• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

American Gold Sports Alliance

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Media
    • Featured News
    • Diversity and Inclusion Committee
    • Youth Advisory Committee
    • Wrestling for Gold Initiative
  • Try Cricket
  • Athlete of the Month
  • Camps
  • Join Our Team
    • Richard Montgomery Wrestling
    • Richard Montgomery Girls Lacrosse
  • Donate
  • Contact Us

Featured News

ORTEGA WINS HONDA AWARD FOR LACROSSE

June 21, 2022 by Tara S

Ortega-honda-award

Jamie Ortega, a senior attacker from the University of North Carolina, was named the Honda Sport Award winner for Lacrosse as announced today by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA).

Ortega is just the second Tar Heel to win the Honda Award, joining Kara Cannizzaro (2013).

The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 46 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”.  The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2022 Honda Cup, which will be presented on a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on June 27th.

Ortega was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Ally Mastroianni (North Carolina), Charlotte North (Boston College) and Emily Sterling (Maryland).

“I am honored to have been chosen for this year’s Honda Sports Award for Lacrosse,” Ortega said. “To be selected from this amazing group of finalists is truly gratifying. I am part of an incredible team sport and receive this along with the teammates who I’ve shared my accomplishments with, and I am both humbled and grateful to have been chosen.”

Ortega was named the ACC Attacker of the Year for the second straight year and is a two-time Tewaaraton Award finalist. Hailing from Centereach, N.Y., she is a four-time First Team All-American and the first five-time All-American in UNC history after earning Third Team honors as a freshman.

She led North Carolina to four trips to the NCAA Final Four and the 2022 national title. In the conference postseason, she set ACC Tournament records with nine points and five assists against Boston College.

The attacker is UNC’s leader in goals (69), assists (44) and points (113) on the season and her points and assists ranked sixth and seventh nationally. Overall, she finished her career first in ACC history and second in NCAA history with 466 career points. Her 334 career goals are third in the NCAA history and second in ACC annals. The senior closed her career as UNC’s career leader in goals and points and is second in school history in assists.

“We are so grateful that Jamie is being recognized with the prestigious Honda Award,” said head coach Jenny Levy. “We cannot think of a more deserving student-athlete. Throughout her time in Chapel Hill, Jamie excelled at the highest level and continued to grow as a player and teammate. A consummate winner, her consistency of excellence during her collegiate career and the impact she had on our program is unparalleled.”

“As a co-captain of our 2022 team, Jamie’s leadership, hard work and dominant performances were keys to our undefeated, national championship season,” continued Levy. “Simply put, she is a champion who represents the University of North Carolina and the sport of lacrosse in a first class manner.”

The CWSA, entering its 46th year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service.  Since commencing its partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs.  

Filed Under: AOTM, Athlete Spotlight, Lacrosse, Women's Sports Tagged With: Jamie Ortega

April 25, 2022 by Tara S

Angela Eiter is the first woman to climb one of the world’s hardest routes

Austrian climber Angela Eiten had a pretty good weekend.

On Sunday, the 31-year-old became the first woman to send a 5.15b grade. She bested the La Planta de Shiva climb, which is located in Villanueva Del Rosario, Andalucia, Spain. Before her historic climb, the route had only been finished by men — and only a handful of them at that.

Eiten was obviously stoked and took to her Instagram, saying it was “One of the most memorable days of my life.” 

“One of the most memorable days of my life. Planta de Shiva 9b ✅ … I still can’t believe it. A dream came true! 😆😛😃👻🙈 #verleihtflügel #jedentagtirol @team_edelrid @lasportivagram #9b 📸 Redbull Contentpool/ E.Holzknecht”

The site 8a.nu notes that Eiten had been training for this specific route. She had been sending similar climbs, including a 5.14b at La Planta de Shiva just two years ago, all leading up to Sunday’s historic moment.

“One of my hardest so far, pure endurance climbing with few rests, continuously hard with minimum of rests,” she told the site.

Angela eiter is the first woman to climb one of the worlds hardest routes

https://agsa.org/2022/04/4255/

Filed Under: Athlete Spotlight, Women in Sports, Women's Sports

USA CRICKET WINS 100% CRICKET FEMALE CRICKET INITIATIVE AWARD IN ICC DEVELOPMENT AWARDS

April 20, 2022 by Tara S

By: USA Cricket

USA Cricket have been awarded as winners of the ICC Development Award for 2021 in the 100% Cricket Female Cricket Initiative of the Year for the ICC Americas region. The award was given for the fantastic development of the new Women and Girls Pathway that was launched in May 2021 and tied in to the subsequently launched plan to Shape the Future for Women and Girls in American Cricket during 2021-2023.

The ICC Development Awards 2021 reflect these achievements and show how Associate Members keep empowering individuals and reaching out to communities, we celebrate these stories this International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. The regional winners will now be put forward as the nominees for the global awards to be decided in the coming weeks.

[Read more…] about USA CRICKET WINS 100% CRICKET FEMALE CRICKET INITIATIVE AWARD IN ICC DEVELOPMENT AWARDS

Filed Under: Cricket, Women's Sports

Giants’ Alyssa Nakken becomes first woman to coach on field in regular-season MLB game

April 14, 2022 by Tara S

Alyssa-Nakken-Coach

Nakken stepped in for the ejected first-base coach Tuesday vs. Padres

by: Dayn Perry | CBS Sports

In the third inning of Tuesday night’s game between the Padres and Giants (SD-SF GameTracker), San Francisco’s Alyssa Nakken made MLB history when she stepped in to the fill the role of first-base coach.

Richardson was ejected in the top of the third by first-base umpire Greg Gibson while apparently instructing the defense. As for Nakken, here she is fulfilling some of the usual duties of the first-base coach.

Nakken, 31, has been a part of the Giants organization since 2014, when she started as an intern in baseball operations. She now serves as a major league assistant coach on manager Gabe Kapler’s staff. In the past, she’s worked on outfield and base-running instruction, and in January of 2020, she became the first woman to hold a full-time coaching position in MLB. 

“I feel it’s my job to honor those who have helped me get to where I am,” she told MLB.com not long after ascending to that position. “Coaching, I never saw it. This job has kind of been hidden for so long. I’m so excited to be in this role for the challenge and the opportunity to make an impact for this organization that I love. But also, I’m excited that now girls can see there is a job on the field in baseball. It’s really cool.”

Nakken previously coached first base during a “summer camp” exhibition game in July of 2020, but Tuesday marked the first time a woman has coached on the field in a regular-season game. 

Filed Under: baseball, Women in Sports

100% Cricket Female Cricket Initiative and Associate Women’s Performance of the Year

April 7, 2022 by Tara S

ICC Associate Members have continued to find ways to innovate, engage and inspire over the past year in the most difficult of circumstances amid the covid pandemic, but cricketing nations have used a combination of determination and creative thinking to overcome any obstacles in their way.

ICC Development Award – Part I: Development initiative and Associate Men’s performance of the year

ICC Development Awards – Part II: Fan engagement and Cricket 4 Good Social Impact Initiative of the Year

From developing the motor skills of children to making cricket more accessible, initiatives in the Associate nations continue to ensure the game is spread far and wide with a marked increase in participation.

The ICC Development Awards 2021 reflect these achievements and show how Associate Members keep empowering individuals and reaching out to communities, we celebrate these stories this International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. The regional winners will now be put forward as the nominees for the global awards to be decided in the coming weeks.

[Read more…] about 100% Cricket Female Cricket Initiative and Associate Women’s Performance of the Year

Filed Under: Cricket, Women's Sports

Oksana Masters breaks U.S. record for most Winter Paralympic Medals

March 17, 2022 by Tara S

by: Olympic Talk

Oksana Masters broke the U.S. records for career Winter Paralympic medals and for most medals at a single Winter Games by making the podium in all seven of her events in China.

Masters, 32, finished her slate with gold in the mixed-gender cross-country skiing relay on Sunday, the ninth and final day of competition. Masters led off the U.S. quartet and was followed by Sydney Peterson, Dan Cnossen and Jake Adicoff.

She finished with one gold and three silvers in cross-country skiing and two golds and one silver in biathlon. That upped her career Winter Paralympic medal tally to 14, one more than Alpine skiers Sarah Billmeier and Sarah Will, who competed from 1992-2002.

Masters owns 17 medals among four sports between the Summer and Winter Games when including her rowing bronze from 2012 and two cycling golds last summer.

The U.S. Paralympians with the most medals come from the Summer Games, led by swimmers Trischa Zorn (46 medals) and Jessica Long (29).

The overall Winter Games medal record is held by Norwegian Ragnhild Myklebust, who won 27 medals, including 22 golds, in biathlon, cross-country skiing and ice sledge speed racing, which is no longer on the Paralympic program.

Filed Under: Athlete Spotlight, Paralympics

KENDALL GRETSCH, OKSANA MASTERS WIN GOLD, SILVER FOR BACK-TO-BACK PARA BIATHLON PODIUM FINISHES

March 17, 2022 by Tara S

Kendall Gretsch

By Katie Grunik | TEam usa

ZHANGJIAKOU, China –  Kendall Gretsch became a Paralympic champion again after finishing 1-2 with teammate Oksana Masters in Para biathlon women’s middle-distance sitting on Tuesday at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Center.  

Kendall Gretsch won gold after finishing in 33:12.3. She entered the race as the current world champion and improved on her fourth-place finish from the Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.  

“I’m really excited with today’s race,” Gretsch said. “I had a good day on skis, and I’m happy with our performance. Hopefully, we can build on that for the rest of the races too.” 

U.S. teammate Oksana Masters won silver in 33:21.0, and Germany’s Anja Wicker took bronze in 35:45.3. Team USA’s Lera Doederlein finished ninth.  

“It’s going to be an incredible podium,” Masters said. “I’ve got my teammate Kendall on top and an incredible athlete, Anja Wicker. She’s been my influence in biathlon. … She’s who I embody, she’s the queen of biathlon. I’m so happy to share this with Team USA and Germany on the podium.”  
 
On a sunny day with the most favorable racing conditions of the Games so far, Gretsch took control of the 2.5-kilometer race around the halfway point. The now four-time Paralympic gold medalist made up time in the race thanks to her quick and accurate shooting. She only missed one shot out of the four shooting passes.  

“I really wanted to shoot or hit as many as I could because the races have been tight so every shot counts,” Gretsch said.  

Shooting proved to be a key element of the race for both Team USA athletes on the podium. Masters, who also won her second-straight biathlon medal at the Beijing Winter Paralympics, shot clean across all four shooting passes.  

“I know my teammate, Kendall Gretsch, is an incredible shooter. She’s a fast shooter, and in the past, I’ve tried to keep up with that,” Masters said. “… This is my second consecutive biathlon medal that I’d shot clean for, which I don’t normally do. I’m so proud of myself.” 

The U.S. Para Nordic team has seen the most success at the Paralympic Games so far, boasting seven total medals, thanks in part to Gretsch and Masters. The duo accounts for half of Team USA’s 10 total medals as of Tuesday afternoon, and the only two American gold medals so far.  

Despite their continued success, both women remained humble and thankful to their support systems, who have been there for them at both the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games over the last six months.  

“We have such a strong program and great support from our team,” Gretsch said. “… Back home I have a ton of family and friends that are supporting me. It’s so great knowing that they’re supporting me while they’re there and watching and cheering me on.”  

Dan Cnossen competes in the Para Biathlon Men’s Middle Distance Sitting at the Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on March 8, 2022 in Zhangjiakou, China.In men’s Para biathlon middle-distance sitting, Team USA’s Dan Cnossen and Aaron Pike finished 12th and 15th r, respectively. Cnossen, the silver medalist from PyeongChang 2018, said it was tough day of shooting for the American men.  

Both Cnossen and Gretsch have pointed to the altitude as a difficult component in both the cross- country and biathlon races.  

“I’ve just been struggling a little bit with the altitude and the dry air,” Gretsch said. “It just feels like it’s your heart rate is skyrocketing, and you can’t take a deep breath. Today, it felt a little bit better so maybe just more time here helped.” 

First-time Paralympian Dani Aravich represented Team USA in women’s middle- distance standing classification, placing 11th with eight total missed shots. Men’s standing athletes Ruslan Reiter, a two-time Paralympian, and Drew Shea, a 24-year- old first-time Paralympian, placed 12th and 13th r, respectively.  

Several of Tuesday’s competitors will take the snow again on Wednesday to compete in the Para cross-country sprint races. 

Want to follow Team USA athletes during the Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022? Visit www.teamusa.org/beijing-2022-paralympic-games to view the competition schedule, medal table and results.

Filed Under: AOTM, Athlete Spotlight, Paralympics Tagged With: Kendall Gretsch

Kendall Gretsch

March 17, 2022 by Tara S

Kendall Gretsch

 United States of America Nordic Skiing | Athletics | Swimming

a female Para Nordic skier in the snow

Kendall Gretsch

 United States of AmericaNordic Skiing | Athletics | Swimming2

Having only taken up Nordic skiing in 2016, Kendall Gretsch won two golds in women’s biathlon sprint and cross-country long distance sitting at her maiden Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, in 2018.

She also became the first female athlete representing the USA to win a gold medal in biathlon.

“Going into the Games I was just hoping to maybe win a medal, so to win two golds was incredible. I still feel pretty new to the sport so I’m trying to take all races as learning experiences. There’s a lot you can learn by practising and training but on some level, you just have to get into races and do them to get better.”

Gretsch works as technical support for a company that provides health care software to hospitals and other medical facilities.

BIOGRAPHY

Impairment information

Origin of Impairment Congenital 

Further personal information

Residence Colorado Springs, CO, USAOccupation AthleteLanguages EnglishHigher education Biomedical Science – Washington University in St. Louis: United States 

Sport specific information

When and where did you begin this sport? She took up Para triathlon in 2012 in Chicago, IL, United States of America. She first tried Para Nordic skiing in 2016 at the Central Cross Country Ski Association in Madison, WI, United States of America.Why this sport? “[Para Nordic skiing] was good cross-training for Para triathlon.”Name of coach Gary Colliander [biathlon, national]; Derick Williamson [triathlon, national]Training Regime “There is a lot of cross-over between the two sports [Nordic skiing and triathlon] that I do. Cross-country skiing, biathlon and triathlon are all endurance sports, so between the seasons I do a lot of endurance fitness and cardiovascular fitness. I focus on building sport-specific endurance in between the two seasons. I like to train outside, so doing a winter sport is beneficial for me mentally.” 

International debut

Year 2017 [Para Nordic skiing]Competing for United States 

General interest

Memorable sporting achievement Winning two gold medals in Nordic skiing at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, and a gold medal in triathlon at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (teamusa.org, 28 Aug 2021)Hero / Idol US Para cross-country skier, rower and cyclist Oksana Masters. (Athlete, 29 Mar 2018)Awards and honours In 2015 and 2018 she was shortlisted in the Best Female Athlete with Disability category at the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly [ESPY] Awards in the United States of America. (fasterskier.com, 11 Sep 2018; paralympic.org, 22 Jun 2018)

She was named the 2014 Female Para Triathlete of the Year by USA Triathlon. (fasterskier.com, 11 Sep 2018)Other sports She won a gold medal in biathlon and another gold in cross-country skiing at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, while she also won gold in triathlon at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (olympics.nbcsports.com, 28 Aug 2021; SportsDeskOnline, 07 Jan 2019; wts.triathlon.org, 25 Jun 2017; tri.com, 03 Mar 2015)Milestones She became the first female athlete representing the United States of America to win a gold medal in biathlon at the Paralympic Winter Games by claiming victory in the 6km sitting event at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang. (SportsDeskOnline, 05 Dec 2018; pyeongchang2018.com, 10 Mar 2018)Ambitions To compete at the 2022 and 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, and at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (paralympic.org, 05 Feb 2022)Impairment She was born with spina bifida and as a result her leg muscles did not fully develop. “In my case I basically just had a bunch of extra scar tissue around my spinal cord. When I was first born I had some surgeries and they take out all that extra scar tissue, but as a result those nerves are kind of damaged or just don’t work as well. It impacts mainly my lower half, no function for some of my lower leg muscles or very limited.” (World Triathlon YouTube channel, 25 Aug 2021; fasterskier.com, 23 Oct 2019; triathlon.org, 20 Nov 2015)Other information MULTI-SPORT ATHLETE
She started looking for a new sport after discovering that her triathlon category would not be part of the programme at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She took up Para Nordic skiing during the 2015/16 season, and went on to win gold in both biathlon and cross-country skiing at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. “I wanted to find another sport where I would have the chance to go to the Paralympics. I think this one [skiing] has been the tougher sport for me to pick up. I think triathlon came a little bit more naturally to me. It’s a tough sport and I loved it just being outside and being able to ski. I think that’s one thing that I like between the two sports is that you are travelling around the world and you get to race in beautiful venues. When I got the news that Tokyo [2020] would be postponed, and Tokyo and the Beijing 2022 Winter Games would be extremely close together – six months apart – that was terrifying. In my mind, I was going to have a much different lead-up to Beijing, but now [speaking in 2021] looking back, it is comforting. Transitioning between two seasons has been something I have done for the past five years, and I know how to manage that transition well with my coaches and other members of my team that I’ve worked with for so long.” (teamusa.org, 09 Jul 2021; paralympic.org, 07 Feb 2019, 13 Jul 2018)

TRIATHLON
She was the first triathlete to win gold in the women’s wheelchair category at the Paralympic Games when the event made its debut at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. “I got my start in Para triathlon after my sophomore year of college. I stopped doing sports when I went to college. I swam all through high school and then I took a little break from exercising at all. I wanted to get back to sports. I went to a swim practice, and the person that was leading the swim practice said, ‘Hey, we have track practice after this’. At that point, I had not done any adaptive sport, just swam with my high school team, so I didn’t know that much about it. She then said, ‘You can come race in your wheelchair, we started a Para triathlon club and we have practice on these days’. This was the Dare2tri Para triathlon club based out of Chicago, and that’s how I got started in the sport. I was not so sure where I was going to be with triathlon after Tokyo. I think at this point, I still love the training so much and can’t see myself stopping after Tokyo. The plan is to keep training and competing in triathlon while I still love it. If that ever changes, then maybe it’s a decision of not continuing. I do not want to commit myself to saying I am going to Paris 2024 or any specific year – but as long as I am loving the training and racing, I will keep going.” (teamusa.org, 09 Jul 2021, 28 Aug 2021; triathlete.com 28 Aug 2021)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She has worked as a technical support agent for a company that provides healthcare software to hospitals and other medical facilities. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Jan 2020; teamusa.org, 24 Aug 2018)

Filed Under: AOTM, Athlete Spotlight, Paralympics Tagged With: Kendall Gretsch

Kendall Gretsch Wins Biathlon Gold 6 Months After First-Place Paralympic Triathlon Finish

March 15, 2022 by Tara S

By Christa Sgobba, C.P.T.

Team USA finished strong on the podium for the women’s 10K sitting biathlon event on March 8, sending two athletes to the top positions. Kendall Gretsch and Oksana Masters took gold and silver, respectively, in the event, just over six months after they both earned gold medals at the Summer Games in Tokyo.

Gretsch—who earned triathlon gold in Tokyo—finished first with a time of 33:12.3, just ahead of Masters, who clinched her first Summer Games golds in cycling in Tokyo. Germany’s Anja Wicker took home the bronze.

“I haven’t really been feeling that confident skiing the past couple of races, so I didn’t really know what to expect today, but I felt really good all the way through,” Gretsch told NBC after the race. “I’ve skied so many times with Oksana and I know she can really turn it on in the last lap, so you just have to push every second.”

For Masters, her second-place finish was a redemption of sorts, since she had to drop out of the same race in Pyeongchang after she fell and reinjured her elbow.ADVERTISEMENT

“It’s actually incredible to be able to line up in this race again with clean shooting, and be on the podium with my teammate,” Masters told the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Gretsch made her Paralympic debut as a Winter Games athlete in 2018 in Pyeongchang, where she won golds in the 6K biathlon and cross-country skiing. The biathlon gold was the first time any female athlete from Team USA won any medal in biathlon in either the Paralympics or the Olympics, according to NBC.

A triathlete since college, Gretsch was named USA Triathlon Female Paratriathlete of the Year in 2014, but was only able to compete in the sport at the Paralympics once her classification was added to the program for Tokyo, according to NBC. She earned gold in a thrilling finish, in which she took over first place just seconds out from the finish line.

The 2022 Games in Beijing have already been successful for the duo. On the first day of the Paralympic competition, Gretsch and Masters shared a podium in the women’s sitting 6K sprint biathlon—in that event, Masters finished first while Gretsch took home bronze. They nearly did it once again in the 15K cross-country event, in which Masters earned silver and Gretsch narrowly missed the podium with her fourth-place finish. For Masters, the 2022 Winter Games have brought her three medals in three events so far.

Gretsch and Masters aren’t done yet, either. According to the IOC, both have three more individual events plus a relay left in Beijing—and history is on the line there. The current record for the most medals ever won at a single Winter Paralympic Games is six, the IOC says. Gretsch has a chance to tie that, and Masters to beat it, before Beijing is in the books.

Filed Under: AOTM, Athlete Spotlight, Paralympics

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Donate Here!

Categories

Featured Posts

“Wrestling For Gold” Coordination Effort Initiated For American Wrestlers Participating In Future World Police And Fire Games

… [Read More...] about “Wrestling For Gold” Coordination Effort Initiated For American Wrestlers Participating In Future World Police And Fire Games

Cardinals Women’s Sports Teams Win MAC’s Jacoby Trophy for First Place in All-Sports Standings

… [Read More...] about Cardinals Women’s Sports Teams Win MAC’s Jacoby Trophy for First Place in All-Sports Standings

‘We’re not stopping’: Marketing efforts elevate OU women’s sports growth amid record-breaking athletics seasons

… [Read More...] about ‘We’re not stopping’: Marketing efforts elevate OU women’s sports growth amid record-breaking athletics seasons

Archives

  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • February 2023
  • November 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • June 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Wrestling for Gold Initiative
  • Athlete of the Month
  • Media
  • Diversity and Inclusion Committee
  • Youth Advisory Committee
  • Donate
  • Camps
  • Join Our Team
  • Featured News
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2021 American Gold Sports Alliance Inc.

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy