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Helen Maroulis makes record third Olympic team

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STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania — Helen Maroulis, the first U.S. female wrestler to win Olympic gold, will this summer become the oldest U.S. woman to wrestle at an Olympics and the first to wrestle at three Games.

Maroulis, 32, headlines the first 13 members of the Olympic wrestling team, decided at trials on Saturday at Penn State University.

She’ll be joined in Paris by veterans, including fellow 2016 Olympic champion Kyle Snyder, and newcomers, including 20-year-old world champion Amit Elor, who was one day too young to compete at the last trials and will become the youngest U.S. Olympic female wrestler in history.

Missing the team: Tokyo Olympic gold medalist David Taylor, who lost to NCAA Wrestler of the Year Aaron Brooks; six-time world champion Adeline Gray, who lost to Kennedy Blades, and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs, who was eliminated on the trials’ first day Friday.

Maroulis swept two-time world medalist Jacarra Winchester in their best-of-three series Saturday to earn the Olympic spot at 57kg.

Maroulis was last beaten for a spot on the national team at the 2012 Olympic Trials. Since, she won four gold, two silver and three bronze medals between the Olympics and world championships, including that breakthrough Olympic title in 2016.

She briefly retired in 2019 due to concussions and post-traumatic stress disorder, then came back to win Olympic bronze in Tokyo and a world medal of every color the last three years.

“I was giving my dad a hard time because, two years ago, he said, ‘Hey, no more medals. Just retire. Get married. Have kids,’” Maroulis said. “I was like, ‘Let me go one more, dad.’”

Leading into these trials, Maroulis said she was in a car accident and dealt with a two-week “deep sickness.”

Snyder, 28, swept Isaac Trumble to make his third Olympic team. Snyder won a 97kg medal at each of the last nine global championships (Olympics/worlds), including becoming the youngest U.S. wrestler to win Olympic gold eight years ago.

“I always say I feel like I’m just getting started,” said Snyder, a former Ohio State Buckeye who has trained at Penn State since 2019. “I don’t even feel like I’ve accomplished anything. I’m hungry and motivated, and I want to keep wrestling, Lord willing, for a long time.”

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Kyle Dake, a four-time world champion, fills the 74kg spot for a second consecutive Games after sweeping fellow Nittany Lion Wrestling Club member Jason Nolf.

Dake’s father, Doug, who introduced him to wrestling and coached him in high school, died last week.

“It’s the first time that I had to do this without him,” Dake said. “I just really miss him and wish he was here. I wanted to do him proud, and it’s hard to find the words to say how much he means to me.”

Like Dake, Sarah Hildebrandt won bronze in Tokyo and is undefeated against Americans since 2017. She made her seventh consecutive Olympic or world team by sweeping 17-year-old Arizona high school senior Audrey Jimenez at 50kg.

Elor succeeds retired Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Tamyra Mensah-Stock as the U.S. rep at 68kg after beating Forrest Molinari. In 2022, Elor became at age 18 the youngest American wrestler to win a world title, then repeated last year, both at 72kg, which is not an Olympic weight. Her last defeat to a countrywoman was at age 11 in 2015.

Brooks, who last month won a fourth consecutive NCAA title for Penn State, became the first American to defeat Taylor since 2017, not counting injury defaults.

Brooks beat Zahid Valencia on Friday at 10:45 p.m., then spent nearly three hours cutting 12 pounds by striding on a treadmill next to UFC fighter, former NCAA champion and coach Bo Nickal, wrestling and spending time in the sauna, went to sleep at 2 a.m., woke up at 6, made weight by 8 and then won his first match over Taylor at 12:45 p.m.

Taylor, his Nittany Lion Wrestling Club teammate, was rested with a bye into the finals as a reigning world medalist.

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Blades, a runner-up to Mensah-Stock at the Tokyo trials at age 17, became the first American to unseat Gray for an Olympic or world team spot since the 2012 London Games. She will become the second-youngest U.S. woman to wrestle at the Olympics after Elor.

“This was, honestly, my goal since I was 7 and we did the calculations, like, OK, I would be old enough (in 2024),” Blades said.

Also Saturday, five wrestlers won weight classes where the U.S. has not yet qualified an Olympic quota spot: Spencer Lee (freestyle 57kg), Zain Retherford (freestyle 65kg), Dalton Roberts (Greco-Roman 60kg), 2012 Olympian Ellis Coleman (Greco-Roman 67kg) and Kamal Bey (Greco-Roman 77kg).

Those five men will clinch Olympic spots if they finish in the top three in their classes at a last-chance international Olympic qualifier in Turkiye in May.

Lindsey Munday Selected as U.S. Women’s Sixes National Team Head Coach

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By Brian Logue | USA Lacrosse

USA Lacrosse has announced that two-time World Cup champion Lindsey Munday has been selected as the U.S. Women’s Sixes National Team head coach. Munday’s appointment will include two international championships – The World Games 2025 in China and the inaugural World Lacrosse Sixes Championship, scheduled for 2026.

Munday, the head women’s lacrosse coach at the University of Southern California, won gold medals with the U.S. at the 2009 and 2013 World Cups, serving as a team captain for the 2013 squad. Munday earned All-World honors at both championships and holds U.S. national team records for assists in tournament (21) and career (35).

“As we look to build our U.S. national team sixes program, Lindsey brings the experience of building a program from scratch at USC,” said USA Lacrosse CEO Marc Riccio. “She carries herself with professionalism and has a great understanding of the international game through her significant contributions to two gold medals.”

“I always knew that I would love the opportunity to coach for Team USA,” Munday said. “To be able to represent your country and play at the highest level is just something that you dream of, so if I had the opportunity to come back as a coach, I knew that’s something that I wanted.”

Munday will coach the new sixes discipline of the sport that will be utilized for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Sixes is a fast-paced version of the sport played on a smaller field (70 x 36 meters), with fewer players (6-v-6), a condensed game length (four 8-minute quarters) and a 30-second shot clock.

“As someone who just loves the sport of lacrosse, I love innovation,” Munday said. “Everyone is still learning, and the game is still growing. I think that is something that drew me to sixes. I’m excited to learn more about the game and to really push sixes forward so that in 2028 the U.S. will be at our very best to compete at the highest level.”

Munday was the first coach in USC history and the program launched with the 2013 season. In just over a decade of leading the Trojans, the program has won four conference championships and qualified for the NCAA tournament six times.

Her 2016 and 2017 teams each reached the NCAA quarterfinal round with her 2016 team winning a school-record 20 games and finishing the year ranked No. 5 in the country. In 2023, the Trojans captured their second Pac-12 championship.

Prior to coming to USC, Munday spent four years as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Northwestern. The Wildcats went 85-4 in her four seasons, winning three consecutive national championships from 2007 to 2009.

As a player, Munday helped Northwestern to its first two national championships in 2005 and 2006, serving as a team captain her senior year. She was a two-time first team All-American and finished her career with 268 career points.

The U.S. has only competed in international competition in sixes on three previous occasions. In 2021, USA Lacrosse hosted a three-team Super Sixes event with Canada and the Haudenosaunee. The U.S. and Canada each went 3-1 at the round-robin event. In 2022, Canada defeated the U.S. 14-12 in the gold medal game at The World Games. Last fall, the U.S. beat Canada 8-7 in the championship game of the Super Sixes event in Canada.

The U.S. Women’s National Team trains and plays using game-changing, high-performance equipment from Cascade Maverik, Gait Lacrosse and STX and best-in-class products from Enovis (sports bracing).

In addition to these partners, Gatorade, MedStar Health and Stryker are official sponsors of the U.S. National Team Program. Team training is also aided by products from Athletic Republic.

Funding for the national teams also comes from generous donors to the USA Lacrosse Foundation. Help support the team.

Acacia Walker-Weinstein Named as U.S. Women’s Senior National Team Head Coach

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By Brian Logue | USA Lacrosse

USA Lacrosse has announced that two-time U.S. gold medalist Acacia Walker-Weinstein has been selected as the U.S. Women’s Senior National Team head coach. Walker-Weinstein’s appointment will run through the 2026 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship, which will be held in Japan.

Walker-Weinsten, the head women’s lacrosse coach at Boston College, was just 14 years old when she was tried out for the 1999 U.S. U19 team. She made the team and helped bring home a world championship from Perth, Australia. In 2009, she played on the U.S. women’s senior team that won the world championship in Prague, Czech Republic.

“Acacia brings a positive energy into every situation and has used that enthusiasm to take the Boston College program to new heights,” said USA Lacrosse CEO Marc Riccio. “From being the youngest player on our 1999 U19 team, to being one of the final cuts from our 2005 senior team to winning gold in 2009, she’s had a long history with our national team program that will help her connect with the players.”

Walker-Weinstein knows the goal is to win a gold medal, but she also wants to make an impact on the sport with the way the U.S. team plays under her leadership, building on the success of the coaches who have come before her.

“I want it to be exciting to watch,” Walker-Weinstein said. “I want the players to feel liberated and free to play with their own personal brand. I want the lacrosse to be exciting to watch. I want it to be difficult for the opponents to stop. I want it to be a product that makes the fans say, ‘That is the way women’s lacrosse should be played.’”

Walker-Weinstein has been the head coach at Boston College since the 2013 season and has transformed the Eagles into one of the nation’s elite programs. Boston College has played in six straight NCAA championship games and won the school’s first national title in 2021.

Walker-Weinstein was the IWLCA National Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2021 and compiled 173 wins in her first 11 seasons, including a school-record 22 in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Three of her Boston College players – Sam Apuzzo, Dempsey Arsenault and Charlotte North – played on the 2022 U.S. women’s team that won the world championship and another, Kristin Igoe, played on the 2013 world championship team.

She first came to Boston College as the associate head coach and in 2011 helped the school reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. Prior to coming to BC, she spent two seasons as the associate head coach at the University of Massachusetts, helping the team win back-to-back Atlantic 10 championships. From 2005 through 2008 she was an assistant coach at Northwestern, helping the school win three national championships.

As a player, Walker-Weinstein was an All-American and captain at the University of Maryland, helping the Terps reach the NCAA tournament all four seasons. She spent a decade, from 2002 through 2012, as a member of the U.S. women’s senior team.

The U.S. women’s senior team has won a record nine world championships, including the four most recent. The U.S. won the inaugural championship in 1982, followed by Australia winning in 1986. The U.S. then won four straight championships before Australia beat the U.S. in the 2005 gold medal game. Walker-Weinstein was on the 2009 U.S. team that started the current string of four straight world titles, including the 2022 event which marked the first time the host nation had won the championship.

The U.S. Women’s National Team trains and plays using game-changing, high-performance equipment from Cascade Maverik, Gait Lacrosse and STX and best-in-class products from Enovis (sports bracing).

In addition to these partners, Gatorade, MedStar Health and Stryker are official sponsors of the U.S. National Team Program. Team training is also aided by products from Athletic Republic.

Funding for the national teams also comes from generous donors to the USA Lacrosse Foundation. Help support the team.

Gymnast Morgan Price becomes first HBCU athlete to win national collegiate title

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By Cara Tabachnick | CBS News

Gymnast Morgan Price became the first athlete from a historically Black college or university team to win a national collegiate championship on Friday.  

The Fisk University student clinched the title with an all-around score of 39.225 – and became “the first USAG Collegiate National Champion from an HBCU! ” said USA Gymnastics. She was among athletes from 12 college teams joining the competition at the USA Gymnastics’ 2024 Women’s Collegiate National Championships in West Chester, Pennsylvania. 

Price joined the first HBCU intercollegiate team at Nashville’s Fisk University in 2023 after graduating from high school. She initially signed onto Arkansas before switching to attend Fisk, ESPN reported, after Coach Corrine Tarver asked her the simple question: “Do you want to make history?”

Since forming, the gymnastics team has garnered high-profile media attention, competed on ESPN and has sold out meets.

“I have learned that it is enjoyable to be around your culture. Since we are the first, we have a lot of eyes on us, and our support system is excellent. Seeing the fans and little girls cheering us on was super fun,” Price said in 2023. 

Her team celebrated her win with a social media post saying, “THE PRICE IS RIGHT. Etch her name in the HISTORY BOOKS.”

Price will compete on Sunday in the Individual Event finals on vault, bars and floor.

South Carolina defeats Iowa 87-75 to win national championship and complete perfect season

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With undefeated South Carolina jolted onto an unfamiliar backfoot, coach Dawn Staley looked toward her bench to remedy an early 11-point deficit to Iowa — more specifically, she looked toward Tessa Johnson.

The freshman guard outshone her six-point scoring average all tournament long and was a revelation in relief for the Gamecocks. With a team-high 19 points and three triples, Johnson led South Carolina to a slim halftime lead and a dominant third quarter, helping the Gamecocks claim their second national title in three years, 87-75, and cap off a perfect season.

The role players were rolling from the opening tip, as Kate Martin and Sydney Affolter gave Iowa a quick 7-0 lead, but Caitlin Clark scored 13 in a row from all over the court. The newly crowned AP Player of the Year drained a pair of 3s, was fouled on two more attempts and converted at the rim to give her Hawkeyes a 20-9 lead by the first media timeout. Clark finished with 30 points (10 of 28 shooting), eight rebounds and five assists in her last college game.

Iowa’s centers Hannah Stuelke and Addison O’Grady admirably limited star Gamecock post Cardoso to just 2 of 6 shooting in the first quarter, but the Brazilian behemoth partnered with Johnson and inevitably found her opening. Johnson — who led the Gamecocks’ 36-0 bench scoring advantage — took up the mantle for South Carolina and its top-ranked defense. The freshman guard poked away a pair of steals, turning each into transition baskets, before Cardoso finished through contact to tie the game at 27.

That top-ranked defense also took exception to Clark’s early mastery, and a savvy defensive play from Raven Johnson dispossessed Clark and gave the Gamecocks an easy two points before halftime.

South Carolina bottled up this late-half momentum for a roaring start out of the locker room. Chloe Kitts ensured her spot on the floor with two straight baskets out of the intermission, and Te-Hina Paopao nailed a pull-up jumper to give her Gamecocks a 55-46 lead and force Iowa coach Lisa Bluder to burn a quick timeout. 

Cardoso also hauled a career-high 17 rebounds, leading an overwhelming South Carolina rebounding effort that started to wear on the Hawkeyes. The Gamecocks enjoyed a 24-11 rebounding advantage in the second half, including six offensive boards, and a plus-6 advantage in second chance points helped South Carolina maintain its lead.

Paopao nailed a 3 to begin the fourth quarter, one of her three long-range bombs Sunday, and a familiarly balanced South Carolina scoring attack — seven Gamecocks made at least three field goals — proved too much for a late Hawkeyes rally. 

Softball and baseball on same day! Woman makes NCAA history

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Melanie Martinez-Lopez | MLB

Jillian Albayati continues to be a pioneer for women in the game of baseball.

On Sunday, she became the second player in collegiate history — and the first in Division II — to play baseball and softball on the same day when she accomplished the feat for Cal State San Marcos.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Cal State San Marcos baseball team was down four pitchers, including three starters, and were considering open tryouts in the middle of chasing the California Collegiate Athletic Association title.

Softball coach Stef Ewing immediately thought of Albayati, a right-handed pitcher for baseball and a third baseman for softball.

The move made sense, given Albayati began to play baseball when she was 3 years old — and she played throughout high school. The All-CIF pitcher from Anaheim went 20-0 with a 1.68 ERA in her high-school career, all while hitting .360.

“I piped up and said, ‘We’ve got Jill on our team, and she played high school baseball,’” Ewing told San Diego Union-Tribune reporter Kirk Kenney. “She pitches and plays third base for the U.S. Women’s National Baseball Team. She can throw.’”

It was not the first time Albayati made a mark on women’s baseball.

She was selected to play in the inaugural Trailblazer Series. It was created in 2017 to provide girls with an opportunity to play baseball with other girls in a highly competitive environment.

The following year, Albayati participated in the 2018 Girls Baseball Breakthrough Series, a program that focuses on developing girls who play baseball.

Now, she has once again made her mark nearly seven years later — this time, just days before the 2024 Trailblazer Series gets underway on Saturday.

When Albayati was offered the opportunity to pitch in a baseball game Sunday for Cal State San Marcos — a first for Division II sports (Christina Elsbury did it last year for Division III Gallaude) — there was no hesitation. According to the Union-Tribune, she threw a bullpen session on Friday to showcase her skills, and soon after, Albayati was added to the roster.

“We’re in a place where we’re pretty banged up on the mound,” Cougars baseball manager Jose Garcia told the newspaper. “It’s not asking her to come in and pitch in high-leverage situations. It’s more to give us a cushion, to eat some innings and help keep everybody as healthy as possible.”

Albayati’s complete game

When Sunday came around, the 5-foot-6 Albayati was ready to pitch in.

First came the softball game against Cal State Monterey Bay. After celebrating her teammate’s walk-off grand slam in a dramatic 4-3 win, the sophomore switched out of her softball jersey and sprinted over to the nearby baseball field. She was called in from the bullpen two batters into the ninth inning.

Albayati was not intimidated by the seven batters she faced. She allowed two runs (one earned) off three hits and one walk to close out the inning.

She then returned to the softball field after her collegiate baseball debut for the second game of a doubleheader. She went 2-for-6 in the softball team’s 4-2 victory to help the club complete the sweep — before once again returning to the baseball dugout to end her day.

“It’s just amazing,” Albayati said to Kenney. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be able to do that.”

Albayati hopes to be able to continue playing both sports, but she told Ewing her priority is softball.

“But I know her love is baseball,” Ewing said. “I thought we made a kid’s career in more ways than you can imagine by having her go out there. … We made her dream come true today.”

With both teams on the road an hour away for the next series, there is a chance she may travel with the baseball team while the injured pitchers continue to recover.

The newspaper also reported that Albayati was invited to pitch for the Savannah Bananas over the summer.

USA Today names Iowa women’s wrestling head coach Clarissa Chun Woman of the Year

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By: Kenna Roering | The Daily Iowan

Hawkeye women’s wrestling head coach Clarissa Chun has been named USA Today’s Woman of the Year honoree for the state of Iowa.

This award is presented annually to 12 national recipients and one honoree per state who “use their voices and determination to push for change and equality, and even joy.”

Chun, a two-time Olympian, is the first head coach in Iowa women’s wrestling history. In their inaugural season, the Hawkeyes won the National Duals title and qualified 15 wrestlers for the national championships coming up on March 8-9. Chun served as an assistant coach on the women’s national team from 2017-21, helping the United States earn 17 World medals.

This year’s honorees include gymnast Aly Raisman, a six-time Olympic medalist, director and actress Eva Longoria, and mental health first responder Cheryl Jacobs.

Previous collegiate head coach recipients include Oklahoma softball’s Patty Gasso, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley, and Stanford women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer.

“They are our neighbors and role models. They use their voices for others, many overcoming immense challenges, to make change happen,” USA Today wrote in a release. “Simply put, they make us want to do better.”

Jenny Cavnar Makes MLB History as A’s Lead Play-by-Play Announcer with Dallas Braden

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By BVM Sportsdesk

Jenny Cavnar is set to make history as the first woman to serve as a Major League Baseball team’s primary play-by-play voice, appointed by the A’s. Her groundbreaking journey is a tribute to predecessors like Suzyn Waldman and Melanie Newman. Cavnar acknowledges the support of decision-makers like Alison Vigil and Devon Fox, leading to her current role alongside former A’s pitcher Dallas Braden. Despite the pressure, Cavnar is ready for the challenge, drawing inspiration from her broadcasting experience and the advice to “do the work” and “be you.” This opportunity symbolizes progress for women in sports and aims to normalize such hires beyond headline status, creating equal opportunities for all aspiring broadcasters.

The Big Picture

Cavnar’s appointment reflects a significant milestone in gender diversity in sports broadcasting, paving the way for more inclusive opportunities in the industry.

By the Numbers

  • Jenny Cavnar is the first woman to serve as a Major League Baseball team’s primary play-by-play voice.
  • She has over 18 seasons of experience as a broadcaster in Major League Baseball.

State of Play

  • Jenny Cavnar appointed as the A’s lead play-by-play announcer, marking a historic moment for women in sports broadcasting.
  • Her partnership with former A’s pitcher Dallas Braden adds a personal touch to the new role.
  • The appointment underscores progress towards gender equality in sports commentary and sets a precedent for future hires.

What’s Next

Cavnar’s achievement opens doors for more gender diversity in sports broadcasting, aiming to make such appointments a norm rather than an exception, fostering equal opportunities for all aspiring broadcasters.

Bottom Line

Jenny Cavnar’s groundbreaking role as the A’s lead play-by-play announcer signifies a crucial step towards gender equality in sports broadcasting, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and equal opportunities for all in the industry.

NELLY KORDA BECOMES FIRST LPGA PRO TO WIN THREE TITLES IN A ROW SINCE 2016

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By: Andy Roberts | Golf Magic

NELLY KORDA BECOMES FIRST LPGA PRO TO WIN THREE TITLES IN A ROW SINCE 2016

World No.1 Nelly Korda continues her golden run with three straight wins on the LPGA Tour. 

Nelly Korda becomes first LPGA pro to win three titles in a row since 2016

Nelly Korda has become the first player since Ariya Jutanugarn in 2016 to win three straight titles on the LPGA Tour following victory at the Ford Championship.

Korda, 25, closed with a flawless 7-under 65 to finish the week on 20-under par and two strokes clear of Hira Naveed.

It marked her 11th win on the LPGA Tour. 

The win also makes it a consecutive hat-trick for Korda having also won the LPGA Drive On Championship on 28 January and the Fir Hills Seri Park Championship on 24 March. 

“To win three in a row is just a dream come true,” said Korda.

That matches a feat last set by Jutanugarn who won three straight events on the LPGA Tour in 2016.

Jutanugarn won the Yokohama Tire LPGA Clasic, Kingsmill Championship and LPGA Volvik Championship that season. 

Prior to that, Inbee Park achieved the feat in 2013 and so did Lorena Ochoa in 2008. 

Korda will need to keep her foot on the gas to achieve the outright LPGA Tour record of consecutive wins as the current record is five. 

That was set by Nancy Lopez in 1978 and Annika Sorenstam in 2005. 

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