The encore to UConn men’s hockey’s best season ever is set. On Monday, the Huskies released their complete 2025-26 schedule.

The new campaign begins on Friday, Oct. 3 with weekend series at Colorado College. UConn has the next weekend off before facing Ohio State for two at home on Oct. 17-18. The Huskies then begin Hockey East play with a home-and-home series against Boston University the following weekend.

The first half ends at Toscano Family Ice Forum against Merrimack on Dec. 6 and resumes with a New Year’s Eve tilt in Storrs versus LIU. The regular season concludes with a Mar. 7 trip to Providence.

The Huskies will play at PeoplesBank Arena (formerly the XL Center) in Hartford on four occasions: Oct. 18 (Ohio State), Stonehill (Nov. 25), UMass Lowell (Jan. 9) and Boston College (Feb. 21).

UConn will also face Harvard (Oct. 31 at home) and LIU (Jan. 31 at home; Jan. 3 away) in standard non-conference action, while the sixth annual Connecticut Ice tournament will be held on Jan. 23-24 at Yale’s Ingalls Rink. The Huskies will take on the host Bulldogs in the opening round on Friday.

In Hockey East, UConn will host Vermont for two (Jan. 16-17) while traveling to Maine for a pair (Feb. 13-14) — the only two opponents that aren’t part of a home-and-home. The Huskies will also play four teams three times: Merrimack (Nov. 1 and Dec. 6 at home; Dec. 5 away), UNH (Nov. 22 and Mar. 5 at home; Nov. 21 away), Northeastern (Nov. 15 and Feb. 6 away; Nov. 14 home) and Providence (Nov. 8, Mar. 7 away; Nov. 7 home).

All but three contests are scheduled for either a Friday or Saturday. The exceptions are a Tuesday night matchup with Stonehill, a New Year’s Eve meeting with LIU on a Wednesday, and a Thursday contest with UNH — all of which are at home.

Unlike last season when the Huskies played 12 of 13 games on the road at one point but were home for the entire month of February, the splits are much more balanced this year. UConn has a four-game home stand early in the season and a four straight road games at the end of the year, but nothing longer than that.

In total, UConn will play 34 games with exactly half of them coming on home ice.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Frederick Richard is taking the fight to make men’s gymnastics matter to a new front: his wardrobe.

The charismatic 21-year-old Olympic bronze medalist switched out the stirrup pants that have long been a staple of the men’s uniform for shorts with compression leggings at the U.S. Championships this weekend, firm in his belief that the three-tenths (0.3) deduction he receives every day of competition that he breaks the rules is worth it if it makes his sport more accessible.

Even when those tenths add up. Richard edged Fuzzy Benas by less than a quarter of a point for second place behind two-time national champion Asher Hong. If Richard had worn the traditional uniform, his margin over Benas could have been a little more comfortable.

Yet asked if the statement he is trying to make — that it’s time for men’s gymnastics to modernize its uniforms — is worth the risk to his potential placement during a given meet, he didn’t hesitate.

“It’s 1,000% worth it,” Richard said. “If you look at these kids in the crowd, I’m thinking about them and I’m thinking about when I was younger.”

While Richard quickly fell in love with gymnastics as a kid growing up in the Boston area, the stirrup pants worn by the guys on pommel horse, still rings, parallel bars, and high bar were another matter.

“If I left the gym to go to the gas station, I didn’t want anybody to see me in my pommel horse pants,” Richard said. “Kids would say, ‘Do you do gymnastics?’ I’d say ‘Yeah.’ But I didn’t want them to search ‘gymnast’ and see the uniform. I didn’t feel like it was cool.”

His solution was to design an alternative. With the help of the apparel company Turn, Richard debuted the look earlier this year and “refined” it ahead of nationals.

During the opening night of competition on Thursday, the rising Michigan junior wore maize-and-blue colored zebra-patterned leggings with (almost) matching blue shorts. On Saturday, Richard swapped the maize and blue for gray.

Both times, there was a “ND -0.3” next to Richard’s score on the first event in which the traditional pants were required. Yet Richard wasn’t as focused on the ribbon board where his score was posted, but on the young boys in the stands below them.

“(I want them to) see this, and they’re like, ‘This is cool. I want to wear this. This kid is trying to make the sport cool, he looks cool,’” Richard said. “And that’s the stuff that gets kids into the sport, that’s stuff that keeps kids in the sport.”

Even if it’s a largely American conversation.

While the popularity of men’s gymnastics in the U.S. has declined for decades (though there is optimism that the bronze medal Richard and his teammates captured at the 2024 Olympics could help stem the tide), there are no such issues overseas.

They’re not talking about stirrup pants in China. Or Japan. Or Russia. Places with dominant programs whose stars become champions and national heroes in the process.

The challenges men’s gymnastics faces in the U.S. are many. The number of Division I programs that offer it as a scholarship sport is a fraction of what it was decades ago. And the impact of the recent House settlement could make opportunities at a level that has long served as a feeder system to the U.S. national team even scarcer.

At the Olympic level, the men have long competed in the shadow of the star-studded (and highly successful) women’s program.

Richard has long understood this. He’s seen the attrition firsthand. While the uniform didn’t stop him from pressing on, he believes he might be the exception, not the rule.

Countless young boys dabble in multiple sports growing up, gymnastics included. Richard thinks tweaking the uniform requirements into something he considers more modern could remove what he thinks might be a roadblock to sticking with it for some.

“It does add to what makes a 12-year-old boy decide, ’Do I want to keep doing this sport? Or should I play football or soccer, because my friends think I’m cool when I play with them?” he said.

The rules do allow for a little latitude. Some German female gymnasts opted for full-body unitards at each of the last two Olympics, though the design does not run afoul of FIG regulations.

What Richard is doing does.

And while he stressed he would never wear his outlawed uniform in a team competition — he wore regulation pants while helping lead Michigan to the NCAA championship this spring — that might not be the case the next time he competes internationally.

“We’ll see about the world stage,” Richard said. “We’ll have to talk and see what they allow, but I want to keep pushing it. I’m having fun. I feel more free.”

He’ll have some time to think about it. When the six-man roster for the 2025 World Championships was announced late Saturday night, Richard’s name wasn’t on it. The decision had nothing to do with Richard’s uniform but the uniqueness of this year’s world meet, which does not include a team event and is largely designed for event specialists.

At his best, Richard is one of the top all-arounders on the planet. Yet even he admitted he was at about “80%” at nationals following a whirlwind stretch that included traveling to places like Uganda. Richard is partnering with the African nation to open a facility for boys there interested in acrobatics.

The joy he felt during the trip was palpable. So has the criticism he’s received back home for his uniform choice, with some telling him if he wants to look like a basketball player, maybe he should go play basketball.

While Richard’s modified look wouldn’t look out of place on the court, pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik — who won a pair of bronze medals in Paris and became a breakout star in the process (all while wearing stirrup pants) last summer — agrees with his Olympic teammate that there “should be a certain level of flexibility” when it comes to uniforms, though he also pointed out that having everyone wear identical outfits is designed to help the judges do their jobs.

“So like, you can’t wear like super baggy clothes, obviously,” Nedoroscik said. “But I do like there should be maybe a little bit of wiggle room.”

That’s all Richard says he is asking for, though it seems highly unlikely the FIG would eliminate the deduction for a uniform violation anytime soon. That is not going to stop Richard from pressing on.

“I’ll wear it for the next 10 years if I have to,” he said. “So eventually, if I keep succeeding and winning, and eventually on the international stage do the same thing and keep winning, (the FIG) will see how people like it (and) the younger kids will start wearing it … and the trend is going to grow.”

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women’s soccer made an addition to its coaching staff this Summer with the hiring of Jaelyn Cunningham, who will join the program as an assistant coach. In her new role, Cunningham will work with the Crimson’s goalkeepers.

Cunningham comes to Harvard after a two-year tenure as the Goalkeeper Coach at the University of Houston, where she helped guide the group to success after a jump from the American Athletic Conference (AAC) to the Big 12 Conference. The Cougars enjoyed success under Cunningham and the staff, as the group helped lead the team to a 6-0-1 start in 2023, which went down as the best start to a season in program history. 

“Jaelyn brings elite experience, high standards and incredible energy to the program,” said the Branca Family Head Coach for Harvard Women’s Soccer Chris Hamblin. “We are very fortunate to add a coach of Jaelyn’s caliber and are very excited for her to impact our program.”

In addition to the University of Houston, Cunningham brings a wealth of coaching experience from the University of Toledo, Queens University of Charlotte, and the HTX Soccer Club in Texas. While at the University of Toledo, Cunningham played a key role in developing several standout players, including a MAC Freshman of the Year, a single-season program record holder, and a goalkeeper who ranked fourth nationally in shutouts. Her contributions helped the team post a 10-6-4 record in 2021 — the program’s best season since 2017.

At Queens University of Charlotte, Cunningham served as the Goalkeeper Coach, helping the team to a 5-1-1 record. Under her guidance, the team’s goalkeeper earned Conference Player of the Week honors three times and was named First-Team All-Conference with a 0.903 goals-against average.

Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Cunningham is a graduate of the University of Illinois, where she was a three-year starting goalkeeper. She ranks second in school history for most saves in a single season and was named All-Big Ten in 2017.

Cunningham also has experience at the professional level. She competed with three women’s soccer clubs, the Seattle Sounders Women, The Chicago Red Stars, and The Orlando Pride over the course of her career.

Now with the Crimson, Cunningham will work closely with 2024 All-Ivy selection Rhiannon Stewart, who will be back between the posts for her senior season. Stewart will look to expand on her breakout junior season in 2025 under Cunningham’s mentorship.

The addition of Cunningham to the coaching staff marks a promising step toward another Ivy League title and sets the stage for a spirited and successful season ahead.

 

 

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton and tight end Lawson Luckie are teaming up off the field in a new NIL partnership before the 2025 college football season.

The Associated Credit Union – a member-owned financial institution in the state of Georgia – revealed its new partnership with Stockton and Luckie on Monday, according to DawgNation.

Stockton enters his redshirt junior campaign as a first-year starter after backing up Carson Beck, who transferred to Miami in the offseason. The former four-star out of Tiger, Georgia, helped lead the Bulldogs to a comeback win over Texas in the SEC championship before making his first start against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff.

Luckie also has a significant season ahead, as the third-year tight end has worked himself into a starter alongside senior Oscar Delp.

Luckie, out of Norcross Georgia, posted career highs in receptions (24), receiving yards (348) and touchdowns (3) as a sophomore last season.

Stockton holds an On3 NIL valuation of $823,000 while Luckie sits at $318,000.

The ACU partnered with former Georgia All-American safety Malaki Starks last season before he was taken by the Baltimore Ravens the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Now, it’s Stockton and Luckie who will help the institution “engage with younger audiences in a way that feels genuine, aspirational and rooted in shared values.”

ACU is also “exploring ideas” for the pair of Georgia standouts to give back to their communities with football clinics alongside local schools, mentorship-focused events and youth engagement activities, according to the report.

Stockton, Luckie and the Bulldogs will open the 2025 season at home against Marshall on Aug. 30 at 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN).

The 2025 U.S. Gymnastics Championships ended with a familiar result: a Tiger atop the podium in the Smoothie King Center. Hezly Rivera won her first U.S. all-around championship Sunday following a dominant two-day run. She is the first LSU commit since Konnor McClain in 2022 to win the national elite title. She also won every event title for which she was eligible: bars (in a tie with Skye Blakely), beam and floor. Leanne Wong won the vault title as one of just three people who competed two vaults in each of the two days of competition.

Hezly Rivera entered Sunday’s competition with a 0.200 lead over Joscelyn Roberson and a 0.500 lead over Leanne Wong. Hezly scored a 14.050 (5.0 D, 9.050 E) on her vault, but it didn’t beat Leanne’s massive 14.600 (5.6 D, 9.000 E) stuck Cheng. Note that Hezly and Leanne were both in the same rotation group while Roberson began on beam. After one rotation, things appeared to be separating quickly and it looked like the battle would be between the Florida graduate student and the incoming high school senior.

In rotation two, Leanne Wong scored a 13.950 (5.7 D, 8.250 E) on bars. Hezly Rivera had some cushion thanks to her higher difficulty, and it paid off when she scored a 14.150 (6.1 D, 8.050 E) to retake the all-around lead. The third rotation was the only one in which Hezly went before Leanne. Hezly led the rotation with a 14.000 (6.1 D, 7.900 E), and was the only person in the entire competition to put up 14s on the same event on both days. Leanne finished the rotation with a 13.950 (5.5 D, 8.450 E) on a very good routine.

In the end, it came down to the final two routines of the competition. Hezly had more than just a 0.200 lead in the all-around standings. She also had a 0.500 advantage in difficulty, and that meant Leanne would have to drill her routine to have a shot at a national title. Her 13.600 (5.3 D, 8.300 E) was good, but Hezly did enough and scored a 14.200 (5.8 D, 8.400 E) on her routine. While the E score may have felt a little bit too high since there were several landing errors, the routine still felt good enough to secure the title.

Annalisa Milton had a fine meet following a rough start. She started the night with an 11.250 (4.6 D, 6.650 E) on beam that included a fall. She then bounced back with a 12.600 (5.2 D, 7.700 E, -0.3 ND) on floor. Her Yurchenko 1.5 was an overlooked highlight of the meet, as it scored a 13.800 (4.6 D, 9.200 E) with the best execution score of any vault that evening. She finished off her meet with a 12.950 (5.5 D, 7.450 E) on bars.

After the awards ceremony concluded, Hezly was named one of the 11 members of the U.S. National Team, giving her the ability to go to the Senior World Selection Camp that will determine the four gymnasts selected to Worlds in Jakarta in October. Hezly is as close to a lock as possible to make a trip to Jakarta, but that’s no guarantee. The camp will be September 29-October 2. I’ll have an update on the results from that camp when everything is settled. If she goes to Worlds, those run from October 13-25 and are an individual championship only. That means there is no team competition.

Kellen Jones is the new assistant coach of the NCAA Div. 1 College of the Holy Cross Crusaders in Worcester, Massachusetts.

The Montrose native was visiting family and on the golf course at Champion Lakes near Fruitvale when he got the call from Holy Cross head coach Bill Riga. 

“I was happy with where I was,” said Jones. “But when the current head coach reached out, I was extremely intrigued and flattered to be able to get back into the game at this level.

“It’s such an awesome start and I am really excited for the opportunity.”

Riga has been at Holy Cross for the past four years, and led the Crusaders to the Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) regular season title last season with a 24-14-2 record, before falling to Bentley in the AHA final.

“I’m excited to have Kellen join our staff,” said Riga in a release. “He has always been a winner at every level. His hockey IQ, work ethic, passion and attention to detail will be a great fit for us.”

Riga was also assistant coach at Quinnipiac University when Kellen and his twin brother Connor Jones attended from 2010-14

“His ability to coach, not only by words, but from playing experience will be invaluable to our players,” added Riga. “Most importantly, he is a first-class person, from a great family, who will bring immediate value to Holy Cross.

“I am happy to welcome Kellen, his wife Gina and his children Amelia and Anthony to the community.”

After an eight year professional hockey career, Jones retired as a player in 2022; his final season with the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL, where the talented forward put up 59 points in 70 games.

A seventh round draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2010 NHL Draft, Jones was content with his work off the ice, and raising his family in an area not far from the college. 

But the timing couldn’t have been better, having his family and twin brother Connor, who is assistant coach at Princeton, close by proved beneficial.

“Everyone was extremely excited, and to join Connor, it’s really cool to be doing the same job as him,” said Kellen.

“I’m excited about the life, my wife’s excited about it, and I’m excited to bring my kids to the rink, and I’m grateful the head coach reached out.”

Kellen brings an incredible winning tradition to the Crusaders. He and Connor won the national championship RBC Cup while in the BCHL with the Vernon Vipers in 2009 and 2010.

Kellen captained NCAA Div. 1 Quinnipiac University for two years, where the Jones brothers were named co-MVPs, and led the Bobcats to the Frozen Four final in 2014. Kellen and Connor were also  All American as players and students, and were both up for the Hobey Baker Award for the top player in NCAA Div. 1 hockey. 

“Coming from playing Division 1 hockey, and playing professional hockey, to be able to relate to each of those guys that are there now, and to say, ‘Hey I went through this, I can help you, I know what you’re thinking.’

“So just that relatability, and to bring some recruiting from kids on the west coast and use my contacts out there and the BCHL.”

Kellen comes with an impressive coaching pedigree. His father, Terry Jones, is the longest serving coach in the history of the KIJHL, with 30 years behind the bench and 1,161 wins with the Beaver Valley Nitehawks. 

“He helps me with everything,” said Kellen. “From being a dad, to just working my prior job. But I’m excited to bounce ideas off him, talk with him about the players, and how to respond to kids, and talk to parents. 

“He brings such a vast wealth of knowledge that I can gather from him, because there is nothing he hasn’t seen before. 

“I’m excited to talk to him about hockey, talk to my brother about hockey, and maybe even get my grandpa in there too.”

The Holy Cross Crusaders open their season against Northeastern Huskies on Oct. 4. 

The Jones family also runs the Champions Hockey School in Trail. The school was cancelled this year due to Trail arena renovations, but will be back next August.