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Tyreek Hill vs. Noah Lyles race would be entertaining, not competitive

Greg Olsen expresses excitement for upcoming Olympic flag football Former TE Greg Olsen is excited for some NFL players to showcase their skills in the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics and the debut of flag football. Sports Seriously A few days after Xavier Worthy broke the NFL combine 40-yard dash record, USA TODAY Sports sarcastically asked […]

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A few days after Xavier Worthy broke the NFL combine 40-yard dash record, USA TODAY Sports sarcastically asked the then-draft prospect if he thought he could beat Usain Bolt in the 40-yard dash.

Bolt, the former Jamaican track and field superstar, eight-time Olympic gold medalist, and 100- and 200-meter world-record holder, effortlessly ran a 4.22 in the 40-yard dash in sweats and sneakers at the NFL Experience in 2019.

Worthy clocked in with an NFL combine record-setting time of 4.21 at the 2024 NFL scouting combine.

“No,” Worthy answered when asked if he could beat Bolt. “His 40 was in shoes and sweats. There’s no comparison. I’m not even gonna disrespect him.”

Worthy’s honest assessment applies to Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, too.

Hill and Olympic 100-meter champion Noah Lyles have playfully gone back and forth about competing against each other in a race. Their scheduled race was canceled in June due to what Lyles described as “complications” and “personal reasons.”

The race would’ve been good publicity for both athletes and brought more casual fans to the sport of track and field. But let’s stop the charade. Hill is not in the same league as Lyles or any world-class sprinter when it comes to speed.

Hill did beat Lyles’ younger brother, Josephus, in a 100 prelim at the ATX Sprint Classic on Saturday with a wind-aided time of 10.10. Hill conveniently elected not to run in the final, where the top five finishers all ran sub-10 seconds (all times were wind-aided).

Hill, who competed in track and field in college, has a personal best legal time of 10.15 seconds in the 100 meters. The Dolphins wideout would’ve placed ninth at the 2024 U.S. Olympic track and field trials if he equaled his record.

Hill’s top mark in the 60 is 6.64. His record in the 60 would’ve been good enough for eighth in the event at the 2025 U.S. Indoor track and field championships.

Noah won a gold medal in the 100 at the Paris Olympics with a personal-best of 9.79. His lifetime best in the 60 is 6.43. Both times are comfortably ahead of Hill’s all-time best marks.

Furthermore, Noah’s 10 best times in the 100 are sub-9.90. His top 10 times in the 60 are all 6.55 or better. All of which are faster than Hill’s lifetime best in both events.

The times don’t lie. They reveal the obvious truth.

Yes, the Noah Lyles vs. Tyreek Hill showdown would’ve been entertaining for sports fans. They are two of the biggest stars in their respective sports. But it wouldn’t have been a competitive race.

Hill is arguably the fastest person in the NFL (although Worthy might have something to say about that). Lyles currently holds the title of the fastest man in the world, having won the Olympic gold medal in the 100. They are marquee athletes, but there’s a distinct difference between football speed and world-class track speed.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.





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Redbird Volleyball Announces 2025 Slate

Story Links 2025 ISU Volleyball Schedule NORMAL, Ill. – Returning a veteran squad that brings back eight players that started at least nine matches last season in addition to enrolling the top-rated recruiting class in program history, Illinois State volleyball head coach Allie Matters […]

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NORMAL, Ill. – Returning a veteran squad that brings back eight players that started at least nine matches last season in addition to enrolling the top-rated recruiting class in program history, Illinois State volleyball head coach Allie Matters has put together a challenging 2025 schedule to test the ISU squad, featuring six schools that played in last season’s NCAA Tournament, three that played in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC), four from power-four conferences, and an 11-match home schedule featuring three schools from power conferences.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to share our preseason schedule with our Redbird fans,” said Matters. “This will be a tough slate for us, and I have full confidence that this roster will rise to the challenge. We are lucky to be situated geographically where volleyball is so competitive, we don’t have to travel very far to play in big matches. We are most looking forward to hosting a very talented trio of teams in our Linda Herman Invitational at CEFCU Arena. Our fans will witness high-level volleyball and an extremely competitive environment. With returning most of our offense, while sprinkling in some new transfers and freshmen, we are eager to get the season underway.”

Prior to the official start of the season, ISU will host its annual Red/White scrimmage on Thursday, August 14, and then travel to Charleston, Illinois, for an exhibition match at Eastern Illinois University on August 23 in which the Redbirds will help open the new Panther volleyball facility.

With the preseason events concluded, the regular season opens in Kalamazoo, Michigan, at the Western Michigan Tournament. The Redbirds open at 2 p.m. on Friday, August 29 against BIG EAST member and 2024 NIVC quarterfinalist DePaul, before coming back a day later to battle the reigning Mid-American Conference Champion Western Michigan Broncos at 5 p.m. The tournament concludes on Sunday, August 31 against the Oakland Grizzlies at 11 a.m.

The following weekend the team travels west to Coralville, Iowa, to compete in the Hawkeye Invitational. The tournament will open for ISU against the Loyola Ramblers, who advanced to the second round of last season’s NCAA Tournament, with a first serve coming on September 4 at 3 p.m. The next day, on Friday, September 5, the Redbirds will face off against tournament host and Big Ten opponent Iowa at 6 p.m. The tournament finale will be played on Saturday, September 6 against BIG EAST foe Butler at 11 a.m.

From September 12-14 ISU will host the Linda Herman Classic, named in honor of longtime volleyball head coach and ISU Percy Family Hall of Fame inductee Linda Herman. The tournament opens on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. as the Cincinnati Bearcats and the University of Illinois face off inside CEFCU Arena, and that match is followed by the Redbirds taking on the Miami Hurricanes, a team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. A day later the Hurricanes and Illini will meet at noon on Saturday, September 13, with the Redbirds taking on Big 12 member Cincinnati at 4 p.m. The tournament concludes with an in-state match-up with the Illini at 2 p.m. Last season Illinois advanced to the NCAA Tournament, falling in the opening round.

The pre-MVC slate closes in Dayton, Ohio, at the 2025 Dayton Flyer Invitational. The tournament opens on Friday, September 19 when the Redbirds face off against UC Santa Barbara at 10 a.m., before coming back later that day to face off against Wright State at 4 p.m. Last season the Raiders advanced to the NIVC, and the meeting with WSU is the first since Matters left the school to become the head coach at Illinois State. The tournament concludes on Saturday, September 20 at noon against the host Flyers, who went 31-3 last season, sweeping their A-10 schedule before advancing to the NCAA Tournament.

The following weekend, September 26 and 27, the Redbirds will be on the road at Indiana State and at Bradley to open play in the 16-game MVC season, with the conference season culminating at the 2025 MVC Tournament.



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Sports Medicine Welcomes Ruedas to Staff

Story Links RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Monday the hiring of Joshua Ruedas as an assistant athletic trainer.   Ruedas will oversee the women’s soccer, track & field/cross country programs at UTRGV. Prior to joining UTRGV, Ruedas spent his final year as […]

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RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Monday the hiring of Joshua Ruedas as an assistant athletic trainer.
 

Ruedas will oversee the women’s soccer, track & field/cross country programs at UTRGV. Prior to joining UTRGV, Ruedas spent his final year as a graduate assistant athletic trainer at the University of South Carolina as the head athletic trainer at Mid-Carolina High School.
 
“We are very excited to add Josh to our sports medicine team,” Senior Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine Steven Kraus said. “He is a valley native that had a passion for coming home and working with the high-level athletes we have here at UTRGV. His passion and professionalism were evident throughout the interview process, and I think he will build quality relationships and provide efficient patient care to our student athletes.”
 

In his first year at South Carolina, he was the primary athletic trainer for the men’s tennis and men’s golf programs. He also assisted at summer camps for the football, women’s basketball, soccer, tennis, and track & field programs.
 

“I’m honored to step into my new role as an athletic trainer for women’s soccer and track & field/cross country at UTRGV,” Ruedas said. “This opportunity means so much to me—not just professionally, but personally—as I return to serve a community I care deeply about. I want to thank my mentors, peers, and especially my family for their constant support and encouragement throughout this journey. I’m proud to join the Vaquero family and look forward to the work ahead!”
 

Prior to his time at South Carolina, Ruedas spent four years with the University of Texas as an athletic training student where he provided coverage for their track & field, football, women’s soccer, and swimming & diving programs. He also completed a clinical education experience with Leander High School.
 
In the summer of 2022, Ruedas spent the summer with the Dallas Cowboys as an athletic training summer intern – student. In this role, he assisted in rehabilitation, treatment, and general medical services during the preseason and summer camp.
 
Ruedas earned his Master of Science in athletic training from South Carolina in May and his Bachelor of Science in athletic training from Texas in May 2023. He is also a member of the Texas State Athletic Trainers Association and the National Athletic Trainers’ Association.
 



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Gamecocks in the MiLB Update – July 8 – University of South Carolina Athletics

The 2025 Minor League Baseball season is heading to the All-Star break in most leagues. Here’s what the Gamecocks on the Farm have done in the first half of the MiLB season. Triple A Jonah Bride has recently begun play for St. Paul, the Triple-A affiliate of Minnesota. He has a hit and has walked […]

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Gamecocks in the MiLB Update – July 8 – University of South Carolina Athletics

The 2025 Minor League Baseball season is heading to the All-Star break in most leagues. Here’s what the Gamecocks on the Farm have done in the first half of the MiLB season.

Triple A

  • Jonah Bride has recently begun play for St. Paul, the Triple-A affiliate of Minnesota. He has a hit and has walked twice in two games and seven at-bats.
  • Carlos Cortes has had a great season so far for Las Vegas, the Triple-A affiliate of the Athletics. Cortes is hitting .312 with 49 runs scored, 20 doubles, 15 home runs and 67 RBI. Cortes was named the Pacific Coast League Player of the Month for the month of June and was the PCL Player of the Week on June 29.
  • Wil Crowe currently is on the injured list for Lehigh Valley, the Triple-A affiliate of the Phillies. He’s pitched in two games for the IronPigs and has five strikeouts in seven innings pitched.
  • Brett Kerry has made 14 appearances with 13 starts for Salt Lake, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. He has a pair of wins and 43 strikeouts in 53 innings pitched.
  • Will Sanders has seven wins between Double-A Knoxville and Triple-A Iowa, affiliates of the Chicago Cubs. For Iowa, Sanders is a perfect 4-0 with a 4.39 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 26.2 innings pitched.

Double A

  • Brady Allen has 76 at-bats for Erie, the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. He has 13 hits, nine of which are doubles, to go along with a home run and eight RBI.
  • Wes Clarke was traded from Milwaukee to Houston on June 19 and is now playing for Corpus Christi, the Double-A affiliate of the Astros. Clarke has two doubles, a triple and three home runs in 14 games for the Hooks.
  • Thomas Farr has appeared in 10 games for Chattanooga, the Double-A affiliate of Cincinnati. Farr has a 3.05 ERA and nine strikeouts in 20.2 innings of work.
  • James Hicks is on the 60-day injured list for Corpus Christi, the Double-A affiliate of the Astros. Before his injury, Hicks made four appearances and had 17 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched.
  • Daniel Lloyd has a 5-2 record with a save in 22 relief appearances for Chesapeake, the Double-A affiliate of Baltimore. Lloyd has 34 strikeouts in 37 innings pitched and a .180 opponent’s batting average.
  • Jack Mahoney has made 14 starts for Hartford, the Double-A affiliate of the Rockies. Mahoney has two wins and 47 strikeouts in 56.2 innings of work.
  • TJ Shook is a perfect 5-0 with a 2.55 ERA on the season between Triple-A Syracuse and Double-A Binghamton, affiliates of the New York Mets. With the Rumble Ponies, Shook has three saves and 38 strikeouts in 30.1 innings of work.

High A

  • Julian Bosnic has made 26 appearances for Greensboro, the High-A affiliate of the Pirates. He has a 2-2 record with a 4.24 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 34 innings of work.
  • Noah Hall has made 16 appearances and 12 starts for Brooklyn, the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets. Hall has a 5-4 record with a save and 78 strikeouts in 71.1 innings of work.
  • Cole Messina has played in 66 games for the Spokane Indians, the High-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. He has a .254 batting average with 18 doubles, a triple, five home runs and 31 RBI.
  • Braylen Wimmer has had a hot start to his 2025 season with Spokane, the High-A affiliate of the Rockies. Wimmer is hitting .303 with 22 doubles, a triple, 13 home runs and 50 RBI. He was named the Northwest League Player of the Month for May and the NWL Player of the Week on June 1.

Low A

  • Cade Austin is 4-1 with a 2.56 ERA for Tampa, the Low-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. Austin has 32 strikeouts in 31.2 innings of work to go along with a save.
  • Colin Burgess has played in 20 games for Augusta, the Low-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Burgess is hitting .246 with a pair of doubles and two home runs.
  • Eli Jones has made 14 appearances with 12 starts for Fort Myers, the Low-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. Jones has a pair of wins and 50 strikeouts in 61.2 innings of work.
  • Chris Veach has made 27 appearances in relief for Tampa, the Low-A affiliate of the Yankees. Veach is 1-1 with a 1.38 ERA and six saves while striking out 45 batters in 32.2 innings pitched.

Independent

  • George Callil has played in five games for Evansville in the Frontier League and has a hit, an RBI and a run scored.
  • Eddy Demurias has made 26 appearances for Charleston in the Atlantic League. He has a 2-1 record with three saves and 41 strikeouts in 28.1 innings of work.
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Bruins Add Theo Brunner to Beach Volleyball Staff

LOS ANGELES — UCLA head women’s beach volleyball coach Jenny Johnson Jordan announced today the hiring of AVP beach volleyball star, Theo Brunner, as the Bruins’ assistant coach effective immediately. Brunner replaces Jose Loiola, who was named just the second head coach in the history of South Carolina’s beach volleyball program on May 23. While this is Brunner’s […]

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LOS ANGELES — UCLA head women’s beach volleyball coach Jenny Johnson Jordan announced today the hiring of AVP beach volleyball star, Theo Brunner, as the Bruins’ assistant coach effective immediately. Brunner replaces Jose Loiola, who was named just the second head coach in the history of South Carolina’s beach volleyball program on May 23.

While this is Brunner’s first collegiate post, he currently coaches some of the world’s youngest and brightest stars in the game. He currently serves as the head coach for USA Olympic team members, Miles Partain and Andy Benesh. Additionally, he has served as a coach at Vibe Volleyball Lab in El Segundo, Calif., from 2020-23, where he coached private lessons for athletes ranging from 8-18, focusing on long-term skill and technical development of players. He also served as the head coach for the USC Men’s Club Volleyball Team from September 2019 to March of 2020.

“Theo is no stranger to elite beach volleyball with his playing career and as a coach,” Johnson Jordan said. “He is a true student of the game and I know that he will bring a fresh perspective to the team from his own career. We are beyond excited to have him join the team and our Bruin family.”

Throughout his career, he has provided Individual training sessions and mentorship to professional and amateur beach volleyball athletes. He has also coached numerous beach and Indoor volleyball clinics across the country and during the 2024 Olympics in Paris, he supported USA Beach National Team Scout, Brian Hurler, in scouting for the Paris Olympic Games.

Brunner was a standout indoor player at UC Santa Barbara, earning First-Team All-America honors in 2007 and was named team captain of the Gauchos in 2008. He played indoor volleyball professionally for Paok in Greece, as well as Ravenna and Verona in the Italian A1 League (2010-12).

His first foray into beach volleyball actually happened in 2006 at the urging of UCSB libero, Ben Brockman, where the duo teamed up to compete in the Manhattan Beach Open. The AVP experienced a rebirth in 2013, and it was then that Brunner returned to the beach, partnering with Nick Lucena for his first AVP season in 2013.

Brunner’s career highlights include seven titles – the 2013 AVP Championship, 2016 Seattle Open, the 2018, 2022, and 2023 Hermosa Beach Opens, 2023 AVP Chicago Gold Series, and the 2024 AVP Manhattan Beach Open. Brunner has been named the AVPs Best Blocker four times (2013, 2014, 2022, and 2023) in his career. Internationally, he has won two Bronze Medals in major international events, as well as taking 4th place in the 2015 World Championships in The Netherlands. He won his first FIVB medal, a bronze, with Todd Rogers at the 2014 Long Beach Grand Slam. He has also reached the World Championship Semifinals three times in his career.

A philosophy major, he earned his bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Barbara in 2008.

 



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Setting up a major track meet At Hayward Field

The following transcript was generated using automated transcription software for the accessibility and convenience of our audience. While we strive for accuracy, the automated process may introduce errors, omissions, or misinterpretations. This transcript is intended as a helpful companion to the original audio and should not be considered a verbatim record. For the most accurate […]

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The following transcript was generated using automated transcription software for the accessibility and convenience of our audience. While we strive for accuracy, the automated process may introduce errors, omissions, or misinterpretations. This transcript is intended as a helpful companion to the original audio and should not be considered a verbatim record. For the most accurate representation, please refer to the audio recording.

MICHAEL DUNNE: I’m Michael Dunne. Obviously, there’s a lot of movement at a track meet, running, jumping, throwing and lunging, but behind the scenes, there’s an almost incalculable amount of moving and moving parts to set up a major track meet like the Prefontaine classic at Hayward Field today on the show, we’ll bring you conversations with the folks at Track Town USA, in charge of all that pre, during, and post movement, from making sure the athletes are comfortable to ensuring all the technology is firing to taking every measurement possible so the hurdles, pads, cages, starting blocks and more are in the exact right place at the exact right time. It’s organized chaos on the track and in the field. In short, it’s a race to make sure all the other races come off without a hitch. What you just heard were the footfalls of a track athlete getting in some practice laps before running in Eugene’s signature track event, the Prefontaine classic. But before this and more than 300 other elite athletes take their marks another small army of staffers and volunteers for Track Town USA get to work making sure the PRI and every other track meet at world famous Hayward field goes off as planned. I met Jody Smith, Chief Operating Officer of TrackTown USA, at Section 115 overlooking Hayward Field, and asked her how she and her team work with the individual teams and athletes setting up for a track meet.

JODY SMITH: We really work with their athlete representatives, and we actually book all their travel and make all those arrangements for them. So, we are actually getting them here, and not only from where they live and throughout the entire world, but then once they come into either Portland or Eugene, we’re getting them from the airport to their hotels, and then while they’re here, all their meals, all their transport, all their services are provided by us.

MICHAEL DUNNE: I know you said you love the details, so let’s, let’s get into the details a little bit in terms of, okay, let’s say like we’re here today before the Meet happens. Kind of walk us through the logistics of setup in terms of, you know, a day like today, before the Meet begins. How many people are going to be here doing this setup? Kind of, what are their main responsibilities of getting this, this hallowed field, ready for competition?

JODY SMITH: We break this down into different groups. So, we have a venue team that is focused on building the infrastructure and the overlay to have the tents you see on the fields outside or on the Marshfield district that will have for all the folks coming in to buy, retail, enjoy food, etc. They’re worried. They’re worried about the permitting. They’re worried about whether they have all the tables and chairs, etc. We have a brand team, as you look out as a venue today, that makes it look that special for the Prefontaine to celebrate the 50th so all the signage and decor, not only in Hayward field, but throughout the city, we have a sports team that is focused on getting the field of play and the competition ready, so making sure we have all the equipment, the timing company, the supplies that we need to conduct the competition, organizing, the technical officials. On top of that, we have a team that’s on the services side that’s making sure that the athletes have the information and know what to expect when they arrive. And then there’s a whole group dedicated to the transport and the catering, etc. And last but not least, we have a marketing team and a communications team that’s really focusing on telling the stories of the event.

MICHAEL DUNNE: One thing that I always love about Hayward Field is, in addition to being this grand facility, but it exists in a community, in a neighborhood, and I’m wondering too, talk about the coordination with Eugene police and with all the other entities.

JODY SMITH: So, we’re really lucky to have tremendous community partners, and we couldn’t deliver this event without those partners. First and foremost is the venue owner, the University of Oregon, and their team in athletics and campus. They are crucial to all the work that we have to do here at Hayward field and supporting us through those processes, of course, the city of Eugene and the city of Springfield and traveling County, they’re really helpful in those services that come from the city, whether it’s parking police, etc. And then I’ll partner on this too and deliver the event as the Oregon Track Club. So, we really rely on those community partners in order to have those with the items go well.

MICHAEL DUNNE: How does it work? I guess, you know, people might be familiar with the term the load in. I mean, obviously a lot of it is loading in athletes. But, I mean, talk about that, you know, as, as you say, your kind of, you know, the road is closed in front of the facility. Talk about how you manage, 300 athletes coming in. And of course, that represents, I don’t know how many support staff. It’s a lot of folks coming to town. How do you manage that, that herd, if you will, of people?

JODY SMITH: Certainly. I’ll talk about two parts. So, the load into the people and the athletes. There’s, you know, 300 athletes, but there’s about 500 people. So, their support staff, their coaches, their physios, their publicist, etc. They’re all coming into town too. So that’s the load into the people. And we have a team of about at this point, blossomed around close to 30 to 40 that are probably focused on that between full time staff and key vendors and partners to deliver the services the load into the venue, which is more about trucks and big infrastructure. So we got a broadcast coming in. We have Swiss timing and omega coming from overseas, and they’ll come with a couple semis, you know, speaking about the load in, there’s a lot of large groups that come in. There’s a lot of tech that comes in, so from our broadcast to our timing to our display boards. So those are big movements of stuff. And then we have, we work with local tent vendors that we’ve worked with for 15 years almost now. They’re really familiar, but it is a process to get all those tents put up and the tables and chairs, and hopefully it all is seamless and easy. There’s always surprises, but we have another team of about 20 people dedicated to that.

MICHAEL DUNNE: I’m glad you brought that up. You know, the Prius kind of Center Stage for track throughout the world. Talk about it in terms of, you know, managing famous people, managing their publicists, but also sort of, you know, obviously making sure that everybody, every athlete, feels like, I don’t know, they’re kind of special.

JODY SMITH: So certainly, you know, as you talk about who’s coming, we have over 48 gold medalists from the Olympics, close to 100 Olympic medalists and 14 world record holders that are coming in. Each one is different and, and, and we want to make sure we rise to whatever level of service they expect. But that’s true of all 300 athletes for us. So, we try to make sure that we do it not just for the ones that are in the news, but the ones that are maybe just having their first professional event. So, we make sure that we create those services that are for all but also, of course, we’ll do some things tailored, because we do ask of them while they’re here to be a partner in telling their stories and promoting the event.

MICHAEL DUNNE: Talk about the moving parts for a track meet and what it takes to get everything ready, and especially because, you know, for many of us, you know, spectators, it’s like, okay, they just go out and, you know, set up the hurdles. But I imagine, because obviously everything has to be sort of ratcheted down to the millimeter, talk about those logistics of getting sure that everything not only is in place, but is in place to a standard of such a high degree.

JODY SMITH: Well, this is something I’m really excited to talk about and very proud of. So, we are blessed to have the most beautiful Track and Field facility in the world as kind of our base, right? We start with the best, right? We also have the best crews in the world. In my humble opinion, the folks that deliver the Prefontaine are the ones that are delivering the events all season long. As you mentioned, regardless of the weather, they’re out there doing that role. So, they know exactly what they need to do and how to do it, and they’re very seasoned and very professional at it. So, we have that starter, the moving parts, that layer on top is really this, how we make it look. So, we add the look and feel. We add more elements. We’re bringing back these heritage athletes. We’re bringing back the alumni workforce, just like someone would plan out a minute-by-minute script. We actually do the same way for how athletes come from when they first check in to when they compete, we have a a movement and timing that is to the second and in coordination with our broadcast partner and our in stadium show to help make sure that all of that goes as planned and we have the best chance To celebrate the best moments on the field of play, because there is a lot going on, and we want to make sure we provide timings to showcase, hey, right now we’re going to bring you over the shot put to see, you know, an attempt at a world leading throw. So, with that said, when things don’t go as planned, you have to pivot in multiple ways to ensure we get back on track. So, the sporting area of track and field is complex because it is multiple events going on at the same time, and they all have to come together to form one event.

MICHAEL DUNNE: You brought up, something that I’m interested to kind of pursue is, when something goes wrong or something doesn’t go as planned. If you could reach back into your memory and at a meet was, is there, is there a particular of something that happened, where you’re like, wow, we really have to scramble now to try and accommodate this challenge.

JODY SMITH: Well, it’s always weather, okay? It’s often the weather. I think we can all remember those very hot days in 2021 after coming off of the COVID restriction, and we witnessed 114-degree days here in our city. And that was the last day of the Olympic trials, and we had to literally end the competition, go away and come back that night, due to the amount of movement of volunteers, contractors, athletes, etc. For that to happen, it took everybody to make that occur. But I will also say that night, when we all came back, was one of the most exciting nights of track and field here at Hayward field, with coal Hawker in the 1500 punching his ticket to the Olympics, with Sidney McLaughlin setting a world record, and we had the whole place lit up. Because nothing is more spectacular than Hayward at night. So often in the worst moments come the best times.

MICHAEL DUNNE: Especially someone like yourself that has to conduct so much. What does success look like when you know that everything has come off? What does it describe the feeling or just describe, sort of, you know, maybe there’s a post event meeting with your team, kind of, what does that look like and feel like to you?

JODY SMITH: Success is in the athletes faces, and is when they’ve had a chance to perform at their best. And that’s not just the person winning the races. It’s across the board, and it’s seeing them then connect with our spectators and our young fans and creating that energy between them. Because if they’re having fun and doing well, then we’re all having fun and doing well. So, to me, that is the mark of success. And within the team, it’s the same thing too. You know, we’re all going to come into this pretty exhausted, but then the first person jumps or throws or runs, and you see something spectacular, and you’re like, that’s why we do this. And you have to remember that, because there’s moments in the way you’re like, wow, it’s two o’clock in the morning, and I’m putting, you know, stickies on labels on an envelope, but it’s so we are all about making sure we’re doing the things. So, when the athletes get on the field to play, they just have to go out and compete.

MICHAEL DUNNE: Can you go to a track meet, another track meet, and be a fan? Or do you, do you kind of look at it and kind of critique what’s happening?

JODY SMITH: I think that’s true in every career I’ve been in, so to speak. But I can be a fan 100% and I can sometimes be a fan and shut off worrying about, hey, this could have been. This could have been. This could have been. It’s not but sometimes you do go, wow, if we had only done, you know, this kind of thing. But I’m going to go back to that answer so I can absolutely go to a track meet and be a fan. And you know, because athletes compete in all sorts of places, they’re just fun to watch, and what they do is really spectacular and beyond what most of us can think about doing with that. Said, when I go to an event, yeah, sometimes I have to shut off the event mind and just enjoy the competition and not think of what I would do if I had a chance to work on this competition.

MICHAEL DUNNE: Jody, my last question for you is this, we’ve talked about what a phenomenal place. This is Hayward field. Maybe, if you could share with us, maybe, some of your favorite comments you’ve ever got from either athletes or other colleagues of yours at other institutions. You know when they came here for the first time, is there a comment that you can remember that they said to you that filled you with pride, but also with an understanding of what a kind of almost like a, you know, a sacred honor it is to help manage this venue.

JODY SMITH: I hear that a lot. When they first arrive and kind of see it, or when you first walk out of the tunnel, I think it’s a really special moment, because it is unique in the sport to kind of have that welcome to the stadium, so to speak. But what to me is not just what we do as a hallmark of TrackTown USA and our events in Hayward Field. It’s about our spectators and our fans and how they get behind the athletes. So I think you’ll hear it time and time again, I heard them as I came around the corner, as I was preparing for my last attempt. I mean, they feel that power and energy behind them, and that lifts them, I think, to achieve better marks and better times. And that’s what’s fun, and that’s what I think is special about here, and that’s what I hear a lot.

MICHAEL DUNNE: Jody Smith, thank you so much for taking to us.

JODY SMITH Thank you.

MICHAEL DUNNE: Eli Rosen-Duran, Event Manager here at Hayward Field, you manage a lot of the tech. And I think that’s probably an area that fans don’t really see. Talk about how important technology is, both in terms of, you know, obviously the Meet logistics, but then also in sort of communication for the team.

ELI ROSEN-DURAN: So I mean, tech is huge among both our internal and then all the fans and everything for our internal team. Of course, this meet is still a little day that we run a lot on paper, so people always have to be out printing things. And then, of course, the whole track and field, statistics and times and marks and distances and start lists, and that all comes via technology like all the timing, company, results, company services.

MICHAEL DUNNE: What are some of the biggest challenges with technology, making it all fit, making it all work. What are, you know, obviously, I imagine there’s, there’s so many requirements for WiFi and internet, talk about some of those biggest challenges that you have to overcome?

ELI ROSEN-DURAN: Honestly, yeah, because getting to WIFI we built a whole media section out in our back turf rec field, and there’s something out there the rest of the time. So, we got to go run all these internet services out there for all these photographers that got to upload gigabytes of files to the web, and all these reporters that got to get their news out published. So, we built a whole temporary infrastructure of Wi Fi and hardline internet for these guys.

MICHAEL DUNNE: I know a kind of a fairly recent piece of technology. I think it’s called the Wave light? Talk about that, because I think that’s fascinating, and I imagine that adds a whole other element for spectators.

ELI ROSEN-DURAN: So the wave light has been something over the last few years, that it is a light system that goes around the track, and it’s 400 lamps that go under the inside track curb, and it’s programmed to run practically with the racers, so it stays at a steady pace, and the Meet directors and the coaches and the athletes kind of determine what that pace is going to pace is going to be. Say for a mile. If they’re trying to break some records, they go set at that record pace, and the athletes go off and chase it. And so it’s been huge, especially in record setting races where they’re chasing a record, and the athletes will pull up alongside this light, and then you can see them pull out in front of it. And the fans really engaged with that. Seeing the athletes beat the light sort of makes sense, because they’re beating the record, and you know, instantly, without having to wait for the results about what happened.

MICHAEL DUNNE: What are some of the other technologies that help enhance both the in-stadium experience for the spectators, but also on TV.

ELI ROSEN-DURAN: Oh, there’s definitely a couple. The timing company that comes out here, omega Swiss timing, they have a couple technologies. Major one for the track athletes is chip tracking. So, they have little chips on their bibs, strapped to their chest that down to the millisecond they know where they are on the track. So, it’s huge about knowing the current speed of how fast they’re going, all the projected times. And then you could watch it and say, if there’s a clump of people you know, who actually is in first, instead of thinking like, Hey, I think it’s number seven that’s out in the lead right now when everyone’s wire to wire. So, the chip tracking, I think, is really neat technology, and we use it in the stadium on our scoreboards, and it goes to the TV graphics as well. On throws, they have virtual markers out in the field, about, hey, who has the best throw right now? Who’s one, two and three? So when someone goes for a javelin toss or a shot put, then you know right where it lands, looking on TV about what their mark might be, instead of waiting for measurements to come in from the laser.

MICHAEL DUNNE: When do you kind of go in, make sure the technology is installed, testing. Kind of take us through, sort of your timeline, you know, pre, during and post meet.

ELI ROSEN-DURAN: So pre meet, I’m in an office year round, and kind of start querying with our technology partners. So, we bring in a lot of technology partners, broadcast team led, board team, a timing company and network services out here at University of Oregon, about hey, these are the plans we’re looking at. This is how we’re looking to lay it out. And then we go back and forth, get some agreements going, get a timeline going about, all right, about two weeks or so ahead of time, we’re going to start being on site. We’re going to start loading in everyone’s gear together, start setting it up. And so, we go from an office time to a delay. Delivery and a build out, and then we get to set up and start testing all this technology. And that’s where we are right now. We’re about three days out from the event and all the technologies got delivered, and then it’s time to start setting it up and lighting up some boards, plugging in some cameras. And so, our TV trucks got parked here yesterday. We got them all powered up, and then they’re starting to plug all their wires in the stadium. So, over the next few days, we’ll start seeing some video feed shoot across and by Friday, the day before the meet, we’ll have a test rehearsal, just pretty much of making sure everyone’s gear on the timing front, the broadcast front, the video board, the wave light, that it’s all plugged in and working like it should. So, Saturday we have no issues.

MICHAEL DUNNE: To the best of your ability, give me some numbers. Like, I don’t know how many feet of cable are necessary to put, you know, a meet together. How many people are responsible for technology, just anything that kind of contextualizes folks who have always just been spectators, but I’ve never, sort of seen the, you know, kind of the inside baseball, if you will.

ELI ROSEN-DURAN: I can absolutely tell you about that. So, as we speak, I know our TV crew is running about 3,000 feet of cable to get up to their commentary position. Luckily, this being a new stadium, there’s wires that got put in everywhere. So, I can’t even speak how many wires are within the stadium, but the broadcast team will have about 100 people on site managing the NBC broadcast show, along with World feed, all their commentators, cameramen. It was three semi-trucks of TV trucks that pulled in the timing equipment came on about three semi-trucks as well, and that got shipped all the way from Europe, where it was timing the last diamond league meets and so that crew, Omega comes in with about 30 people as well to go set up these three full trucks worth of gear.

MICHAEL DUNNE: Eli Rosen-Duran, Event Manager for Track Town, USA, really appreciate you spending some time and talking with us.

ELI ROSEN-DURAN: Yeah, you too. Enjoyed it. Thank you.

MICHAEL DUNNE: That’s the show for today, all episodes of Oregon on the record are available as a podcast at KLCC.org. Tomorrow on the show, we’ll talk with Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, who, along with other state AGs, is in a pitched battle against some of the Trump administration’s legally questionable executive orders. I’m Michael Dunne, and this has been Oregon On The Record from KLCC. Thanks for listening.

 



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The MLB trade deadline a dud? Plus, ranking college football's rivalries

The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Watch who you kiss today. Stove-Setting: Click click, goes the hot stove I’d like to start this morning with a simple yet important amuse-bouche about the road ahead. We are […]

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The MLB trade deadline a dud? Plus, ranking college football's rivalries


The Pulse Newsletter
📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.


Good morning! Watch who you kiss today.


Stove-Setting: Click click, goes the hot stove

I’d like to start this morning with a simple yet important amuse-bouche about the road ahead. We are deep into the cliched dog days of summer, with the NBA season done and football season still over a month away. 

That means the gentle click you hear in the background is Major League Baseball, ruler of the summer airwaves, quietly turning on the hot-stove burners for its upcoming trade deadline, and the second half of the season. 

Let’s do three quick line items, inspired by Jayson Stark’s first-half lessons from yesterday, to prep us for the rest of summer baseball: 

  • Yes, the Tigers are still baseball’s best team. Executives in Jayson’s column still talked about the Dodgers, of course, but Detroit counts the most wins (58) and the best pitcher (Tarik Skubal) in the game. An honorable mention goes to Toronto, MLB’s hottest team and new AL East leader.

  • Can we talk about the Rays? The Athletics receive plenty of deserved flak about playing in Sacramento — which was a purposeful move — while Tampa Bay continues to play elite baseball despite playing home games in another minor-league park (not purposeful) and continuing to pinch pennies. They’re on pace for 87 wins.

  • The trade deadline might be a dud. MLB’s expanded playoff format means more teams are in the hunt for a postseason spot … which means fewer teams are giving up at the halfway point. Fewer sellers means fewer trades, which is a good thing for competitive baseball and a bad thing for trade-deadline intrigue. I’m OK with it, but we should just temper expectations come July 31. 

Read all of Jayson’s lessons here. Onward:


News to Know


Julian Finney / Getty Images

Sinner survives via retirement
It looked over at Wimbledon for No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner, down two sets to none to Grigor Dimitrov in what was becoming a stunning upset. Then Dimitrov suffered what looked like a serious pectoral injury on a serve in the third set and, just like that, Sinner advanced in the most sheepish way possible. As Matthew Futterman wrote from London, Sinner was visibly shaken, not only by the circumstances alone but also due to his close friendship with Dimitrov. It was a brutal reminder of how random tennis can be.

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The ol’ waive-and-stretch
The second apron has long been a boogeyman for NBA teams as this offseason approached. Quickly, we are seeing its effects, as the Celtics have dismantled their roster in preparation, and multiple teams — the Bucks and now the Suns — are fiddling with the concept of a waive-and-stretch, or releasing a highly paid player and stretching those payments over future seasons. Phoenix is talking with Bradley Beal about a buyout, as The Athletic’s Fred Katz reported yesterday, with two years and $110.8 million left on his deal. Stretching that money will get the Suns under the apron.

Elsewhere in confusing NBA trades yesterday, Norman Powell heads to Miami in a three-team deal that The Bounce’s Zach Harper didn’t really understand. It’ll all make sense one day.

A controversial smooch
French Olympic fencer Ysaora Thibus will not face anti-doping penalties after the Court of Arbitration for Sport accepted her explanation that kissing a former partner contaminated her with an illegal substance. Thibus was suspended last year after testing positive for ostarine, a drug that can promote muscle and bone growth. Her partner, according to accepted testimony, had been taking ostarine without her knowledge. Read the full wild story here.

More news

  • Phoenix is expected to sign All-Star guard DeWanna Bonner, who began the year with a disastrous stint in Indiana.
  • An NBA move that made complete sense: the Magic signing Paolo Banchero to a $239 million max extension.
  • We saw crashes galore at the Tour de France yesterday, with points leader Jasper Philipsen abandoning the race. Our report from Northern France is worth a read.
  • Manchester United ended talks with Amazon about an all-access documentary series after significant pushback from manager Ruben Amorim.
  • Sudan’s soccer league has restarted despite an ongoing civil war. Pretty cool.
  • Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione, a respected voice in college sports, is retiring.
  • Bench coach Miguel Cairo will be the Nationals’ interim manager, the team announced.

📫 Love The Pulse? Check out our other newsletters.


Things, Ranked: The bravest list there was

It’s not often I read a sports story and marvel at the guts of the writer. That feeling is normally reserved for the journalists venturing into war zones or the branches of government to uncover the world’s important truths. 

And yet, The Athletic’s Scott Dochterman, from a much safer physical space, put himself far away from a digital safe space yesterday with a monumental yet simple mission: to rank college football’s top-100 rivalries. 

The full list is frankly impressive, but let’s start with the top three: 

  1. Michigan-Ohio State
  2. Auburn-Alabama
  3. Oklahoma-Texas

Two thoughts on all this: 

  • For once, I cannot find a quibble with the top 10 picks on a list. You can maybe argue with some of the more historic inclusions (Nebraska-Oklahoma at No. 6) but it’s difficult to beat time. The Cornhuskers and Sooners have played 88 times. A bad decade for Nebraska barely dents that history.
  • I love college football. So many great matchups are down the list, and instead of feeling jilted, these fans should simply marvel at the depth of lore we have in this sport. Looking at you, Egg Bowl (No. 23), Tennessee-Florida (No. 36) and TCU-SMU (No. 46). 

See all 100 picks here. You can also submit your selections here.


What to Watch

📺 Wimbledon: Norrie vs. Alcaraz
10 a.m. ET on ESPN
Again, important tennis will be on the ESPN family of networks all morning, as both the men and women are into the quarterfinals. Let’s settle on defending champion Carlos Alcaraz because of the reasonable time here, but Americans Taylor Fritz and Amanda Anisimova both play this morning as well. If you’re home, flip it on. Let’s just hope everyone stays healthy

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📺 CWC: Fluminense vs. Chelsea
3 p.m. ET on TNT/DAZN
Our first Club World Cup semifinal should be a doozy, and Fluminense has been one of the tournament’s best stories. If anything, watch for Chelsea and the short corner today. Winner gets the victor of Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. Oh, and tickets for this game went from $473 to … $13. See why here

📺 MLB: Dodgers at Brewers
7:40 p.m. ET on TBS
We do need something to watch at night, right? Pick this must-see regular-season game, which pits Clayton Kershaw, the living legend, against Jacob Misiorowski, the unhittable newcomer who gets to test his mettle against Shohei Ohtani and the league’s most-feared offense. 

Get tickets to games like these here.


Pulse Picks

Keith Law returns with a fresh MLB mock draft just a few days before the first round begins. There’s a change at No. 1. See his picks

I loved this story from Charlie Eccleshare on Flavio Cobolli, the Italian tennis player starring at Wimbledon, whose alternate self is a footballer for Roma

A final dispatch from the Gold Cup: on the defeat that was a microcosm of USMNT’s summer, as Paul Tenorio expertly wrote. 

CC Sabathia’s stay in Milwaukee was brief — a fling, as Tyler Kepner describes it — but he might not be in Cooperstown without it. It was a magical stretch

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our official breakdown of the seven-team Kevin Durant trade. 

Most-read on the website yesterday: The live blog from Wimbledon.

(Top photo: Omar Vega / Getty Images)

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