College category, Page 21
Freeport grad Heilman helps Wright State baseball win Horizon League, make NCAA Tournament runVideo
Baseball, like any other sport, has its share of peaks and valleys. Few know that better than Freeport grad Jarrett Heilman. In 2023, while he was pitching at Mercyhurst, Heilman was named PSAC West Pitcher of the Year after going 6-2 with a 1.38 ERA, the third lowest in Division...
SEC amps up fines to $500,000 for rushing field, storming court
MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. — The Southeastern Conference is ratcheting up penalties on schools whose fans storm the field or rush the court, doing away with an escalating fine system and now charging $500,000 per incident. “The motivation was ‘field rushing is field rushing, the first time or the 18th time,’”...
Pa. Congressman issues warning to Big Ten, SEC about future of college football
The Big Ten and SEC are leading the way as the two conferences look to make changes to college football and the College Football Playoff. The leagues are reportedly interested in a scheduling partnership down the line, and they are also considering pushing for a new 16-team CFP model that...
Oklahoma eyes 5th straight national title at Women’s College World Series
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma could extend its record run of consecutive national titles to five at this year’s Women’s College World Series. Patty Gasso’s second-seeded Sooners will face No. 7 seed Tennessee in their WCWS opener. Oklahoma beat Alabama on Saturday to win the Norman Super Regional. Action in the...
Jackson Van De Brake drives in 5 runs as North Carolina routs Clemson for ACC championshipVideo
DURHAM, N.C. — Jackson Van De Brake drove in five runs, including a three-run home run in an eight-run fifth inning, highlighting North Carolina’s 14-4 victory over Clemson on Sunday in the championship game of the ACC Baseball Tournament. Hunter Stokely and Tyson Bass both hit two-run home runs with...
Florida coach Todd Golden reaps rewards of national title, including reloading his rosterVideo
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It would be tough to top the month Florida coach Todd Golden has enjoyed since winning the national championship. Golden and the Gators visited the White House on Wednesday, a trip that included an invitation to the Oval Office. He landed one of the top guards in...
College Football Playoff shifts to straight seeding model, no automatic byes for top league champsVideo
The College Football Playoff will go to a more straightforward way of filling the bracket next season, placing teams strictly on where they are ranked instead of moving pieces around to reward conference champions. Ten conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director came to the unanimous agreement they needed Thursday...
Power leagues look to bind schools to rules of $2.8B NCAA settlement, AP source saysVideo
The four biggest conferences in college sports are working to tie their schools to the pending $2.8 billion NCAA antitrust settlement and could have drastic penalties for anyone refusing to comply. Officials from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC have drafted a document intended to prevent their members...
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips feels good about the league’s newfound stability after chaosVideo
AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — The ACC is entering a period of stability. How long it lasts is anyone’s guess. Not even commissioner Jim Phillips knows for sure. “I still live one day at a time,” Phillips quipped. The ACC wrapped up its spring meetings Wednesday at the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia...
Hempfield grad Liz Tapper looks to cap record-breaking season at Michigan in Big Ten championshipsVideo
Michigan track and field throwing coach Allison Boevers likes to joke with her athletes that, “You don’t pick the shot put. The shot put kind of picks you.” If that’s the case, the shot put made a wise choice in Hempfield grad Liz Tapper. Tapper spent most of her freshman...
NCAA settlement plan for roster limits gets do-over to save players who lost spots on teams
Attorneys handling the $2.8 billion NCAA settlement proposed a massive do-over Wednesday when it comes to roster limits, offering athletes who lost their spots a chance to play without counting against the new caps for as long as they have eligibility. Under court order to come up with an updated...
ACC cuts 20-game men’s basketball slate to make room for more nonconference games
The ACC is reducing its 20-game men’s basketball schedule to 18, giving teams two more spots for marquee nonconference games in a bid to boost a league getting a dwindling haul of NCAA Tournament bids, a person familiar with the decision said Wednesday. The person spoke to the Associated Press...
‘Hands tied’: Athletes left in dark as NCAA settlement leaves murky future for non-revenue sports
The $2.8 billion NCAA settlement awaiting final approval from a federal judge is touted as a solution for thousands of athletes to finally get the money they deserve and provide some clarity to recruiting. For some, it’s too late. Sophomore distance runner Jake Rimmel says he was one of five...
Michigan to suspend Sherrone Moore for 2 games to address NCAA allegations, AP sources say
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan is expected to suspend coach Sherrone Moore for two games next season to address allegations that he failed to cooperate in the NCAA’s sign-stealing investigation that rocked college football during the Wolverines’ championship season in 2023, according to two people familiar with the situation. Moore...
Iowa basketball coach Ben McCollum agrees to 6-year contract
Iowa men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum agreed to a six-year, $22.75 million contract that runs through the 2030-31 season, according to the memorandum of understanding he signed last month. The document, obtained Friday through an Associated Press public records request, outlines a pay package that lists McCollum’s base salary at...
Ohio State, 6 other Big Ten teams carry QB battles to fall
Eleven Big Ten teams have settled on their starting quarterbacks. The other seven, including defending national champion Ohio State, will carry competitions into preseason practice. Illinois’ Luke Altmyer, Michigan State’s Aidan Chiles, Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola, Penn State’s Drew Allar, Rutgers’ Athan Kaliakmanis, Southern Cal’s Jayden Maiava and Washington’s Demond Williams...
Rich Rodriguez, Scott Frost bring history to Big 12
Rich Rodriguez and Scott Frost are new to the Big 12 but not to the schools that have welcomed them back. Rodriguez at West Virginia and Frost at UCF are the only new coaches in the 16-team Big 12 and now have been through their first spring since getting back...
ACC, new North Carolina coach Bill Belichick head toward season after spring full of changesVideo
It’s on to fall camp for the ACC and new North Carolina coach Bill Belichick. Belichick was the buzziest offseason addition for the ACC when the six-time Super Bowl championship-winning head coach agreed to take over the Tar Heels — his first time as a college head coach. Belichick has...
Penn allowing transgender swimmer violated sex discrimination laws, Trump administration says
HARRISBURG — The Trump administration said Monday the University of Pennsylvania violated laws guaranteeing women equal opportunities in athletics by letting a transgender swimmer compete on the school’s women’s team and into team facilities. The administration’s statement does not name Lia Thomas, the transgender swimmer who last competed for the...
In Pitt QB shakeup, Julian Dugger enters portal, ex-Western Carolina star transfers in
Pitt’s quarterback depth chart underwent a major overhaul Saturday. Redshirt freshman Julian Dugger, a Penn Hills graduate, announced he was entering the transfer portal hours after the Panthers landed a commitment from another quarterback, Cole Gonzales, who’s already well connected with offensive coordinator Kade Bell. A 6-foot, 198-pound senior, Gonzales...
Division II expands football playoffs from 28 to 32 teams to accommodate automatic qualifiersVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Division II football playoffs will expand from 28 to 32 teams beginning this season to accommodate the format change that will award 16 conferences automatic bids. According to Division II policy, bracket expansion must be considered when automatic qualifiers make up more than 50% of the...
Judge delays $2.8 billion NCAA settlement to address roster limit concerns, backs rest of plan
The judge overseeing the sprawling $2.8 billion antitrust lawsuit settlement involving the NCAA and the nation’s five largest conferences delayed final approval of the plan Wednesday until it is modified to address concerns about roster limits. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken signaled she is ready to approve the rest of...
TCU and North Carolina will open ’26 in Ireland after Belichick’s debut this year at home vs. Frogs
FORT WORTH, Texas — TCU and North Carolina will play their 2026 opener in Ireland, which will come a year after coach Bill Belichick’s debut with the Tar Heels at home against the Horned Frogs. The Aer Lingus College Football Classic will be played at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on...
Duke freshman Cooper Flagg declares for NBA Draft, expected to go No. 1 overallVideo
Duke star Cooper Flagg is headed to the NBA as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall draft pick. The program announced Flagg’s move in a social media post Monday after a lone college season that saw the 18-year-old become only the fourth freshman named as Associated Press National...
Former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava commits to UCLA
College football’s highest-profile transfer is coming home. After a falling out with Tennessee, Nico Iamaleava has agreed to play for UCLA next season in a move that will generate significant buzz for the Bruins after they added a quarterback who took his previous team to the College Football Playoff. But...
