In the 2025 Women’s College World Series, Patty Gasso’s Oklahoma Sooners are looking to join some of the most rarified air in collegiate team sports.

At the age of 18, the Dutch native currently has a total of two singles titles and seven doubles titles in his junior career. He retains a World Tennis Number of 16.9 in singles and a 21.4 in doubles. 

“We could not be more excited to welcome Charlie to Oklahoma State and Cowboy Tennis,” Taylor said. “While his tennis brought him to our attention, it was his true character and desire to become the best he possibly can be that solidified our desire to make him a Cowboy. We believe his work ethic and passion to get the most out of himself, as well as his teammates, will propel him to excel in the college tennis world, both on and off the court.”

In 2024, Valentine won four doubles titles in J100 and J60 tournaments. His success has rolled over into 2025 with a doubles title earlier this year in March. 

Valentine moved to Barcelona in 2023 to further his career in the Spanish national circuit. He reached a career high in the ITF Juniors ranking this year at 177. 

The tennis player brings a powerful and precise serve as well as an aggressive playing style to the Cowboy roster. 

Valentine will arrive in Stillwater for the 2025 fall season.

For season-long coverage of Oklahoma State men’s tennis, visit okstate.com and follow @CowboyTennis on Instagram and X.

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College men’s hockey team announced its team award winners for the 2024-25 season last week, with seven student-athletes earning recognition for their play on the ice and dedication to the program off the ice.

For the third straight season, junior John Prokop was named the team’s Most Valuable Player. The blueliner earned All-ECAC Hockey honors for the third straight season with a spot on the third team and finished the season with eight goals and 19 assists for 27 points, ranking sixth on the team in scoring and first among defensemen, as well as posting a team-best +12 rating. The junior, who was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs at the conclusion of the season, finished his three-year career with 20 goals and 65 assists for 85 points in 107 games, ranking fourth in program history in both assists and points by a Union defenseman.

Senior Cullen Ferguson was the recipient of the Scott Richardson Unsung Hero Award. The defenseman missed one game in his four-year collegiate career, skating in 144 games on the blue line and accumulating nine goals with 42 assists for 51 points. Captaining the team as a senior, Ferguson scored a career-high four goals and chipped in 12 assists for 16 points while also tying for the team lead with 47 blocked shots.

First-year Drew Sutton earned the Charlie N. Morrison Award, given annually to a player who participates in extracurricular activities while demonstrating academic interest and achievement. On the ice, the first-year played in 35-of-36 games and scored three goals with three assists for six points.

Junior Colby MacArthur was named the winner of the Coaches Award. In his third season, MacArthur tied for the team lead in points with a career-high 29, scoring seven goals and adding a team-leading 22 assists playing in all 36 games, while also finishing third on the team with a +11 rating. He tied for the team lead with five power-play goals to ran seventh in ECAC Hockey, while his 22 helpers were tied for sixth best in the conference this season. 

First-year Ben Muthersbaugh was named the team’s Rookie of the Year after an excellent first season in garnet. The first-year appeared in all 36 games and tied for third in team scoring with 28 points on 13 goals and 15 assists, recording the most goals and points by a Union rookie in over a decade. He finished in a three-way tie for third in ECAC Hockey scoring among rookies with 16 points (8-8-16) in league play and his eight goals in conference play tied him for second among first-year players. He was also earned the Freshman Athletic Prize as Union’s Co-Male First-Year Athlete of the Year.

First-year Lucas Buzziol was named the team’s Most Improved Player. After playing in six of the team’s first 11 games, he dressed for the final 23 contests of the season and finished the season with five goals and eight assists for 13 points to rank second among rookies in scoring. The ended the year with five points in the last seven games, including goals in both postseason contests against Dartmouth.

Junior Brandon Buhr was named the recipient of the Thomas Van Arden Dukehart Academic Award for the second straight season, an award presented to the player with the highest grade point average. The economics major, who was Union’s nominee for ECAC Hockey’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, boasts a 4.0 GPA and was named Union’s Junior Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In addition to his work off the ice, Buhr was named to the All-ECAC Hockey third team after ranking third in the conference with a team-leading 19 goals and adding nine assists for 28 points in 36 games, while also ranking third in ECAC Hockey with 13 goals in conference play, including four game-winning goals and a pair of hat tricks.

In modern college athletics, Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) has become an integral part of virtually all sports and a must to be competitive. On May 29, Troy University Athletics announced it has partnered with TheLinkU to maximize NIL opportunities for student-athletes.

TheLinkU is a Houston, Texas, based NIL platform that offers a suite of services “designed to empower athletes and support colleges in navigating the evolving NIL landscape.” The company was founded in 2022 by Austin Elrod, a former Houston football player. 

“As a former student-athlete, it’s my goal, and the goal of TheLinkU, to equip student-athletes and athletic departments with the tools they need to maximize success,” Austin Elrod, founder and president of TheLinkU, said. “I have been in the shoes of these student-athletes, and I have worked shoulder-to-shoulder with numerous athletic directors across the country to help build championship-level NIL programs. That is why we can offer solutions that no one else can within the NIL space.”

Through this partnership, Troy Athletics will have access to TheLinkU’s services, which includes national brand partnerships, general manager and revenue sharing modeling software, the NIL marketplace, personalized merchandise shops, tools to help student-athletes build and grow their own personal brands and financial seminars and wealth advisor. 

“We are proud to partner with TheLinkU and view them as a key piece in The Trojans Together Collective’s future success in revenue generation and NIL opportunities,” Troy Athletics Director Brent Jones said. “With TheLinkU’s offering, we are prepared to support our teams in their pursuit of championships.”

The partnership with TheLinkU will allow for all aspects of the Trojans Together collective and its operations to be run by TheLinkU. 

“I’m very excited about this milestone in NIL at Troy University,” Trojans Together Collective co-founder Chuck Carson said. “It’s been an honor to be involved with the founding and operating of Trojans Together Collective and I know this new partnership is the right next step. I look forward to supporting the Collective and our new partnership with TheLinkU as we seek to lead the way in NIL in the Sun Belt Conference and beyond.”

TheLinkU also fosters “sustainable revenue generation” for universities through more than 30 business partnerships, including a recently announced initiative with Victory Snacks. These partnerships significantly decrease the need for donor contributions and creates more long-term financial opportunities for athletic departments. 

“It makes us feel great knowing that we are transitioning our operations to experienced and capable leaders with LinkU,” Trojans Together co-founder Jason Jones said.

TheLinkU works with colleges and athletic programs nationwide to help simplify the NIL space, while also protecting the interests of athletes, institutions and the business community. 

“With TheLinkU’s help, our student-athletes will be able to maximize their personal brands, and we will be able to amplify and diversify the NIL offerings available to them,” Troy Football head coach Gerad Parker said. “This helps create an edge for us in recruiting. By creating an environment that’s attractive to high school recruits and possible transfer students, we can compete with anyone, anywhere.”

To learn more about TheLinkU, visit www.thelinku.com.

New York Islanders All-Star Kyle Palmieri will lead Riverhead CAP’s 38th Annual Say NO to Drugs March next Friday.

A Long Island native, Palmieri has spent 16 seasons in the National Hockey League with the Anaheim Ducks, New Jersey Devils and the Islanders, recording 527 points (270 goals and 257) assists. He is one of just 22 active American skaters to appear in at least 900 career NHL games. 

Palmieri represented the United States at the World Cup of Hockey (2016), Men’s World Championships (2012), and World Junior Championships (2010, 2011), where he won a gold medal in 2010. The winger is a former first-round pick in the 2009 NHL Draft (26th overall) and played Division I college hockey at the University of Notre Dame (2009-10). Palmieri has also appeared in 68 career Stanley Cup Playoffs games, tallying 32 points (18 goals, 14 assists), and helped the Islanders reach the Eastern Conference Final in 2021. 

Off the ice, Palmieri is a dedicated member of the Long Island community. He and his wife, Ashlee, founded The Kyle Palmieri Foundation, driven by a mission to give back to active and veteran service members and their families. The foundation supports military nonprofits and brings veterans to New York Islanders home games free of charge. 

“We are excited to have Kyle Palmieri lead this year’s CAP March,”  CAP’s Executive Director Felicia Scocozza said in a press release announcing the event. “His dedication, determination, and mission to give back to the community make him a wonderful role model for our youth and community.”

Since 1983, the Riverhead Community Awareness Program, a nonprofit organization, has provided drug and alcohol prevention, education, and counseling programs for the Riverhead Central School District. CAP is best known for its two-year prevention program serving over 800 fifth and sixth graders in Pulaski Street School each year. The Too Good for Drugs program, taught by community volunteers and student peer leaders, concludes with the annual Say NO to Drugs March every June. 

Although the goal of the program is to prevent and delay underage drinking and drug use in youth, its evidence-based foundation is rooted in building self-esteem, setting achievable goals, and increasing healthy decision-making skills. 

The 38th Annual Say NO to Drugs March begins at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, June 6, in front of Pulaski Street School; heads south on Roanoke Avenue, then west on Second Street past Town Hall, returning to Pulaski Street School via Griffing and Hallett avenues. 

Following the march, there will be a brief ceremony on the steps of Pulaski Street School. After the ceremony, the Loyal Order of Moose Lodge #1742 will once again generously serve a picnic lunch to all students and guests. 

By: NYSPHSAA Staff

    This month, current college students and former Section 2 athletes, Sara Fitgerald and Marco LaTorre have joined the association as summer interns focused on sports management and game operations.

    Fitzgerald is a graduate of Mechanicville Senior High School (Section 2), where she was a member of the girls varsity basketball team. In addition to basketball, Sara also competed in outdoor track earning numerous berths in the Section 2 Championship meets. Following high school, she continued her academic and athletic career at The College of Saint Rose competing on the track and field team. Following the college’s closure in Spring 2024, Sara transferred to Siena College as a junior, where she is currently pursuing a degree in Business with a concentration in Marketing.  At Siena, she remains an active student-athlete as a member of both the cross country and track and field teams. Sara was named to the Dean’s List for the Fall 2024 semester and is on track to graduate in Spring 2026.

    “As a former high school athlete, it’s incredibly rewarding to intern with NYSPHSAA,” said Fitzgerald. “It feels full circle to now contribute behind the scenes to the same organization that shaped so many of my athletic experiences.”

    LaTorre graduated from Burnt Hills Ballston Lake High School (Section 2), where he played boys soccer. He was a captain his senior season and also was part of a team that won the Sectional Championship and continue onto the NYSPHSAA State Tournament in Middletown. After high school, he attended Hudson Valley Community College to continue his academic and athletic career. His sophomore year, Marco earned team most valuable player. Marco recently graduated from The State University of New York at Cortland with a Bachelor of Science in Sports Management making Dean’s list in Fall 2023. He worked as an Events Operations Intern, assisting with intercollegiate athletic events and collaborating with Cortland Athletics staff to ensure a safe, welcoming experience for patrons.

    

    “I’m excited for the next step of my sports journey,” said LaTorre. “I’m eager to learn and contribute to NYSPHSAA. I know during my time here, the experiences I learn will help elevate my skills. I look forward to the future.”