Former LSU center Kate Koval has been granted a waiver by the NCAA to enter the transfer portal. The junior will be immediately eligible to compete for her next school, according to several reports.
The 6-foot-5 Ukrainian native decided to leave the LSU program two weeks ago for what was announced as "personal reasons." Speculation followed that Koval's decision was spurred by LSU coach Kim Mulkey adding Russian center Anna Minaeva to the roster.
Koval confirmed that was her reason for leaving LSU in a social media post.
"At the conclusion of last season, I fully intended to return and continue my collegiate career at LSU," Koval wrote. "However, in April, several days after the transfer portal had closed, I was informed of the decision to sign a Russian player."
"My father serves in the Ukrainian military and takes tremendous pride in defending his country against Russian aggression," she continued. "For me, this war is not distant or abstract. People close to me have been killed and wounded in Russian attacks, and places where I grew up and first began playing basketball have been destroyed by missile strikes."

#koval #ukrainian #several #kate

Former LSU center Kate Koval is officially in the transfer portal and will be immediately eligible to compete after being granted a waiver, a source confirmed to The Athletic. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because the source was not authorized to speak publicly about the situation.
Per NCAA rules, waivers to transfer outside of sport-specific transfer windows are granted only in an "exigent event outside the student-athlete's control unrelated to athletics opportunities or participation at their current institution that demands the student-athlete's immediate departure from the institution."
Koval, who was born and raised in Ukraine, recently said in an Instagram post that she was departing from LSU due to the Tigers' signing of Russian center Anna Minaeva, who had played for a professional team in Moscow. In late August, LSU had announced that Koval was leaving the program for "personal reasons."
"For me, this war is not distant or abstract," Koval wrote in her social media post. "People close to me have been killed and wounded in Russian attacks, and places where I grew up and first began playing basketball have been destroyed by missile strikes."
Koval's father serves in the Ukrainian military, which has been at war since Russia's 2022 invasion.

#source #granted

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) -- It's time again for the Top 5 Plays Of The Week featuring U-High, Normal West, Normal Community, Central Catholic, and East Peoria.
5. U-High took on Glenwood in football and despite taking the loss Isaiah Jones connected with Daniel Kovalaske on an acrabatic catch.
4. In flag football Normal West quarterback Karina Brown faked a handoff and then passed to Trinity Wynn who scored on an 86 yard catch and run.
3. In volleyball Normal Community took on Moline. In the first set Olivia Gerrietts made a fantastic dig that led to an immediate kill from Evie Mounts. The Iron would win the match in straight sets.
2. Back to the gridiron where Michigan State commit Matthew Brady connected with Crayton Schnierle on an incredible touchdown catch.

#peoria #high #connected

In 1893, a chemistry professor named Charles Coates arrived at Louisiana State University and wrote that, to his surprise, "there was practically no athletics in the student body: no football, no tennis, and only very little baseball in the spring." A broad program of sports struck him as the kind of thing a school should have, particularly as US universities were beginning to tout intercollegiate athletics as critical to a balanced higher-ed experience and another way to justify the cost of entry. But 133 years on, sports aren't merely the main attraction at LSU. They're the school's raison d'être, the blinkered obsession that consumes the university and its most prominent ambassadors.
Any doubt that the business of educating college students is just a nettlesome distraction from the business of college sports in Baton Rouge has been emphatically dispelled over the past 10 months. On the football side, the school has spent or committed roughly $162m to its last three head coaches: Ed Orgeron, the folksy national champion in 2019 who received a $17m buyout when he was fired two years later; Brian Kelly, the unloved underachiever who received a $54m buyout after being fired last October; and Lane Kiffin, the Kelly replacement whom it signed to a $91m deal a month later. Clemson, the opponent for LSU's season opener at home on Saturday, are about to find out what all that money buys.
Related: College football is booming, chaotic and more confusing than ever
In March, LSU brought back men's basketball coach Will Wade, the turnaround artist who became a national emblem of college sports' old pay-for-play hypocrisy when he was caught on an FBI wiretap discussing a recruiting offer seven years ago. An NCAA dragnet soon uncovered more alleged recruiting improprieties. After LSU fired Wade for cause, he resurfaced at McNeese State, engineering an unlikely reversal of fortune that eventually landed him a lucrative offer to coach back in the big leagues at North Carolina State. That stint lasted all of one 20-win season before the Tigers swooped in and began the process to bring Wade back – despite the fact that someone else was already coaching the team.
And then there's Kim Mulkey, grande dame of LSU sports blindness. When the national championship-winning women's basketball coach brought 17-year-old Anna Minaeva into the fold last month, more than a few eyebrows arched – and not because she plays the same position as junior center Kate Koval. It's more that Minaeva is Russian, Koval is Ukrainian and the one notable reprieve her father, a drone operator in the Ukrainian military, took from the war was to travel to the United States to watch his daughter play.

#sports #Football #fired #back

Ukrainian Kate Koval says she left Louisiana State University's basketball program because of the team's decision to sign a Russian player.
Following the arrival of Anna Minaeva, it was announced that 20-year-old Koval had departed for "personal reasons" after one season.
Koval said Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine was why she stepped away.
"My father serves in the Ukrainian military and takes tremendous pride in defending his country against Russian aggression," she wrote on Instagram.
"For me, this war is not distant or abstract. People close to me have been killed and wounded in Russian attacks, and places where I grew up and first began playing basketball have been destroyed by missile strikes.

#russian #louisiana

Former LSU women's basketball forward Kate Koval posted a statement to her social media account on Wednesday about why she left the team. She confirmed suspicions that her departure was due to the Tigers signing Russian forward Anna Minaeva.
According to Koval's statement, she learned in April that Minaeva would be signing with LSU. The news came after the transfer portal closed, meaning Koval couldn't go in search of another program. Koval hails from Ukraine and her father serves in the Ukrainian military.
"The timing of this situation and the deeply personal effect it has had on me, my family and those we care about who continue to live through and fight this war ultimately made me question whether LSU remained the right place for me," Koval said. "This decision has not been easy. While I understand and respect that roster decisions are a part of college basketball, I have to remain true to myself, my values and my country."
Koval said she felt like she "found a home at LSU" after transferring there ahead of her sophomore year. She played in every game with 17 starts, averaging 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. As a junior, she was in line to start at the five and play a major role for LSU inside.
Instead, Koval issued a call to action for the NCAA. In her statement, she made a plea to play for another school for the upcoming season.

#minaeva #signing

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - MARCH 22: Kate Koval #13 of the LSU Tigers warms up prior to a game against the Texas Tech Lady Raiders in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Pete Maravich **** embly Center on March 22, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Ukrainian center Kate Koval is leaving LSU less than two weeks after the Tigers brought in a player from Russia.
LSU coach Kim Mulkey said Monday night that the 6-foot-5 Koval was leaving for "personal reasons," adding that the program will "respect her privacy on her decision."
"We had a long talk about it, and it was a hard decision for her," Mulkey continued. "I know it is hard because she loves LSU. Kate is a great person. She has to do what she feels is right for her, and we fully support her in that. We all wish her the best."
Koval, who was born in Kyiv, began her college career at Notre Dame. She transferred before last season to LSU, where she averaged 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

#mulkey #game

Kim Mulkey lost a key piece to her frontcourt suddenly on Monday.
LSU women's basketball announced that center Kate Koval opted to leave the program due to personal reasons.
"Kate came to see me on Sunday and told me that after much consideration, she will be leaving the program for personal reasons," Mulkey said in a statement. "We will respect her privacy on her decision, but we had a long talk about it, and it was a hard decision for her. I know it is hard because she loves LSU. Kate is a great person. She has to do what she feels is right for her, and we fully support her in that. We wish her all the best."
Koval transferred in to play for LSU last season after starting her career at Notre Dame. She started 17 games and averaged 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 56% from the field per contest. She helped LSU reach the Sweet 16, too. It's unclear where Koval will end up playing next, though she can not join a new program for the 2026-27 campaign.
While specifics of her departure aren't known, there is speculation that it has to do with LSU's signing of 17-year-old Anna Minaeva.

#program #personal #Monday #sunday

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Ukrainian center Kate Koval is leaving LSU less than two weeks after the Tigers brought in a player from Russia.
LSU coach Kim Mulkey said Monday night that the 6-foot-5 Koval was leaving for "personal reasons," adding that the program will "respect her privacy on her decision."
"We had a long talk about it, and it was a hard decision for her," Mulkey continued. "I know it is hard because she loves LSU. Kate is a great person. She has to do what she feels is right for her, and we fully support her in that. We all wish her the best."
Koval, who was born in Kyiv, began her college career at Notre Dame. She transferred before last season to LSU, where she averaged 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
LSU recently signed Anna Minaeva, a 6-5 post player who previously played professionally with MBA Moscow.

#player

Kim Mulkey is set to start her sixth season as the head coach of the LSU Tigers. In her second year with the team, she entered the LSU history when Angel Reese and the team won the first national championship for the first time in their history. They won the infamous 2023 final vs Iowa, which started Reese's iconic rivalry with Caitlin Clark.
Flau'jae Johnson was the last player on the team last season from the NCAA ***** le-winning squad. Mulkey now has a new set of players to lead and bring glory back to Louisiana.
LSU added some important pieces last season. One of the big names was Kate Koval, a Ukrainian international who transferred from Notre Dame for her sophomore year. Mulkey has now added a highly rated freshman, Anna Minaeva from Russia this season, whose recruitment clashed with Koval because of the political tension between the two countries. Mulkey recently shared her conversation with Koval that took place before Minaeva's recruitment.
"I want you to understand I'm not here to ask you to change how you feel about Russia. I'm just here out of respect for your family and out of respect for you to let you know. Because I know how personal it is for you," Mulkey recalled her conversation with Koval.
6-foot-5 Minaeva averaged 11.2 points and 9.6 rebounds in MBA Moscow in Russia.

#mulkey #koval #last #first

A Nebraska bowler won a major championship on Tuesday night. Jillian Martin won four straight games to win the 2026 Go Bowling U.S. Women's Open.
Martin won with a total pinfall of 12,773, averaging 206.87 over 60 games. She defeated Jordan Snodgrass, Diana Zavjalova, Dasha Kovalova, and Li Jane Sin.
The win was Martin's fourth career Professional Women's Bowling ***** ociation Tour ***** le and second major championship. She also won the $60,000 top prize, green jacket and eagle trophy.
Martin had a stellar senior season for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. She had five top ten finishes, including four top five performances and a ***** le at the Big Red Invitational.
Martin had a team high with 8,989 pinfall and the highest average score of 218.7, which is third in school history. She was also named the 2026 UNL Female Student Athlete of the Year.