Sports
‘This is never what college sports were meant to be’
However, while McCoy and her team are not responsible for how WSU got into this situation, they are accountable for how WSU responds to it.
That is to say that the optics of a 10-minute Zoom meeting, in which 18-24-year-olds learn that their or their teammates’ athletic pursuits will no longer be supported by WSU, followed by little communication or dialogue, are not great and could have been easily avoided.
Would a question-and-answer period during the Zoom meeting have changed the outcome of numerous current athletes and alumni scorning the university? No, probably not.
However, student-athletes, many of whom have moved across the country or the world to entrust their athletic and academic careers to an institution, deserve a little more grace than that.
“We were upset because they said they had known for weeks but didn’t tell us because a few of us had made it to Nationals and were still competing,” WSU sprinter Ashley Hollenbeck-Willems said.
The WSU track and field program has consistently produced national champions. While some of the program’s most decorated athletes were distance runners, four out of the five athletes to represent WSU at Nationals this past year were sprinters, comprising a 400-meter relay team.
One of those relay team members, Mason Lawyer, set the WSU record in both the indoor and outdoor 200-meter dash this year and competed in the 100 and 200 at Nationals.
Days following WSU “limiting” his events and not renewing his coach’s contract, Lawyer is in the transfer portal.
He joins a slew of WSU athletes in the portal, including Hollenbeck-Willems and Lyons, who must cancel leases and figure out their next steps without the assistance of significant name, image and likeness deals or, for many track athletes, the benefit of full scholarships.
It also leaves three coaches and their families in a similar state of transition.
Coaches and pundits alike warned that Olympic sports could suffer drastically as schools attempt to reorder their budgets to prioritize revenue sharing.
Track and field was the first WSU sport affected. It almost certainly won’t be the last.
WSU, along with the rest of college athletics, is in uncharted waters.
Before any more programs drown at sea, the powers that be — college presidents and athletic directors, conference commissioners and TV executives — should come to terms with the weight of their actions and do everything they can to reverse course.
That won’t happen because TV executives are getting everything they want and everyone else is just trying to survive.
College sports may never be the same again and no one should be spinning it into a positive or spending any energy not attempting to fix what is clearly broken.
“This is never what college sports were meant to be,” Brooke Lyons said. “College sports are meant to build a spirit and community within the universities. Obviously, now we’re seeing it’s just kind of tearing them apart, and it’s lost its purpose. And I think people need to realize that quick, or else there’s going to be a lot more issues like this.”
Perhaps the powers that be in college athletics should start listening to the college athletes themselves.
Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com, or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University Volleyball student-athletes Elli Barry, Marae Reilly and Bella Thompson were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team on Tuesday.
To be eligible, the student-athlete must maintain a 3.50 GPA, be at least a sophomore and have played in 90 percent of the team’s matches or started 66 percent of the contests.
Barry, a senior from Huntington, played in all 30 matches making 25 starts with 186 points, 162 kills and 41 blocks. Registering five contests with 10 or more kills, Barry recorded a season-high 13 in a win over UMES on September 12.
Reilly, a sophomore from Lakewood, Colorado, finished with the second-most blocks on the team at 61 while finishing third on the squad in points, 215.5, and kills, 168, playing in all 30 matches, including 29 starts. Reilly recorded a season-high 13 kills against Gardner-Webb on September 20.
Thompson, a senior from Mooresville, North Carolina, was one of just two players on the team to start all 30 matches this season as she led MU with 727 assists and registered 229 digs across 109 sets. The setter registered a season-high 50 assists against Gardner-Webb on September 20.
To donate to the Championship Fund for Marshall volleyball, please click HERE. All proceeds go directly to the Marshall volleyball team.
For all the latest information about Marshall volleyball, follow @HerdVolleyball on Twitter 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.
—HerdZone.com—
KENT, Ohio – Kent State student-athletes Greta Bolognini, Adalynn Ginley, Mackenzie McGuire and Christina Vigil and have been named to the 2025 Academic All-District® Volleyball teams, selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC).
The award recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. In order to be eligible for selection, a student-athlete must have reached sophomore athletic status and either competed in 90% of the team’s games or started in at least 66% of games while maintaining a 3.50 or higher cumulative grade point average.
FOLLOW KENT STATE VOLLEYBALL
For complete coverage of Kent State Volleyball, download the official Kent State Golden Flashes app (iOS, Android) and follow the Golden Flashes on social media on X, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates.
Charlotte, NC (December 16, 2025) – Week Two of CIAA Indoor Track and Field continued to showcase high level performances as competition intensified across early season meets. The conference saw distance excellence and strong field event execution as athletes built momentum heading deeper into the indoor season. The CIAA recognizes two student athletes for their standout performances during the week.
WOMEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Faith Kiplimo, Fayetteville State
Sophomore distance runner Faith Kiplimo delivered a breakthrough performance at the JDL Early Bird Meet, recording a personal best time of 4:51.07. Her effort earned a second place finish overall while setting a new Fayetteville State school record. The mark also met the NCAA Division II provisional qualifying standard and currently ranks Kiplimo No. 1 in the Atlantic Region and No. 5 nationally in Division II. Her performance continues to establish Fayetteville State as a force in women’s distance events.
WOMEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Sheree Wright, Fayetteville State
Senior high jumper Sheree Wright opened her season with a strong and composed showing at the JDL Early Bird Meet. Wright cleared 1.57 meters (5-01.75) to earn a fourth place finish in a competitive field. Her consistency and execution highlighted an encouraging start to her indoor campaign and provided a solid foundation as the season progresses.
Media Contact
Anna M. Butzlaff
Associate Commissioner, Strategic Communications
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
abutzlaff@theciaa.com
About the CIAA
Founded in 1912, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is the first, and longest running, African American athletic conference in the United States and one of the most recognized conferences in Division II. The CIAA conducts 14 championships attended by more than 150000 fans from around the country. The Basketball Tournament has been honored as a 2019 Champion of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism by Sports Destination Management for both 2018 and 2019.
Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the CIAA is governed by the Presidents and Chancellors of its 12 member institutions: Bowie State University, Bluefield State University, Claflin University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Johnson C. Smith University, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, Livingstone College, Shaw University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, and Winston Salem State University. For more information on the CIAA, visit theciaa.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
LA JOLLA, Calif. – Single game tickets for the 2026 UC San Diego men’s volleyball season are on sale now!
This season’s home slate features 14 matches – including six Big West contests – inside LionTree Arena.
Single match tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for seniors, youth, and faculty/staff. Tickets are available for purchase by visiting UCSDTritons.com or by calling the Triton Box Office at (858) 534-1430.
Season tickets are also currently available and are $50 for adults and $40 for seniors, youth, and faculty/staff. You can purchase season tickets on the same page at UCSDTritons.com.
For additional information, contact the box office via email at triton-tix@ucsd.edu.
UC San Diego is looking to continue to rise among the Big West and the national rankings. The 2025 Tritons went 18-12 overall, the program’s most wins under head coach Brad Rostratter, who heads into his fourth season at the helm. UC San Diego was ranked as high as No. 10 in the country.
| 2026 HOME SCHEDULE | ||
| Date | Opponent | Time |
| Jan. 6 | Jessup | 7pm |
| Jan. 9 | Daemen | 7pm |
| Jan. 11 | Rockhurst | 7pm |
| Jan. 23 | UCLA | 7pm |
| Feb. 11 | CUI | 7pm |
| Feb. 16 | UC Merced | 2pm |
| Feb. 27 | Vanguard | 7pm |
| March 3 | CSUN (Big West) | 7pm |
| March 9 | Princeton | 7pm |
| March 28 | UC Irvine (Big West) | 7pm |
| April 3 | Long Beach State (Big West) | 7pm |
| April 10 | Hawai’i (Big West) | 7pm |
| April 11 | Hawai’i (Big West) | 7pm |
| April 18 | UC Santa Barbara (Big West) | 7pm |
* Schedule subject to change
A complete 2026 Triton men’s volleyball schedule is available by clicking here.
——
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world’s preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Four members of the Virginia volleyball team have been named to the 2025 Academic All-District team as selected by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) it was announced by the organization with the release of the annual team on Tuesday (Dec. 16).
The Virginia selections include Zoey Dood, Teagan Hogan, Kate Johnson and Hannah Scott.
Johnson makes her second appearance on the all-district team while Dood, Hogan and Scott are honored for the first time.
Individuals selected to all-district teams advance to the CSC Academic All-America Ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced in January. For more information about CSC Academic All-District and Academic All-America Teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com.
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