KEY POINTS
A full-circle moment, perhaps, was christened Monday when pro sports veteran and Utah native Dave Checketts and the Eccles family private investment firm Cynosure Group launched Cynosure|Checketts Sports Capital, a joint venture aiming to raise $1.2 billion to back “high-potential sports opportunities.
Checketts and the Eccles family can trace their connection back to the advent of big-time professional sports in Utah. Spencer F. Eccles, then CEO and chairman of First Security Corporation, helped Larry H. Miller secure funding in 1985 to keep the Jazz in Utah in a deal that eventually led to Miller acquiring full ownership of the team.
At the time, Checketts was two years into his first pro sports gig with the Jazz, having become the youngest-ever NBA team president in 1983 at the age of 28.
The ensuing decades saw the Eccles family support a myriad of sports venues and programs through their philanthropic arm and help bring the 2002 Winter Games to Salt Lake City as Checketts built a wide-ranging career as a top sports executive and investor. His tenure as Jazz president/CEO ran through 1990 before he moved on to take over as the New York Knicks chief executive and later became the president/CEO of Madison Square Garden from 1994-2001.
Along the way he founded the New York Liberty, one of the original WNBA franchises, and founded Real Salt Lake, Utah’s first Major League Soccer franchise. In 2005, the same year RSL began play, Checketts bought the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. Under Checketts’ leadership, RSL claimed its first (and so far, only) championship in 2009 when the team defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy to win the MLS Cup.
Cynosure|Checketts Sports Capital says it already has deals in the pipeline and will be targeting investments across multiple segments of the sports industry, including:
“This partnership is a dream come true for me, reuniting me with the Eccles family, who were key in keeping the Jazz in Salt Lake City, bringing the Olympic Winter Games to Utah in 2002 and building tremendous intercollegiate athletic programs in the state,” Checketts said. “By joining forces today with The Cynosure Group, we are creating a powerhouse entity with assets that will make us competitive on a global scale and will give us great opportunities to help shape the future of the industry right away.”
In a Deseret News interview, Checketts said the idea to start a sports-focused investment fund has been on his mind since he and his wife completed a mission in London for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2021.
“When I came home I was close enough to retirement age that I started thinking about what the last chapter of my career in sports was going to look like,” he said. “I wanted to raise a significant fund and go after interesting investments in sport, but not just franchises, other assets in this industry.”
The last six years has evolved into a watershed moment for private equity investment opportunities in sports. From 2019 to 2024, all five major North American sports leagues have opened their doors to private investment and the business of live sports is booming.
According to a report from Buyouts, global sports revenues hit $463 billion in 2024 and are expected to reach $863 billion by 2033.
“Investments in the sports ecosystem have increased in recent years due to rising franchise valuations and media rights packages, emerging revenue streams like sponsorship, merchandising and gaming and the digitization of distribution,” Scott Marimow, Providence Equity Partners, told Buyouts.
Spencer P. Eccles, managing partner and co-founder of The Cynosure Group and former executive director of the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development, noted in a Deseret News interview that the relationship between his family and Checketts goes back nearly five decades and the shared approach to business ventures makes for a natural fit.
“We’re bringing together two powerhouses with a shared vision, business acuity and track record of successes,” Eccles said. “We knew if we were ever going to partner Cynosure and the Eccles family with an effort in the sports space, it would be with Dave Checketts.”
Eccles noted his family’s connection with sports, both in personal pursuits and financial support, goes back generations and focuses on “building individuals, building communities and building the state.”
Randal Quarles, chairman of The Cynosure Group and former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, noted the sports investment realm is rife with both opportunity and earnings potential.
“Sports represents a unique asset class with tremendous growth potential,” Quarles said in a statement. “By partnering with Dave Checketts, whose expertise in building value across multiple sports properties is unmatched, we are positioning ourselves to capitalize on the most compelling opportunities in this dynamic market.”
RESULTS
NEW HAVEN, Conn. | The Farmingdale State College indoor track and field teams competed Friday and Saturday at the Art Kadish Elm City Challenge, with the Rams’ men’s squad placing fourth (49 points) behind a winning, school-record performance in the heptathlon by freshman Ethan Zacarolli (Hillsdale, N.Y.), while the women’s contingent tied for 10th place.
Zacarolli won the men’s heptathlon with a score of 4,550 points, which topped the previous FSC record of 4,038 points set by Nicholas Lourenco in 2023.
Also pacing the Rams’ efforts were freshmen jumpers Jaden Cesar (Queens, N.Y.) and Christian Destine (Rosedale, N.Y.). Cesar’s leap of 13.48 meters (44-2.75) in the triple jump was good for third place, while Destine’s long jump of 6.69m (21-11.5) placed fifth.
On the women’s side, junior pole vaulter Mishell Delgado (Bronx, N.Y.) earned fifth-place points for Farmingdale State, clearing a height of 2.50 meters (8-0.25) on her second jump of the afternoon.
Farmingdale State is back in action during the new year on Saturday, January 10, when it travels to Middletown, Conn., for the Wesleyan Winter Invitational.
HANOVER, NH – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men’s track & field team produced a standout performance at the Dartmouth December Invite on Saturday, registering numerous top-five finishes across sprints, jumps, hurdles, and throws in an all-around strong showing in early-season competition.
RPI’s jumpers once again led the charge, starting with sophomore Oliver Herrick, who finished runner-up in both the high jump (1.80 meters) and triple jump (13.53 meters). In the high jump, Herrick was joined by senior Calvin Chang in fourth place at 1.75 meters. The Engineers dominated the triple jump event, occupying four of the top five places. Senior Evan Boyd landed in third at 12.74 meters, followed by Jack Notaro in fourth (12.28m) and Caius Leung in fifth (12.06m).
In the horizontal jumps, Ervin Owusu claimed second in the long jump with a leap of 6.49 meters, while Dillen Owusu and Evan Boyd rounded out the scoring in fourth (6.12m) and fifth (5.98m), respectively. The pole vault squad also had a strong outing, as Shawn Keenan cleared 4.55 meters to place fifth and Moss Dengler added an eighth-place mark of 4.25 meters.
The Engineers’ sprint and hurdle groups delivered several high finishes in the short-distance races. In the 60-meter dash, five RPI athletes placed in the top eight: Alexander Flynn placed second in 7.19 seconds, just ahead of Jack Catelotti (3rd, 7.22), Francis Grasso (4th, 7.23), Gabe Sicurella (7th, 7.27), and Rafael Steiner (8th, 7.38). Flynn added a third-place finish in the 300 meters with a time of 36.31 seconds. Steiner and Catelotti followed closely in fifth (36.46) and sixth (36.66), with Grasso finishing eighth (36.86).
In the hurdles, Chris Kay ran 8.86 seconds to take third in the 60-meter hurdles, while John Bellini (4th, 9.28), Caius Leung (6th, 9.72), and Jack Currie (8th, 10.12) helped the Engineers control the finals heat. In the 500 meters, RPI had three athletes in the scoring group: Richard Biase (6th, 1:11.68), Jack Gips (7th, 1:11.96), and Samuel Aubut (8th, 1:11.97), all finishing within tenths of a second of one another.
RPI’s throwers were equally dominant in both the shot put and weight throw. In the shot put, Paul Sussman led the Engineers with a fourth-place throw of 13.42 meters. He was backed by Tristan Mangin (5th, 13.12m), Logan Gamlin (7th, 12.15m), and Arthur Hrycak (8th, 11.96m), giving RPI four of the top eight marks.
In the weight throw, Colby Grove recorded a third-place finish with a mark of 14.96 meters, with Sussman (4th, 14.66m), Max Fetah (5th, 14.62m), and Eric Mulqueen (6th, 14.58m) close behind in a tightly packed leaderboard.
IOWA CITY— At the Jimmy Grant Alumni Invitational hosted by the University of Iowa Saturday, Central College men’s track and field senior Gunner Meyer (senior, Fairbank, Wapsie Valley HS) broke the program’s all-time record in the men’s 60-meter hurdles.
Meyer clocked in at 7.92 seconds, the fastest time by any Division III athlete so far this season. He’s the first Dutch athlete to go under the eight-second mark. He placed third in the meet behind a pair of Hawkeyes.
Men’s triple jumper Kale Purcell (fifth year, Holton, Kan.) also matched the school record with a leap of 48 feet, 6 inches to win the meet.
Alivia Roerdink (junior, Tiffin, Ohio, Hopewell-Loudon HS) ran the second-fastest women’s 800 meters time in school history, crossing the line in 1 minute, 37.81 seconds. She placed fifth.
In the women’s 60-meter prelims, Ava Parkins (junior, Monmouth, Ill., Burlington Notre Dame HS [Iowa]) clocked in at 7.70 seconds to share second place on the program’s all-time list. It also makes No. 8 nationally. She didn’t run the finals after qualifying in seventh. She also finished third in the 300 meters in 39.55 seconds.
Mary Gustason (senior, Marion, Linn-Mar HS) was third in the women’s 200 meters in 26.10 seconds.
Central will reset after the student’s winter break with the Dutch Athletics Classic the next competition on January 16, 2026.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – On Friday and Saturday, the University of Hartford men’s indoor track & field team competed in their first two-day meet of the season placing in 2nd out of 11 teams in the Art Kadish Invitational hosted by Southern Connecticut State University.
Rapid Recap:
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The Hawks will head to winter break returning to action on January 24th, competing at Wesleyan University.
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GORHAM, Maine – The Saint Joseph’s College men’s track and field team turned in a statement performance at the USM Alumni Open on Saturday, highlighted by two school records from freshman standout Stephen Pierre, a relay victory, and multiple New England Division III qualifying marks in the jumps and hurdles.
“We brought great energy and effort today and were rewarded with some impressive marks. Our ability to cover events with talent and depth continues to grow and will be a key to our success at the conference level,” said Head Coach Mike Burleson.
“The caliber this group is competing at right now makes me incredibly proud,” added Associate Head Coach Troy Hendricks. “To be dropping school-record performances on just meet two of the season speaks to how bought-in they are. I’m excited to see the work they put in over winter break and where that momentum takes us when we come back at the start of the new year.”
Junior Jacob Schmader (Limington, Maine) and senior Noah Batoosingh (Scarborough, Maine) led a strong effort in the 300 meters, finishing third (36.82) and fifth (37.57), respectively, to pace the sprint group on the flat 200-meter oval.
Freshman Eli Benjamin (Rochester, N.H.) competed in the 55-meter dash, clocking 7.01 in the prelims to place ninth overall in a tight field.
Saint Joseph’s grabbed a win on the track in the 4×200-meter relay, as Batoosingh, sophomore John Read, freshman Eli Benjamin, and Schmader combined to run 1:34.17, crossing the line first and continuing the early-season momentum from the Elm City Classic.
In the 4×400-meter relay, the quartet of junior Aidan Mills (Ontario Center, N.Y.), sophomore Isaac Keresey (Pittsfield, Maine), junior Emilson Zoccolo (Lewiston, Maine), and sophomore Harrison Fields (Gray, Maine) placed second in 3:42.01, closing the meet with another strong relay showing for the Monks.
Senior Brayden Grant (Rochester, N.H.) turned in a solid performance in the 500 meters, placing fifth in 1:18.19.
In the 1000 meters, Mills led the way with a fourth-place finish in 2:55.79, followed by Fields in eighth at 3:03.49 and senior Kyle Benson (Biddeford, Maine) in ninth at 3:12.55, as the Monks continued to build depth through the middle-distance group.
Keresey posted one of the top distance marks of the day, finishing second in the mile with a time of 4:31.81, while Zoccolo added a 13th-place finish in 5:07.57.
In the 5000 meters, senior Jacob Pelletier (Augusta, Maine) clocked 16:04.76 to place fifth, and teammate Alexey Seredin (Peaks Island, Maine) ran 16:49.95 for 11th, giving Saint Joseph’s a strong presence in the longest event of the day.
The 55-meter hurdles proved to be a major highlight and a key event for the Monks.
Pierre, competing in his first collegiate hurdles meet, broke the school record and placed second in the final in 7.98, hitting the New England Division III provisional standard. Read followed in third at 8.01, also meeting the provisional standard, as the pair delivered a big 2–3 finish in the final.
The prelims were equally impressive, with Pierre (8.17), Read (8.21), and junior Tudum Monday (Lewiston, Maine) (8.24) all achieving New England Division III provisional qualifying times, giving Saint Joseph’s three hurdlers at championship-caliber level just two meets into the season.
Pierre produced another breakout performance in the long jump, where he broke his own school record and won the event with a mark of 6.81m (22′ 4.25″), an automatic qualifier for the New England Division III Championships. His series also included jumps of 6.78m and 6.71m, showcasing impressive consistency at a high level. Junior Devonte Prom (Portland, Maine) added a strong fifth-place finish at 5.75m (18′ 10.5″).
In the triple jump, Monday won the event with a mark of 13.03m (42′ 9″), good for a New England Division III provisional qualifying performance. Junior Christopher Godefroy (Windsor Locks, Conn.) placed fifth at 11.64m (38′ 2.25″), while Peters finished seventh with a best of 10.96m (35′ 11.5″).
In the high jump, Benjamin continued his strong start by clearing 1.83m (6′ 0″) for second place, while sophomore Martinho Codo (Lewiston, Maine) jumped 1.73m (5′ 8″) to finish fourth.
The Monks’ young and deep throws group continued to gain momentum across both the shot put and weight throw.
In the shot put, sophomore Anthony Vasquez (Westbrook, Maine) led the way with a ninth-place finish at 10.07m (33′ 0.5″), followed by senior Alexander Greslick (Windham, Maine) in 10th at 9.80m (32′ 2″). Freshman Brandt Bishop (Marblehead, Mass.) threw 9.10m (29′ 10.25″), classmate Daven Duquette (Berlin, N.H.) recorded 9.07m (29′ 9.25″), and fellow freshman Cameron Gonyer (Berlin, N.H.) added a mark of 7.99m (26′ 2.75″). Junior Gabryel Balch (Strafford, N.H.) rounded out the group at 7.31m (23′ 11.75″).
In the weight throw, Vasquez placed fifth with a throw of 9.75m (32′ 0″), Gonyer finished sixth at 9.73m (31′ 11.25″), and Duquette took seventh with 9.60m (31′ 6″). Greslick added an eighth-place mark of 9.48m (31′ 1.25″), while Balch finished 10th at 9.09m (29′ 10″), giving Saint Joseph’s five athletes over nine meters and valuable early-season depth in the event.
Men’s 55 Meters
Men’s 300 Meters
Men’s 500 Meters
Men’s 1000 Meters
Men’s 1 Mile Run
Men’s 5000 Meters
Men’s 55-Meter Hurdles (Prelims)
Men’s 55-Meter Hurdles (Finals)
Men’s 4×200-Meter Relay
Batoosingh, Read, Peters, Schmader – 1:34.17 (1st)
Men’s 4×400-Meter Relay
Mills, Keresey, Zoccolo, Fields – 3:42.01 (2nd)
Men’s High Jump
Men’s Long Jump
Men’s Triple Jump
Men’s Shot Put
Men’s Weight Throw
GORHAM, Maine – The Saint Joseph’s College women’s track and field team continued its impressive start to the 2025-26 indoor season at the USM Alumni Open on Saturday, collecting three school records, three event victories on the track, and three New England Division III provisional qualifying performances.
“We brought great energy and effort today and were rewarded with some impressive marks. Our ability to cover events with talent and depth continues to grow and will be a key to our success at the conference level,” said Head Coach Mike Burleson.
“The caliber this group is competing at right now makes me incredibly proud,” added Associate Head Coach Troy Hendricks. “To be dropping school-record performances on just meet two of the season speaks to how bought-in they are. I’m excited to see the work they put in over winter break and where that momentum takes us when we come back at the start of the new year.”
The Monks showed depth in the short sprints, advancing two to the final in the 55 meters. Sophomore Ellie Leech (Berwick, Maine) and freshman Emma Jones (Poland, Maine) finished seventh (8.08) and eighth (8.09), respectively, after running 8.02 (Leech) and 7.98 (Jones) in the prelims. Junior Alexis Cowan (Nottingham, N.H.) clocked 8.07, freshman Kaitlin Tallman ran 8.13, and first-year Hallye King (Owls Head, Maine) posted 8.31 to round out a strong preliminary group.
In the 200 meters, freshman Olivea Miller (Livermore Falls, Maine) placed second in 27.37, hitting the New England Division III provisional standard, while Jones added a seventh-place finish in 28.87.
The Monks swept both relays on the day. In the 4×200-meter relay, the quartet of Audrey Bilodeau (Lewiston, Maine), Ava Smart (South Portland, Maine), Jones, and Tallman posted a winning time of 1:53.49. The 4×400-meter relay of Bella Koepsell (Falmouth, Maine), Alexia Young (Rochester, N.H.), Cheri Willems, and Amber Pendleton (Warren, Maine) closed the meet with another victory, clocking 4:30.61.
Freshman Amber Pendleton continued her strong start to the season with a school-record performance in the 500 meters, winning the event in 1:27.86. Willems followed with a third-place finish in 1:34.57, giving Saint Joseph’s two of the top three spots.
In the 300 meters, junior Ava Smart broke the school record, placing third in 44.07, just ahead of Bilodeau, who finished fourth in 44.86.
Senior Alexia Young collected a runner-up finish in the 1000 meters, posting a time of 3:31.00, while Koepsell ran to second place in the mile in 5:48.35.
Sophomore Madalyn Guindon (Saco, Maine) turned in a solid performance in the 55-meter hurdles, placing fourth in 10.60 to add more points for the Monks’ track group.
The vertical and horizontal jumps again proved to be a strength for Saint Joseph’s.
In the high jump, Miller cleared 1.47m (4′ 9.75″) to finish second, while junior Breya Whitman (Auburn, Maine) cleared 1.37m (4′ 6″) for fifth.
The long jump saw Cowan lead the way with a seventh-place finish at 4.74m (15′ 6.75″). Sophomore Olivia Bean (South Portland, Maine) followed in eighth at 4.68m (15′ 4.25″), while Tallman placed 13th (4.55m / 14′ 11.25″). King (3.97m / 13′ 0.25″) and junior Samira Mohamed (Westbrook, Maine) (3.59m / 11′ 9.5″) rounded out the Monks’ long jump contingent.
Bean and sophomore Ella Labrie (Gorham, Maine) powered a huge day in the triple jump, combining for a 1–2 finish and two championship-caliber marks. Bean won the event with a school-record leap of 10.72m (35′ 2″), hitting the New England Division III provisional standard, while Labrie took second at 10.65m (34′ 11.25″), also surpassing the provisional mark.
Leech led the Monks in the shot put with a best of 10.19m (33′ 5.25″), followed by sophomore Jemima Kabangu at 9.72m (31′ 10.75″). Freshman Grace Cunningham (Burnham, Maine) threw 8.71m (28′ 7″), and junior Haley Lang recorded a mark of 7.99m (26′ 2.75″).
Cunningham highlighted the weight throw with a 10.74m (35′ 3″), while Lang added a mark of 7.77m (25′ 6″) as the Monks’ throwers continued to build on their early-season progress.
Women’s 55 Meters
Emma Jones – 7.98 (prelims, 7th) / 8.09 (finals, 8th)
Ellie Leech – 8.02 (prelims, 8th) / 8.08 (finals, 7th)
Alexis Cowan – 8.07 (prelims, 9th)
Kaitlin Tallman – 8.13 (prelims, 10th)
Hallye King – 8.31 (prelims, 13th)
Women’s 200 Meters
Women’s 300 Meters
Women’s 500 Meters
Women’s 1000 Meters
Women’s Mile
Women’s 55-Meter Hurdles
Women’s 4×200-Meter Relay
Bilodeau, Smart, Jones, Tallman – 1:53.49 (1st)
Women’s 4×400-Meter Relay
Koepsell, Young, Willems, Pendleton – 4:30.61 (1st)
Women’s High Jump
Women’s Long Jump
Women’s Triple Jump
Olivia Bean – 10.72m (35′ 2″) (1st, school record, NE DIII provisional)
Ella Labrie – 10.65m (34′ 11.25″) (2nd, NE DIII provisional)
Women’s Shot Put
Women’s Weight Throw
Grace Cunningham – 10.74m (35′ 3″) (13th)
Haley Lang – 7.77m (25′ 6″) (19th)
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