ESPN and the BIG EAST Conference have announced a new six-year digital media rights agreement, adding hundreds of live BIG EAST events to ESPN’s robust college sports portfolio. A minimum of 75 women’s basketball and 200 Olympic sports events will stream on ESPN+ annually beginning in the 2025-26 academic season. This deal will also include a minimum of 25 non-conference games annually for BIG EAST men’s basketball.

 

“We’re pleased to welcome the BIG EAST back to ESPN,” said Nick Dawson, ESPN senior vice president, programming & acquisitions. “This agreement returns one of the country’s premier conferences and its tradition of excellence to ESPN platforms. We look forward to this new chapter in our relationship with the BIG EAST.”

 

“This exciting partnership with ESPN reinforces our commitment to placing BIG EAST teams front and center on the leading digital sports platform,” said BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman. “Streaming on ESPN+ gives all 22 of our sports — especially women’s basketball and Olympic sports — the visibility they’ve earned and the access our fans expect. We look forward to delivering elevated coverage and a streamlined viewing experience to fans and family members who want to follow BIG EAST action across our wide array of sports offerings.”

 

ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer offering, which is inclusive of ESPN+, is scheduled to launch in early fall.

ESPN and the BIG EAST Conference have a relationship that spans more than three decades. The BIG EAST signed its first national television deal with ESPN in 1980, beginning a partnership that ran through 2013. Since its reconfiguration that year, the BIG EAST has maintained its stature as one of the preeminent conferences in college sports, boasting four national championships in men’s basketball and additional national crowns in women’s basketball, field hockey, men’s soccer, men’s lacrosse and women’s cross country. 

 

Benjamin Freeman of Proskauer represented the BIG EAST in the digital media rights negotiations.

 

About the BIG EAST

The BIG EAST Conference is an association of 11 nationally prominent colleges and universities that foster healthy athletic competition, community service and the pursuit of excellence in academic environments. The BIG EAST-sponsored athletic programs of our institutions provide national-caliber participation opportunities for more than 3,800 student-athletes on over 200 men’s and women’s teams in 22 sports. Established in 1979 and headquartered in New York City, the BIG EAST’s members are located in eight of the country’s top 36 largest media markets and include Butler University, University of Connecticut, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John’s University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University. For more information, visit www.bigeast.com.

About ESPN 

ESPN is the leading multiplatform sports entertainment brand that features seven U.S. television networks, the leading sports app, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, leading social and digital platforms, ESPN.com, ESPN Audio, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more.

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the No. 1 sports streaming platform, serving fans in the U.S. with exclusive access to more than 32,000 live sports events each year, an unmatched library of on-demand replays and acclaimed original content, and premium written articles by the top reporters and analysts from ESPN.com. Fans sign up for ESPN+ at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or in the ESPN App on mobile and connected devices. For more visit the ESPN+ Press Kit

 

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Media Contacts:

ESPN

Colin Bradley: colin.bradley@espn.com

Amanda Brooks: Amanda.D.Brooks@espn.com

ESPN+

ESPNPlusPR@espn.com 

 

BIG EAST

Kevin Ivany: kivany@bigeast.com  

Jackie Eddy: jeddy@bigeast.com

 

“This schedule has been carefully crafted over the past year and we are excited about the opportunity it presents for our team to pursue rapid growth. NCAA Division I volleyball has one of the most compressed competitive seasons, with only 22 days to prepare for a demanding 14-week stretch filled with qualification pressure. The non-conference schedule includes a diverse range of teams, each with their own approach to success, led by coaches who are accustomed to building championship-caliber programs and developing athletes. These matches will provide valuable opportunities for our team to bond and build momentum,” said Zidek.

Following an exhibition at Northern Illinois on Aug. 22, the Blue Demons start the season with six consecutive road matches, traveling to tournaments at Western Michigan from Aug. 29-31 and Missouri State from Sept. 5-6. A season ago, the squad opened with a 5-1 record, their best tally through six games since 2019.

DePaul then kicks off its home slate Sept. 13-14, facing Central Arkansas on Friday, and Chicago State on Saturday. The Blue Demons face the Bears for just the second all-time meeting, earning a 3-1 victory at home in 2006, while they are undefeated in 16 matches against the Cougars.

After traveling to Milwaukee for a midweek contest on Sept. 17, the Blue Demons tackle a pair of local rivals for the annual Chicago Cup, heading to UIC on Sept. 19, and Loyola Chicago on Sept. 20. In 2024, DePaul swept the Flames in the Chicago Cup before falling in four sets to the Ramblers.

DePaul jumps into conference play with three home matches, hosting UConn on Sept. 26 for its BIG EAST home opener, and Providence the following day. The following weekend, they welcome Creighton on Oct. 4 for a 1 p.m. matinee match. The Blue Demons were one of just two BIG EAST teams to earn a set against Creighton in conference play last season.

League play continues on the road against Marquette, St. John’s and Seton Hall, before DePaul returns to McGrath-Phillips Arena to host Butler on Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. and Xavier on Oct.18 at 5p.m.

Five of DePaul’s last eight matches come on the road against Villanova, Georgetown, Creighton, Xavier and Butler.

The Blue Demons host Marquette on Oct. 29 and conclude their home schedule with Seton Hall on Nov. 7 and St. John’s on Nov. 8 at 4 p.m. for Senior Day. The top four teams in conference play will qualify for the BIG EAST Tournament hosted by Marquette, Nov. 21-23.

“Our approach has always been to implement systems as swiftly as possible, especially with a team that is largely new to one another. This fall offers a unique sense of freedom. With a group that remains relatively unknown, we are unburdened by expectations and have the liberty to define how quickly and boldly we embrace the process of striving for championships. We are eager to see what we can achieve together with our focused mindset,” said Zidek.

DePaul returns nine letter winners from 2024 and welcomes transfer Jade Dudley-Epps along with seven new freshmen, the largest infusion of new talent for the program in Coach Zidek’s tenure.

Match times are subject to change and television designations will be announced at a later date.

 

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Three Navy student-athletes were named Academic All-American, the College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced on Tuesday. Tori DiCarlo of women’s lacrosse and Tenlea Radack of women’s rowing were named to the first team, while Isabella Baldwin of rifle was selected to the second team.
 
Tori DiCarlo | Women’s Lacrosse | Senior
DiCarlo, who became the sixth player in Navy women’s lacrosse history to be named Academic All-American, finished her Midshipmen career with 129 goals and 32 assists for 161 total points in 75 total games. In addition, she picked up 45 ground balls and caused 13 turnovers. The Rosemont, Pa. native was a two-time All-Patriot League performer, earning first-team distinction in 2024. DiCarlo earned Graduated with Distinction honors, finishing her Midshipmen career with a 3.99 GPA in honors oceanography. She claimed Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year twice (2024, ’25), while also being named Academic All-Patriot League two times (2024, ’25). DiCarlo is a two-time CSC Academic All-District selection (2024, ’25) and was named to the IWLCA Division I Academic Honor Roll (2024).
 
Tenlea Radack | Women’s Rowing | Senior
A standout performer on the water and in the classroom as an honors mathematics major, Radack is just the fourth Navy women’s rower to earn Academic All-America status and first since 2016. Radack, who was the 2025 Patriot League Women’s Rowing Scholar-Athlete of the Year, earned Academic All-Patriot League honors for the third time in her career and became the eighth Midshipman to be selected as the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Racing with the Navy’s first varsity eight crew over the past three seasons, she was in the stroke seat for the Mids at the 2025 Patriot League Championship on May 16. She spent the 2024-25 academic year participating in the exclusive USNA Trident Scholar program, one of 17 Mids to engage in this independent study program. Radack graduated third overall in the Naval Academy’s Class of 2025.
 
Isabella Baldwin | Rifle | Sophomore
In just two seasons, Baldwin is one of Navy rifle’s top performers. The Nashville native is a six-time Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) All-American, earning first-team honors in smallbore as a freshman and air rifle as a sophomore. Additionally, she is a six-time All-Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) honoree. In the classroom, she boasts a 3.86 GPA in English, while earning CRCA Scholastic All-American honors in her first two-years of competition. Baldwin is the second Navy rifle student-athlete to earn Academic All-American, joining Michael Miller (’05) who earned second-team honors during the 2003-04 season.
 
To be eligible for the district ballot, student-athletes must have attained a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 or better and reached their sophomore year academically and athletically. Additionally, the student-athlete must have participated in 90 percent of its respective sport’s contests that season or have started in at least 66 percent of those contests.
 
The at-large sports program includes of women’s beach volleyball, women’s bowling, women’s crew/rowing, fencing, women’s field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, men’s volleyball, water polo and men’s wrestling.
 
In June, eleven Navy student-athletes – Baldwin (rifle), Noelle de Vente (women’s rowing), DiCarlo (women’s lacrosse), Sean Gallagher (men’s lacrosse), Keira Howard (women’s golf), Vishal Mandava (gymnastics), Grace Peterson (women’s lacrosse), Matthew Petros (gymnastics), Radack (women’s rowing), Benjamin Valdez (men’s golf), and Ryan Wee (rifle) – were named recipients of CSC Academic All-District honors with Baldwin, de Vente, DiCarlo, Gallagher, and Radack being selected for All-American consideration.
 

The Tauranga Men’s Water polo team have secured their fourth consecutive national league title, becoming the first club to achieve four back-to-back wins.

For the first time, the water polo finals event was held in Tauranga, hosted by Baywave, bringing together six clubs from around the country.

“Us and North Harbor were clearly the two top teams this year,” said Tauranga Men’s Team coach Joe Kayes.

He said the Tauranga team separated itself from the competition with camaraderie and brotherhood.

“That’s why we’ve been able to win these four in a row.”

The team have three team training sessions a week along with their own personal workout routines.

The team competed against North Harbour in the finals last month, fighting a tough battle to win 10-9.

Team member Anton Sunde started water polo at age 10 and competed with North Harbour when he was growing up in Auckland.

He has competed in Europe and on the New Zealand men’s squad for years. He joined the Tauranga team when he moved back to New Zealand as Covid hit, setting in the city in 2020.

“I’ve been a part of a lot of teams and around a lot of different types of players,” he said.

Sunde said the Tauranga team had a culture inside and outside of the pool that brought them together and made them work better as a team.

“You’ve got that bond and brotherhood.”

He said about seven of the players had been part of the team for all of the wins.

Team member EJ Carrington was one of them and said the team went into the finals feeling confident.

The 21-year-old has been part of the team for five years. He started playing water polo aged 8 in Tauranga, before heading to the US when he was 18 to play at Golden West College for two years.

“This year the competition was probably the tightest it’s been in the last four years, so it was probably that extra bit more exciting when we got the win,” he said.

Carrington and Sunde said they would like to come back next season and make it a fifth consecutive win.

“It’s hard not to want to come back and push for that next year,” said Sunde.

“No team has ever done five in a row.”