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PAGE 10 October 2025 E-Edition
The Auburn football program, led by quarterback Jackson Arnold (above) continues to battle through its grueling 2025 schedule, which includes four straight games against Top 20 SEC foes. The Tigers opened SEC action with a seven point, 24-17, loss to now No. 5 Oklahoma. Auburn fell to 3-2 overall with a six point loss, 16-10, to now No. 6 Texas A&M on Saturday, September 27. Following an open week, the Tigers have two more SEC Top 20 home match ups. Auburn will host No. 12 Georgia on Saturday, October 11 and No. 19 Missouri on Saturday, October 18. Auburn Football Works Through Top 20 Schedule Photo Courtesy of David Gray, Auburn Athletics
Conference USA announced today a partnership with the Air National Guard as the title partner for the 2025 CUSA Football Championship on December 5 at the site of the team with the highest winning percentage and the 2026 CUSA Basketball Championships held March 10-14 at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala. “Conference USA is proud to partner with the Air National Guard, an organization that embodies service, leadership, and commitment,” CUSA Commissioner Judy MacLeod said. “This partnership not only elevates our football and basketball championships, but it also provides unique opportunities to honor and connect with the men and women who serve our country. We look forward to showcasing this collaboration on our campuses, in our communities and on the national stage.” The Air National Guard will receive broad visibility across Conference USA platforms, with integrated branding in broadcasts, venues and digital channels. The partnership also includes opportunities for fan engagement and community connection through special events and on-site activations at CUSA championships, ensuring a strong presence both on and off the field of competition. “The Air National Guard is honored to team up with Conference USA to spotlight values we share—physical readiness, dedication to personal excellence, and making a difference through service to others. This partnership is all about showing how our Airmen combine physical and mental strength as a mission focused team to lead, serve, and dominate air and space as we defend our communities and nation. Through this partnership, we’ll inspire the next generation to chase their goals, build a future with purpose, and serve their communities and their country,” said Chief Master Sergeant John D. Hawley, National Marketing Branch Chief, Air National Guard. The Air National Guard’s partnership also extends to Olympic sport championships, ensuring visibility across CUSA’s full slate of athletic competition and provides for enhanced local market promotion in championship host cities. CUSA Title Partnership Wright State has jumped onto the scene in three short years as an NCAA program, finishing the 2024-25 campaign ranked 21st in the National Tenpin Coaches Association’s end of season poll with a final RPI ranking of No. 22. In the classroom, Wright State earned 2025 NTCA All-Academic Scholar Team honors, while nine individuals were named NTCA All-Academic Scholar Athletes for 2024-2025. This past season the Raiders won the Mercyhurst Invitational and finished second at the Columbia 300 Saints Invite while Mia Sayles rolled the first 300 game in program history in February. Wright State joined the NCAA ranks after more than a decade as a national powerhouse at the club level. Conference USA has added three new affiliate members in bowling ahead of the 2025-26 season – the University of Nebraska, Sacred Heart University and Wright State University. The league’s Board of Directors unanimously affirmed the recommendation to extend invitations for affiliate membership. “Adding programs of this caliber further elevates the competitive profile of Conference USA Bowling,” CUSA Commissioner Judy MacLeod said. “With back-to-back national championships, our league has established itself as a premier force in the sport, and the addition of Nebraska, Sacred Heart and Wright State only strengthens that position. We’re excited to work with each of these institutions and look forward to continuing to excel as the nation’s top collegiate bowling conference.” The addition of Nebraska, Sacred Heart and Wright State increases current league membership to 12 schools for the 2025-26 season, as the Cornhuskers, Pioneers and Raiders join Arkansas State, Jacksonville State, Louisiana Tech, Sam Houston, Tulane, Valparaiso, Vanderbilt, Wichita State and Youngstown State as members of CUSA. Nebraska has enjoyed unparalleled success since becoming a varsity sport during the 1997-98 season. The Huskers have won eight national championships, including six NCAA titles since women’s bowling became an NCAA Championship sport in 2004. The Huskers have finished first or second 10 times in 21 all-time NCAA Championships and are the only program to compete in every NCAA Championship. Nebraska has had nine bowlers combine for 12 National Bowler-of-the-Year honors since 2000, most recently Jillian Martin in 2025, while 34 bowlers have combined to earn 74 All-America awards since 1998. Under Head Coach Paul Klempa, Nebraska has a trio of top-three NCAA finishes over the past five seasons, including the program’s sixth NCAA title in 2021. In 32 years as a program, Sacred Heart has established itself as a national stalwart. The Pioneers won a record six conference championships while competing in the Northeast Conference (NEC) and appeared in the NCAA Tournament nine times. Head Coach Becky Kregling, who has guided the team since its inception in 1993, has led SHU to 15 USBC National Championship Tournaments, including 10 straight years before the start of the NCAA Tournament. She is also a six-time NEC Coach of the Year and a two-time Eastern Intercollegiate Bowling Conference Coach of the Year. CUSA Adds Affiliate Members for Bowling
Photo by Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger
A member of the Jacksonville State University Bowling Team poses for a selfie with country music superstar Riley Green after receiving her National Championship ring on Saturday, September 20, 2025.
Photo by Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger
Jacksonville State University crowned its 2025 Homecoming King and Queen during pregame festivities on Saturday, September 20 at AmFirst Stadium. Cody Bonner, of Oxford, was named the 2025 King. Coral Church, of Pell City, was named the Homecoming Queen.
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