A new partnership aims to give Yale athletes a platform to receive NIL deals, even after the Ivy League opted out of an antitrust settlement that allows schools to pay players directly.

The deal with Opendorse, a marketplace that connects athletes with sponsors, allows Yale players to create profiles and receive paid requests for endorsements, appearances, and personalized messages. Announced on Monday, the partnership comes weeks after the Ivy League opted out of a $2.8 billion NCAA antitrust settlement that would provide back pay to former athletes and allow schools to share up to $20 million annually with current players starting in 2025.

“Partnering with Opendorse allows us to provide best-in-class NIL resources that empower our student-athletes to make the most of the opportunities available to them in this evolving landscape,” Athletic Director Vicky Chun said in the press release. 

The platform, founded by former Nebraska linebacker Blake Lawrence, allows athletes to create profiles where businesses and fans can offer payment for personalized videos, social media promotions, autographs and event appearances — similar to services offered by celebrity video-messaging platforms such as Cameo. 

The site has partnerships with numerous college teams and professional athletes, including Stephen Curry and Luka Dončić, whose prices reach into the thousands. Listings for Yale athletes mostly range from $10 to $50. 

Chun announced the new partnership in an email to Yale athletes last week, calling it “game-changing NIL news.” Sign-ups have been uneven across Yale’s teams, with less than half of the football and men’s basketball rosters participating. However, this is still more than the men’s hockey team’s participation numbers, where just one player has joined.

It is unclear whether the marketplace — essentially a middleman for sponsorship inquiries — will generate significant deals for athletes beyond the top few players on marketable teams. 

Some Bulldogs, including men’s basketball point guard Bez Mbeng ’25, already have ongoing NIL deals — Mbeng with New Haven-based Farnam Realty Group. He is not currently listed on the Opendorse platform, which athletes may bypass in favor of NIL agents or direct negotiations with sponsors.

According to Richard Kent, a Connecticut-based sports lawyer who specializes in NIL, the partnership may be more about appearances than impact.

“It does nothing compared to where NIL is or what revenue sharing is going to accomplish,” Kent said, referring to the rejected NIL settlement. “I think it’s a palliative way for [Yale Athletics] to say they’re doing something.”

Yale Athletics did not immediately respond to comment. Two other Ivy League schools, Columbia and Princeton, have also partnered with Opendorse. 

The final approval hearing for the House v. NCAA settlement is scheduled for April 7.

The post Yale partners with NIL marketplace after opting out of NCAA settlement appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Avery Lee ’25 told the News that the team was excited to compete against Princeton and Penn, having “good energy going into the weekend.”

The first game of the weekend on Friday, saw the Bulldogs go head-to-head against the orange and black stripes of the Tigers. Princeton has consistently been strong on the court, representing the Ivy League in the NCAA March Madness tournament last year. They currently stand in second place in the Ivy League behind Columbia (16–4, 7–0 Ivy). Historically, Yale has not fared well against Princeton, losing the last 10 games played in the past six years. The Elis were looking to secure a historic comeback victory. 

Although the first period began with the Tigers jumping out to an 8–2 lead, the Bulldogs held their own. Kiley Capstraw ’26 answered Princeton with two points of her own, followed by a three-pointer and a layup from Mackenzie Egger ’25, who continued to exemplify offensive dominance on the court.

With the arrival of the second period, Yale gained further momentum. In the sharpest quarter of the game, Egger and Capstraw combined for nine of eleven points, just shy of Princeton’s twelve. Going into the half, the Tigers led 18–27, one of the closest battles of the season for the Bulldogs.

After the half, however, Princeton began to pull away. The duo of Egger and Capstraw could not match the Tigers’ bench, who saw seven players contribute baskets during the third period. 

In the fourth period, the game slipped through the Elis’ fingers. Four turnovers, which resulted in six extra points, along with a 14.29 field goal percentage — compared to Princeton’s 62.5 percentage — led to an insurmountable deficit.

Princeton came away with the win, leaving New Haven with a resounding 38–74 victory.

The following day, the Bulldogs dressed in their retro cream-and-pink uniforms to take on the Quakers. Penn traveled to New Haven having lost three games in a row, including two to Columbia and Harvard (16–3, 5–2 Ivy), the two Ivy League schools which received votes for NCAA Division 1 rankings. Yale was looking to add a fourth consecutive loss to the Quakers’ record.

The Quakers accumulated an early lead in the first period which proved too difficult for the Bulldogs to overcome, despite an excellent showing the rest of the game. Penn took advantage of 14 points off turnovers in the first, outscoring Yale 16–26. 

In the second period, Yale played a much closer game. Four different Bulldogs scored, including Lee, who began the 10-minute quarter with her signature three-pointer. Grace Thybulle ’25 put pressure on the Quaker defense, while first-year standout Marisa Chapman ’28 made the most of her jumpshot opportunities.

The third period saw usual suspects Capstraw and Egger contribute nine of twelve points, but it paled in comparison to the 21 points racked up on the Penn side. As the game continued, the deficit increased, and though the Bulldogs matched the Quakers point-for-point in the fourth quarter, including a perfect free throw percentage, it was not enough to secure the victory.

Penn ran away with the win, 60–80.

This marked Penn’s highest-scoring game in the new year. Quaker first-year Katie Collins received Ivy League Rookie of the Week following her strong performance.

Lee told the News that her team learned hard lessons that they’ll take into the rest of the season.

“We have to stay dialed in for all four quarters and play team basketball,” she said. “We can’t make it harder on ourselves by turning the ball over so many times. We’re looking forward to getting another shot at these teams in the coming weeks.”

Up next, Yale remains at home with a Feb. 8 contest against Cornell (5–15, 1–6 Ivy). Yale and Cornell are currently tied for eighth in the Ivy League.

The post WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Bulldogs drop weekend games to Princeton, Penn appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Currently, the Bulldogs stand seventh in the ECAC, just behind No. 14 Princeton (16–8–1, 10–7–1 ECAC). As of Jan. 28, Yale has received three votes in the polling for USA Today’s Division 1 women’s hockey rankings, which puts them in close contention to join the top 15 national rankings.

Friday night lights at the Whale

In the Bulldogs’ matchup against RPI on Friday, three Elis scored, one during each period. In the first period, at 10:47, Cami Bell ’28 dumped a pass to teammate Emma DeCorby ’25, who shot the puck toward the busy goal. 

Mariya Rauf ’27 then deflected the shot into the net, soaring past the RPI goalie. This was Rauf’s sixth goal of the season, tied for fourth on the team.

The second period was a stellar defensive display. At 19:33, an interference penalty by RPI gave Yale an extra player on the ice. Jordan Ray ’26, who won the faceoff against the Engineers, aided teammate Carina DiAntonio ’26, who shot the puck off an RPI defender and scored the second goal of the game.

Going into the third period, Yale led 2–0. At 11:15, yet another assist by Bell led to a Bulldog goal. Stephanie Stainton ’27 sent Bell’s pass into the net with a gliding backhand, putting the Elis up 3-0. 

With the game’s conclusion, Pia Dukaric ’25 earned her second shutout of the season and her 21st overall. 

Day 2: The Elis continue their winning streak against Union

The next day, the Bulldogs turned around to face the Union College Garnet. In their prior 10 matchups, the Bulldogs had not lost a game to Union. They were eager to continue the streak.

Early on in the first period, Yale raced ahead. Just three minutes in, DiAntonio stole a pass from the Garnet offense, sending the puck down the ice to her teammate, Anna Bargman ’25, who scored with a backhand shot. Seven minutes later, the Bulldogs would score again on a soaring shot by Naomi Boucher ’26.

Down 0-2 in the second period, Union College soon cut into the deficit with a goal by forward Karianne Engelbert. Yale couldn’t answer this until the start of the third period at 1:53, when Stainton beat the Garnet goalie to the net and added insurance to the scoreboard for the Bulldogs. This was Stainton’s second goal in two games. A late cry was heard from Union, who tacked on another goal halfway through the third period. Nevertheless, it was not enough to secure a victory.

The Bulldogs skated off the rink victorious, 3-2.

This marked Head Coach Mark Bolding’s 100th career win. He is the first coach in program history to do so.

Up next, Yale hosts Dartmouth (4–17–3, 2–13–3 ECAC) on Friday, Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. 

The post WOMEN’S HOCKEY: Bulldogs triumph in two-win weekend appeared first on Yale Daily News.

The prior matchup between Yale and Harvard this season, which took place on Jan. 4, saw the Crimson excel over the Bulldogs 61–43 in a rather slow duel that gradually came to life. This Saturday, the Bulldogs fell to Crimson once again in a 91–35 game. 

Both teams had won their prior conference matchup, with Yale stealing a close win from Dartmouth (8–10, 2–3 Ivy) and Harvard trouncing the University of Pennsylvania (10–8, 1–4 Ivy) 73–44.

Harvard, hosting the contest, has yet to lose at home. Harmoni Turner, the Crimson standout and a frontrunner for Ivy League Player of the Year, proved a difficult foe for the Bulldogs to tackle.

Avery Lee ’25 told the News that the team focused on making “every shot she takes a tough one.”

The first period granted the first seven points to Harvard, who seemed determined to come out hotter than they had the matchup before. Every point for the Bulldogs came off the fingertips of a senior, a testament to the leadership of Lee, Grace Thybulle ’25 and Mackenzie Egger ’25. Yet in less than eight minutes, the Crimson had doubled Yale’s points and led the game 10–25 at the end of the ten-minute period. 

The second began with a three-pointer by Marisa Chapman ’28 but was quickly minimized by a 12–0 run by Harvard. Yale scored 11 total points in the second, led by Egger’s six. Comparatively, Turner for the Crimson had 10 points alone.

At the end of the clock, Harvard led 21–55, a bleak forecast for the remainder of the game. 

Over the course of the third period, first years Chapman and Ciniya Moore ’28 accounted for seven of Yale’s 10 points. Nonetheless, Harvard continued to push back. Six different players for the Crimson contributed to the 24 points added to the scoreboard. The deficit continued to grow as the game progressed into the fourth period.

The final quarter began with a 10–0 Harvard run, increasing the point deficit to 58. Great defense from one of the best teams in the Ivy League held Yale to only four points total in the fourth, credited to layups from Chapman and Kiley Capstraw ’26. 

The game’s final score burned into the board that hung inside Lavietes Pavilion: a 35–91 loss.

Looking ahead to their next game, Lee said her team is “really excited.”

“We’re excited to go out there and compete every play and play as one unit and execute our game plan,” she told the News.

The Bulldogs take on Princeton University (13–5, 4–1 Ivy) at home on Friday, Jan. 31. Princeton is tied for second with Harvard in the Ivy League. 

The post WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Bulldogs fail to find rhythm against Crimson powerhouse appeared first on Yale Daily News.

The divisional round of the NFL Playoffs just concluded, which, for the majority of those polled, means absolutely nothing. But for some of us — the few, the proud, those fist pumping alone in the dark in the comfort of our twin XL bed — it means the Super Bowl is inching closer. Here’s a recap of the games for those of you who missed them:

6 Washington Commanders def. 1 Detroit Lions 45–31

The Detroit Lions, led by veteran quarterback and Broadway star Jonathan Groff, were favored to win the contest by nine points. Soon, however, they were stumped by the Commanders’ rookie quarterback and notable “Dumb and Dumber” star Jeff Daniels.

Goff threw a cool two interceptions during his outing, including a pick-six, which is bad. Ideal would be zero. It was hard for me to believe that Jahmyr Gibbs, one of the best running backs in the country, and Dan Campbell, a Walmart version of John Cena, couldn’t fashion together a play that would outsmart Washington, but I was wrong. They soon came up with a plan of their own: toss it around a few times and then throw an interception. Maybe I don’t understand the strategy of football.

2 Philadelphia Eagles def. 4 Los Angeles Rams 28–22

The slick snow got the best of Matthew Stafford’s receivers, just as it gets the best of me every time I try to walk up the stairs in between Morse and Stiles. I want to say it’s hard to defend against triple-threat Jalen Hurts, who can pass, move, and hand it off, but he was succumbing to a knee injury late in the game and still had the Rams’ numbers. There was no game plan, just hand it to Saquon Barkley, and, you know what, he took it to the house! Fans of the team may collect various los angeles rams memorabilia and collectibles from this online shop.

1 Kansas City Chiefs def. 4 Houston Texas 23–14

You either love ’em or you hate ’em, but either way they won. En route to the win, everyone’s least favorite kicker knocked a few through the yellow posts while Patrick Mahomes ran like hell on multiple occasions, much like I have whenever I’m forced to visit Lubbock, Texas. CJ Stroud, the quarterback for the Texans, got sacked more times than the announcers stroked Mahomes’ ego. Travis Kelce had an outstanding game, as did Caitlin Clark, who got to sit next to Taylor Swift in her suite. All of this is evidence for little girls that, if you want to meet your heroes, all you have to do is be the greatest basketball player of all time. 

2 Buffalo Bills def. 3 Baltimore Ravens 27–25

The MVP race between Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen came to a head with this game, which was huge for about three people — two being myself and my dad. Josh Allen, recently engaged to every guy’s dream girl Hailee Steinfeld, put up some impressive numbers — but not a haircut, unfortunately. 

A really neat part of Lamar Jackson’s game came around three minutes into the first quarter, when he muscled a sailing throw and hit the guy in the blue right in the chest. Jackson didn’t seem too happy, but everyone on the Bills sideline seemed pretty thrilled, so I think he was just being a perfectionist. On the other side of the field, the future Mr. Steinfeld used his legs so much to run it started to get predictable. I thought the defense would pick up on that, but they didn’t.

One time, the camera cut to the Ravens’ sideline, and I thought, “Hey, that head coach kinda looks like that one Michigan coach that ‘really didn’t cheat I pinky promise please don’t look into it too closely also I’m gonna leave before you can fire me.’” I didn’t feel like doing any research so I can’t be sure if they’re related or not.

The next games coming up are sometime this weekend. I don’t know when, just look it up. It’s not like you’re going to watch, anyway.

The post If Anyone Cares: An NFL Playoff Recap appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Their first matchup of the three-day weekend, held at home Saturday, Jan. 18, hosted the Columbia Lions (13–4, 4–0 Ivy), who sauntered into New Haven undefeated in the Ivy League, hot off a triumph over the Cornell Big Red just the week before.

At the start of the first period, the normal starting five for the Bulldogs looked a little different: Lucy Lynn ’27 got the call in place of Marisa Chapman ’28.

As the clock began, the Bulldogs got off to a slow start, at one point trailing by more than 20 points during the first two periods. Nevertheless, despite a creeping deficit, Yale found momentum. Just before halftime, Lola Lesmond ’26 leaped off the bench and sank three three-pointers in a row. From there, running off into the locker room to recoup, the Bulldogs returned and played some of their best basketball of the season.

The third period, trailing 29–50, began with two good free throws from Ke’iara Odume ’28 followed by Mackenzie Egger ’25 racking up 50 percent of her team’s points scored within the quarter. Outscoring Columbia 35–34 in the second half, a feat no other Ivy League team has done this season, the Bulldogs proved that they are a team to compete with. However, this was not enough to make up for the disparity in the first half, and Yale fell to the Lions 64–84.

The bench continued to prove a crucial part of the Bulldogs’ game, with two of the three top scorers — Ciniya Moore ’28 and Lesmond, each with nine points — coming off the sideline. Egger had 14 points and her sixth double-double of the year.

Kiley Capstraw ’26, a leader on the team, told the News that she is optimistic for the remainder of the season to see the group’s work pay off.

“[We’re] trying to learn all of our strengths on the court,” she said. “We have worked hard to gain better team chemistry on and off the court, and it will help us as we advance to Ivy League play. We are lucky to play in such a competitive league where every game is a battle.”

The Bulldogs then hit the road to Hanover, New Hampshire, home of the Dartmouth Big Green (8–9, 2–2 Ivy).

Despite falling behind early in the game 2–7, the Bulldogs consistently powered forward, never losing sight of the goal until they eventually tied the game on a Grace Thybulle ’25 jumper at 5:11 in the first period. From there, Thybulle and the other seniors scored every point for the Bulldogs in the remaining quarter, sending their team into the second with an 18–12 lead.

Although a late run from Dartmouth cut the Bulldogs’ lead to just three points going into the third, Yale soon rebounded, led once again by the surging senior leadership of Thybulle, Egger and Avery Lee ’25. Defense by Chapman and Lynn, as well as a layup by Abigail Long ’28, helped to extend the lead to as much as 12 points.

In the fourth period, the game tightened. Dartmouth, fashioning together small 7–0 and 4–0 runs, began to push Yale back into a corner. With 26 seconds left in the game, Yale had the lead by one point. A foul by Big Green player Alexandra Eldridge on Capstraw, who made both free throws, allowed Yale to breathe with a three-point lead momentarily.

Then, with nine seconds left, Dartmouth guard Nina Minicozzi put a layup in the basket and put Yale back on their heels, anxious to secure their first conference win. In a moment of complete déjà vu, once again, Eldridge fouled Capstraw, and once again, Capstraw sank both free throws. 

Yale won the game 70–67.

Lee told the News that the win felt “amazing.”

“It was a total team effort and we played together the whole game,” she said. “Everyone executed their role, and it was just a lot of fun to be out there competing.”

Lee had the third-most points of the game with 11; ahead of her were fellow seniors Egger (17) and Thybulle (22). The 70-point stand against Dartmouth was a season-high for the Bulldogs.

Up next, Yale will travel to Cambridge to face the Harvard Crimson (14–2, 3–1 Ivy) Saturday, Jan. 25.

The post WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Bulldogs crumble to Columbia, bounce back against Big Green appeared first on Yale Daily News.

The Bulldogs faced Merrimack last year in the 2023–24 season when the Warriors hosted in North Andover, Mass. Yale lost the game by an 11-point margin.

So far, the season for Yale women’s basketball has not jumped out to the start the team hoped for, losing the last three games going into the match against Merrimack.

The plan going into the Tuesday night game, according to Avery Lee ’25: “limit their three-point attempts and dominate the boards.”

The first period plagued the Bulldogs, whose first basket — a Kiley Capstraw ’26 three-pointer — came once the team was already in a six-point deficit. The rest of the 10-minute period would prove to be a recurrence of much of the same: Blue and White uniforms trying to claw back from an ever-widening gap. An offensively quiet first period ended 7–12, Merrimack.

In a post-game interview after the Stony Brook game, Head Coach Dalila Eshe told the News that her team was “still trying to find the pieces that mesh together” and the age of her guards has limited play because of their inexperience.

In a move that seemed to flesh more pieces out, Eshe substituted guard Lucy Lynn ’27 into the game, who played for a career-high 29:45. 

This seemed to help the Bulldogs get back into sorts as the second period rolled around. More than doubling the points scored in the first, Mackenzie Egger ’25 and Grace Thybulle ’25 propelled their team forward with 11 points combined. The momentum shift hit its peak right at the end when Lee hit a three that turned the score to the favor of Yale. At the half, Yale finally led 24–23.

In the third, Yale looked as though they might take off with the game and run. With a mix of free throws, jumpers and three-pointers, Lynn, Lee and Thybulle crafted together an eight-point lead with less than two minutes before the fourth quarter. 

It was stripped apart in a mere matter of minutes.

Over the course of the third and into the fourth period, Bulldog foul trouble put the Warriors’ feet on the free throw line, guiding them toward the lead. At 7:14, Merrimack had snatched it back. A tug-of-war for the win ensued, a battle of who could sink the last few shots under the pressure of the winding clock. Unfortunately for Eshe’s Bulldogs, the Warriors’ fight outlasted her team’s. Merrimack secured the win with a lay-up and four consecutive free throws.

The final score: 45–50. 

Lee told the News she felt her team succeeded on defense but struggled offensively.

“We are looking forward to bouncing back against Pacific by really running our offense and keeping our rebounding game strong,” she said. “We need to have less lag time on defense and really just put all of our pieces together.”

The Bulldogs stay home to host Pacific (2–3, 0–0 WCC) on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 12 p.m.

The post WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Merrimack defeats Yale in close match appeared first on Yale Daily News.

On Tuesday, Nov. 12, the Yale women’s basketball team (1–3, 0–0 Ivy) traveled to David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex in Hempstead, New York, to face the Hofstra Pride (2–2, 0–0 CAA). 

This was the first-ever matchup between Yale and Hofstra. Facing new opponents has been a recurring theme on the 2024 pre-conference schedule, with the previous opponent, Michigan State (5–0, 0–0 B10) also acting as a new foe.

The beginning of a neck-and-neck game between the two opponents began with the first period’s jump ball, which led quickly to a two-pointer by Mackenzie Egger ’25. This would begin a consistent back-and-forth between the Bulldogs and the Pride — neither team inched ahead by any more than three points. Six different Elis contributed to the point total in the first period, a testament to the strength of the bench, and Yale led the game going into the second 14-11.

In the second period, the Bulldogs fashioned together a 16–9 run that brought them to a 30-29 lead with just under two minutes remaining. Avery Lee ’25 had five points and two assists in the 10 minutes. Despite this, the Pride still managed to steal the lead back, capitalizing on four final points going into the half. They would retain this lead for the remainder of the game.

Working to combat Hofstra’s offense, which Lee told the News “[hit] a lot of tough shots,” the team needed to “adjust [their] defensive plan to get a better match up.”

“Our plan was to limit the rebounds and second chance opportunities for Hofstra,” she said. “We also wanted to really execute our offense.”

The third period was all Kiley Capstraw ’26. After Grace Thybulle ’25 notched two jumpers in a row, Capstraw followed her teammate with a layup and a three-pointer of her own. A little later into the period, Capstraw would put up another signature three-pointer to cut into Hofstra’s deficit. She led her team over the course of the game with 17 total points.

The fourth period saw the Pride extend a lead the Bulldogs could not crawl back from. Hofstra led by sixteen at the start of the fourth, until Ke’iara Odume ’28 cut it back down to fourteen. At the very end of the final quarter, Yale kept the basketball on offense, taking four shots off three rebounds but coming up unsuccessful on all attempts.

At the final buzz of the clock, Hofstra had come up victorious against a Yale team that had fought valiantly but had just not done enough. The final score read 61-75.

The bench provided a boost for the Yale starters, with 19 points coming from the hands of substitutions. Odume had 13 points, and Lee had 11. Thybulle had 10 points and 8 rebounds.

The Bulldogs then returned home to John J. Lee Amphitheater on Friday, gearing up to host the Stony Brook Seawolves (2–1, 0–0 CAA), their fourth matchup of the 2024-2025 season. 

The contest looked to name a winner of a tie that has developed over the past four years, with the Seawolves and the Bulldogs having beaten each other twice. It was also the celebration of the team’s Pride Night, marked by the flags hung from the balcony and the rainbow shooting shirts the Bulldogs donned.

The first period began with the leaping Thybulle, who won the jump ball and secured the first points of the game off a rebound and layup. In a high-intensity 10 minutes, the Bulldogs looked excellent from the get-go, continually sending Stony Brook onto the backs of their heels. Halfway through, this fervor turned into physicality when Odume ran off the court with a bloody nose. She returned moments later, her nose plugged with a white cloth.

Yale maximized their lead at seven points just before the two-minute mark, which turned out to be enough time for Stony Brook to wreak havoc on the Bulldogs’ pace of play. Two turnovers and multiple misplays led to a frantic Yale offense, which turned into a futile defense. The bell saved the Elis’ panicked play as the clock fell to zero with the Seawolves still in possession. The end of the first saw the Bulldogs hold on to their lead, 14-11.

As the second period rolled around, Stony Brook came out hot, capitalizing on the momentum gained from their previous work. With five unanswered points out of the gate, the Seawolves immediately took the lead back. Creative offensive work by Marisa Chapman ’28 and defensive blocks by Thybulle were not enough to propel the Bulldogs past the hurdle that was Janay Brantley. Brantley, who seemed indefensible, had 8 points in a row for Stony Brook’s offense, including two three-pointers. Her basket work, coupled with help from her teammates, put the Seawolves in excellent position going into the half, leading the Bulldogs 22-33.

Early in the third period, Stony Brook established a 15-point lead that the Bulldogs had to chip away at. Though the offense found shot openings, Yale often failed to capitalize, putting themselves in a deeper hole and giving Stony Brook the clock advantage. 

When the News spoke to Head Coach Dalila Eshe after, this is exactly what she echoed.

“We have a very young team, and I feel like right now we are not equipped to handle adversity,” she said.
“[Stony Brook] went on a large run, and we are not a high-powered offensive team, so we cannot match point-for-point. Honestly, our team gets frazzled, and they have a hard time settling back down into the game. So when they finally do, the deficit is such a large gap that now we don’t have the firepower to make up the gap.”

With just over two minutes to go in the third, yet another first-year found herself the victim of the physical matchup before her when Abigail Long ’28 went flying across the court and landed on her nose. Similarly to Odume, the battle continued with another Bulldog’s nose plugged. Long took her free throws directly after Seawolf Breauna Ware, whose intentional foul coincided with hers. 

The third period ended with a loud Capstraw: “Pick it up,” she emphasized to her teammates. 

At the beginning of the fourth period, the score — 32-46 Seawolves — foretold a future the Bulldogs desperately wanted to avoid. Working hard to skirt this, Long posted a jumper early in the 10-minute period, though it was shortly followed by a decisive Seawolf two-pointer. Halfway through the final period, Yale began to press. This put about as much pressure on the Bulldogs as it was designed to put on the Seawolves, who took advantage of miscommunications, turnovers and fouls to keep Yale at an arm’s length. 

Despite employing the tried-and-true method of stopping the clock by fouling the other team, the Bulldogs could not outplay an aggressive and offensively dominant Stony Brook team. The final score of the night was 48–62. 

Thybulle ended the game leading her team in all categories: 13 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.

“I thought Grace had a really, really solid game, which I think she carried over from the Hofstra game,” Eshe told the News. “She’s been playing really solid basketball for us — honestly for me, our two post players, Grace and Mac, are very consistent … right now it’s our guard play. In college basketball, you’re as good as your guards are. Our guards are young, we have a new point guard, losing Jenna [Clark ’24] is a big impact, we’re just trying to figure it out. We have got to grow quickly because we have to rely on our freshman guards.”

Yale women’s basketball faces Merrimack (2–2, 0–0 MAA) on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. at home. 

The post WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: ‘We’re just trying to figure it out’: Bulldogs drop two consecutive contests appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Williams, chief empowerment officer of A Long Talk, founded the program following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020. Before the Floyd incident, Williams described himself as taking a backseat to activism because everything that occurred was “just the same old stuff.” It was not until his kids experienced their own form of racism that he felt motivated to speak up.

“I always say my kids hired me for the work. I was responding to something that was going on with my son. And it really wasn’t a decision. I just had to get it off my chest,” he said to the News.

Williams then enlisted the help of his best friend of over 30 years, Kamal Carter, now the president of A Long Talk, to form an educational curriculum focused on encouraging anti-racism through their “activation experience.”

The creation of A Long Talk: “The perfect storm”

The entire A Long Talk process takes four hours. First-year student-athletes watch an introductory video and then converse with Williams and Carter, who teach the athletes how to address hateful comments. 

Carter told the News that the creation of A Long Talk helped him release the pent-up anger he felt after the deaths of Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown.

“I never fought and thought that we could make generational change nationwide,” Carter said. “And so when [Floyd was killed], we were like, we need to do something that’s big enough to impact generations and make this change. And that was the spirit, really. Our friendship, our brotherhood, our life experiences just kind of collided. It was like the perfect storm.”

Williams and Carter then set to work with their purpose: “To eradicate racism and dismantle systemic oppression in America,” according to A Long Talk’s website.

With Williams as the face of the movement — prepped for his impassioned speeches thanks to his training as a technology instructor for teachers and the passion that has “always been inside [him]” — and Carter organizing behind the scenes, A Long Talk got their first gig soon after, despite being initially designed as a one-time Zoom.

One crucial component of the A Long Talk curriculum is the “CPR” technique: Clarify, Probe and Redirect.

Williams encourages the student-athletes in his sessions to clarify what the person who made the remark said, probe them with more questions and then redirect them toward empathy. 

As an acronym, CPR is effective because “addressing racism is an emergency,” much like when someone’s heart ceases to function, Williams often notes in his lectures. 

A Long Talk in collegiate athletics

Head Coach B. J. Dunne of men’s basketball at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania contacted Williams and Carter and asked them to speak to his athletes. 

“A Long Talk aligns perfectly with our commitment to creating a team culture rooted in respect, dignity, and inclusion, where everyone’s voice is valued,” Dunne wrote to the News. “This program addresses difficult but crucial conversations about race and equity, which resonate with our goal of empowering our student-athletes to be their most authentic selves both on and off the court.”

Dunne wrote to the News that fostering a community free of discrimination and bias is a crucial component to personal and team growth.

Carter explained to the News that after the Gettysburg Men’s Basketball team gig, A Long Talk set up a Zoom with the staff of ESPN and 120 Division 1 basketball coaches, including four national champions. From there, A Long Talk took off. 

Soon enough, A Long Talk found its way to the halls of Yale Athletics. Carter described it as a complete effort from Athletic Director Vicky Chun, who heard the two speak at an Ivy League conference and immediately integrated it into the Athletics Department.

Chun wrote to the News that bringing Williams and Carter to the Yale Athletics Program is part of a larger initiative she promised to her student-athletes that prioritized their mental health and their desire for change.

“[Williams and Carter] blew me away,” Chun wrote to the News. “They were inspiring, informative and taught us how to have meaningful conversations with those who may not only look like you but think the opposite as well. I knew immediately I had to bring them to New Haven.”

She emphasized her goal is to “provide the best tools for our students to become great leaders.”

Carter applauded Chun’s push to educate every member of Yale Athletics across the board, which sets a precedent for other athletic programs nationwide.

“Every single [varsity] team at Yale has gone through A Long Talk,” Carter said. “And not just every single team — it’s generational now. So when the first-year student-athletes come in, and the transfers, and the new hires — anyone in the athletic department — each year we’re working with them with A Long Talk.”

Stine Hojager Nielsen ’27 of Yale women’s crew is one student-athlete who underwent A Long Talk her first year at Yale.

She told the News that although the program can be time-consuming, it is a transformative experience.

“Coming from Denmark, I didn’t really know that much about the racism experienced in America,” she said. “But A Long Talk is one of those tools that allows people to see the perspective of others and learn how to combat hate in every form.”

Libby Peoples ’26, a softball player, told the News she believes A Long Talk provides student-athletes “with skills and techniques to actively eliminate hate from spaces and foster cultures that everyone can feel comfortable and seen in.”

Grace Westmoreland ’28, a first year on the softball team, agreed with Peoples. She told the News that she was grateful to Yale Athletics and A Long Talk, as shutting down offensive language is more complicated than it seems. She said it’s “easier with practice,” which is what A Long Talk teaches. 

“I try to use my CPR training to shut down insensitive language around me,” she said. “It has helped me to better recognize the people I actually want to surround myself with as I adjust to college life.”

Moving forward, A Long Talk continues to grow

A Long Talk works with a 15-year plan in mind, which Williams likens to a culture shift.

He uses the analogy of cigarettes: 15 or so years ago, people smoked indoors, and secondhand smoke was killing people just as much as cigarettes were. Now, people know that if they want to smoke, they need to take it outside. There’s no sign necessary, and no one continually reminds them; it’s just a standard of society. That’s exactly what Williams wants. If someone must say a racist joke, “they need to take that outside.”

“We are fighting a war on ignorance,” Carter said. “Our goal is to push racism outside. It’s in high definition right now. And we want to combat everything: homophobia, antisemitism, Islamophobia, sexism.” 

Carter told the News that he believes many people are “in neutral.” They are not actively racist, but since they believe this is not their fight, they do not get involved. These are the people they hope to “activate.”

Activation is not always easy. As a movement, A Long Talk has faced its fair share of resistance.

“I think change is something that people are resistant to a lot of times,” Williams told the News. “I think there’s some individual resistance. Sometimes it’s not having the courage.”

Legislature impacts A Long Talk’s ability to expand its reach. Divisive concepts laws (DCLs) introduced in many states restrict teachers from discussing issues on sex and race. The laws prevent people like Williams and Carter from coming to schools in the state and facilitating open conversation by threatening to rescind funding from public schools, including universities. 

Alabama is a state with one of these laws. Nonetheless, A Long Talk has worked with both the University of Alabama and Auburn University because, Williams said, “one person made it important enough.”

“It’s moments like these that you realize there are no boundaries to this, other than the individual’s strength,” Williams told the News. “I’m looking forward to having to stand in front of a judge or a court to say, ‘This is why we went there. What’s wrong with me having this conversation in this state?’ … I’m a fighter. So if somebody says I can’t do something, because I can’t get to the state, I’m looking for the person that wants to work with me and make it happen.”

Anyone can begin A Long Talk About The Uncomfortable Truth here.

The post “A war on ignorance”: A Long Talk comes to Yale Athletics appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Spinning the volleyball high off her fingertips and into the air, matching the drop with a calculated jump, Shultz’s swing sends the ball whizzing toward the opponent on a violent downward arc. This is the Shultz Serve.

In Glenmoore, a small town outside Philadelphia, Shultz grew up the second youngest of four girls. Like most of younger sisters, she imitated what her older sisters did, and when her sister Renee Shultz ’22 brought volleyball back home, Shultz took up the sport too.

“I would tag along at their practices, and while they were being coached, my dad would take me to another court and pass a ball with me,” Shultz said. “Neither of us knew what we were doing, but I loved it, and I begged him to let me play on a real team.”

A year later, Shultz mastered the underhand serve, which signaled to her dad that she was finally ready to play on “a real team.” For her, volleyball was love at first sight.

She described volleyball as a connector to her dad. To better help his daughters, he would watch old volleyball games and listen to Karch Kiraly talk about volleyball philosophy. He coached all of the Shultz girls in middle school and continued to help them with their athletic careers.

“I think he had fun with it, and it’s a big reason why I still have fun with it,” she said. “Even today I’m still able to talk about the sport with my dad, which is something I really value in our relationship.”

When Shultz was a freshman in high school, her older sister, Renee, committed to play volleyball at Yale. Shultz, however, wasn’t thinking much about recruiting yet. Instead, she was focusing on surviving freshman year. However, when her time to commit came around, she said, she “couldn’t imagine [herself] anywhere else but Yale.”

“Selfishly, I also really wanted to play on the same team as [Renee], as we’re really close,” Shultz told the News. “Or rather, I knew that I never wanted to play against her, as we’re both really competitive and I value our relationship too much to compete against her.”

Shultz committed to Yale in 2018. 

When she first arrived on campus, the COVID-19 pandemic had just peaked, so her first year on campus looked dramatically different from the Yale she had seen Renee experience.

After taking a leave of absence in the spring 2021, she returned a better volleyball player, but more than that, someone with perspective.

“I think in my first year I was so excited to play volleyball and so grateful to be here, and that was it,” Shultz said. “I’m still so excited to still be playing volleyball, and I am forever grateful to be a student here, but I also think I have a lot more perspective now. I’m very grateful to be able to have the opportunity to get a Yale education, and I now know that that will serve me for far longer than a volleyball career ever will. First-year me didn’t really understand that.”

Now, in her senior year, Shultz is a mainstay in the Yale Volleyball lineup. Her most consistent appearance comes when Head Coach Erin Appleman substitutes her in to serve.

Shultz’s serve, she says, is something she constantly works on. A product of her dad’s time playing volleyball at the YMCA, Shultz began to develop the serve during her second year playing volleyball at around 9 years old. She watched a few collegiate greats like Micha Hancock, taking notes from their play. Because of its uniqueness to the women’s game — with a lot of players opting for the control that float serves offer — her coaches encouraged her to keep practicing it.

She credits the help of Appleman, Assistant Coach Kevin Laseau and Assistant Coach John Post for their guidance on and off the court. She says together they are “the best coaching staff a team could ask for” and as a senior, she feels like she can “talk to them about anything.”

After 14 years of topspin serving, Shultz is one of the best in the game. She is currently second all-time in Yale history for service aces — 140 — with at least two games remaining in her final season. She is also ranked second all-time in most service aces in a single season — 59.

“Shultz’s serve is one of the greatest weapons we have,” Laseau wrote to the News. “It is really hard to pass and it puts a tremendous amount of stress on the opposing team, which makes teams easier to defend, which leads to great offense for us.”

Laseau also noted that her “fearless defense” and the fact that “she simply doesn’t stop” contributes significantly to the success of the volleyball team.

Captain Bella Chan ’25 echoed her coach’s words.

“Shultz brings so much energy to the team,” she said. “She’s animated, always cheering us on, and plays tenacious, fearless defense, never hesitating to put her body on the line. Our team gets fired up every time Shultz serves — she has one of the strongest serves in the league, consistently making a huge impact in our games.”

The Shultz Serve, though excellent, is not fool-proof.

“Boy when it fails, it is a spectacular failure,” she said. “I’ve had some embarrassing misses. When that happens, it’s important to remember the broader goal of playing volleyball — to win the game. You can’t do that if you’re consistently missing every serve. When I miss several top spin serves in a row, or the team needs me to be less risky with my serve, it’s as simple as me opting to go for a standing float serve.”

Chan wrote highly of Shultz as a teammate.

“Shultz has been a huge part of my Yale Volleyball experience. She’s always been a supportive teammate to me who motivates me to be better, and I’m grateful to share this last season with her.”

This team-above-self character is more than evident in the way Shultz speaks about her teammates.

“The team has become like a second family to me,” she said. “I love each and every girl on our team so much, and I know that we are all so close with each other. We’ve done and been through so much together, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Shultz is 17 service aces away from being first all-time in Yale Volleyball history. She’ll play next against Columbia University in New York City on Nov. 15.

The post The Shultz Serve: Who is Yale Volleyball’s Cara Shultz? appeared first on Yale Daily News.