Sports
Trump


COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Trump-endorsed biotech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy won the Ohio Republican Party’s gubernatorial endorsement on Friday, overcoming more experienced and potentially more popular rivals to land coveted institutional and monetary support nearly a year before the 2026 primary.
Ramaswamy, 39, former co-chair of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative, benefited from Trump’s backing and from an 11th-hour post on X by Donald Trump Jr., who urged members of the 66-member State Central Committee to back him.
The party’s governing board took the unusual step of holding both the debate and vote for Ramaswamy behind closed doors, as objections swirled from some corners of the party that taking sides in the race was unfair, premature or both.
Lara Trump, former co-chair of the Republican National Committee and daughter-in-law to the president, opened Friday’s meeting by phone. She stopped short of calling for a Ramaswamy endorsement, but reminded the 66-member committee that the GOP’s motto headed into 2026 is, “Unite, unite, unite!”
Friday’s march toward the early endorsement came even as Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel broke his silence late Thursday to say that he is also considering a bid for governor. Tressel is a championship-winning former Ohio State Buckeyes head football coach who could present a challenge for Ramaswamy. The filing deadline for the race is Feb. 4, 2026.
More immediately, the endorsement was a blow to the two declared gubernatorial candidates — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a fourth-term state officeholder, and Appalachian entrepreneur Heather Hill.
Dr. Amy Acton, the former state health director who helped lead Ohio through the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, is the only announced Democrat in the race.
Ahead of Friday’s vote, Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called the near-year until the 2026 primary “a lifetime” in politics. He is prohibited from running again due to term limits and is believed to have picked Tressel for his potential as a moderate Republican successor.
Ramaswamy, an unsuccessful 2024 presidential candidate, staged a spirited campaign launch in February and Trump endorsed Ramaswamy the same day as “Young, Strong, and Smart!” He has been barnstorming the state ever since.
A native of Cincinnati, Ramaswamy had also shown interest in the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Vice President JD Vance before, but DeWine chose Lt. Gov. Jon Husted as Vance’s successor. In a separate vote Friday, the central committee also endorsed Husted as he seeks to retain the seat next year for the remainder of Vance’s unexpired term.
Rather than attend the party meeting, Yost had chosen to attend the funeral of a retired Hamilton County sheriff’s deputy struck and killed last week by the father of a teen who had been fatally shot by police a day earlier. He said in a letter to the Central Committee obtained by The Associated Press that it was a difficult decision.
“My favorite part of a trial was always the closing argument — the distillation of all the evidence, its meaning, and the application of reason and law,” he wrote. “I relish the battle. But I believe this is the right thing to do (regardless of whether it is politically wise) and have so chosen my course.”
Ramaswamy is trying to follow the paths of Vance and Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno — two newcomers to Ohio politics who won Senate seats with the help of Trump’s endorsement. Yost, a fourth-term state officeholder who launched his gubernatorial campaign in January, is testing that model. Traditionally, Ohio voters have tended to support candidates with government experience for state-level offices, while favoring business backgrounds in their presidential and Senate picks.
Sports
Hornets Indoor Track & Field Prepares to Host Burg Open
Lynchburg, Va. – Following a month-long hiatus over winter break, the University of Lynchburg indoor track & field teams return to the oval on Friday, Jan. 9 to host the Burg Open at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex.
Field events will begin at 10:00 a.m. with the women’s weight throw, while running events begin at 11:00 a.m. with the women’s 60-meter hurdle prelims. The 60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles will feature prelims and finals, while every other event will move straight to finals.
Meet History
The 2025-2026 season marks Lynchburg’s third year holding the event, though Friday signifies the first home meet for Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Mario Wilson.
At last season’s competition, first-year athletes claimed victories in 10 of the 15 individual track events. In the meet’s debut in 2024, Lynchburg created a memorable men’s 3,000m event that saw 13 Hornets claim personal bests in one race.
The Burg Open is the Hornets’ second of four meets at the indoor facility this season, as Lynchburg plans to compete at the Brant Tolsma Invitational and Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational. Lynchburg traveled across town to Liberty to open the season on Thursday, Dec. 4 and Friday, Dec. 5 at the Liberty Kickoff.
Early-Season Success
In the team’s opening meets, several Hornets inched closer to posting program-record marks to begin the season. Rylee Turner clocked 26.00 in the 200-meter dash to trail Aniya Seward’s school record by four hundredths of a second, while thrower Kenzie Swicegood moved within two feet of the women’s weight throw record with a 55′ 1″ (16.79m) toss.
On the men’s side, Micah Leech collected 4,999 points in the men’s heptathlon to post a personal best and improve his second-place standing on the all-time list.
Lynchburg will compete each weekend until the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday, Feb. 28 and Sunday, March 1.
Live Results
To access live splits, meet information and performance lists from the 2026 Burg Open, click here.
The meet will be live-streamed on the Lynchburg Hornets Sports Network.
Visit Lynchburg athletics’ home online, LynchburgSports.com, anytime for up-to-the-minute news on all Hornets sports and coverage from the Lynchburg Hornets Sports Network.
Sign up here to receive Lynchburg Sports news in your email inbox.
Give Lynchburg Sports a like on Facebook, and follow Lynchburg athletics on Instagram, Threads, and X.
–LYN–
Sports
Cal Poly beach volleyball to premiere at local movie theater
From the sand to the big screen! Grab the popcorn Cal Poly beach volleyball is coming to a movie theater near you.
On Monday, January 12 the documentary “Kicking Up Sand” will premiere at the Fremont Theater in downtown San Luis Obispo.
The documentary, produced by Cal Poly supporter Jon Hastings, is a behind the scenes look at the Mustangs’ 2025 season following them from preseason through the NCAA Championship.
There will be a red carpet at Fremont Theater with players and coaches starting at 5 p.m.
Then at 6:30 p.m. there will be a Q&A session with the coaches and players. That will be followed by the premiere of the documentary at 7 p.m.
You can purchase tickets at the Fremont Theater or on their website: https://www.fremontslo.com/events/kicking-up-sand-cal-poly-beach-volleyball-film-premiere/
Last season, the Mustangs finished with a 31-8 record, a run to the Final Four, and a final ranking of fourth in the country.
Sports
Gophers Start 2026 at Minnesota Open, World Cross Country Championships
ABOUT THE MINNESOTA OPEN
The 2026 Minnesota Open begins at 10 a.m. with the men’s pole vault while track events starting at 11:30 a.m. The meet is set to wrap up by 5:15 p.m., with the women’s 4x400m relay starting at 5:05 p.m. and the women’s shot put starting at 4:15 p.m. Additionally, Minnesota will have a small contingent of unattached men’s student-athletes competing on Saturday. The event is free and open to the public to attend. There will not be a livestream of the event, but fans can follow live results via Wayzata Results.
ABOUT THE WORLD ATHLETICS XC CHAMPIONSHIPS
Minnesota’s cross country program will have three current student-athletes and one signee compete in Tallahassee in the U20 section of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships on January 10. The event, taking place at Apalachee Regional Park, features three Gophers on Team USA and one on Team Canada. Salvador Wirth is the lone men’s representative for the red, white and blue while Norah Hushagen and Avery Marasco-Johnson will run on the women’s side. Signee Oliver Crowe, of St. Catharines, Ontario, will also compete in the U20 section in Florida after he finished sixth at the Canadian Cross Country Championships in a time of 25:15.8 back in late November. The women’s U20 6K race begins at 9:20 a.m. CT with the men’s section starting at 9:55 a.m. CT. The event can be streamed live on Peacock with live results available via the World Athletics live results platform.
LAST TIME OUT
Led by two-time defending Big Ten weight throw champion Anthonett Nabwe’s wins in the weight throw and shot put, the University of Minnesota women’s track and field program secured seven event wins at the M City Classic at the University Fieldhouse on December 5. Both of Nabwe’s winning marks in the shot put (16.40m | 53-9 3/4) and weight throw (23.74m | 77-10 3/4) were meet records.
Additionally, the Maroon and Gold had four event wins come via unattached student-athletes with three being men’s victories. True freshman Ayisat Adebayo was the lone women’s unattached winner in the triple jump with a leap of 12.26m (40-2 3/4). The most notable men’s win of the day came via Zion Campbell in the 60m, stopping the clock in a University Fieldhouse facility record time of 6.59.
UP NEXT
The ‘U’ will head out to Lincoln, Neb., for the Graduate Classic, the first road meet of 2026, from January 16-17. Minnesota will not return home until January 30, at the Jack Johnson Classic.
For more information on the Gophers, continue to check back with GopherSports.com. Keep up with the University of Minnesota cross country and track and field team on X.com (Twitter) and Instagram (@GopherCCTF) and on Facebook, so you do not miss any content during the season.
Sports
Jordana Price Named Volleyball Associate Head Coach
Price brings a wealth of additional experience to Rehr’s coaching staff, with stops at Tulane, Florida State, South Alabama and Valdosta State after playing as a student-athlete for Florida State and a professional playing career overseas.
“I am excited for Jordana to join us at Houston,” Rehr said. “Her experience as a head coach and recruiting coordinator will be a valuable asset to the program.”
Price most recently coached at Tulane, a position she held for four seasons starting in 2022. During her tenure with the Green Wave, she mentored First Team All-American Conference selection and 2023 American Conference Freshman of the Year Avery Burks. Burks was Tulane’s first American Conference Freshman of the Year as well as their fifth overall and first First-Team All-AC honoree since 2020.
Prior to that, she spent five years as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for Florida State. She helped lead the Seminoles to five All-America honors and four NCAA Tournament appearances. The Seminoles never finished lower than fifth in the ACC while Price was on staff, including a runner-up finish in the 2018 campaign. As recruiting coordinator, she managed the recruitment of a Top 15 class in 2021.
She served as the lead middle trainer and blocking coach for a 2019 squad that ended the season ranked second in the NCAA in blocks per set. Two of Price’s most successful recruits were middle blockers Taryn Knuth and Emma Clothier, who both earned All-ACC honors and were named All-Americans. Taryn was also nominated as the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year, awarded AVCA National Player of the Week and ACC Scholar-Athlete of the year. During Price’s time at FSU, Knuth (.549) and Clothier (.483) finished first and second in the country in hitting percentage, respectively.
In tandem with her collegiate coaching, Price participated in the inaugural Team USA National Training Development Program in 2021 when she worked with the U15/U16 classes. The series focused on several key areas for the young athletes to develop their games. Since then, Price has served with the National Training Development Program in 2021 and 2023-2026 in various series and age groups.
In 2019, Price served as the assistant coach of the U.S.A. Florida Region Girls International Select Team which won the silver medal at the 2019 High Performance Championships.
Her success as a coach at FSU helped her earn AVCA 30 Under 30 honors in 2018.
Before returning to FSU as a coach, Price served as an assistant coach at South Alabama. During her two-year stint with the Jaguars from 2015 to 2017, she helped the team to its best finish in the Sun Belt Conference and its best start to the season at 7-1 in over three decades. She also helped coach the Jaguars to the highest team attacking percentage since 1987 and the most wins since 1994.
Price’s college coaching career started in 2012 at Valdosta State where she served as a graduate assistant and interim head coach. She would go on to graduate Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.
As a student-athlete at FSU, Price was a part of the 2009 ACC Championship team which finished in the Elite 8 after being seeded third in the NCAA Tournament. She ranked first in blocks and fourth in hitting percentage in the ACC during her career. She received the FSU Volleyball Most Influential Player award and was a 2008 AVCA All-East Honorable Mention and 2009 Honorable Mention All-American.
After her college career, Price played professionally as a middle blocker in the Professional Azerbaijan Super League for the Shirvan Club and in the Professional Switzerland LNA League for the Hotel Cristal Volleyball Franches-Montagnes. During this time, she competed against six U.S.A. Senior National team members, won the silver medal at the Swiss Volley Cup Final and claimed a fourth place LNA League finish.
She ended her playing days in the Professional Premier Volleyball League. Price competed for the Indiana Hoosier Exterminators, with the team claiming a gold medal in 2012 at the USA Volleyball Open National Championships. In 2013 with Team Florida, she took home a silver medal in the USA Volleyball Open National Championships.
SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Volleyball by providing NIL opportunities or by joining the Point Houston Club which provides financial support directly to Houston Volleyball for needs beyond its operating budget.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarVB on X, formerly known as Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team’s Facebook page at UHCougarVB. Fans also can follow the team on Instagram at @UHCougarVB.
– UHCougars.com –
Sports
Track & Field Back in Action for a Pair of Meets
WASHINGTON (January 8, 2026) – Howard University men’s and women’s track & field program returns from the winter break for a pair of meets: Rod McCravy Invitational (Jan. 9-10) and Penn Select (Jan. 10).
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Bison Nation can follow all the action via live results. Penn Select will stream on ESPN+.
MEET PREVIEW
MEN
On the track, senior sprinter Dylan Gaines (Houston) sits 14th in the country with a 21.52 mark.
Fellow classmate Jorim Banque (Yaounde, Cameroon) and sophomore transfer Drew Dillard headline the 60-meter hurdles, clocking in with the 31st (7.98) and 37th (8.00) fastest times, respectively.
In the field, Dillard ranks 25th in the high jump (2.07 meters) while fifth-year senior Sean Wray (Stafford, Va.) rounds out at 23rd in the triple jump (14.94 meters).
WOMEN
Nationally, five Bison are ranked top 45 in the 60-meter hurdles: Lindsay Johnson (19th); Gabby White (26th); Lauren Thompson (36th); Aniya Woodruff (38th) and Kimbrel Winfield (45th).
Sprinters graduate Marcia Sey (London, United Kingdom) and junior Yahnari Lyons (Hampton, Ga.) sit 22nd (7.44) and 33rd (7.46), respectively, in the 60-meter dash.
Lyons and Woodruff (Harrisburg, N.C.) also rank among the nation’s top sprinters in the 200-meter dash, posting 24.11 (11th) and 24.65 (41st) times, respectively.
Freshman standout Alexis Jones (New Windsor, N.Y.) rounds out HU with a 4:54.89 mark in the mile run, which ranks 34th in the county.
LAST TIMEOUT
On Dec. 12, both squads competed in the annual Seahawk Shootout, hosted by Wagner College.
On the men’s side, Wray, Dillard and William Shepherd (Plano, Texas) led the charge with victories in the triple jump, 60-meter hurdles and 1000-meter run, respectively.
For the women, several Bison took home gold, including Jones claiming the top spot with a new school record in the mile run and senior Temi Banwo (Allen, Texas) earning two wins in the shot put and weight throw.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
On Jan. 16-17, HU goes to the Empire State for the annual HBCU Showcase.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.
Sports
Track & field picks back up at Rod McCravy Memorial
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bellarmine University track and field will return to action Friday and Saturday at the University of Kentucky-hosted Rod McCravy Memorial at the Louisville-based Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center.
Competition is set to begin at noon (ET) Friday with the high jump and 11 a.m. Saturday with the pole vault, shot put and triple jump. The event marks the second of six straight indoor meets at Norton SLC for the Knights, who will host the Jan. 16 Bellarmine Open and Jan. 23 PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic.
Bellarmine will be getting into full-throttle competition mode starting with the Rod McCravy Memorial. The Knights have competed in one previous meet, but the Commonwealth College Opener was over a month ago on Dec. 6.
Bellarmine had strong showings in the initial meet, highlighted by junior Amelia Svidal (11.79m) and freshman Tola Taiwo (13.90m) both setting new women’s and men’s indoor program records, respectively, in the triple jump. Svidal bested her own record while Taiwo shattered a mark that had stood since 2017.
In addition, senior Jansen Story placed first in the women’s 1000m, as did senior Zander Hooten in the men’s 60m hurdles.
For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow BUKnights on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
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