Sports

University of Oregon group gives students hands

Published

6 months ago

June 19, 2025

University of Oregon group gives students hands

UO junior Ellie Watson photographs acrobat and tumbler Emily Rezner on May 8, 2025, in Eugene, Ore. Watson is part of Oregon Accelerator, a student-run organization helping athletes learn more about Name, Image and Likeness, or NIL, deals.

*Kyra Buckley / OPB*

The dust is still settling and rules are still being revised following a U.S. Supreme Court action in 2021 that changed college athletics. The decision allowed student athletes to strike deals with companies and make money off of their name, image and likeness, or NIL. But the courts didn’t say a lot about how those deals would work.

Four years later, students at University of Oregon are figuring it out on the fly, through a program aimed at helping student-athletes, as well as marketing and journalism majors interested in careers in this rapidly evolving field of sports business.

On a recent spring afternoon, junior Ellie Watson found herself at a Eugene Dutch Bros, following a member of UO’s acrobatics and tumbling program around with a video camera.

“Can I get a medium Aftershock Rebel, please?” acrobat and tumbler Emily Rezner asked the Dutch Bros worker, who responded by asking the sophomore athlete if she’d like the energy drink on ice or blended.

“I’ll do iced,” she said while looking down at her retriever/spaniel mix, Maverick. “And then, could I also do a pup cup?”

Watson shot video from inside the drive-through coffee shop as Rezner collected her items. Minutes later, Watson circled Maverick, filming as the canine worked his tongue around the inside of a blue and white cup of whipped cream.

A UO junior originally from Columbus, Ohio, Watson is a member of the Oregon Accelerator. It’s a student-run organization where business and journalism majors create teams that, among other things, work with Oregon athletes like Rezner to fulfill contracts with brands such as Dutch Bros. Accelerator members also help athletes create personal brands and understand changing rules around NIL partnerships.

UO acrobat and tumbler Emily Rezner with dog, Maverick, on a photo and video shoot for Dutch Bros coffee company on May 8, 2025 in Eugene, Ore. Rezner is working with the UO student organization Oregon Accelerator to explore NIL opportunities.

*Kyra Buckley / OPB*

The students from the Accelerator can’t negotiate deals for the athletes — Rezner independently made contact with Dutch Bros — but they can help create content for a brand contract.

The footage Watson took, along with photographs from UO grad student Myelle Norton, will be turned into social media content for Rezner. Junior sports business major Alex Seidel set up the logistics for the shoot as the account manager.

In this case, Watson and her fellows from the Accelerator were helping Rezner and another athlete shoot photos and videos for social media posts showing them with Dutch Bros cups in hand. Watson said she’s considering a career in sports videography. Working for the Accelerator gives her a glimpse into what that could look like.

“I can go into, hopefully, a sports career having an understanding of the business side of athletics,” Watson said, “and the kind of work that’s required to have these collaborations with these big brands such as Dutch Bros or Best Roofing or local businesses around Eugene.”

University of Oregon grad student Myelle Norton, junior Ellie Watson, and junior Alex Seidel are from Oregon Accelerator, a student run organization helping athletes explore NIL opportunities. On May 8, 2025, the team lead a photo and video shoot with two athletes partnered with Dutch Bros in Eugene.

*Kyra Buckley / OPB*

For the Dutch Bros assignment, Watson got the call a day before the shoot from fellow Accelerator members asking if she was free. She started brainstorming ideas right away, based on briefs her Accelerator colleagues and Dutch Bros sent to her about what to expect at the coffee shop.

“Dutch Bros was actually really easy to work with because they gave us a list of dos and don’ts,” Watson said, “which was nice because I knew exactly what I wasn’t supposed to shoot.”

A little certainty is welcome. As Watson points out, the rules around how college athletes can represent brands and get paid have been in flux for years. Since the 2021 court decision, guidelines and legalities around NIL have been murky at best — and laws and policies are changing in real time.

That means the Oregon Accelerator has also had to evolve.

Sports business administration major Julia Rood doesn’t know any different. She signed up with the Accelerator her freshman year, mere months after the Supreme Court made the opportunity possible.

“Athletes just didn’t know what the opportunities were, what they could do,” Rood said. “Obviously there’s the big athletes who [have] deals come to them. But then there’s athletes who don’t have as big of a following, or aren’t as big of names, and didn’t have any idea what they could do.”

Rood has held many roles with the Accelerator. Her freshman year the program was more about educating athletes about the rules around NIL partnerships. That’s still true, but the group now helps athletes create content, develop their own brands, and explore community projects that could fit under the large umbrella of NIL deals, such as starting a sports camp in an athlete’s hometown.

“We’re there as like a safety net, almost, because we have a whole team dedicated to understanding the things that are changing and making sure we’re complying with all the rules,” Rood said. “From there, it’s taking it to the next level of what can we make happen within those rules.”

Rood spent her senior year as general manager for Oregon Accelerator. She just graduated, and instead of going back to her hometown near Boston, she’s moving just 100 miles north of Eugene. Rood’s Accelerator experience helped her land a paid internship at an advertising agency in Portland.

Ultimately, Rood would love to work in athlete representation, especially on the marketing side. Her dream job would be with a professional women’s soccer player or team.

University of Oregon junior Ellie Watson takes video footage of two members of the acrobatics and tumbling team on May 8, 2025, in Eugene, Ore. The two athletes have a partnership with Dutch Bros coffee, and Watson is helping create social media videos.

*Kyra Buckley / OPB*

Just south of the Eugene Dutch Bros is the U of O journalism school. In her office there, public relations instructor Kelli Matthews explained how she helped launch Oregon Accelerator.

“By the time the Supreme Court decision was made,” Matthews said, “it was clear that there was a real potential for students to get some experiential learning.”

Matthews said a donor wanted to see a partnership between the journalism, business and athletics programs at Oregon. And they wanted it to be student-driven.

Matthews echoes students Rood and Watson when talking about how the program has evolved.

“Part of the challenge we had, especially early on, was that it was so unknown,” Matthews said. “There were so many aspects of NIL regulation — or lack of regulation — and what we were able to do or not do.”

She said it took a couple years for Oregon Accelerator to find its place, but now it functions like a sports marketing agency or a creative firm. The program has carved out a specialty in attracting athletes that might not have private, professional representation like a football star might have. That includes students from sports like softball, track and field, soccer and acrobatics and tumbling.

Members of University of Oregon acrobatic and tumbling team Emily Rezner and Bella Swarthout have their photo taken by grad student Myelle Norton at Dutch Bros on May 8, 2025, in Eugene, Ore. The athletes have contracted with Dutch Bros to created social media posts with beverages from the company.

*Kyra Buckley / OPB*

As the Dutch Bros photo shoot came to an end, Watson and her Accelerator colleagues drove back toward campus.

“Ideally, I would love to work in the NFL or NHL as a team videographer,” Watson said on the car ride. “I really enjoy the production side and post-production.”

This fall, she’ll take over as creative director of Oregon Accelerator — an opportunity she doesn’t think she’d have at any other university in the country.

“The NIL space is really up in the air,” Watson said. “It changes every day. To have a space like this where it’s a solidified thing that, no matter what’s going on there’s always going to be a place where we can go and work and figure it out, I think that’s definitely something that’s special to Oregon.”

Sports

Slekis Announces 2026 T&F Slates & Staff Updates

Published

30 minutes ago

December 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

THIBODAUX, La. – Nicholls State University track and field coach Stefanie Slekis announced the 2026 schedule along with the hiring of assistant coach Cameron Bolt on Monday afternoon.

Nicholls will compete in two in state meets and two out of state meets for the indoor season. The teams will begin the season in Baton Rouge at the LSU Purple Tiger on Jan.16 followed by the McNeese Indoor II on Jan. 30. The Colonels will cross state lines to compete in the Bulldog Invitational hosted by Samford University on Feb. 13 before concluding the season at the Southland Conference Championship on Feb. 25-26.

The outdoor season is action packed with three out of state completion’s and four instate events. The Red & Gray will begin outdoor action at the Louisiana Classics hosted by Louisiana in Lafayette on March 20-21. Next, the squads will open the month of April in Austin, Texas at the Texas Relays on April 1-4. The Colonels return to the boot for the Pelican Relays (4/10-11), Strawberry Relays (4/17), and the LSU Alumni Gold (4/25). Nicholls will wrap up regular season action at Texas A&M’s Alumni Muster in College Station, Texas on May 1-2. The Southland Conference Championship is in Nacogdoches, Texas on May 14.

Coach Slekis is looking forward to the new season with some new opportunities for her student-athletes. Bolt joins the staff after coaching over 200 National qualifiers, 15 All-Americans, four National Champions. Additionally, he is the owner of Bolt Track and Field Club team that he started in 2023 and has had more than 20 National qualifiers.

We are so excited for our 2026 Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field schedule. For our schedule we changed up the second half of both our Indoor and Outdoor seasons from the past few years,” Slekis said. “Indoor we will head to Birmingham to compete at Samford’s Bulldog invitational which will give our team the opportunity to test themselves on the facility we will return to for the indoor championship. Outdoor we close out the season at two of the best SEC track & field programs in the country who have phenomenal facilities. Going first to LSU and then bringing full teams to Texas A & M for the Alumni Muster. Before we return to Texas for the Southland Championship hosted by SFA.”

Coach Slekis gave her overall thoughts on the addition of Coach Bolt and how he can help the team improve.

“We are changing things up a bit this year and I am also really excited to see how well our student-athletes perform this season especially our track & field only student-athletes who had the entire fall semester working with our new assistant coach Cameron Bolt,” Slekis said. “Cam comes with a wealth of knowledge as a young coach who founded his own track & field club and continuously worked to prepare himself for his first NCAA Division I collegiate coaching opportunity. His energy combined with his knowledge base make him a phenomenal hire. He understands how to develop student-athletes and maximize their potential. Through fall testing his event group has seen improvement across the board so it will be fun to see that hard work translate to their specific events this next semester.”

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Wisconsin volleyball beats Texas in four to reach Final Four

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2 hours ago

December 16, 2025

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Four Zips Named to the 2025 Academic All-MAC Volleyball Team

Published

3 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference announced the 78 student-athletes placed on the Academic All-MAC Team for the 2025 volleyball season, as Martina Villani, Gabby Brissett, Vanessa Del Real and Sarah Bettis represented the University of Akron.

The Academic All-MAC honor is awarded to a student-athlete who has excelled in both athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests in that sport.

Martina Villani, Junior Criminology and Criminal Justice, 3.861

Gabby Brissett, Senior, Biology, 3.745

Vanessa Del Real, Junior, Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology, 3.81

Sarah Bettis, Junior, Biomedical Science, 3.363

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Five Rockets Receive Academic All-MAC Honors

Published

3 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo women’s volleyball team had five student-athletes named to the Academic All-MAC team for the 2025 season, the league office announced on Monday.

Senior Macy Medors led the Rockets, tallying a 3.989 GPA as she earned her third conference honor. Anna Alford and Sierra Pertzborn received the honor for a second-consecutive season. Grace Freiberger and Olivia Heitkamp were named honorees for the first time.

To qualify, student-athletes must be a sophomore or higher academic standing, have maintained a 3.20 cumulative GPA or higher and competed in 50% of contests during the 2025 season.

2025 Toledo Women’s Volleyball Academic All-MAC Team

Anna Alford, Senior, Public Health Management, 3.415

Grace Freiberger, Sophomore, Recreational Therapy, 3.909

Olivia Heitkamp, Sophomore, Early Childhood Education, 3.501

Macy Medors, Senior, Recreational Therapy, 3.989

Sierra Pertzborn, Redshirt Sophomore, Nursing, 3.558

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ESPN serves up NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Semifinals and Championship, Dec. 18 & 21

Published

3 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Kansas City field consists of No. 1 Kentucky, No. 1 Pitt, No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 3 Wisconsin
Championship broadcast live on ABC for the third straight year; semifinals slated for ESPN, Thu., Dec. 18
All matches will also stream on the ESPN App

It all comes down to Kansas City as ESPN’s exclusive coverage of the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship culminates this week live from the T-Mobile Center with the National Semifinals on Thursday, Dec. 18, followed by the Championship match on Sunday, Dec. 21.

The stage is set as the final four teams face off in the semifinals beginning with No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh in the first semifinal on Thursday, Dec. 18, at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed 30 minutes later by No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 1 Kentucky. Both matches will be presented on ESPN and available on the ESPN App.

For the third consecutive year, ABC is home to the Championship match, broadcasting live on Sunday, Dec. 21, at 3:30 p.m. and for the first time, ABC will also air a dedicated 30-minute preview show ahead of the Championship’s first serve, beginning at 3 p.m. Both the preview show and the match will be available on the ESPN App.

On the Mic
For the fourth straight year, game action for all three matches will be called by play-by-play commentator Courtney Lyle, alongside analysts Holly McPeak (three-time beach volleyball Olympian) and Katie George (2015 ACC Player of the Year). For the second consecutive year, the trio is joined by sideline reporter and former FSU beach volleyball standout Madison Fitzpatrick.

Studio Coverage
Studio Coverage will originate from the T-Mobile Center as Christine Williamson, Emily Ehman (four-year Northwestern standout) and Mary Wise (three-time AVCA Coach of the Year) bring viewers pre- and post-game insights and analysis throughout the semifinals and Championship.

The trio will prep viewers for all they need to know ahead the National Semifinals and National Championship match, bringing additional insight and analysis as a champion is crowded.

Every Serve, Every Angle
ESPN has all the action in Kansas City covered from every angle, including exclusive and behind-the-scenes coverage. This year, along with 25-plus cameras and two dozen replay sources, ESPN will have new and enhanced telestrations, giving the fans an additional in-depth look at the Xs and Os of the game.

Additionally, the presentation will have multiple jibs, giving fans a sweeping view over the arena. ESPN will also use six state-of-the-art slow-mo cameras to give viewers a look at the action at the net.

For the first time at the National Championship, the broadcast will feature Bolt 6, showcasing enhanced technology that shows viewers serve speed, spike speed, spike height and other statistical facets of the game.

In addition to the traditional main telecast, an alternate “High End Zone” viewing option will be available on ESPN+/ESPN App for the semifinals and the Championship, giving fans the option to watch the match from the end zone angle.

Kansas City Bound
The National Semifinals boast programs that have made a combined 15 national semifinal appearances. Pittsburgh is making its fifth consecutive trip to the National Semifinal with a No. 1 seed behind them as the Panthers look to hoist their first NCAA trophy. The Wildcats are making their first trip back to the semifinals since the ’20-21 season in which they cut down the nets in Omaha. Storied program Wisconsin makes its seventh trip to the national semifinals, looking to win the program’s second national title (2021). Rounding out the field are the Texas A&M Aggies, who are on the quest to win the program’s first national championship.

2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship

Date	Time (ET)	Match	Network
Thu, Dec 18	6:30 p.m.	No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak, Katie George, Madison Fitzpatrick	ESPN ESPN App *
	Between Match Coverage	NCAA Women’s Volleyball Studio Christine Williamson, Emily Ehman, Mary Wise	ESPN ESPN App *
	30 mins after Semifinal 1	No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 1 Kentucky Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak, Katie George, Madison Fitzpatrick	ESPN ESPN App *
Sun, Dec 21	3 p.m.	NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship Preview Show Christine Williamson, Emily Ehman, Mary Wise	ABC ESPN App
	3:30 p.m.	NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak, Katie George, Madison Fitzpatrick	ABC ESPN App *
	Following Championship match	NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Trophy Ceremony	ESPN App

* There will be two streams available on the ESPN App (Traditional Simulcast and High End Zone angle)

All of ESPN. All in One Place.
ESPN offers its full suite of networks and services directly to fans on the ESPN App, providing more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, including more than 47,000 live events per year, on-demand replays, industry-leading studio shows and original programming, and more. The ESPN App gives fans a unique viewing experience that includes multiview and synchronized two-screen viewing options, swipe-able vertical video and a personalized SportsCenter For You, as well as integrated game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, betting odds and information from DraftKings, sports merchandise, and more. These features are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a pay TV package. Bundling options available for fans include a limited time offer for the ESPN DTC Unlimited plan with Disney+ and Hulu for $29.99/month for the first 12 months. For more visit stream.espn.com.

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Reilly Named AVCA Player of the Year Finalist – University of Nebraska

Published

3 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Nebraska junior setter Bergen Reilly is one of four finalists for the AVCA Division I Women’s Volleyball Player of the Year Award.

The other three finalists are Olivia Babcock (Pittsburgh), Mimi Colyer (Wisconsin) and Eva Hudson (Kentucky). The announcement of the Player of the Year takes place on Friday, Dec. 19 at the AVCA Awards Banquet in Kansas City.

Reilly set the Huskers to a school-record .351 hitting percentage, as the Big Red concluded their season with a 33-1 overall record and 20-0 mark in Big Ten play en route to a third straight conference title.

Reilly averaged 10.47 assists per set and 2.70 digs per set. She also totaled 73 kills, 67 blocks and 19 aces.

Reilly was named Big Ten Player of the Year, as well as Big Ten Setter of the Year and All-Big Ten First Team for the third time. NU’s .351 hitting percentage ranks first nationally and is the best hitting percentage by a Big Ten team since 2009 Penn State.

Reilly set Nebraska to a .400 or better hitting percentage nine times this season, a school record in the rally-scoring era. Reilly had double-doubles in all six of the Husker matches that went longer than three sets, and she had four double-doubles in sweeps.

A two-time AVCA All-American, Reilly ranks No. 3 in school history in career assists in the rally-scoring era with 3,723. Her career assists per set average of 10.70 ranks No. 4 among active Division I players and No. 2 in school history in the rally-scoring era.

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