The MLB Breakdown offers data-driven analysis using the FantasyLabs Tools and predictive metrics to highlight notable players within our MLB Player Models.

MLB DFS Pitching Picks

MLB DFS Stud Pick

Logan Gilbert ($9,500) Seattle Mariners (-180) vs. Kansas City Royals

Gilbert is a very tough pitcher to handicap at the moment. He’s a phenomenal pitcher, and he got off to an outstanding start this season. He pitched to a 2.37 ERA through his first six starts before unfortunately being shut down with an injury.

Gilbert has not looked like the same pitcher since returning to the lineup. He’s pitched to a 5.87 ERA across his past three starts, and he’s allowed four earned runs in each of his past two. That’s caused his salary to dip to $9,500 for Wednesday’s matchup vs. the Royals.

However, Gilbert is still an extremely talented pitcher, and he has a lot working in his favor in this matchup. For starters, he’ll get to pitch in Seattle after pitching on the road in his past two starts. T-Mobile Park is the most pitcher-friendly venue in baseball per Statcast Park Factors, so that’s a massive upgrade. The last time we saw Gilbert in Seattle, he struck out 10 batters and allowed two earned runs in five innings against the Red Sox.

The matchup vs. the Royals is also solid. Kansas City doesn’t strike out often – which does limit Gilbert’s upside – but they struggle to put runs on the scoreboard. They’re currently implied for just 3.1 runs, which is the lowest mark by a pretty wide margin. Historically, pitchers with comparable salaries and Vegas data have averaged a Plus/Minus of +2.42 (per the Trends tool).

Add in a lower price tag than usual, and this is a clear buy-low spot for Gilbert. He ranks first in projected Plus/Minus in THE BAT X, and he also has the top median and ceiling projections by a comfortable margin.

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MLB DFS Value Pick

Clayton Kershaw ($8,000) Los Angeles Dodgers (-325) vs. Chicago White Sox

It’s pretty tough to look past the Dodgers when they’re playing the White Sox. You don’t get mismatches much bigger from an MLB standpoint, so whoever is on the bump for Los Angeles is going to have massive win expectancy.

Kershaw will get that designation on Wednesday. He’s not the same pitcher that he was in his prime, but he’s still been really effective of late. After a rocky first start, Kershaw has allowed two earned runs or fewer in six of his past seven outings. He’s allowed one or zero earned runs in five of them, and his ERA in five June starts ultimately checked in at 2.28.

He should be able to keep things rolling vs. the White Sox. Kershaw is a massive -325 favorite, and Chicago is implied for just 3.4 runs. They also have the second-highest strikeout rate against southpaws, so Kershaw brings a bit more upside to the table than usual.

Some of Kershaw’s advanced metrics suggest room for regression, but this isn’t the matchup where you need to worry about it. No pitcher is more likely to earn a win on Wednesday, making him a solid value at just $8,000.

Now available: our MLB DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.

MLB DFS GPP Picks

Hunter Brown ($10,300) Houston Astros (-264) at Colorado Rockies

If not for the location, Brown would be in consideration for the top pitching spot on this slate. He’s been an absolute monster on the bump this season, posting a 1.74 ERA with fantastic strikeout and batted-ball metrics. The Rockies are also an elite matchup, even with this game being in Coors Field. They’re 28th in wRC+ when facing a right-hander at home, and they have the second-highest strikeout rate in that split. Brown’s floor is ultimately lower than usual, but his ceiling is pretty much unchanged. He’s projected for far less ownership than Gilbert, making him an interesting pivot for tournaments.

Brayan Bello ($6,400) Boston Red Sox (-128) vs. Cincinnati Reds

Bello has plenty of natural ability, and he draws a solid matchup Wednesday vs. the Reds. Cincinnati plays its home games in one of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball, so they tend to struggle when they go on the road. Fenway Park doesn’t represent a huge downgrade from a Park Factor standpoint, but it’s enough to make Bello intriguing at a very low price tag. He’s also pitched pretty well of late, posting a positive Plus/Minus in three of his past four outings. He ultimately trails only Gilbert in terms of projected Plus/Minus per THE BAT X, so he’s a viable SP2 for those looking to load up on bats. 

Shota Imanaga ($8,500) Chicago Cubs (-162) vs. Cleveland Guardians

Imanaga made his return to the lineup last week and was pretty much perfect. He allowed just one walk and one hit across five scoreless innings, dropping his ERA to 2.54 across nine starts. The Cubs were careful with his pitch count in his first game back, but his leash should be a bit longer on Wednesday. He’s not going to pile up the strikeouts, but he’s simply a more talented pitcher than his current salary suggests. He posted a +4.22 Plus/Minus in his last outing despite throwing less than 80 pitches, and he was priced at $9,000 for that contest.

If you’re craving more MLB DFS or betting tools, be sure to check out one of our most powerful tools on the site—PlateIQ.

MLB DFS Hitters and Stacks

Notable Stack

With the Lineup Builder, it’s easy to incorporate stacks into DFS rosters.

Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups.

The top DraftKings stack in the FantasyLabs MLB Player Model when generated by projected points using THE BAT X belongs to the Houston Astros:

No real surprises here. The Astros are playing their second consecutive game at Coors Field, and they lead the slate with a 6.6 implied run total. Houston was slightly disappointing on Tuesday, but they did manage to get six runs off Chase Dollander in the first three innings. The Rockies’ bullpen shut them down after that, but putting that kind of workload on their relievers could pay dividends as the series progresses.

The best part about this stack is the price tag. Stacking the top of a lineup in Coors Field can occasionally run you upwards of $27-28k, but the top Astros’ stack costs just $22,700. Three of the five hitters will run you $4,400 or less, so they are extremely affordable on a slate with plenty of pitching value.

They’ll square off with southpaw Austin Gomber, who has pitched to a 6.95 xERA so far this season. He’s been absolutely blasted in his two starts at Coors Field, surrendering 10 earned runs and three homers in just 9.2 innings pitched. The Astros are expected to roll out nine right-handed or switch-hitting batters, so they’ll all have the splits advantage in this matchup.

The only downside is the projected ownership. Seven of the top eight hitters in terms of projected ownership play for the Astros, so you’re going to need to be cognizant of that when filling out the rest of your lineup. Specifically, pairing the Astros with Gilbert will be extremely chalky, so you’ll need to go with a few off-the-board plays to ensure a unique lineup.

Not interested in messing around with optimizer settings? No worries, you can use our MLB DFS Simulations and let it find the best way to control your stacks, exposure, correlations, and more!

Click here to find out how SimLabs can elevate your MLB DFS game, and watch the video below.

Other MLB DFS Hitter Picks

One of the great features of being a FantasyLabs Pro member is the option to purchase additional items in the FantasyLabs Marketplace.

In addition to our in-house MLB projections,  THE BAT X from Derek Carty of RotoGrinders is available in our marketplace. With this purchase, you can use his projections alone or create aggregate projections within our Player Models.

For this example, we created a 50/50 blend with THE BAT X and the FantasyLabs projections to pinpoint some hitters that stand out.

Corey Seager, SS ($3,800) Texas Rangers vs. Baltimore Orioles (Tomoyuki Sugano)

This is an egregiously low price tag for a hitter of Seager’s caliber, especially with how he’s been swinging the bat recently. He got off to a slow start this season, but his advanced metrics suggested he was more unlucky than bad. He’s unsurprisingly turned things around recently, posting a positive Plus/Minus in seven straight games.

Seager has had at least 16.0 DraftKings points in five of those contests, and he draws an exploitable matchup vs. Tomoyuki Sugano on Wednesday. Sugano owns an xERA over 5.50 this season, and Seager will have the splits advantage as a left-handed batter. Expect the positive regression to continue. He owns the top projected Plus/Minus among the non-Astros’ hitters in our blended projection set.

Marcel Ozuna, OF ($4,000) Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Angels (Yusei Kikuchi)

The Braves are an intriguing team on Wednesday’s slate. They have a tough matchup vs. Yusei Kikuchi on paper, who has pitched to a sub-3.00 ERA this season. However, his advanced metrics are much less impressive, and the Braves’ projected lineup still has plenty of firepower. Vegas is giving them a lot of credit in this matchup, with an implied run total greater than 5.0.

Ozuna is one of their most dangerous hitters. His numbers are down this season, but he owns a career 125 wRC+ against southpaws. He’s priced affordably at $4,000, and he has plenty of upside.

Teoscar Hernandez ($4,500) Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago White Sox (Brandon Eisert)

The White Sox are expected to deploy a left-handed opener on Wednesday. There’s no guarantee that he makes it to Hernandez’s spot in the lineup, but if the Dodgers are smart, they’ll move him up in the lineup to ensure at least one at-bat against him. That’s how good Hernandez’s numbers are against southpaws this season (via Plate IQ):

Once Eisert departs, Sean Burke is expected to pitch the bulk of the innings for Chicago. While he throws from the right side, Hernandez still has plenty of appeal in that matchup. Burke has struggled to a 5.26 xERA for the year, so Hernandez and the Dodgers can certainly do some damage in this spot.

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Pictured: Logan Gilbert
Photo Credit: Getty Images

LeBron James will play basketball next season. But for whom?

The Los Angeles Lakers are the clear leaders. James picked up a $52.6 million player option over the weekend, which could have inspired little analysis if not for the cryptic statement that followed.

Now, an awkward situation would make anyone wonder — how would the league react if the best player of his generation, if not of any generation, became available? After all, this is the NBA, where it’s always worth monitoring two entities with diverging philosophies.

At 40 years old, James wants to win, and win now. Meanwhile, the Lakers just bowed out in the first round of the playoffs. They are still without a center and lost Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency. They have made it clear, both through their actions and their words, that they are building around the 26-year-old Luka Dončić. An organization that once revolved around James and only James now has other priorities.

And thus, a divide builds.

One side thinks more about the short term. The other considers years down the line.

“LeBron knows the Lakers are building for the future, and he also wants to compete for championships,” James’ agent Rich Paul said to The Athletic and ESPN shortly after James picked up his option. “We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with (owner) Jeanie (Buss) and (general manager) Rob (Pelinka) and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.”

So, if James is evaluating what’s best for himself at this stage of his career, if he wants to make every season he has left count, and if he decides the Lakers can’t help him accomplish that, what’s next?

Most obviously, he and the Lakers could work together on a trade. Let’s break down the options.

One reason James would pick up the option, even if he were uncertain about his future, is for the money. He will make $52.6 million next season. No one else could pay him that on the open market.

The other reason is for security. James is one of two players in the NBA, along with Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal, to wield a no-trade clause. If James were to get dealt, he could choose his destination.

Trading James would be a headache. Given the no-trade clause, the list of teams couldn’t be long.

The San Antonio Spurs could cobble together the salaries to make a deal for him, but they won only 34 games last season. It would be difficult for him to argue that squad would have a better chance at a 2026 title than the more veteran one that costars Dončić. The Denver Nuggets could build a trade around Jamal Murray, but is there a contender in existence that needs an offensive hub less than the one that already employs the greatest one in the NBA, three-time MVP Nikola Jokić?

The James saga could end any way: Most likely in him remaining with the Lakers at least through the end of this season, but also, if the situation goes sideways, in a trade. Maybe if James wants a new home, the Lakers choose to do right by him, buying him out of his contract and sending him into free agency. Of course, the only motivation the organization would have to do this is for the good karma. Usually, if you say goodbye to an all-timer, you want players and/or picks in return.

Whether James would even consider a buyout could come down to how many more seasons he wants to play. If he believes he has three more years in him, then he’ll need another contract in 2026. Signing a cheap deal after taking a buyout this summer would make paydays in ensuing seasons more unlikely. But if he felt retirement was on the way in a year, that wouldn’t matter.

For now, though, James is a Laker. He is not negotiating a buyout with the team. He has not demanded a trade, and maybe he never will.

However, if he does eventually ask out and the Lakers comply, there are various franchises that could enter the conversation. Just as an exercise, let’s run through five of them (listed in no particular order), outlining how those teams could make James trades happen.

Cleveland Cavaliers

There is no team more obvious to throw on this list — from both James’ perspective and that of the Cavaliers.

On one side would be the romance. James could finish his career in the place he began it. On the other side is a squad that just won 64 games last season and sits in a conference that is falling apart.

The Cavs could be the favorites to win the Eastern Conference already. Add James to the mix, and they would vault into a tier of their own.

But it’s not that simple.

A hypothetical James-to-Cleveland trade is impractical, if not impossible.

Forgetting about James’ and Cleveland’s wants, the math it would take to get James traded back to Ohio would leave Pelinka writing on windows. The Cavaliers, as currently constructed, are the one organization certain to be above the dreaded second apron, a payroll threshold that limits a team’s resources, hinders the types of transactions it can pull off and forces significant luxury-tax payments.

Because of this, there is no way for the Cavs to trade for James without losing two of their top players: starting center Jarrett Allen and All-Star point guard Darius Garland.

One of the second-apron rules that dings Cleveland is about “aggregation.” The Cavaliers cannot aggregate players together to trade more than one at a time — unless they find a way to dump salary. At the moment, Cleveland is $23 million above the second apron.

Let’s say the Cavs trade Allen, an essential contributor, and Dean Wade, who combine to make $26 million next season, without taking any salary back, dipping them below the second apron. (Already, this is an aggressive move to make just to acquire a soon-to-be 41-year-old.) There would still be issues.

Because they would remain above the first apron, they would not be allowed to take in more money than they send out in a trade. The Cavaliers would need to compile enough salary to surpass $52.6 million and then some. If they flip four or five players for James, they need to leave enough room below the second apron to fill out the rest of the roster, since a trade where they aggregate players would hard cap them there.

De’Andre Hunter, Max Strus and Lonzo Ball combine to make less money than James does. And thus, Cleveland would need to include more players than just those three, but its remaining ones make make either too little (remember, sending out minimum salaries is not helpful in this scenario because the Cavs would just have to sign other minimum guys to replace them) or are too good to part with: Garland, Donovan Mitchell or Evan Mobley.

And thus, the only way a James acquisition could make sense for Cleveland would be if he somehow became a free agent and could sign there for cheap.

Dallas Mavericks

If there is one activity the basketball world has mastered, it’s connecting dots. The relationships are already in Dallas.

There’s injured All-Star Kyrie Irving, who James teamed up with for a title in Cleveland and who he has tried to play with again since. There’s 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis, who the Lakers flipped for Dončić only five months ago — and who James never hoped to see leave. Mavericks GM Nico Harrison is a former executive at Nike, where James has a lucrative shoe contract. As became front-page news after the Lakers acquired Dončić, the two guys who would negotiate this deal, Harrison and Pelinka, go back a long way.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks could make an offer of just role players — albeit, important ones.

Future Hall of Famer Klay Thompson along with versatile contributors Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington would get the deal done financially. Dallas could trade a future first-round pick, as well, though draft picks would become complicated in a trade for James. Teams wouldn’t be excited about giving up chunks of their future to acquire a 40-year-old, even if there has never before been a 40-year-old as good at basketball as James is now.

On the other side, Pelinka recently said that the Lakers are focused on creating significant cap space in the summer of 2027. Gafford just agreed to an extension that will stretch into 2029. If Los Angeles were picky enough about its cap situation that it lost an imperative role player, Finney-Smith, who signed a four-year deal with the Rockets, over long-term money, then it may not be so enthusiastic about taking on Gafford, even if he already has experience excelling alongside Dončić.

Golden State Warriors

Ease your brain. The mathematics in northern California are not nearly as strenuous.

James is close with two-time MVP Stephen Curry, with whom he finally played last summer, when the couple paired up at the Olympics. He and former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green share an agent. He played for head coach Steve Kerr with Team USA. And the Warriors have the lure of … well, the Warriors.

Golden State has one obvious offer for James: Jimmy Butler for the quadragenarian.

Butler makes a tad more than James does, marking the trade legal, though if it were constructed this way, it would hard cap the Lakers at the first apron, since they’d be absorbing more money than they send out in a deal. If the Lakers were fine with that, they could execute the one-for-one trade. However, they may want to maintain flexibility, which they could do somewhat easily.

Golden State and Los Angeles could find a third team willing to take on one of the Lakers’ minimum salaries (say, Jordan Goodwin’s) without giving any salary back. This way, the total money leaving the purple and gold is above Butler’s incoming salary.

Beyond Butler, Golden State wouldn’t have many options in a trade for James. It could combine Green with role players Buddy Hield and Moses Moody, but that package isn’t as enticing for the Lakers. Plus, Moody would present the same issue that Gafford would or Finney-Smith would have: He’s under contract beyond 2027.

The Warriors could try including talented 22-year-old Jonathan Kuminga, who is a restricted free agent at the moment. But signing and trading Kuminga comes with speed bumps. A deal like this would fall victim to a niche CBA quirk called “base year compensation,” which complicates any sign-and-trade involving a player who earns a raise of more than 20 percent, as Kuminga would. Essentially, Kuminga’s outgoing money for Golden State would be treated as a different number than his incoming money to Los Angeles, which creates even more obstacles.

LeBron and Steph together at last in the NBA? (Photo by Gregory Shamus  /Getty Images)

LA Clippers

Let’s get wild. James stays in Los Angeles — just not at Crypto.

The Clippers could toss together a trio of shooting guard Norman Powell, who was sneakily better than ever last season, bench scorer Bogdan Bogdanović and defensive stopper Derrick Jones Jr., who was a starter next to Dončić on Dallas’ 2024 finals team. However, doing so would eat into the depth that made them so dangerous a season go.

Presumably, they would not want to part with starting center Ivica Zubac, who made his first All-Defensive team in 2025-26 and who they reportedly would not entertain in conversations with the Suns about former MVP Kevin Durant only a couple of weeks ago.

There’s another way the Clippers could go about this too — and yes, it’s one that would happen only in fantasyland. They could trade their highest-paid player, two-time finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, for James.

As he showed at the end of this past season, Leonard can still annihilate teams on both sides of the court when healthy. But he is often hurt. The goal is to forget about the first 82 games, to make sure his body is in its best shape come April. In that sense, even an older James projects to hold up better throughout a season.

The swap could clean the Clippers’ books, too. Leonard’s contract expires in 2027. James’ expires next summer.

With James’ money coming off the roster in 2026, the Clippers would enter what could be a star-studded free agency with enough cap space to sign a max player and then some.

However, the Lakers might not want to absorb more than $50 million of 2026-27 money for an oft-injured player who will be 35 years old by then. Unless the Clippers sweetened the deal with draft picks, Los Angeles may rather hold onto James in this scenario.

The Lakers may have a difficult time extracting draft picks from anyone, too, considering front offices around the league are locked into Giannis Antetokounmpo’s situation with the Milwaukee Bucks — if Tuesday’s moves didn’t change things. Parting with picks while also giving up the salary slots it could take to acquire Antetokounmpo may not be worth it for some of these organizations who are waiting to pounce if the two-time MVP were to become available.

New York Knicks

This is another situation that combines basketball with cleaning up the finances.

Purely from a standpoint of matching salaries, the Knicks could construct various types of offers for James. The most chaotic deal would be flipping All-NBA big man Karl-Anthony Towns for James, straight up — two teams betting on the other’s star. Of course, this could leave the Knicks center-less, given Mitchell Robinson’s injury struggles.

They could pair a couple of wings, OG Anunoby and either Josh Hart or Mikal Bridges, in a trade for James. They could piece together a trio to offer for James: Anunoby, Robinson and point guard Miles “Deuce” McBride.

But Anunoby will make $45 million in 2027-28 and has a player option for the following season, which would eat into the Lakers’ possible cap space two summers from now. Meanwhile, the Knicks — or any other team — may not want to part with three key rotation pieces (and three of their four best defenders) for a 40-year-old.

The Knicks could justify Towns-for-James with a similar financial argument the Clippers could use in a Leonard-for-James one. New York owes Towns $110 million over the next two seasons. The five-time All-Star has a $61 million player option for 2027-28. Meanwhile, the Knicks are at risk of climbing into the second apron next season, a possibility that does not excite them but could be inevitable if they keep their current top five or six together.

Bridges, who is eligible for an extension now, can become a free agent in 2026. His new salary could drive the Knicks past that feared threshold.

James could double as a basketball fit, as well as a giant expiring contract to avoid the second apron in 2026-27 and maybe beyond. In Los Angeles, Towns and Dončić could destroy any defense they face.

But the Knicks are also made up of prime-aged contributors. This would make them older. Like in the other hypotheticals, a James trade to the Knicks, even in a world where both he and the Lakers agree it’s best for the two to part ways after seven years, isn’t likely. The Knicks didn’t get in on the hunt for Kevin Durant. Like so many others, they could be saving up salary and assets for a guy in Milwaukee. They may not handle this hypothetical much differently.

(Top illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Photo: David Liam Kyle / NBAE via Getty Images)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Athletics ● The mystery over the “official” time of 4:06.42 for Kenyan star Faith Kipyegon at the Nike “Breaking4″ event and the shown 4:06.91 event time was explained by Runner’s World.

The 4:06.91 time was the standard measurement of the time from the firing of the starter’s pistol to the time that Kipyegon crossed the finish line. The 4:06.42 time is a “chip time” from when Kipyegon actually began her race effort, to the time she finished.

This is seen often in mass road races, where some runners do not cross the start line for quite a while, but not in something as short as a mile. But now you know.

¶

The Times of London reported on an e-mail message from Grand Slam Track Senior Director of Racing Kyle Merber sent to athlete agents on Tuesday (1st) concerning appearance and prize-money fees owed to athletes who competed in the Kingston, Miramar and Philadelphia Slams:

“We’d like to provide the following update regarding payments for the athletes who competed in Grand Slam Track events this year. Our plan is to make payments for Kingston prize money before the end of July and the remaining payments due by the end of September, which includes the honoring of Los Angeles appearance fees.”

The final meet, scheduled for UCLA’s Drake Stadium in Los Angeles for 28-29 June, was canceled over financial concerns, despite more than 10,000 tickets being sold for the two days combined, with more than two weeks to go.

● Football ● Much attention continues to be paid to the attendance figures at the FIFA Club World Cup, with the first round of playoff matches completed.

The group stage had 1,667,819 in attendance across 48 matches for an average of 34,746.

For the eight Round-of-16 playoff matches, Inside World Football offered a table showing 342,006 in attendance for an average of 63.28% of capacity (550,744). Of the eight matches:

● 2 had from 20-26,000
● 2 had from 30-35,000
● 1 had from 40-45,000
● 3 had from 60-65,000

OK, not great. Eight matches are left.

¶

The U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the guilty verdicts against former Fox International Channels head Hernan Lopez and Full Play Group SA dealing with television rights, wire fraud and money laundering for multiple major football tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup and Copa Libertadores. Full Play was also convicted on charges related to Olympic qualifying matches and the Copa America tournament.

All of the convictions had been thrown out in September 2023 by District Judge Pamela Chen (Eastern District of New York), citing a May 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision. But the appeals court ordered her to reinstate the convictions and to continue the proceedings in line with their opinion.

Lopez’s attorney promised to continue their appeals.

● Swimming ● The ancient suit by U.S. swimmers Michael Andrew and Tom Shields and Hungarian star Katinka Hosszu against World Aquatics (then FINA) for restrictions of trade over a planned 2018 meet in Italy, will apparently come to trial at the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, California beginning on 12 January 2026.

World Aquatics has energetically opposed the suit and it appears to be thrown out at one point, but a September 2024 ruling by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held the matter to be sufficient to be tried.

● Table Tennis ● After the disruption, screaming and shouting that caused the International Table Tennis Federation’s Annual General Meeting in March to be suspended, the ITTF is obligated to convene the meeting once again to finish voting on several offices. On Wednesday, the federation noted:

“Given the complexity of this situation, the ITTF engaged a leading law firm to ensure the continuation of the AGM is managed in full compliance with ITTF statutes and Swiss law, where the federation is headquartered. The date and details of the AGM’s continuation will be announced as soon as possible.”

It can be expected that at the re-convened meeting, a continued challenge to the Presidential vote will be made. ITTF Senior Executive Vice President Khalil Al-Mohannadi, the loser in the election by 104-102, has already announced an appeal to the ITTF Tribunal and to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

¶

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NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale women’s basketball program welcomes six incoming first-years for 2025-26. The Bulldogs announced the class Wednesday.  

The incoming Bulldogs have been a part of successful teams, with four having won championships at various levels. They have excelled on the court, with three earning MVP honors. They have leadership experience, as five have been team captains. 

The newest Bulldogs have contributed to their communities in a variety of ways, including volunteering as camp counselors and tutors and at a food pantry. They have been involved with organizations such as Girls Who Code. 

The class joins the Bulldogs for the team’s fourth season with Dalila Eshe as Yale’s Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women’s Basketball. 

Here is a look at the newest Bulldogs:

Rachel Augustine Itua
5-10
Guard/Forward
Alcalá de Henares, Spain
IES Antonio Machado

National Teams: U18F top 10 in two-pointers 2023-24, 2024-25… U18F top 10 in rebounds 2023-24… U18F Madrid Final 4 fourth place 2023-24… U16F Spanish championship 11th place 2022-23… U16F Madrid Final 4 third place 2022-23… U16F Spanish Championship (Clubs) fourth place 2021-22… U16F Madrid Final 4 first place 2021-22… U14F Madrid Selection (first place)… U14F Best Athlete in Alcalá de Henares. 

Notes: Volunteer at Voluntariado Machado, helping children study.

Why Yale? “The Yale women’s basketball team proved to have an amazing roster right from my very first visit. Not only was it comprised of amazing players and staff who I could learn from, but also fantastic people who helped those around them. This and their outstanding academics really cemented my decision to go to Yale.”
 
Radhika Garapaty
5-9
Guard
Milpitas, Calif.
Notre Dame San Jose High School
 
Notre Dame San Jose High School: Basketball team captain junior and senior years… Senior Most Valuable Athlete Award…  National Athletic Honors Society… First team all-league in WBAL senior year… Averaged 19.9 ppg during CCS run senior year… Second team all-league in WBAL junior year… MVP of CCS championship game junior year… Sportsmanship award of CCS championship game junior year… Honorable Mention for Best Bay Area girls basketball player junior year… Mercury News athlete of the week during CCS title run junior year… Overcame ACL surgery… Team MVP senior and junior years… Team was CCS Champions 2024 (first CCS win ever, by any sport, in school history)… Back-to-back appearances in CCS finals… Back-to-back appearances in state CIF playoffs… Finished third (tied with another school) in WBAL.
 
Notes: Loves to volunteer as a camp counselor for those who are interested in creative thinking, athletics, culinary skills and design… Dabbles in electric guitar… Black belt in mixed martial arts – 8+ years of martial arts experience… First person in her family to compete in a college sport… Would love to be an inspiration to those who will come after her: “One of my goals is for younger athletes to use my presence in this space as a blueprint for their dreams and aspirations – just as many of my role models have done for me.”
 
Why Yale? “I chose Yale because it offered a rare combination of an elite education, a very tight-knit community, and the opportunity to compete in the highest level of Division I Basketball – all while staying true to who I am and what I value. The coaching staff at Yale stood out to me immediately – they believed in me, not just as an athlete, but as a leader and a person, and that made all the difference.”

Sophia Gibson
6-4
Forward
Taylor Mill, Ky. 
Notre Dame Academy 

Notre Dame Academy: Basketball team captain… 9th Region all-tournament team… 35th District all-tournament team… Team MVP… Led team in field goal percentage and rebounds… Northern Kentucky Coaches Association all-conference Division I… Best Offensive Player… Player of the Game for Queen of the Commonwealth Tournament… 1,000 point club… Team was two-time 35th District champions… Also competed for track and field team.

Notes: Enjoys track and field, especially throwing shot put… Avid reader… Loves to take time to hang out with friends… Also loves playing pickleball, kayaking and hiking. 

Why Yale? “The Yale women’s basketball program immediately felt like family. From my very first visit, I sensed a special connectivity throughout the team and coaches. This support and connection are things I deeply wanted to be a part of, which made the decision to go to Yale easy.” 
 
Dorka Kastl
6-2
Forward
Budapest, Hungary
Holderness School

Holderness School: Basketball team captain… Class C All-NEPSAC senior and junior years… Team MVP senior year… Lakes Region Athletic League All-Star junior year… Team advanced as far as NEPSAC Class C semifinals… Also played soccer.
 
Notes: Enjoys community service, cooking, baking and photography.
  
Why Yale?  “When I visited Yale, it just clicked. The coaches, the team, the energy on campus — it all felt magnetic and welcoming. I knew I’d be pushed to grow both academically and athletically, but I also knew I’d be supported like family. It just felt like home from the first moment.”
 
Olivia Kim
5-8
Guard
Broomfield, Colo.
Broomfield High School

Broomfield High School: Basketball team captain senior year… Academic all-state senior, junior and sophomore years… First team all-conference senior and junior years… All-state senior and junior years… Highest three-point field goal percentage (51%) in state among girls with more than 50 three-point attempts 2024-25…  Selected for first team all-conference All-Star Game senior, junior and sophomore years… Selected by media for The Show Colorado All-Star Game 2024, 2025… Selected to play in CCGS All-State All-Star Game senior year… One of two from Colorado that got invited to NCAA Women’s College Basketball Academy 2024 (individual pathway)… Second team all-conference sophomore year… Team was league champions her senior year… Team qualified for state tournament all four years… Golf team captain senior year… Second team all-conference in golf junior year.

Notes: Soprano/alto in choir… Plays piano… Enjoys doing volunteer work. 

Why Yale? “I chose Yale because I was looking for a school that combined strong academics with a competitive basketball program—and Yale offered the best of both worlds. But what truly made it feel like home was the culture, both within the team and across the entire campus. I can’t wait to be part of the Bulldog Family!”
 
Hannah Wasserman
5-11
Guard
Scarsdale, N.Y.
Scarsdale High School
 
Scarsdale High School: Basketball team captain senior and junior years… All-section sophomore and freshman years… All-league sophomore and freshman years… Richard McNichol Christmas Tournament All-Tournament Team 2021… Kari Pizzitola Holiday Tournament All-Tournament Team 2022… Honorable mention Westchester/Putnam All-Star Team 2022… Lohud NY Section 1 Watchlist of Top Underclassmen 2022… Led high school team in scoring, rebounds and blocked shots for both seasons played… Injured 2023-2024 and 2024-2025.
 
Notes: Volunteered at Bread of Life food pantry and founded an annual food drive at a local day camp… Volunteered as sports coach for special needs children… High school class treasurer…  President of Girls Who Code… Mother ran track at Yale and father played basketball at Amherst College.

Why Yale? “Yale is my dream school! It’s the ideal balance of outstanding academics, an incredible basketball program, and extraordinary people. I feel so lucky to join Yale’s dynamic, collaborative community.”

Early in the school year, it was clear that Dartmouth men’s heavyweight rowing’s varsity eight had the makings of a special season.
 
“Having a good core group of guys returning — along with Billy [Bender] coming back from the Olympics and having a really good first-year group joining us — it felt like there was certainly potential,” said Wyatt Allen, Betsy and Mark Gates 1959 Head Coach of Men’s Heavyweight Rowing.
 
The Head of the Charles in October was an early reminder of that potential. The Big Green showed the speed to be one of the best crews in the country, finishing third overall in the Championship Eight as the second college finisher.
 
Success would follow in a big way. Flash forward to the end of the spring when the Big Green would finish second at the Eastern Sprints and third at the IRA National Championship, barely over a second behind national champion Washington. It was the heavyweight rowing program’s best finish since 1992.
 
And now, they will have one last opportunity to row together, at the Henley Royal Regatta which runs from July 1-6 in Henley-on-Thames, England. Racing for the Big Green kicks off on Friday.

How it Happened
Getting to this point has been months in the making. Senior Julian Thomas was optimistic entering the season.
 
“We realized we had the opportunity to medal and compete for a national championship after the Charles,” he said. “It validated that we had a talented group and motivated us to continue pushing hard through the winter seasons, when generally motivation is low.”
 
A strong winter and spring training camp led to a historic start to the spring at Yale, as the Big Green captured the Olympic Axe for the first time in the Axe’s 21-year history.
 
The varsity eight’s resiliency was on full display. In less-than-ideal conditions (rain and wind), the Big Green defeated the Bulldogs.
 
“The Yale result was another big step forward for them in terms of believing,” said Allen.
 
Keep the word resiliency in mind.

Check out the end of the varsity eight’s win today to claim the Olympic Axe for the first time in its 21-year history!#GoBigGreen | #TheWoods pic.twitter.com/r9Y3HNfQKv

— Dartmouth Men’s Heavyweight Rowing (@BigGreenHeavies) April 5, 2025

Resilience wasn’t only on full display against the Bulldogs, but also has been for the entirety of these student-athletes’ careers.
 
“Julian (Thomas), Munroe (Robinson), Sammy (Houdaigui), Miles (Hudgins) — guys who came out of the varsity last year — were really disappointed with the way things ended,” said Allen. “It would have been really easy to not fully invest in this year the way they did.”
 
The Big Green varsity eight finished 11th in the nation in 2024 and were determined to improve in 2025.
 
“They continued to trust the training and our program, as well as me and our staff,” said Allen. “It is a resilient group, and they came back this fall with an ‘all-in’ approach. Their approach and hard work were converted to belief and momentum through big early-season results.”
 
After Yale, the Big Green varsity defeated Boston University for the Bill Cup, then hosted the Lake Morey Invitational where they beat Syracuse, Wisconsin and Columbia over the course of two days. A win over Northeastern wrapped up an undefeated dual season.
 
The Eastern Sprints led to a true moment of resilience. Despite a tough start during the grand final, the Big Green roared back to earn silver, 1.3 seconds behind Harvard. Below are the final results.

1. Harvard – 5:33.895
2. Dartmouth – 5:35.577
3. Princeton – 5:37.575
4. Yale – 5:38.275
5. Brown – 5:38.783
6. Penn – 5:39.133
 
“For them to be in sixth place coming through the 500 and be able to stick together, trust their base speed and row themselves back into silver-medal position, that was a huge moment,” said Allen.
 
First-year Lucas Maroney explained the resilience the crew had to show.
 
“It’s so easy to just give up on a race when you’re down six seats off the first couple strokes, but it really showed a lot staying together through that and rowing through such a competitive field,” he said. “That was an awesome experience and a good show of what we can do together.
 
“We definitely carried a lot of momentum out of that.”
 
In the end, a negative (slow start to the race) turned into a positive (further belief in their speed).
 
“I believe the easiest thing to fix in terms of race execution, is getting better out of the blocks,” said Allen. “They did that between Sprints and IRAs.”  

Full coverage from a strong showing at Eastern Sprints on Sunday, featuring medals in our 1V, 2V and 4V.

| https://t.co/3MkofT0LzJ#GoBigGreen | #TheWoods pic.twitter.com/MVz5dUDGWI

— Dartmouth Men’s Heavyweight Rowing (@BigGreenHeavies) May 19, 2025

 At the national championship, the Big Green took care of business in their heat and a challenging semifinal. That set the stage for the grand final, which Dartmouth hadn’t qualified for in the varsity eight since 2004.
 
The feeling entering the grand final was, as Thomas said, one of “immense gratitude.”
 
“There was also excitement that the work we’d put in throughout the year had given us the opportunity to compete for a national championship with the best in the country,” he said. “There definitely were nerves as well. Everybody went out with the intent to give it their all.”
 
A tight race was expected and saw the Big Green finish in third place with a time of 5:30.90, just 0.15 seconds behind Harvard and only 1.12 seconds behind Washington in first. Dartmouth was 1.3 seconds ahead of fourth-place Princeton.
 
“To be going against the top collegiate crews and racing against teams like Washington and Harvard was really cool,” said Maroney. “I remember growing up and watching these races.”

Bronze medal for the varsity eight at the IRA National Championship!

Check out the final strokes of a very tight final #GoBigGreen | #TheWoods pic.twitter.com/bVmgvKCbwp

— Dartmouth Men’s Heavyweight Rowing (@BigGreenHeavies) June 1, 2025

 Maroney was not only a relatively recent addition to the varsity eight, but it also marked his first time ever rowing in an eight.
 
“I’ve been at some big competitions, but this was my first year actually learning to sweep row,” he said. “That was a pretty steep learning curve, but it was really fun.”
 
Maroney’s growth over the course of the year is a testament to not only his talent, but also the coaching — led by Allen and assistant coaches Sabrina Bohrer and Jack Smith. Allen was recently named the IRCA National Coach of the Year.
 
Thomas touched on the belief Allen has instilled into the Big Green.
 
“Wyatt has taken this program from the bottom of the Ivy League to competing for a national championship in a very short time,” said Thomas. “Year after year, he has inspired this belief that we can compete with anybody on any given day. And this was the year when it all came to fruition.”
 
Reasons for the success were both tangible and intangible.
 
“Rowing is a very hard sport; it’s not fun all the time,” said Thomas. “You go out early in the morning, it’s cold, it’s wet at times and the work’s very hard, but we have a group of guys who manage to find fun within the process — whether it’s joking with each other or playing pranks on each other throughout the year.
 
“That has really kept it light-hearted when perhaps people are down or when you forget why you’re doing it,” Thomas continued. “On top of it, we all are very competitive, and we’ve all kept the goals we set at the start of the year in mind — beating crews that we hadn’t historically beaten.”
 
How did that happen? 
 
“The capacity and ability of the guys, and the depth of the team — not limited to the nine guys in the top boat — was obviously a big factor,” said Allen. “Having someone like Billy in the stroke seat, having his experience and his rhythm, was a big piece of it. Having the senior leadership leading that group throughout the year was another big piece of it as well. Lastly, the way the personalities fit in the crew and the respect they have for one another was a big contributor to the success of the crew over a long season.”

Recap from a thrilling end of the season for the varsity eight and the Big Green!

| https://t.co/5myRFBs8Cr#GoBigGreen | #TheWoods

— Dartmouth Men’s Heavyweight Rowing (@BigGreenHeavies) June 1, 2025

Looking Ahead to the Henley
The Big Green are aiming to continue the chemistry at the Henley Royal Regatta. Dartmouth’s eight will be competing in the Ladies’ Challenge Plate, which includes a mix of international and United States crews, one of which is Harvard.
 
“It’s always a matter of perspective, but I would say the Olympics are the biggest stage in our sport, and it’s arguable that Henley is the second biggest stage for our sport internationally,” said Allen. “To have a Dartmouth crew representing the boathouse and the college is pretty incredible. Having that exposure for international recruiting is huge as well.”
 
“We were obviously thrilled with the result at the IRA and the Eastern Sprints, but I definitely feel like there was some unfinished business,” said Thomas. “We definitely have more in us, and we’re very grateful for the opportunity. I’d like to thank the donors who gave us the opportunity to go race at Henley.”
 
The regatta gives the five seniors in the boat one last opportunity to represent the college they love. It also gives one junior and three first-years more valuable experience they can draw from heading into next season.
 
“This has been a big bucket list race of mine for a long time,” said Maroney. “I’m really excited to once again prove ourselves one more time with this crew.”
 
Allen called the Henley “icing on the cake” after Sprints and the IRA.
 
“I’m proud of them, and psyched that they were able to win medals, both at Sprints and the IRA and earn this opportunity,” said Allen.
 
“One of the best things about coaching at Dartmouth, and coaching in our boathouse, is the incredible alumni support,” Allen continued. “The fact that we had several key individuals step up right away and make this trip possible for the guys is incredible and something none of us take for granted.”