Sports
Avalanche find footing on the road, return home against Senators
Oct 22, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Colorado Avalanche goalie Justus Annunen (60) knocks away a puck in a crowd including defenseman Samuel Girard (49), defenseman Devon Toews (7) and Seattle Kraken forward Shane Wright (51) during the second period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images The Colorado Avalanche left town on Oct. 18 with a 1-4-0 record and questions about nearly every aspect of their lineup.
The Avalanche then swept a three-game road trip to pull even and now have a chance for a fifth straight win when they host the Ottawa Senators on Sunday night.
Colorado is still missing key players, but the issues that were present in losing the first four games have been cleaned up. The Avalanche are playing better in their own zone and creating more chances on the other end.
The goaltending also has improved — and become more competitive. When Alexandar Georgiev struggled early, coach Jared Bednar showed support and affirmed that he was the No. 1 goalie. However, Justus Annunen was in net for all three road games and Bednar said he will go with the “hot hand.”
With Sunday being the first of a back-to-back set, both goalies will get a start in the next two games, but Annunen, for now, is the hot hand Bednar will use.
“If he can keep getting good results, then he’s going to keep getting starts,” Bednar said after Saturday’s practice.
Bednar also gave updates on forwards Ross Colton and Miles Wood, who were both dinged up in Thursday’s win at Utah and didn’t practice Saturday. Colton scored his team-leading seventh goal in the 5-1 victory and, along with Woods, will take part in Sunday’s morning skate before a decision is made on their status for Ottawa.
Colorado could recall a player from the AHL should one or both sit, and with forward Calum Ritchie, a top prospect and a 2023 first-round draft pick, being assigned to the Ontario Hockey League.
Ottawa has two capable goaltenders in Linus Ullmark and Anton Forsberg but is coming off a 6-4 loss at Vegas on Friday night that Ullmark (22 saves on 27 shots) said was his responsibility. He allowed two goals within 21 seconds in the first period and then a pair one minute apart in the third.
“If we had a capable goalie in there today, we would have won 4-3,” he told reporters after the game. “It was way too sloppy for this league. This is the type of game where you have to rely on the goaltender to shut the door.
“I’m not going to come up with any excuses. It stinks. It’s one of those games where we deserved to win.”
The Senators have gotten off to a solid start after missing the playoffs last season. They won four of their first six games and have a chance to finish 2-1 on this Western Conference road trip.
Ottawa has spread out its scoring, with five players having three or more goals and six with six or more points.
Brady Tkachuk has been one of the more consistent players to begin 2024-25. He notched at least one point in the first six games and has scored a goal in three straight games before being held without a point in the loss to the Golden Knights.
He has eight points (three goals, five assists) for second on the team to Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson, who have nine each.
–Field Level Media
Sports
WNBA announces launch of central replay booth
Jun 27, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Storm head coach Sonia Raman speaks to an official in the fourth quarter at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Richard Dizon-Imagn Images The WNBA announced on Saturday that it will launch a centralized replay center for the start of the 2027 season.
The league already uses replay, but shifting to a centralized system aims to speed up and enhance the review process.
A state-of-the-art replay center in Secaucus, N.J., has been used by the NBA since 2014. The WNBA will now use the same facility as its centralized hub for all reviewable game situations. The center will give on-court officials quick access to multiple camera angles and guidance from officials in New Jersey to make fast and accurate calls.
“As the WNBA continues its extraordinary growth, we’re committed to investing in every aspect of the game, including the technology and resources that support players, teams, and officials,” head of WNBA league operations Bethany Donaphin said. “Leveraging the NBA’s state-of-the-art replay center is an important step in the continued evolution of our game.
“It allows us to enhance the consistency and efficiency of replay reviews while embracing innovations that strengthen the competition and deliver the best possible experience for all our stakeholders.”
The league previously formed an officiating task force during the offseason to improve officiating, a move that has received more attention in recent weeks due to specific on-court incidents.
Perhaps most notoriously, Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas was handed a one-game suspension for “recklessly making contact with her fist to the throat area” of Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during a game in June. No foul was called on the play, and Thomas and the Mercury were dissatisfied with the punishment process afterward, while the Fever were angry about the lack of a call.
Fever coach Stephanie White was upset after the contest that Thomas wasn’t called for a foul.
“You’ve got to call it,” White said at the time. “It’s absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful.”
Current officials are set to rotate as staff for the center.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nikki Hiltz wins 4th straight 1500m title at USA Outdoor Championship
Jul 25, 2026; New York, NY, USA; Nikki Hiltz reacts after winning the women’s 1,500m in 4:06.92 during the USATF Championships at Icahn Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Nikki Hiltz won her fourth consecutive 1500-meter title in dramatic fashion at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships on Saturday in New York.
Hiltz, who has won the last four outdoor and last four indoor 1500m races at national meets, finished with a time of 4:06.92, finishing four hundredths ahead of Addy Wiley and six hundredths ahead of Emily Mackay in third place.
She’s just the second American runner this century to win four 1500m titles, joining Jenny Simpson, who did so from 2014-17.
“That was honestly, probably, I think out of all my titles, the hardest one,” Hiltz said, per NBC Sports. “I feel really, really, really happy with that one. It’s so hard to defend one. It’s hard to defend two. Now, going into this, I was the three-time defending champ. I think the weight just gets heavier and heavier and heavier. So I feel a lot of relief right now.”
The next hurdle for Hiltz, 31, will be attempting to reach her first international outdoor podium at September’s World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest. At World Indoors she was a silver medalist in 2024 and a bronze medalist earlier this year.
“I want to try to medal in Budapest,” Hiltz said. “After Pre, I think I was like, maybe I could win (World Ultimate). Maybe I could win a world championship, and I think I’ve never had that belief, like, ever.”
In the men’s 1500m, Nathan Green similarly completed an indoor/outdoor sweep at national events with a 3:50.27 finish, five hundredths ahead of Vincent Ciattei.
In the 400m, Chris Bailey, who won gold at the Paris Olympics in the 4X400m relay, won his first national championship after first-place finisher Justin Robinson was disqualified for stepping on one of his lane lines multiple times.
Bailey finished with a time of 44.39 seconds, just ahead of Khaleb McRae (44.41) and Demarius Smith (44.54).
In the women’s 400m, Aaliyah Butler also won her first national championship after winning gold in Paris two years ago in the 4X400, finishing as the wire-to-wire leader with a time of 49.93 seconds. Alexis Holmes (50.47) was in second while Samaria Butler (50.89) rounded out the podium.
Alia Armstrong followed up her 60m hurdles championship at the U.S. Indoor Championships with a 100m hurdles championship on Saturday, finishing with a season-best time of 12.38 seconds. Four hundredths behind in second was Alaysha Johnson (12.42), while 2024 Olympic long jump gold medalist Tara Davis-Woodhall, who last competed in hurdles five years ago, finished third at 12.57.
Nathan Mountain won his first U.S. title in the steeplechase with a time of 8:13.81. He beat Carson Williams by seven hundredths despite a stumble on his landing after clearing the barrier on the final lap. Duncan Hamilton (8:14.05) finished a close third.
In the women’s steeplechase, Lexy Halladay-Lowry repeated as the American champion in decidedly less dramatic fashion, winning by nearly five seconds with a time of 9:12.54. Gabbi Jennings (9:17.42) finished in second, just ahead of Madie Boreman (9:17.68).
In the field events, the men’s triple jump came down to a tiebreaker when Salif Mane and Russell Robinson tied for the best jump of the day at 16.66m. After Mane forced the tie on his final jump and won his second U.S. title in three years with the better second-best jump of 16.11m, edging out Robinson’s 16.02. James Carter Jr. (16.15) came in third.
Curtis Thompson delivered a season-best javelin throw of 87.59m on his sixth and final throw to comfortably win his sixth national title ahead of Jordan Davis (82.36m) and Marc Anthony Minichello (75.98).
Recent Air Force graduate Texas Tanner won the men’s discus throw title with his fourth throw which traveled 65.46m, edging out Reggie Jagers (64.00) and Mitchell Weber (63.84).
Sandi Morris won her sixth national pole vault championship with a season-best jump of 4.90m, while Chase Jackson was the wire-to-wire leader in women’s shotput, winning her fifth title with her best throw of 20.55m coming on her sixth and final throw.
The event is being held in New York for the first time since 1991 as it celebrates its 150th anniversary in the city where the inaugural edition was contested.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Columbus rallies to beat rival Cincinnati
Columbus Crew offense Jamal Thiaré (19) heads the ball into the goal against the FC Cincinnati in the first half of the match at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field on July 25, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. Daniel Gazdag’s first-half penalty kick and Patrick Schulte’s four saves led the host Columbus Crew to a 2-1 comeback win over FC Cincinnati in the latest Hell Is Real derby on Saturday.
The Crew (5-8-4, 19 points) had one win in their previous six matches while Cincinnati (6-6-5, 23 points) had a three-match point streak end.
The rivalry got heated in the final minute and Cincinnati’s Gerado Valenzuela was red-carded after a scuffle broke out and the melee continued post-match in the Cincinnati tunnel.
Kevin Denkey staked Cincinnati a ninth-minute lead before the Crew rallied on scores from Jamal Thiare in the 42nd and a penalty kick by Gazdag in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time.
Columbus overcame an early deficit to take the 2-1 halftime lead on Gazdag’s second penalty kick in as many matches.
The Crew settled down after the Denkey score and Thiare found the equalizer off a corner kick by Dylan Chambost.
Thiare made a run to the middle of the box, got position on Miles Robinson and used a header for his first Crew goal after being acquired in a trade in February from Atlanta United, where he played the past three seasons.
At the 45-minute mark, Schulte made a critical stop with his right arm on a shot by Evander at the left post. The Crew followed with Max Arfsten drawing a foul at the end line from Matt Miazga that was upheld after a review.
Gazdag calmly scored from the spot for the 27th time in 28 tries in his MLS career with the Crew and the Philadelphia Union.
Cincinnati has allowed 42 goals after giving up 40 last season in 34 regular-season matches.
Denkey broke a tie with Evander for the club goal lead with his 11th but he couldn’t have done it with Evander and some poor defending by Mo Farsi.
Pavel Bucha attacked the right flank before sending a cross to the 6-yard box. Farsi tried to high kick the pass but whiffed and the ball went to Evander for a slick centering pass to Denkey, who did not miss.
Evander has a seven-match goal contribution streak (eight goals, seven assists).
This was the first meeting since Cincinnati won a best-of-three series in the 2025 playoffs.
– Field Level Media
WNBA announces launch of central replay booth
Nikki Hiltz wins 4th straight 1500m title at USA Outdoor Championship
