SPORTS digest

YSU swimming coaches announced

Youngstown

Youngstown State Head Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Coach Brad Smith announced the completion of his coaching staff on Friday.

The Penguins have named Jessica Cavaiani and Ryan Paisley assistant coaches while Fengting Chen will serve the the Head Diving Coach.

Cavaiani comes to YSU after spending the previous two years with the women’s program at Division II Augustana. Paisley joins the YSU coaching staff after spending the previous two years at King’s College. Chen, who was a standout diver at Southern Illinois, spent the previous two campaigns as the diving coach at Indiana State.

Smith will begin his first year as the Head Coach of the men’s and women’s program this fall. The Penguins open the 2019-20 season in October.

Alaphilippe edges Tour de France champ

LA MONGIE, France

The first super-tough 2,000-meter (6,500-foot) climb of the Tour de France proved to be no obstacle for Julian Alaphilippe, the race leader who kept his yellow jersey while defending champion Geraint Thomas struggled up the Tourmalet pass and lost time on Saturday.

Thibaut Pinot won Stage 14 up the legendary ascent in the Pyrenees, making amends for a disaster on Stage 10, when he lost lots of time.

Thomas cracked on the final inclines to the top of the pass and couldn’t stay with Pinot and Alaphilippe, who increasingly appears to be justifying French hopes that he could become France’s first Tour winner since 1985.

“Since the start of the Tour I had this stage in the back of my mind. The Tournalet, it’s mythical,” said Pinot, who now has three career stage wins at cycling’s greatest race.

Pinot said he’s fuelled by anger at all the time he squandered on Stage 10, when he was part of a group that got separated from other title contenders in cross-winds.

“I have this rage inside me, because in my opinion it was an injustice,” said Pinot, a podium finisher in 2014.

ESPN reminds workers to avoid politics

NEW YORK

ESPN is reminding employees of the network’s policy to avoid talking politics after radio show host Dan Le Batard criticized President Donald Trump and the network itself on air.

An ESPN employee who requested anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak on personnel matters said Saturday that the reminder went out Friday to all employees, including Le Batard.

ESPN is not commenting publicly.

Le Batard called Trump’s comment that Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar and three other Democratic congresswomen of color should “go back” to the “places from which they came” deeply offensive and un-American.

Biles takes gold in U.S. Classic

LOUISVILLE, Ky.

Simone Biles won the U.S. Classic on Saturday night to maintain her six-year winning streak.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist and reigning world champion had an all-around score of 60.000, 2.100 points ahead of runner-up Riley McCusker. Grace McCallum was third at 57.700.

Biles, who has not lost since the 2013 U.S. Championships, surged from fifth following the first rotation on the uneven bars into first on the next. She posted the top scores in the vault and floor exercise, which generated the most curiosity for what she would add to her top-flight exercise routine.

Biles didn’t disappoint, unleashing a high-speed punch layout front onto her second flip. Momentum from the high-energy move sent her out of bounds, though it didn’t hurt her score in that segment or overall. She also was third on the balance beam in the first of just two U.S. appearances this year; the second is next month at the U.S. Nationals in Kansas City, Missouri.

Staff/wire report