part of a racist and xenophobic list of visa restrictions,” Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez wrote on his X account.
In a message sent to The Associated Press, the U.S. Embassy in Cuba stated that, according to its privacy policies, it could not comment on specific cases but that directives were being implemented to secure the borders and protect U.S. communities and citizens.
The Cuban women’s national team won back-to-back world championships in 1994 and 1998. It also won three Olympic golds in a row in Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000.
The U.S. measures are likely to impact many more Cuban athletes who depend on international competitions, some on American soil, to qualify for major championships and the Olympics, which is set to take place in Los Angeles in 2028.
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Spain and Greece to battle for gold at Women’s U16 European Water Polo Championships
Spain took down Italy in the semi-finals on Wednesday in Istanbul. Photo: Nikola Krstic/European Aquatics Greece claimed a dominant win against Hungary, while Spain had to give it all to down Italy in a hard-fought match in the semi-finals of the Women’s U16 European Water Polo Championship in Istanbul. In the end, the two unbeaten […]
Spain took down Italy in the semi-finals on Wednesday in Istanbul.Photo: Nikola Krstic/European Aquatics
Greece claimed a dominant win against Hungary, while Spain had to give it all to down Italy in a hard-fought match in the semi-finals of the Women’s U16 European Water Polo Championship in Istanbul. In the end, the two unbeaten sides will clash for the title on Thursday.
Women’s U16 European Water Polo Championships Day 6 Semi-Finals – Istanbul, Türkiye Wednesday 2 July 2025
Greece 15-12 Hungary Italy 10-13 Spain
5-8th ClassificationSemi-Finals
Türkiye 10-7 Germany Netherlands 19-8 Croatia
9/10th Final
Serbia 14-13 Czechia
11th/12th Final
Ukraine 9-10 Romania 13th-15th Play-off
Slovakia 7-5 Malta
Women’s U16 European Water Polo Championships Day 7 Finals – Istanbul, Türkiye Thursday 3 July 2025 (Local times shown)
Bronze Medal Game
18:30 Hungary v Italy
Gold Medal Game
20:00 Greece v Spain
Greece had the edge over Hungary throughout their semi-final clash. Photo: Nikola Krstic/European Aquatics
In Wednesday’s first semi-final, the Greeks were superior to the Hungarians all over the pool and their composed game secured the win practically by the end of the third period.
In the first quarter, the Magyars managed to climb back from time to time to trail by one, but in a span of two minutes the Greeks hit three from distance to make it 8-4 and never looked back.
A missed Greece penalty didn’t slow down their march, as they played on a different level to the Hungarians, both in attack and in defence.
All in all, the Greeks netted six in the second period to lead 11-6 and they even increased the gap in the third, as the Magyars couldn’t really outplay them in any situation.
Indeed, Hungary scored from six on fives twice only after regaining the ball and pushing it through the virtual goal line (once together with the defender…) – while the Greeks came up with flawless finishes.
Hungary had a late surge when they scored three in a row to come back to 15-12, but they were unable to add any more in the last four minutes and the Greeks could celebrate their fifth straight victory in Istanbul.
Spain had to fight hard to get past Italy in their last-four clash on Wednesday. Photo: Nikola Krstic/European Aquatics
Some expected something similar in the second semi-final, as the Spaniards have seemed invincible so far in Istanbul.
However, the Italians stunned them with a strong start, and Margherita Minuto was on fire, hitting three goals in quick succession to put her team 4-2 up.
The Spaniards came back to even shortly before the first break, but it was clear it wouldn’t be the usual easy-going game they had enjoyed on the previous days.
Spain added two more to make it 4-6 at the start of the second, but their 0-4 run was soon halted by Minuto and later Francesca Lucignani joined her to equalise for 6-6.
After a Julia Vilaseca strike, Lucignani quickly levelled again for 7-7, then Daniela Penalver hit one from action to retake the lead for Spain and Italy missed a six on five, so it stood 7-8 at half-time.
The third brought a grand defensive battle, as the goals dried up for a while, especially for the Italians. Two fierce bouncers gave Spain the momentum, as they went up by three for the first time.
Still, just when Spain may have thought they had finally gained control, a great action goal from Rebecca Novella and another hit from Sara Pulvirenti hauled the Italians back into the game, as they trailed 9-10 with eight minutes remaining.
Again, a Spanish bouncer from the left wing did the damage two minutes into the fourth, and this came seconds after Italy had missed a crucial extra, which could have brought them level.
Instead, Penalver’s fine goal doubled Spain’s lead. Lucignani pulled one back from a six on four, but the Spanish reply came immediately, as Julia Vilaseca also converted an extra for 10-12.
Italy kept fighting, but couldn’t really penetrate Spain’s defence, while their rivals could afford missing a couple of six on fives, before a lucky goal – from a rebound after a missed penalty – secured Spain’s win 1:01 before the final buzzer.
Spain’s players celebrated a hard-fought victory against Italy. Photo: Nikola Krstic/European Aquatics
In the crossovers among the losing quarter-finalists, the Netherlands outclassed Croatia. The Dutch dominated right from the beginning and won convincingly with their captain Marjoelin de Gier hitting six.
They will play against Türkiye for the 5th place, as the host side outpowered the Germans with a great run in the third that saw them storm into a 9-3 lead, which was enough to sail away with another memorable win.
Serbia claimed the 9th place by downing Czechia. The Serbs led 14-10 after three periods, and even though the Czechs had a great spell in the fourth – reducing the gap to a single goal in three minutes – they couldn’t score any more in the remaining five.
The match for the 11th place also saw a close contest between Ukraine and Romania. Ukraine came back from four goals down to level the score at 9-9 with 1:47 remaining, but Maria Stan hit the winner for Romania 46 seconds from time.
For the lower ranks, Slovakia downed Malta by two goals to set-up a decisive match against France for the 13th place, while Malta finished in last place after their second loss in the 13th-15th round robin.
Türkiye’s players and coaches were in a jubilant mood after they beat Germany to ensure them a top-six finish.Photo: Nikola Krstic/European Aquatics
Watch all the action live from Istanbul for free on the European Aquatics TV channel, which can be found by clicking here. For the full results/tables and schedule, click here.
