SPORTS digest

Pikunas leads Zips women’s golf in Florida

Akron

The Akron women’s golf team traveled to Lakewood Ranch, Fla. for the Mid-American Conference Match Play Challenge hosted by Bowling Green on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 5-6.

The two-day event is scheduled to be played at the 6,068-yard, Par-72 Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club and features 12 teams. Among the 12-team field are eight MAC schools that include host Bowling Green, Akron, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Ohio, and Western Michigan. Other non-league opponents include Dayton, Florida Gulf Coast, Fort Wayne, and UNC Asheville.

Akron enters the event as the No. 4 seed with a 157 Golfstat ranking for an opening round bye. The Zips are scheduled to start the event in the quarterfinal round against the winner of the Western Michigan/Fort Wayne matchup on Monday afternoon. Akron is slated to begin on hole No. 1 with seven-minute interval tee times ranging from 12:35 to 1:03 p.m.

The Zips are led by freshman Jacinta Pikunas (Youngstown) with a 73.18 stroke average. During the Fall, Pikunas set program records for the individual best round (66, -6), the best 36-hole total (138, -6), and top 54-hole total (210, -6) en route to four Top 25 finishes that included a win in her second collegiate tournament.

McCloughan rumored to join Browns staff

According to multiple reports, former Redskins GM Scot McCloughan will join the Browns as a personnel consultant and will assist the team during the 2018 NFL Draft.

McCloughan and Browns GM John Dorsey worked in Green Bay under former Packers GM Ron Wolfe.

Vonn records 81st win ahead of Olympics

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany

Lindsey Vonn claimed her 81st career victory on Sunday when she won the final women’s World Cup downhill before the Pyeongchang Olympics.

It was the American’s third straight triumph in the discipline after winning on the same hill the day before and in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, two weeks ago.

Vonn clocked 1 minute, 37.92 seconds on the Kandahar course to beat Sofia Goggia by 0.11 seconds.

Vonn’s American teammate Stacey Cook crashed and was taken off the hill on a sled. There was no immediate news on her condition.

Koreaian women’s hockey losses in debut

INCHEON, South Korea

Wearing a powder-blue logo of a map symbolizing peace between the Koreas, the most talked-about team at this year’s Olympics has seen game action for the first time in a friendly match that drew thousands of spectators in South Korea.

The North and South Korean women’s ice hockey players showed plenty of fight Sunday, but their combined team was outclassed in a 3-1 loss to Sweden at the Seonhak International Ice Rink in Incheon.

The Koreas’ combined team highlights a series of joint conciliatory gestures between the war-separated rivals for the Pyeongchang Olympics in South Korea, which begin on Friday.

Predators’ Forsberg suspended for late hit

NEW YORK

The NHL has suspended Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg for three games for a late hit on Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey.

The NHL announced the punishment on Sunday.

Forsberg hit Vesey behind the Rangers net in the second period Saturday night, and the league ruled Forsberg committed interference for starting the hit after Vesey had passed away the puck. The NHL also noted Forsberg was suspended for making “significant” contact with Vesey’s head.

Vesey was hurt and did not return in a 5-2 loss to the Predators.

His suspension will start Monday night on the road against the Islanders.

Staff/Wire Report