Once seen as a regional program on the outside looking in, the SMU Mustangs have transformed into a recruiting juggernaut, especially in the high-stakes Dallas-Fort Worth battleground. With high-level talent flowing into their locker room, it’s no longer a surprise when SMU beats out SEC programs.

Rhett Lashlee and his staff are winning in their own backyard. The DFW is one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in the country, long dominated by schools like Texas, Oklahoma, and LSU.

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But that tide is turning fast. SMU’s aggressive push for top-tier talent is forcing traditional powers to rethink their strategy. As Locked In Oklahoma’s Grayson Singleton put it, “SMU is getting the blue chippers in DFW. And that’s a problem… not just for Oklahoma, that’s a problem for Texas, LSU, Arkansas… This is the fastest rising program in the country.”

As the blaring sound of the final buzzer went off, the crowd erupted in cheers. Members of the Northeastern women’s hockey team threw their gloves in the air and skated toward their goalie, freshman Lisa Jönsson, to celebrate a memory that would last a lifetime — and a major moment for women’s sports.

On Jan. 21, the Northeastern women’s hockey team won their third consecutive Beanpot championship, defeating Boston University to secure their 20th overall Beanpot title. In what was only their second tournament appearance at TD Garden, the Northeastern women’s hockey team demonstrated, once again, how even modest investment into women’s sports can yield positive results. 

Throughout the history of sports, men’s leagues developed decades before their women’s league counterparts. On top of that, it’s only in the last few years that women’s sports have seen increased visibility and growing support. The NBA was founded in 1946 while the WNBA was founded 50 years later in 1996. The MLS was founded in 1993 while the National Women’s Soccer League, or NWSL, was founded in 2012, and the NHL was founded in 1917 while the Professional Women’s Hockey League, or PWHL, was founded over 100 years later in 2023. Despite these disparities in establishment and coverage, female athletes have consistently navigated the evolving landscape of sports with resilience, contributing to a culture of excellence. 

But how is this standard set? Who inspires these athletes to become the role models young girls look up to? What defines players like senior forward Skylar Irving and junior forward Holly Abela, and how did they reach this level?

It often begins with early influences — sometimes a parent, and often a professional player. In Irving’s case, it was athletes like Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby and Northeastern alum and PWHL forward Kendall Coyne. With few female professional hockey role models, Irving was especially inspired by Coyne, who remained dedicated to the sport while balancing motherhood and advocating for greater recognition of women’s hockey.

“She was definitely one of my biggest inspirations as a female hockey player,” Irving said.  “Just being able to watch her and see what she did every single day, it was so cool.”

Irving also drew inspiration from her upperclassmen teammates who taught her lessons beyond the ice. 

“They were incredible, and they were just good people and good athletes,” Irving said. “They kind of just showed me that hockey is not just about how good you are on the ice, but it’s about how much you love your teammates, how much you care.” 

Immersed in hockey from a young age, Irving was introduced to the sport at 2 years old when she could first hold a stick. She’s been on skates since she could walk and has played organized hockey since she was 4 years old. 

“I’m 23 right now and I’m still playing and still loving the game as much as I did when I first picked up a stick,” Irving said. 

Every child dreams about what they want to do or who they want to become, but to be able to live out your childhood dreams in your adult life is something only few can achieve. For many female athletes, that option hasn’t always been available.

“Growing up, there was never a professional league for younger players to look up to. So, college was sort of the end of the road that people are fighting to get to,” Abela said. “There was never a PWHL and now that there is, I think that’s so exciting, because I’ve watched girls that I’ve played with on my university team from my freshman year that are now in the league.” 

With influential figures paving the way for more opportunities for everyone, an increasing number of female athletes are now able to envision a future in which they can continue their craft. 

Reflecting on her start at Northeastern, Abela expressed her gratitude to have had a teammate and role model like Alina Müller. Müller played as a forward for the Northeastern women’s hockey team from 2018 to 2022 and now plays for the Boston Fleet. 

“She kind of took me under her wing and she showed me what it means to be a true professional in every way,” Abela said. “To see that out of a female athlete was just so inspiring, because as a little girl, you don’t get to see that very often.”

Similar to Irving, Abela also started her hockey journey early. She started skating at 4 years old and started playing hockey around six. A major influence for Abela was her father, who drove her passion for the sport. It was this passion combined with her commitment and love for the game that allowed her to get to the point she’s at now in her hockey career. 

“When I leave this place, I know that we’ve left it in a good spot; it’s a place people know that when they come here, there’s a standard — we’re a team that doesn’t give up,” Abela said. “It sets the expectation for those girls coming along to keep it competitive, to keep the league strong and to improve the generational talent of women’s hockey. I know the girls coming in will look up to that, and they’ll strive for the same goals.” 

The legacy players and teams leave behind is possible because of the collective effort and dedication of all parties involved. For games like the Beanpot, the culture and support in the atmosphere is important as the players in these games are not only passionate about hockey but representing their schools and communities as well. 

Despite their different backgrounds, a common trait amongst many athletes is hard work, dedication and love for the sports they play. The difference for female athletes is that oftentimes, they’re not only competing against one another to make it to the next level but fighting a system that has historically presented additional barriers. 

The men’s Beanpot tournament has been played at TD Garden since 1996, while the women’s Beanpot tournament has only been held at TD Garden since 2024 — moreover, the women only play at the stadium for the final match-up, unlike their male counterparts who play their semifinal rounds at TD Garden as well. Despite the struggle, this recent progress proves that there may be a future in which the disparities between men’s and women’s sports will decrease. 

“It’s so special that we have kind of been able to be a part of that growth,” Irving said. “I think that [the team is] gonna do great things, and I’m always gonna be cheering them on. I’m always proud to be a Husky.” 

With the rise of the PWHL, the future of women’s hockey has also become more stable.

“They’ve done a great job marketing their product, and it’s something that people are excited about. And I think that’s starting to trickle down into the collegiate level, because it’s gaining traction,” said Northeastern women’s hockey assistant coach Melissa Piacentini. “I think it’s grown so much, and it still has so far to go.”

The culture established by schools and teams allows for the growth of student-athletes beyond their respective sports. University coaches aim to help their players not only grow in their professional fields but also as people. 

“I think for me, that is what I’m gonna take away most about this whole place — that they helped me develop into the best person that I could be. And I feel like, when you go to college, that’s kind of your end goal,” Irving said. “Everybody pushes you every single day here, like you’re always expected to bring greatness into everything that you do.” 

Hoping to continue to embody the lessons and values she’s learned, Irving has proven to be a role model not only for her teammates, but for young girls as she coaches youth leagues back home in Kingston, Massachusetts. 

“My greatest privilege in life is coaching kids and seeing their progress and them growing. It’s just a special feeling that you really can’t describe,” Irving said. “I just want them to know that they’re gonna be able to accomplish whatever they want to.”

When looking at the growth of her athletes, Piacentini shared how one of the biggest things she hopes her players take away is the experience of playing a game they love with people they care about. 

“I hope they recognize how special it is to have their teammates around them, and it goes so much further than hockey,” Piacentini said. “So when they graduate, they’ll have a good group of friends that they can carry forward in their lifetime.”

At Northeastern, athletes like Irving and Abela pride themselves in being a part of a community that upholds a high standard of success and hard work. 

“I think they’ve been great leaders for our program. I really do think Northeastern has a great culture, and it’s because the people that are in the program, they’re the ones that have built that, and they take it seriously to maintain it,” Piacentini said. 

The Northeastern women’s hockey team’s players have won numerous awards, earned 20 Beanpot titles, won six consecutive Hockey East titles from 2018 to 2023 and have made seven NCAA tournament appearances. Even in the 2024 and 2025 seasons, despite not winning the Hockey East title, the team still made it to the finals.

“I think it’s funny when you add a little bit of money to a sport and you give some girls attention, what they can do with it,” said graduate student defenseman Lily Yovetich in a viral video after this year’s Beanpot win. “I think everyone should take a page out of our book and really put some more time and effort into women’s everything.” 

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Today in college football news, I’ve just been handed a tube of Pringles that are apparently Los Calientes Verde Pringles. This tube’s minutes are numbered.

Business: Trump involvement emerges as House settlement nears

Promise this is going somewhere:

1. “President Trump said on Sunday that he wanted federal law enforcement agencies to work on restoring Alcatraz, now a museum, to a functioning maximum-security prison.”
2. “The president’s sudden push … came just hours after a South Florida PBS station aired the 1979 classic film ‘Escape from Alcatraz.’ The president spent the past weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort, which is located in Palm Beach.”

Inspiration can strike swiftly, is the point. Another example:

Three days prior, Nick Saban met with Trump in Tuscaloosa. Saban reportedly told Trump that modern player compensation has resulted in college athletics having an uneven playing field. (Saban, whose annual Alabama salaries at times surpassed those of every MAC head coach combined, also raised a similar complaint a year earlier when discussing his own retirement.)

After that chat with Saban, Trump is reportedly interested in an executive order meant to address payments to athletes. It’s unclear how (or whether) that might work:

“A congressional aide told The Athletic that an executive order might not stabilize the college sports system, which requires legal certainty and a limited safe harbor from litigation. Legal protections and the pre-empting of state NIL laws can only be addressed through congressional legislation. … Numerous bills and drafts have been introduced, announced or floated. … None of the bills has gone anywhere yet.”

Meanwhile, the House v. NCAA settlement remains close to approval. By allowing schools to set aside $20.5 million for their rosters, it’d provide far more compensation for the labor most responsible for college sports being a multi-billion-dollar industry.

But what about Saban’s worry of the playing field becoming even more uneven than the one he totally dominated? Sure, it’d arguably become even more uneven than ever before, with plenty of smaller schools having nowhere near $20.5 million to spend. So … is House itself now a target as well?

Either way, the settlement is tenuously nearing completion. As the carefully constructed stack of paperwork teeters, at least one side doesn’t appreciate the surprise gust of wind:

“An attorney representing current and former college athletes in the proposed $2.8. billion House vs. NCAA settlement said a potential executive order on the issue of NIL in college sports would be ‘unmerited and unhelpful’ and criticized Saban’s ‘eleventh-hour self importance.’”

Stay tuned. Likely to be a House update of some sort later this week, actually.

Quick Snaps

C’mon, Michigan: Might as well think big with Moore suspension

Some news from yesterday, via Michigan reporter Austin Meek:

“Michigan is expected to suspend coach Sherrone Moore for two games as a penalty for allegedly deleting text messages he exchanged with Connor Stalions, the former Michigan staffer at the center of an NCAA investigation into allegations of advanced scouting.

“Moore is expected to coach the first two games, including a Week 2 matchup against Oklahoma, his alma mater, before missing games against Central Michigan and Nebraska in Week 3 and Week 4, a source briefed on Michigan’s plans confirmed.”

While the broader NCAA investigation into Michigan will next include a Committee of Infractions hearing, likely this summer, I’m more interested in which games Moore is expected to miss. Why devote full strength to the home opener against New Mexico, which could be a five-touchdown underdog, rather than the road trip to Nebraska, a likely tough Big Ten opponent?

I asked Austin for his thoughts. He said:

“It’s a pick-your-punishment situation for Michigan: Suspend Moore for the first two games and force him to miss his homecoming against Oklahoma or suspend him for weeks 3 and 4 and force him to miss Michigan’s Big Ten opener at Nebraska. One way or the other, he’d have to miss a big game … unless Michigan decided to suspend him for the opener against New Mexico and the Week 3 game against Central Michigan, which would be pretty brazen, even for Michigan.”

Sure, giving Moore such a carefully measured suspension would probably make Michigan look less remorseful to the NCAA — and thus partly defeat the whole purpose. But Michigan’s already done the suspend-the-head-coach-for-consecutive-games thing (for two stints of Jim Harbaugh’s final season, when Moore led six victories during a national title run). Let’s have some fun by picking and choosing.

GRAND FORKS — David Carle was busy Monday when news hit social media that he signed a contract extension at the University of Denver.

He was in a Zoom meeting with NCAA president Charlie Baker.

Other NCAA head coaches, assistant coaches and administrators were in it, too.

They discussed issues surrounding college hockey.

Baker told the group that the NCAA will reveal a new governance structure in July — one that will streamline processes and give more control to each sport instead of blanket policies.

There will likely be a hockey board or committee to oversee championships and rules.

When discussing championships, Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky put Carle on the spot about his push to go to home sites for NCAA men’s hockey regionals.

Carle put forth several of his arguments — better atmospheres, better pictures for television, fairness, revenue and growing local fan bases.

Baker said home-site regionals work for other NCAA sports — every sport except men’s basketball does it — and asked why there’s opposition.

Carle called on Hockey East commissioner Steve Metcalf to produce a counterargument.

The NCAA has scheduled neutral-site regionals through 2028. Carle and others are going to push for a change beginning in 2029.

Support for home regionals has increased over the last 10 years, but as of last spring, there was not enough for a change.

With Carle shunning NHL offers to stay in college, he will continue to be at the forefront of the push to bring regionals home.

The discussion with Baker went beyond regionals, though.

Central Collegiate Hockey Association commissioner Don Lucia talked about college hockey’s unique deferred enrollment rule, which allows players to start college at age 21 without losing eligibility.

Although there was previously talk about removing that rule and forcing players into college earlier — an attempt to standardize things across all sports — Baker seemed supportive of it if it works for the sport and helps students graduate.

The Pairwise Rankings, which have long been used to determine the NCAA tournament field, are likely on their way out.

The Pairwise Rankings are expected to be replaced by the NCAA Percentage Index (NPI), which is used on the women’s side.

Like the Pairwise, the NPI will have weights for different criteria such as winning percentage, strength of schedule, home-road bonuses, quality win bonuses and overtime wins.

The coaches were presented a document that showed last year’s final Pairwise Rankings alongside how the NPI would have looked at the end of the season, depending on different weights.

The NCAA tournament field would have looked relatively similar. In a couple of NPI formulas, Arizona State would have replaced Penn State as the final team in the tournament.

The NPI will likely be used beginning this season.

The National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s national television contract expired at the end of last season.

The league is currently exploring options, including punting on regular-season national television coverage and going exclusively on local broadcasts and streaming on NCHC TV.

CBS Sports, the league’s rights holder since Year 1, asked schools to pick up additional production costs for this season. The schools aren’t interested in doing that.

The NCHC is still working on a potential deal with CBS Sports to broadcast the league’s postseason tournament.

“We’re still in negotiations with CBS,” NCHC commissioner Heather Weems said. “We want to focus on the playoffs and what we possibly have with CBS.”

The NCHC has two years left on its streaming deal with Sidearm Sports. That deal brings significant revenue to some of the teams.

Each team’s revenue share is different depending on how many subscribers the school pulls in. UND makes more than a half million dollars annually on it.

The NCHC wants both its TV rights and streaming rights to open at the same time in 2027, so it can package them together.

Right now, there’s a 45-day window to enter the transfer portal for men’s hockey players in the spring.

But that could change.

The men’s hockey coaching body wants to shrink it to 30 days.

The portal opening date to non-graduates would still occur after the NCAA regionals.

As of Tuesday morning, the men’s hockey transfer portal has been open for 38 days. However, portal entrants always slow to a trickle by this point. Only six players have entered in the last 11 days.

The U.S. won bronze at the IIHF Men’s World Under-18 tournament in Texas last week.

UND commit Garrett Lindberg of Moorhead had a notable tournament.

Lindberg, a defenseman, served as USA’s alternate captain. He scored a goal and tallied four points in seven games. His plus-12 rating ranked first on Team USA and third among all players in the tournament.

Lindberg was selected No. 2 overall by the Chicago Steel in the United States Hockey League’s Phase 2 Draft on Tuesday morning. The high selection indicates the Steel believe Lindberg will play 2025-26 in junior hockey before arriving on campus.

UND forward commit Andrew O’Neill of Fargo played in one game at the IIHF World Under-18 tournament. Arizona State defenseman commit Lincoln Kuehne of West Fargo played in three games and tallied an assist.

The USHL held its Phase 1 Draft — players born in 2009 — on Monday night.

Several local and area players were selected.

Forward Colin Grubb of Burlington, N.D., was the third pick of the draft, going to Dubuque in the first round. Grubb plays at Shattuck-St. Mary’s.

Muskegon picked Grand Forks forward Nolan Marto in the second round. Marto is the nephew of former UND defenseman Jake Marto.

Other notable picks included West Fargo forward Jack Larkin (Dubuque, second round), Thief River Falls forward Spencer Anderson (Youngstown, third round), Dilworth forward Evan Wanner (Youngstown, fourth round), West Fargo forward Grayden Peterson (Fargo, ninth round), Warroad forward Gavin Anderson (Omaha, 10th round), Alexandria goaltender Aaron Lenarz (Green Bay, 11th round) and Moorhead defenseman Gunnar Schock (Fargo, 13th round).

Fargo picked UND commit Eli McKamey in the final round. McKamey played for the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League this season. Next season, Penticton is moving to the Western Hockey League.

Victoria holds McKamey’s rights in the WHL and will keep them.

McKamey, of Cowichan Bay, B.C., suffered a lower-body injury in the BCHL playoffs and is currently out of the lineup.

The Phase 2 draft — all eligible players for USHL — started Tuesday morning.

In addition to Lindberg, Warroad defenseman Ryan Lund was selected in the first round. Lund, who played for Austin in the North American Hockey League this season, went No. 6 overall to Tri-City. He is uncommitted.

Former UND center Shane Pinto is headed to the IIHF Men’s World Championship for a second-straight year.

Pinto has joined Team USA for the event, which will be held in Herning, Denmark, and Stockholm, Sweden, from May 9-25.

Last year, Pinto tallied nine points in eight games for USA in Czechia. He was USA’s fourth-leading scorer behind Matt Boldy, Brady Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau.

Pinto scored 21 goals and tallied 37 points in 70 games for the Ottawa Senators this season.

• One of the biggest discussion points at the NCHC meetings was this year’s league tournament, which will be played entirely at home sites for the first time. “We talked significantly about what we need to do in this transition to have the best student-athlete experience and what we need to do to standardize things on campus,” Weems said.
• College hockey coaches showed support to keep the recruiting window the same. Right now, coaches can begin speaking with recruits on Jan. 1 of their sophomore years. They can offer scholarships and obtain commitments beginning Aug. 1 ahead of their junior years.
• Coaches also showed support for the current rule, which allows 19 players to dress per game.
• Sioux City (USHL) forward Tate Pritchard, who recently de-committed from Minnesota State, has announced a commitment to Minnesota on Monday. Pritchard visited UND last week.
• Colorado College assistant coach Andrew Ogilvie has accepted an assistant coaching position at his alma mater, Notre Dame, opening a second assistant position at Colorado College. The Tigers have spoken with longtime Notre Dame assistant Paul Pooley and Michigan Tech assistant Jordy Murray as potential candidates.
• Michigan is widely believed to be the frontrunner for a pair of top Ontario Hockey League players in forward Malcolm Spence and goalie Jack Ivankovic, who starred at the U18s for Canada.

Missouri junior gymnast Amy Wier high-fives teammate Olivia Kelly on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2024, at the Tiger Performance Complex in Columbia, Mo. The Tigers finished the national championship in third place, the best result in program history. (Hannah Henderson/Maneater)

Missouri gymnastics catapulted to a third-place finish at the 2025 NCAA Gymnastics Championship on Saturday, marking its best finish in program history. 

Missouri had a historic performance in the semi-final, edging Florida for a spot in the final. Senior Helen Hu clinched the qualification to the final with a massive 9.9875 beam score, which simultaneously won her the beam title. For the first time in program history, Missouri gymnastics qualified for the Final Four at the National Championship — better known as “Four on the Floor.”

Missouri’s historic finish was highlighted by controversy on balance beam. Junior Amy Wier completed a strong routine, but was initially given a 9.550 due to missing a connection. The routine was followed by a judging conference, forcing Senior Amari Celestine to a lengthy wait to compete. However, Celestine prevailed, earning a 9.8625. Freshman Railey Jackson matched Celestine’s score. It was Hu who once again anchored the rotation, earning a massive 9.9625. Initially, Missouri wrapped up a fourth-place finish, but after the meet, Wier’s routine was evaluated and given a 10.0 start value and a 9.850 total score. This bumped Missouri to third place, earning the Tigers a 197.2500 to Utah’s 197.2375. Oklahoma won the team title, with UCLA following behind. 

 Missouri began its meet on vault. Freshman Kaia Tanskanen took a step on her Tsuk full for a 9.8125, while sophomore Hannah Horton earned a 9.8375 on her Yurchenko 1.5 that she shuffled back on. Senior Jocelyn Moore took a hop forward on her Yurchenko 1.5 for a 9.850 and senior Amari Celestine wrapped the rotation with a solid 9.9 for a 49.200 team score. 

Missouri moved to bars in Rotation 2. Graduate student Kyra Burns brought in a 9.825 for her final career routine, and Moore displayed high-flying releases and a stuck dismount for a 9.850. Celestine stuck her signature “Celestine” dismount one final time to bring in a 9.8625. Graduate student Mara Titarsolej finished her career with a 9.850 for a 49.175 total. 

In the final rotation, Missouri did what Missouri tends to do on the floor: it brought the party to the mat. Tanskanen executed two solid tumbling passes for a 9.8875, setting up the last three athletes perfectly. Celestine performed her energetic floor routine one last time with a 9.9125, while sophomore Kennedy Griffin performed a perfect punch-front-plus-double-tuck combination for a near perfect score of 9.950. Moore anchored the rotation with a 9.9 for a 49.4875 total. 

Missouri completed the 2025 season as a season of firsts. It logged the first score of 198, first qualification to the night session at the SEC Championship, first qualification to the Final Four and first top-three finish at the national championship. If such success continues, the Tigers will bring a heavy head of  momentum from their historic season into 2026. 

Edited by Killian Wright | kwright@themaneater.com

Copyedited by Ava Mohror | amohror@themaneater.com 

Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com