Sports category, Page 1379
Tim Benz: How North Carolina played itself into a unique position in sports
As the North Carolina Tar Heels ride into Monday night’s NCAA Tournament Championship game against Kansas, they are in one of the most unique sports positions in recent memory. A blue-blood, high-profile, historically elite college basketball team. Yet it’s somehow in the underdog, “playing with nothing to lose” role at...
Doctor’s orders: Chloe Poulich gets late start at Towson to fulfill nursing degree requirements
An injury had nothing to do with Chloe Poulich missing a month’s worth of games and almost every practice in February for the Towson softball team. Still, getting a doctor’s note would not have been a problem. Poulich, a Mt. Pleasant graduate, spent February fulfilling her final 120 hours to...
Even if she might not say it, W&J runner Faith Remich has sights on PAC title in 1,600Video
Washington & Jefferson track and field coach Derek Workman recalled a July phone conversation he had with rising senior middle distance runner Faith Remich. The Burrell graduate informed Workman she had a job waiting for her after graduation, which was still 10 months away. With that crucial piece of her...
Hitting coaches have short shelf life in majors
PHOENIX — Connor Dawson is a psychologist, gatekeeper, analyst and strategist. And a hitting coach, too. Tough job. “There’s just so much out there for one guy to handle now that wasn’t the case 20 years ago,” Dawson said. The 28-year-old Dawson is one of two new hitting coaches for...
Mark Madden: Penguins allowing too many soul-crushing goals at inopportune times
The Penguins are difficult to figure. They are on pace for 108 points, have the seventh-best record in the NHL and have allowed the sixth-fewest goals in the league. (That last factoid is so un-Penguins. It looks like a typo.) But Saturday’s 3-2 loss at Colorado was a microcosm of...
Madden Monday: Mitch Trubisky could be biggest factor if Steelers contend for playoffs
During many of our “Madden Monday” podcasts throughout this NFL offseason, Mark Madden and I have both expressed our skepticism about the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022. But in this week’s edition, Madden advanced an optimistic scenario. And it has to do with new quarterback Mitch Trubisky. “Do you know the...
First Call: Phil Kessel grabs active consecutive games streak lead; Pirates face nemesis on Opening Day
Monday’s “First Call” shows us how former Pittsburgh Penguin Phil Kessel took over the NHL’s consecutive games streak. A pair of Metropolitan Division teams suffered home losses. The Eastern Conference has its first team locked into the playoffs. And the Pirates will be facing a familiar opponent on Opening Day...
South Carolina defeats UConn for 2nd women’s national titleVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — Dawn Staley and South Carolina buttoned up on defense and won their second national championship, stifling UConn for a 64-49 victory Sunday night that ended the Huskies’ undefeated streak in title games. Destanni Henderson scored a career-high 26 points, Aliyah Boston added 11 points and 16 rebounds and...
She’s No. 1: Swiatek downs Osaka 6-4, 6-0 to win Miami Open
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Iga Swiatek ended her journey to the women’s No. 1 ranking in fitting fashion. Swiatek continued her searing start to 2022 on Saturday, beating Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-0 to win the women’s title at the Miami Open and extend her winning streak to 17 matches. Swiatek,...
Kansas, North Carolina leaning on dynamic duos in NCAA title runVideo
NEW ORLEANS — North Carolina’s top offensive priority, particularly early in a game, is to feed the ball to Armando Bacot in the post. Once the opposing team inevitably starts sending extra defenders at the Tar Heels’ big man, Caleb Love has more space to let 3-pointers fly or drive...
Hamlin earns NASCAR victory at RichmondVideo
RICHMOND, Va. — Denny Hamlin ran down William Byron with five laps to go Sunday and ended the slowest start to his career with a victory in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway. In a race that featured four sets of green-flag pit stops and a whole lot of...
Minor league report: Nailers snap 4-game losing streakVideo
Forward Cedric Desruisseaux and defenseman Chris Ortiz each had a goal and an assist for the Wheeling Nailers in a 5-1 home win against the Fort Wayne Komets at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, W.Va. on Sunday. Goaltender Louis-Philip Guindon made 30 saves on 31 shots for Wheeling (33-28-4-0) which snapped...
Duke’s Scheyer ready for program’s ‘pivotal’ coaching changeVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Jon Scheyer tried to soak up every possible nugget and detail he could as retiring Mike Krzyzewski’s designated successor in their final season together on the Duke sideline. Conversations on everything from game strategy to motivating players turned into an endless stream of notes and ideas, studiously...
Spaun takes Texas Open for 1st PGA win, 1st trip to MastersVideo
SAN ANTONIO — J.J. Spaun won his first PGA Tour event — and his first trip to the Masters — by firing a final-round 69 at the Valero Texas Open on Sunday. In his 147th PGA Tour start, Spaun survived a double-bogey start to his round by recording five birdies...
Out of the blue, North Carolina goes for NCAA title vs. KansasVideo
NEW ORLEANS — It should come as no shock that North Carolina and Kansas are playing for the national title. Their names, complete with their intertwined histories, are cemented on the short-short list of college basketball’s greatest programs. There’s a bit of a twist in 2022. While lots of folks...
Austin Butler’s dunk at 3×3 event creates a buzz
Austin Butler dunked his way to $5,000 Sunday. And what a dunk it was. The former Latrobe basketball star who played four years at Holy Cross before a grad season at Charlotte, made the highlight reel with a big jam at the 3x3U National Championship at The Sugar Mill in...
How can Penguins replace Jason Zucker (again)?
Even after a hard-fought 4-3 overtime road win against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, things were a bit somber for the Penguins. One of the most respected players on the roster, forward Jason Zucker, had his return from a long-term injury be disrupted almost as soon as it began. In...
Padres acquire LHP Sean Manaea in trade with AthleticsVideo
PEORIA, Ariz. — The San Diego Padres bolstered their rotation on Sunday, acquiring left-hander Sean Manaea in a trade with the Oakland Athletics. San Diego got the 30-year-old Manaea and minor league right-hander Aaron Holiday from Oakland for pitching prospect Adrian Martinez and minor league infielder Euribiel Angeles. Manaea went...
Pirates OF Greg Allen leaves game with left hamstring discomfort in loss to Rays
The Pittsburgh Pirates already were down one outfielder when they played the Tampa Bay Rays in their spring training home finale, then lost another who was projected to be a starter. Left fielder Greg Allen, who hit a leadoff triple, was removed because of left hamstring discomfort after sliding in...
On the prowl? Tiger arriving at Masters, unsure of playingVideo
AUGUSTA, Ga. — A comeback unlike any other for Tiger Woods might start at the Masters. Just over 13 months since Woods damaged his right leg so badly he said doctors considered amputation, Woods arrived at Augusta National on Sunday afternoon and warmed up on a range where there were...
Thad Matta returning to Butler for 2nd stint as coachVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Thad Matta is returning to Butler, hired Sunday to coach the Bulldogs almost five years after he cited his health while stepping down at Ohio State. The 54-year-old Matta led Butler to a 24-8 record and an appearance in the 2001 NCAA Tournament during his only season as...
Pirates tab RHP JT Brubaker as Opening Day starter at St. Louis, their 7th in as many years
JT Brubaker will be the Opening Day starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates when they visit the St. Louis Cardinals on April 7, manager Derek Shelton announced Sunday during the AT&T SportsNet telecast. Brubaker is the seventh different pitcher to start the opener in as many years. The 28-year-old right-hander...
Penn State football lands 4-star tight end Andrew Rappleyea
Penn State landed the commitment of four-star tight end Andrew Rappleyea on Sunday, following his initial commitment to Michigan on Jan. 16. “Michigan is a great place with great people, but the reality is I committed too quickly and take full responsibility for that,” Rappleyea wrote on Twitter. “I have...
Monroeville SNAP program a success for quartet of swimmers
When Jamee Kovacs helped get the Special Needs Aquatic Program off the ground in September, she hoped to give her son, Caleb, and others throughout the Monroeville area more opportunities to find comfort in the water. Now, seven months later, Kovacs, a board member with the Monroeville Marlins Swim Club,...
Pirates preview: Versatility valued from infield featuring several Gold Glove candidates
When Derek Shelton discusses the Pittsburgh Pirates infield, the only things set in stone is that Ke’Bryan Hayes will be playing third base and Roberto Perez will be behind the plate. The rest is written in pencil, with a big eraser at the ready. That has more to do with...
