Athlete Spotlight

6 storylines to note ahead of the 2024 college softball season

February 7, 2024 by Tara S

KAITLYN SCHMIDT | NCAA

Opening day for college softball is Thursday, Feb. 8 — here are the hottest topics to gear your attention towards this season.

Jordy Bahl’s impact on Nebraska

The Papillion, Nebraska, native has taken the 450-mile trip north to the Cornhusker State to pitch her junior season close to home. The Most Outstanding Player of the 2023 tournament announced her departure from Oklahoma in mid-June of last year, not even two days after the Sooners held a campus-wide celebration for their most recent title. Jordy Bahl amassed a 44-2 record over 288.2 IP with a 1.00 ERA and 397 strikeouts as led the Sooners to consecutive national championships in her first two seasons there.

In Lincoln, Bahl will join forces with Sarah Harness and Kaylin Kinney in the circle, as well as play alongside superstar shortstop Billie Andrews and utility transfer Peyton Cody. As the lone Big Ten player on the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year preseason watchlist, Bahl is projected to make a tumultuous ripple in the Nebraska softball legacy. She’ll likely be at the plate and playing more defense at Nebraska, and thus, the best of Bahl may still be yet to come.

Texas returns its core

The depth of Texas’ roster cannot be understated. The Longhorns return every core position player except outfielder Alyssa Popelka and 1B/flex player Courtney Day, who transferred to Washington and Ole Miss, respectively. Along with taking on Notre Dame transfer Joley Mitchell (IF), the Longhorns have a highly-touted recruited class to subsidize their already-talented depth chart.

First-year outfielder Kayden Henry will be joining Ashton Maloney and Bella Dayton on the green this season. Notching a .655 batting average in 2022, Henry was named No. 3 overall in Perfect Game’s Top 50 Class of 2023 recruit rankings and No. 5 (tie) in Extra Inning Softball’s 2023 Extra Elite 100. Henry’s speed and savvy base running skills — her most recent season saw 28 hits, 21 runs and 31 stolen bases — will make an early impact on the Texas lineup.

Standing at 6’0″, freshman Teagan Kavan will be a force in the circle, notching 1,444 strikeouts over 772.2 IP and six no-hitters in her previous club career. Along with this addition, Texas’ bullpen is already saturated with talented arms in Estelle Czech, Mac Morgan, Citlaly Gutierrez and Sophia Simpson.

Just two years prior, the Longhorns posted their best post-season finish in the WCWS Championship Series as the 2022 runner-up. Last year, a 9-0 shutout loss in the Knoxville regional booted the Longhorns from last year’s tournament. Thus, this is a team fully capable of making a deep run this season, and with a reliable roster, Texas has major potential this year to make it to OKC.

Can the Pac-12 ride its momentum from 2023?

In its last few months of existence, Pac-12 softball has the opportunity to make a statement in its leave. The conference boasts five teams in the USA Softball preseason poll: No. 3 Stanford, No. 8 UCLA, No. 10 Washington, No. 13 Oregon and No. 16 Utah.

Though it got double-eliminated by Oklahoma in the WCWS, Stanford posted an otherwise stellar postseason run. Despite the loss of pitcher Alana Vawter, the Cardinal will have NiJaree Canady returning as ace after a breakout freshman season. Canady finished with a 17-3 record with seven shutouts, becoming the fifth player in Stanford history to record 200 strikeouts in a single season (218).

Host of the Los Angeles regional in last year’s tournament, 2-seeded UCLA was shockingly eliminated by GCU and Liberty after a 52-7 season. Returning to the diamond with a refreshed pitching staff and reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year Maya Brady (SS), the Bruins are hungrier than ever to return to their former glory — their most recent championship win was in 2019.

Utah made it to the WCWS last season for the first time since 1994, and their 2023 win percentage (.724) was the highest the Utes have posted in nearly 30 years. As for Washington, it’s coming off a 74.6 win percentage year, only dropping three games in Husky Stadium. So, we’ll see how things will shake out during the final year of Pac-12 play.

Arkansas’ highly-touted transfer class

Head coach Courtney Deifel fortified her batting lineup with quite the transfer class, earning an added 7.9 wWAA (Weighted Wins Above Average) according to D1Softball. Nia Carter from Iowa and Bri Ellis from Auburn are the headlining additions, as well as Morgan Leinstock (Southern Miss) and Reis Beuerlein (Mississippi State) for the pitching staff.

NIA CARTER, ARKANAS RAZORBACKS SOFTBALL TRANSFER

A redshirt senior, Carter holds Iowa’s program record for career batting average at .415, and started all 62 games in right field last season. In 2023, she recorded hits in all but 10 of her games played, and recorded a career-high 30 RBIs. A seasoned player, Carter will add experience to the roster as well as versatility in the batting lineup. As for Ellis, she was one of two players for Auburn to start every game during her sophomore campaign and was named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2022. Clocking a .989 fielding percentage at first base and 14 homers last season, she’ll be a crucial add on both sides of the ball for the Tigers.

Reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year Chenise Delce will be assisted in the chalk by Leinstock and Beurelein, whose ERAs were 3.30 and 3.13 last season, respectively.

Alabama without ace Montana Fouts

Following the departure of All-American pitcher Montana Fouts, the Tide will have some soul-searching to do to perfect a pitching staff. A generational talent in Tuscaloosa, Fouts hurled 24 complete games in 2023 and led the nation with 323 strikeouts, notching a 7.88 K/BB ratio. Despite tearing her ACL in the SEC tournament last year, Fouts finished out her senior campaign in the national quarterfinals ranked second in program history in strikeouts (1,181) and third in shutouts (35).

Now faced with a dilemma in the circle, head coach Patrick Murphy will turn to his depth in sluggers to find a good rhythm. The Tide picked up two transfers in Kayla Beaver (Central Arkansas) and Alea Johnson (LSU), whose pitching resumes vary from toughness to versatility. Beaver ignited the most successful season in Central Arkansas’ history in 2023 by logging a 21-8 record with 20 complete games and three shutouts. Johnson earned a 7-1 record with the Tigers, tossing two complete games and a shutout.

The lone freshman pitcher is Jocelyn Briski, hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, and topping her high school’s all-time leaderboard in wins (54), strikeouts (1,009), ERA (0.54), shutouts (30), no-hitters (8) and perfect games (2). Senior Jaala Torrence and redshirt junior Alex Salter will also be in consideration for the starting role. But, as Murphy told D1 Softball in their fall report: “I think it’s going to be a mix and match thing and it’s going to be fun.”

Oklahoma’s historic championship run

There’s really no other way to say it: Oklahoma softball is on a dynastic run. Finishing their 2023 campaign with a stellar 61-1 record — with their only loss coming from a one-run decision against Baylor — the Sooners were dominant in every facet on the diamond. Here are the statistical categories that Oklahoma led the nation in, by the end of last year:

Batting average: .366
ERA: .96
Fielding percentage: .987
Home runs per game: 1.89
On-base percentage: .456
Scoring per game: 8.08 R/G
Shutouts: 35
Slugging percentage: .666

Oklahoma has won the past three national championships, going undefeated in the final series for their last two titles. No school has ever accomplished a four-peat in the history of the sport; UCLA was the only other program to get a three-peat from 1988-1990. Already on a 53-game unbeaten streak, the Sooners are equipped with a loaded transfer class and returners hungry for their last shot at a perfect season; 2024 presents another chance for OU to make history.

Fiona O’Keeffe Reigns Supreme at the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in Historic Debut

February 5, 2024 by Tara S

By: Emilia Benton | Run O

On a hot and humid morning, the 25-year-old former Stanford star set a U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon record of 2:22:10. Emily Sisson and Dakotah Lindwurm went 2-3 to earn the final Olympic berths.

It’s no secret that Saturday’s U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials had one of its most stacked fields in history. In a field full of American legends, past Olympians and emerging stars, there were about a dozen women that made their way into fan and media predictions, with top athletes such as Emily Sisson, Keira D’Amato and Betsy Saina being popular picks as the race got closer.

It’s safe to say not many people had 25-year-old Puma-sponsored athlete Fiona O’Keeffe on their list, mostly because she had never run a marathon before. But it was O’Keeffe, running boldly amid the more experienced runners around her, who took the win in 2:22:10, setting a new U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon record. It’s the first time in history that a woman has won the event in her debut.

New Balance athlete Sisson, 32, the American record-holder in the marathon, took second in 2:22:42 to make her second Olympic team (she placed 10th in the 10,000 meters in Tokyo in 2021), and Dakotah Lindwurm, 28, also a Puma athlete, was third in 2:25:21 after quite the battle for that third Olympic spot. All three will run the marathon in the Paris Olympics on August 11.

A Big Risk with a Big Reward

O’Keeffe, 25, who trains with Puma Elite, a Cary, North Carolina-based team led by former professional athletes Alistair and Amy Cragg, noted that it wasn’t necessarily the plan to have her run her first marathon in such a high-stakes event, but rather just how her training worked out after she debuted in the half marathon only two years ago (which was notable in that her 1:07:32 clocking at the 2022 Houston Half Marathon, was the fastest debut by an American woman at the time.)

O’Keeffe went on to place sixth in the 5,000 meters at the 2022 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships. She missed time in 2023 after ankle surgery to recover from a staph infection, and finally earned her ticket to the U.S. Olympic Trials last December at the Raleigh Half Marathon (1:09:34) just a day before the qualifying deadline.

“[Debuting at the Trials] just naturally made sense in the progression of my training,” O’Keeffe said in the post-race press conference.

The women's field runs down the street at the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon. — About 150 of the best women runners in the country. started the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon on February 3 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo: Joe Hale)

As the front pack that started with about 14 women got smaller as the miles ticked off, Lindwurm was one of the first athletes to take the lead. O’Keeffe, meanwhile, didn’t make a significant move until mile 18, which was also still rather early considering how much distance the women still had left to cover. She eventually put in a 30- to 40-second gap on Sisson after mile 20, never looking back as she grinded to the finish.

“I just really didn’t want to have any regrets today, and I wasn’t sure at that point if it would be a mistake or if it would pay off,” O’Keeffe said. “I just wanted to go for it, see what happens, and trust the training and preparation.”

“Fiona was great, and I just tried to keep my eyes on her, thinking as long as I kept running my pace I could reel her back in and maybe pick it up in the last two miles, but I also just kept telling myself ‘Top three, top three, just make this team,’” Sisson added.

A New Era of American Distance Running

Several athletes had expressed concern about the late-morning start time, which was pushed up to 10 A.M. from an originally planned noon start. While starting line temperatures were mild in the high 50s, it warmed up quickly and clearly took its toll as several top athletes eventually dropped out, including D’Amato, Saina, and 2020 Olympic Trials champion Aliphine Tuliamuk, who had been recovering from a torn hamstring.

Hall, 40, dealt with the simultaneous heartbreak of missing another Olympic team in her eighth overall Trials, but expressed pride in achieving her highest placement with her fifth-place finish (2:26:06) in Orlando. Des Linden, 40, a two-time Olympian running in her fifth U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon, finished 11th in 2:28:04; Stephanie Bruce, 40, competing less than five months after giving birth to a baby girl, finished 101st in 2:47:42. Jenny Simpson, 37, a former world champion in the 1,500 meters, who was competing in her first marathon, was among the top 20 women early but but eventually succumbed to the heat and the pace and stepped off the course after Mile 18.

Emily Sisson, Fiona O'Keeffe, and Dakota Lindwurm stand at the finish of the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon with American flags draped over their shoulders. — Emily Sission (second, 2:22:42), Fiona O’Keeffe (first, 2:22:10), Dakotah Lindwurm (third, 2:25:31) (Photo: Joe Hale)

O’Keeffe noted that although she’s been told as early as when she was in high school that the marathon might be her event, she didn’t really start to believe it until about two years ago, when she began training with her current team. She highlighted her coaches’ experience as being pivotal in her preparation, particularly Amy’s, as she won the 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon in Los Angeles on an equally hot and humid February day.

“It’s been super valuable to have Amy with her personal experience on everything from the little details like decorating bottles to the bigger stuff like race strategy and making a commitment at the point in the race where it does start to hurt,” O’Keeffe said.

Lindwurm’s third-place finish was also a significant breakthrough after running a personal best of 2:24:40 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, which was preceded by a few difficult performances in Boston over the last few years, as well as dropping out at the 2022 New York City Marathon. After initially taking the lead, Lindwurm at one point fell back to seventh place before moving back up to battle for third with Caroline Rotich, the 2015 Boston Marathon champion, in the final miles.

“When it opened up and felt like the team was running away from me, I just reminded myself it wasn’t over, there was a lot of race left,” Lindwurm said. “I’ve done so many marathons that I know not everyone is going to close really hard, so I just held on tight and when I passed those women like Betsy [Saina] and Sara Hall, I reminded myself it wasn’t over.”

Fiona O'Keeffe receives a hug from Dakota Lindwurm. — (Photo: Joe Hale)

2024 Women’s U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon Results

1. Fiona O’Keeffe, Cary, North Carolina, 2:22:10, $80,000*
2. Emily Sisson, Flagstaff, Arizona, 2:22:42, $65,000*
3. Dakotah Lindwurm, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2:25:31, $55,000*
4. Jessica McClain, Phoenix, Arizona, 2:25:46, $9,000
5. Sara Hall, Crested Butte, Colorado, 2:26:06, $9,000
6. Caroline Rotich, Flagstaff, Arizona, 2:26:10, $9,000
7. Makenna Myler, Flagstaff, Arizona, 2:26:14, $9,000
8. Lindsay Flanagan, Boulder, Colorado, 2:26:25, $9,000
9. Emily Durgin, Flagstaff, Arizona, 2:27:56, $9,000
10. Annie Frisbie, Edina, Minnesota, 2:27:56, $7,000
* = Secured 2024 U.S. Olympic Team berth for the marathon in the Paris Olympics

SYDNEY TIEMANN NAMED 2024 USA LACROSSE D-II WOMEN’S PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR

February 5, 2024 by Tara S

By: USA Lacrosse Magazine

A banner 2023 has Tiemann and Maryville positioned for more success.

Maryville attacker Sydney Tiemann is the USA Lacrosse Division II Women’s Preseason Player of the Year, USA Lacrosse Magazine announced Friday. Tiemann also secured Preseason Attacker of the Year honors.

Tiemann buried 115 goals in 2023, a Division II single-season record. She added 156 draw controls, 36 ground balls and 18 caused turnovers on top of her offensive production.

“She was a game changer for us,” Maryville head coach Melissa Gyllenborg said. “She’s a great leader.”

Maryville earned an NCAA tournament berth but fell to UIndy in the first round. With Tiemann back for another season, hopes are high for more.

Continue below to see the three other players with preseason positional recognition.

USA Lacrosse’s 2024 D-II Women’s Preseason All-Americans

PRESEASON ATTACKER OF THE YEAR

Sydney Tiemann, Maryville

Tiemann broke the NCAA Division II single-season record with 115 goals in 2023 and led the nation with 5.75 goals per game. Her monster season included at least three goals in 18 of 20 contests.

PRESEASON MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR

Hannah Stanislawczyk, West Chester

With 210 career goals, including 92 last season, Stanislawczyk has a chance to become only the second player in Division II history to reach 300 goals. She even has an outside chance of breaking the all-time Division II goals record of 310.

PRESEASON DEFENDER OF THE YEAR

Alexandra Quinn, Pace

Quinn was one of the defensive anchors of the 2023 national championship for Pace, ranking among the team leaders with 118 draw controls, 29 caused turnovers and 35 ground balls. She helped the Setters lead the NE10 in scoring defense at 7.91 goals allowed per game.

PRESEASON GOALIE OF THE YEAR

Jessica Gorr, West Chester

Gorr is coming off a stellar 2023 season in which she finished fourth in the nation in boths goals-against average (7.61) and save percentage (.522). She owns a career record of 33-2 as a starter.

Already A State Champion, Arelle Middleton Has Her Sights Set On Paralympic Glory

February 1, 2024 by Tara S

by Lela Moore | usparatf

Arelle Middleton knew her throw of 12.02 meters was good enough for a California state title in the shot put last May.

What the Los Osos High School freshman did not know at the time was that the mark would have won her a gold medal in the women’s F64 classification at the Para track and field world championships later that summer.

Middleton found that out in December when U.S. Paralympics Track & Field named her its High School Female Field Athlete of the Year. The 15-year-old received one of the top honors among 44 athletes who made the U.S. Paralympics Track & Field High School All-American list.

“It was a pretty big deal to me,” Middleton said. “To get recognized for all the work, to see that other people think I’m a good thrower.”

Sandra Van Embricqs, Middleton’s mother, said that the recognition was “totally unexpected” and a “nice surprise” after watching her daughter’s talent for throwing develop over the years.

Van Embricqs, a high school basketball coach and French teacher at Chino High School in California, has always encouraged Middleton to compete in sports.

In 2019 and 2020, Middleton won Southern California sectional matches in wheelchair tennis, and she now competes at a high level in both track and wheelchair basketball.

Currently, Van Embricqs drives Middleton, now a sophomore at Los Osos, an hour each way to wheelchair basketball practice twice a week, before or after school. Van Embricqs said she is relieved now that her daughter can train for track and field at her high school. Middleton did not participate in indoor track this season but is preparing for her outdoor season this spring.

Middleton’s left leg is about six inches shorter than her right, and her left hip is also underdeveloped, because of a congenital femoral deficiency. Officially classified as F44, she would have competed in F64 at the world championships as F44 was not on the program for shot put.

While Middleton has competed in Para track and field meets like the Angel City Games, where she first realized her throwing talents, Van Embriqcs encouraged her to try out for her high school track and field team and to compete against able-bodied athletes in the sport.

“As a mom, as a coach, I’ve just been watching it in awe because I knew what she could do in the Para world,” Van Embriqcs said.

Middleton has participated in Para track and field clinics since age 12 and, more often than not, she wound up at the top of the podium at those competitions.

“But to see her compete against able-bodied people in the way that she has this past year, that’s been pretty amazing,” Van Embriqcs said.

While Middleton thrives in both the discus and the shot out, she prefers the shot put because it requires less footwork, which is more complex for her because of her shorter left leg.

Van Embriqcs termed Middleton’s success in track and field as “icing on the cake” for her daughter.

“Having a disability and always having people look at you as ‘less than’ or ‘less capable than,’ and then to have her beat them out as a freshman, that was amazing,” Van Embriqcs said.

Middleton’s teammates, as well as her high school coaches and athletic director, have embraced her.

“I’m really happy for that, because not everybody has that experience,” Van Embriqcs said.

“The older you get, the less people really care about it,” Middleton added.

Set to graduate in 2026, Middleton aspires to compete in college and beyond in both wheelchair basketball and track and field. Right now, though, she said mostly basketball programs have been approaching her. Some programs will allow her to do both sports, and she believes that the cross-training will benefit her performance in each one.

Before Middleton even considers college offers, there’s a gigantic athletic opportunity in the Paralympic Games Paris 2024 this August. The prospect of competing on the world’s largest stage would be enticing no matter what, but Middleton has family in Europe who would provide a large cheering section for her if she qualified for the Games.

Both mother and daughter are learning the ropes of the Paralympic qualification process as they go.

“There’s a lot to learn,” Van Embriqcs said. “(But) I’m excited for Arelle. Her future looks bright, and I think 2024 is going to be an exciting year.”

Black Female Athletes You Should Be Watching

January 31, 2024 by Tara S

Coco Gauff, A’ja Wilson, and Sha’Carri Richardson are some of the Black women in sports you should be keeping your eye on.

By: Noah A. McGee

The ladies are putting the sports world on notice. They’re here to stay.

With women’s sports continuing to grow it’s only right that we take note of some of the best Black female athletes who are dominating their sports. Coco Guaff just won the US Open, A’Ja Wilson just led the Las Vegas Aces to the best regular season ever and Sha’Carri Richardson just won the 100m at the world track and field championships.

The Black ladies in athletics are here to stay. Here are the ones you should be paying attention to:

Coco Gauff

The youngest lady on this list, Coco Gauff is only 19 years old and is already making waves in professional tennis. She recently won the US Open and has cemented herself as one of the faces of Women’s professional Tennis.

A’Ja Wilson

A’Ja Wilson has succeeded on every level of her basketball career. She was the number one ranked player coming out of high school. While at South Carolina, she was a national champion, NCAA tournament MOP, national player of the year, and a three-time first-team All-American. In 2018, she was drafted first overall in the WNBA draft and has since been named a WNBA champion, two-time MVP, a five-time all-star, a defensive player of the year, and rookie of the year.

This post-season, she’s hoping to lead the Las Vegas Aces to another WNBA championship.

Sha’Carri Richardson

Despite her controversial past, Sha’Carri Richardson has persevered to become one of the best track athletes in the world. A month ago, she the 100m at the world track and field championships in 10.65 seconds—a championship record time.

Jonquel Jones

Breanna Stewart may get all the attention as the best player on the New York Liberty, but Jonquel Jones is no slouch. She’s a four-time WNAB All-Star who won league MVP in 2021. She’s hoping to be apart of the reason the Liberty win a championship in 2023

Angel Reese

Angel Reese is among the most dominant players in the country and this past season was named a first-team All-America, the NCAA tournament most outstanding player (MOP), and an NCAA Champion. LSU legend Shaquille O’Neal named her the greatest athlete the university has ever produced. The only question left is, can Reese lead the Tigers to back-to-back titles?

Flau’jae Johnson

Angel’s teammate, Flau’jae Johnson is not just a talented hooper, she’s also a successful rapper. She went viral last year for a dope freestyle she had on Bars On I-95.

Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka has been a prodigy ever since she stepped on a professional tennis court. Despite being only 25 years old, she’s already won four majors, (two Australian Opens and two US Opens). Although she’s been on maternity leave for the past year, she’s ready to show that she’s still the best in the world.

Azzi Fudd

Azzi Fudd is a young college basketball player who just keeps getting better. Coming out of high school, she was the number one ranked player in the country and opted to go to the most storied women’s basketball program in the country, UCONN. During her freshman year, she helped lead her team to the 2022 Final Four. While the team didn’t make it that far in 2023, she’s hoping to lead a comeback this upcoming season.

Simone Biles

What can Simone Biles not do? She’s the most accomplished professional gymnast in the world. During the 2022 Olympics, she took a stand for athletes with mental health issues after she took a break during the games to focus on herself.

Aaliyah Boston

Following in A’Ja Wilson’s footsteps, Aaliyah Boston was also a star college athlete at the University of South Carolina. Currently, she’s the best player on a young Indiana Fever team and was recently named the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year.

Elaine Thompson-Herah

Usain Bolt ain’t the only successful Jamaican sprinter. The fastest woman in the history of the Olympics, Elaine Thompson-Herah set the Olympic record in the Women’s 100 Meters during the Summer Olympics in 2021. She edged out Florence Griffith Joyner’s long-standing record of 10.62 with a time of 10.61.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

Before Thompson-Herah set the Olympic record in the women’s 100 meters, fellow Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce ran the fastest time in nearly 33 years: 10.63 during an event in June 2021.

Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone

Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone is also a track and field star who is among the fastest in the world. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she won two gold medals, one in the 400-meter hurdles and another in the 4×400-meter relay. She also set the world record in the 400-meter hurdles in 2022, clocking a time of 50.68.

Candace Parker

Candace Parker is a basketball legend who’s been the best at every level of her career. As a rookie in the WNBA, she won the WNBA MVP and the Rookie of the Year award. In 2021, she cemented her status as a Hall of Famer after leading her hometown team, the Chicago Sky, to their first-ever WNBA championship.

Britney Griner

Thankfully, Britney Griner is back home after spending more than 100 days in a Russian prison during most of 2022. People may have forgotten, but Griner is still an imposing physical presence in the WNBA and had an awesome 2023 season despite the Phoenix Mercury struggling as a team. She’s a nine-time all-star and a WNBA champion.

Elana Meyers Taylor

I know some of us don’t pay attention to the Winter Olympics, but you might want to start, in order to watch bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor do her thing. During the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Taylor became the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympics history after taking home her fifth medal.

Erin Jackson

Along with being a brilliant athlete, Erin Jackson also has a degree in Materials Science & Engineering from the University of Florida. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the talented speed skater won gold in the 500 meter.

Claressa Shields

The ladies have hands too. Claressa Shields is one of the best Boxers out there. She won a gold medal at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics and is undefeated as a professional boxer.

Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer makes history as NCAA’s winningest coach

January 25, 2024 by Tara S

By: Yi-Jin Yu | GMA

Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer is officially the winningest coach in NCAA history.

VanDerveer, 70, earned the record Sunday with Stanford’s win against Oregon State. The Stanford Cardinal beat the Beavers 65-56 in a home game at Maples Pavilion.

“Robin, it’s just a little bit surreal to be honest with you,” VanDerveer told “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts on Monday. “You just take each game one at a time and I’ve loved coaching.”

“And you know, this was a really tough game,” VanDerveer continued. “Oregon State’s a great team and we had some players really step up. [Forward] Kiki Iriafen had 36 points. It was an awesome game and I was just really happy for our fans that we could do it at home. It was a full house and it was a great celebration. It was really amazing.”

Following Stanford’s victory, VanDerveer said she was impressed Oregon State also celebrated her achievement.

“I just also want to say that when I went through the line with the Oregon State players, each one of them congratulated me and I just thought that was first class,” VanDerveer said. “It was just an outpouring of love from the fans and it’s a little bit overwhelming. It was just really an awesome day.”

Stanford’s latest triumph brings VanDerveer to 1,203 wins, passing former Duke men’s coach Mike Krzyzewski for the most wins. Krzyzewski said in a statement afterward that VanDerveer was a “true guardian” of basketball.

“This is a tremendous accomplishment for Tara VanDerveer, who is already one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of basketball. This is yet another milestone to add to an amazing legacy,” Krzyzewski said. “More important than all the astounding numbers and career accomplishments, she’s positively impacted countless lives as a coach and a mentor. Tara remains a true guardian of our sport.”

VanDeveer said hearing from other top sports leaders like Krzyzewski has been “really meaningful,” too.

Throughout her four-decade career, VanDerveer has made it to the NCAA tournament 37 times, led her team to three national championships and even coached the USA Basketball National Team to an Olympic gold medal in Atlanta in 1996. But she’s most pleased with the growth of Stanford’s women’s basketball program.

“I’m most proud of the improvement and just the life impact that Stanford basketball has on the women I coach,” VanDerveer said. “I learned so much from the players on our team and to be at Stanford, around such great coaches, a great university and have my assistants that helped me. Basketball is a team sport and obviously I wouldn’t have accomplished this without great assistance and great, great, great players.”

As a coach, VanDerveer said she ultimately wanted to help young players become the “best versions of themselves.”

“I want to take them to a place that they can’t get by themselves,” she said. “I learned this, I think, from my piano teacher, where I was trying to teach myself and that was hopeless but I was making CDs in a year with a great piano teacher and I just want to help our team and each player be the best they can be.”

Shiffrin gets career win 95 in first World Cup slalom

January 23, 2024 by Tara S

JASNA, Slovakia (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin earned her record-extending career win 95 by triumphing in a women’s World Cup slalom Sunday, a day after the American ski star’s main rival sustained a season-ending injury.

In the first race without Olympic slalom champion Petra Vlhova, Shiffrin edged out Croatian teenager Zrinka Ljutic by 0.14 seconds. Sweden’s Anna Swenn Larsson in third and Switzerland’s Camille Rast in fourth were the only other racers to finish within a second of Shiffrin’s time.

“We’re missing somebody really big today, we missed Petra a lot, so it’s wonderful that you stayed,” Shiffrin addressed the Slovakian spectators in a course-side interview.

It was Shiffrin’s fifth slalom win of the season and her 58th in total, a World Cup record for both men and women.

Shiffrin also set a record for most World Cup podiums in a single discipline with 82, having shared the previous best mark with Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark, who had 81 top-three results in slalom in the 1970s and ’80s.

Vlhova crashed and tore ligaments in her right knee in Saturday’s giant slalom near her hometown in the Tatra mountains.

Shiffrin and Vlhova have been dominating women’s slalom skiing for years and combined to win 14 of the last 15 races, including all eight this season, in a series only interrupted by Lena Duerr when the German triumphed at the Czech resort Spindleruv Mlyn a year ago.

“I don’t like it when (Vlhova) beats me but I love this battle. So, I’m wishing her a fast and strong recovery. This is really important for the sport, not just here in Jasna,” Shiffrin said.

“I have been thinking about her a lot the last 24 hours. For me, personally, over these years I have grown to love the battles with her. I think today she would have been so strong. So, I really miss watching her ski today and having that battle.”

Shiffrin built what looked like a comfortable lead of 0.52 seconds over Ljutic in the opening run, but almost came up short in the second.

“It was not easy on the second (run), now I feel the energy has gone,” she said. “I could hear (the fans) cheering for Zrinka, which was actually quite cool from the start to hear this noise. I knew she put down an amazing run and I had to push.”

Shiffrin was just 0.02 seconds ahead at the penultimate checkpoint, but had a strong finish to deny the Croatian her first win.

“I felt a little less on my timing than the first run,” Shiffrin said. “In the end, it was a really nice show because, for me, it was like pushing as hard as I could.”

Ljutic, who turns 20 next Friday, is regarded by many as a potential future star of the sport. Coming runner-up in Sunday’s race marked her career-best World Cup result, after one podium a year ago.

“It feels great, I’m really happy. I’m proud of myself for putting two really good runs and for managing this pressure in the second run,” Ljutic said. “I’m really sorry for Petra, she was skiing so well.”

With Vlhova out of the race, Shiffrin is close to wrapping up her eighth World Cup season title in slalom, leading third-ranked Duerr by 228 points with three events left. With a race win being worth 100 points, Shiffrin can secure the title at the next slalom in Soldeu, Andorra, on Feb. 11.

On Sunday, Duerr was 1.77 seconds off the lead in seventh.

Vlhova became the third former overall champion who had their season end prematurely this month. On the men’s side, Alexis Pinturault and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde underwent surgery for various injuries after they crashed at speed races in Wengen, Switzerland.

NCAA No. 2 Iowa women dominate NAIA No. 1 Life 35-6, shut out Missouri Valley, 42-0 in Iowa Duals

January 23, 2024 by Tara S

by Teagan Schreiber, Iowa Athletics

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The second-ranked University of Iowa women’s wrestling team defeated Missouri Valley College and top-ranked NAIA, Life University in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday afternoon. The Hawkeyes outscored their opponents 77-47 in team points, recording five pins and ten technical falls.

Iowa started its day of competition with a 42-0, win over Missouri Valley College. Emilie Gonzalez, Brianna Gonzalez and Alivia White all notched wins via pin over their opponents in the first period. Ava Bayless, Emily Frost and Lilly Luft recorded, 11-0, tech. falls, while Felicity Taylor, Ella Schmit, and Bella Mir downed their opponents with 10-0 tech. falls.

The Hawkeyes kept the momentum going into final dual of the afternoon, capturing a, 35-6, win against NAIA National Duals Champions, Life University. Sterling Dias started things at 101 with a win over Devyn Gomez via a 10-0 tech. fall. Bayless downed Diana Gonzalez at 109, also earning a quick 10-0 tech. fall. B. Gonzalez worked a pin in 2:07 over Ariana Martinez at 116, followed by Taylor taking the 10-0 tech. fall against Anna Krejsa at 123.

Life got on the board at 130 with Sarah Savidge earning a 11-0 tech. fall over Frost. Luft brought it back with a pin against Zaynah McBryde in 1:42. Reese Larramendy fought all six minutes against Jamilah McBryde, avenging her loss from Soldier Salute, with a 12-4 decision at 143. Marlynne Deede captured the win via decision, 3-1, in her second bout against Latifah McBryde this season at 155. Kylie Welker made quick work at 170 with a 10-0 tech. fall over Margaret Graham in 23 seconds. Jaycee Foeller closed out the day, taking the 2-0 decision over Madeline Welch at 191.

HEAD COACH CLARISSA CHUN

“Since November I feel like there has been a lot of positive feedback on our sport; how exciting it is, or how much action there is. Hosting these duals in Carver has allowed us to expand the circle of women’s wrestling and show the world what these women can do. Our women are strong, powerful, fast, all of the things. We want our fans to continue to show up and we want it to expand beyond Iowa. We are so grateful for the fans that show up and bring that energy to our program because our team feeds off of the energy that they bring.”

NOTABLES

• The Hawkeyes recognized their four seniors today; Allie Baudhuin, Sierra Brown Ton, Marlynne Deede, and Felicity Taylor.

• Iowa’s win against Missouri Valley College was its second shutout of the season (vs. Lindenwood, 43-0, Nov. 12, 2023).

• Hawkeye wrestlers finished the day with a record of 19-1.

• Iowa led with 157 total match points on the day. Life followed with 92, and Missouri Valley in last with 20.

• Iowa had the three fastest tech. falls on the day; Welker (0:23), Schmit (0:30), and Bayless (0:40).

UP NEXT

The Hawkeyes will travel to Fort Wayne, Indiana, next weekend to compete in the Indiana Tech Warrior Duals and Open tournament. Iowa will open competition on Friday against Campbellsville at 2 p.m. CT inside of the Doug Edgar Indoor Track Facility.

NCAA #2 Iowa 42, Missouri Valley College 0

101 — Emilie Gonzalez (I) pinned Sage Beltran (M), 0:57

109 — Ava Bayless (I) tech. fall Hailey Holland (M), 11-0

116 — Brianna Gonzalez (I) pinned Laura Lincoln (M), 1:40

123 — Felicity Taylor (I) tech. fall Ashley Whetzal (M), 10-0

130 — Emily Frost (I) tech. fall Chase Kiel (M), 11-0

136 — Lilly Luft (I) tech. fall Aniseta Acosta (M), 11-0

143 — Ella Schmit (I) tech. fall Willow Barnes (M), 10-0

155 — Bella Mir (I) tech. fall Elia Falcetti (M), 10-0

170 — Haley Ward (I) decision Kelani Corbett (M), 7-0

191 — Alivia White (I) pinned Tylah Allen (M), 1:16

NCAA #2 Iowa 35, NAIA No. 1 Life University 6

101 — Sterling Dias (I) tech. fall Devyn Gomez (L), 10-0

109 — Ava Bayless (I) tech. fall Diana Gonzalez (L), 10-0

116 — Brianna Gonzalez (I) pinned Ariana Martinez (L), 2:07

123 — Felicity Taylor (I) tech. fall Anna Krejsa (L), 10-0

130 — Sarah Savidge (L) tech. fall Emily Frost (I), 11-0

136 — Lilly Luft (I) pinned Zaynah McBryde (L), 1:42

143 — Reese Larramendy (I) decision fall Jamilah McBryde (L), 12-4

155 — Marlynne Deede (I) decision Latifah McBryde (L), 3-1

170 — Kylie Welker (I) tech. fall Margaret Graham (L), 10-0

191 — Jaycee Foeller (I) decision Madeline Welch (L), 2-0

When a world record puts the icing on the cake for gold medal Paralympians

January 16, 2024 by Tara S

The ultimate aim of an elite Para athlete is to become a Paralympic champion, to have that gold medal round the neck as validation of years of sweat and tears competing on the biggest stage.

To stand on the centre of the podium may be a dream come true but why stop there?

Winning is the priority but doing it with a world record time, well, that is just a perfect bonus.

Sports like swimming, athletics, cycling, rowing, often see many world records at the Paralympic Games, rivals pushing each other harder, faster. Barriers are smashed down every edition and that is likely to happen again at Paris 2024.

At Rio 2016 there were 177 events in athletics and 69 world records set.

Four years later, at Tokyo 2020, there were 167 events in athletics and 45 world records claimed.

There were 152 swimming events at Rio and more than 60 world records broken.

At Tokyo 2020 there were 146 swimming events and 70 world records broken. Cycling saw 25 official world records established at the Izu Velodrome. In total, 48 were broken as some were lowered several times over the 51 events.

Rio recap

Gold medalist Anna Stetsenko of Ukraine celebrates on the podium at the medal ceremony for the Women's 100m Backstroke - S13 on day 10 of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games — Anna Stetsenko (Ukraine) won a gold medal and broke an old-standing world record in Rio 2016. @Buda Mendes/Getty Images

Records tend to tumble anyway when it comes to the pool but Rio 2016 proved to be a watershed for some of the oldest records.

Bradley Snyder (USA) and Ukraine’s Anna Stetsenko (UKR) demolished two of the longest-standing marks in the sport.

Snyder broke the 30-year-old world record held by countryman John Morgan in the men’s S11 100m freestyle to take his third Paralympic gold medal in a time of 56.15 seconds.

“It is something that I have been trying very hard to do during the last three years. And to break that record was a remarkable experience,” Snyder said.

We inspire each other to push each other even harder – Bradley Snyder

“I know I will not be the world record holder for long. There are many athletes and we inspire each other to push each other even harder.”

Stetsenko bettered the mark set by Germany’s Yvonne Hopf in the women’s 50m freestyle S13 at Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games, touching in 27.34 seconds, just 0.04 faster.

“I can’t say that I was really surprised because I trained a lot for it. I felt a delight, happiness and lots of positive emotions which overwhelmed me that moment,” Stetsenko said.

As mentioned before, there were 152 swimming events at Rio and more than 60 broken world records.

The dominating star of the Rio Aquatics Centre was China’s Wenpang Huang, who swam world record times in S3 and SB2 events in the 50m freestyle, 50m breaststroke, 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley. Tragically he died in a car accident in 2018.

Durand, the legend

A female Para athlete celebrates after winning her race at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games — Cuban Omara Durand is the fastest female Para athlete in the world and has set several world records. @Alex Pantling/Getty Images

Looking back to the Brazilian edition of the Games, the best was saved to last as the final day of the athletics programme saw seven world records broken.

The headlines belonged to Cuba’s Omara Durand, the sprinter who never stops winning. The fastest female Para athlete on the planet won the 400m T12 to add to her 100m and 200m titles. She did it with her third world record of the Games.

She posted a time of 51.77 seconds knocking over a second off her qualifying run two days earlier. Durand also reduced her own 100m T12 record to 11.40 seconds.

Tokyo 2020 was a great success for the Cuban too and who would bet against the eight-time gold medallist breaking even more records in Paris?

Durand, who originally set her T12 200m world record of 23.03 seconds in Doha in 2015, finally broke it in Japan with a time of 23.02 seconds.

The future is bright

So, what will we see at Paris 2024? More world records, certainly. American runner Nick Mayhugh was a hugely exciting prospect at Tokyo, and he is not afraid to state his aim of more world records having finished with three.

He also won three gold medals from his four events in the T37 class. In the men’s 200m, Mayhugh broke the world record for the second time with his time of 21.91. It was his third world record of Tokyo 2020.

The footballer turned athlete confirmed his spot in the final of the 100m with a world record sprint of 10.97 seconds in the qualifying heats becoming the first T37 runner to beat the 11-second barrier. In the final he lowered his time again, recording 10.95.

“I expected things to happen the way they did in Tokyo. I have worked for it and I had world record times written and taped on my wall,” Mayhugh said after his success.

Power point

Three women posing for photos on the podium with their medals — Folashade Oluwafemiayo (center) won the gold medal and set a world record in the 86 kg category in Para Powerlifting in Tokyo 2020. @Hiroki Nishioka/WPPO

There were 20 Para powerlifting events at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. Nine world records were broken in the Brazilian edition of the Games and just two in the Japanese one. The latter came by the efforts of Guo Lingling and Folashade Oluwafemiayo.

China’s Lingling will be favourite to break a world record or two in Paris, having gone from strength to strength since making her Paralympic Games debut in Tokyo.

She set a world record of 109kg in the 41kg event at Tokyo 2020. Her starting lift was 105kg (a Paralympic record) and she failed once at 108kg before making it. She then succeeded in an extra world record attempt at 109kg.

The other world record holder, in the 86kg category, was Nigeria’s Oluwafemiayo, who beat her own world record twice before using a fourth and final attempt to set a mark of 152kg.

Expect rowing world records

Rowing is likely to produce world records at Paris 2024 after the changes to the rules. Tokyo 2020 was the first time the Para crews raced 2,000m (instead of 1,000m) to put the sport in line with able-bodied world rowing.

The standard is rising very quickly, and world’s best times are being set constantly. It seems inevitable that records will go in the ‘City of Light’.

There are five events scheduled including, for the first time, the PR3 mixed double sculls.

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