Florida Sports Wire

For the first time in the history of the event, two American professional triathletes took out the Cairns Airport IRONMAN Cairns triathlon titles, with Jackie Hering (USA) securing her third IRONMAN triathlon victory, while Matthew Marquardt (USA) claimed a maiden professional IRONMAN triathlon win. Both Hering and Marquardt claim the maximum 5,000 IRONMAN Pro Series points and each earn $18,000 USD for their wins. Hering broke the tape in 8:42:15, almost four minutes ahead of defending IRONMAN Cairns triathlon champion Hannah Berry (NZL), with Australian-based Dutch athlete Lotte Wilms making it back-to-back podium finishes in Tropical North Queensland in third.  Hering’s performance on Sunday was all the more remarkable given she only made the decision to head to Cairns in the last week, after not finishing at the Qatar Airways IRONMAN Hamburg European Championship triathlon in Germany a fortnight ago.  Hering was fifth out of the water behind Rebecca Clarke (NZL), Wilms, Be...

  PONTE VEDRA BEACH– The PGA TOUR today announced that Brian Rolapp has been named Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Rolapp joins the TOUR after spending more than two decades with the National Football League (NFL), where he helped reshape how fans experience live sports and most recently served as the league’s Chief Media and Business Officer. After an extensive process, the PGA TOUR CEO Search Committee—consisting of Arthur M. Blank, Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Jay Monahan, Joe Gorder and Sam Kennedy—unanimously recommended Rolapp for the role. Rolapp is a seasoned sports and media executive who has the specific skill set necessary to build on the TOUR’s momentum—experience scaling sports businesses in a fast-changing landscape and a clear appreciation for what makes the TOUR special and where it can go next. Rolapp will officially begin his new role later this summer. Having formed the Search Committee to find his successor, Commissioner Jay Monahan will transition his day-to-day re...

  ORLANDO — The Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning, announced today Head Coach and General Manager Matt Carkner will be leaving his position immediately to pursue a coaching role in the American Hockey League. Carkner, 44, was hired by the Solar Bears prior to the start of the 2022-23 season following a five-year stint (2016-21) as an Assistant Coach with the Bridgeport Islanders of the American Hockey League (AHL) and led the Solar Bears to two playoff appearances in his three seasons at the helm. In each of their playoff appearances under Carkner, the Solar Bears knocked off the first place team in the South Division, including the 2025 Kelly Cup Playoffs, when Orlando upset the Brabham Cup Regular Season Champion South Carolina Stingrays in seven games. Carkner's 105 regular season wins are the second most in Solar Bears history trailing only Drake Berehowsky. As a player, Carkner enjoyed a 15-year professional career that in...

  PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida, PEBBLE BEACH, California, and DALLAS – The PGA TOUR, AT&T, Inc. (NYSE: T), Monterey Peninsula Foundation and the Pebble Beach Company jointly announced today that AT&T has renewed its longtime sponsorship of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. A Signature Event on the PGA TOUR schedule, AT&T has sponsored the tournament since 1986, making it the PGA TOUR’s longest-running continuous title sponsor. The 2025 tournament, won by Rory McIlroy, marked the telecommunications company’s 40th consecutive year sponsoring the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Next year’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am begins Thursday, February 12, 2026, and will be broadcast on CBS/Paramount+, GOLF Channel, PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+, Sirius XM and distributed internationally via the TOUR’s World Feed. The 2026 tournament marks the 80th all-time playing of the event. “We are honored to extend with our longest-running title sponsor in AT&T, a committed supporter of Monterey Pe...

JACKSONVILLE – Miami Marlins catcher Rob Brantly will begin an injury rehabilitation assignment with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp when he serves as the starting catcher and hits third on Tuesday at the Syracuse Mets from NBT Bank Stadium.   Brantly was placed on the 10-day injured list on April 21, 2025, with a right lat strain. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on May 24, 2025. He played three games for the Marlins this season, has last being April 20. Brantly cracked three hits in seven at-bats while also recording one RBI.   A native of San Diego, California, Brantly was drafted in the third round of the 2010 draft by the Detroit Tigers. The Marlins acquired Brantly via a trade with the Tigers on July 23, 2012. He debuted in the major leagues the following season, his first game being the Marlins’ Opening Day matchup against the Washington Nationals.   Since his first stint with the Marlins, Brantly has played for 10 different organizations over 12 profes...

  SHREWSBURY, N.J. – For the 25th consecutive year, the ECHL is represented on the Stanley Cup champion with Florida Panthers Assistant General Manager Brett Peterson; Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations Paul Krepelka; Assistant Coach Jamie Kompon; Goaltending Coach Robb Tallas; players Vitek Vanecek and Carter Verhaeghe; Professional Scouts P.J. Fenton and Sean Backman; Amateur Scouts Dillon Donnelly, Josh Monk and Ken Morin; Assistant Athletic Trainer Brian Riedel; Assistant Equipment Managers Thomas Anderson, Dakota King and Joe Wiezczek and Radio Broadcaster Doug Plagens. The Savannah Ghost Pirates are the ECHL affiliate of the Panthers. The ECHL had affiliations with 29 of the 32 teams in the NHL in 2024-25, marking the 28th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams. The ECHL had 71 players on NHL opening-day rosters, marking the 22nd year in a row that there have been over 50 former ECHL players on opening-day rosters. Peterson skat...

JACKSONVILLE – Sporting Club Jacksonville has added four dynamic talents to the club’s inaugural Gainbridge Super League roster, signing midfielders Madison Kemp and Sophia Boman, and defenders Paige Kenton and Katie Sullivan. The new signings build on the recent roster additions of Georgia Brown, Ashlyn Puerta, Zara Siassi, Parker Roberts and Carolina Murray. “The four talents bring fearlessness, confidence and a fierce competitive edge to our team,” said Stacey Balaam, head coach for Sporting JAX. “As they transition to a professional level, I’m confident they will rise to every challenge and make an immediate impact on the field.” Madison Kemp, originally from Camas, Washington, began her college career at Gonzaga University before a standout final season at the University of Kentucky. She started all 21 matches for the Wildcats in 2024, netting five goals and five assists, and earned All-SEC third team honors. Kemp also scored 28 goals over five collegiate seasons. Sophia Boman, a...

JACKSONVILLE – Matt Mervis smacked a home run, but the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp fell to the Durham Bulls 7-1, contest from VyStar Ballpark. Locked in a scoreless tie, Dominic Keegan walked to leadoff the second for Durham (33-25). He advanced to second on a wild pitch, scoring two batters later on an RBI single from Tristan Peters giving the Bulls a 1-0 lead. Leading by a run, Kenny Piper reached on an error and Chandler Simpson singled to start the fifth. With runners at the corners, Ha-Seong Kim smacked a sacrifice fly, extending the Durham lead to two. The Bulls’ bats stayed hot in the sixth. A Bob Seymour single, coupled with a Keegan fielder’s choice, gave the Bulls two baserunners to start the frame. Two batters later, Peters (6) smashed a three-run home run, extending the lead to 5-0. Jacksonville (34-24) answered in the bottom of the sixth. Mervis (1) crushed a leadoff home run, bringing the Jumbo Shrimp within four. Durham struck again in the seventh inning. With two outs, T...