Florida Sports Wire

 JACKSONVILLE - Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) Commissioner Jeff Bacon announced Wednesday a multi-year agreement to bring the ASUN Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments to Jacksonville, Fla., starting in 2026. This marks the first time since 2013 that the conference conducts both of its basketball postseason events at a single site. “The decision to move the tournaments to Jacksonville represents a significant milestone for the ASUN and underscores the city's growing reputation as a premier destination for major sporting events,” said Bacon. “The process over the past year has been exhaustive and I have been tremendously impressed by the volume of interest in our tournaments from so many incredible cities and venues. In the end, Jacksonville’s passion for sports, alongside its outstanding facilities and hospitality, will create an incredible experience for our student-athletes and fans.”  The 2026 Championships are set to include all 12 ASUN member institutions, with 2...

NEW YORK AND TORONTO – A closer look at highlights on and off the ice from around the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) heading into the final 30 games of the regular-season. READY FOR RALEIGH The PWHL Takeover Tour™ Raleigh Presented by Ally –– the tour’s seventh of nine games ––is set to take place this Friday, Mar. 7 at Raleigh’s Lenovo Center where the Minnesota Frost will take on the Ottawa Charge at 7 p.m. ET. Both teams will hold open practices followed by autograph sessions on Thursday at Invisalign Arena. Attendance through the first six games of the tour totaled 89,953, giving fans in new markets the opportunity to experience the PWHL outside the league’s current complement of cities. Click here for more. FLEET TO HOST THE FIRST OF TWO GAMES AT AGGANIS ARENA On Saturday afternoon, the Boston Fleet will play the first of two home games this season at Boston University’s Agganis Arena where the team will welcome the Montréal Victoire for a 2 p.m. ET matchup. The second ...

 By Jeff Moeller, Florida Sports Wire JACKSONVILLE - Trade Trevor Lawrence? At first mention, it seems unthinkable.  But there have been some tires kicked surrounding the fourth-year quarterback, especially with a number of teams seeking someone under center. Lawrence has been linked to the Steelers, and those rumors persist. He also reportedly has been in the scope of the Giants and Jets. Jaguars officials quickly and flatly denied any trade talk for the once viewed generational player.  With new head coach and former Bucs’ offensive guru Liam Coen in place, the Jags have viewed the Lawrence-Coen connection as a perfect fit. The Jags confirmed their stance with Lawrence’s five-year, $275 million deal. The Jags finally have a general manager in 34-year-old James Gladstone, who brings a Rams’ pedigree to Florida with him. Don’t forget Jags longtime mainstay Tony Boselli, who is now the team’s VP of football operations.  It’s a revamped regime in place, and one of the...

GAINESVILLE -- The University of Miami baseball team (9-3) took down the eighth-ranked Florida Gators (11-1), 13-7, Sunday afternoon at Condron Ballpark. An offensive barrage of 13 runs in four innings, nine of them being unanswered, resulted in Florida’s first loss of the season and ties the all-time series at 136-136-1. Right-handed pitcher Carson Fischer (1-0) earned his first win as a Hurricane after entering the game in the middle of the sixth inning. Fischer would then go on to strikeout two Florida batters while surrendering two earned runs off four hits, totaling 2.1 innings pitched.  Florida went on the offensive attack right away by scoring two runs in the first and third innings. Bobby Boser’s RBI single and Landon Stripling’s sacrifice fly gave the Gators an early lead, then, two innings later, Brody Donay belted a two-run home run that made it 4-0 Gators. Miami bats sparked life in the fourth with an RBI single from co-captain Dorian Gonzalez Jr. that drove in Max Galv...

 TAMPA – University of South Florida baseball (6-5; 0-0 AAC) fell to UCF (9-3; 0-0 Big 12) 12-2 in seven innings at USF Baseball Stadium in the 172nd meeting between the teams. The Bulls suffered their first series loss of the season, with the Knights winning two out of the three games. USF fell short in their bid to start the season with three straight series wins. The Bulls won the opening game 13-3 but saw UCF take the next two by scores of 12-1 and 12-2. All three games were decided in seven innings. As was the case Saturday, UCF got off to an early lead, scoring four runs in the first two innings. In the top of the first, the Knights used three singles to score the game’s first run. The Knights utilized the long ball to add three runs in the second inning, scoring on a solo home run, followed by a single and two-run homer. In their half of the fourth, USF bounced back with two runs. Stewart Puckett got on with a two-out single. Lance Trippel doubled to left, advancing Puckett ...

 LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Solomon Strader put his name atop the Miami record books, highlighting a strong day two at the ACC Indoor Championships on Sunday held at the Norton Health Care Sport and Learning Center. Strader’s 400m time of 45.74 advanced him to Monday’s final and broke Davian Clarke’s 27-year-old record of 45.86 set on March 14, 1998. Strader’s time is the 13th fastest in the country and was the second-fastest time in qualifying. Edgar Campre earned silver in the heptathlon with 5,777 points. Campre placed third in all of Sunday’s events, recording an 8.03 in the 60m hurdles, clearing 4.70m in the pole vault and clocking a 2:47.67 in the 1000m. Ashton Torns closed out competition with a seventh-place finish in the long jump with a distance of 7.31m. Josh Jones advanced to the 800m final in dramatic fashion, winning his heat by .004 seconds. Josh was in second heading into the final lap and clocked 27.41 split to edge out Clemson’s Brian Kweyei. Sanaa Hebron earned her way in...

 PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA and ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA – 3M and the PGA TOUR today announced a five-year extension of 3M’s title sponsorship of the 3M Open through 2030. The Minnesota-based company has been a partner of the tournament since its inception in 2019. Hosted by the nonprofit 3M Open Fund, the extension will continue to bring the world’s top golfers to TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minn., through 2030. The 2025 3M Open will be held July 21-27 at TPC Twin Cities, where Jhonattan Vegas is expected to defend his 2024 title. The 2025 event will be televised on CBS/Paramount+, GOLF Channel, PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ and distributed internationally via the TOUR’s World Feed “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with 3M and a passionate Minnesota fan base that supports every sport in every season, including the 3M Open from day one,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “That same passion from 3M is on display each summer as they invest in their community and positively impac...

Jared C. Tilton (Getty Images) William Byron celebrates Sunday's Daytona on Victory Lane By Don Coble   DAYTONA BEACH – William Byron’s race-winning move started when the field stormed off the second turn on the final lap of the rain-delayed Daytona 500 Sunday night. As the leaders frantically jockeyed for position on the backstretch, the cars on the inside lane seemed the most out of control. He went for broke by moving next to the outside wall at the Daytona International Speedway. “I just trusted my instincts,” Byron said after becoming the first driver to win consecutive 500s since Denny Hamlin won in 2019-20. “I was getting in the third lane, regardless, because I was probably sixth coming out back.” As he expected, the inside turned into a high-speed game of bumper cars along the backstretch. Although cars were crashing and sliding in every direction, his Chevrolet darted through the carnage unscathed in an improbable rally that took him from ninth place to Victory Lane...

  Photo by NASCAR/Chris Gaythen (Getty Images) By Don Coble DAYTONA BEACH – There were 25 fans in line at one of many U.S. Secret Service checkpoints in and around the Daytona International Speedway Sunday before the 67 th Daytona 500 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. and country music star Chris Stapleton arrived for a sponsor appearance. They attempted to bypass the line to meet with guests from Brandt Group, but they were quickly stopped by a Secret Service agent who pointed them behind the checkpoint. Like everyone else, they had to empty their pockets and go through an X-ray machine before they were cleared. How relentless were agents doing their jobs before President Donald J. Trump’s arrival before the race? They stopped racing’s King, Richard Petty, for a pat-down. Reporters who worked the main press box had to exit their cars to be searched and cleared by dogs who could detect weapons and explosives. Snipers were on rooftops and hidden throughout the property. The VIP are...

Photo by ARCA Menard Series Brenden "Butterbean" Queen celebrates in Victory Lane - once he was told where to go. By Don Coble DAYTONA BEACH – It took Brende n “Butterbean” Queen 90 minutes to finish his interview requests and media responsibilities Saturday afternoon after winning the Ride the ‘Dente 200, the season-opener for the ARCA Menard Series, before he left the infield media center. Ten minutes later, the energetic 27-year-old rookie ran through a side door, hoisted the race trophy over his shoulder and left through the same side door. Although he’s won several small track championships, he wasn’t accustomed to the routine – like taking the trophy – after winning on stock car’s biggest stage – the Daytona International Speedway. His naivety was on display long before he forgot the trophy. During his cool-down lap, he radioed his team that he didn’t know what to do or where to go. They told him to go to the start/finish line “and burn it down” with a burnout. ...

  (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)   By Don Coble DAYTONA BEACH – To better understand just how wild the final few laps Friday night’s Florida Fresh 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race was, imagine this: • Parker Klingerman went to Victory Lane, and although he was so busy “just making moves” in the final few laps, he didn’t know his surge to the lead came on the final lap to what he thought was a victory. • Grant Enfinger went from 14 th to first to 12 th to fifth in the final five laps. • And former television actor from “Malcolm in the Middle,” Frankie Muniz, found a way to rally from running outside the top 20 to an 11 th -place finish in the last three laps in his truck series debut. • Then it really got crazy. An hour after the race, NASCAR disqualified Klingerman’s truck failed post-race inspection for being too low in the rear, which promoted Corey Heim to the win. Klingerman, who will go back to his day job as a reporter with CW’s coverage ...

Chris Shuman, second from left, watches with driver John Hunter Nemechek, during pole qualifying at the Michigan International Speedway last year.   By Don Coble DAYTONA BEACH – If there are no mistakes, it only takes Chris Shuman and Matt Schlytter about 10 seconds to do their jobs. The rest of their full-time work focuses on trimming valuable tenths of seconds off the time it takes to service John Hunter Nemechek’s Toyota during a pit stop. Schlytter is the jackman, also known as the quarterback, for the No. 42 Legacy Motor Club team, while Shuman changes the rear tires. When Nemechek’s car screeches to a stop, both launch over the pit wall and run around to the right side of the car, where Schlytter uses a specialty-made jack to hoist the 3,450-pound car off the ground. Simultaneously, Shuman will drop to his knees and hit the single-lug nut with an impact wrench. The car will lift, and the tire will come off simultaneously. The tire carrier will put a new tire in place, ens...

 DAYTONA BEACH – Due to the potential of inclement weather forecasted for the Daytona Beach area late Sunday, NASCAR Saturday announced the Daytona 500 will move up one hour from its originally scheduled time to 1:30 p.m. Gates and hospitality will now open at 9 a.m. The Fanzone will open at 8:30 a.m. Parking lots will open at 6 a.m. Due to increased security measures, Daytona International Speedway encourages all attendees to arrive early for the event. Please be aware that traffic may be unpredictable, so allow extra time for potential delays. Additionally, expect longer lines at the entry gates because of enhanced screening processes. Fans in attendance will still enjoy the pre-race performance by Pitbull and the pageantry of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds performing the flyover after the National Anthem. Fans can find additional schedule details for pre-race festivities in the fan guide at  daytonainternationalspeedway.com . The original broadcast networks remain unc...

(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) Dale Earnhardt Jr. reacts to Justin Allgaier crossing the finishing line during the first of two 150-mile Duel qualifying races for the Daytona 500. Allgaier moved the team into the starting lineup in the last three laps by improving his position by five spots. (Photo by Don Coble) Co-Team Owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. encountered every member of the JR Motorsports team on pit road before the start of the first of two 150-mile Duel qualifying races for the Daytona 500. He wanted to assure them to focus, perform and relax. By Don Coble DAYTONA BEACH – There were tears of happiness and sorrow following both 150-mile qualifying races for the Daytona 500 Thursday night at the Daytona International Speedway. For 36 drivers, the results of the Duels only set their starting spots for the Great American Race on Sunday (2:30 p.m., FOX). But it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for nine other drivers without exemptions into the sport’s biggest race to race their...

(Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) By Don Coble DAYTONA BEACH – Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric don’t have to worry about strategy or finishing positions during Thursday night’s Duel qualifying races after winning the first row of the Daytona 500 during pole qualifying Wednesday night. While the rest of the field will be determined in a pair of 150-mile races Thursday night (7 p.m. and 8:45 p.m., FS1), the biggest winners from Wednesday’s time trials may have been former NASCAR Cup Series Champions Martin Truex and Jimmie Johnson. Both were making a one-off start for the season-opening race at the Daytona International Speedway, and they didn’t have the safety net of a guaranteed spot in the starting lineup. 36 full-time teams with charters enjoy a guaranteed spot on the grid. NASCAR created a unique and confusing qualifying format, but Truex and Johnson won’t have to be part of the process after they posted the two fastest speeds of the nine non-chartered teams. The remaining s...