Sep 29, 2019 3 min read

Alabama new No. 1

Alabama is No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll for the first time this season, replacing preseason No. 1 Clemson after the Tigers had a close call.

Alabama received 29 of 61 first-place votes Sunday from the media panel as the Tigers’ one-point victory at North Carolina gave the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank the first shake-up at the top this season. Clemson slipped to No. 2 and received 18 first-place votes.

The last time a No. 1 team won and dropped was Ohio State on Nov. 7, 2015, after the Buckeyes beat Minnesota 28-14 at home. The No. 1 team has won and dropped in the rankings 90 times since the AP poll started in 1936, including four times when there was a tie for No. 1.

No. 3 Georgia received four first-place votes. Ohio State moved up to No. 4 and received seven first-place votes. LSU was No. 5 and Oklahoma sixth. No. 7 Auburn received three first-place votes.

The last time five or more teams received first-place votes during the regular season was Nov. 1, 2015: No. 1 Ohio State (39); No. 2. Baylor (six); No. 3. Clemson (six); No. 4. LSU (five); No. 5. TCU (four); and No. 7. Alabama (one).

Penguins send Johnson down

The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-assigned forward Adam Johnson to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.

Johnson, 25, scored a goal and was plus-2 in the Penguins’ preseason opener against the Buffalo Sabres on September 16, and has since been sidelined with a lower-body injury.

Last season, the Grand Rapids, Minnesota native played six NHL games with the Penguins, collecting two assists and finishing plus-2. Both helpers came during the Penguins’ 3-1 win on March 31 against the Carolina Hurricanes. Johnson also appeared in 67 games for WBS, finishing fourth on the team with 43 points (18G-25A).

College tennis

The Washington & Jefferson women’s tennis team snapped Saint Vincent College’s four-match winning streak with an 8-1 road victory Sunday afternoon in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference match.

W&J swept Saint Vincent in doubles play to open the match. The top tandem of sophomore Maya Krishnasamy and freshman Isabella Goldman secured an 8-6 win at first doubles. Senior Jade Annaldo and sophomore Vanesa Hyde breezed to an 8-3 victory at second doubles while seniors Megan Berard and Caitlin Shellhamer won by an 8-5 score at third doubles.

Fowler wins GNCC Nationals

The 2019 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series kicked off Saturday.

WFR/GBC/Fly Racing/Yamaha’s Walker Fowler was on a mission to earn his fifth-straight national championship, but would Fowler continued to lead the way, while pushing to put a gap over the rest of the field. As the white flag flew Fowler would have a 27-second lead over second place, and one lap standing between him and his championship. As Fowler emerged from the woods, he would still have over a 20-second lead, and would make his way to the checkered flag.

Coming in second for the second straight time this season was JMR/Maxxis/Elka/Moose Racing’s Jarrod McClure. After finishing second in New York two weeks ago, McClure was eager to battle at the front of the pack once again. McClure worked his way from third on the first lap to running second for the remaining three laps. McClure has moved himself into fifth overall in the points standings as the series heads into its last two rounds.