On Oct. 22, the Los Angeles Lakers opened their 2024-2025 season against the Minnesota Timberwolves, earning a 110-103 win. Anthony Davis led the Lakers with an impressive 36 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks. LeBron James supported Davis, contributing a generous 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. These leading performances ultimately pushed the Lakers ahead of the Timberwolves, allowing them to earn the first win of their season. 

While a preseason win for the Lakers is exciting, this game will be remembered for something much more monumental: making NBA history with the first father-and-son duo in the league. After being the 55th overall pick in the draft, Lebron James and his son, Bronny James, landed on the same stage and team, the Los Angeles Lakers.

In the 3rd quarter of the contest, Lakers head coach JJ Redick subbed the James’ simultaneously, causing a blaring roar from the crowd. Detailing the weight this moment carries for him, James Sr. praised the memory. “No matter how old I get, no matter how my memory may fade as I get older… I will never forget that moment.” Bronny also felt the energy in this moment. When asked about making history in his first NBA game alongside his father, he expressed overwhelming gratitude, “I appreciate the Laker Nation for showing me the support for me and my dad.”

Davis of the Lakers also felt the energy. “Just looking at them checking in at the same time at the scorer’s table, it gave me chills.” In anticipation of the historic contest, head coach Redick said that he was “thrilled” to be a part of this “historic occasion.”

LeBron “the goat” James, originally from Akron, Ohio, entered the NBA directly from high school in 2003 and has since found immense success. Lebron is an NBA all-time leading scorer, the only player in NBA history to be in the top five all-time in points, the top 10 all-time in assists, the top 10 all-time in steals, maintains the most 20 point games in NBA history (1,171) and has earned the most all-time playoff points (7,631), wins (174) and games (266).

Since their season opener, The Lakers’ record has improved to 3-0 for the first time since the 2010-2011 season. It is safe to say that Bronny grew up with quite the built-in coach and that this is just the beginning for the father-and-son duo. 

Gunfire interrupted a women’s field hockey game between Saint Louis and La Salle University in Philadelphia on Sept. 27. Players and spectators left without suffering any injuries. 

The match ended in the fourth quarter early due to blaring gunfire allegedly coming from a nearby Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). According to police, the shooter left the parking lot before authorities arrived. No arrests were made and no weapons were recovered. The motive still remains unclear. 

According to SLU Athletics, “the match was halted in the fourth quarter due to a disturbance in the vicinity of the field.” 

Sources say that players, spectators and officials were left scrambling towards shelter. Some players even reported hearing the whooshing of bullets.

SLU field hockey senior, Savina Purewal, was shaken up following the incident. She recalled not noticing what was going on until everyone began scrambling.  

“Some bullets were sparking up on the field,” Purewal said. “A few shots later everyone was running, and that’s when I knew it was a bullet.” 

Purewal said that the scariest part was hearing gunshots, even after taking cover.

SLU junior Ashley Jones was at the 50-yard-line when she noticed shots being fired. 

“I was fully prepared to get shot… None of it felt real,” Jones said. 

Ava Calma, a SLU junior, was thinking of her parents amidst the chaos, as “they were closer.”

The game was a conference match for the Billikens and Explorers, with a final score that favored La Salle 0-1. 

Entering the matchup, the Explorers were sitting on a 6-3 record, 1-1 in the A-10. Comparatively, after SLU secured their first victory of the season last weekend in a dominant game against Frostburg State University. The Billikens were hoping to maintain momentum and improve their 1-6 overall record. 

In light of the situation, the Billikens canceled their match against Sacred Heart University, which was scheduled two days later on Sept. 29. 

Athletic director Chris May released a statement that said, “In light of yesterday’s incident that occurred near our match in Philadelphia, we felt it was in the best interest of our student-athletes for them to return to St. Louis. Our top priority has been and will always be the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes. We are grateful to everyone who responded yesterday and thankful that no injuries were reported. While there will be no further comment on this specific incident, we will continue to provide every possible support to our student-athletes, both on and off the field.” 

The Billikens have officially returned to St. Louis together, feeling extra grateful for their safety.

The BillikXens men’s and women’s soccer squads faced off against the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) Cougars for the 2024 Bronze Boot titles on Sept. 8. CITYPARK, home to St. Louis City’s Major League Soccer (MLS) team, hosted the annual matchup for the second year in a row. The billiken women came out on top of SIUE with a 6-1 victory, while the men fought hard but faltered 0-1. 

 The Billikens had the advantage of housing numerous A-10 standout players, one of them being graduate student and St. Louis native, Emily Puricelli. This is Puricelli’s fifth year in net for the Billikens. Puricelli ranks second in conference for save percentage (.903), and shutouts (three). (SLU Billikens) 

Another key player for the Billikens is Emily Gaebe, a senior forward from Union, Missouri. Entering into her senior season, Gaebe clocked in at No. 17 on the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Top 100. Gaebe has been fulfilling expectations, already earning two in-season A-10 honors, Offensive Player of the Week, in late August as well as this past week. 

Lastly, fifth-year senior from Columbia, Missouri, Hannah Larson, is providing the Billikens with an attacking advantage. Ranking at No. 46 on the Top Drawer Preseason Top 100, Larson earned a spot on the A-10 Preseason All-Conference team. About a month into the regular season, Larson is providing substance behind her preseason accolades. 

Starting out strong, in the 13th minute, Gaebe striked and scored off an assist from Izzy Leubert. The Billikens were up in the first half with a 1-0 lead. The remainder of the first half was a hard-fought battle by both teams, ending up with the same 1-0 score after the first 30 minutes of play. After a stalemate end to the first half, the Billikens came out of the locker room at halftime with a desire to secure a win, as well as their title as 2024 Bronze Boot Champions.

In the 58th minute, Gaebe scored her second of the night with assists from Larson and Katie Houk. Nearly two minutes later, Julia Simon put one away off a ball from Gaebe, improving the score to 3-0, putting the Billikens on top. As the Billikens began to pull away, the SIUE Cougars finally responded with a goal from MaryClare Imig off an assist from Macie Begley. Short-lived success in the 64th minute from the Cougars was followed up with the Billikens’ fourth goal made by Larson less than two minutes later. The final two goals came from freshmen Lucie Schwartz and Emily Fox, marking both of their first collegiate goals. 

The female Billikens officially claimed the Bronze Boot title after a 6-1 dominant performance, resulting in a team win against the SIUE Cougars. SLU women’s soccer now maintains a winning record of 4-1-3. 

Billikens men’s soccer took the pitch shortly after women’s for their Bronze Boot meeting with the Cougars. Entering this match, the Billikens stood with a record of 1-1-1, and the SIUE Cougars claimed 0-2-1 on their season. 

Senior forward Matthew Wrobel, originally from Ontario, Canada, had been finding offensive success early this season for the Billikens. Wrobel proved his talent early when making key plays in the Billikens 2-0 upset win against No. 7 Indiana in late August.

Another leader for the Billikens is senior forward out of Mexico City, Luis Lara. Lara’s speed on his dribble allows him to put himself in good scoring positions. Lara played an active role during the Billikens’ stiff 1-1 matchup against Indiana University Indianapolis (IU Indy), having one goal and seven shots.

The men’s Bronze Boot contest had a scoreless start, despite both teams generating many offensive opportunities. In the first half, the Billikens ended up out shooting the Cougars 6-3, however, the Cougars generated more corner kicks, 4-1. Both teams proved unable to capitalize on their first half opportunities and entered the half goalless, 0-0.

The second half provided a fresh slate for both teams. The Billikens came out swinging with 38 minutes to play with a final shot attempt from behind the midline that was stopped by SIUE’s keeper. About 10 minutes later, momentum shifted when SLU was dealt a yellow card resulting in a SIUE penalty kick opportunity. This opportunity led to SIUE’s first and only goal of the contest. Billikens goalkeeper Jeremi Abonnel dove the right way, but the kick was too fast for him. SLU tried to respond by creating offensive opportunities, but failed. 

Billikens fell to SIUE 0-1, and lost the Bronze Boot contest against SIUE for the second year in a row. However, the SLU men’s soccer squad has opportunities to turn things around before conference play starts on Sept. 21. Their record remains at 2-2-1. 

SLU Women’s Soccer had a dominant and dynamic 6-1 win against the SIUE Cougars, showcasing their extensive talent and potential. The SLU Men’s Soccer squad had a frustrating performance against the SIUE Cougars leading to a 0-1 loss. While the men were generating scoring opportunities, they were unable to capitalize and score.

Saint Louis University Athletics announced Josh Schertz as new men’s basketball head coach this morning. 

Chris May said during a press conference this morning that, “Josh is a dynamic leader who will build a championship basketball program that the entire Billiken community will be proud of.”

This past year, Schertz had an especially successful season being named the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Coach of the Year, and Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year. Schertz also led the Indiana State Sycamores to the Men’s National Invitational Tournament (NIT) Final this year. 

Athletic Director Chris May mentioned that he is “thrilled to welcome Josh, his wife Natalia and sons, Jordan and Jaden, to the Billiken family.” Athletic Director May went further, explaining the assets that Schertz will contribute; “[He] has had considerable success throughout his career in the areas connected to our strategic objectives and values.” May explains what he would like to see out of Schertz in his new role as head coach, “The expectation at SLU is to compete for championships and to advance in the NCAA tournament,” (SLU Billikens). 

After accepting his position as Head Coach, Schertz explained his excitement to the press saying, “this is a place where you can build a sustainable championship-level program.” Schertz says he “can’t wait to get to work building and developing a program everyone involved can be proud of,” (SLU Billikens). 

Billiken Athletics will be officially welcoming Schertz Monday morning in the Champions Center at 10:00 a.m.. This press conference will be open to the public.

Former head coach Travis Ford was fired from his role as SLU men’s basketball head coach on March 13 after eight seasons with the Billikens. With this, Athletic Director Chris May’s search for a new men’s basketball coach commenced. After a month with no word of a new hire, Billiken fans began speculating. One of the highly anticipated prospects was Josh Shertz: Schertz has spent his past three seasons with Indiana State, helping the Sycamores to be highly competitive in Missouri Valley Conference. After the Sycamores lost to the Seton Hall Pirates by two in the NIT final yesterday, April 4, many fans sensed mobilization from the SLU Athletic Department. 

In alignment with many predictions, today, April 5, various press outlets announced that they expected Josh Schertz to be hired as SLU men’s basketball head coach “in the coming days,” (CBS Sports). In understandment of Schertz’s potential value as Billikens head coach, CBS Sports went further in postulating that SLU will offer Schertz, “north of $2 million…vaulting him to the top of the highest-paid coaches in the Atlantic-10.”

This is a developing story, more updates will be posted in the coming days.

Caroline Kelly is a women’s soccer student-athlete graduating from SLU this spring with a degree in finance. Since she arrived at SLU in 2020, Caroline Kelly has thrived on the Billiken pitch. In her career as a Billiken, Kelly has accomplished various feats. She concluded her Saint Louis career tied for third in goals (31), seventh in points (75), eighth in shots (184) and tied for 10th in game-winning assists (six) on the Billikens’ career lists.

Caroline Kelly announced her decision to transfer to Texas Christian University (TCU) on her Instagram account on December 17th, and the TCU Women’s Soccer Instagram account on Jan. 22. 

Caroline Kelly grew up in Kearney, Missouri, outside Kansas City. Kelly’s aggressive attacking style caught the attention of the SLU Women’s Soccer Staff, and by her sophomore year of high school, she became the first athlete of her graduating class to commit to SLU. 

Kelly’s freshman season was postponed due to Covid-19, and that same year, she had surgery to address an osteochondral defect in her knee. Kelly described her sophomore season at SLU as “wishy-washy.” Despite the various drawbacks in her first two seasons, Kelly took advantage of the spring and summer off-season to work on improving her skills.

In her junior year, her work paid off, and her efforts were put on display in the fall, regular season. Kelly was awarded A-10’s All-Conference First Team among other honors. Kelly made huge plays throughout her junior season, including 8 shots on goal in a 2022 conference matchup against George Mason. 

In her senior season this past fall, Kelly finished strong, earning various honors: United Soccer Coaches All-Region second team, A-10 All-Conference first team and A-10 Championship Most Outstanding Player, to name a few. In the national tournament, Kelly led her team to the longest NCAA tournament run that SLU Women’s Soccer has ever accomplished. 

Kelly is looking forward to her 5th year of eligibility at TCU, saying, “Experiencing something else is definitely something that I found intriguing,”  and “I [have] my 5th year [due to Covid-19], so why not?” After her last year of play, Kelly hopes to enter the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) draft in January 2025. 

 Reflecting on her time as a Billiken, Kelly said, “Things have been building since I’ve been here.” Kelly’s legacy as a Billiken will live on forever. 

Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, and the Chiefs earned an overtime Super Bowl win against the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11. With the final score of 25-22, the Chiefs were awarded their second Super Bowl in a row.

Reminiscing on the 2023-2024 NFL season, most football enjoyers can agree that the Taylor Swift effect is paramount. Whether you like it or not, Taylor Swift’s relationship with Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce, has altered NFL viewership and the Chiefs Franchise as a whole. 

It all started on July 8, 2024, when Travis Kelce attended Swift’s Era’s Tour Performance at Arrowhead Stadium. Following the concert, Kelce mentioned in his podcast New Heights, co-hosted with his brother, Jason Kelce, that he was “disappointed” that Swift “doesn’t talk before or after her shows.” Travis mentioned that due to this fact, he was unable to give Swift a friendship bracelet with his number on it. 

Fans began to speculate the potential relationship between the two stars, but nothing was yet confirmed. Fast forward to Week 3 of the NFL season, and Taylor Swift was spotted in the bleachers at the Chiefs v. Bears matchup at Arrowhead Stadium to support Kelce and the Chiefs. Following Swift’s attendance, there was a 400% increase in Travis Kelce jersey sales in the days following. After her fist attendance, Swift proceeded to attend most Chiefs games cheering the whole way. 

In early December, Taylor Swift was announced Time’s person of the year and in her interview with Time Magazine, Swift confirmed what all fans were speculating – that she is dating Travis Kelce. She also acknowledged the publicity the couple has been receiving, “when you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care… we are just proud of each other…” 

Owner of the Kansas City Chiefs franchise, Clarke Hunt, is happy with the influence that Swift has had on the Chiefs season by saying, “Yeah, that’s been so exciting and completely unexpected…We have a lot of ‘Swifties’ in our household who are big fans of her, and it’s been fun to see her and Travis’ relationship develop. We’re so happy for the two of them. As a result, we do have a whole bunch of new fans, and that’s been fantastic. Not only here in North America, but really across the globe.”

The Apex Marketing Group says that, in general, Taylor Swift’s involvement in the NFL has added an estimated $330 million in brand value for the NFL and the Chiefs. While some think that Swift’s influence on the NFL is more negative than positive, the couple remains unbothered.

On Jan. 21, 2024, Stanford Women’s Basketball head coach, Tara VanDerveer, became the winningest coach in College Basketball history. The Stanford Cardinals achieved a 65-56 conference win against Oregon State. This win marked VanDerveer as having the most wins as a collegiate head coach, passing Duke University’s Mike Krzyzewski.

VanDerveer has been Stanford’s Women’s Basketball head coach since 1985. Since the beginning of her career at Stanford, VanDerveer has achieved an overall record of 1,051-216 and led the Cardinals to 3 National Titles. Solidifying her success, VanDerveer has collected various accolades during her career with Stanford. She was named as a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee in 2011, as well as a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. (Stanford Athletics) 

VanDerveer and her athletes are described as having a “connection” with each other, helping to explain their overall success as a unit.

After their historic win against Oregon State, Kiki Iriafen, a Junior Forward, said this in regards to VanDerveer’s historic achievement “I’m super honored to be here, super honored to play for her and super happy we got the W for Tara.”

 When interviewed after the game, rather than mentioning her own achievement, VanDerveer shouted out the success of her players saying “I just love how our team battled.”

Tara VenDerveer and Stanford Cardinals have a 19-2 record on the season, and have their sights out for another National Title. 

Justine Lindsay is a talented dancer and cheerleader who represents the North Carolina Panthers cheer squad, the TopCats. In 2022, Lindsay made sports history as the first openly transgender cheerleader in the NFL. During her second year as an NFL cheerleader, she is facing both positive and negative feedback in regard to her identity and her participation in athletics. 

Growing up and coming into her authentic self, Justine Lindsay struggled greatly. Luckily, Lindsay’s family has always expressed support of her identity. She said in an interview with Elle, that the support she feels outweighs the criticism she receives. This is all that matters to her, “As long as I had the support from the man upstairs and my family, that just exed out anybody else that questioned who I was.” She continued to say, “The love outweighed the hate.” 

Lindsay did not want to compromise her goals as becoming a cheer athlete on the biggest professional stage, the National Football League, so as a young girl, she kept at her goals. Through her hard work and dedication, she earned a spot on the TopCats squad, achieving the feat of being the first transgender cheerleader in the NFL. Being on this large of a stage, it was difficult for Lindsay to traditionally fit in. She felt an immense amount of pressure when entering the space saying, “I have to stand out for all the right reasons.” 

Historically, there is a massive lack of representation in NFL cheerleading. The majority of NFL cheerleaders look one type of way. Although this stereotype is very real and can be very harmful, people like Justine Lindsay are uprising and breaking barriers. People like this are paving the way for people who are discriminated against due to their identity. 

Although Lindsay has faced great success so far in her time with the TopCats, policies restricting the rights of transgender individuals are becoming more rigid. North Carolina has established legislation that prevents people with transgender identities from participating in sports. Lindsay is using her platform to fight against this restrictive legislation. In her interview with Elle, she is quoted as saying, “I will fight until I can’t anymore.”  With the restrictive legislation emerging in North Carolina against the participation of transgender athletes in sports, Lindsay is facing both immense backlash as well as a slew of support. “There’s a lot of people that if it doesn’t fit into a box, they have a hard time understanding it” -saidTopCats coach, Chandalae Lanouette. Given the polarization of the topic of trans people in sports, there are a mix of opinions surfacing. Despite the challenges that Justine Lindsay has faced, and is still facing today, she set an example for the community of transgender youth while consecutively fighting against the harmful legislation turning up in North Carolina.

Last weekend, the Kansas City Chiefs faced off against the Chicago Bears at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs were dominant from start to finish, achieving a final score of 41-10. 

While the game was electrifying, displaying commanding performances by various Chiefs players, the most exciting part of the game had to do with someone in the crowd. American singer, songwriter and cultural figure Taylor Swift was spotted in the stands on Sunday. It has been rumored that Swift and tight end Travis Kelce are dating, and her attendance seemed to confirm what fans were hoping for. Taylor was spotted wearing red amongst Chiefs fans and sitting with Donna Kelce, Travis Kelce’s mom. 

Travis Kelce first admitted his interest in Taylor Swift back in July, saying in his podcast, “New Heights”, “If you’re up on Taylor Swift concerts, there are friendship bracelets, and I received a bunch of them being there, but I wanted to give Taylor Swift one with my number on it.” Sadly, Kelce’s plan didn’t work out according to his intentions, but fans have assumed that Kelce and Swift have exchanged bracelets since then. 

Many Swifties are all for this relationship, loving it for Swift. Even Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, had something to say. Mahomes said, “Yeah I met her, she’s really cool.” Travis Kelce himself made a statement earlier this week, saying that he has been “enjoying life and sure as hell enjoyed this weekend.” 

Taylor Swift’s impact on NFL Football is undeniable. NFL ECommerce expert said, “On Sunday, Travis Kelce was one of the top five selling NFL players and saw nearly a 400% spike in sales on the NFL shop.” Her attendance has sparked excitement amongst both NFL fans and Swifites. 

Following the Chiefs’ 41-10 win, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were spotted leaving Arrowhead Stadium in a getaway car. Will this be Taylor Swift’s happily ever after? The Chiefs will be welcomed to New York when they face off against the New York Jets on Sunday, Oct. 1 at MetLife Stadium.