• Slug: Sports-Phoenix Rising Preview, 750 words.
• Photos available

By Stephen Buxton
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – A new reality begins for Phoenix Rising FC Saturday. For the first time in franchise history, the club is the defending title-holder of the USL Championship. After making the league’s playoff as a sixth place team, the Rising are ready to run it back, with targets on their backs.

“It’s something I’ve referenced a few times. Again, we’re aware of that target as reigning champions,” first-year coach Danny Stone said. “We’re aware of it. We’ve discussed this as a team and we are ready for that challenge.”

They will open at home against Birmingham Legion, a team that finished seventh in the Eastern Conference last season. To fans though, Phoenix will have a very different look from top to bottom. Continue reading “Phoenix Rising FC enters new season ready to defend USL Championship title”

• Slug: Sports-Michael Wacha Royals, 700 words.
• 3 photos available

By Maxwell Williams
Cronkite News

SURPRISE – Spring training brings a valuable opportunity for MLB rosters to bolster chemistry before the start of the season. For the Kansas City Royals, who have made an effort to acquire veteran talent, meshing players with a variety of experience is all the more important.

Newly signed starting pitcher Michael Wacha plays a key role in this process.

“From a leadership standpoint, I want to try to get everyone to bring out their full potential,” Wacha said. Continue reading “Wacha’s Way: Kansas City’s signing of veteran pitcher could help Royals’ ‘young bucks’”

• Slug: Sports-Phoenix All-Star Game, 800 words.
• Photo available

By Brett Lapinski
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – On a night where Grayson Allen made eight 3-pointers for the second game in a row, and the Phoenix Suns defeated the Toronto Raptors to keep their automatic playoff bid alive, the biggest news at Footprint Center Thursday night had nothing to do with the game.

A few hours before thousands of high-energy fans could be found cheering on their beloved Suns, a much smaller audience gathered in the arena’s lobby to await a special announcement from NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who was alongside Suns owner Mat Ishbia and Gov. Katie Hobbs.

“It’s my honor to announce that the 2027 NBA All-Star game will be here at the Footprint Center,” Silver said as an outburst of cheers drowned out the final words of his sentence. Continue reading “Phoenix adds 2027 NBA All-Star Game to its list of star-studded sporting events”

• Slug: Sports-StatBroadcast Origins, 1,340 words.
• 2 photos available

By Tia Reid
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Nate Policar was just a college student at Arizona State when he created a program that would revolutionize college sports. Over a decade before the start of a nine-year streak that recognized ASU as the most innovative school in the nation, Policar was ahead of the curve, spearheading a new wave of live events data.

College sports are known for their ever-changing landscape, a world that is immensely different from what it was at the NCAA’s inception in 1906. One change that has helped revolutionize college athletics is live stats.

Around the country, at most Division I schools and major collegiate athletic conferences, StatBroadcast, a sports statistics technology program, distributes live statistics for the vast majority of athletic events. It has developed programming for football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, gymnastics, volleyball, soccer, lacrosse and other sports. Continue reading “StatBroadcast, invented to revolutionize live sports stats, epitomizes ASU innovation”

• Slug: Sports-Snowbowl Adaptive Skiing, 975 words.
• 3 photos available

By Philip Leavell
Cronkite News

FLAGSTAFF – Mason Mogensen, 13, was unsure about his first skiing trip to Flagstaff. His home in Mesa was warm, comfortable and familiar. Even the excitement from his younger brother Jaxton, 11, did not alleviate his doubts. However, after the two boys ate snow, laughed, raced and flew down Mount Humphreys, Mason was grateful that his mom had forced him to get out of his comfort zone.

Hundreds of thousands of people travel to Arizona Snowbowl each year to ski and snowboard. However, for people with disabilities, it is not always possible to enjoy the snow with standard equipment. Because of this, High Country Adaptive Sports partners with AZ Snowbowl to provide adaptive equipment for anyone who needs it.

“Snowbowl is our biggest donor, they provide lift tickets and rentals to us at no cost,” said Truman Shoaff, programs director for High Country Adaptive Sports. “We are separate, but we are team members and we work together a lot.” Continue reading “Fresh powder beckons: Arizona Disabled Sports, High Country Adaptive Sports partner in annual ‘SkiAble’ event”

• Slug: Sports-Pac-12 Women’s Tournament ASU, 840 words.
• 2 photos available

By Aaron Decker
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Just as one season ended for the Arizona State women’s basketball team, a new one is about to begin.

ASU coach Natasha Adair calls it the “third season,” but it’s widely known as the Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament. The Sun Devils tip-off against the Utah Utes in a first round, win-or-go-home matchup Wednesday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. ASU heads into the tournament as the No. 11 seed following a season where the team went 11-19 overall and 3-15 in the conference, while the Utes (21-9, 11-7) are seeded sixth.

No. 7 Arizona takes on No. 10 Washington in an earlier game. Continue reading “‘It’s 0-0’: ASU women’s basketball hopes to disrupt Pac-12 tournament despite 11th seed”

• Slug: Sports-Royals Veterans Presence, 650 words.
• Photo available

By James Lotts
Cronkite News

SURPRISE – Baseball players spend the entire year training to improve various parts of their game. Fielding, baserunning and hitting are all things that can be taught but there is one trait that can’t be forced – experience.

That is something the Kansas City Royals recognized and focused on this offseason. The team signed a plethora of veteran talent including starting pitchers Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo, relief pitcher Will Smith, outfielder Hunter Renfroe and second baseman Adam Frazier.

Royals chairman and CEO John Sherman thinks the future is bright in Kansas City after what the front office did in the offseason. Continue reading “Kansas City Royals embrace veteran presence in clubhouse, hope to return to winning ways”

• Slug: Sports-Phoenix Mercury Destination, 1,030 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Justin de Haas
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Mercury are coming off their second-worst season in franchise history, but recent struggles have not damaged the notion of the team as an attractive destination.

Phoenix, the fifth most populated city in the U.S., has long been on the rise. The weather is beautiful in the winter when other places are freezing over. The scenic views of the red rocks in the distance beckon hikers and tourists. It’s easy to see why people flock to the Valley, and professional athletes are no strangers to the city’s charm.

Despite posting a dismal 9-31 record in 2023, the Mercury are remaking themselves as one of the top destinations in the WNBA. Continue reading “‘I’ll run through a wall for y’all’: Phoenix Mercury lure talent, strengthen reputation as destination team”

• Slug: Sports-Adair Black Coaches United, 1,111 words.
• 2 photos, available

By Tia Reid
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Natasha Adair didn’t always want to be a coach. In fact, she hadn’t even considered it until a chance run-in during a trip home to Washington, D.C., a few years after graduating college presented the opportunity.

Twenty years later, Adair is the head coach of the Arizona State women’s basketball team – her fourth time at the Division I level and first time at a Power Five program. She is one of just the 21% of Black coaches across all three NCAA divisions, and as a Black woman, she helps make up an even smaller 12% of female Black women’s basketball coaches in the NCAA.

Recognizing this disparity, Adair did not hesitate to say “yes” when asked to join the founding group for Black Coaches United in 2020. The organization’s mission is to “foster more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments – in our sport and in our communities – through training, mentoring, and advocacy on behalf of Black athletes, coaches, and administrators.” Continue reading “Natasha Adair’s unique position of Black female coach helps empower ASU basketball players”

• Slug: Sports-Milwaukee Brewers Pets, 1,040 words.
• 4 photos, video available

By David Bernauer
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Major League Baseball players are just like us: They love their pets unconditionally.

Whether they’re performing tricks, purring, venturing where they’re not supposed to or, well, prompting an unexpected altercation with a knife, pets are often on the minds of their owners, especially those on the Milwaukee Brewers.

Sidearmed left-handed pitcher Hoby Milner has a black cat named Darth Kittypuss, a play on the name of Star Wars character Darth Sidious. Often shortened to “Kitty,” Milner and his wife were originally foster parents to him. Continue reading “Cuddles, car rides and… knives? Milwaukee Brewers share stories about their pets”

• Slug: Sports-Viva Kreis Handball, 2,400 words.
• 3 photos available.

By Aaron Decker
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – “Bonjour” and “Merci beaucoup” are the common phrases Viva Kreis has come to use on a daily basis. The 19-year-old Arizona State athlete isn’t preparing for a French final exam, nor does she reside in a Tempe dorm room.

Instead, Kreis lives over 5,000 miles away in a small apartment in a small town in France, where she trains four hours a day to prepare for a sport that’s foreign to most people in the United States. Her goal is to achieve the highest level of athletic excellence all while trying to meet deadlines for her homework assignments.

There might not be anyone better suited for tackling these new challenges than Kreis, who has already accumulated a mountain of awards, accolades and accomplishments. At Pittsburgh’s Belle Vernon Area High School, Kreis was a three-sport athlete, the class president in all four years, a National Merit Scholar Award winner, a devoted community service participant and was awarded the Heisman High School Scholarship for her community-minded service. The resume continues to grow to heights seemingly as large as Machu Picchu, which yes, she has hiked. Continue reading “ASU’s Viva Kreis aims to elevate women’s sports, play for U.S. handball team in 2028 Summer Olympics”

• Slug: Sports-Pac-12 Commissioner, 1,110 words.
• File photo available.

By Sean Brennan
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – On Sep. 23, Oregon State football hosted Washington State. The matchup was a big one, with both squads entering the week inside the Associated Press’ Top 25 rankings, but that was hardly the main story of the Cougars’ 38-35 victory over the Beavers.

Instead, the future of the two teams’ conference took precedence. Fans jokingly dubbed the game the “Pac-2 Championship,” as OSU and WSU were the only programs among the league’s 12 institutions with no plans to jump ship and join another conference at the end of the current academic year.

Nearly six months later, those two schools remain the conference’s only two members, but they will have a new leader. The Pac-12 announced Feb. 19 that it was promoting Teresa Gould, the acting deputy commissioner, to be the next commissioner of the conference. The commissioner-elect, along with Washington State president and Pac-12 board chair Kirk Schulz, spoke to the media Thursday, a day before she officially transitioned into her new role. Continue reading “‘We’re going to continue to be the Pac-12 Conference’: New commissioner ready to put up fight”

• Slug: Sports-Will Smith Royals, 1040 words.
• Photo available.

By Scott Sandulli
Cronkite News

SURPRISE – As difficult as winning the World Series is as a player, Will Smith has made it look easy.

One of the game’s top left-handed relievers, Smith is the only player in the history of Major League Baseball to win a trio of titles in consecutive seasons while wearing a different uniform each time. Pitching crucial innings for the Atlanta Braves in 2021, Houston Astros in 2022 and Texas Rangers last year, Smith now brings his fierce competitive nature and devastating breaking stuff to the Midwest on a one-year deal in an attempt to spearhead a Kansas City Royal renaissance.

“We saw the kind of group with these guys here, the way they were trending up in the right direction,” Smith said. “JJ (Picollo) and the front office did a really good job of bringing really good veterans in to help mesh everything together.” Continue reading “Upstart Royals look to familiar face Will Smith for resurgence help”

• Slug: Sports-Art Martori Sunkist Wrestling, 650 words.
• 2 photos available.

By Jesse Brawders
Cronkite News

TEMPE – After almost 50 years of cultivating and mentoring young wrestlers, Art Martori is set to retire.

The founder of the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club Martori was honored recently at Mullett Arena before Arizona State’s wrestling match against Nebraska. He announced his decision in October.

“Art Martori is the greatest friend that wrestling has ever had,” said Don Bocchi, a former senior associate athletic director at ASU. Continue reading “End of an era: ASU’s Art Martori leaves behind lasting legacy, Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club”

• Slug: Sports-Brewers Fans Battling Illness, 1,790 words.
• 3 photos available.

By Jesse Brawders
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – “Your team is your family” is a popular saying in sports and a culture teams strive to create. The connections can form from common interests, mutual friends or just being around each other.

In baseball it’s no different, with kids and pros alike often playing with the same teammates for years.

But for three boys and their families from Wisconsin, they didn’t meet on a field or at a team dinner. They met and have bonded through a similar struggle: trying to defeat their deadly illnesses with the eventual goal of getting back on the field to play the game they love. Continue reading “Bonded by baseball: 3 young Brewers fan battling illnesses forge friendship on spring training trip”