Jim Powers – Coordinator of Athletic Communications
St. Louis – For the second consecutive day, Alyssa Callans tossed a no-hitter to lead the Maryville softball team to a 5-0 win over Wisconsin-Parkside Sunday afternoon at the Maryville Athletic Complex. Callans was perfect on the day in striking out 14 Rangers and not allowing any Parkside base runners to help the Saints win the weekend three-game series.
[Read more…] about Callans Tosses a Perfect Game to Defeat Parkside 5-0By: Arielle Orsuto
Emily Zaler became the first-ever full-time female coach with the Denver Broncos in 2020 when she was promoted from the NFL Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.
DENVER — The faces in the NFL are starting to look a bit different, and that’s a good thing. Eight women were hired as full-time coaches this season throughout the league.
[Read more…] about Broncos’ First-Ever Female Coach Advocates for More Girls Footballby: Brandi West
Speedo, the world’s leading swimwear brand, has today announced the signing of British Paralympic swimmer Alice Tai MBE.
Tai, who competes in the SB8, SM8 and S8 categories, is a champion at Paralympic, World, European and Commonwealth level and will look to add to her already stellar career at this summer’s Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
[Read more…] about Paralympic Superstar Alice Tai Signs With SpeedoJim Powers – Coordinator of Athletic Communications
Maryville University senior Alyssa Callans was selected as the Great Lakes Valley Conference Softball Pitcher of the Week for the period ending March 7, 2021.
[Read more…] about Callans Named GLVC Softball Pitcher of the WeekJim Powers – Coordinator of Athletic Communications
Louisville, Ky. – Maryville University graduate student pitcher Alyssa Callans was named the Wilson/National Fastpitch Coaches Association National Division II Pitcher of the Week for the period ending March 7, 2021. She becomes the first player in program history to earn the national weekly award from the coaching group.
[Read more…] about Callans Claims Wilson/NFCA Division II Softball Pitcher of the Week AwardBy: Augustana Athletics
By Sydney Umeri
We had not seen a dunk in women’s college basketball since Brittany Griner did it in 2013, but Francesca Belibi has already dunked twice in the 2020-2021 season. The 6’1 sophomore forward for the Stanford Cardinal can truly throw it down, and she’s quickly becoming one of the most exciting players in the country.
[Read more…] about Fran Belibi is Changing How Women’s College Ball Does DunkingClayton Ridge certainly made its mark at the girls state wrestling tournament. Samantha Spielbauer pinned her way through the 160-pound bracket at the third annual Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association’s unofficial girls state tournament, winning the Eagles’ first-ever state wrestling championship on Saturday at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa.
By NJCAA | Dec. 30, 2020
Charlotte, NC - During the December NJCAA Board of Regents meeting, the board considered increasing the association’s sports offerings following a survey to membership to gauge interest. Following the Board of Regents’ vote, the NJCAA will formally recognize competitive cheer (coed), clay target shooting (coed), men’s volleyball, and women’s wrestling as emerging sports within the association.
“The NJCAA is excited to offer competitive cheer, clay target shooting, men’s volleyball, and women’s wrestling as emerging sports,” stated Dr. Christopher Parker, NJCAA President & CEO. “Athletics is a vital driver of enrollment for many NJCAA member colleges. The addition of these four sports will also provide a pathway to increase opportunities for student-athletes around the country.”
Each of the new emerging sports have garnered interest amongst NJCAA member colleges as club sports in recent years. Survey results from NJCAA membership showed an interest from membership in declaring for each of the sports, with enough programs planning to begin programs over the next three years to sustain sponsored sport status. Programs will be permitted to field teams beginning in the fall of 2021 under the recognized emerging sport distinction. There will not be an NJCAA championship opportunity during the 2021-22 academic year, however, teams will have the opportunity to participate in various season-ending events, whether through the sport’s national governing body or another organization. The timeline to begin NJCAA championships will vary based on sport, depending on participation.
The NJCAA will form sport committees for competitive cheer, clay target shooting, men’s volleyball, and women’s wrestling in preparation for the 2021-22 academic year. These committees will be tasked with navigating all areas of strategic planning for the emerging sports including trends in sponsorship, commitment periods, sports procedures, and recommended timelines.
The adoption of the four emerging sports follows the NJCAA’s addition of beach volleyball in April 2018. Prior to beach volleyball, the association last added half marathon and women’s lacrosse in 2003-04. The NJCAA currently sponsors 28 sports across three divisions with 52 national championship events.
