Latest news with #Creighton
NBC Sports
21-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
At 2028 LA Olympics, beach volleyball returns to its spiritual home. Teams are starting to line up
In beach volleyball, decisions that greatly impact the Olympics are often made years before the Opening Ceremony. Qualifying typically takes place in the two seasons leading into the Olympics. The Los Angeles Games qualification system hasn't been announced yet, but if tradition holds, qualifying would start in early 2027 as the sport returns to its spiritual Southern California home for the 2028 Games. The top American women are already lining up. Taryn Brasher (née Kloth) and Kristen Nuss, who went into the 2024 Olympics ranked No. 2 in the world, have been steadfast since a tearful round of 16 defeat in Paris that they will keep their partnership through LA 2028. Brasher, who got married on Jan. 10, and Nuss, who will marry Trey Cruz on Jan. 9, 2026, live in different units of the same building in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, while most other U.S. teams are in California. Their bond is so strong, and so well known in the beach community, that they said no other players reached out to either of them after Paris to gauge interest about possibly switching teams. No U.S. women's Olympic beach pair has stayed together to bid for the following Games since the end of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings' dynasty in 2012 (and May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings were apart for much of that London Olympic cycle). In Paris, the U.S. won zero women's beach medals for the first time since the 2000 Sydney Games. Brasher and Nuss developed a mantra since first teaming up at LSU in 2021: 'rewrite the script.' It's a nod to their unconventional beach story. In particular Nuss, being undersized (5 feet, 6 inches, the shortest U.S. Olympic beach volleyball player since 1996) and from Louisiana and not California. Brasher, who is 6-4, is from South Dakota. She played four years of indoor volleyball at Creighton before transferring to LSU. OlympicTalk, They began 2023 having to go through qualifying to earn main draw spots at international tournaments. They took bronze at the World Championships at the end of that year, then went into the Paris Olympics ranked behind only Brazilians Ana Patricia and Duda. With the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop, Brasher and Nuss won all three matches in a difficult group. Then they got unlucky, drawing world No. 3 Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson of Canada in the round of 16. Brasher and Nuss were swept, while Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson went on to take silver to Ana Patricia and Duda. Brasher called the defeat the most devastating moment of her life. 'Four years to 40 minutes,' she said, simply contrasting the work put in versus the approximate length of a straight-sets match. 'I was embarrassed for how I represented Team USA,' Brasher said on a 'Laughter Permitted with Julie Foudy' episode published last October. 'It was really, really hard to come back. People were doing celebrations for us. I had to leave, and I would go and cry because I was just so disappointed in myself. 'I don't think I have the best taste of the Olympics in my mouth right now because I was just disappointed. But still, every time I think back, I'm like, that was so cool, and it was such an honor to be on Team USA. That is one of the greatest, highest honors that I could ever even imagine.' Five days after the Closing Ceremony, an ill Brasher, buoyed by Nuss' encouragement, and Nuss returned to compete at the Manhattan Beach Open, the most prestigious annual tournament in the U.S. They won the event and continued their strong play into 2025. In five top-level international tournaments this season, they have two wins, a runner-up, a third-place finish and a 13th-place outlier. 'There's one more chapter left to be written,' Nuss said of the 'flip the script' narrative, 'and that is a gold medal in LA '28.' The other 2024 U.S. Olympic women's beach team — Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng — lost in the quarterfinals in Paris after winning the 2023 World title. Hughes, who hasn't played since sustaining a significant Achilles tendon injury in January, now trains with Ally Batenhorst, according to NBC Los Angeles. They plan to debut as a team later this year or in 2026 and to bid for the 2028 Games together. Traditionally, a nation can qualify no more than two Olympic beach teams per gender. NBC LOS ANGELES: Beach volleyball world champion Sara Hughes reveals new partner Sara Hughes (left) and Ally Batenhorst are teaming up for an LA 2028 Olympic run. Both went to USC. Sara Hughes (left) and Ally Batenhorst are teaming up for an LA 2028 Olympic run. Both went to USC. (NBC Los Angeles) Batenhorst, listed at 6 feet, 5 inches, played beach and indoors at Nebraska before completing her college career indoors at USC in 2024 (Cheng and Hughes' alma mater). She began a professional indoor career earlier this year but is now transitioning to make her pro beach debut. 'I watched her entire career, especially at USC,' Hughes told NBC Los Angeles. 'And there's always this little rumors going around that she liked playing beach volleyball. And when I first saw her, I was like, wow, she just has such athleticism. She looks like a true leader on the court. She's very passionate, and I thought all those would just translate to the beach.' Cheng has played with beach veteran Molly Shaw since the international season began in March. In five top-level international tournaments together, they have placed fourth, fourth, 13th, fifth and ninth. They have not announced whether they've committed to sticking together through 2028 Olympic qualifying. Shaw said her pairing with Cheng is a 'very unexpected' one. 'I sent (Cheng) a text in the fall,' Shaw said on the Sandcast podcast. 'I knew she was still with Sara, but I kind of shoot my shot, keep her on the radar. She's like, 'Sorry, you know, I'm good.' I was like, 'OK, all good.' Huge fan of her always. Then the (Hughes) injury happened. I don't really know too much background info, but we connected, and I was just like blown away. I was like, 'Me?' I was even like, 'Are you sure?' She's been one of the dream partners that I've always wanted to play with.' Nick Zaccardi,
The Journal
19-07-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Lucinda Creighton: 'Our national conversation is all around things that are irrelevant'
WE'RE MORE INTERESTED in the 'gossipy aspect of our parliamentary politics, rather than the nuts and bolts of how we're governing our country'. That is according to Lucinda Creighton, former Minister for European Affairs, at a discussion at the MacGill Summer School in the Glenties in Co Donegal today. 'At the moment, our system is not fit for purpose. 'Our national conversation, our news cycle, is all around, frankly things that are irrelevant, like who's going to be in the Áras in November.' She said that this is down to the 'gossipy aspect' of politics. Creighton was speaking as Michael Flatley told RTÉ that he was considering a presidential bid after being 'approached by some very weighted individuals'. 'Everything is, as far as I can see, government is completely strangled by the need to cover our backside and have multiple reviews about every single decision that's ever taken,' said Creighton. This leads to 'little leadership or risk taking', she added. 'We are completely risk averse, and I think that that is not serving us well.' Creighton said this is 'directly feeding into the fact that we have an ongoing housing crisis without any clear, logical solution'. She also mentioned this was contributing to the energy crisis, 'a massive problem' with the electricity grid, which 'is not fit for purpose', and unmet 'renewable energy aspirations'. 'We're not capable of delivering the sort of infrastructure that's required.' Contributing to this is the one-year budget cycle, with Creighton saying that long-term planning is not built into our electoral system. Advertisement 'If we're to get to grips with the sort of radical change that is happening around us right now, we have to think about how we change our politics, our system of governance, to respond to that, to educate our policy makers and to enable them and equip them to be able to deal with these challenges that are coming.' 'Condescending' centre left Later in the talk entitled 'Why is Liberalism Failing?', the former Minister said that 'there is a lot of research now actually showing that politicians and political parties of the center, particularly the center left are very, very condescending'. She said that this condescension is turning people to the far right. 'Take immigration, the elephant in the room. If somebody expresses concern about immigration, they're labeled far right. 'And if you do that to your own voters repeatedly, well then you'll convince them that actually maybe they're better off with the far right.' Creighton said that this 'is an excellent example' of where some politicians, representatives, aspiring candidates, 'listen and try and understand'. 'Instead of referring to voters that you disagree with as deplorables, you actually try to understand what's motivating them. 'And usually it's a sense of insecurity. It's a sense of too much change, too rapidly, not understanding the world around them or just being displaced in the world.' Support to dismantle 'Triple Lock' Creighton also raised the Government's decision to dismantle the 'Triple Lock' for Irish military involvement in operations abroad. Cabinet approved this plan in March . 'I'm very pleased and proud of our government, actually, for taking the decision to try to dismantle the triple lock. 'It's an ineffectual tool, and it is destructive, and it's important that we take that step, and hopefully it makes its way through the Oireachtas.' As it currently stands, Irish troops in groups of more than 12 cannot be deployed abroad without approval from Cabinet, the Dáil and a resolution from the United Nations' Security Council. This three-step approval is known as the 'Triple Lock'. She said that 'it's going to be increasingly difficult in this world of authoritarianism and polarisation to get things done through' multilateral organisations such as the United Nations. 'I hate to take a break the phrase from from the time of the Iraq war, but 'a coalition of the willing' on certain topics is going to be essential.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Belfast Telegraph
14-07-2025
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Tasting Nicky Grist Stages glory a major bonus for me, beams William Creighton
Creighton has made winning the UK competition his No.1 priority in the 2025 season with the help of Liam Regan, the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy and Melvyn Evans Motorsport. He provisionally leads the standings after three rounds and is hoping to steal a march on his rivals at the Grampian Forest Rally on Saturday, August 8 when the series resumes after a lengthy summer break. Those hopes have been fuelled following his performance at a hot and dusty Builth Wells-based Nicky Grist Stages, which he triumphed at by less than three seconds. Creighton shaded the second Castrol MEM Rally Team Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 of team-mate Meirion Evans having run as the first car on the road across all eight special stages. Sweeping was the main factor 27-year-old Creighton had to contend with on the morning loop of stages before soaring temperatures in the afternoon made tyre wear a problem. Despite dropping over 10 seconds on the deciding speed test, former Junior World Rally champion Creighton did enough to secure a second win of the campaign with Regan. 'Saturday went really well, and the opportunity to get seat time in the car is beneficial, especially as the next round of the British Championship is on gravel and it isn't too far away,' Creighton told Belfast Telegraph Sport. 'Right now, it is very much a continuous process of learning and trying to identify how and where we can do things much better. 'It was definitely a challenging rally, the conditions with the heat were something you are more likely to experience in the hot summer European events, so it made it a challenge. 'We had to stay hydrated and focused in order to get the most out of the rally so, all in all, it was a very good day. 'I remember doing the Nicky Grist Stages back in 2017; to go back at the weekend with No.1 on the door was a privilege at an event that has iconic stages and is really well-organised. To come away with a win was a real bonus. 'I want to say a big thank you to all the team, to the Motorsport Ireland Academy and everyone who supports us. It is a real privilege to drive the Castrol MEM Toyota GR Yaris, and it was great to start the Nicky Grist Stages as car No.1 and finish as No.1.'
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ryan Kalkbrenner: Hornets signed 34th pick to 4-year, $9.97M contract
No. 34 overall pick Ryan Kalkbrenner reportedly signed a four-year, $9.97 million contract with the Charlotte Hornets, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Kalkbrenner was a third-team All-American selection by the AP, averaging 19.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 1.5 assists on 65.3% shooting from the field last season at Creighton. He ranked second in the country in field goals (271) and fourth in blocked shots (93). Advertisement The 7-footer signed with the Hornets on Thursday via the second-round pick exception. The first two years are guaranteed for $4.7 million on the contract, which includes a non-guaranteed third year and a team option in the fourth season. Kalkbrenner left as one of the most accomplished players in program history after five years with the Bluejays. He is second in several career statistical categories, including points, rebounds and blocks, and was a four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year in 169 games. The 23-year-old is a part of a crowded draft class for the Hornets, joining Duke guard Kon Knueppel (fourth pick), UConn guard Liam McNeeley (29th pick) and Duke guard Sion James (33rd pick). They are each highly touted and project to be players the team can build around. Advertisement Kalkbrenner and the group will suit up in the NBA Summer League for at least five games, beginning on Friday against the Chicago Bulls (7 p.m. EDT, ESPN). This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Ryan Kalkbrenner: Hornets signed 34th pick to 4-year, $9.97M contract
CTV News
30-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Sask. boy mows lawns to help dad who lost home in wildfire
One Creighton, Sask., boy is putting in some sweat equity this summer to make the grass a little greener for his dad, who lost his home to wildfire. Hunter Larsen is 10 years old and when his school year ended a few weeks early because of encroaching wildfires near his home in Creighton, in northeastern Saskatchewan, he had extra time on his hands. On June 2 he learned that his dad's house in Denare Beach, where he lives part time, was destroyed by fire. He wanted to do something, so he came up with a plan to use his lawnmowing skills and try to raise some money to help his dad, who is currently living out of a van with their dog Shadow. The plan at the start was to charge $10 per lawn, but because of the outpouring of support he changed the fee. Now, he's taking donations for the lawn mowing. Hunter has even earned $100 from some customers for his effort, and some are just sending money as an outright donation. Those who Hunter visits offer him something to drink since he's working hard and it's really hot there now, sometimes reaching 30 C. He's also received lots of compliments for his work. 'They're proud of me for doing this and they thank me for doing this,' Larsen told CTV News via Zoom from Creighton. For Hunter's mom, Amanda MacQuarrie, this good deed is not surprising. She says being 'selfless' is not out of character for him. 'Hunter is just such an amazing kid. His entire life he's just been so helpful. If you ask any of his teachers, he's just, like, the sweetest, kindest boy. He just wants to help everybody. Animals, everything. So, I've been really lucky,' MacQuarrie said. Sask. boy wildfire relief Hunter Larsen with Shadow the dog. (Courtesy: Amanda MacQuarrie) Hunter will be going into Grade 5 in the fall and has some advice for anyone else who thinks they might want to help out with other fundraisers. 'I would say probably just follow your heart and have fun. Do what you want,' he said. So far hunter has raised $1,500.00 and mowed 30 lawns. One customer even suggested he could get them a deal on a ride-on mower so the lawn mowing can be even more efficient this summer. His plan is to keep going until school starts and raise as much money as he can. His mom has even started up a GoFundMe page to help his cause. Creighton is located just over 600 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.
