• Slug: Sports–Coyotes Transition to Utah, 1,600 words.
• Photos available.

By Chase Beardsley
Cronkite News

SALT LAKE CITY – As the NHL drops the puck on the 2024-25 regular season Tuesday, Arizona hockey fans are facing off with the reality that their hockey club is gone.

The Arizona Coyotes are now the Utah Hockey Club, which opens the season against the Chicago Blackhawks at the Delta Center. In April, the NHL’s board of governors approved the sale of the team to tech billionaire Ryan Smith, who owns the NBA Utah Jazz, and signed off on the club’s relocation to Salt Lake City.

It ended years of ownership turmoil, arena haggling and relocation rumors that seemed to go on almost from the time the Winnipeg Jets relocated to Phoenix in 1996 and became the Coyotes. Continue reading “Arizona hockey fans face first season without NHL team since 1996 as Utah Hockey Club makes season debut”

• Slug: Sports–GCU Midnight Madness. 1,084 words.
• Photos available.

By Kendall Flynn
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Camping out before any event is nothing short of madness anyway, but almost 250 Grand Canyon University students took it to another level, setting up tents and hammocks to stand in line Thursday in record-breaking Arizona October heat.

For Lopes fans sweating out a chance to see their basketball team, it’s all worth it.

GCU hosted its annual Midnight Madness celebration Friday, unofficially tipping off the 2024-25 basketball seasons for the men and women’s teams. While the event is a party for the entire Lopes community, it is also a strong show of support for GCU’s athletes.

Continue reading “‘Our football is basketball’: GCU fans rally behind men’s and women’s teams at Midnight Madness”

• Slug: Sports–ASU Big 12 Home Opener, 500 words.
• Photos available.

By Patrick Holleron
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Minutes after Arizona State secured its first Big 12 Conference victory Saturday, quarterback Sam Leavitt was on the field praising coach Kenny Dillingham on national television for his work ethic and commitment to players.

In the postgame game interview room after the 35-31 victory over Kansas, running back Cam Skattebo snuck up on the coach with a bear hug and said, “This is the man right here! Love you coach.”

Since arriving in November 2022, Dillingham’s goal has been to shift the narrative surrounding Arizona State football. Continue reading “Culture shift: Kenny Dillingham’s fingerprints all over ASU football’s gritty win in Big 12 home opener”

• Slug–Cardinals Surprise 49ers. 488 words.
• File photo available.

By James Morel
Cronkite News

TEMPE – It’s not October football if you’re not breaking curses.

A nearly three-year hex followed the Arizona Cardinals into their game Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers but was broken when linebacker Kyzir White picked off quarterback Brock Purdy to seal a 24-23 victory.

The Cardinals entered Sunday with a four-game losing streak against to 49ers, which dates back to November 21, 2022, when they lost by 28 points.

The Cardinals’ last win over the 49ers was on November 7, 2021, when Colt McCoy threw for 249 yards and a touchdown to improve the team’s record to 8-1.

Continue reading “The Terminator: Connor helps Cardinals end losing streak to 49ers”

• Slug: Sports–Suns v. Lakers Palm Springs. 872 words.
• Photo available.

By Connor Moreno
Cronkite News

PALM DESERT, Calif. – There would be no history if there wasn’t a first.

It was a night of firsts for the Suns and Los Angeles Lakers during a 118-114 Phoenix preseason victory over at Acrisure Arena Sunday. It was the Suns’ first game under new coach Mike Budenholzer. It was the first time their new point guard, Tyus Jones, took the floor with “SUNS” stitched across his jersey.

And it was the first time in NBA history that a father-son duo graced the floor together in either a preseason or regular-season NBA game.

Continue reading “A game of firsts: Phoenix Suns usher in new era with dash of history vs. Los Angeles Lakers”

• Slug: Sports–Arizona Wildcats Struggles. 800 words.
• Photo available.

By Saleh Awwad
Cronkite News

TUCSON – Just when it appeared Arizona was ready to live up to preseason expectations after they upset top-10 ranked Utah on the road, the Wildcats wasted a strong defensive effort and lost at home to Texas Tech.

The Wildcats dominated in almost every area against the Red Raiders, except the one that counts most – the score.

Arizona beat Tech handily in time of possession, total yards and first downs. However, the Wildcats were unable to finish off drives, settling instead for five Tyler Loop field goals in a 28-22 loss at Arizona Stadium. The offensive woes wasted a solid Wildcats defensive performance against a good Red Raiders offense that came in averaging 41.6 points a game.  Continue reading “Tech fall: Arizona slips to 3-2 with home loss to Red Raiders; road test at BYU next”

• Slug: Sports-ASU First Pac-10 Win, 1,400 words.
• 3 photos available.

By Kendall Flynn
Cronkite News

TEMPE – As Arizona State looks to earn its first Big 12 win at home against Kansas University on Saturday, the Sun Devils could benefit from a look at the program’s past and its first Pac-10 win and historic upset in 1978 against USC.

The Sun Devils had moved from the Western Atlantic Conference and were set to join the Pac-8, helping expand it to the Pac-10 for the 1978 season. Like the 2024 Sun Devils squad, the 1978 team lost its first conference game on the road to Washington State at 51-26.

While ASU’s Sept. 21 loss to Texas Tech in its Big 12 debut was more competitive at 30-22, losing in the season’s first conference game and as a new member can be daunting. Former senior defensive lineman for Arizona State Al Harris remembered this feeling all too well. Continue reading “Echoes of 1978? Arizona State football seeks first Big 12 conference win in spirit of 1978 upset vs. USC”

• Slug: Sports-Jael Mary Jaelen Strong, 970 words.
• 3 photos available.

By Saleh Awward
Cronkite News

CHANDLER – The memory still lingers as if it happened yesterday, the details as crisp and clear as the summer sky.

Arizona State defied all odds, down 34-32 with the football at their 28-yard-line and just 23 seconds to go and no timeouts remaining. After a strike down the middle of the field from Mike Bercovici to Gary Chambers to the 45-yard line, the Sun Devils spiked the ball and had one final play left in store with seven seconds remaining.

Bercovici dropped back and let it fly for a Hail Mary, where Jaelen Strong high-pointed the ball over USC defenders and found himself in the end zone for a touchdown, upsetting the No. 16 Trojans on the road, 38-34. Continue reading “Still going Strong: 10 years after ‘Jael Mary,’ former ASU star receiver inspires next generation at AZ Compass Prep”

• Slug: Sports-ASU Infractions Details, 1,100 words.
• 3 photos available.

By Patrick Holleron
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Since June of 2021, the wrongdoings of former Arizona State and current Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce and his staff have plagued the institution’s football program. Now, years later, the full extent of Pierce and his staff’s misconduct have been revealed.

Unethical paid expenses for recruits, prohibited visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, visits to gentlemen’s clubs with recruits’ parents, and trips to shooting ranges with recruits are only a fraction of the many violations the NCAA discovered in their investigation, according to the NCAA’s public infractions decision released today.

Pierce, a former NFL linebacker who won a Super Bowl title in 2008 with the New York Giants, served in various positions with the ASU program from 2018-2021, including associate head coach, defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator. Continue reading “Strip clubs and shooting ranges: NCAA document details ASU football infractions, Antonio Pierce’s role as kingpin”

• Slug: Sports-ASU NIL Cars, 600 words.
• 3 photos available.

By Dane Palmer
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Arizona State safety Myles Rowser was surprised during practice Thursday when he looked up at the Mountain America Stadium concourse and saw a row of cars.

He was even more surprised afterward when he learned one of the new Ford Mustang Mach-E cars was for him.

“I’m honestly super excited,” Rowser said. “This was something I didn’t even know about. They said, ‘Come upstairs and put on a jersey after practice’ and now I’m here looking at a brand new car.” Continue reading “And you get a car! And you get a car! NIL collective helps 7 ASU football players secure Mach-E Mustangs”