Sports
Woman charged in deaths of Marquette athletes
MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin driver involved in a traffic crash last week that killed two Marquette University lacrosse players was drunk at the time, authorities alleged Wednesday in charging her with vehicular homicide.
Amandria Brunner, 41, of West Allis, faces two counts of homicide by an intoxicated use of a vehicle while having a prior intoxicant-related conviction. She faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted of both counts.
According to a criminal complaint, the crash happened on Friday in Milwaukee when Brunner tried to turn left in front of an SUV that was taking six Marquette men’s lacrosse players to a thrift store. Scott Michaud, a 19-year-old sophomore goalie and biomedical sciences major from Springboro, Ohio, and 20-year-old Noah Snyder, a sophomore attackman and business student from Irving, New York, were pronounced dead at the scene.
A witness told police that she helped Brunner out of her pickup truck and noticed Brunner smelled of alcohol and kept trying to put gum in her mouth. Police also found an open beer can in her truck, according to the criminal complaint.
Brunner’s blood, which was drawn about two hours after the crash, had a blood alcohol content of 0.133, which exceeds the state’s legal limit to drive of 0.08.
An analysis of the crash recorder in Brunner’s truck found that she had been stopped for about three seconds before she pulled into the intersection with the accelerator depressed almost all the way to the floor, according to the complaint. She was traveling just under 12 mph (19 kph) when she struck the SUV, and she never braked.
Brunner was convicted of operating while intoxicated in November 2003, the complaint says.
Online court records indicated Brunner was in custody in the Milwaukee County Jail on Wednesday. Records did not list an attorney for her.
Michaud and Snyder were named to the Big East’s all-academic team last year for maintaining grade-point averages of at least 3.0. Snyder played in 13 of Marquette’s 14 games last season, making three starts in the midfield and collecting nine goals and seven assists.
Sports
Michigan tops Illinois for 1st outright Big Ten regular-season title since ’14
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Morez Johnson Jr. had 19 points and 11 rebounds against his former team as No. 3 Michigan defeated No. 10 Illinois 84-70 on Friday night and clinched the Big Ten regular-season title.
Johnson, who played for the Illini last season after verbally committing three years earlier, was booed throughout the game by Illinois fans.
Aday Mara had 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting, and Yaxel Lendeborg finished with 16 points and seven rebounds for the Wolverines (27-2, 17-1), who are 10-0 on the road and have won 23 games by 10 or more points.
The Wolverines won their first outright conference regular-season title since 2014, when they also clinched with a win at Illinois.
Michigan’s 17 conference victories are the most in school history.
Keaton Wagler scored 23 points for the Fighting Illini (22-7, 13-5), who have lost four of six, including three in overtime. Wagler scored in double figures for the 21st straight game.
Kylan Boswell scored 15 points, and David Mirkovic had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Illini, who entered the game as the Big Ten’s top 3-point shooting team. Illinois was just 9-of-29 from distance against Michigan.
Michigan led 38-31 at halftime behind Johnson’s 13 points.
Down 16-11 after a four-point play by Wagler, the Wolverines responded with an 11-point run capped by a 3 by Johnson and never trailed again. They led by as many as 21 points in the second half.
Michigan’s win snapped a nine-game losing streak against Illinois that began in 2019. The Wolverines had dropped four in a row to the Illini at the State Farm Center.
Sports
Sources: Trump, college leaders to tackle issues at roundtable
The Power 4 conference commissioners are expected to join dozens of sports celebrities and dignitaries on March 6 at the White House in a roundtable discussion with President Donald Trump about the future of college athletics, multiple sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.
President Trump will chair the group, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and New York Yankees president Randy Levine are listed as vice chairs, according to a source who provided a list of 35 people who received invitations. The list also includes:
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Golfer Tiger Woods
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Former college football coaches Nick Saban, Mack Brown and Urban Meyer
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Former secretary of state and College Football Playoff selection committee member Condoleezza Rice
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New England Patriots president Jonathan Kraft
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NBA commissioner Adam Silver
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Fox Sports president Eric Shanks
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ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro
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Several athletic directors, including Notre Dame’s Pete Bevacqua
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Former college athletes, including Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Florida State basketball and football player Charlie Ward
The list also includes current university presidents and chancellors.
It’s unknown whether everyone invited will attend the event, which is called the “College Sports Roundtable.” Multiple sources planning to attend expressed skepticism about how much could be done on a Friday afternoon with so many people from different backgrounds involved.
“It’s people who could be involved in helping shape the future of college athletics and some of the solutions and strategies to structuring the athletic world going forward,” said one source who plans to attend. “It’s so preliminary, it’s hard to say anything with any sort of specificity because there hasn’t been anything provided to us in writing of that sort yet.”
Also expected to attend is billionaire businessman Cody Campbell, chairman of Texas Tech’s board of regents and a former college football player, who has been working on a “Saving College Sports” campaign and involved in discussions about a possible roundtable for more than a year.
Leaders throughout college athletics have also been meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill for years to rally support for legislation to help regulate NIL. Despite Trump’s outspoken support and multiple politicians taking stances on issues such as athlete employment, the NCAA has been unable to get a bill to the floor for a vote.
Yahoo Sports was first to report the meeting.
Sports
Kelly Inouye-Perez passes Hall of Famer Sue Enquist for most wins in UCLA history
Kelly Inouye-Perez became the winningest coach in UCLA softball history when the No. 9 Bruins beat No. 4 Florida 15-12 on Friday night in the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif., pushing her past mentor and Hall of Famer Sue Enquist for career victory No. 888.
It was Enquist, in fact, who crowned her.
Literally.
Enquist was part of the postgame celebration, stepping forward to present Inouye-Perez with a crown that had blue gemstones to match the UCLA uniforms players wore in the victory. Inouye-Perez grew emotional as she explained how much it meant to carry on a proud UCLA legacy.
Only three women have coached the winningest softball program in Division I history: Inouye-Perez played for the other two, Sharron Backus and Enquist, during her UCLA playing career. They each have 800-plus victories, and are responsible for all of UCLA’s 2,226 wins and 13 national championships.
In a phone call with ESPN after the victory, Inouye-Perez deflected praise and made sure to credit longtime assistant and best friend Lisa Fernandez as well. The two played at UCLA together and have been side by side since Inouye-Perez became head coach in 2007.
“When we talk about the Bruin family, it’s real, and that’s all I’m trying to do is sustain this tradition of excellence for all those that built this historic program,” Inouye-Perez said. “There is no other program that has sustained over six decades like UCLA softball and Lisa and I are doing our best to be able to do that.”
Inouye-Perez, in her 20th season as UCLA head coach, arrived in Westwood in 1989 as a catcher. She would ultimately win three national championships as a player. Her coaching career began as a UCLA assistant under Enquist immediately after her playing career ended.
This season marks her 38th straight year with UCLA softball. She remains the only person in Division I history to win a national championship as a player and coach.
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