AP National Sports

By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer OL Reign midfielder Jessica Fishlock has been named the National Women’s Soccer League Most Valuable Player for this season. Fishlock has been with the Reign since the league’s launch in 2013. She had five goals and four assists in 21 starts this season. Reign coach Laura Harvey won

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP Associated Press IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Alex Padilla is set to make his second straight start when No. 18 Iowa hosts Illinois on Saturday. That doesn’t mean the Hawkeyes have moved on from Spencer Petras. Coach Kirk Ferentz said he’ll have to decide whether to bring back Petras. That decision might

CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — Wales has secured a seeded spot in the World Cup playoffs by holding Belgium to a 1-1 draw after rallying from a goal down in their final qualifier in Group E. Wales was guaranteed a playoff spot before kickoff through its Nations League results and the draw guaranteed Rob Page’s players

CHICAGO (AP) — Loyola Chicago has accepted an invitation to join the Atlantic 10 Conference and is leaving the Missouri Valley Conference. The move announced Tuesday by the school and leagues takes effect on July 1. Adding Loyola as the conference’s 15th member gives the Atlantic 10 a foothold in Chicago and a boost in

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens have waived running back Le’Veon Bell. Bell was one of three veterans the Ravens picked up after losing running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards to preseason injuries. Baltimore also brought in Latavius Murray and Devonta Freeman, and Bell had the fewest carries of the three even

By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Sports Writer PARIS (AP) — Second-half goals from midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko and forward Artem Dovbyk gave Ukraine a 2-0 win at Bosnia and Herzegovina and sent it to the World Cup playoffs in second place behind runway group winner France. Ukraine finished on 12 points in Group D, six points behind

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands has qualified for next year’s World Cup on its second attempt by beating Norway 2-0 in an empty De Kuip stadium. Turkey qualified for the playoffs by beating Montenegro 2-1 in Podgorica. Steven Bergwijn finally broke the stalemate in a cagey match in the

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (AP) — The grandson of Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski and a star teammate face charges related to impaired driving. North Carolina State Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Chris Knox says Michael Savarino was pulled over for a stop sign violation early Sunday. Court records show Krzyzewski’s 20-year-old grandson was driving teammate Paolo Banchero’s

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins placed offensive tackle Greg Little on injured reserve and waived safety Sheldrick Redwine on Tuesday, moves involving two players who hadn’t appeared in a game for the team yet this season. Little was acquired in a trade with Carolina on Aug. 17, and has been inactive for

By LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writer The Detroit Tigers plan to be relatively aggressive in free agency and they proved that while giving their rebuild a boost, adding left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez to their rotation with a $77 million investment. The team announced Tuesday that it agreed to terms on a five-year contract with Rodríguez. The

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — Former University of Montana women’s basketball coach Shannon Schweyen has filed a federal lawsuit against the university, alleging she was the victim of sexual discrimination in her employment. The lawsuit says she received a base salary 20% less than the men’s coach, who was hired at the same time and who

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Defender Chris Richards and midfielder Gianluca Busio entered the U.S. lineup for a match at Jamaica as the Americans started their second-youngest lineup ever in a World Cup qualifier. Coach Gregg Berhalter made the minimum number of changes. The pair replaced defender Miles Robinson, suspended for a red card, and midfielder

By SIMMI BUTTAR AP Pro Football Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Rodgers’ return helped lift the Green Bay Packers four places to the top spot of the latest AP Pro32 poll. The Packers received six of the 12 first-place votes. The surging Tennessee Titans, who have won six in a row, earned the remaining

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and outside linebacker T.J. Watt will both have an opportunity to play, while safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is expected to miss Sunday’s road game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Roethlisberger entered the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 protocol on Saturday night after testing positive and he missed Sunday’s tie with the

By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — With two weeks left in the regular season, the Big Ten has positioned itself to get a third straight berth in the College Football Playoff, and possibly two if an avalanche of things go the right way. No. 5 Ohio State, No. 7 Michigan State

By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer Oregon State and UCLA have become bowl eligible after lengthy droughts as the Pac-12’s possible postseason picture comes into focus. Fourth-ranked Oregon could get a slot in the College Football Playoff but first the Ducks must get by Utah this weekend. USC and Washington still have a chance

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The IOC is aiming to help sports write fair, inclusive eligibility rules for transgender and intersex athletes. The Olympic body has now published advice shifting the focus from individual athlete testosterone levels and calling for evidence to prove when a performance advantage exists. The IOC says no athlete should be excluded

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson leading receiver Justyn Ross will miss this week’s game against No. 13 Wake Forest with a foot injury. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said Tuesday Ross has dealt with a stress fracture in his foot most of the season. The coach says Ross will need a screw in his foot and

By HANK KURZ Jr. AP Sports Writer Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock says Justin Fuente is out as the Hokies’ football coach. The AD had told Fuente in a meeting last Wednesday that his return next year was far from certain. Fuente decided not to wait around. Babcock says the Fuente “wanted to move

By GERALD IMRAY AP Sports Writer CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — African champion Algeria and Nigeria have scraped through to the playoffs in World Cup qualifying. Both were held to home draws but clinched the point they needed to progress. Algeria twice led against Burkina Faso but ended up holding on for a 2-2