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HUTTON REPEATS
ALLIANCE - Mount Union junior Rylee Hutton from Salem has been named the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week for the second straight week.
Hutton continued her hot streak week as she scored four straight goals at one point and helped lead the Purple Raiders to a pair of wins. She scored the lone goal in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Albion (Mich.) and then scored the first goal and picked up the assist on the second goal in Saturday’s 2-0 win at Oberlin.
Mount Union (4-3) will play at Mount Aloysius (Pa.) at 6 p.m. today.
NAGY NAMED
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- Westminster College sophomore Gaven Nagy from South Range has been named the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Football Special Teams Player of the Week.
This is the first PAC weekly award of Nagy’s career.
Nagy blocked an extra point attempt with 2:14 remaining to give the Titans a 21-20 win at Waynesburg on Saturday afternoon. He also had five tackles, including two solos.
Westminster (1-2) will host Case Western Reserve at 1 p.m. Saturday.
GECINA HONORED
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- Westminster College junior Brooke Gecina has been named the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Women’s Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this month.
Gecina averaged 7.0 digs per set to help the Titans to a 2-0 week. She recorded 12 digs and an assist in Tuesday’s three-set win over Penn State Shenango before posting a season-high 37 digs and two service aces in Saturday’s five-set victory at W&J.
Gecina ranks No. 4 in Division III and leads the PAC with 332 digs. Her 5.93 digs per set average ranks No. 8 nationally and also leads the conference.
She is the daughter of former Crestview High School standout Brian Gecina and was the team MVP twice at Aurora High School.
Westminster (9-7) will host Thiel at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
COUNTY MEET
COLUMBIANA -- The 2026 Columbiana County Cross Country Meet will be held today at East Palestine City Park.
Salem has swept the boys and girls team titles the last 11 years.
Tuesday’s schedule includes high school boys at 4:30 p.m., high school girls at 5:05 p.m., junior high boys at 5:45 p.m., junior high girls at 6:10 p.m. and a fifth- and sixth-grade race at 6:30 p.m.
STAY TO PLAY
ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) -- The Big Ten Conference has adopted a rule to prohibit men’s and women’s basketball players who left school to play professionally from maintaining their eligibility.
The Big Ten announced Monday the unanimous adoption of a rule deeming players who signed professional contracts with the NBA, G-League or WNBA as ineligible to play for any of the conference’s schools. The rule also covers players who declared for the NBA or WNBA drafts but did not withdraw their names or declare an intent to return to college in the required timeframe.
The conference’s announcement comes as waves of student-athletes have filed lawsuits against the NCAA’s new eligibility rules allowing five years of competition over a five-year period. The new rules did not grandfather in athletes from the high school class of 2022, triggering lawsuits across the country.
BAKER OUT
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Baker Mayfield received some good news after dislocating his right thumb on Sunday in Tampa Bay’s loss to Minnesota, but the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback is expected to miss at least three weeks.
“It’s consistent with everything we thought it was, a dislocation,” coach Todd Bowles said Monday. “Right now we’re probably talking a minimum of three weeks.”
Undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels will start this weekend against the Green Bay Packers. Easton Stick is on the practice squad and likely will be promoted unless the Buccaneers add a veteran quarterback.
Mayfield was injured when his throwing hand hit Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman on a desperation pass on fourth down that was intercepted late in the fourth quarter of a 23-16 loss.
An MRI revealed that Mayfield didn’t suffer ligament damage or a fracture. He avoids surgery and possibly won’t be placed on injured reserve, which means he would have to miss at least four games.
Mayfield, who signed a $165 million, three-year contract extension before the season, hadn’t missed a start since joining the Buccaneers in 2023. He has played through various injuries throughout his career, which began in Cleveland after the Browns selected him with the No. 1 pick in 2018.
NFL AND DHS
NEW YORK (AP) -- The NFL has asked the Department of Homeland Security to take down a video on social media showing highlights of Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins in reference to a purported caravan of immigrants approaching the U.S. border.
The video posted on Sunday shows Dawkins’ pregame walkout as he chants “The time has come,” followed by a series of big hits. The DHS post includes the caption “Our time has come.”
“The league has requested the DHS take down the video,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Monday.
Dawkins was a nine-time Pro Bowler and five time All-Pro safety during 16 NFL seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos before retiring in 2011.
DHS released a statement saying the United States Border Patrol “is actively tracking” a group of migrants coming from Honduras and used football jargon to add the department “is playing lockdown defense” at the border.
The statement did not address the NFL’s request to take down the video, which had not been deleted as of Monday night.