Canada gets OT win over U.S. for women's hockey gold
Danielle Serdachny converted a rebound in front 5:16 into overtime for a powerplay goal and Canada beat the United States 6-5 on Sunday in a breathtaking women's world hockey championship gold medal game in Utica, New York.
Canada won its tournament-leading 13th gold medal and did so on U.S. soil in central New York, a year after the Americans won their 10th tournament outside of Toronto.
Canadian captain MariePhilip Poulin scored twice, Julia Gosling also scored, while Erin Ambrose and Emily Clark had shots bank into the net off U.S. defenseman Caroline Harvey. Ann-Renee Desbiens finished with 19 saves, including kicking out her left skate to stop Harvey's wrap-around attempt 2:40 into the overtime.
Harvey and Laila Edwards had a goal and assist for the Americans who finished the tournament 6-1. Hilary Knight, Megan Keller and Alex Carpenter also scored for the U.S.
Serdachny's goal came with 2 seconds left in a toomany-players penalty issued to the U.S. Erin Ambrose's shot from the left circle was stopped by Aerin Frankel, before Serdachny swept the loose puck into the net.
Frankel, who set the single tournament record with four shutouts, finished with 24 saves.
This marked the 10th time in 36 world championship meetings the teams played beyond regulation, and first in a gold-medal game since Poulin sealed a 3-2 OT victory in 2021. It also marked the highest-scoring game between the U.S. and Canada in any meeting since the Americans' 7-5 win in the 2015 world championship gold-medal game.
The rivalry is so tight, both teams are 18-18 in world championship meetings, with Canada now holding a 104-103 edge in goals scored.
Tsitsipas sweeps Ruud in Monte Carlo final
Stefanos Tsitsipas swept aside Casper Ruud 6-1, 6-4 on Sunday to win the claycourt Monte Carlo Masters for the third time in four years, and then wept in his chair.
Tsitsipas sat holding his head in his hands, briefly crying as he took in his first title of the year and biggest tournament victory for two years.
“I'm very proud of myself today. I had been waiting for a moment like this for a long time,” the 12th-ranked Tsitsipas said. “I did not know what was going to happen this week.”
The big-serving Greek also won the title in 2021 and 2022 and this latest trophy at the Monte Carlo Country Club took him to 11 career titles overall.
“It has been very difficult, so to be back on the podium, winning tournaments, just feels amazing,” Tsitsipas said. “The third time is even more special than the first or second time. This is an unbelievable win for me. Capturing that win today was nerve-wracking, I really wanted this trinity.”
• Carlos Alcaraz pulled out of the Barcelona Open on Sunday with the same injury in his right forearm that kept him out of the Monte Carlo Masters, leaving his French Open preparation on hold.
Alcaraz is a two-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1-ranked player who is currently No. 3. The 20-year-old from Spain won the title at the clay-court
Barcelona Open in 2022 and 2023.
Kentucky AD has no comment on lawsuit
Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart says he can't comment on a lawsuit filed by two former swim team members against him, the school and former coach Lars Jorgensen, alleging sexual assaults including rape by Jorgensen and claiming the school “purposefully” disregarded multiple credible reports of inappropriate sexual relationships.
Asked about the lawsuit after Sunday's news conference at Rupp Arena introducing men's basketball coach Mark Pope, the longtime AD said he couldn't comment because the matter is under litigation.
“I always say we always want to have safety for our student-athletes, our coaches and our staff,” he said. “But other than that, I can't say.”
Former Kentucky swimmer and assistant coach Briggs Alexander and a woman identified only as Jane Doe filed the suit Friday in U.S. District Court. It said Kentucky empowered
Jorgensen to “foster a toxic, sexually hostile environment within the swim program and to prey on, sexually harass, and commit horrific sexual assaults.”
The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they consent to being identified, as Alexander did.
The lawsuit also alleged that former Kentucky head coach Gary Conelly, who led the program from 1991 until retiring in 2013, did not follow up on being told of previous alleged misconduct by Jorgensen at Toledo. It also alleged that Barnhart did not follow up an email about allegations or investigate them and hired Jorgensen, and it accused him of intentionally concealing the allegations.
Parade celebrates South Carolina title
South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley and her national championship Gamecocks celebrated with a jampacked, downtown parade and rally at the Statehouse in Columbia a week after completing their undefeated season.
Staley and her players rode some seven blocks to the cheers of a crowd that Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann called the largest ever in the downtown area of the Capital City. And then Staley teased a repeat celebration 12 months from now.
”I hope we can end our (next) season at the same time, in the same place on this beautiful day,” Staley said. “Thank you so much for loving up on us. We truly appreciate it.”
Folks will be seeing purple at Paris Games
Fans will be seeing purple at the Olympics when athletes try to set records at this summer's Paris Games. In a move away from a more traditional red-brick clay color, an Olympic track is going purple for the first time.
The pieces of vulcanized rubber track were produced at a factory in northern Italy and workers have been laying them down at Stade de France, the national stadium hosting track events.