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Globe and Mail
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Politics not a factor for Canadian athletes chasing their varsity dreams in the U.S.
Despite its challenges, the dream of going to a Division 1 school in the United States was too great for Liam Miller. The pole vaulter from Milton, Ont., who turns 19 on Saturday, is committed to Wichita State University for the 2025-26 year. He recently wrapped up a postgrad year at Spire Academy in Geneva, Ohio, after receiving 21 D1 offers. Though a few classmates joked about Canada being the 51st state during his time at Spire, Miller said the ribbing didn't bother him – or influence his decision. 'Politics never really came into place,' he said. 'Being on a university campus, you're already in sort of a more progressive-leaning place. You're kind of in this academic bubble with a lot of kind-hearted people, and it really never came into play with me. 'It has always been my dream to go to an NCAA Division 1 school,' he added. 'My parents knew that and they've been very supportive throughout the whole way. … Getting a full scholarship is really hard. And I was so fortunate to have received an amazing scholarship from Wichita State.' Brett Montrose, founder and co-CEO of Streamline Athletes, a company that helps high-school track and field athletes get recruited, said it's too early to tell if strained Canada-U.S. relations will play a part in recruiting decisions. 'From a Canadian student-athlete and family perspective, we are not at a point yet where we're seeing many or any repercussions of the political tensions between Canada and the States on their decision making about where to go to school,' he said. 'That's because anybody committing or signing with American or Canadian universities in 2025 likely began their recruitment process before the tensions were at anything close to the height that they are now between the two countries.' For fellow Canadian track and field athletes, Brooklyn Taylor (Connecticut) and Shadae Thompson (Purdue), politics didn't play a factor. The landscape of NCAA sports has changed drastically over the last few years, especially due to the transfer portal. But for Miller, the bigger hurdles were new roster limits and rising international tuition costs that schools now have to factor in. Track and field teams, he explained, are capped at 45 athletes on full scholarship, with no walk-ons allowed. That's led many programs to shed athletes instead of adding more. In addition, his parents will need to help out financially. 'I will be having to pay for a few things,' Miller said. 'They're helping me a lot and I'm very fortunate for that.' Taylor, a hurdler and long jumper from Alliston, Ont., also attended Spire for Grade 12 – but her recruitment process unfolded a little differently. A former competitive dancer, she didn't fully commit to track and field until Grade 11, when she 'really started training' and let dance take a back seat. Already drawing interest from schools in Grade 11, her stock rose once she cracked the U.S. top 15 in the long jump and 60-metre hurdles. Still, like Miller, scholarship offers played a big role in her final decision. 'A lot of the times … the international athletes did still have to pay a decent amount just because of exchange rates,' said Taylor, who received about 30 offers from schools at various levels. 'But I mean, I was lucky. My coaches were really good to work with. I also work really hard on my academics. 'I've maintained a high 90 [per cent] average throughout the entirety of my high-school career. So a lot of the times these coaches aren't even pulling from their sports scholarship money to send me on a full ride sort of thing. They're able to kind of use more academic side of things and keep the sports scholarship amounts for the more academically challenged athletes on their rosters.' Thompson, a sprinter from Whitby, Ont., stayed in Canada for high school at All Saints Catholic Secondary School in her hometown. She received three D1 offers – Marshall University, the University of New Mexico and Purdue. While she will have everything covered at Purdue, she noted the school's use of two-year plans instead of four. 'After two years, if you're performing well, they'll keep you for another two years,' Thompson said. 'So then that would be like your quote, unquote four-year plan. 'But if you're underperforming after those two years, then they have the right to kick you out. And from then on, you've got to figure it out on your own. So I'm kind of on a partial scholarship, you could say, but it's basically a full.'
USA Today
19-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Where does Nate Snead rank in top 150 prospects for 2025 MLB draft?
Where does Nate Snead rank in top 150 prospects for 2025 MLB draft? The 2025 SEC baseball regular season concluded May 17. Ahead of the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama, MLB released its list of the top 150 prospects for the 2025 MLB draft. Among the prospects, Tennessee right-handed pitcher Nate Snead ranks No. 113 overall. He ranks No. 27 among right-handed pitchers on the prospect list. "Snead owns one of the hottest fastballs in college baseball, usually dealing at 95-97 mph with the capability of reaching 101," Snead's scouting profile says. "His heater is more powerful than lively, featuring more sink than carry, so it can get whacked when he doesn't locate it well." Snead began his collegiate career at Wichita State in 2023 before transferring to Tennessee. He was a component in the Vols' bullpen during their 2024 national championship run in the College World Series. Snead pitched 75.1 innings in 29 games. He recorded 61 strikeouts, while allowing 71 hits, 28 runs and 26 walks. Snead has pitched 45.1 innings in 20 games, recording 36 strikeouts and allowing 50 hits, 30 runs and 15 walks in 2025. Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wichita State coed cheer team wins prestigious NCA national championship
Two minutes and 15 seconds. That's what separated the Wichita State cheer team from the program's first national championship when the team took the stage Friday evening in Daytona Beach, Florida. All they needed was to avoid disaster. Instead, the Shockers found near perfection. Advertisement A second straight clean performance from Wichita State clinched the Intermediate Large Coed Division 1 title at the National Cheerleaders Association College Nationals. The Shockers entered with a sizable cushion from preliminaries, then clinched the championship with an event score of 97.5371 to finish nearly two points higher than runner-up VCU. WSU also finished with the fourth-highest score in all divisions, which included nearly 300 teams from across the country. 'It was just like a dream come true,' WSU cheer coach April Banwart said. 'We've been working on this routine since October, working on perfecting every single part of it as much as we can. You only get two shots at this and they hit their routine two nights in a row. No falls, maybe one bobble. They looked so clean and they were together on timing. When we walked off the mat, we felt good. We knew we had it.' The championship in April was the culmination of six months of work, which included more than 100 practices (many coming at 5:45 a.m.), more than 60 game appearances and more than 60 fundraising or other appearances. In total, Banwart estimates the team spent close to 700 hours in preparation for two chances to perform their 2-minute-15-second routine at nationals. Advertisement WSU jam-packed as many skills as possible in its routine, which ultimately aided the team to victory. The team executed eight basket tosses during its routine, the most of any team in the competition, then also maximized scoring chances in its tumbling and stunt sections. That's why WSU was so confident walking off the mat on Friday that it had just won the national championship, even two hours before the official results were revealed. Simply put, the Shockers had the most difficult routine and executed it the best. 'I'm so extremely proud of the time and effort and attention to detail and hours and reps that they had to put into this to make this happen,' said Banwart, who won a national title as a cheerleader at Northwest Missouri State in 2010. 'The trust that they put into me to help them achieve this was just amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better group and a better routine that they put out there.' Banwart was assisted by coach Nathan Hermes, while members of the title-winning team included Natalie Arnold, Aislynn Brantley, Zarek Burkert, Ransom Butler, Lindsey Cottingham, Kennedy Denson, Bella Gorges, Rafael Guereque, Luis Holguin, Elyssa Kreutzer, Elise LeGrand, Riley Martin, Lexie Miller, Angel Morales, Matt Nichols, Abby Osborn, Izzy Peine, Taylor Pickering, Priscila Ramirez, Max Rickard, Carter Stelting and Valerie Stubbs.
USA Today
05-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Texas A&M is a finalist to land transfer forward from Wichita State
Texas A&M is a finalist to land transfer forward from Wichita State New Texas A&M head coach Bucky McMillan is already hard at work to rebuild the Aggies' depleted roster; as the last remaining contributors during Buzz Williams' final season, forwards Pharrel Payne and Solomon Washington followed Williams to Maryland, where they will play their final collegiate seasons. McMillan's play style will attract players with experience in a similar system as the 2025 transfer portal, which is filled with talent for every position. On Saturday, Wichita State junior forward Corey Washington included the Aggies in his top six transfer destinations, joining Creighton, Ole Miss, USC, Mississippi State, and SMU. During the 2024-2025 season, Washington was second on the team in scoring with 13.7 points per game, paired with 7.2 rebounds per contest. He shot an efficient 45% from the field, including 69% from the free throw line and 34% from the 3-point range. This is the first player to include the Aggies in his final grouping this offseason, which is a good sign for McMillan heading into his first week as the program's new head coach. Landing Washington is the first goal, while several of McMillan's starters and key bench players could also follow him to College Station in due time. This is a complete rebuild, so patience from the fan base is needed, but in today's transfer portal/NIL landscape, I expect the first-year head coach to make a bevy of moves in the coming days. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wichita State's Corey Washington enters transfer portal
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A week after Quincy Ballard announced his intent to transfer from Wichita State basketball, another Shocker has joined him. Starting forward Corey Washington entered his name in the transfer portal on Tuesday. Advertisement The 6-foot-6 forward from Little Rock, Arkansas, spent just one season at Wichita State after transferring from Saint Peters. He had a dynamic presence on the Shockers' roster, averaging 13.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. He ranked second on the team in scoring, rebounding, double-double's and steals. Washington earned many accolades including being named an Oscar Robertson Player of the Week in February. He is the third Shocker in the portal alongside Ballard and Yanis Bamba. In addition to three potential transfers, the Shockers had seven graduating seniors in the 2025 class. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.
