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USA Today
02-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Two Ohio State football players named Walter Camp preseason first-team All-Americans
In a sign that the college football season is just around the corner, some of the preseason watch lists are starting to make the rounds. One of those was released on Monday, with the Walter Camp Foundation announcing its preseason All-American teams. And if there's an All-American team, you can almost bet some Ohio State players are included, and that is indeed the case here as well. In fact, two Buckeyes made the list for the First-team and you can probably guess the two because both have been racking up notoriety based on what happened last year and the buzz going into 2025. Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs have both been recognized as preseason First-Team Walter Camp All-Americans. You know both well. Smith shattered the Ohio State freshmen receiving records for the Buckeyes and was an FWAA Freshman All-American and USA TODAY First Team All-American. He was also the MVP of the Rose Bowl vs. Oregon. He finished the season with 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns. For Downs, he was a do-everything guy for the Buckeyes. While he was technically listed as a safety, he was often brought down closer to the line where a traditional linebacker would play to take advantage of his athleticism, speed, and ability to break on the ball. He was third on the team with 81 tackles and tied for the team lead with two interceptions. Both guys should take an even bigger step forward in 2025 and land on some other preseason lists as they come out. You can almost bank on them being on some official postseason lists as well. Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
USA Today
28-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Steelers countdown to kickoff — No. 71: a history of the number and who wore it best
The Steelers countdown to kickoff is here — and we're at 71 days until Pittsburgh faces off against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. In the spirit of the countdown, we're taking a look at the history of No. 71 and the players who wore it best. Current Steelers No. 71 wearer: OG Aiden Williams Following the 2025 NFL Draft, Williams signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent. He played six seasons for Minnesota-Duluth (2019–2024) and appeared in 40 games — starting all 40. According to the Steelers' official team website, Williams was named a 2024 AFCA First Team All-American, a 2024 Don Hansen NCAA DII Honorable Mention All-American, and a 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl invitee. Pittsburgh has found hidden gems at guard before — but for Williams to fit this trend, he'll have to compete with backup guards Max Scharping and Spencer Anderson for a roster spot. Last five Steelers to wear No. 71: Best No. 71 in Steelers history: OT Charlie Bradshaw Bradshaw is without a doubt the best Steeler to wear the No. 71 — earning two Pro Bowl selections during his time in Pittsburgh from 1961 to 1966. Bradshaw was the anchor at the offensive tackle position, playing in 82 games for Pittsburgh — 80 of which came as starts. He was ultimately named to the Pittsburgh Steelers Legends — a selection of the franchise's best players before the 1970s.
Boston Globe
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
A lacrosse champion five times over, from Dover-Sherborn to Middlebury, Hope Shue reflects on a legacy of winning
Related : A two-time NESCAC Player of the Year and three-time IWLCA First Team All-American, she earned NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors for the third time this year. Middlebury coach Kate Livesay called Shue a once-in-a-lifetime player. 'She brings an incredible work ethic and intensity to everything she does,' she said. 'She chases greatness with a competitive spirit and deep love for her teammates.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Added fellow Middlebury senior Maggie Coughlin, a Notre Dame (Hingham) graduate from Hanover, 'As a teammate, Hope is able to balance competitive fire with positivity and fun.' Advertisement She joined NFL quarterback, and North Dakota State alum Carson Wentz, as the only NCAA student-athletes to win at least four national championships and three Elite 90 awards — given to the athlete with the top GPA at each of the NCAA's final championship sites. We chatted with Shue to learn about her lacrosse journey. How did you first discover lacrosse, and what drew you to the sport? I think I started lacrosse around fourth grade, maybe a little bit earlier in the backyard. A lot of my family played lacrosse. My older sister played, my mom played. It was just something I felt like I was going to try. I think lacrosse is particularly difficult for young girls to get into, especially back then, because it's so hard to catch and throw with the sticks back then and the eye-hand coordination of a 9-year-old. I was initially more Advertisement Hope Shue initially hoped to play Division 1 women's lacrosse, but it all worked out with four national championships at Middlebury. Courtesy Sideline Media How did your experience at Dover-Sherborn prepare you for college, and what are some of your favorite memories? It was a really epic run at D-S. My coach, Erin Massimi, was my club coach all through middle school. I was really excited when she got the job when I was going into ninth grade. We really were kind of a Cinderella story over the course of the four years. We got pretty beat up by a lot of teams the first year. We only had a 13-person roster, so we had basically one sub on the sidelines . . . By our senior year, we were one of the strongest teams in the entire state, regardless of division, and had a really amazing run to a state championship. Some of my fondest memories in sports are that spring season, playing with my best friends for the town that you were born in and grew up in. In 2021, Hope Shue (left) won a Division 2 girls' lacrosse championship with fellow senior captains Amelia Novitch (center) and Lily Thompson. Trevor Hass What was your recruiting experience like, and what led you to Middlebury? I was really gunning for Division 1. I played on one of the top club teams in the country on Mass Elite. Most of the other girls on my team were committing to Division 1 schools, and I felt like that was the path I wanted to take. But I was a really small player (5 feet, 4 inches) and, quite frankly, not one of the best people on my club team. Because of that, I definitely wasn't getting the Division 1 looks that I wanted . . . I started talking to Middlebury around November of my junior year and went up for a clinic in January. I started to realize that all of the things I thought about, Middlebury could offer. By July 1, when I committed, I was really excited about the opportunity to play at the best Division 3 program in the country. At the same time, I didn't know much about it, so I feel really lucky that it worked out the way it did. But it definitely wasn't where I intended to be when I was an eighth or ninth-grader starting the recruiting process. Related : Advertisement What's some adversity you've overcome that people may not know about? It definitely has been difficult over the years not placing too much expectation on yourself. I personally like being in an underdog position. I think most people would. It's been difficult to frame each season and each game so that I don't feel the expectations. Then the academic side, my GPA became pretty public by sophomore year. So just trying to tune out the awards, the expectations, and really focus on not striving for perfection. Hope Shue won a national championship in all four of her seasons at Middlebury, after winning a Division 2 title at Dover-Sherborn. Courtesy Sideline Media Winning four straight national championships is insane. Can you speak to the consistency of the group and how you were able to do that? Advertisement I think it speaks volumes to the culture that goes top-down from my coaches. They set such a high bar for us, because they really believe that we're capable of that. Then bottom-up, with all the players on our team really committing to coming to practice every day ready to compete at that level. We don't speak too much about national championships, conference championships, or even our record at all . . . I think the secret ingredient for the past four years is that we're really a different team by the end of the season. It's been really fun to see that transformation four years in a row. Related : You have a job lined up at a small biotech financial advisory firm. How do you think lacrosse will translate to the real world? It's a small financial advisory firm called Related : You've embraced the underdog role since you were young. What would 10-year-old you say if she could see you now? I would definitely be incredibly proud of myself. I really put a lot of work in along the way, from being 10 years old, and just hitting a ball against the bounce-back every day, over and over again, the repetition every day throughout the years. I definitely never imagined that this would be where I was after four years at Middlebury. I'm just incredibly grateful for everything that Middlebury's given me. I definitely still feel like the underdog entering the real world here. I'm back to the bottom of the totem pole. Advertisement Hope Shue won a national championship in all four of her seasons at Middlebury, after winning a Division 2 title at Dover-Sherborn. Courtesy Sideline Media Trevor Hass can be reached at
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Flagler College star, among 4 to join Sporting JAX inaugural roster
Sporting Club Jacksonville added four more players to the team's inaugural roster. On Wednesday, the team announced the signings of forwards Andrea Fernández and Baylee DeSmit, midfielder Jessie Hunt, and goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg. 'We are proud to announce these young ladies as new members of Sporting JAX,' said Sporting JAX Head Coach Stacey Ballam. 'Each of these players are looking to kick-start a new chapter within this professional league for the first time. They have all broken records and made their names in the history books at their US colleges. We are confident they can reach new heights for the club.' Advertisement Andrea Fernández is a former Flagler College star who scored 75 goals and 45 assists over 78 games. Fernández received numerous awards throughout her collegiate career, including the 2024 NCAA Division II National Player of the Year and First Team All-American honors. In her senior season, Fernández led the nation in goals per match, shots on goal per match, total goals, and total points. Baylee DeSmit played collegiate soccer at Loyola University Maryland where she was a two-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year. In 72 appearances, DeSmit scored 36 goals and had 21 assists. Jessie Hunt broke the single-season and career assists records during her time at Northeastern University. Hunt also earned First Team All-CAA honors twice. Jamie Gerstenberg is a former standout for Germany's U17 and U19 National teams. Gerstenberg started 67 games at Indiana University, where she recorded 185 saves, a 0.81 goals-against average, and 30 shutouts. The former Hoosiers goalie earned Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year in 2023 and set a school record 10 shutouts in a single season. Earlier this week, Sporting JAX announced the team will host two international friendlies at UNF's Hodges Stadium. The team will kick off its Gainbridge Super League regular season debut on August 23 against DC Power FC. Tickets are on sale now.
USA Today
18-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
This Florida standout is among The Athletic's best-ever college baseball players
This Florida standout is among The Athletic's best-ever college baseball players A question that frequently comes up in any discussion about sports is, "Who was the best player you ever saw play the game?" It is a subjective question loaded with various biases, but it often produces some very interesting answers. The Athletic's Mitch Light recently cobbled together the collective takes from five of his sports media colleagues in roundtable fashion, confronting them with the query offered above in regard to college baseball. Four of the representatives hailed from ESPN, while the fifth is a member of the D1Baseball publication. Chris Burke of ESPN answered the question with a recent member of the Florida Gators baseball program: outfielder Wyatt Langford. In his mind — recency bias also considered — the now-member of the Texas Rangers was the best he had ever seen. "I'm going to say Wyatt Langford," Burke begins. "I thought the two years (2022-23) he put together at Florida, … he was almost flawless in the outfield. He ran the bases as hard as anybody I ever covered, especially for a superstar. And you felt like he was going to hit an extra-base hit every at-bat. So I'll just go in the era that I've been covering the sport." Langford's accolades in Gainesville were numerous, including a unanimous First Team All-American honor across five different publications in 2023, as well as being named to the College World Series All-Tournament Team and First Team All-SEC. His 2023 MLB draft selection at No. 4 was the second-highest ever for a UF alumnus behind Mike Zunino, who was selected third in 2012. The outfielder's career slugging percentage stands at a program-record .746, topping Brad Wilkerson's 25-year record (.714) by a whopping .32 points, while finishing his collegiate career ranking top-10 all-time fielding percentage (tied-second), batting average (fifth), home runs (tied-sixth) and on-base percentage (seventh). Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
