Latest news with #All-Americans
USA Today
6 days ago
- General
- USA Today
Golfweek's 2024-25 Men's College Golf All-Americans
Golfweek's 2024-25 Men's College Golf All-Americans The 2024-25 college golf season has concluded, with two weeks of NCAA Championships at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California, in the books. Now it's time to hand out postseason awards to college golf's best. Oklahoma State won its 12th national championship in school history, knocking off Virginia 4-1 in the title match. Ole Miss junior Michael La Sasso captured the biggest win of his career, taking home the individual title for his third victory of the season. He was just one of numerous stars who shined all season. Here are Golfweek's First Team, Second Team, Third Team and Honorable Mention Men's All-Americans for 2024. First team Josele Ballester, Sr., Arizona State Luke Clanton, Jr., Florida State David Ford, Sr., North Carolina Ben James, Jr., Virginia Jackson Koivun, So., Auburn Michael La Sasso, Jr., Ole Miss Phichaksn Maichon, Sr., Texas A&M Sebastian Moss, Sr., Louisville Preston Stout, So., Oklahoma State Brendan Valdes, Sr., Auburn Second team Carson Bacha, Sr., Auburn Daniel Bennett, Fr., Texas Ethan Fang, So., Oklahoma State Josiah Gilbert, So., Auburn Ian Gilligan, Sr., Florida Algot Kleen, Sr., LSU Jacob Modleski, So., Notre Dame Tommy Morrison, Jr., Texas Jase Summy, Jr., Oklahoma Jackson Van Paris, Sr., Vanderbilt Third team Buck Brumlow, Sr., Georgia Pablo Ereno, Sr., UCLA Caden Fioroni, Sr., UNLV Drew Goodman, Sr., Oklahoma Dane Huddleston, So., Utah Valley Christiaan Maas, Jr., Texas Luke Poulter, So., Florida Arni Sveinsson, Fr., LSU Kieron van Wyk, Sr., College of Charleston Connor Williams, So., Arizona State Honorable mention Jackson Buchanan, Illinois Mahanth Chirravuri, Pepperdine Ryder Cowan, Oklahoma Tom Fischer, Ole Miss Charlie Forster, Long Beach State Frankie Harris, South Carolina Justin Hastings, San Diego State Max Herendeen, Illinois Filip Jakubcik, Arizona Justin LaRue, Longwood Eric Lee, Oklahoma State Michael Mjaaseth, Arizona State Omar Morales, UCLA Jake Peacock, USF Brantley Scott, Troy Lance Simpson, Tennessee Hunter Thomson, Michigan Jack Turner, Florida Tyler Weaver, Florida State Wells Williams, Vanderbilt
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chenango Forks' Troy Nickerson continues success with Northern Colorado Wrestling
CHENANGO FORKS, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – One Chenango Forks grad is at the next level in wrestling. Troy Nickerson has just completed his 11th season as the head coach of the University of Northern Colorado. Since he took the helm of the team, UNC wrestling has only improved. This season, the team was ranked in the top 20 all season long. They sent six guys to the Big XII tournament, where two came out as champions. Following conference play, four of his wrestlers would make an NCAA berth for the Bears, and each of them was a 10 seed or higher. Following the season, two of the wrestlers were named All-Americans. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
USC's path to the Final Four: Before a UConn rematch, Kansas State's 6-foot-6 center looms
Following their Elite Eight matchup in 2024, JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers were the focus of much of the college basketball world heading into this season. In addition to being national player of the year candidates, the two superstars were poised to lead their programs to long-awaited national titles, though the drought in Los Angeles has been significantly longer. If Watkins and the Trojans are to earn their first national championship since 1984, the path will have to go through the Huskies. For the second consecutive season, USC and UConn are the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the same region, setting up the two All-Americans for another Elite Eight showdown. And unlike last season, when the duo was an undercard to Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese on the other side of the country, this will be the main draw. Don't pencil in either squad for the regional final just yet, however. Although the Trojans earned a No. 1 seed for the second straight year, the path is more challenging than it was in 2024, starting in the second round. Former Pac-12 foe California, which could bring a busload of fans to the Galen Center, potentially awaits in the second round. The eighth-seeded Golden Bears are 15th in the country in true shooting percentage, and USC had its fair share of difficulties against its four opponents who exceeded that mark: UConn, Notre Dame, Washington and moment the squad was announced 🙌 USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) March 17, 2025 If the Trojans advance beyond the first weekend, a potential sleeping giant awaits in the Sweet 16. No. 5 Kansas State faltered at the end of the season with Ayoka Lee unavailable, but the 6-foot-6 center has been practicing with the Wildcats. Her ability to score and facilitate out of the post dramatically changes Kansas State's ceiling. While USC has experience facing a similar kind of player in Lauren Betts, that doesn't make the matchup any easier, especially since the Wildcats have three shooters who make at least 40 percent of their 3s surrounding Lee. Beyond Kansas State, No. 4 Kentucky could give the Trojans a fight, and coach Kenny Brooks has likely been scouting Watkins for more than a year, since his Virginia Tech Hokies were the No. 4 seed in USC's 2024 region. If Kentucky advances to the Sweet 16, Clara Strack could be a problem as the SEC defensive player of the year and one of the best paint protectors in the country. Kentucky doesn't have the right personnel to defend Watkins (though, who does?), and it would scramble with a combination of Dazia Lawrence, Amelia Hassett and Teonni Key (who would also be tasked with defending Kiki Iriafen), while Kennedy Smith seems well-suited to guard Georgia Amoore at the point of attack. The toughest potential Elite Eight opponent for USC is obviously UConn. However, one of the two teams to beat USC all season also lies on the other half of the draw: Iowa. The Hawkeyes have been shooting the leather off the ball (an effective field-goal percentage of 56.7 over the last five games), and they have a ton of experience in the NCAA Tournament, even if in secondary roles. And if No. 3 seed Oklahoma can get past Florida Gulf Coast, the Sooners could be dangerous with their pace and shooting ability. On top of this, No. 7 Oklahoma State has the nation's 18th-best NET rating and is arguably underseeded. With all due respect to the remainder of the field, USC versus UConn is the matchup to circle, and for good reason. The teams have split their last two games, both of which came down to the final minutes. Each program has been a historical powerhouse, even if the Trojans' heyday resides in the distant past, and the star power of Watkins and Bueckers demands attention. The Huskies were the second-best shooting team during the regular season, while USC had the eighth-best shooting defense. The Trojans like to push the pace and attack the offensive glass, while UConn does neither. Either would be a heavy favorite to advance to the Final Four were it not locked in the same region against each other. If USC is to break its near-four-decade Final Four drought, the Trojans will have earned it. There is no easy path in the Spokane 2 Region. Download your printable bracket here. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. USC Trojans, Women's College Basketball 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
17-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
USC's path to the Final Four: Before a UConn rematch, Kansas State's 6-6 center looms
Following their Elite Eight matchup in 2024, the eyes of the college basketball world were on JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers heading into the 2024-25 regular season. In addition to being national player of the year candidates, the two superstars were each poised to lead their programs to long-awaited national titles, though the drought in Los Angeles has been significantly longer. Advertisement If Watkins and the Trojans are to earn their first national championship since 1984, the path will have to go through the Huskies. For the second consecutive season, USC and UConn are the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the same region, setting up a collision course for the two All-Americans in the Elite Eight. And unlike last season, when the duo was an undercard to Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese on the other side of the country, this will be the main draw. Don't pencil in either squad for the regional final just yet, however. Although the Trojans earned a No. 1 seed for the second straight year, the path is more challenging than it was in 2024, starting in the second round. Former Pac-12 foe California, which could bring a busload of fans to the Galen Center, potentially awaits in the second round. The eighth-seeded Golden Bears are 15th in the country in true shooting percentage, and USC had its fair share of difficulties against its four opponents who exceeded that mark: UConn, Notre Dame, Washington and UCLA. the moment the squad was announced 🙌 — USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) March 17, 2025 If the Trojans advance beyond the first weekend, a potential sleeping giant awaits in the Sweet 16. No. 5 Kansas State faltered at the end of the season with Ayoka Lee unavailable, but the 6-foot-6 center has been practicing with the Wildcats. Her ability to score and facilitate out of the post dramatically changes Kansas State's ceiling; although USC has experience facing a similar kind of player in Lauren Betts, that doesn't make the matchup any easier, especially since the Wildcats have three shooters who make at least 40 percent of their 3s surrounding Lee. Beyond Kansas State, No. 4 Kentucky could give the Trojans a fight, and coach Kenny Brooks has likely been scouting Watkins for more than a year, since his Virginia Tech Hokies were the No. 4 seed in USC's 2024 region. If the other Wildcats advance to the Sweet 16, Clara Strack was the SEC defensive player of the year and is one of the best paint protectors in the country. Kentucky doesn't have the right personnel to defend Watkins (though, who really does?), and it would scramble with a combination of Dazia Lawrence, Amelia Hassett and Teonni Key (who would also be tasked with defending Kiki Iriafen), while Kennedy Smith seems well-suited to guard Georgia Amoore at the point of attack. Advertisement The toughest potential Elite Eight opponent is obviously UConn. However, one of the two teams to beat USC all season also lies on the other half of the draw: Iowa. The Hawkeyes have been shooting the leather off the ball (an effective field-goal percentage of 56.7 over the last five games), and they have a ton of experience in the NCAA Tournament, even if in secondary roles. No. 3 seed Oklahoma, if the Sooners can get past Florida Gulf Coast, is always a threat with its pace and shooting ability; No. 7 Oklahoma State has the nation's 18th-best NET rating and is arguably underseeded. With all due respect to the remainder of the field, USC versus UConn is the matchup to circle, and for good reason. The teams have split their last two games, both of which came down to the final minutes. Each program has been a historical powerhouse, even if the Trojans' heyday was in the more distant past, and the star power of Watkins and Bueckers demands attention. The Huskies were the second-best shooting team during the regular season, while USC had the eighth-best shooting defense. The Trojans like to push the pace and attack the offensive glass, while UConn does neither. Either would be a heavy favorite to advance to the Final Four were it not locked in the same region against each other. If USC is to break its near-four-decade Final Four drought, the Trojans will have earned it. There is no easy path in the Spokane 2 Region. Download your printable bracket here. (Photo of JuJu Watkins and Kennedy Smith: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nebraska volleyball head coach John Cook announces retirement after 25 seasons
LINCOLN, Neb. (Courtesy of Nebraska Huskers Athletics) – Four-time national champion Nebraska Volleyball Head Coach John Cook, who has won more matches than any Division I volleyball coach this century, announced his retirement on Wednesday. 'I've been here for 25 years. That's a long time to do something. It's been a great run,' Cook said. 'I want to thank my family for their support, and I want to thank Bill Byrne and Terry Pettit for giving me the opportunity to be the Nebraska volleyball coach. I've had the opportunity to work with some great coaches and staff over the years, and I'm forever grateful for how hard they worked and for how much they gave to Nebraska volleyball. For me personally, the greatest accomplishment in coaching is seeing former players go into coaching or other careers and taking the lessons they've learned from being a Nebraska volleyball player and applying it to their everyday lives. There is no greater reward in coaching than that. Lastly and most importantly, I want to thank the fans for always supporting Nebraska volleyball. I've always said to 'Dream Big', and we've dreamed bigger than any volleyball program in the history of the world.' Cook spent 32 years as a college head coach – seven at Wisconsin and 25 at Nebraska. Consistent excellence was a hallmark of Cook's Nebraska teams. Since taking over the program in 2000, Cook guided the Huskers to four national championships, 12 NCAA Semifinals appearances, nine Big 12 titles and five Big Ten titles. He achieved a career record of 883-176 (.834), the fifth-best winning percentage all-time for a Division I volleyball coach. Cook's record of 722-103 at Nebraska is the best winning percentage (.875) for any DI program over the last 25 years. 'John Cook leaves a legacy of excellence that places him alongside a very small group of coaches who can be considered the greatest in college athletics history, regardless of sport,' Nebraska Director of Athletics Troy Dannen said. 'John took over one of the nation's best programs a quarter century ago and elevated it to another level. The national championships, Final Four appearances, conference championships, All-Americans and Olympians speak for themselves, but John's impact goes beyond the on-court accolades. Behind his vision, Nebraska volleyball has become arguably the most successful women's program in the country which has helped the sport of volleyball reach a popularity level it has never seen before.' With Cook at the helm, Nebraska produced numerous individual honors, including five Olympians, a Honda-Broderick Cup winner, three AVCA Division I National Players of the Year, 72 AVCA All-Americans, three Academic All-Americans of the Year, 25 Academic All-Americans and 10 conference players of the year. Nebraska volleyball student-athletes combined for 88 all-conference awards and 155 academic all-conference honors in Cook's program. Cook lived out his mantra at Nebraska: Dream Big. When he took over the reins of the Nebraska volleyball program in 2000, Cook was replacing one of the sport's legendary coaches in Terry Pettit, who won 694 matches and guided the Huskers to 18 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and six NCAA Semifinals. Cook, who left an emerging power in Wisconsin to guide the tradition-rich Husker program, had his own vision for Nebraska volleyball. He saw a program that had even more potential to grow. His goals included consistently selling out home matches at the NU Coliseum, expanding the media exposure for his program and most importantly, continuing the tradition of athletic and academic excellence started by Pettit nearly a quarter of a century earlier. His vision catapulted the program to a new phase in 2013, as the Devaney Center underwent a renovation and became the new home for Nebraska volleyball. Moving to the Devaney Center increased the capacity crowd for Nebraska volleyball matches from 4,125 at the Coliseum to more than 8,300 plus standing room only. Cook played an instrumental role in helping to expand the program's visibility throughout the state and the Midwest. Nebraska played a regular-season match in North Platte in 2004, and the team played spring exhibition matches in Kearney, Scottsbluff, Ogallala, Wayne, Grand Island, Norfolk and Central City during Cook's tenure. In 2023, Cook took a chance on having his Huskers play a volleyball match outdoors in a football stadium, which was an overwhelming success story as 92,003 people packed Memorial Stadium for Volleyball Day in Nebraska on Aug. 30. The event gained worldwide attention as the crowd set a record for the largest to attend a women's sporting event anywhere in the world. It further cemented Cook's program as the leader in growing the sport. Eleven of the top 12 crowds in NCAA women's volleyball history have been matches featuring Nebraska, all in Cook's tenure. The vision for Cook was for the Huskers to remain at the forefront of college volleyball to enhance the sport at both the local and national levels. His program did just that, reaching the NCAA Semifinals seven times in the last 10 years, including NCAA Championships in 2015 and 2017. The fan support continues to be unrivaled in the sport, as the Huskers have sold out 337 consecutive regular-season matches since 2001, the longest sellout streak in NCAA women's athletics history. Since the move to the Devaney Center in 2013, the Huskers have led the nation in attendance every season. Cook was a three-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, earning the prestigious honor in 2000, 2005 and 2023. He is one of only three coaches all-time (Russ Rose and Mary Wise) to be a three-time AVCA National Coach of the Year. Cook was also an eight-time conference coach of the year, including his selection as Big Ten Coach of the Year in 1997 (at Wisconsin), 2016, 2017 and 2023. He was honored in 2008 by USA Volleyball, receiving its All-Time Great Coach Award. In 2017, Cook was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame, joining Pettit as former Husker head coaches in the hall. 'It is a reflection of Nebraska volleyball and the program, and not about one person or one player,' Cook said when accepting the AVCA Coach of the Year Award in 2005. 'We're trying to be a leader in the sport. We're trying to take risks and dream big, and fortunately I'm surrounded by a lot of people who have that vision.' Cook and his wife, Wendy, are the parents of two children, Lauren and Taylor. Cook has one granddaughter, Madden. Notable Nebraska Seasons Under Head Coach John Cook • Cook immediately started to create his own legacy after taking over for Pettit in 2000. In his first season at the helm, Cook was named the AVCA National Coach of the Year after guiding the Huskers to a 34-0 record and the 2000 NCAA Championship. The Huskers, who became just the second team in NCAA history to cap an undefeated season with a national title, were ranked No. 1 in the AVCA/USA Today Top 25 poll for 14 straight weeks. Greichaly Cepero earned AVCA National Player of the Year honors. • In 2006, Cook's dream was realized, as Husker Nation had an opportunity to see Nebraska raise the bar in college volleyball. From record-setting, sold-out crowds at the Qwest Center Omaha, to a team that maximized its potential in winning the school's third national title, the Huskers enjoyed a remarkable season. The Huskers entered the 2006 campaign with many questions, as they were forced to replace three All-Americans, including AVCA National Player of the Year Christina Houghtelling. With four first-year starters on the court, including freshmen at setter and middle blocker, and sky-high expectations with the NCAA Championship in Omaha for the first time, 2006 shaped up to be Cook's toughest coaching job to date. Nebraska took on all challenges head-on, going 33-1 and becoming only the third team in NCAA history to be ranked No. 1 the entire season. The Huskers went on the road and overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat Minnesota to reach the national semifinals, marking the first time that Nebraska had won a regional outside the state. That victory set the stage for a watershed moment in college volleyball. Behind sellout crowds of more than 17,000, the Huskers captured the school's third national title with victories over No. 4 UCLA and No. 2 Stanford. Four players earned AVCA All-America honors, including Sarah Pavan, who became NU's first Honda-Broderick Cup winner. • Two years later in 2008, the NCAA Championship returned to Omaha with another Husker team taking center stage. A then-all-time NCAA attendance record of 17,430 traveled through a winter storm to witness one of the greatest matches in Nebraska's illustrious history. After dropping the first two sets to No. 1 Penn State, Nebraska fought back, winning the next two sets to hand the Nittany Lions their only set losses of the 2008 season. Although the Huskers were unable to complete the comeback, the performance symbolized a never-say-quit attitude that fueled the team's success. Despite losing a pair of performers to season-ending injuries, the Huskers went 31-3 and won their fifth consecutive conference title. • For the third time, the final four returned to Omaha in 2015. And once again, the Huskers made good on their goal to get to Omaha. After home losses to Minnesota and Wisconsin in October, the Huskers dialed in and did not lose a match again in 2015. In fact, only one of the Huskers' final 16 wins went five sets, and Nebraska did not need five sets to win any NCAA Tournament match for the first time during a championship run. After opening-round wins against Harvard and Wichita State, Nebraska avenged its 2014 regional final loss to BYU by sweeping the Cougars in the Lexington (Kentucky) Regional. The Huskers then knocked off top-ranked Washington, 3-1, in the regional final to reach their destination: Omaha. But the job wasn't done, as the Huskers turned their goal toward winning the national title for the first time since 2006. Nebraska blew past Kansas, 3-1, in the NCAA Semifinal to set up a winner-take-all match against Texas. The inspired Huskers played their best match of the season to sweep the Longhorns. The attendance for both NU matches (17,551 against Kansas and 17,651 against Texas) set then-NCAA all-time records. • In 2016, the Huskers won the Big Ten title for the first time since 2011 and finished with a 31-3 record for the program's best winning percentage (.912) since 2008. Nebraska advanced to the NCAA Semifinals for the second straight season. Cook was rewarded for his team's season, as he was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year and the AVCA North Region Coach of the Year. Nebraska's four AVCA All-Americans were their most since 2007. • In 2017, Cook's Huskers put together one of the most remarkable seasons in school history. Despite losing three AVCA All-Americans to graduation, both assistant coaches to Division I head coaching jobs, and entering the season with eight first-year players in the program, the Huskers defied all odds to win the program's fifth national title. Nebraska dropped its first two matches of the season but went 32-2 the rest of the way, including a 19-match win streak to end the season. The Huskers avenged one of their early season losses with a 3-1 victory over Florida in the title match in Kansas City in front of a then-NCAA Tournament record crowd of 18,516. The national title capped off a dream season for Cook that also included a Big Ten Championship, a Big Ten Coach of the Year accolade and induction into the AVCA Hall of Fame. Cook joined Russ Rose as the only coaches to win four national titles since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1998. He also became the fourth coach in NCAA history to win four national titles and the third to win four national championships at one school. • Following up on their 2017 NCAA title, the Huskers weren't expected to come close to repeating as national champions in 2018 with eight new players – five of them freshmen – and a new assistant coach and a freshman starting at setter. After hitting a rough patch in October that had the Huskers at 16-6 overall and 7-5 in the Big Ten, the Huskers improved more than any other team in his tenure at Nebraska, according to Cook. NU won 13 straight matches to make it to the national championship match for the third time in four years. The seventh-seeded Huskers went down to the wire in five sets with No. 1 Stanford before falling just a few points shy of back-to-back national titles. But for the remarkable season and a fourth straight trip to the NCAA Semifinals – a first in program history – Cook was named the National Coach of the Year by • In 2023, Cook coached a team with no seniors to the NCAA Final and a 33-2 final record. The Huskers won the Big Ten Championship, and Cook was named AVCA National Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year. With four freshmen in the lineup, the Huskers won their first 27 matches of the season and held the No. 1 ranking from Oct. 23 through the end of the regular season. Cook did more for the growth of the sport of volleyball in 2023 than possibly any other year in his career. Cook took on the challenge of having his Huskers play a volleyball match outdoors in a football stadium, which was an overwhelming success story as 92,003 packed Memorial Stadium for Volleyball Day in Nebraska on Aug. 30. The event gained worldwide attention as the crowd set a record for the largest to attend a women's sporting event anywhere in the world. • The Huskers repeated as Big Ten champions in 2024, finishing 33-3 overall and 19-1 in Big Ten play. The Huskers reached the NCAA Semifinals for the seventh time in 10 years. NU's 33 wins tied for the most victories by a Husker team since the 2000 national championship team went 34-0, and the Huskers tied the school record with eight victories against top-10 teams. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
