By TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech’s student-athletes continued their impressive work in the classroom, closing out the 2024-25 academic year with yet another incredible semester with a spring GPA of 3.477 GPA collectively.

In all, 283 student-athletes were named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll list for the spring. The AD’s Honor Roll recognizes student-athletes with a 3.0 or better GPA.

In addition, 74 student-athletes earned recognition in the Gold Club, recording a perfect 4.0 GPA.

The Spring 2025 Tech Athletic Director’s Honor Roll includes (4.0 recipients in BOLD):

BASEBALL (27): Riley Black, Jack Brafa, Luke Bragga, Jackson Green, Jared Herzog, Houston High, Garrett Holpuch, Eli Huddleston, Nicho Jordan, Owen Lee, Braxton Lewis, Greyson Madonia, Kevin Matos, Drew Mattox, Reece McDuffie, Logan Moller, Carson Parrott, Jaxson Pease, Kinnick Pusteoska, Jackson Rooker, Landon Smelser, Preston Steele, Lawson Stricklin, Micah Summar, Carter Vrabel, Mack Whitcomb, Emery Wright; 

MEN’S BASKETBALL (11): Ola Ajiboye, Mekhi Cameron, Daniel Egbuniwe, Brady Everett, Josh Heard, Kyle Layton, Triumph Olayiwola, Matthew Sells, Grant Slatten, Grant Strong, Bogdan Zimonjic;

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (10): Megan Aulbert, Keeley Carter, Peyton Carter, Angelika Girgenson, Reghan Grimes, Reagan Hurst, Chloe Larry, Maddy Newman, Amelia Pfeiffer, Anna Walker;

BEACH VOLLEYBALL/VOLLEYBALL (13): Brooke Amann, Katie Green, Mallory Jenkins, Jordan Karlen, Bella Lineberger, Emma Pabon, Alayna Pierce, Bella Powell, MK Roberts, Ava Schubert, Elena Wallace, Jazmine Yamilkoski, McKenna Young;

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY (8): Carter Bradford, Sam Bridges, Robert Dawson, James Hyland, Isaac Legault, Miceal McCaul, Zak Myles-Hawkins, Dante Torres;

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK AND FIELD (23): Savanna Amos, Carolina Bannach, Ally Beneke, Paris Bowles, Rachael Brewer, Mattie Bush, Kategie Casseus, Alexis Dotson, Hannah Faudi, Megan Forstner, Angela Hoover, Lauryn Jackson, Makaleigh Jessee, Kendall Johnson, Madison Johnson, Aliyah Kennedy, Riley Knoyle, Hannah Little, Maddie Long, Hayley Stegall, Tyla Street, Zaely Tilt, Rylee Wells;

FOOTBALL (64): Spencer Ashby, Torin Baker, Dyson Bell, Toby Bolton, Ezekiel Brinson, Kanstin Brooks, Steve Brown, Travis Carlucci, Miles Cooney, Brian Courtney, Tim Coutras, A.J. Crawford, Kalvyn Crummie, Wes Delk, Brady Downs, James Edwards, Kennedy Fauntleroy, Naquavious Giles, Luke Graves, Josh Hand, Dylan Hassid, Ahmad Haston, Gabe Hecht, T.J. Holmberg, Monty Hunt, Devin Hunter, Tremel Jones, Jack Kendrick, Idris King, Isaac Knowles, Keisen Lindsey, D.J. Linkins, Taylor Love, Seth Maldonado, Ethan McLaurin, Ty Moss, Tyler Nix, Myles Parker, Mekhi Penix, Omari Philyaw, Bertin Placide, Xavier Randolph, Daniel Rickert, Laz Rodriguez, Jeremiah Sandiford, Obie Sanni, Jalin Shephard, Luke Shields, Nason Simmons, Aaron Swafford, Tayton Swift, Zion Tamaska, Eric Taylor, Mason Taylor, Christian Thomas, Cole Thompson, Hudson Tucker, Greg Turner, Parker Vorhees, Coby Walton, Wyatt Watson, Logan Weedman, Jameson Wharton, Drew Wilder;

MEN’S GOLF (7): Alexander Bassel, Drew Bolton, Owen Bright, Alex Broyles, Haden Maxwell, Spencer Stuke, Hil Thompson;

WOMEN’S GOLF (7): Lydia Baker, Sydney Branson, Chloe Griffith, Lexus Julian, Kailey Lane, Reagan Stuke, Palmer Sykes;

SOCCER (21): Anna Baker, Maggie Conrad, Lucia Cuadra, Abigail Davis, Bella Garrett, Melina Hamm, Natalie Howard, Addison Johnson, Allison Lee, Cheyenne McCloud, Ebba Melin, Presley Morales, Madison North, Claire Palya, Sam Schroeffel, Reagan Smiley, Tori Soutuyo, Katie Toney, Delaney Wade, Skylar Williams, Ashley Wood;

SOFTBALL (23): Addison Abell, Ella Bishop, Ashley Capelouto, Sofia Carroll, Olivia Evans, Lainey Fitzgerald, Makayli Harris, Abbee Klinefelter, Hannah Lange, Julie Martin, Bella Ochoa, Jailynn Paderez, Kyleigh Pitzer, Ashlyn Riggs, Faith Rush, Alina Schlageter, Abby Shoulders, Bailee Stack, Brooklyn Stewart, Hailey Stewart, Skylar Sybesma, Payton Wagner, Emily York;

SPIRIT SQUADS (28): Lauren Akande, Ryann Allen, Faith Bettencourt, Mariah Crateau, Kamyah Crowley, Isabella Crump, Shannon Donnelly, Chloe Fleenor, Isabella Gresham, Seneca Haggard, Katie Hale, Kenadi Hall, Madison Jackson, Mackenzie Johnson, Ashlyn Kelley, Jordyn Liddell, Fancy McCann Rojas, Hayden Michaelson, Brooklyn Moore, Drake Pyle, Keira Reynolds, Autumn Sells, Kara Shope, Jace Simmons, Kimsey Turner, Jasmine Williams, Michael Wissert, Brynn Woodlee;

MEN’S TENNIS (11): Alex Alvarez, Lucas Bitzer, Murilo Burckhardt, Oliver Dao, Ricard Garavi Yepez, Lukas Krause, Darek Kuczynski, Elia Lauper, Benedikt Mosbauer, Elyad Oshnavie, Davids Spaks;

FIFTH-YEAR/CONTINUING STUDENT-ATHLETES (1): Madolyn Isringhausen;

MANAGERS AND TRAINERS (29): Jonas Alger, Jayden Baker, Lilly Bridges, Jaxon Fox, Angel Garcia, Dylan Gibson, Noah Glenn, Emma Hightower, David Hilliard, Brayden Holliman, Weston LaRue, Shaela Ledbetter, Bethany Lyons, Kaleb McCoy, Isabella Miya, Kendall Morgan, Destiny Nunley, Simon Ogletree, Kennth Parker, Steven Peyatt, Ainsley Pfeiffer, Jarick Reynolds, Anna Riggs, Ally Silcox, Olivia Smith, Aaron Sullivan, Jack Summers, Brevin Swartzenturber, Taylor Ward.

OTTAWA — The Canadian women’s volleyball team dropped to 1-1 in Nations League action with a loss to the Netherlands on Thursday.

The hosts fell 3-1 (25-18, 22-25, 25-15, 25-23) to the Dutch at the Arena at TD Place in Ottawa after opening with a five-sets victory over Bulgaria.

The Netherlands, ranked eighth in the world to Canada’s ninth, dominated at the net with 13 blocks to Canada’s three.

“Of course, we wanted to come out stronger today,” Canadian captain Kiera Van Ryk said after the match. “Playing against this team has always been a battle. We’re very close in the way that we play and our rankings in the world. … We’re fighting for that 8-9 spot most of the time. So it’s always a battle with them. “We have a lot of new players and we’re still trying to find our system. I think tonight really showed that. I am sure we’re going to do a lot of learning over the next day, really try to prepare ourselves, to reconnect with each other, and to become more of a team.” Van Ryk of Surrey, B.C., led Canada with 17 points, including 15 off the attack. Veteran Emily Maglio of Coquitlam, B.C. had nine points.

Canada faces world No. 7 Japan on Saturday. The 18 participating countries aim to be among the eight that reach the quarterfinals.

“I’m hoping that we can take what we did wrong today and grow from that for our next game,” said Van Ryk. “I think if we can continue to have a good mentality and still have more fight in us – I think that’s one thing that we lacked today – if we can fight a little bit more together, I’m so hopeful for us in the future.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025.

The Canadian Press

FIFA Rivals is bringing the sports brand Adidas into its soccer universe with exclusive in-game content.

Adidas is entering the world of FIFA Rivals with a series of digital products, features, and
in-game content.

The multi-year licensing agreement kicks off with the worldwide launch of FIFA Rivals on June 12th, the new officially licensed, arcade-style mobile football game from FIFA and Mythical Games, which makes hybrid Web2/Web3 games. In soft launch in just three countries, FIFA Rivals has 150,000 players already.

The Adidas brand and products will be featured across FIFA Rivals, providing players with access to exclusive digital items, including kits, jerseys, and shoe releases inspired by the brand’s rich soccer heritage.

“This is a great partnership for us. They definitely understand gaming well, which is awesome. And they, they’ve jumped in very happy. So we have a multi-year contract with with Adidas, it’s going to be very exciting. I think we’re doing many drops a year with them. There’s a lot of integrations happening. The Adidas gear will actually come into the game,” Mythical CEO John Linden said in an interview with GamesBeat.

“FIFA Rivals is all about celebrating the global passion for football in a fresh and modern way,” said Linden. “Bringing Adidas into this world gives players a deeper cultural connection and the chance to represent one of the most iconic brands in football – on and off the pitch. This collaboration sets a new standard for how brands show up in digital experiences.”

A new era of soccer gaming

FIFA Rivals offers a bold new take on mobile football—combining FIFA authenticity with lightning-fast, arcade-style gameplay. Players can build their dream team from the world’s biggest clubs and stars, compete in real-time PvP, and trade digital player cards on the Mythical Marketplace. As part of this collaboration, fans and FIFA Rivals players can unlock a range of digital items to outfit their teams in true three-stripe style, including:
● Digital Kit Drops featuring classic and future-forward Adidas jersey designs
● Boot Releases tied to real-world player performance and Adidas drops
● A limited-edition match ball designed for FIFA Rivals gameplay
● A fully immersive Adidas Training Facility, where players can level up player cards and complete challenges

The collaboration also includes limited-time in-game events, challenges, and rewards tied to Adidas’ connection to the digital pitch, and includes cover-athlete rights and cross-promotional campaigns.

FIFA Rivals: The future of soccer powered by Mythical

Following a successful beta in key markets, FIFA Rivals is launching globally next week on the App Store and Google Play Store. Built for both core football fans and mobile gamers, FIFA Rivals is a high-octane arcade-style game that allows anyone to jump into the action instantly, build their dream squads, compete in real-time PvP matches, and trade player cards—represented as digital collectibles—on the Mythical Marketplace.

Backed by Mythical’s platform and Marketplace, FIFA Rivals gives players full ownership of their in-game assets with the ability to buy, sell, and trade securely with others around the world.

FIFA Rivals is scheduled to launch globally on iOS and Android on June 12.

The backstory

Mythical has had a a hybrid Web2/Web3 NFL Rivals football game out for a while and it has been a success, with seven million downloads to date and 60,000 a day engage with the Web3 marketplace. That’s a small percentage of the overall players, but those players tend to monetize better and keep coming back to trade items in the marketplace. Most players don’t care that it’s a hybrid game, as players cannot purchase victory.

Since NFL Rivals launched, the app stores have loosened up some restrictions in the marketplace. One of the potential problems was that the platforms could have placed a 30% fee on every trade transaction in the Web3 marketplace. But that isn’t the case at the moment with the way Mythical handles “quick trades,” said Linden.

If you want to trade to get a Cristiano Ronaldo card, it might require you to send a whole package of less famous players to another player. Mythical carries out those trades as a kind of barter, which carries no fee in the app stores. If there are multiple trades that need to happen, then Mythical carries them out. With each trade, Mythical collects a small transaction fee. But the players don’t incur the bigger platform fees.

Adidas can also bring in a lot of its running shoe fans — 400 million of them — into the FIFA Rivals game.

“They are such a big influence in the world of football,” Linden said.

And since players no longer seem to care about the Web3 distinction, Linden said the company is lose to dropping the Web3 terminology from the description of the game.

“It’s just a game with a tradeable economy, and I think everybody’s starting to understand that,” Linden said. “NFL really helped us kick that off the ground. Trading is happening around the world and it is an exciting global secondary market. You’re able to trade seamlessly with each other.”

As for the advances Epic Games has made in getting Fortnite back into the App Store after winning antitrust litigation with Apple in the U.S., Linden said, “I think what Epic is doing is absolutely remarkable for the industry. I think it’s a much needed thing to be done. I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet as an industry, but I do think Epic is making some good progress in terms of what developers can do to engage with their players. And I think that’s awesome.”

As for the ability to create alternative web shops and promote them inside an app, Linden said it is OK to push players toward a secondary market. So the restrictions have loosened on that front. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) still have some restrictions, but the market is opening up.

“It makes it much easier for what we’re doing,” Linden said. A lot of the things we dealt with over the last three or four years from bot a regulatory perspective and also with the App Store perspective, I think that’s all going away now.”

And Linden noted that Adidas has embraced Web3 pretty heavily in the past with sales of collections. But this partnership focuses on Adidas’ interest in gaming and gamers.

With the success of NFL Rivals, Mythical has been able to grow close to 250 people now.

Rory Nesbitt, 22, is in their squad that will travel to Slovenia to compete in the European qualification tournament.

He is the first senior male player from the club to be selected since 2014, having been part of a training squad for around six months, and, having not been selected for a fixture earlier in the year, he admitted it was a surprise.

Rory, who is a PE teacher, said: “To make the squad for me was a massive achievement, so I was happy with that at the start of the year, and then to get the call-up was massive.

“I’m absolutely buzzing. I got a heads-up from the assistant manager, who’s also Scottish, and he sent me a text saying, just a heads-up, calls are going out tomorrow.

“I didn’t know if he was saying that to everyone, but then I got the call from him. It was actually in between some of my classes, so it came as a big surprise when I was at school!

“It’s the most competitive, highest-level I’ll probably ever play at in my life. I’ve worked really hard to try and get to this moment.

Rory Nesbitt will be hoping to help GB qualify for the European Championships. (Image: Courtesy of Rory Nesbitt.) “I remember there was an opportunity to go down and trial a couple of years ago. I put it off because I didn’t think I was ready, and then I always said that was going to be the next said.

“For the last three or four years, it’s been in my mind to try and make it into the GB squads and work hard, so I’m just really happy to finally achieve that, and see the results of hard work.”

Rory, who grew up in Kinross, first got involved with Dunfermline at the age of 10 or 11, and has gone on to represent Scotland.

He and his GB team-mates travelled to Slovakia for an invitational tournament, playing four matches, which saw Rory net a goal on his debut, in preparation for the Euro qualifiers.

They will face hosts Slovenia, the Netherlands, Poland and Czechia, over three days, with the top two progressing to next year’s finals.

“I think everyone’s really optimistic,” Rory continued.

“The games we had at the weekend were against really, really good teams. They’re regulars at European Championships, they’re regulars at World Cups, and other tournaments around Europe and the world.

“It’s a good experience to play against high-level opposition, and it’s helped us familiarise ourselves with the team, because obviously everyone’s coming from different clubs, and nobody plays that regularly with each other.

“It’s given us really good preparation going into the tournament.

“We’re trying to get in that top two finish to qualify for the Euros. We’re definitely aiming for that, and we’re not ruling it out, but it’ll be tough to get there.”

The qualifiers begin on Saturday and run until next Wednesday.

Meanwhile, also this Saturday, Dunfermline are in action at the Scottish Water Polo Cup finals.

Taking place at The Olympia, Dundee, their under-17 women’s side, and the senior men, will go for glory against Warrender and Portobello respectively.

The Opportunity The Department of Athletics at Purdue University Northwest (PNW) invites applications for the Head Cross Country, Track & Field Coach.

The Position The head coach is responsible for leading the cross country and track & field program, including, but not limited to the following duties: