WNBA hires Deloitte CEO Engelbert as commissioner

NEW YORK >> The WNBA has a new leader with a new title. The league hired Cathy Engelbert as commissioner Wednesday. The previous four leaders of the WNBA had been known as president.

“Commissioner, first of all, honored and humbled to have that title. And it comes with awesome responsibility ... just really humbled,” Engelbert said.

Since 2015, Engelbert has been CEO of Deloitte US, an accounting organization that works with Fortune 500 companies. She was the first woman to hold that job.

“With Cathy’s hiring, we wanted to signal to the broadest possible audience that the WNBA is a major league and that she has the same status as the heads of other U.S.-based sports leagues,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said.

Engelbert played college basketball at Lehigh under current Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw. She was also on the school’s lacrosse team, serving as captain of both programs.

Alonso: ‘We will be back stronger’

INDIANAPOLIS >> McLaren’s return to the Indianapolis

500 was slowed at first by electrical problems. When Fernando Alonso finally got his car up to speed, he hit three walls at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and significantly damaged the celebrated bright orange machine.

Mechanics labored in the buttoned-down McLaren garage trying to rebuild a car for Alonso to qualify this weekend for the Indy

500. It will need a new engine because the one in the car Alonso crashed on the second day of practice had a cracked cam cover.

This return to Indy has so far been horrific for the proud McLaren group, which on opening day had to replace the alternator and entire wiring loom on Alonso’s car.

Then came his crash Wednesday exiting the third turn. His car hit the wall, spun through the grass and hit an interior wall, then spun back across the track for a third hit.

“I am always positive. We will be back stronger,” Alonso said.

Sharapova pulls out of French Open

Two-time French Open champion Maria Sharapova pulled out of the year’s second Grand Slam tournament because of her surgically repaired right shoulder.

“Sometimes the right decisions aren’t always the easiest ones,” she wrote.

She said she has returned to practice and is “slowly building the strength back” in her shoulder.

Kane sets U.S. record at worlds

KOSICE, SLOVAKIA >> Patrick Kane scored a goal and had two assists to become the United States’ all-time leading scorer at the world hockey championship in 6-3 win over Britain.

The three-time Stanley Cup champion and twotime Olympian finished the game with 36 points, surpassing the 33 points U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Johnson had in the tournament.

Johnson led the Americans with 11 goals when they won Olympic gold in 1980.

Kane has helped the U.S. win three straight games in Group A since opening with a loss to the host Slovaks.