Category Archives: athletics

First-ever Illinois collegiate women’s flag football tournament wraps up at Halas Hall

Posted on by
Reply

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (WLS) — The first-ever Illinois collegiate women’s flag football tournament concluded on Sunday, marking a significant milestone for the sport in the state. Seven Illinois teams competed for the title at the Walter Payton Center at Halas Hall, building on last year’s historic collegiate matchup.

This weekend’s tournament was a celebration of the rapid growth of women’s flag football, a development that Chicago Bears leadership proudly supports.

“We consider this the home of girls flag football. This is where it all started. Obviously, it comes from tremendous support—from the Bears, from the McCaskey family, who care deeply about women’s sports,” said Gustavo Silva, Bears Director of Football Development.

Among the competing teams was Benedictine University, led by female head coach Caroline Schwartz—a significant moment for the program.

“I couldn’t have dreamt it before; it’s more than that. I just decided to hop on and brought in some really great coaches to help me, and the girls are amazing,” said Schwartz.

For Benedictine player Leilani Gawne, a senior student, flag football is a relatively new sport. However, she is energized by the possibilities it offers.

“I’ve always loved sports, and this is an opportunity to help a lot of women and help grow the sport,” Gawne shared. “Just staying in shape, being athletic, taking care of yourself, and knowing that it’s a new sport, so we’re all learning and growing together.”

Girls high school flag football was officially sanctioned as a sport in Illinois in 2024. Over recent years, the sport has exploded in popularity, paving the way for more collegiate teams and broader opportunities for women athletes.

“Potentially, some of our girls here could be playing in the 2028 Olympics and beyond. So, we really are just looking to bring girls and females into the ecosystem and benefit from everything that’s great about the sport,” Silva said.

The burgeoning growth of women’s flag football in Illinois signals a bright future for female athletes eager to embrace this exciting new frontier.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/first-illinois-collegiate-womens-flag-football-tournament-wraps-chicago-bears-walter-payton-center-halas-hall/18693663/

World Para Athletics Championships 2025, Day 3: India Adds Two New Medals to Their Tally

Posted on by
Reply

India’s Medal Hunt Accelerates on Day 3 at the World Para Athletics Championships

India’s quest for medals at the World Para Athletics Championships gained significant momentum on Day 3, as the nation added a gold and a silver to its tally. This impressive performance lifted India’s total medal count to five, following a medal-less Day 2 after a strong start on Day 1 that yielded three medals.

### Dual Podium Finish in Men’s Javelin Throw F46

The highlight of the day was the Men’s Javelin Throw F46 event, where India celebrated a spectacular one-two finish. Rinku Hooda clinched the gold medal, breaking the Championship Record with an opening throw of 63.81m. He further improved his mark to a winning distance of 66.37m on his fourth attempt.

Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 bronze medallist Sundar Singh Gurjar secured the silver medal. Gurjar briefly took the lead after his third throw of 64.11m, but his best effort of 64.76m on the fifth attempt placed him just behind Hooda. The bronze medal was claimed by Cuba’s Guillermo Varona Gonzalez with a throw of 63.34m.

### Near Podium Finishes for Other Indian Athletes

While the javelin throw brought glory, other Indian athletes fought valiantly but narrowly missed the podium. In the Men’s Javelin Throw F46 final, besides Hooda and Gurjar, Ajeet Singh finished fourth with a best throw of 61.77m, just shy of a medal.

In the Women’s Javelin Throw F46 final, Bhavanaben Ajabaji secured eighth place with a throw measuring 35.34m.

### Strong Performances in Men’s 100m T37 Heats

Indian sprinters also showed promise on Day 3. Rakeshbhai Bhatt and Shreyansh Trivedi competed in the Men’s 100m T37 Round 1 heats. Rakeshbhai finished third in his heat with a time of 11.62 seconds, setting a new personal best. Shreyansh Trivedi finished second in his heat clocking 11.94 seconds, also a personal best.

Both athletes advanced from the heats, fueling India’s hopes for a medal in the Men’s 100m T37 final.

### Looking Ahead

With Day 3’s successes providing a boost, the Indian contingent looks forward to Day 4 of the World Para Athletics Championships with great anticipation. More thrilling performances and potential medals await as the competition intensifies. Stay tuned for further updates!
https://www.sportskeeda.com/indian-sports/world-para-athletics-championship-day-3-india-adds-two-new-medals-their-tally

Charley Hull updates fans on ‘bad back’ struggles during practice in IG story

Posted on by
Reply

Charley Hull has faced a series of health challenges this year, including a significant issue with her spine. In a recent post, the LPGA Tour star provided an update on her efforts to play despite dealing with a bad back.

Hull shared a video of herself wearing an all-black outfit while taking a shot on the course. In the caption, she revealed that playing with her spine injury made it difficult to achieve a good backswing, writing, “Flattening out my backswing with my bad back is very hard.”

Recently, Hull celebrated her third LPGA Tour title at the Kroger Queen City Championship. During a post-tournament press conference at TPC Rivers Bend, she disclosed that she was still recovering from several injuries. “Since then, my back just never got better,” she said.

Following her persistent discomfort, Hull underwent an MRI, which revealed cysts growing on her spine.

Charley Hull was scheduled to compete in the PIF London Championship in August. Unfortunately, after a practice round, she accidentally stumbled in the Centurion Club parking lot, resulting in a torn muscle in her ankle. Due to the injury, Hull withdrew from the event and was required to wear a moon boot while her ankle healed.

Although the initial recovery timeline was set at nine weeks, Hull surprised many by getting back on her feet within just three weeks.

Despite these setbacks, the four-time Ladies European Tour (LET) winner has been managing the pain with determination. “I’ve got a healthy spine. It’s just like managing it and stuff. I think I’ve been slapped with every injury at the minute, so I have just been managing my way through it this week,” she explained.

Hull shared that while she has been “a little sore,” her body has held up “pretty good so far.” She also emphasized that she has been continuing to work hard practicing her game despite the injuries.

### Charley Hull Describes Pain as a Test of the Mind

Following her thrilling victory at TPC Rivers Bend, Hull opened up about the challenges she has been facing off the course. The English golfer noted that although the win was a major highlight, she has been battling health issues in recent months.

Still, Hull chose to highlight the positive side of her situation. The four-time LET champion admitted that playing through discomfort might actually push her to perform at a higher level.

“I suppose pain is just a weakness of the mind. Probably does me a bit of a favor sometimes because I end up doing too much, too much gym, practice, overthinking,” Hull said.

For Charley Hull, her victory at TPC Rivers Bend was especially rewarding. After many runner-up finishes in recent years, she was thrilled to finally break her three-year winless streak on the LPGA Tour.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/golf/news-charley-hull-updates-fans-bad-back-struggles-practice-ig-story

Mensah, Castle lead Duke to comeback past N.C. State, 45-33

Posted on by
Reply

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Darian Mensah threw three touchdown passes as Duke snapped a two-game losing streak, overcoming a 13-point deficit to beat N.C. State 45-33 on Saturday.

The Blue Devils (2-2, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference opener) scored 21 points in less than four minutes of game time spanning the two halves to surge into the lead. Anderson Castle added three rushing touchdowns, including a clinching 66-yard dash on third down with 2:19 remaining.

For N.C. State (3-1, 1-1), CJ Bailey tossed two touchdown passes to Terrell Anderson but was intercepted three times. Hollywood Smothers rushed for 123 yards and one touchdown, while Will Wilson had two 1-yard TD runs. Anderson picked up 166 yards on six catches.

Mensah was 19-for-28 for 269 yards passing. Castle gained 92 rushing yards on 12 attempts.

N.C. State drove 99 yards to score on the second play of the second quarter on Bailey’s 6-yard throw to Anderson and later extended the lead to 20-7. However, a pivotal play came inside of two minutes in the first half when Duke linebacker Tre Freeman intercepted Bailey’s fourth-down pass, returning it 67 yards to set up a go-ahead 1-yard touchdown run from Castle.

**The Takeaway**

*N.C. State:* The Wolfpack racked up 535 yards of total offense but experienced too many defensive lapses to secure a second consecutive in-state road victory.

*Duke:* The Blue Devils were at minus-6 in turnover margin entering the game, but their plus-4 effort proved crucial in toppling the Wolfpack for the third season in a row. Duke, which also blocked a third-quarter field goal attempt, has now won five of the last six meetings.

**Up Next**

– *N.C. State:* Saturday at home vs. Virginia Tech
– *Duke:* Saturday at Syracuse

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.

AP college football: and Bob Sutton, The Associated Press
https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/mensah-castle-lead-duke-comeback-235907705.html