Latest news with #nationalchampionship
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
LSU Shreveport achieves perfect 59-0 season, wins NAIA national championship
Perfection achieved for the LSU Shreveport baseball program. The Pilots completed a perfect 59-0 season with a 13-7 win over Southeastern (Fla.) at Harris Field in Lewiston, Idaho, in the NAIA national championship game on May 30. LSU Shreveport ended the season with a perfect 59-0 record to win the first national title in school history. Advertisement REQUIRED READING: College baseball tournament bracket winners and losers start with SEC LSUS is the first NAIA baseball team to complete an unbeaten season. The Pilots' 59-game win streak topped the previous college baseball record of 57 straight wins achieved by junior college Howard College of Texas, which ended up finishing its 2009 season with a 63-1 record and winning a national title. Despite the perfect record, the path to baseball immortality and the championship was not always a smooth one. The Pilots faced 4-0 and 7-5 deficits in the championship game. However, back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning by Jackson Syring and Ian Montz helped them overcome a season-high deficit of four runs. LSUS set the college baseball record for winning streak with its 58th straight win a day earlier with a 14-4 victory over Hope International (Calif.). LSU Shreveport achieved a 30-0 record in Red River Athletic Conference games and won 28 games by 10 runs or more. Advertisement Brad Neffendorf, who is in his sixth year as the coach, has posted a 270-49 record with the Pilots. 'It's the most unbelievable thing we may ever see in college baseball,' Neffendorf told the SBC Advocate. 'They deserve to be applauded like there is no tomorrow. They haven't done anything but continue to put their foot on the gas pedal to keep getting better.' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LSU Shreveport finishes perfect season with NAIA national championship
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'We are just one big family': How UNC women's lacrosse capped perfect season with NCAA title
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — From the inaugural faceoff in February to the final buzzer on championship weekend, UNC women's lacrosse never took its foot off the gas. The Tar Heels were the gold standard for 2025, and on Sunday, May 25, at Gillette Stadium, they left no doubt they were the best team in the country, storming past Northwestern 12-8 to claim their fourth national championship. Advertisement This marked UNC's first time in championship weekend since their title win in 2022, and their prowess throughout the tournament points to a dynasty in the making. The centerpiece is redshirt freshman Chloe Humphrey. Chloe notched four goals and an assist in the win over the Wildcats on Sunday, bumping her up to 11 goals scored over two games this holiday weekend. MORE HEELS WINS: Tar Heels hammer Tigers, win ACC Tournament championship LIVE UPDATES: See how the NCAA women's lacrosse final played out Chloe also got to win the title with two of her sisters on the roster, Ashley and Nicole. Ashley and Chloe even collaborated for a dynamic goal in the second quarter to put the Tar Heels up 5-1, showcasing the dominant Humphrey connection that's been terrorizing defenses all season. Advertisement 'It's just so awesome,' Chloe said. 'That connection and being able to live out our dream together.' While Chloe gets the spotlight with her elite scoring, it's Ashley's vision that has been setting up the UNC attack all season long. In the fourth quarter, Ashley dished her fourth assist of the game and 90th of the season to set a new single-season program record. 'She's a point guard for us back there,' head coach Jenny Levy said. 'When things are not going right for us, she understands that. She tells people what they need to know.' After watching her sister Nicole win the title with UNC in 2022, Ashley made the decision to transfer from Stanford, where she spent her undergrad years. Ashley became determined to play on the same stage her sister did. Advertisement 'Just having the opportunity to be here is what I really wanted,' Ashley said. '(Winning) is just the icing on the cake.' While she knew she was getting to play with two of her sisters, she had no idea she would make 36 more. 'I have 38 sisters,' Ashley said. 'The entire team, the staff, we are just one big family, and although we have some DNA in common, everybody on this team is a family.' Now, Ashley, Chloe, Nicole and their UNC family can celebrate reaching the ultimate goal. And they did it together. 'It definitely took a lot of sacrifices, a lot of injuries, a lot of comebacks,' Ashley said. 'This is something that no one can ever take away from us.' Chloe put it simply: 'We can call ourselves national champions now.' This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC women's lacrosse finishes undefeated for NCAA title
New York Times
3 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Can Notre Dame take the next step? What Marcus Freeman has learned and what's next
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — In almost exactly two months, Notre Dame will open preseason camp with something to defend and something to chase. Because as Marcus Freeman enters his fourth season in charge, Notre Dame's head coach will be both trying to recreate the magic of last season's run to the national championship game and figuring out how the Irish get over that final finish line. Advertisement It will take everything Freeman has learned on the job for the Irish to do either. On Thursday, Freeman met with a small group of reporters to set the stage for summer as Notre Dame balances two competing ideas. The program's 37-year wait since its last national championship is the longest since Knute Rockne won Notre Dame's first 101 years ago. And yet, it feels like the Irish may be as close to ending that barren spell as at any point since Lou Holtz left the building. 'Where am I better? The experience at every situation that has to do with being a head coach,' Freeman said. 'The experience with dealing with (media), the experience with dealing with making high-pressure situation decisions, the experience of two-minute situations, the experience of recruiting. I'm better at every area of being a head coach because of experience where there's no substitution for it, and that's what I have to continue.' Freeman did some professional development this offseason, sounding out Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni on what it took to win a Super Bowl after falling short before, going all the way in his fourth season. Freeman has made NFL connections before, from Mike Tomlin to Sean Payton. But the questions are different when there's a national championship game appearance on your resume. 'If you have a camera on me or you're in my brain 24 hours a day — 'Oh, he's better here.' Why? Because he's done it. He's experienced, he's more confident in it,' Freeman said. 'He's been there, but there's just not one area where I can point out and say, 'Hey, I'm better here than every other place.' I hope I'm better in every area and every aspect of being a head coach.' Two months from now, Freeman will need to start to show that on the practice field. Three months from now, the curtain will go up at Hard Rock Stadium against Miami. Advertisement As for what that show looks like, Freeman explained how some past experiences might inform future decisions while also detailing how last year's postseason continues to impact Notre Dame moving forward. When Tyler Buchner battled Drew Pyne to be Freeman's first starting quarterback, the competition wasn't entirely a fair fight. Freeman expected Buchner to win the job before the first practice period of camp. The sophomore figured as much too. Then Buchner suffered a season-altering shoulder injury in the season's second week and gave way to Pyne. Would the competition have turned out differently if Freeman was more open-minded? Probably not. But Freeman doesn't want to go down the same path of presumption with CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey. 'I think what I learned from that is you don't ever go into a competition expecting somebody to win it. We will evaluate your performance, and that's what we'll do, right?' Freeman said. 'We're truly gonna evaluate both of those guys' performance. We'll make sure it's fair in terms of the reps, the situations they get.' The presumption is Carr will win the job with Steve Angeli out of the picture to Syracuse and Minchey remaining as the competition. And that presumption might become reality during the first couple of weeks of August. But Freeman wants to stress test both quarterbacks before choosing one. Maybe Carr struggles with a starter's burden. Maybe Minchey excels. The greatest unknown for Freeman is how either will react when the lights come on at Miami. Neither has started a game. Only Minchey has thrown a pass. It's all a big jump to opening night in south Florida. Working in favor of Carr and Minchey is they both have a year under offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, with Minchey also logging two with quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli. It's just that what's working against them is the thing coaches seem to value most: having been there and done that. Advertisement Neither Carr nor Minchey has. 'How do we find ways in fall camp to put them in as many high-pressure situations as we can?' Freeman said. 'One of them is to say, 'Hey, you know that you're going to be taken out if you don't execute.' Like, that's a stinky situation, but it's high-pressure, right? But what we've got to do is put them in as many of those situations, to get them to execute before we go and play down in Florida. So, that will be one of the ultimate challenges. 'In-game experience is a high-pressure experience. So, let's create that in practice.' Freeman may not come out and say this, but he knows Notre Dame ran into a better roster on Jan. 20. The Irish may not have taken their best shot at the Buckeyes in a game that collapsed around Freeman in the middle quarters, but it was clear Notre Dame needed to be much closer to perfect than it played. And that's because the Buckeyes had a talent edge before opening kickoff. Notre Dame doesn't have to get back to the CFP to change that reality either, with the 2026 Irish recruiting class ranked No. 2 in the 247Sports composite, one spot ahead of the Buckeyes. 'I'm always trying to get better, man. We want to be bigger, we want to be faster, we want to be stronger. I know that's a general statement, but I don't look at a team and say we need that,' Freeman said. 'You know what? Jeremiah Smith, I wouldn't turn away. He's dang good football player, but I'm pleased with what we got.' Catching Ohio State at the top of the food chain might be harder than what Freeman has already accomplished further down the roster. The Ohio State lesson in recruiting isn't just about topping off the roster with elite skill-position talent. It's about keeping the middle stout enough to endure a 16-game season. The Irish lost two starters on the offensive line during the CFP, never mind going without defensive tackle Rylie Mills and watching Jeremiyah Love come up lame. Advertisement That doesn't touch season-ending injuries to cornerback Benjamin Morrison and defensive ends Boubacar Traore and Jordan Botelho. Freeman said both ends, along with center Ashton Craig, would be back for Miami. 'The personnel you have that you can get through a 16-game season and have to use multiple different people with starters,' Freeman said. 'You go into the semifinals game and you're losing starters, putting backups in, but if you don't have the depth that you can put somebody and get the job done, then all of a sudden that becomes a hole and it becomes a deficiency and you lose.' A month ago Freeman counseled with a group of sports analytics experts, leaning into how to call a game with maximum efficiency. The analytics teams praised Freeman for how the Irish offense sequenced its play calling to get to fourth-and-short scenarios, the kind of down-and-distance where the math says go for it even if conventional wisdom doesn't always agree. 'I wanted to be like, 'I like your book and all those things, and thanks for the compliments, but the reason we went for it on fourth down was because of the confidence we had in getting that first down.'' Freeman recalled. 'And so, I sat with the offense and said, 'OK, Kenny Minchey isn't the running quarterback that Riley Leonard was — how do we create that confidence in the head coach that we can sequence things on third down, knowing that we're going to go for it on fourth down?' Herein lies the rub for Freeman. Going for it on fourth down with Minchey or Carr at quarterback won't make as much sense as it did with Leonard, even if the analytics are agnostic to a quarterback's ability to gain the hard yards. So how does Notre Dame get those inches when it absolutely needs them? Is there a get-out-of-jail-free card in this offense like Leonard's legs or former tight end Michael Mayer's catch radius? 'It's a great challenge for our offense and myself to come up with, 'OK, what will be our short-yardage packages,' right?' Freeman said. 'How do we find unique ways on offense to get an extra hat to the point of contact, so we feel very confident we'll get the first down? That's one of the great challenges we have.' Advertisement Working in Notre Dame's favor is an offensive line that could challenge for the Joe Moore Award, plus a running back in Love who might be the best in the sport. Working against the Irish, a green quarterback and a receiver group that still needs to prove itself. Yes, figuring out the starting quarterback will be a priority of the preseason. But once the Irish get that down, creating an offensive identity will be a close second. It's not clear exactly what that will be just yet, but if Freeman wants to call games with the same aggression as last season, he'll need to figure that out.
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Classic Sports Moments - The Regina Pat Canadians and their bid to win the 1994 Air Canada Cup
Watch in 1994, the Regina Pat Canadians made it to the national championship final to play the Red Deer Chiefs.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
What you need to know about Ohio State's roster: 43 thoughts on 43 offensive players
There are only 10 more weeks until August comes and Ohio State begins preseason camp in hopes of defending its national championship. With both transfer portal windows closed, the roster is likely set. What should you know about every player? Here are thoughts on Ohio State's 43 scholarship offensive players. Check back for defense and special teams later this week. Advertisement Players are ordered by expected impact in 2025 at each position. Julian Sayin, r-Fr.: The No. 1 quarterback recruit in the 2024 class has been the favorite to win the Buckeyes' 2025 quarterback job since he left Alabama when Nick Saban retired last year. He was Ohio State's third-string quarterback as a true freshman and showed some flashes of his arm talent in limited snaps. He was inconsistent in the spring, but his strong spring scrimmage performance vaulted him to a slight lead over Lincoln Kienholz, in my opinion. His arm talent stands out, and he moves around the pocket well, too, which is crucial because he's only 6 feet 1. The competition is far from over, and he'll have to work to separate from Kienholz. Lincoln Kienholz, r-Soph.: Kienholz is the most experienced of the returning quarterbacks — with just 22 career pass attempts — and had a good but inconsistent spring in which he showed off his athleticism. He finished the spring game completing 12 of 18 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns. The South Dakota native didn't do enough to win the starting job, but he will be in the two-man race with Sayin when camp begins in August. Eli Brickhandler, r-Jr.: Ryan Day prefers to have at least four quarterbacks on the roster, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he added one this spring. Brickhandler, a Houston Christian transfer, committed to the Buckeyes on May 20 and gives the Buckeyes some extra experience, even if he's totaled only 144 career pass attempts in the FCS. I don't expect him to come in and compete for the starting job, but he'll have two years of eligibility left to aid the Buckeyes' depth. Tavien St. Clair, Fr.: The five-star, No. 7 prospect in the 2025 class had a stellar first spring after enrolling early from Bellefontaine High School, less than an hour from Columbus. He struggled at times in the spring game, throwing two interceptions, but growing pains are expected for most freshmen. He will have time to grow, as Ohio State shouldn't need to press him into duty. St. Clair's future is bright. Advertisement James Peoples, Soph.: Though Peoples hasn't had a chance to shine yet — he rushed for 197 yards behind Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson as a freshman — many people in the program think the 2024 four-star recruit from Texas is going to be special. He moves well between the tackles and has shown some explosiveness. The 203-pound Peoples should be the starter when the season begins, though carries will be split. C.J. Donaldson, Sr.: The West Virginia transfer showed some flashes of being an impact player this spring, but it's hard to really gauge running backs when there's not as much contact. Still, the 6-foot-2, 237-pounder has a unique frame and experience — 30 touchdowns in three years with the Mountaineers — that should put him in a two-man primary rotation with Peoples. Bo Jackson, Fr.: Of the freshmen, Jackson seems the most ready to get on the field, which is impressive considering he missed the end of his senior high school season with an injury. He didn't show a lot in the spring, with most eyes on Donaldson and Peoples, but Jackson looked promising in the spring game. His future is bright. Sam Williams-Dixon, r-Fr.: Williams-Dixon entered the portal after the season but returned instead of finding another home. He will likely battle Jackson for the third-string running back position, a spot that will include rotational reps and fourth-quarter snaps in lopsided games. Anthony Rogers, Fr.: Rogers, a four-star former Alabama commit, won't arrive in Columbus until this summer, but he's an explosive playmaker who should provide some big-play potential and depth when he's up to speed in the offense. Isaiah West, Fr.: The three-star recruit from St. Joe's Prep in Philadelphia was on campus in the spring but missed most of it due to injury. Running backs coach Carlos Locklyn liked his potential and offered a scholarship last May, early into his first year at Ohio State. We'll see more from West in the summer. Jeremiah Smith, Soph.: Smith returns as the best receiver in the country — and also arguably the best player at any position. The No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2024 tallied 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns as a freshman and now has the impossible task of trying to top that debut performance. He has a real chance to make a trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, though that could depend on the development of Sayin or Kienholz at quarterback. Advertisement Carnell Tate, Jr.: Tate will see even more opportunities with Emeka Egbuka gone. A five-star recruit, Tate has made steady improvement in his two years. He made an immediate impact as a freshman with 18 catches for 264 yards and one touchdown, then stepped in as the third receiver and caught 52 passes for 733 yards and four touchdowns last year. He has first-round NFL talent and will get a chance to show it all this year. Brandon Inniss, Jr.: It's finally Inniss' time. The top-40 recruit had to wait his turn after Egbuka decided to return last season, but he still carved out a role as Ohio State's fourth receiver. Now, with Egbuka gone, he's primed to step in as the Buckeyes' slot receiver. He had 14 catches for 176 yards and one touchdown and returned punts last season, and he gives the Buckeyes another strong route runner. Mylan Graham, r-Fr.: Graham, a former five-star prospect from Indiana, was the talk of the spring game this year after not arriving in Columbus until last summer. He appeared in four games as a freshman to preserve his redshirt and should get on the field more this year, as he's competing with Bryson Rodgers and freshman Quincy Porter to take over that fourth receiver spot. A good preseason camp could put him squarely in the rotation. Bryson Rodgers, R-Soph.: Rodgers is a good example of just how deep Ohio State's receiving corps is. A four-star, top-400 recruit, he hasn't been able to break into the rotation in his first two years, as he had just five catches last year. But he's a strong route runner and has impressed the staff, even if he'll have to compete at a high level this summer to earn more snaps. Quincy Porter, Fr.: If any freshman receiver is going to make an immediate impact, Porter is the favorite. The five-star signee had one of the best spring sessions among all Ohio State freshmen, showing off his ability to make contested catches consistently. He'll have to bring it again in the summer, but when Smith is calling him the next great one, that's a sign of good things to come. Phillip Bell, Fr.: A four-star recruit from California, Bell was the No. 275 player in the class and will likely need some time to challenge for playing time in such a deep group. David Adolph, r-Jr.: Adolph, a local player from Dublin, Ohio, was a walk-on until last August when he was rewarded for his strong offseason with a scholarship. He's not likely to take the field in major snaps, but he adds some depth to a deep unit and played 114 special teams snaps, per TruMedia. Advertisement De'Zie Jones, Fr.: The New Jersey product was another four-star recruit in the Class of 2025 who will use the summer to develop after enrolling in January. He'll likely be third on the slot receiver depth chart this summer, but he has a lot of talent. His position in the units speaks to the quality of depth at the position. Bodpegn Miller, Fr.: Miller has good size at 6-4, with excellent athleticism to go with it and impressed the coaching staff at a one-day camp last summer. He arrived at Ohio State as a developmental prospect after playing quarterback and defense in high school. He's a strong redshirt candidate this year as he develops. Damarion Witten, r-Fr.: The 6-4, 215-pound Witten was a tight end coming out of high school but spent all of last season at wide receiver. He's still adjusting to the position but showed good ball skills and an ability to high-point the ball. He has a chance to fight for second-team reps this season. Max Klare, r-Jr.: The versatile Purdue transfer can play on the line or in the slot and is a mismatch in the passing game. He scored a touchdown in the spring game, and Ohio State is only scratching the surface of what it can do with the potential All-American in the lineup after he led the Boilermakers with 51 catches for 685 yards and four touchdowns last season. Will Kacmarek, r-Sr.: Kacmarek was in a boot at the end of the spring and missed the spring game, but that injury isn't expected to keep him out of preseason camp. He will be one of the top two tight ends when he steps on the field. Bennett Christian, r-Jr.: The Georgia native isn't one of the flashiest names on the roster, but he does a lot to impress the coaching staff. He had a 55-yard touchdown catch from Sayin against Western Michigan last September. Jelani Thurman, r-Soph.: One of the most physically impressive players on the roster, Thurman is a massive threat in the passing game at 6-6 and has improved his blocking enough to be on the field for extended snaps. This could be a breakout season for Thurman after he had four catches last season. Advertisement Max LeBlanc, r-Fr.: The Canadian native will provide some depth at one of the deepest positions on the roster. He played just 14 snaps but was the lone tight end signee in 2024 and will be able to compete for more time next year. Nate Roberts, Fr.: The No. 10 tight end in the 2025 class, Roberts showed flashes of a bright future during the spring. There's a logjam above him on the depth chart, but Ohio State is excited about how he could develop. Brody Lennon, Fr.: Lennon is the other half of the talented freshman duo with Roberts. The tight end room is deep, though, so he can take time to develop, especially because he did not enroll in time for spring practice. Ethan Onianwa, r-Sr.: One of Ohio State's biggest moves this offseason was adding Onianwa out of the portal. The Rice transfer was an NFL prospect before he decided to finish his career at Ohio State. He fills a massive void at left tackle after Josh Simmons left for the NFL. Carson Hinzman, r-Jr.: Hinzman was one of the major glue pieces to Ohio State's championship run a year ago. With the injuries up front, he was forced to play both guard and center and held his own at both. He'll go back to center this year with Seth McLaughlin gone and is expected to be one of the strengths of the line. Luke Montgomery, Jr.: The Ohio native will likely start at left guard this year, where he came into his own during last year's championship run. Montgomery and Onianwa give the Buckeyes one side of the line they can lock in right now. Tegra Tshabola, r-Jr.: After splitting time with Austin Siereveld at right guard last year, Tshabola seemed to have control of the role this spring. He's improved immensely since last spring and could help solidify a strong interior line group. Austin Siereveld, r-Soph.: Siereveld is a perfect fit for the versatile sixth lineman role, but he appears to be entering the summer as the team's starting right tackle instead. He played guard last year, so even if he doesn't win the battle at right tackle, he could swing inside on occasions as well. Advertisement Philip Daniels, r-Soph.: The Minnesota transfer might not be locked into the starting lineup going into the summer, but he will battle for the right tackle position against Siereveld. For now, it seems like Siereveld has the upper hand, but Daniels is a more than capable backup. Josh Padilla, r-Soph.: With McLaughlin gone, Padilla steps up on the depth chart as Ohio State's backup center. We haven't seen a lot of Padilla yet, but he could get some opportunities this fall.. Ian Moore, R-Fr.: Moore began the spring as the team's starting left tackle, but as expected, Onianwa took it over. Ohio State may have brought in someone else this year, but Moore is the favorite to be a starter next season if he continues to develop. Deontae Armstrong, r-Fr.: The Cleveland native hasn't made an impact, yet, but the 6-6, 298-pounder remains an important depth piece at an offensive tackle position that lacks depth. Devontae Armstrong, r-Fr.: Much like his brother, Devontae remains a developmental piece for the Buckeyes down the road. Unlike his brother, Devontae is a guard at Ohio State, but he shares the physical tools at 6-5 and 303 pounds. Jake Cook, Fr.: Cook, a former Louisville commit, chose the Buckeyes last summer after a camp in Columbus. He got a spring in with the Buckeyes and is in a battle with Armstrong for a backup spot at left guard. Gabe VanSickle, r-Fr.: The Michigan native and four-star recruit is another depth piece who I'd slot in as the backup right guard for now, so this preseason camp is crucial for him. Carter Lowe, Fr.: The Toledo native was the big addition to the 2025 class. The four-star prospect and No. 11 tackle in the class, Lowe was a must-get for the Buckeyes and projects to be a starter later in his career. Jayvon McFadden, Fr.: The Maryland native is in the early developmental stages of his career. He was the top-rated offensive lineman in Maryland but is slotted in as the third-string guard for right now. A good camp could see him push VanSickle and add depth there. Justin Terry, r-Fr.: Terry is another West Virginia transfer, but unlike Donaldson, he didn't play a snap last season or this spring. He'll be a tackle when he debuts in the summer. (Top photo of James Peoples and Julian Sayin: Adam Cairns / Columbus Dispatch / USA Today Network)
