U.S. SPEEDSKATERS SET FOR OLYMPICS
Joey Mantia won the 1,000 meters at the U.S. speedskating trials, while two-time Olympic champion Shani Davis is headed to his fourth games.
Mantia finished in 1 minute, 9.15 seconds Wednesday night. The former inline skater from Florida finished 15th in the event four years ago in Sochi.
Skating in the third-to-last pairing, Davis clocked 1:09.23 to finish second. Mitch Whitmore was third at 1:09.32 to grab the third Olympic berth.
Davis is the world record-holder in the 1,000, and won the event at the 2006 and 2010 Olympics. The 35year-old skater was eighth in Sochi, where the Americans were shut out of medals.
On the women’s side, Heather Bergsma won the 1,000, with Brittany Bowe finishing second to join her longtime rival on the Olympic team.
Bergsma was timed in 1:14.82 to make her third Olympic team. She has yet to win a medal.
Bowe was clocked in 1:15.52. The former college basketball point guard overcame walking pneumonia last fall during the World Cup season.
WSU All-American headed to NFL.
Washington State defensive tackle Hercules Mata’afa is skipping his senior year and will enter the NFL draft.
The Lahaina, Hawaii, native announced on Twitter that he will seek a pro job after a junior season in which he led the Pac-12 Conference in sacks at 10.5 and tackles for loss at 22.5.
Mata’afa, a dominant pass rusher, was an All-America selection for the first time this season.
• Auburn cornerback Carlton Davis and tailback Kamryn Pettway are skipping their senior seasons to enter the NFL draft.
Both announced their decisions on social media. Tailback Kerryon Johnson has also declared his plans to turn pro.
Davis is a second-team Associated Press All-American who started all three seasons at Auburn, including as a true freshman.
He is projected as an early round pick with some mock drafts having him go in the first round.
Pettway played in only five games this season due to injuries and suspension. He ran for 305 yards and five touchdowns after leading the Southeastern Conference in yards per game in 2016.
• Stanford tight end Dalton Schultz will skip his final season of eligibility and enter the NFL draft.
Schultz was an all-Pac-12 selection this season when he had 22 catches for 212 yards and three touchdowns. In three seasons for the Cardinal, Schultz had 55 catches for 555 yards and five TDs.
Orlando City gets big MLS signing.
FLA.» Orlando City has ORLANDO, signed forward Dom Dwyer to a three-year contract.
Dwyer, who played on the U.S. national team last year, was traded to Orlando from Kansas City last July. The deal included an MLS-record $1.6 million in allocation money.
Dwyer had nine goals and five assists in league play overall last season, including four goals and four assists after coming to Orlando.
After becoming a U.S. citizen last year, Dwyer made four appearances with the national team, scoring two goals including one in his debut against Ghana.
Orlando also acquired midfielder Sacha Kljestan and $150,000 in allocation money in a trade with the New York Red Bulls for forward Carlos Rivas and center back Tommy Redding.
Kljestan set a franchise single-season record with 20 assists this past season.
• Defender Ashley Cole has agreed to return for another season with the L.A. Galaxy.
Footnote.
Kei Nishikori’s agent says the 2014 U.S. Open runner-up is pulling out of the Australian Open because he is not ready from an injured right wrist that has sidelined him since August. — The Associated Press