Penn St. a power under Portland
Rene Portland, who coached Penn State’s women’s basketball team to national prominence, has died after a three-year fight with cancer.
Portland, 65, took over what was already a successful program in 1980 and built it into one that frequently dominated play in the Big Ten, with the team at times ranked the top team in the country.
She led Penn State to its first NCAA Final Four, in 2000, with the Lady Lions losing to Connecticut in the semifinals. She also coached at St. Joseph’s and Colorado, amassing 693 wins in all — 606 of them at Penn State — and 21 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
Portland’s basketball pedigree reached back to the Immaculata College “Mighty Macs”, where she played on three AIAW national championship teams in the early 1970s, before the NCAA recognized women’s sports.
“Rene fought a courageous and determined fight against her cancer,” former Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. “She will be remembered as someone who gave her life to her family, her teams and her women.”
MLB
In the latest medical development for the New York Mets, ace pitcher Noah Syndergaard is headed back to the 10-day disabled list after contracting hand, foot and mouth disease.
The team believes it’s likely Syndergaard caught the contagious virus when he made an appearance at a baseball camp for kids during the all-star break last week. Mets manager Mickey Callaway said that probably explains why Syndergaard weakened and his velocity decreased during Friday night’s victory at Yankee Stadium.
Syndergaard just returned from the DL on July 13 after sitting out more than six weeks with a strained ligament in his right index finger. Callaway and assistant general manager John Ricco say it’s possible the right-hander will miss only one turn in the rotation.
CYCLING
Magnus Cort Nielsen of Denmark sprinted away from two other challengers to win Stage 15 of the Tour de France on Sunday, while Geraint Thomas had no trouble holding the overall lead for a fourth consecutive day
Nielsen claimed his first career win at the Tour after staying ahead of Ion Izagirre and Bauke Mollema in a sprint over the final 200 meters. Cort Nielsen finished the hilly 112.7-mile leg from Millau that ended in a long descent to Carcassonne, France in 4 hours, 25 minutes.
Thomas and second-place rider Chris Froome arrived at Carcassonne, France, 13 minutes after the stage winner.
Thomas kept his advantage of 1 minute, 39 seconds over Froome.
GOLF
A thunderstorm suspended the fourth round of the PGA Tour’s Barbasol Championship until Monday morning.
Sunday’s third stoppage of play at Champions Trace at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicolasville, Ky., came with the four leaders — Hunter Mahan, Robert Streb, Tom Lovelady and Troy Merritt — at 18under par and four other contenders waiting to begin the round.
Lightning caused one delay, and play was stopped to clear water on the course.
CFL
Johnny Manziel has been traded by the Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats to the Montreal Alouettes.
Stuck behind incumbent quarterback Jeremiah
Masoli on the Tiger-Cats’ depth chart, Manziel was relegated to backup duty in his first season in the CFL. In Montreal, however, Manziel will be reunited with former Green Bay Packers coach Mike Sherman, whose final season at Texas A&M was also Manziel’s redshirt season.
SOCCER
Mesut Ozil quit Germany’s national team following criticism over his decision to pose for a picture with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In a series of statements posted on Twitter, the Arsenal star announced his retirement from international football. He attacked the German football federation, its president, fans and the media, criticizing what he saw as racism and double standards in the treatment of people with Turkish roots.