Sports briefs
By NewsPress Now
Denny Hamlin wins
tire-management
NASCAR race at Bristol
Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, passing Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. in the final laps for his fourth victory at the famed short track.
Hamlin also won at NASCAR’s bullring last September.
This one was much different. Tire issues hampered most everyone all afternoon as only five cars finished on the lead lap — the first time that has happened in the Cup Series in 20 years. The Gibbs cars were the class of the field.
“My favorite racetrack!” Hamlin exclaimed over his radio while taking the checkered flag. “We got another.”
He was booed — no surprise considering Hamlin has become arguably the series’ biggest villain — as he stood atop his No. 11 Toyota following a smoky burnout.
It was Hamlin’s 52nd career win and locks him into the playoffs. Brad Keselowski finished third in a Ford, Alex Bowman was fourth in a Chevrolet and Bowman’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson rounded out the top five.
“It was weird,” Larson said. “I accidentally finished fifth. I’ll take it. I hope I never have to run another race like that again.”
The other two Gibbs cars — driven by Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell — finished ninth and 10th, respectively.
The race was chaotic from the start, with cars burning through tires at such an alarming rate that NASCAR issued each team an extra set. That gave them 11 sets total, including the one used in qualifying.
It made for four hours of tire management that put gave control to drivers and crew chiefs. It also led to the most lead changes (54) in NASCAR’s short-track history, breaking the previous mark of 40 set in 1991 at Bristol.
JGR handled it better than the rest of the field.
“Our Toyotas are really working well right now,” Truex said.
NASCAR returned Bristol to “normal” for the first time in four years for the spring race. The track added red clay each of the last three years. Reviews were mixed, and as the novelty wore off, sub-par racing inside the high-banked oval overshadowed any excitement that came with the series running on dirt for the first time since 1970.
In an effort to improve the racing and make sure the track had two equal lanes, workers put down a resin-based traction compound through the turns. It was far from perfect.
GOODYEAR RESPONDS
Goodyear felt the need to make a rare statement during the race. Greg Stucker, the tire manufacturer’s director of racing, said a test at Bristol Motor Speedway last year was intended to find a setup that led to more tire wear.
But he called Sunday’s outcome “too drastic.”
The rubber that was supposed to leave tires and adhere to the racing grooves came off in chunks that looked like shredded cheese. Those loose pieces called “marbles” create a slippery situation around the 0.533-mile track.
Part of the culprit may have been the tracks’ decision to put down a new and different traction compound.
“Now we’re trying to understand what’s different,” Stucker said. “Why is the racetrack behaving differently this weekend than what it did a year ago? It’s the same package. It’s the same tire combination.
“Obviously, the difference is resin was place on the lower groove instead of the (previous substance). Yet I still think the racetrack should be taking rubber as it did last fall; it took rubber immediately during that race.”
UP NEXT
The series moves to its first road track of the season, with a Sunday race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Tyler Reddick won the 2023 race there.
Alcaraz defeats
Medvedev to defend
his Indian Wells title
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. | Carlos Alcaraz arrived at Indian Wells full of doubt about his twisted right ankle. He’s leaving as a two-time champion.
He defeated Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (5), 6-1 for the second straight year in the BNP Paribas Open final on Sunday, earning his first title since winning Wimbledon last year.
Iga Swiatek beat Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-0 in just over an hour to win the women’s title, with Swiatek losing just 21 games in six matches during the 12-day tournament — an average of 3.5 games per match.
Alcaraz sprained his ankle at the Rio Open in late February. His first practice at Indian Wells lasted 30 minutes without any movement. His first practice with his fellow pros “was really tough for me,” he said in a Tennis Channel interview.
Alcaraz outlasted Jannik Sinner in a three-set semifinal after needing three sets to get out of his second-round match.
“After every match I was feeling better,” Alcaraz said. “I was getting more confident after every match. Winning a Master 1000 again, a really important tournament to win, gives you motivation to keep going.”
Alcaraz became the first man to defend his Indian Wells title since Novak Djokovic won three in a row from 2014-16. He beat Medvedev 6-3, 6-2 last year in the Southern California desert.
“It’s definitely your court, you like it here,” Medvedev told Alcaraz during the victory ceremony. “Hopefully you can one day let me play a little bit better here.”
Medvedev led 3-0 in the first set while Alcaraz had eight unforced errors over those games. The Spaniard won three games in a row to tie it, 3-3.
The players held serve the rest of the set, with Alcaraz serving a love game to get into the tiebreaker. He led 3-0 and 5-2 before Medvedev tied it 5-5. Alcaraz won the next two points to close it out.
Alcaraz got the only two breaks in the second set, when Medvedev had one winner and nine errors.
For the match, Alcaraz hit 25 winners and had 26 unforced errors, while Medvedev had 11 winners and 23 unforced errors.
Swiatek improved to 20-2 this year, with her wins leading the WTA Tour.
It was a repeat of the 2022 final, in which Swiatek beat Sakkari 6-4, 6-1. Sakkari hasn’t defeated the Polish star since 2021.
Swiatek raced to a 3-0 lead in the opening set. Sakkari recovered to win three straight games, including a break of Swiatek. She served a love game to tie it, 4-4. Swiatek lost just two points on her serve the rest of the set, wrapping it up with a forehand winner in the corner.
Swiatek was more dominant in the second set, breaking Sakkari three times all in love games. She lost just five points in the set.
Swiatek hit 15 winners and had 11 unforced errors in the 1 hour, 8-minute match. Sakkari had eight winners and 18 unforced errors.
Alcaraz and Swiatek earned $1.1 million each for their wins. That’s less than the $1.26 million the women’s and men’s champions received in 2023. This year more prize money was allocated to the earlier rounds, reducing the champions’ prize money by nearly 13%.
Florida center
Micah Handlogten stretchered off court early
NASHVILLE, Tenn. | Florida center Micah Handlogten broke his lower left leg in the opening minutes of the Southeastern Conference Tournament final Sunday and was taken off the court on a stretcher to a hospital.
Coach Todd Golden, who knelt over his player while Handlogten laid on the court, said he felt for the young center after the Gators lost 86-67 to No. 12 Auburn.
“You just hate to see it for him because he does everything the right way and works hard,” said Golden as he fought to control his emotions postgame. “That’s a super fluky injury you know that you don’t see very often in this game. Playing a big-time game like this, to go out that way, I just feel for him.”
Golden also thanked the medical staff from Florida, Auburn and the SEC for the quick response treating Handlogten. Florida officials were expecting Handlogten to have surgery later Sunday at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Handlogten had two rebounds in two minutes and was trying to come down with a third when he landed awkwardly on his left foot. He immediately went down in pain and rolled onto his side, putting his hands to his face.
The sound of bone apparently breaking could be heard on TV with blood immediately visible on the back of his calf.
Play continued as Aden Holloway took a pass and finished a layup on the other end for No. 12 Auburn. Play then stopped as trainers rushed out to tend to Handlogten, and everyone inside Bridgestone Arena went silent.
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl noted players from both teams returned to their benches and prayed. The Tigers’ pastor had tears in his eyes because he came to Auburn from Marshall and knew both Handlogten and his family.
“That’s the SEC,” Pearl said.
Handlogten’s parents were brought to the court from their seats in the stands. His mother, Danielle, wearing his No. 3 jersey, kneeled near his head as her son was treated on the court with his father, Ben, close by.
They stood together as Handlogten’s leg was placed inside an air cast before he was placed on a backboard, then lifted onto a stretcher. Teammates came over to him as Handlogten was taken off the court. Fellow sophomore Riley Kugel could be seen crying on the Florida bench.
Golden tried to use halftime to help his Gators refocus as they trailed 38-30.
The 7-foot-1 Handlogten ranked 11th nationally, averaging 2.3 shots blocked per game at Marshall where he was the Sun Belt Conference freshman of the year. He transferred to Florida, and the native of Huntersville, North Carolina, started 22 of 33 games including Sunday’s tournament final.
Handlogten came into this game ranked fourth nationally in offensive rebounding percentage. Forward Tyrese Samuel said Handlogten is so valuable to the Gators and they tried to focus with a SEC title on the line.
“Losing him really kind of affected us,” Samuel said. “We’re going to go out there next week and keep on playing for him.”
Ohio State hires Jake Diebler as head coach
COLUMBUS, Ohio | Ohio State removed the interim tag from men’s basketball coach Jake Diebler’s title on Sunday and announced he will receive a five-year contract.
Diebler, 37, was in his third year as associate head coach when he took over the team following Chris Holtmann’s firing on Feb. 14.
“Jake Diebler possesses all of the characteristics we were seeking as we conducted a very comprehensive and thorough search for a new head coach,” athletic director Ross Bjork said. “Those include coaching ability, passion, energy, program knowledge, character, integrity and ties to Ohio. As an Ohio native, the son of a longtime Ohio high school coach and with deep connections to Ohio State, Jake knows what it takes to lead this program on a championship course.”
The Buckeyes (21-13) went 6-2 under Diebler, including a win over No. 2 Purdue in his first game as interim coach. They won five straight before losing to Illinois on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
“Throughout the search, every time we analyzed what was best for the program, our decision kept leading right back to Jake,” Bjork said. “The way he has led the program since Feb. 14 has been exemplary and is only the beginning of what lies ahead for Buckeye basketball. The future is exciting, and I cannot wait to watch him lead this program.”
Diebler, the first Ohio native in 35 years to be named men’s basketball head coach, is in his eighth season with the Buckeyes. He first worked with Ohio State basketball in 2014, spending three seasons as a video coordinator on Thad Matta’s staff. After three seasons as an assistant at Vanderbilt, he returned to Ohio State as an assistant coach under Holtmann before the 2019-20 season. He was promoted to associate head coach before the 2021-22 season.
“It’s a blessing and a privilege to serve this program and I’m excited for this opportunity,” Diebler said. “I’d like to thank Ross Bjork and President (Ted) Carter for believing in me and the vision that I have moving forward. Ohio State basketball is special and means so much to me and my family. I look forward to serving the entire Ohio State basketball family as best as I possibly can.”
Sargent, de la
Torre injured and
will miss U.S. games
CHICAGO | Forward Josh Sargent and midfielder Luca de La Torre will miss the United States’ Nations League games because of injuries and were replaced on the roster Sunday by winger Brenden Aaronson and forward Haji Wright.
Sargent, who had been picked to return to the American team for the first time since the 2022 World Cup, injured his right ankle Saturday playing for Norwich at Stoke in England’s second-tier League Championship.
Sargent put the Canaries ahead in the 24th minute with his 13th goal in 18 league games, his 10th in 14 league matches since returning Dec. 29 from an ankle injury that sidelined him for four months. He was substituted in the 82nd minute.
“Josh, his ankle is sore. He got another knock and a little bit of a twist,” Norwich manager David Wagner said.
De La Torre didn’t dress for Celta Vigo’s La Liga match at Sevilla on Sunday, and the team said he had discomfort in his left thigh.
The U.S. plays a semifinal against Jamaica on Thursday at Arlington, Texas. The Americans face Mexico or Panama three days later in either the championship or third-place match.
Aaronson was on the 2022 World Cup roster but has struggled during a loan this season from relegated Leeds to Germany’s Union Berlin. He has made seven Bundesliga starts and 15 substitute appearances, scoring his second goal of the season in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Werder Bremen.
U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter explained Wednesday why he didn’t include Aaronson on the 23-man roster announced that day.
“We think there’s guys ahead of him right now,” Berhalter said. “The message for him was: I know this hurts. I know it’s it’s a setback, but use it to make you stronger and to keep going and to keep fighting your way through through the obstacles that you have to overcome right now.”
Wright, who scored in the 3-1 loss to the Netherlands at the World Cup, has 13 goals this season for Coventry City in the League Championship. His 100th-minute goal Saturday lifted Coventry over Wolverhampton 3-2 and into the FA Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 1987.
—From AP reports
