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The Salem Red Sox have one of the most famous names in baseball. That's why they're changing it.

Salem’s minor league baseball team is about to change its sox. This will be the last season the team will be known as the Salem Red Sox. Come next year, the team will be called … well, we don’t know yet. The new name hasn’t been picked yet, although a small group of team officials […]

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2 months ago

June 4, 2025

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The Salem Red Sox have one of the most famous names in baseball. That's why they're changing it.

Salem’s minor league baseball team is about to change its sox.

This will be the last season the team will be known as the Salem Red Sox. Come next year, the team will be called … well, we don’t know yet.

The new name hasn’t been picked yet, although a small group of team officials knows which names are the finalists. The announcement won’t come until after the season is over.

When Salem shucks off its Red Sox name and logo, it will join a long and growing list of minor league teams that have traded the name of their Major League affiliate for something unique — and for which the team can make a lot more money selling merchandise.

Like many things in life, this is all about money.

“I grew up a Red Sox fan,” says team General Manager Allen Lawrence. “When we became the Red Sox in 2009 nobody thought that was cooler than me. In the early stages of our life, there were a lot of benefits to it. There was no question who we were affiliated with. The Red Sox are one of the biggest brands in the world.”

Here’s the downside: The Salem team doesn’t really make much money selling merchandise. If you just want a T-shirt or hat that says “Red Sox,” you don’t need to go through the team. You can buy those almost anywhere, and that licensing money eventually finds its way back to Fenway Park in Boston to help pay the $27 million that Rafael Devers will make this year, even if he’s only playing half the game as a designated hitter. Not that many people really want merchandise that specifically says “Salem” on it. “The only people buying Salem Red Sox merchandise outside this market are family members of the players, and that’s pretty limited,” Lawrence says.

The key words there are “outside this market.”

These days, sports teams strive to cash in far beyond their own ballpark. The Sports Business Journal reports that the Atlanta Braves get about 8% of their revenue from merchandise sales. For minor league teams, who don’t have fat TV contracts, merch sales become even more important (we just don’t know how important because, unlike the Braves, they’re not publicly traded). Lawrence says Salem’s goal with the name change is to double its merchandise sales.

The Danville Otterbots logo. Courtesy of the team.

When the Danville Otterbots, a summer league team for college players, announced its unusual name in 2021, it quickly sold merchandise to 50 states — and countries as far away as Australia.

“All I can say is, and I’m not lying, it took close to 48 hours to pack up the merchandise orders that came in just in the 18 hours after the brand announcement and ship them out,” the team’s general manager said then.

When the Danville Dairy Daddies, another college-level team in a different league, came out with its unusual name in 2024, same thing. Fifty states and ka-ching!

The Danville Dairy Daddies. Courtesy of the team.

Same with the Burlington Sock Puppets in North Carolina; the Rocket City Trash Pandas in Madison, Alabama; the Hartford Yard Goats in Connecticut; the Amarillo Sod Poodles in Texas and … well, it’s a very long list. Over the years, but particularly in recent ones, minor league teams have moved to cash in with unique names that can help them sell merchandise — not just in the stadium but around the country and even around the world. As recently as 2019, the last year that the Appalachian League existed as a minor league before converting to a college-level league, all 10 teams were named after their Major League affiliates. Now, somebody in Australia has Danville Otterbots gear. Of the 120 minor league teams formally affiliated with Major League counterparts, only 11 still bear the names of their big league team. Next year, when the Salem team takes the field as whatever the Salem team will be called, there will be 10 (or fewer, if others change their names).

The impetus for changing the team’s name began six years ago. Back in 2019, the Salem Red Sox adopted an “alternate ID” for home games on Thursday nights, the traditional cheap beer night. In a nod to the growing number of breweries in the Roanoke Valley, the team that plays on those Thirsty Thursdays is known as the Salem Beermongers.

“It really kind of took off,” Lawrence says. “We sold merchandise in 44 states in a very short period of time. We thought, ‘This is cool. We’ve never done that.’”

Even now, Salem still sometimes makes the highly rated Sports Center on ESPN for the Beermongers when the network needs something light. “They’re never going to feature the Salem Red Sox,” Lawrence says. “There’s no uniqueness to the logo. They’ll choose the [Akron] Rubber Ducks or the Trash Pandas or the [Richmond] Flying Squirrels before they land on the Red Sox.”

And all those national network appearances, however brief, are essentially free commercials for fans to buy merchandise with an unusual name or logo or both — so the gimmicky promotion with the alternate ID of the Beermongers has led to a wholesale renaming.

The process of renaming a team is not as simple as you might think. When the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League moved to Salt Lake City, the team spent a season as the Utah Hockey Club because it took that long to work through trademark issues. One fan favorite — the Yetis — got nixed because the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said that was too close to the Yeti brand of water coolers. Instead, the team recently announced it would become the Utah Mammoth. Extinct ice age beasts can’t sue for trademark infringement, but they look really cool on a logo.

Lawrence explains that many of the decisions related to a new name don’t have much to do with the name itself but things such as: “What would be fun? What would the mascot look like? Can it be easily embroidered? Can it look good on a T-shirt?” Lawrence likened the process to naming a child. “What will kids in school 10 years from now rhyme his name with that could be made fun of?”

Salem Red Sox fans. Courtesy of the team.

Part of the goal is to find a name that is “unique to the area.” Some of the new-fangled names for minor league teams play off their location: the Augusta (Georgia) Green Jackets are a reference to the Masters golf tournament, the Lansing Lugnuts are a nod to Michigan’s auto industry, the Altoona Curve to a famous railroad bend in Pennsylvania. Closer to home, Salem’s Carolina League rivals down U.S. 460 are the Lynchburg Hillcats, which plays off that city’s nickname as the Hill City. On the other side of the state, the minor league team in Norfolk is the Tides, which seems self-explanatory for a port city.

“You want to have your own identity,” Lawrence says. “Salem Red Sox doesn’t scream ‘minor league.’ There are so many names out there that are unique and fun but also relate to the market. We didn’t check either of those boxes.”

The team contracted with the Atlanta-based Collegiate Licensing Company to come up with a new name. “They did a lot of research,” Lawrence says. A lot of that has revolved around the outdoors, an asset that the Roanoke Valley has pushed in recent years. “They came up with a few different ideas,” Lawrence says. “We’ve honed in on one that we think it is a little bit stronger than the others” — but, naturally, he’s not giving it away.

All the names and logos under consideration have been sent to Major League Baseball for approval. “They did make one small suggestion to one name we were considering.” Otherwise, they have all been cleared. No Yeti problems yet.

One question is whether “Salem” stays in the name. Since minor league baseball arrived in Salem in 1955 — this year marks 70 years — the nicknames have changed, but the teams have always been the Salem This or the Salem That. Never Roanoke Valley. Not Blue Ridge. Not Virginia. And definitely not Roanoke. If you know anything about the Roanoke Valley, you know why. Salem is Salem, and Salem is very proud of being Salem.

There’s no language in the team’s contract with Salem that requires the team to bear the name “Salem,” although it’s safe to say that the city feels very strongly that it should. There is a trend toward regional names or using city nicknames. The Kinston Indians in North Carolina became the Carolina Mudcats, then became the Down East Wood Ducks before moving to Spartanburg, South Carolina, to become the Hub City Spartanburgers.

Ultimately, though, we come back to the M word — or maybe two M words: marketing and money. Whatever the name is, Lawrence says, the biggest consideration is “can we sell it in this area but also sell nationally and get some legs behind?”

Here’s where things can get tricky. The team conducted focus groups with season-ticket holders, sponsors and others who might be considered “community stakeholders.” One concern some had, he says, was, “Why would you change from the Red Sox? That’s such a powerful brand? What if you changed it to something stupid?”

What’s stupid, though, is often open to debate, especially where the cash register is concerned.

Almost a decade ago, the new collegiate summer league team in Savannah, Georgia, needed a name. Those chose “Bananas,” thinking that was funny and kind of rhymed. It also took off in such unexpected ways that the Savannah Bananas have now evolved into an independent, barnstorming novelty team, similar to the Harlem Globetrotters. They’ve also become a cash machine that some speculate is worth $1 billion.

“There’s not a name more stupid than the Bananas and they’re selling more merchandise than some Major League teams,” Lawrence says.

So what will Salem’s new name be? All we know is what it won’t be. It won’t be the Bananas. That’s already taken.

Looking for politics? Don’t worry. I’ll be back with a political column on Thursday. If you really like politics, you can sign up for West of the Capital, our weekly political newsletter. You can sign up for any of our newsletters here:

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Men’s U23 Drops 2025 Pan Am Cup Opener to Dominican Republic

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (July 29, 2025) – The U.S. Men’s U23 National Team dropped an exciting opening match at the 2025 NORCECA Men’s U23 Pan American Cup, 3-1 (23-25, 26-24, 31-29, 25-16) to the Dominican Republic on Tuesday in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The U.S. returns to action July 30 at 3 p.m. PDT against Mexico. The […]

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12 minutes ago

July 30, 2025

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (July 29, 2025) – The U.S. Men’s U23 National Team dropped an exciting opening match at the 2025 NORCECA Men’s U23 Pan American Cup, 3-1 (23-25, 26-24, 31-29, 25-16) to the Dominican Republic on Tuesday in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

The U.S. returns to action July 30 at 3 p.m. PDT against Mexico.

The U.S. recorded 12 of the 16 blocks in the match and four of six aces but could not overcome 37 errors and a 62-51 deficit in kills.

Opposite George Bruening led the U.S. with 20 points on 16 kills, a block and a match-high three aces. Middle blocker Cam Thorne posted a match-high five blocks, one more than the Dominican Republic, and added 10 kills for 15 points. Fellow middle Nicodemus Meyer also totaled 15 points with 14 kills and a block.

Outside hitter Patrick Rogers contributed seven points on six kills and a block. Libero Ryan Merk led the U.S. with 10 kills and five successful receptions.

Barnett scored on an overpass to put the U.S. up 10-8 in the first set. A Rogers block made it 14-11, and Bruening made a mid-air adjustment to score on a tip and give the U.S. its biggest lead of the set at four points, 17-13.

The Dominican Republic responded with a 5-1 run to even the set at 18. Bruening recorded a kill and an ace as the U.S. scored three points in a row for a 22-19 lead. Rogers tallied the last two U.S. points, giving him five points on four kills and a block in the set.

The Dominican Republic jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the second set and still led 13-9 when the U.S. went on a 5-2 run to pull within a point, 15-14.

Trailing 21-18, the U.S. tied the set on a Bruening kill, a Thorne block and a Dominican Republic hitting error. A Flayter block gave the U.S. set point at 24-23, but a service error and back-to-back blocks evened the match at one set each. Bruening led all players with eight kills.

Trailing 9-7 in the third set, the Dominican Republic took the lead with a 4-0 run. The lead grew to five points, 20-15. The U.S. used a Thorne kill and consecutive aces by Bruening to pull within a point, 23-22. A Barnett kill tied the set at 24.

The U.S. then saved four set points before earning its first set point, 29-28, on an error. The Dominican Republic scored the last three points to take the set. Bruening led the U.S. with eight points on six kills and two aces. Adrian Figueroa of the Dominican Republic registered 14 kills in the set.

Continuing its momentum from the end of the third set, the Dominican Republic scored four of the first five points in the fourth set and never trailed in clinching the match. The U.S. cut the lead to two points, 9-7, only to see the Dominican Republic stretch the lead to seven with a 6-1 run and a 15-8 lead on its way to clinching the match. Barnett led all players with six kills.

USA Volleyball Men’s U23 Roster for Pan Am Cup

Name (Pos., Height, Hometown, College/Pro, Region)

1 Ryan Merk (L, 6-1, 2003, Chicago, Ill., Penn State, Great Lakes)
4 Nathan Flayter (S, 6-4, 2005, Hales Corner, Wisc., McKendree, Badger)
5 Cam Thorne (MB, 6-4, 2004, Hollywood, Fla., UCLA, Florida)
6 Ryan Barnett (OH, 6-5, 2003, Vero Beach, Fla., Pepperdine, Florida)
8 Jalen Phillips (OPP, 6-5, 2004, Anaheim, Calif., CSUN, Southern California)
9 Ryan McElligott (S, 6-6, 2004, Mundelein, Ill., Loyola Chicago, Great Lakes)
14 Nicodemus Meyer (MB, 6-4, 2003, Franklin, Wisc., Loyola Chicago, Badger)
18 Patrick Rogers (OH, 6-7, 2004, Rutherford, N.J., Ball State, Garden Empire)
19 George Bruening (OPP, 6-10, 2004, Newport Beach, Calif., UCSB, Southern California)
21 Wesley Smith (MB, 6-11, 2004, Encinitas, Calif., USC, Southern California)
22 Owen Rose (MB, 6-8, 2003, Merrick, N.Y., Penn State, Garden Empire)
25 Theo Snoey (OH/OPP, 6-8, 2004, Berkeley, Calif., Stanford, Northern California)

Alternates
2 Donovan Constable (S, 6-2, 2003, Clovis, Calif., CSUN, Northern California)
7 Andrew Deardorff (OH, 6-5, 2003, Itasca, Ill., St. Francis, Great Lakes)
10 Paul Wyszynski (L, 6-0, 2003, Northbrook, Ill., Miedzyrzeckie Towarzystwo Siatkarskie, Great Lakes)
13 D’Aaron McCraney (MB, 6-9, 2003, Las Vegas, Nev., McKendree, Southern California)
16 Nyherowo Omene (OPP, 6-7, 2003, Chicago, Ill., Princeton, Great Lakes)
17 Trent Moser (OH, 6-8, 2003, Gilbert, Ariz., BYU, Arizona)
23 Alex Rottman (OH, 6-7, 2004, Santa Barbara, Calif., Stanford, Southern California)

Coaches
Head Coach: Nickie Sanlin (McKendree)
Assistant Coach: Reid Priddy (Indoor VC, Olympian)
Assistant Coach: Luke Reynolds (Pepperdine)
Performance Analyst: Mackenna Basore (Auburn)
ATC: Claire Pointer (LOVB Madison)
Team Lead: Will Berdecia (OTVA)

Schedule

All times Pacific

July 29: Dominican Republic def. USA, 3-1 (23-25, 26-24, 31-29, 25-16)
July 30: USA vs. Mexico, 3 p.m.
July 31: USA vs. Belize, 3 p.m.
Aug. 1: Quarterfinals
Aug. 2: Semifinals/Classification Matches
Aug. 3: Medal Matches/Classification Matches

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Open for Everyone: Paris 2024 Olympic Aquatics Centre Enters Legacy Mode

Published 14 hours ago Submitted by International Olympic Committee © Métropole du Grand Paris International Olympic Committee news Less than a year after hosting Olympic and Paralympic competitions, the Olympic Aquatics Centre has recently re-opened to the public – delivering on the Games’ long-term vision to bring lasting benefits to local communities, create opportunities for […]

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23 minutes ago

July 30, 2025

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Published 14 hours ago

Submitted by International Olympic Committee

Unveiling of Olympic rings — © Métropole du Grand Paris

International Olympic Committee news

Less than a year after hosting Olympic and Paralympic competitions, the Olympic Aquatics Centre has recently re-opened to the public – delivering on the Games’ long-term vision to bring lasting benefits to local communities, create opportunities for everyday sport, and make smart use of public investment. Designed from the outset to serve well beyond the Games, the Centre is now a permanent public facility in one of France’s most underserved areas for sports infrastructure.

Olympic pool — © Métropole du Grand Paris

Community first

During Paris 2024, the Centre staged Olympic and Paralympic diving, water polo and artistic swimming competitions. Located in Seine-Saint-Denis – a densely populated suburb in the north of Paris, and one of the youngest and most diverse areas in France – the venue reflected a core ambition of the organisers: to bring the Games closer to communities, and to invest in infrastructure with long-term local value. It also embodies the reforms brought forward by the IOC’s strategic roadmap, Olympic Agenda 2020, which places legacy, sustainability and long-term public value at the centre of the planning and delivery of the Olympic Games. Paris 2024 was the first Games edition to fully implement this roadmap.

“The Olympic Aquatics Centre represents our ambition to make the Olympic Games more useful and more impactful. It is a venue designed not only to host world-class competition, but also to serve the everyday needs of the wider community for years to come. It shows what is possible when the Olympic Games are planned and organised with a long-term vision in mind.”

Marie Sallois
IOC Director for Sustainability

Now reconfigured in its legacy mode, the Olympic Aquatics Centre includes four pools: a 50-metre competition pool, a diving pool, a learning pool for schoolchildren, and a leisure pool open to all. It also offers nine padel courts, a 1,000m² climbing hall, multiple fitness spaces, a restaurant and snack bar, and a sports “recyclerie” that includes co-repair workshops and a solidarity shop for used equipment.

More than 50 new jobs are being created to support the daily operations and programming of the Aquatics Centre, including roles in facility management, sports instruction and visitor services. Recruitment is being prioritised for local residents through partnerships with France Travail and the local authority, Plaine Commune. The venue also acted as a catalyst for local employment during its construction, generating over 80,000 hours of work and providing training opportunities for jobseekers and young people.

As the first completed facility in the broader Grand Pleyel redevelopment zone – a major urban project that will reshape this part of northern Paris through new housing, transport connections and public services – the Aquatics Centre anchors sport as a lasting part of the city’s future.

Swimmer being interviewed — © Métropole du Grand Paris

A new benchmark for sustainable design

With full stands and a dynamic atmosphere, the Centre was one of the most visually distinctive venues of Paris 2024. Athletes competed in world-class conditions beneath a striking timber roof that captured global attention and reflected the sustainable design principles of the Games.

Constructed in under three years on the former industrial site of Plaine Saulnier – adjacent to the Stade de France – the Centre was delivered on time and on budget. The building itself sets a new benchmark for sustainable venue design. Its 90-metre roof is made from 90% bio-sourced French wood from sustainably managed forests. Entirely self-supporting, the structure eliminates the need for internal pillars, providing clear sightlines and a strong architectural identity. The Centre uses 50% less energy than a typical aquatic facility, thanks to features like water recycling, natural ventilation and high-efficiency lighting – contributing to Paris 2024’s ambition to deliver Games with a reduced carbon footprint.

Person climbing a rock wall — © Métropole du Grand Paris

Blending high performance and public use

Looking ahead, the venue will continue to balance high performance with public use, as well as serve as an elite pole for the French Swimming Federation. In 2026, it will serve as a key site for the European Swimming Championships, reinforcing its dual role as both a high-performance environment and a community anchor.

In the coming weeks, the Olympic rings will be installed on the façade, and the venue will be formally named the Centre Aquatique Olympique Métropole du Grand Paris. As it reopens, it stands not only as a reminder of the Games, but also as a lasting asset for the community it was built to serve.

“The Olympic Aquatics Centre, an iconic venue of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, will soon become the most popular pool in France. In an area where access to sports infrastructure remains among the lowest in the country, and where too many children are unable to learn to swim, this facility meets long-standing needs.”

Marie Barsacq
Minister for Sport, Youth and Community Life, France

International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is a not-for-profit independent international organisation that is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of USD 3.4 million goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.

As the leader of the Olympic Movement, the IOC acts as a catalyst for collaboration between all parties of the Olympic family, from the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the International Sports Federations (IFs), the athletes and the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs) to the Worldwide Olympic Partners, broadcast partners and United Nations (UN) agencies, and shepherds success through a wide range of programmes and projects. On this basis, it ensures the regular celebration of the Olympic Games, supports all affiliated member organisations of the Olympic Movement and strongly encourages, by appropriate means, the promotion of the Olympic values.

More from International Olympic Committee

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Lady Horn volleyball team earns national academic award for 12th consecutive year

2024 LADY HORN VOLLEYBALL TEAM MEMBERS, COACHES, AND MANAGERS 2024 LADY HORN VOLLEYBALL TEAM MEMBERS, COACHES, AND MANAGERS The Schulenburg Lady Horn volleyball team proudly announced last week that its members received the 2024-25 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 12th consecutive year.Team members last season were: Miranda Bonner, Reagan Dusek, […]

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July 30, 2025

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2024 LADY HORN VOLLEYBALL TEAM MEMBERS, COACHES, AND MANAGERS

2024 LADY HORN VOLLEYBALL TEAM MEMBERS, COACHES, AND MANAGERS

The Schulenburg Lady Horn volleyball team proudly announced last week that its members received the 2024-25 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 12th consecutive year.Team members last season were: Miranda Bonner, Reagan Dusek, Jenna Guentert, Avery Helms, Jashiya Jackson, Michaela Kollmann, Madison Kunschick, Clara Magliolo, Emmrie Marx, Grace Schra…

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‘We want to win a natty’: UCLA women’s volleyball set 2025 goals

UCLA Bruins setter Zayna Meyer didn’t hold back when asked about her team’s goals for the season Tuesday at Big Ten Volleyball Media Days in Chicago. “We want to win a natty. We’re going for the Final Four. We want to be Big Ten Champions,” Meyer said. Advertisement The setter is a graduate transfer from […]

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July 30, 2025

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UCLA Bruins setter Zayna Meyer didn’t hold back when asked about her team’s goals for the season Tuesday at Big Ten Volleyball Media Days in Chicago.

“We want to win a natty. We’re going for the Final Four. We want to be Big Ten Champions,” Meyer said.

The setter is a graduate transfer from Long Beach State, where she earned Big West Setter of the Year Honors in 2023. Meyer redshirted her freshman year at BYU and is one of five transfers joining the Bruins’ roster this year.

“I think with the conversation of integrating a lot of people, it’s really important to understand that this process of our program has been on a pathway now for a couple years, and we’re very excited to cash in on something unique and special that includes a crux eight players that have been in our program for the past two to three years,” head coach Alfee Reft said. “Those players coming in have bought into the vision of our program, they’ve bought into the direction of what we’re doing, and that’s really exciting. I’m thrilled. I can’t wait for the start of our season for us to finally be in the gym together.”

In addition to Meyer, the Bruins added sophomore libero Lola Schumacher from Wisconsin this offseason. As a freshman for the Badgers, Schumacher started 23 of 30 games played and recorded four matches with over 20 digs.

“She’s a tremendous piece that we’ve added to an already strong core of passers and defenders we have. Lola elevates us in that position. She’s feisty, she’s competitive, she sees the game really well, she moves really well,” Reft said. “I think she’s not only going to bring a great competitive level to our gym, she’s going to make our hitters better. Honestly one of the best things about having this many pieces in a gym is your players, whether on this side or that side of the gym, have to put the ball down against the best every day, and I think she’s only adding to that prowess we have.”

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UCLA is a volleyball school. The Bruins’ men’s program finished second-best in the nation last season, falling in three sets to Long Beach State in the national championship.

Meyer came from Long Beach and is used to having a high-caliber men’s program to watch and learn from. She said she enjoys watching the Bruins men play, especially setter Andrew Rowan.

“I think [the UCLA men’s success is] amazing. It could not be better watching men’s volleyball at a super high level,” Meyer said. “I honestly think it just fires us up to be better. I don’t think necessarily it’s more pressure, but I think at UCLA we’re destined for greatness.”

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IMPORTANT: Wednesday’s Sports Medicine Physical Date Moved to Gleeson Hall

Story Links FARMINGDALE, N.Y. | The Farmingdale State College Sports Medicine Department will be holding a student-athlete physical date tomorrow, Wednesday, July 30th. IMPORTANT: The physicals will now be taking place on the third floor of Gleeson Hall. Please arrive at Gleeson Hall during your designated time slot in shorts, t-shirt and sneakers and […]

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58 minutes ago

July 30, 2025

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FARMINGDALE, N.Y. | The Farmingdale State College Sports Medicine Department will be holding a student-athlete physical date tomorrow, Wednesday, July 30th. IMPORTANT: The physicals will now be taking place on the third floor of Gleeson Hall.

Please arrive at Gleeson Hall during your designated time slot in shorts, t-shirt and sneakers and bring your cell phone or an iPad to complete the concussion testing. In addition, download the Sway medical app before arrival to save time. If there is a conflict in the time or if you have any questions, please email: FSCsportsmedicine@Farmingdale.edu

Sport-specific time slots are as follows:

Baseball/Softball/Golf – 4:00pm

Men’s and Women’s Basketball/Volleyball – 4:30pm

Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse – 5:00pm

Men’s and Women’s Soccer – 5:30pm

Cross Country/Track and Field/Men’s and Women’s Tennis – 6:00pm

All new and returning student-athletes for the 2025-26 academic year are required to complete a physical in order to be cleared for practices and competition.

Physicals will be conducted by physicians from Orlin and Cohen in conjunction with the Farmingdale State training staff, and will include general physicals, orthopedic screenings, and concussion baseline testing.

All student-athletes must complete and submit the required forms. Please use Sportsware to upload your most recent insurance card. Instructions to register or log in are included in the forms below:

New or transfer student-athletes paperwork – (Send completed sickle cell forms to FSCsportsmedicine@farmingdale.edu)

Returning student-athlete paperwork

** Any athlete that is under the age of 18, please be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, or have a letter stating that you are allowed to participate in the physical, ortho screening and concussion baseline testing signed by your parent or legal guardian **

** If any student-athlete cannot make the July 30th physical date, physicals can be done by your own physician or at the FSC Health and Wellness Center – Call 934-420-2009 to schedule an appointment **

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Penn State Women’s Volleyball Relishing Opportunity To Win Back-To-Back National Championships Ahead Of 2025 Season

It was seven months ago when Penn State women’s volleyball won its eighth national championship in program history. Now, on August 23, it will begin its bid to repeat as national champions when it opens its season against Creighton in the AVCA First Serve Event. On Monday, Penn State head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley, libero Gillian […]

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59 minutes ago

July 30, 2025

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It was seven months ago when Penn State women’s volleyball won its eighth national championship in program history. Now, on August 23, it will begin its bid to repeat as national champions when it opens its season against Creighton in the AVCA First Serve Event.

On Monday, Penn State head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley, libero Gillian Grimes, and setter Izzy Starck took the podium in Chicago for Big Ten Volleyball Media Days ahead of the 2025 season. The national champs will look completely different ahead of next season as they lost five players from last year’s team. Now, the Nittany Lions will have to depend on newer faces if they are to become the first team to repeat as national champions since the Texas Longhorns did it in 2021-22.

“I don’t think I’ve changed a lot in the gym with these guys. I think it’s more of just always being present and enjoying the little things,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “They know they need to put in the work and the time to be great, and they hold each other accountable. I think the standard is still the same, and we’re looking forward to it.”

Despite losing three starters from last year’s team, Penn State has been busy reloading its roster for the 2025 season as it added five recruits on National Signing Day and three transfers, including 2024 AVCA First-Team All-American Kennedy Martin during the offseason. Along with the veterans from last year’s team, the expectations for next season haven’t changed at all for the Nittany Lions.

Nevertheless, Penn State will not be the favorites to win the Big Ten heading into next season, as Nebraska claimed the top spot in the Big Ten preseason poll, ahead of Penn State, which came in second. It has a tough regular season schedule as it will face 16 teams that made last year’s NCAA Tournament, but the team still has the same goal as always: winning.

“I think our goal is to always win, and these guys have really high expectations. But you can do everything right and still fall short, so I think it’s just coming to work every day and being prepared and being the best teammates they can be,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “We do want to win again, and is there pressure? I think it’s fun for these guys. I think they’ve handled themselves very well on and off the court, and that matters.”

After winning the national championship last season, the Nittany Lions will have a lot of pressure to repeat, just like all returning national championship teams do. Not only will the spotlight be very high on Penn State because of that, but also because it will have a record of 16 regular-season matches being televised, including four nationally televised matches on FOX.

However, Penn State doesn’t look to be deterred by this pressure, as it is setting its own expectations for next season and making sure that the spotlight doesn’t get too much on the players. To make that happen, the veterans in the team, like Starck, know that they will have to be the leaders to help the new players on the team.

“I think there’s always been pressure for us, so I think coming into this season it’s just the same mindset we always have of how we work hard with each other, how we push each other,” Starck said. “I definitely think winning the National Championship last year does help us because we know what it takes, and we know how to help the new players in the program, of how we can be the best functioning team together.”

As the Nittany Lions continue to prepare for next season, the spring has served as the perfect opportunity for new recruits like Emmi Sellman and Gabrielle Nichols to showcase their talents. In Penn State’s spring match against Pitt, Sellman had 19 kills on a .341 hitting percentage. She also added four service aces, six digs, and three blocks, as she is looking to replicate the same production as Jess Mruzik did.

Nichols, who also appeared in the spring match, has high expectations heading into the season as she was selected to the USA’s U19 Team that competed in the 2025 World Championship in the summer, where it finished second. With the spring being over, Grimes said that a lot stood out from the new recruits in the spring.

“I think they both bring such a competitive energy to the gym, and I think that’s all what we need, and like I said, Coach [Schumacher-Cawley] does a great job of recruiting players that want to be here and are really competitive,” Grimes said. “I think they just bring such competitiveness to the team that is needed, too.”

Fernando is a junior who is majoring in broadcast journalism and minoring in Spanish and Sports Studies. Born in Mexico City and now lives in Paoli, PA, he is a big fan of pretty much every sport. His favorite teams are FC Barcelona, the Cowboys, and the Phillies which involves a lot of suffering for him. You can follow him on Instagram at fernando9015 or email him at [email protected] if you have questions on why he is a Cowboys and Phillies fan.

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