• Slug: Sports-USA Hockey Laila Edwards, 1,080 words.
• Photo available

By Chase Beardsley
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Mullett Arena buzzed with excitement Wednesday night, with the anticipation of not one but two groundbreaking milestones. Team USA women’s hockey made its debut in the Valley for the 2023-24 Rivalry Series against Team Canada, and as the puck drop drew near, fan noise reached a crescendo in the hope of witnessing another piece of history.

Laila Edwards was set to become the first Black woman to suit up for the women’s national team before she was announced as a healthy scratch. Edwards is expected to play Saturday when the popular series moves to Los Angeles, delaying a long-overdue feat that should have happened a long time ago – and she’s the first one to fully admit that.

Although she finds it disappointing that it took this long for a Black female to crack the national team’s roster, she’s excited for what she can inspire in the future. Continue reading “Never give up: Laila Edwards set to break color barrier for U.S. women’s hockey”

• Slug: Sports-Diamondbacks Playing Catch-up, 1,400 words.
• Photos available

By Sabrina McClain
Cronkite News

SCOTTSDALE – Playing October baseball was a novelty for the Arizona Diamondbacks and advancing to the 2023 World Series was even more unfamiliar. However, the longer the season went, the more the Diamondbacks fell behind on offseason duties – another unique experience the organization had not dealt with since the club’s 2001 run to the Fall Classic.

Evaluating the team’s inevitable offseason changes was put on the back burner – and for good reason, as Arizona made a magical run through October before losing the World Series in five games to the Texas Rangers. But despite the postseason success, Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen feels extremely behind in preparing for a shot at redemption in 2024.

“We’re just coming out of the coma right now,” Hazen said Wednesday at MLB’s general manager meetings in Scottsdale. “Just trying to get our arms around the market, the players’ availability of both trade and free agencies … we’re just starting to have conversations now. Continue reading “Behind the curve: GM Mike Hazen, Arizona Diamondbacks playing catch-up following World Series run”

• Slug: Sports-U.S. Canada Women’s Hockey, 1,760 words.
• Photo  available

By Chase Beardsley
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Arizonans have witnessed many big sporting events take over the state’s arenas throughout the years. However, they will see something many have never seen before when the United States women’s national hockey team faces off against Canada in the 2023-24 Rivalry Series, with the first of the seven-game competition tipping off Wednesday night at Mullett Arena.

The matchup between Team Canada and Team USA is as fierce and as passionate as any rivalry in any sport. It stretches back decades, with the two sides facing each other countless times in the past and mostly, inevitably, in the final rounds of the Olympics and tournament play. In fact, every women’s Olympic gold medal game has been between the two countries with the exception of one year.

It began in Nagano, Japan, when the 1998 Olympics featured women’s teams in the ice hockey competition for the first time. Team Canada was heavily favored, blowing through all competitors in nearly every tournament for years, with Team USA a perennial second. Continue reading “One of sport’s fiercest rivalries comes to Mullett Arena as Team USA meets Canada in women’s hockey”

• Slug: Sports-Brittney Griner Team USA, 730 words.
• File photo available available

By Sebastian Sanchez
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Brittney Griner pledged never to play overseas again – with one notable exception: representing Team USA.

The opportunity arose in October, when the USA Basketball Women’s National Team unveiled its training camp roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics, featuring Griner and her Phoenix Mercury teammate, Diana Taurasi.

“I didn’t think I would ever wear this jersey again,” Griner said Tuesday. “I didn’t know what the future was.” Continue reading “‘I didn’t think I would ever wear this jersey again’: Brittney Griner willing to return overseas for Team USA”

• Slug: Sports-Offensive Linemen Food, 4,500 words.
• 3 photos available

By Logan Stanley
Cronkite News

PHOENIX — In the sport of football, the “trenches” is another name for the area of the field where offensive linemen and defensive linemen clash. It is often one of the hardest places to play, and that means these players must have the most grit and determination.

Usually, the toughest athletes are called upon. And the biggest.

To push other large human bodies around in a way that satisfies football coaches requires an incredible amount of strength. Bigger typically means stronger, and those who battle it out on the offensive and defensive lines weigh more than any other players on a football field. Continue reading “Pancake blocks to pancake stacks: Eating ‘a chore’ for offensive linemen in complex relationship with football, food”

• Slug: Sports-Desert Ridge Robotics, 2,000 words.
• 2 photos available

By Jesse Brawders
Cronkite News

MESA – There have always been various ways for students to compete during high school, from football to field hockey, cheerleading to chess.

But a recent technological revolution is creating a new opportunity for students – competitive robotics.

The revolution has evolved worldwide since the inaugural VEX season in 2007, with more than 20,000 teams from around the world now competing against each other. Continue reading “Desert Ridge High School leads way in building bridge to connect students with world of competitive robotics”

• Slug: Sports-Coyotes Strong Start,  980 words.
• Photo available

By Chase Beardsley
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Arizona Coyotes are off to their best start in years.

Barely a handful of games into the season, there have been some interesting and disappointing factors in the young core.

True, the 4-4-1 record is merely the best start over a nine-game span since the 2019-20 season. What has given life to the Coyotes’ first month of the 2023-24 season? While the sample size is still small, some patterns have emerged. Continue reading “Grab bag: Arizona Coyotes offer fresh mix of good and bad in season’s strong start”

• Slug: Sports-Baseball Players Relationships, 2,100 words.
• 4 photos available

By Alexis Davis
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The default ringtone on Andrew Saalfrank’s iPhone began to chime just as he was in the middle of making a deli sandwich. On the other end of the call was Blake Lalli, manager for the Reno Aces, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate.

“Oh, no,” Saalfrank said.

He answered the phone and walked away. Continue reading “Sisterhood of the traveling baseball: Life for partners of pro players isn’t always easy”

• Slug: Sports-Big 12 Schedule Release, 570 words.
• Photo available

By Walker Smith
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – As their time in the Pac-12 nears its end, the Arizona and Arizona State football teams learned how their new era in the Big 12 will start.

The Big 12 conference announced Wednesday the upcoming matchups for the next four seasons starting in 2024, including the home and away schedules for newcomers ASU and UArizona.

The Sun Devils will play four home games and five away games in 2024. They will host BYU, UCF, Kansas and Utah, while facing Arizona, Cincinnati, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech on the road.  Continue reading “Big 12 announces conference schedules for ASU, Arizona football in 2024-2027 seasons”

• Slug: Sports – Dbacks Fan Two Decades, 750 words.
• 2 photos available

By Jake Brown
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Jeff Golner had a golden opportunity to work the World Series in 2001, but the chance to witness his favorite team win the championship while he was working in game operations at Bank One Ballpark quickly soured at the thought of the opposing team crashing his dreams.

Invited to work the unveiling of the championship trophy after Game 7, Golner had to prepare for both outcomes as a member of the game ops team. However, being superstitious, he tried not to think about the possibility of handing over the Commissioner’s Trophy to the New York Yankees.

“I said, ‘Great, I won’t be there,’” Golner said, joking about the meeting invitation he received to coordinate the trophy presentation. “This is Baseball Superstition 101. I won’t be attending that meeting.’” Continue reading “Avid Diamondbacks fan Jeff Golner rings in World Series return with engagement and mother”

• Slug: Sports-Arizona Men’s Basketball, 1.132 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Alexis Davis
Cronkite News

LAS VEGAS – It was an opportunity over 20 years in the making, and it is clearly paying off.

In Tommy Lloyd’s first two seasons leading the Arizona Wildcats, the former longtime Gonzaga assistant coach already has 61 wins under his belt. Loaded up with a strong foundation of toughness and three of his best scorers back for the 2023-24 season, Lloyd is prepared to board the bus and start Arizona’s Pac-12 Conference farewell tour.

The Wildcats play their final exhibition game tonight against New Mexico Highlands at McKale Center, and tip off the regular season Nov. 6 against Morgan State. Continue reading “March Toughness? Wildcats aim at final Pac-12 title, deep NCAA tournament run in Tommy Lloyd’s third season”

• Slug: Sports-Diamondbacks World Series Similarities, 700 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Bennett Silvyn
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – In the fall of 2001, the Arizona Diamondbacks embarked on an improbable journey to the World Series. They were a team of underdogs, facing the dominant New York Yankees. Fast forward to 2023, and the Diamondbacks find themselves yet again the underdogs in the Fall Classic when they meet the Texas Rangers starting Friday.

Although two decades separate both remarkable seasons, there are uncanny similarities that might prove history does indeed repeat itself.

One of the most captivating parallels is the timing of the games. Just like in 2001, the 2023 World Series is scheduled on the exact same days, 22 years apart. Is this a quirk of fate adding an extra layer of mystique to the series? Continue reading “Poor birds: Eerie similarities between 2001 and 2023 Arizona Diamondbacks provide extra layers of World Series intrigue”

• Slug: Sports-Mercury Introduce Tibbetts, 840 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Sebastian Sanchez
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Nate Tibbetts has zero experience coaching women’s basketball. Now, he is reportedly the highest-paid coach in WNBA history.

The juxtaposition of those two facts did not sit well with many who wondered why diversity did not play a prominent role in the final decision.

“I think it’s a valid question,” Mercury general manager Nick U’Ren said Friday at Tibbetts’ introductory press conference. “The response and the question is not one we take lightly. We know as we run a WNBA organization. Diversity and opportunity are critical. I would say our process, our candidate pool and our finalist pool all reflected that.” Continue reading “Phoenix Mercury confident in decision to hire Nate Tibbetts despite widespread criticism”

• Slug: Sports-U.S. U-23 Men’s Soccer Prep, 720 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Ryan Bunnell
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Nine months before the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics kick off, 23 American youngsters took to the Valley to fight for an opportunity to don the USA crest on the global stage.

The journey toward cracking the United States U-23 Men’s National Team Olympic roster began in Phoenix with a 10-day training camp highlighted by two international friendlies starting Oct. 11 against Mexico (2-1 win) and ending Tuesday in a 4-1 win against Japan at Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium.

“When we planned this camp, we wanted to play against good opponents, opponents that are going to challenge us from the first minute to the very last,” said coach Marko Mitrović. “We got what we wanted, two good teams. This is the level that we can expect in the Olympic games, so we have to be ready for that.” Continue reading “U.S. Men’s Olympic soccer wraps up Phoenix training camp with 4-1 win vs. Japan”

• Slug: Sports-Rising’s Armenakas Finds Home, 900 words.
• 9 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Reece Andrews
Cronkite News

TEMPE — As the blazing heat rose above 100 degrees for last Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. kickoff at Mountain America Stadium, ASU football fans left no question about activating the Valley, the program’s mantra for building excitement around the team.

Colorado coach Deion Sanders and his Colorado Buffaloes were in town and stood on the opposite sideline of Kenny Dillingham’s Sun Devils in front of the second straight home sellout. 

The Sun Devils would come up short yet again, 27-24, against the Buffaloes on a late go-ahead field goal, but the message is still clear: These Sun Devils are here to play and the support of the program is at full strength.  Continue reading “Photo essay: ASU football in ‘Prime Time’ sets stage for fervent fans, celebrity sightings”

• Slug: Sports-Lök Wur Grand Canyon, 1,330 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Cody Marmon
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Those close to Lök Wur describe him as being a joy to be around, exhibiting an infectious personality and always looking to offer an assist, on and off the basketball court. As a first-generation American, Wur cherishes his South Sudanese heritage and takes pride in helping his ancestral land. He has even jokingly said he would like to someday be president of his mother’s homeland.

In the meantime, he has his sights on something more plausible. Wur, a 6-foot-9 forward who in May transferred from Oregon to Grand Canyon University, plans on making an impact on a winning culture and he may have found it in Phoenix with Bryce Drew’s program.

Lök Wur (pronounced Luke War) didn’t play on his first organized basketball team until the seventh grade. That didn’t stop him from becoming a Division I prospect and receiving north of 30 offers out of Papillion La Vista South High School in Nebraska. Continue reading “Lök Wur’s South Sudanese spirit, hoop dreams shine entering 2023-24 season at GCU”