East volleyball team now in Division II

East volleyball team now in Division II

YOUNGSTOWN

The Ohio High School Athletic Association said the East volleyball team has been reassigned from Division I to Div. II.

Two weeks ago, the East football team was reassigned from Div. II to Div. IV because Chaney’s enrollment no longer counts into the East enrollment for competitive balance.

The schools were split because Chaney began offering sports for the 2018 academic year.

YSU goalie McEachern receives weekly honors

INDIANAPOLIS

Sophomore goalkeeper Kate McEachern has been named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week.

McEachern became the first Penguin to earn a weekly award this season.

In Saturday’s match against Oakland, McEachern made five saves on 17 shots to help the Penguins to a scoreless draw in double overtime.

In Horizon League games, McEachern leads all goalies with 37 saves and 7.4 saves per game. She also holds the second-best save percentage at .841.

Former USC DB Kevin Ellison dies at 31

LOS ANGELES

Former Southern California defensive back Kevin Ellison, who was a captain for the Trojans before a brief NFL career, has died. He was 31.

USC’s athletic department confirmed Ellison’s death with a Twitter post on Saturday. The Los Angeles Times reported records from the Los Angeles County coroner’s office showed Ellison died on a freeway, though no cause of death was given and an exam was still pending. Ellison’s brother, Chris Ellison, told the Times his brother had mental issues and was walking along I-5 at the time of his death.

Kevin Ellison played for USC from 2005-08. He was an all-Pac-12 safety and played on teams that won three Rose Bowl games.

Ellison was drafted by San Diego in the sixth round in 2009 and played nine NFL games.

College football’s winningest coach dies

MINNEAPOLIS

John Gagliardi, who won more games than any other college football coach with his unconventional methods at a small Minnesota school, has died. He was 91.

St. John’s University says Gagliardi (pronounced guh-LAHR’-dee) died Sunday morning. A cause of death was not immediately known.

Gagliardi retired in 2012 after a record 64 seasons as a head coach, with 60 of those at St. John’s, an all-male Catholic school in Collegeville, Minnesota, that competes at the NCAA’s non-scholarship Division III level.

Gagliardi finished with 489 wins, 138 losses and 11 ties, winning four national championships with the Johnnies.

Phoenix Suns fire GM Ryan McDonough

PHOENIX

The Phoenix Suns have fired general manager Ryan McDonough barely a week before the season begins.

James Jones and Trevor Bukstein will share the GM duties on an interim basis for the Suns. Jones is the team’s vice president of basketball operations and Bukstein was assistant GM under McDonough, who had been in Phoenix since 2013 and was under contract through 2020.

The Suns took Deandre Ayton with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft and gave Devin Booker a $158 million extension during the offseason. Phoenix has had four straight losing seasons and no playoff berths since 2010.

AP source: Eagles RB Jay Ajayi has torn ACL

PHILADELPHIA

The Philadelphia Eagles have placed running back Jay Ajayi on injured reserve because of a knee injury.

A person familiar with the situation says Ajayi tore an ACL and will miss the rest of the season.

Ajayi had 29 yards rushing on eight carries and lost a fumble at the Vikings 5 in a 23-21 loss to Minnesota on Sunday.

Ajayi is in the final season of his rookie contract.

Staff/wire reports