U.S./World Sports category, Page 342
Alabama jumps to No. 1 in AP poll after Clemson close callVideo
Alabama is No. 1 in the Associated Press college football poll for the first time this season, replacing preseason No. 1 Clemson after the Tigers had a close call. Alabama received 29 of 61 first-place votes Sunday from the media panel as the Tigers’ one-point victory at North Carolina gave...
Chase Elliott wins playoff race at Charlotte in scorching heat
CONCORD, N.C. — Chase Elliott overcame a costly mistake that nearly wrecked his car to win a sloppy race in scorching temperatures on The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Sunday showcase was the first elimination race in NASCAR’s playoffs and attention was focused on which four drivers would be...
No. 1 Clemson stops 2-point conversion, beats North Carolina
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The ball sat on the 3-yard line, forcing top-ranked Clemson into the most unexpected of positions. Get a stop, or lose the lead late against heavy underdog North Carolina — and maybe the game along with its spot as the front-runner for the College Football Playoff....
Cameron Champ takes comfortable lead into final round of Safeway Open
NAPA, Calif. — Even as he bolted to the top of the leaderboard at the Safeway Open, Cameron Champ’s mind was elsewhere. Champ’s grandfather, Mack, is in hospice battling stomach cancer and the family has been commuting back and forth between the tournament and his hometown of Sacramento, about 65...
Peters Township native Alison Riske loses in Wuhan Open finalVideo
WUHAN, China — Aryna Sabalenka beat unseeded Alison Riske, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, in the Wuhan Open final on Saturday to become the tournament’s first back-to-back champion. Sabalenka joins Petra Kvitova as the only other two-time winner at Wuhan. “I can’t believe that I defend this title,” Sabalenka said. “I can’t...
NASCAR drivers try to protect playoff positions at tricky CharlotteVideo
CONCORD, N.C. — The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway was created specifically to add a unique venue to NASCAR’s playoffs, and the hybrid road course doesn’t disappoint. As a reminder, last year’s inaugural event ended with the leaders crashing each other trying to win. A return trip to this 17-turn,...
Justin Fields, Ohio State facing big test at Nebraska
LINCOLN, Neb. — Justin Fields has been sensational in four games. Now it’s time to see what he can do in a hostile environment. Fields leads fifth-ranked Ohio State into its toughest game to date when it visits 90,000-seat Memorial Stadium to play Nebraska on Saturday night. The transfer from...
Iowa State fan raises $1 million for children’s hospital with beer money sign
Carson King, a 24-year-old Iowa State fan from Altoona, Iowa, became famous last week after he and his hand-written sign made a cameo on ESPN’s “College GameDay.” “Busch Light supply needs replenished,” read his sign, which provided a Venmo account to send money to. He thought he’d gets some laughs...
Browns’ Freddie Kitchens won’t give up play-calling after ‘bad’ lossVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Freddie Kitchens’ face was flushed with frustration, his cheeks glowing as bright as his orange hoodie. Cleveland’s rookie coach, who was surprisingly hired after a successful eight-game stint as offensive coordinator last season, was brutally hard on himself following Sunday night’s 20-13 loss to Los Angeles. He...
Rocco Mediate rallies to win Champion Tour’s Sanford International
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Greensburg native Rocco Mediate needed just about everything to go right for him to win the Sanford International, and it did. Ken Duke had everything go wrong on the last hole that helped Mediate to his first victory on the PGA Tour Champions in three years....
Women’s hockey union takes first tangible step with ‘Dream Gap Tour’
TORONTO — The reality of what the new women’s pro hockey union was launching didn’t resonate with Brianne Jenner until she came out of the locker room and saw the crowd — many of them young girls — in the stands of the 700-seat arena. The leap of faith taken...
AP Top 25: Wisconsin into top 10; Cal makes big move to 15
Wisconsin moved into the top 10 for the first time this season, landing at No. 8 in The Associated Press college football poll after a weekend during which seven ranked teams lost. The top of the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank remained mostly unchanged, with Clemson staying No....
Martin Truex wins again; Gibbs gets 1-2-3-4 finish at Richmond
RICHMOND, Va. — Martin Truex Jr. passed Kyle Busch with 25 laps to go and won his second consecutive NASCAR Cup Series playoff race Saturday night. The victory completed a redemptive finish for Truex, the championship leader coming into the race. He was leading with 87 laps remaining when Ricky...
No. 13 Wisconsin runs over No. 11 Michigan
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor needed only a quarter Saturday to improve upon his rushing total from the Badgers’ lopsided loss to Michigan last season. Taylor ran for 203 yards and two touchdowns. Jack Coan added a career-high two rushing touchdowns, and No. 13 Wisconsin made it look...
Kyle Busch looks to rebound as NASCAR playoffs move to RichmondVideo
RICHMOND, Va. — The NASCAR playoffs didn’t start the way Kyle Busch wanted. An early swipe of the wall at Las Vegas and slow lapped traffic relegated him to a middle-of-the-pack finish that dropped him from first to fourth in the championship race. Now, the series has moved to Richmond...
Georgia grocery store clears Irish Spring soap from shelves before Notre Dame gameVideo
Apparently, a grocery store outside Athens, Ga., wants no part of “Add a little Irish to your Game.” The current add slogan for Irish Spring soap is no use to Dill’s Food City as the stores removed the bars off the shelves this week before the 8 p.m. primetime showdown...
Cancer survivor Sarah Thomas swims England Channel 4 times nonstopVideo
It was a remarkable feat … times four. Breast cancer survivor Sarah Thomas became the first person to ever swim the English Channel four times consecutively. Colorado endurance swimmer, cancer survivor Sarah Thomas swims English Channel 4 times nonstop. NBC News (@NBCNews) September 17, 2019 The Colorado native, 37,...
Iowa State fan with beer money sign donates $8K to children’s hospital
One fan who showed up for ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday, like many others, brought a sign and hoped to get it on the broadcast. His sign simply said, “Busch Light supply needs replenished” and provided a Venmo account to send money to. He thought he’d gets some laughs and...
Martin Truex Jr. wins at Vegas in opening race of NASCAR Cup Series playoffs
LAS VEGAS — Martin Truex Jr. raced his way into the second round of NASCAR’s playoffs with a victory Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the opening round of the postseason. The win is Truex’s series-best fifth of the season and again cemented Joe Gibbs Racing as the team...
Former NASCAR driver killed in single-engine plane crash
STERLING, Conn. — Modified stock car great Michael Stefanik was killed in a single-engine plane crash. He was 61. State police say the crash happened Sunday afternoon in Sterling near the Rhode Island state line. They say the single-engine, single-seat Aerolite 103 took off from the Riconn Airport in Coventry,...
Suzann Pettersen wins dramatic Solheim Cup for Europe then retiresVideo
GLENEAGLES, Scotland — Suzann Pettersen stood over the final shot of her golfing career, not quite realizing it also was the last shot of the most dramatic Solheim Cup ever played. Europe’s players had their hands over their mouths, and their captain could barely watch. Blissfully unaware of what was...
AP Top 25: Cal, Arizona St move in to give Pac-12 6 ranked
California and Arizona State moved into the AP Top 25 college football poll to give the Pac-12 six ranked teams, the most for the conference in almost four years. A weekend filled with blowouts left the top half of the AP media poll presented by Regions Bank mostly unchanged. Clemson...
Bob Baffert: Justify’s positive test came from contaminated food
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert denied giving 2018 Triple Crown winning horse Justify a banned substance that caused a positive test prior to last year’s Kentucky Derby and blamed the result on contaminated food. Baffert said in a statement Thursday that he “unequivocally” rejects the implication he would give...
Tennessee fan bullied for self-made T-shirt offered scholarship
One dedicated young fan just earned a college education for showing his true colors. After some unfortunate events for a University of Tennessee supporter, the school is offering honorary admission to UT and he has been awarded a four-year scholarship to the university. The fourth-grade Altamonte Springs, Fla., boy drew...
Report: Justify failed drug test before Triple Crown run
NEW YORK — The New York Times said Justify won the 2018 Triple Crown after a failed postrace drug test at a California track that could have kept the horse out of the Kentucky Derby. The newspaper reported Wednesday that Bob Baffert-trained Justify tested positive for the drug scopolamine after...
