Latest news with #GoldenFlashes
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Penn State commit earns Student Athlete of the Week
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) – Champion senior student athlete Gabby Gradishar will go down as one of the most prolific softball players the school has ever seen. 'I try not to think too much, I like to base it on my ability and know that I've prepared plenty of times for this and just really keep moving one pitch at a time,' said Gradishar. She has four varsity letters for the Golden Flashes softball team and started for three seasons. Her whole freshman year was derailed by an ACL injury, but she bounced back ever since. In both her sophomore and junior seasons, she helped Champion advance as Regional Final runners-up. Gradishar has multiple school records, including the single-season batting average with .640 and the career runs record. This season, she has surpassed 700 career strikeouts in just three seasons. ''I'm very competitive, it's just always been in my nature, my great uncle played at Ohio State and then played for the Broncos, so I think it started from there,' said Gradishar. 'But I've really just loved trying to win everything that I play.' Gradishar's great uncle is former Denver Broncos great Randy Gradishar. The Warren native graduated from Champion High School and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024. Gradishar also tied the OHSAA state record for the most home runs in a single season with 23 in her junior year. She received All-State First Team honors in her sophomore and junior seasons. She even made it on the MaxPreps All-American Second Team her junior year. 'It's not the same game every single time you play,' said Gradishar. 'It's different, it's a game of failure and if you're good at it, you can learn to get past that and keep moving forward.' Other than softball, she was on Champion's varsity basketball team her freshman year but only played six games due to the ACL injury. Outside of Champion, most of her time was spent playing travel softball for the Thunder Elites. But, she spent time on the Champion Student Council her freshman year and is currently a student ambassador for the Trumbull Career & Technical Center. Gradishar has been a coach for youth softball teams, personally mentoring young softball players, and has conducted Champion youth softball camps. 'I was in their shoes once and looking up to me, I had many mentors looking up to as well. It just really makes me happy to see that they're wanting to learn and wanting to play the game,' said Gradishar. She volunteers for TCTC school events, helps out with her church and the Red Barn Goofy Newfy Rescue which specializes in finding homes for dogs. She will graduate Champion with a 4.0 GPA. Upon graduation, she will attend Penn State to play softball for the Nittany Lions and major in kinesiology. 'I love being a part of this team, it's really great to know that it's a legacy of softball here, and just growing up, it was always a dream of mine,' said Gradishar. 'A lot of young girls look up to us, not just me, but the whole team, and it's a really good feeling. Gradishar is currently leading the Golden Flashes in the OHSAA Division V tournament, looking for a state title. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kent State coach Kenni Burns fired after multiple violations of his contract
Kenni Burns was fired as Kent State's football head coach for multiple violations of his contract, including how he used a personal credit card. Kent State did not provide details on why Burns was fired last Friday, but a copy of Burns' dismissal letter was obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request. Advertisement University President Todd A. Diacon outlined five reasons for cause for Burns' firing, with the first being 'significant, repetitive, and intentional violation (or a pattern of conduct which may constitute or lead to a major violation), as determined by Kent State University after appropriate investigation, of the University's policies and procedures regarding your P-card (personal card) expenditures.' Burns was sued last September by Hometown Bank in Kent, Ohio, for $23,852.09 plus interest in unpaid credit card purchases, which exceeded the credit limit of $20,000. Burns did not make minimum monthly payments on the card and was 60 days past due in August, according to a Portage County Court of Common Pleas document. The case was dismissed a couple months later when Burns made payment. Burns was put on administrative leave with pay on March 27, a couple of days before the Golden Flashes began spring practices. Athletics director Randale Richmond said in the letter to Burns that he was being investigated for committing deliberate or serious violations of policies outlined by the university. Advertisement 'My family and I are saddened by the news today,' Burns posted on social media after he was fired. 'We are thankful for the relationships and connections we have made with the players, coaches, and staff over the past few years. The team bond we have is not transactional but that of a family. Kent G.R.I.T. will bind us forever, and for that I am thankful. I am proud of you all, and we will be rooting for you this season and beyond.' Calls and emails by The Associated Press to Lee Hutton III, Burns' attorney, have not been returned. Burns was 1-23 in two seasons at Kent State. The team went 0-12 last season, the fifth winless season in school history. Before arriving at Kent State, Burns was the running backs coach at Minnesota. Offensive coordinator Mark Carney will serve as the interim coach for the upcoming season with a national search taking place at the end of the year. Advertisement Kent State opens its season on Aug. 30 against Merrimack, a Football Championship Subdivision foe. The Golden Flashes schedule gets more difficult after that, including road games against Texas Tech (Sept. 6), Florida State (Sept. 20) and Oklahoma (Oct. 4). ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and
Associated Press
15-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Kent State coach Kenni Burns fired after multiple violations of his contract
Kenni Burns was fired as Kent State's football head coach for multiple violations of his contract, including how he used a personal credit card. Kent State did not provide details on why Burns was fired last Friday, but a copy of Burns' dismissal letter was obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request. University President Todd A. Diacon outlined five reasons for cause for Burns' firing, with the first being 'significant, repetitive, and intentional violation (or a pattern of conduct which may constitute or lead to a major violation), as determined by Kent State University after appropriate investigation, of the University's policies and procedures regarding your P-card (personal card) expenditures.' Burns was sued last September by Hometown Bank in Kent, Ohio, for $23,852.09 plus interest in unpaid credit card purchases, which exceeded the credit limit of $20,000. Burns did not make minimum monthly payments on the card and was 60 days past due in August, according to a Portage County Court of Common Pleas document. The case was dismissed a couple months later when Burns made payment. Burns was put on administrative leave with pay on March 27, a couple of days before the Golden Flashes began spring practices. Athletics director Randale Richmond said in the letter to Burns that he was being investigated for committing deliberate or serious violations of policies outlined by the university. 'My family and I are saddened by the news today,' Burns posted on social media after he was fired. 'We are thankful for the relationships and connections we have made with the players, coaches, and staff over the past few years. The team bond we have is not transactional but that of a family. Kent G.R.I.T. will bind us forever, and for that I am thankful. I am proud of you all, and we will be rooting for you this season and beyond.' Calls and emails by The Associated Press to Lee Hutton III, Burns' attorney, have not been returned. Burns was 1-23 in two seasons at Kent State. The team went 0-12 last season, the fifth winless season in school history. Before arriving at Kent State, Burns was the running backs coach at Minnesota. Offensive coordinator Mark Carney will serve as the interim coach for the upcoming season with a national search taking place at the end of the year. Kent State opens its season on Aug. 30 against Merrimack, a Football Championship Subdivision foe. The Golden Flashes schedule gets more difficult after that, including road games against Texas Tech (Sept. 6), Florida State (Sept. 20) and Oklahoma (Oct. 4). ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and
NBC Sports
11-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Kent State fires football coach Kenni Burns following investigation
KENT, Ohio — Kent State fired coach Kenni Burns on Friday following an investigation related to his two-year tenure. Athletic director Randale Richmond said in a statement that offensive coordinator Mark Carney would serve as the interim coach for the upcoming season with a national search taking place at the end of the year. 'At this time, our focus will be to support our student-athletes and provide them with the best opportunity to have a positive and competitive experience,' Richmond added. Kent State did not provide details on why Burns was fired. Burns, who had a 1-23 record, was put on administrative leave with pay on March 27, a couple of days before the Golden Flashes began spring practices. Kent State was 0-12 last season, the fifth time in school history they had gone winless. Before arriving at Kent State, Burns was the running backs coach at Minnesota. Kent State opens its season on Aug. 30 against Merrimack, a Football Championship Subdivision foe. The Golden Flashes schedule gets more difficult after that, including road games against Texas Tech (Sept. 6), Florida State (Sept. 20) and Oklahoma (Oct. 4).
Associated Press
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Kent State fires football coach Kenni Burns following investigation
KENT, Ohio (AP) — Kent State fired coach Kenni Burns on Friday following an investigation related to his two-year tenure. Athletic director Randale Richmond said in a statement that offensive coordinator Mark Carney would serve as the interim coach for the upcoming season with a national search taking place at the end of the year. 'At this time, our focus will be to support our student-athletes and provide them with the best opportunity to have a positive and competitive experience,' Richmond added. Kent State did not provide details on why Burns was fired. Burns, who had a 1-23 record, was put on administrative leave with pay on March 27, a couple of days before the Golden Flashes began spring practices. Kent State was 0-12 last season, the fifth time in school history they had gone winless. Before arriving at Kent State, Burns was the running backs coach at Minnesota. Kent State opens its season on Aug. 30 against Merrimack, a Football Championship Subdivision foe. The Golden Flashes schedule gets more difficult after that, including road games against Texas Tech (Sept. 6), Florida State (Sept. 20) and Oklahoma (Oct. 4). ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and
