• Slug: Sports-NASCAR Phoenix Raceway, 1,000 words.
• 5 photos available

By David Bernauer
Cronkite News

AVONDALE – Christopher Bell came into the Shriners Children’s Phoenix 500 “sad,” as he put it.

He had finished 34th and 33rd, respectively, in his last two NASCAR Cup Series races, and the last time he was at Phoenix Raceway in the Championship 4 race, the right-front brake rotor on his No. 20 Toyota exploded, ending his championship hopes.

But after driving to victory Sunday for his seventh Cup Series win and breaking his own record for the largest margin of victory in the Next Gen-car era, Bell was finally having fun. Continue reading “‘I drove a rocketship today’: Christopher Bell surges to victory at Phoenix Raceway”

• Slug: Sports-GCU Hockey Nationals 800 words.
• Photo available

By Connor Manning
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The road to St. Louis started out bumpy for Grand Canyon University’s men’s hockey team. The potholes were deep and ragged, and by the time the Antelopes steadied themselves and found direction, they had dropped eight of their first 10 games of the season.

But now here they are, riding a nine-game winning streak to finish the regular season as one of the hottest club teams in the country and on the precipice of the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s National Championships. After earning their first invite to the tournament, the Lopes, seeded No. 17, face 16th seed Illinois State University Thursday night at St. Louis’ Maryville University Hockey Center in a first round Division 1 game.

The Antelopes, in their fifth season since joining the Division 1 level, secured an at-large bid this year by virtue of finishing 17th in the final rankings. Continue reading “Remarkable turnaround by Grand Canyon men’s hockey club team earns Lopes first ACHA nationals appearance”

• Slug: Sports-ASU Pac-12 Women’s Basketball, 700 words.
• 2 photos available

By Tia Reid
Cronkite News

LAS VEGAS – Following her team’s season-ending loss to Utah in the Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament, Arizona State coach Natasha Adair sat in front of the media and answered questions as she had done so many times before.

With sophomore guards Jalyn Brown and Trayanna Crisp beside her late Wednesday night, there were no somber sentiments from any of them but rather hope and anticipation for next season and what Adair is hoping to build with Brown and Crisp by her side on the court.

“For me, this is my fourth rebuild,” Adair said. “So I have done it several times. And I know what it looks like. And it doesn’t happen overnight, as much as we wish that it does. But you have to see the growth, and the players have to see the growth, and you have to celebrate everything. Continue reading “ASU women’s basketball hopeful for future despite quick exit in Pac-12 tournament”

• Slug: Sports-Football Player Drowning Lawsuit, 600 words.
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By Maxwell Williams
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The family of the Cesar Chavez High School student who drowned during a football camping trip filed a lawsuit Monday claiming four counts of gross negligence and wrongful death of their son.

On July 17, Christopher Hampton, 15, was reported missing to authorities after the team traveled to Show Low Lake. The following day, the Navajo County Sheriff’s office revealed on social media that his body was found, and his death was confirmed to be an “accident” on Oct. 19.

Although the Phoenix Union High School District is named as the primary defendant, the Blue Ridge Unified School District, the City of Show Low and Recreation Management of America are also named for negligence/gross negligence. Continue reading “‘Pain of losing him is unbearable’: Family of Cesar Chavez football player who drowned files lawsuit”

• Slug: Sports-NFL Combine Cardinals, 1,100 words.
• File photo available.

By John Busker
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – When the Arizona Cardinals and DeAndre Hopkins parted ways last offseason, coach Jonathan Gannon said he was pleased with the wide receiver corp entering the 2023 season.

Fast forward almost nine months, and the organization has yet to find a replacement for Hopkins. The Cardinals leading receiver last season was tight end Trey McBride, who had 825 yards on the year. No wide receiver for the Cardinals had 600 yards. Marquise Brown led all Cardinals wideouts with 574.

While that was in part due to quarterback Kyler Murray missing over half the season, it’s clear the Cardinals will be looking for someone to fill the role that was occupied by Hopkins and Larry Fitzgerald before him – and the team’s scouts and decision-makers will take their first in-person look this week at the annual 2024 NFL Combine. Continue reading “On the hunt: Arizona Cardinals strategize for upcoming NFL draft with pressing need at receiver”

• Slug: Sports-Dodgers Yamamoto Debut, 660 words.
• 2 photos available.

By James Lotts
Cronkite News

SURPRISE — Surprise Stadium experienced a sea of Los Angeles Dodgers fans roll in Wednesday to witness new Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s MLB debut.

Dodgers fans have waited to see the 25-year-old right hander pitch in a game since the team signed him to a 12-year, $325 million contract in December, and he didn’t disappoint in his first outing.

Yamamoto threw two scoreless innings with three strikeouts and only gave up one hit against the defending champion Texas Rangers. Continue reading “Yoshinobu Yamamoto wows Los Angeles Dodgers fans in Cactus League debut”

• Slug: Sports-Rex Chapman Book, 1,500 words.
• Photo available.

By Hayden Cilley
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Sitting down in a chair at the Changing Hands Bookstore, Rex Chapman gazed through a near-filled audience who were on hand to support his first book, “It’s Hard for Me to Live with Me: A Memoir.”

Chapman’s eclectic group of fans – including those who have known him from his University of Kentucky days, others who watched him with the Phoenix Suns, the legions who now follow him on social media, and his family and friends who stood by when he hit rock bottom – had come together Tuesday night for a conversation of humility, transparency and, in some cases, regret.

Chapman spoke with reporters privately before the seminar. The former Suns guard faced conflicting emotions about the anticipation of his book. Continue reading “‘It’s pretty terrifying’: Ex-Suns guard Rex Chapman’s memoir sparks conversations on addiction, recovery in Tempe”

• Slug: Sports-Léon Marchand Olympics, 1,200 words.
• Photo available.

By Hayden Cilley
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Arizona State junior swimming savant Léon Marchand is expected to be the face of the French national team at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

But first things first.

For now, Marchand is focused on getting through the Pac-12 Conference Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships and leading the Sun Devils in pursuit of an NCAA title. And that means remaining in the present and taking each meet one at a time. Continue reading “ASU’s Léon Marchand preps for Pac-12, NCAA championships en route to second Olympic appearance”

• Slug: Sports-Xavier Prep Dynasty, 1,650 words.
• Photo available.

By Brett Lapinski
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The year is 1973. Secretariat has won the unprecedented Triple Crown, the Miami Dolphins’ perfect season is complete, and the greatest sports dynasty in Arizona high school history is born.

During the 1973 girls swim and dive season, coach Mary Faith led her Xavier College Prep Gators to the first state championship in school history. Fast forward 50 years, and Xavier College Prep has amassed an additional 150 state championships – a feat no other single-sex or co-ed school has accomplished in Arizona.

Although the number of state championships is in the hundreds, the main reason behind the success stems from one legendary nun. Founded in 1943, Xavier is a private, Catholic all-girls school located in Central Phoenix. Continue reading “Gator greats: Xavier College Prep’s ongoing sports dynasty is decades in the making”

• Slug: Sports-New Managers,1055 words.
• 4 photos available.

By Justin de Haas
Cronkite News

GLENDALE – The job of an MLB manager is one of the most highly-coveted positions in sports, but there are only 30 spots available at any given time.

Eight MLB teams have a new manager in 2024 – an anomaly that has happened twice since 2006 – with six of those clubs playing in the Cactus League in spring training. Offseasons with this amount of manager movement do not often occur, but there will also be a lot of familiar faces in new places for the upcoming season.

Some of these managers – referred to as head coaches in almost every other sport – are at the helm for the very first time, while others have experience with different teams in various roles. Nonetheless, no path to being an MLB manager is created equal. Continue reading “Spring ahead: Six Cactus League teams feature new managers in dugout, all with same goal”

• Slug: Sports-GCU Tennis Player Serbia, 660 words
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Jaden Batiest
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Serbia is known for producing elite athletes Nikola Jokic in basketball, Novak Djokovic in men’s tennis and Sergej Milinković-Savić in soccer, but tennis is one of the least popular sports because its price tag.

However, Iva Sepa is using tennis as a vehicle as she adjusts to moving from Serbia to Phoenix, where she is a freshman studying business information and is on the Grand Canyon University women’s tennis team.

“I started playing tennis when I was eight. Actually, my grandma brought me to the tennis courts because she was a big fan of tennis,” Sepa said. Continue reading “From Serbia to Phoenix: Freshman Iva Sepa makes waves in tennis, culture at Grand Canyon University”

• Slug: Sports-ASU Baseball Preview, 1,400 words
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Anthony Remedios
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – With just a month to go in the 2023 season, the Arizona State baseball team was ranked in the Top 20 and controlled its destiny to return to the NCAA Tournament. The possibility even existed to host postseason baseball at Phoenix Municipal Stadium for the first time since the team’s move from Packard Stadium nine years earlier.

However, a late season skid that saw the Sun Devils win just three of their final 12 Pac-12 conference games and fall short in the Pac-12 tournament, ultimately led to the team missing out on a regional. During the NCAA tournament selection show, ASU was announced as a “First Four Out” and rival Arizona as a “Last Four In” after the Wildcats won seven of their last nine games, including a 12-3 victory over ASU in pool play of the Pac-12 tournament.

With Friday’s opener here, the Sun Devils are ready to embrace the peaks and valleys that the 2024 campaign is sure to bring. The Santa Clara Broncos will visit Phoenix Municipal Stadium to kick off the festivities, fresh off a West Coast Conference Tournament championship and a regional appearance in the 2023 NCAA tournament, their first in 26 years. Continue reading “Road to Omaha: ASU baseball team begins 2024 season with renewed confidence”

• Slug: Sports-Gilbert Regional Pickleball, 1,000 words
• 4 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Sammy Nute
Cronkite News

GILBERT – The lights have just come on at Gilbert Regional Park, and paddles line the fences, signaling it’s time for the park’s busiest time of day. Playing under the lights is special for any athlete, adding an extra level of atmosphere that is hard to top, and Gilbert Regional has just come alive.

Pickleball, a game played with a paddle and balls on a truncated tennis court, has become the fastest-growing sport in the country, with professional and recreational leagues popping up across the nation.

The Association of Pickleball Players reported in March 2023 that 48.3 percent of Americans had played at least one pickleball game, a number that represents 19% of the country. Continue reading “From dusk till dawn: Gilbert Regional Park’s pickleball oasis offers electric atmosphere to draw passionate community”

• Slug: Sports-Stewart-Eubanks punch, 960 words
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Asher Hyre
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – NBA games in mid-February are typically uneventful with players eager to finally rest their bodies during the imminent All-Star break. However a matchup on Valentine’s Day between the Detroit Pistons and Phoenix Suns didn’t consist of much love.

The game Wednesday night ended peacefully with the Suns winning 116-100, but started fiery and emotional after Pistons’ forward Isaiah Stewart punched Suns’ center Drew Eubanks in the face pregame, resulting in a “minor injury,” according to local police. Eubanks went on to play in the game, finishing with six points and six rebounds in 18 minutes.

Stewart was “arrested for assault and issued a citation and released. The investigation remains active,” Phoenix police said in a statement. Continue reading “Isaiah Stewart arrested for punching Drew Eubanks ahead of Phoenix Suns’ win”

• Slug: Sports-Perry Basketball, 810 words
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Noah Maltzman
Cronkite News

GILBERT – Fueled by exceptional team chemistry and the desire to build a legacy, the Perry High School boys basketball team has its sights set on winning a third consecutive state championship.

The Pumas are off to a good start in that pursuit after defeating Willow Canyon, 75-43, in a first-round game Wednesday night. The state’s top-ranked team will face Deer Valley on Friday.

Perry, which has not had a losing season since 2016-17, took a 19-6 record into the state tournament, to go along with a 6-2 split through eight games in the 6A Premier region. Despite playing in the toughest region in the state, Perry had a point differential of +403 and defeated opponents by an average of 16 points per game. Continue reading “3-Peat? Koa, Perry boys basketball seek third straight title riding chemistry, family history”

• Slug: Sports-Brandon Aiyuk, 652 words
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By James Morel
Cronkite News

PHOENIX — Days after the San Francisco 49ers season was in the rearview mirror, former Arizona State receiver Brandon Aiyuk took to social media fresh off the biggest stage of his playing career to post cryptic posts about his future with the team.

With the confetti long gone inside Allegiant Stadium after the Kansas City Chiefs won a second straight Super Bowl, Aiyuk had an important message to send out after only posting three catches for 49 yards in defeat: “Don’t forget what got you there,” he tweeted.

His girlfriend and brother followed Aiyuk’s lead with vague social posts of their own. When asked about free agency and the “right move” later in the week, Aiyuk said, “Being a champion.” Continue reading “Former ASU receiver Brandon Aiyuk blazes trail to Super Bowl”

• Slug: Sports-Phoenix Open wrap, 700 words
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, caption below)

By Josh Jones
Cronkite News

SCOTTSDALE – Golden hour was nearing its end at TPC Scottsdale’s 18th hole Sunday evening. Weather, headlining much of the weekend, was not the primary focus on this picture-perfect day.

A spirited North American rivalry was.

“U-S-A!” was quickly contested by “CAN-A-DA!” in a Ryder Cup-like atmosphere among the playoff patrons. Continue reading “Nick Taylor’s playoff victory caps controversial WM Phoenix Open on high note”