HUSKER BASEBALL COACH BOLT RECEIVES CONTRACT EXTENSION:
Head Baseball Coach Will Bolt received a new five-year contract today, as announced by Husker AD Troy Dannen. The recently completed deal runs through the 2029 season, with Bolt receiving an annual salary of $500,000.
“We are pleased to have Will Bolt as the leader of our baseball program well into the future,” Dannen said. “Will has been a big part of the success of Nebraska Baseball over the past two decades, not only as the head coach, but also as an assistant coach and player. Through his past experiences, he knows what it takes to win at Nebraska and has a great vision to continue to elevate our program in the coming years.”
With a 40-22 overall record in 2024, Nebraska reached the 40-win mark for the 19th time in program history and the first time since Bolt’s final season as the Huskers’ associate head coach in 2014.
NEBRASKA FOOTBALL RECEIVING VOTES IN AP TOP 25:
Nebraska Football is receiving votes in the preseason AP Top 25 poll released yesterday and their schedule will have three ranked opponents.
The Huskers received 16 votes of consideration, as one of 17 teams receiving votes.
Four teams from the Big Ten are in the Top 10, with Ohio State and newcomer Oregon at the #2 and #3 respectively. Penn State is #8, and defending national champion Michigan is #9.
After the Wolverines, there’s a long drop to find another Big Ten team. Newcomer USC is #23, while Iowa rounds out the rankings at #25.
Nebraska is joined by Washington and Wisconsin in receiving votes. Washington received 23 votes, while Wisconsin received 15. Additionally, Nebraska’s Week 2 opponent Colorado picked up a singular vote in the preseason poll.
Georgia was ranked #1 in the poll, followed by Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, and Alabama to round out the top 5. Ole Miss was ranked #6, followed by Notre Dame, Penn State, and Michigan. Florida State was ranked #10.
HUTMACHER NAMED TO BEDNARIK AWARD WATCH LIST:
Nebraska defensive tackle Nash Hutmacher was honored Monday, as he was named to the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List on Monday. The Bednarik Award is presented annually to the outstanding defensive player in college football.
Hutmacher helped anchor Nebraska’s defense in 2023, as the Blackshirts ranked in the top 20 nationally in total defense, scoring defense and rushing defense in his first year as a starter. He started all 12 games and totaled 40 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
In addition to his football exploits, Hutmacher joined the Husker wresting team as a heavyweight and qualified for the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
ARBITRATION PANEL WONT RECONSIDER CHILES APPEAL TO KEEP GYMNASTICS BRONZE:
USA Gymnastics officials say an arbitration panel won’t reconsider a decision asking gymnast Jordan Chiles to return the bronze medal she was awarded in the floor exercise at the Paris Olympics.
USA Gymnastics says it will continue efforts to let Chiles keep the medal.
“USA Gymnastics was notified by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday that their rules do not allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement. “We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the just scoring, placement, and medal award for Jordan.”
CAS voided an on-floor appeal from Chiles’ coach that vaulted her to third, saying the appeal came 4 seconds beyond the one-minute time limit for scoring inquiries.
The dispute over such minute details sets up what could be a months- or years-long legal battle over the gymnastics scores.
4-STAR WIDE RECEIVER MOZEE FLIPS FROM OREGON TO NEBRASKA:
Four-star wide receiver Isaiah Mozee has flipped his commitment from Oregon to Nebraska, a significant addition for the Huskers landing one of the top playmakers in the Midwest.
Mozee flipped a little over a week after an unofficial visit to Nebraska, weeks after the Huskers hired his father, Jamar Mozee, as a Senior Football Assistant.
Mozee is the 18th recruit in the class of 2025 to commit to the Huskers.
FIDONE ON MACKEY AWARD WATCH LIST:
Nebraska’s Thomas Fidone II was recognized Friday on the initial John Mackey Award Watch List. The Mackey Award is presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding collegiate tight end.
Fidone, a 6-foot-6, 255-pounder from Council Bluffs, Iowa, comes into the 2024 season as one of Nebraska’s top offensive threats and poised for a breakout junior season. After being limited by injuries in his first two seasons, Fidone tallied 25 catches for 260 yards and four touchdowns in 2023.
Fidone is the fourth Husker to be named to a preseason watch list so far.
FORMER HUSKER QB MARTINEZ LEADS JETS TO PRESEASON WIN:
Adrian Martinez led a game-winning drive for the New York Jets Saturday, aiming to keep his National Football League dreams alive.
The former Nebraska quarterback began the day as the fifth quarterback listed on the Jets’ depth chart, but Martinez stole the spotlight against the Washington Commanders in the team’s preseason opener. He went 6-of-10 passing for 104 yards, as the Jets defeated the Washington Commanders 20-17 in their preseason opener.
TEAM USA VOLLEYBALL SETTLES FOR SILVER IN PARIS:
The defense of gold at Tokyo fell one win short for Team USA.
Team USA women’s volleyball was swept by Italy in the final of the Paris Olympics Sunday: 25-18, 25-20, 25-17. That is the first Olympic medal of any color for the Italian squad. For the Americans, this marks the fifth-consecutive Summer Games with a medal.
Three players on the U.S. National Team – Jordan Larson, Kelsey Robinson Cook and Justine Wong-Orantes – represented Nebraska throughout the competition.
In the final, Wong-Orantes put up 15 digs for Team USA, and Larson had five kills.
TEAM USA BASKETBALL WINS GOLD OVER HOST FRANCE:
The U.S. is atop the international men’s basketball world once again, after Stephen Curry scored 24 points — all on 3-pointers — and led the way to a 98-87 win over France in the final at the Paris Games on Saturday night. It was the fifth consecutive gold medal for the U.S. and the 17th in 20 all-time appearances for the Americans at the Games.
“You just stay confident, stay present and don’t get rattled by the moment,” said Curry, who had 17 3-pointers in his last two games, starting with nine against Serbia to get to the gold-medal game.
Added U.S. coach Steve Kerr: “Steph earned this.”
Curry made four 3-pointers in the final 2:43, including the one that just sealed the win with 1:19 remaining. It put the U.S. up 93-84 and he skipped down the court letting out a yell, shaking his jersey so everyone could see the “USA” across the front.
PARIS OLYMPICS CONCLUDES, US AND CHINA TIE FOR GOLD MEDALS BUT USA TOPS OVERALL MEDAL TABLE:
The contest for most gold medals at the Paris Olympics ended in a 40-40 tie between China and the United States.
But the U.S. topped the medals table with a whopping 126 overall, compared to 91 for China. At the Tokyo Games, the U.S. also edged China in the medal count, finishing with 113 overall and 39 golds, compared to 89 medals with 38 gold for China.
According to Nielsen’s Gracenote virtual medal-table forecast, which collected results data from big competitions since the Tokyo Games, the top five for overall medals in Paris was going to be as follows: The U.S. (112 overall medals); China (86); Britain (63); France (60) and Australia (54).
The U.S. did top the medals table. However, the U.S. and China both upped their gold and overall medal counts.
Japan proved the virtual predictors wrong by sneaking into third place with 20 golds among its 45 medals.
TRI-CITY STORM GOALTENDING COACH LEAVES FOR AVALANCHE ORGANIZATION:
The NHL’s Colorado Avalanche has hired Tri-City Storm Goaltending Coach Matt Zaba as the Goalie Coach for the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.
Zaba was Tri-City’s Goaltending Coach for the past seven seasons, and coached three USHL Goaltenders of the Year during his time with the organization.
Five goalies who played under Zaba during his tenure with the Storm were selected in the NHL Draft.
NEBRASKA SOCCER RANKED SIXTH IN SOCCER PRESEASON POLL:
Following a historic 2023 season, the Nebraska soccer team is ranked sixth in the preseason United Soccer Coaches poll.
The 2024 Huskers return 10 starters, including two-time First-Team All-Big Ten and CSC All-American Weber. Additionally, NU will be bolstered by the influx of three freshmen and three transfers who will look to make an early impact.
In 2023, NU appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time in program history and advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1999.
Five of Nebraska’s 2024 opponents, Penn State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Duke and Iowa, sit in the top 25.
Defending Champion Florida State was ranked #1 in the preseason poll.
NOAH LYLES FALLS IN OLYMPIC 200M, HAS COVID:
Noah Lyles lost the Olympic 200 meters Thursday, falling to Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, then being tended to by medics who carted him off the track in a wheelchair. Later, wearing a mask as he spoke with reporters, Lyles said he had COVID.
After crossing the line third for the second straight Olympics, Lyles fell to his back and writhed in pain, staying down for nearly 30 seconds before getting up, asking for water and getting to the wheelchair.
Lyles said he tested positive early Tuesday morning and quickly got into quarantine.
The U.S. track federation released a statement saying it and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee adhered to all Olympic and Centers for Disease Control guidelines.
BIG TEN NAMED IN LAWSUIT OVER BASEBALL SCHOLARSHIP LIMITS:
A former college baseball player is suing the NCAA and power conferences, accusing the leagues of wage fixing through scholarship limits.
The federal antitrust cases was filed in Colorado last week by former TCU baseball player Riley Cornelio and seeks class-action status for college baseball and hockey players.
“Defendant and its members operate as a cartel, and the capping of scholarship money at artificially low levels in these sports results in wage fixing amongst horizontal competitors in a market for services,” the complaint says. “The anticompetitive effects are as clear as with any other wage fix, and it is an unlawful restraint under Section 1 of the Sherman Act.”
The NCAA, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern Conference have an agreement in place to settle three antitrust lawsuits that challenged compensation rules for $2.78 billion in damages to former and current college athletes.
HARBAUGH RECEIVES FOUR YEAR SHOW CAUSE ORDER FROM NCAA:
The NCAA announced a four-year show-cause order for former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh on Wednesday for impermissible contact with recruits and players while access was restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic, effectively banning him from college athletics until August 2028.
The NCAA said Harbaugh, who left his alma mater to coach the Los Angeles Chargers after last season’s national championship, “engaged in unethical conduct, failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance and violated head coach responsibility obligations.”
The NCAA had already put Michigan on three years of probation along with a fine and recruiting limits after reaching a negotiated resolution in the case. Harbaugh did not go along with the agreement, disputing allegations he failed to cooperate with investigators, so his case was handled separately.
The sign-stealing case is still open and could take months to resolve. Multiple infractions cases in such a short time period could prompt the NCAA to treat Michigan as a repeat offender, opening the school up to harsher penalties in the sign-stealing case.
NEBRASKA VOLLEYBALL DOCUMENTARY TO BE RELEASED ON ESPN:
A documentary on Nebraska Volleyball will be released later this month by ESPN and streaming partner ESPN+.
‘No Place Like Nebraska’ premieres August 25th at 5 PM ET on ESPN, and will be available for streaming after on ESPN+
Last year’s Nebraska volleyball team went 33-2, winning the Big Ten, undefeated at home, and falling to Texas in the National Championship match.
B1G ANNOUNCES VOLLEYBALL TV SCHEDULE, HUSKERS ON AIR 17 TIMES:
The Big Ten Network announced its 2024 volleyball TV schedule on Monday. Nebraska will appear on BTN, FS1 and NBC a total of 17 times during the season, including 14 of 20 conference matches.
Times and dates for games shown on Nebraska Public Media will be announced at a later date.
In addition to the 17 matches on BTN, FS1 and NBC, Nebraska will play Kentucky on ESPN2 on Aug. 27 at the AVCA First Serve Showcase in Louisville, Ky.
Additionally, one date changed from the original schedule announced in June. Nebraska’s match at Northwestern will now be played on Sunday, Nov. 3 at Noon. It was originally scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 2. The Huskers play at Wisconsin that Friday, Nov. 1 at 8 p.m.
TUESDAY KGFW Sports Schedule:
- SPORTS NIGHTLY 6-8PM
