Two UCLA women opt out

UCLA guards Kiara Jefferson and Kayla Owens will opt out of the upcoming season due to COVID- 19 concerns, coach Cori Close said.

With Jefferson and Owens out and two Australian freshmen unable to join the team because of pandemic immigration restrictions, the Bruins, who f inished second in the Pac- 12 last year, are working out with eight players as they prepare for their season in November.

Jefferson, a junior from Sacramento, played in 25 games last year with one start, averaging 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds in 14.6 minutes. Owens, a redshirt junior from Texas, played in 21 games last year, averaging 9.6 minutes, 1.7 points and 2.5 rebounds.

— Thuc Nhi Nguyen

The Pittsburgh Penguins traded goaltender Matt Murray to the Ottawa Senators and the Nashville Predators continued to shed salary by sending center Nick Bonino to the Minnesota Wild.

Hockey Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur, 69, is facing a recurrence of lung cancer, the hospital treating him announced.

The Mid- American Conference will begin its sixgame regular season with every team in the conference scheduled to play Nov. 4.

The f irst day will feature defending MAC champion Miami of Ohio at home against Ball State; Central Michigan at Ohio; Bowling Green at Toledo; and Buffalo at Northern Illinois.

Brazil striker Neymar left a training session early with back pains, which could force him to miss Friday’s opening World Cup qualifier against Bolivia. ... Wolverhampton striker Raul Jimenez converted a penalty to give Mexico a 1- 0 victory over the Netherlands in a friendly at Amsterdam that marked Frank de Boer’s first match as the Dutch coach.

Teenage goalkeeper Aaron Cer vantes of Chino Hills is on his way to Rangers of the Scottish Premier League on a transfer from Orange County Soccer Club of the second- tier USL Championship. A former Galaxy academy player, Cervantes signed with the Orange County club at 15.

— Kevin Baxter

World champion Joshua Cheptegei broke the world record in the men’s 10,000 meters shortly after Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey had set a mark in the women’s 5,000 at a specially held track meet in Valencia, Spain, where the runners used pacers and a specially designed lighting system along the track.

Cheptegei crossed the line in 26 minutes, 11 seconds to break Kenenisa Bekele’s mark of 26: 17.53 set in Brussels in 2005.