ARLINGTON, Texas – As UT Arlington student-athletes achieved championship success in competition, the foundation was laid in the classroom.
 
As a collective, UT Arlington student-athletes combined for a 3.130 grade point average in the Spring 2025 semester. Of the 11 athletics units, eight teams earned at least a 2.9 GPA during Spring 2025, led by women’s tennis with a 3.530 GPA, just ahead of men’s tennis with a 3.454 GPA.
 

Those teams were followed by women’s golf (3.450), volleyball (3.188), women’s track & field (3.159), women’s basketball (2.969), men’s golf (2.941), men’s track & field (2.930).

For the 2024-25 academic year, UT Arlington student-athletes combined for a 3.135 grade point average, with 39 students earning degrees. This is the 23rd semester in a row that the athletic department held a cumulative department GPA above a 3.0. Combining the fall and spring classroom performances, all 11 teams attained at least a 2.8 GPA.

2024-25 Cumulative Grade Point Averages

 

 
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White enjoyed a successful four-year collegiate volleyball career, competing at NCAA Division II Central State (Ohio) University, Glendale Community College, and Benedictine University (Mesa). She was an integral part of the Redhawks’ offense and defense as a middle blocker in Benedictine’s 2023 California Pacific Conference tournament championship. Her athletic excellence was recognized with Second Team All-Conference honors during both her freshman and senior seasons. In her final year at Benedictine she earned AVCA Southwest Region Honorable Mention recognition, highlighting her impact at the highest levels of collegiate competition.

Beyond her on-court achievements, White demonstrated exceptional character and leadership, serving as a team captain, and earning the prestigious Champion of Character Award during both her junior and senior years. This recognition reflects her commitment to exemplifying the values of sportsmanship, integrity, and leadership both on and off the court.

White maintained academic excellence throughout her collegiate career and was recognized with the Dean’s List honor during her junior year. She recently completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology with a minor in criminology from Benedictine in Mesa, Arizona.

White brings valuable coaching experience from her two-year tenure with East Valley Juniors, where she served in both assistant and head coaching roles from 2022 to 2024.

Her coaching philosophy centers on cultivating competitive teams through individual skill development, fostering team cohesion, and instilling core values of sportsmanship, discipline, and teamwork.

    

The Long Beach Century Club will host its 68th Annual Sports Banquet on June 16 at The Grand in Long Beach, recognizing the city’s top high school athletes along with a host of special award winners including a new class of Hall of Fame inductees.

This year, the Century Club is inducting four new members into its Hall of Fame: Long Beach State volleyball legend Tara Cross-Battle; Wimbledon and US Open doubles champion and Long Beach Poly alumna Vania King; Olympic gold medalist and former Wilson track star Lashinda Demus; and Oklahoma softball coach and Long Beach State alumna Patty Gasso.

Cross-Battle led Long Beach State to an NCAA title in 1989 and was named AVCA Player of the Year in both 1988 and 1989. She won the 1990 Honda Sports Award as the nation’s top collegiate volleyball player and was a four-time All-American. Cross-Battle earned an Olympic bronze medal in 1992 and was later inducted into the Long Beach State Hall of Fame (1995) and the International Volleyball Hall of Fame (2014).

King was a top-10 doubles player during her professional tennis career, winning both the Wimbledon and US Open women’s doubles titles in 2010 with partner Yaroslava Shvedova. The pair also reached the final of the 2011 US Open, and King went on to win 15 doubles titles on the WTA Tour. King also won a singles WTA Tour title at the 2006 Bangkok Open.

Demus set multiple state and national records during her time at Wilson High School, where she was also named Track & Field News’ National Girls’ High School Athlete of the Year in both 1999 and 2001. She went on to compete for the University of South Carolina before winning multiple world titles and an Olympic gold in the 400-meter hurdles in 2012—becoming the first American woman to win the event.

Gasso played softball at Long Beach State from 1983 to 1984 and began her coaching career at Long Beach City College in 1990. She was hired as the head coach of Oklahoma softball in 1995, where she just wrapped up her 31st year with the program. She has led the Sooners to eight national championships and holds the record for most wins by a coach in program history.

“This is really, honestly, my real home,” Gasso said of Long Beach. “So to be remembered and honored by those here means a lot to me. It grabs my heart strings really hard because I miss it here. I’ve lived 31 years in Oklahoma, but I still know where I came from, and that’s the Beach.”

The Century Club will also recognize its Athletes of the Year at the banquet, including four Long Beach natives who helped the USA men’s water polo team win a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games: Max Irving, Chase Dodd, Ryder Dodd, and Hannes Daube.

Irving, a Wilson alum and two-time Olympian, was one of the team’s top leaders. The Dodd brothers grew up in Long Beach but attended high school in Orange County, with Ryder becoming the youngest member of the USA team since Long Beach legend Tony Azevedo. Daube also grew up in Long Beach and lists it as his hometown, though he attended high school in Orange County.

The Long Beach Century Club’s 68th Annual Sports Banquet will be held on June 16 at The Grand, located at 4101 E Willow St. in Long Beach. Reception will be at 5 p.m. and dinner and program at 6:30.

Despite a 5-0 blowout in the UEFA Champions League final between PSG and Inter Milan last Saturday, CBS Sports has seen growth in its digital presence driven by soccer properties since boosting its presence in the sport.

“It was a culmination of a really successful season for us,” said Jeff Gerttula, EVP & Head of CBS Sports Digital.

“Soccer is a really interesting property for us, probably because it best represents new sports and where we’re investing and growing in the way that we’re approaching sports,” Gerttula said. “Soccer is something we’ve really jumped into the last five years. We didn’t have any soccer presence, and now I think it’s safe to say we’re a global leader in the space.”

According to Gerttula, Champions League has become a “massive new vertical” for CBS Sports, with an approach built around streaming and social.

“We’ve had a lot of success with soccer generally as a vertical on Paramount+,” said Gerttula, pointing to Champions League, Serie A, NWSL, Concacaf and EFL.

CBS entered the soccer space in 2020, taking over the final year of TNT Sports’ Champions League media deal. “We went from zero to everything — it was very strategic,” Gerttula said. “We identified the sport as a place for us to invest in as part of our sports strategy with Paramount+. We had to really invest in it and authentic content for these audiences, we felt like they were underserved.”

“What we’ve also done is surrounded that with the programming strategy that’s very social centric,” Gerttula said. “We think of it very much as a streaming and social unified production model. We’re going after younger audiences. It’s so core to us to be able to speak to soccer fans on multiple platforms.”

CBS Sports Golazo Network, a free streaming platform, grew 83% year-over-year in minutes watched, and CBS Sports HQ has seen a 9% increase in minutes watched.

“It’s allowed us to reach soccer fans on free streaming platforms and engage soccer fans who are in Paramount+ more,” Gerttula said. “All of that plays with the social mindset in terms of the talent we hire, the topics we cover, how we cover them and the way that we produce the shows.”

From the start of Champions League in September, the Golazo social platforms generated more than 4 billion views for the second consecutive season, culminating at 4.6 billion total views. Saturday was the second most-streamed day ever for Golazo, behind a day in August 2023 when it had Lionel Messi’s first freely available match after he joined MLS.

Overall, CBS Sports has increased total engagement on social platforms 24% year to date in 2025, despite not having the the Super Bowl this year (unlike in 2024).

In its seventh year, CBS Sports HQ is up 69% in YTD impressions, and has recently been on-site at the Super Bowl, men’s and women’s Final Four, Masters, CFP national title game, World Series, and will be at the Women’s College World Series this month.

Gerttula still sees “massive growth” potential for soccer, and identified women’s sports as a heavy focus, particularly the NWSL and WNBA. “We’re going to be aggressively integrating that within our stream ecosystem, with HQ, and really thinking about it in a more authentic way,” Gerttula said.

Coming up, CBS Sports is turning its digital attention to the NWSL, U.S. Open Cup, UWCL, USL, UEFA Supercup, EFL and Serie A.

Will Dissly’s Dual-Sport Aspirations

In the competitive world of professional sports, athletes often seek unique methods to enhance their performance and longevity. Will Dissly, the tight end for the Los Angeles Chargers, is no exception. After navigating through a challenging season marked by a shoulder injury, Dissly is not only on a path to recovery but also on a quest to broaden his athletic horizons.

Embracing New Challenges

Dissly’s venture into beach volleyball under the guidance of former NBA player and Olympic beach volleyball competitor Chase Budinger is particularly noteworthy. This unusual crossover isn’t just a casual pastime; it represents a significant step in Dissly’s athletic development. Beach volleyball demands agility, quick reflexes, and explosive power, qualities that are beneficial on the football field, especially for a tight end required to block with force and catch with finesse.

Chase Budinger, whose athletic journey took him from the basketball courts of the NBA to the sandy arenas of Olympic beach volleyball, serves as an inspiring mentor. Budinger’s transition is not just about changing sports but adapting and excelling in a new athletic environment. His experience in high-stakes competitions, like the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and his notable second-place finish in the 2012 NBA dunk contest, provides Dissly with a blueprint for success in dual sports.

Impact on Football Performance

Integrating beach volleyball into his training regimen could give Dissly a unique edge in the NFL. The sport’s emphasis on lower body strength and balance can enhance his stability and tackle-breaking ability, crucial for a tight end. Moreover, the hand-eye coordination required in volleyball can translate into better catching skills in football.

Looking Ahead

As Dissly embraces this new challenge, his journey echoes a broader trend of athletes exploring sports outside their professional realms to improve their primary game. Whether this cross-training in beach volleyball will translate into enhanced on-field performance remains to be seen. However, Dissly’s openness to unconventional training methods and his determination to leverage them to maintain his starting role speaks volumes about his dedication and adaptability.

A Broader Perspective

The story of Will Dissly is more than just about sports training; it’s about resilience, adaptation, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. As he prepares for the upcoming seasons, his journey will be one to watch, offering insights into the potential benefits of integrating diverse athletic disciplines into traditional sports training. Whether Dissly can mirror Budinger’s success in becoming proficient in a second sport will be a testament to the evolving nature of athleticism in the modern era.