Smith becomes fifth Alabama underclassman to enter draft
Alabama cornerback Saivion Smith said he is entering the NFL draft.
He is the fifth Crimson Tide underclassman to turn pro in the past week. The junior college transfer played in all 15 games during his lone season at Alabama, starting 12. He had 60 tackles, three interceptions and eight tackles for loss.
Safety Deionte Thompson and linebackers Anfernee Jennings and Mack Wilson are among other Crimson Tide juniors who haven’t announced their intentions yet.
Katie Ledecky won the 1,500-meter freestyle for her fourth individual title of the week in a TYR Pro Swim Series meet at the University of Tennessee. Ledecky finished in 15 minutes 45.59 seconds. The five-time Olympic gold medalist won the 200 freestyle, 400 individual medley and 400 freestyle earlier in the four-day event. Anton Ipsen won the men’s 1,500 in 15:16.19 for his third title of the week. He earlier won the 400 and 800 freestyles.
J.D. Gibbs, eldest son of Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, died from complications of a degenerative neurological disease. He was 49. Gibbs was co-founder of the NASCAR team that bears his father’s name and he largely ran the day-to-day operations of what is now an elite organization.
American Sofia Kenin won her first WTA title at the Hobart International after beating Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-4, 6-0. Playing her first top-level singles final, the 20-year-old Kenin took the first set with a break before running away with the match in 71 minutes. Kenin, ranked 56th, didn’t drop a set for the tournament . ... Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova beat Ashleigh Barty 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (3) in the women’s singles final at the Sydney International. Barty led the deciding set 3-0 before Kvitova began a comeback to win her 26th WTA title.
A college basketball player accused of repeatedly punching a teammate at practice, knocking out some teeth and leaving him unconscious, was charged with misdemeanor assault in Ohio. University of Akron redshirt sophomore center Khadim Gueye pleaded not guilty after being arrested this week for the allegedly unprovoked Dec. 16 attack witnessed by coaches and teammates. The injured player, Cleveland native Mark Kostelac, missed two games but returned to play in late December.
The University of Michigan hired former USA Gymnastics executive Rhonda Faehn as a women’s gymnastics coaching consultant. USA Gymnastics parted ways with Faehn as senior vice president in May after she was criticized by victims of Larry Nassar, the former national team doctor serving decades in prison for abusing athletes.
Marcel Hirscher overturned rival Henrik Kristoffersen’s first-run lead for another clear win in a World Cup giant slalom . ... Olympic champion Mariama Jamanka of Germany teamed with Annika Drazek to win a World Cup women’s bobsled race, their third victory in four starts this season. Elana Meyers Taylor and Lake Kwaza of the U.S. were second, their best finish of the season.