Sports
No. 23 Saint Mary's ready for senior night vs. Oregon State
Feb 22, 2025; Spokane, Washington, USA; St. Mary’s Gaels center Mitchell Saxen (11) runs off the court after a game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images Mitchell Saxen played in his school-record 151st game for No. 23 Saint Mary’s on Thursday night. No. 152 promises to be more emotional.
The center for the Gaels will be playing in his final home game at the cozy on-campus gym when Saint Mary’s faces Oregon State in West Coast Conference play on Saturday night in Moraga, Calif.
Saxen and teammates Augustas Marciulionis and Luke Barrett will partake in pregame Senior Night activities before Saint Mary’s (26-4, 16-1 WCC) takes aim at its seventh straight victory.
The 6-foot-10 Saxen has been a vital figure in the Gaels’ success the past three seasons after not starting a single game in his first two seasons on campus.
He was the West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year last season — and the favorite to repeat — and is two blocked shots away from reaching 40 for the third straight campaign. Saxen has averaged double-figure scoring and 7.6 boards or higher in each of the past three seasons.
“I didn’t go in with any expectations of ever being a starter, the guy that’s relied upon,” Saxen recently told the school website. “I just wanted to be as good as I could be and just to maximize every day. And when you do that in this program, it pays off. …
“A lot of people want to transfer out early or try to find a better situation early, but sometimes the best situation is to develop behind really good players. I feel like that was kind of the story of my career and the story of a lot of Gael careers.”
Saxen is averaging 10.3 points and 7.9 rebounds this season. His 38 blocks lead the Gaels and his 40 steals rank second.
Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett appreciates what Saxen has brought to the program.
“People don’t realize how good he is, but for some reason, he keeps ending up on a team that wins a lot of games,” Bennett said. “So, there’s something to be said for that.”
Saxen’s former teammate, Alex Ducas (150 from 2019-24), held the former Gaels’ record for games played.
Saint Mary’s will look to put forth a better effort against the Beavers (20-10, 10-7) after it delivered an underwhelming 58-55 road win over Loyola Marymount on Thursday.
Paulius Murauskas saved the Gaels with 18 points and 12 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season.
The Gaels are vying to complete a two-game sweep of the Beavers after notching a 63-49 road win in Corvallis on Feb. 8. Marciulionis stood out for Saint Mary’s with 18 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and four steals. Isaiah Sy led Oregon State with 10 points off the bench.
The Beavers had a three-game winning streak end Thursday as San Francisco’s Veniamin Abosi hit a decisive 3-pointer with 7.9 seconds left in the Dons’ 74-72 road victory.
Oregon State’s Parsa Fallah scored 24 points on 11-of-13 shooting. He hit a shot that could have forced overtime but a video review showed he didn’t get it off before time expired.
Fallah (12.7) ranks second on the squad in scoring behind Michael Rataj (17.5).
Despite the tough loss against San Francisco, the Beavers have reached the 20-win mark for the second time in coach Wayne Tinkle’s 11 seasons and just the third time in 35 campaigns.
Tinkle said the milestone has major meaning.
“It certainly does. Over the years, it has changed a little but 20 wins … especially for us, adding nine new players and getting to 20 wins is certainly a great mark,” Tinkle said. “It’s funny, as soon as we wrote it up on the board the guys were like, ‘We got to add to it.'”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cards extend manager Oliver Marmol through '28 season
Feb 22, 2026; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) looks on from inside the dugout against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol received a two-year contract extension through the 2028 season, the team announced Sunday.
Financial terms were not disclosed by the team, which holds an option for the 2029 season.
“As I’ve gotten to know Oli, I’ve seen someone who cares about this organization and knows what has made the Cardinals special over time — and who understands that for us to get where we need to go, we must compete relentlessly to set new standards in everything that we do,” president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said.
“He is invested in the progress of our young core and is unafraid to challenge himself and to help those around him grow. I am energized to continue working with him towards the on-field success that we expect and that our fans deserve.”
Marmol, 39, has guided the Cardinals to a 325-323 record during his four seasons as the skipper. He led St. Louis to the National League Central title in 2022 before the team fell in the wild-card series to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Last season, the Cardinals posted a 78-84 record to finish in fourth place in the NL Central.
Marmol was a coach with St. Louis from 2017-21 under previous managers Mike Shildt and Mike Matheny.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tyler Reif treated for heat exhaustion after Trucks race
Oct 31, 2025; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR Truck Series driver Tyler Reif (41) during the NASCAR Truck Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rookie Tyler Reif was treated for heat exhaustion after Saturday night’s street race in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Reif, 18, was transported to an area medical facility after finishing 16th in the race in the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet. He was later released.
“Tyler and his family would like to express their gratitude to the NASCAR officials, track medical workers and the local medical facility staff for their care,” Niece Motorsports said in a release.
Reif made his debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series in 2025. Saturday’s race was just his third on the circuit, including a 17th-place finish at Atlanta on Feb. 21.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: RB David Montgomery 'wants out' of Detroit
Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) looks on before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Lions running back David Montgomery “wants out” of Detroit after three seasons, ESPN reported on Sunday.
Montgomery, however, immediately appeared to refute the report on X, posting: “Damn, Dmo told you that?”
The ESPN report claims the Lions would want “a decent Day 3 pick (possibly a fifth-rounder)” in the 2026 NFL Draft in return for Montgomery, who turns 29 in June and is owed $6 million next season.
The report follows general manager Brad Holmes’ remarks after the season about Montgomery being unhappy with his playing time in 2025. Sharing a backfield with Jahmyr Gibbs, Montgomery rushed for a career-low 716 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games (no starts).
“Those are conversations that we’re going to have to have because I’ve got a lot of respect for that player,” Holmes said of Montgomery in January. “He deserves to be in a situation where his skillset can be utilized, and so yeah would love for it to be here, but if it can’t be here then you’d just love to see where could work out best for him.”
At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Holmes said the situation with Montgomery is “fluid.” He signed a two-year extension during the 2024 season that runs through the end of the 2027 campaign.
“Yeah, I have been in touch with David’s agent, and his representation,” Holmes revealed. “Obviously, we love David, he’s a great player, we love to have him, you know, kind of want to put last year in the rear view, and just move forward. But, obviously, a player has to want to be at a certain place as well. The conversations are still fluid, but we’ll see how it goes.”
Montgomery has rushed for 2,506 yards and 33 touchdowns in 45 games (28 starts) in three seasons with Detroit (2023-25). He has 76 catches for 650 yards in that span.
He began his career with the NFC North rival Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the third round in 2019. Montgomery rushed for 3,609 yards and 26 scores in 60 games (51 starts) with the Bears (2019-22).
–Field Level Media
Cards extend manager Oliver Marmol through '28 season
Tyler Reif treated for heat exhaustion after Trucks race
