Dec 13, 2021 4 min read

Welsh first, Church second at Ironman tournament

Waynesburg’s power duo of Rocco Welsh and Mac Church finished first and second in their respective weight classes at the Walsh Ironman Tournament over the weekend.

Welsh took first place at 165 pounds with a 1-0 decision over Lorenzo Norman of Blair Academy in the finals.

Church took second at 132 after being pinned by Nasir Bailey of Rich Township in 6:28.

The two juniors helped Waynesburg take eighth place in the team standings.

Nassar victims reach settlement

The legal wrangling between USA Gymnastics and the hundreds of victims of sexual abuse by former national team doctor Larry Nassar, among others, is over after a $380 million settlement was reached.

The fight for substantive change within the sport’s national governing body is just beginning.

Over 90% of the victims voted in favor of the tentative settlement.

The financial reckoning is just one part of the equation. A series of nonmonetary provisions will make the victims stakeholders at USA Gymnastics going forward.

In the NHL

The NHL has postponed the Calgary Flames’ next three games after six players and a staff member entered the league’s COVID-19 protocol over a 24-hour period.

The Flames announced Monday that forwards Elias Lindholm, Andrew Mangiapane, Brad Richardson and Adam Ruzicka and defensemen Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov were in the protocol.

Postponed games include Monday night’s game at Chicago, Tuesday’s game at Nashville and Thursday’s home game against Toronto.

In the NBA

The NBA postponed the Chicago Bulls’ next two games on Monday, with 10 of the team’s players in the league’s health and safety protocols.

The Bulls were scheduled to host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday and visit the Toronto Raptors on Thursday. No makeup dates were announced. The Bulls’ next game is now scheduled for Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers at home.

The team confirmed Monday that backup forward Alize Johnson became the 10th player to enter the protocols.

• Stephen Curry finished one 3-pointer shy of the NBA career record Monday night, making five 3-pointers and scoring 26 points to help the Golden State Warriors rally late for a 102-100 win over Indiana.

In college football

Auburn quarterback Bo Nix is in search of a new school.

The three-year starter said in a video posted to Instagram that he plans to leave Auburn as a graduate transfer. Nix didn’t name any potential destinations.

The former five-star recruit started the first 34 games of his career before a season-ending ankle injury against Mississippi State.

• One-time Heisman Trophy contender Spencer Rattler is leaving Oklahoma for South Carolina to join former Sooners’ assistant Shane Beamer.

Rattler tweeted Monday night that he had committed to the Gamecocks. The post showed Rattler in a South Carolina uniform with the Gamecocks’ logo in the background with the words, “COMMITTED.”

“Excited for the next chapter,” Rattler’s post said.

In college basketball

Baylor won the national championship last season without ever reaching No. 1 in the AP Top 25.

The Bears are there now.

Baylor took advantage of Purdue’s last-second loss to Rutgers last week to become the fourth different team at No. 1 in the past four weeks. The Bears earned every vote from a 61-member national media panel to reach the top spot in the poll for the first time since 2020.