Pittsburgh showcases volleyball

PITTSBURGH — The University of Pittsburgh women’s volleyball team knocked off No. 7 Arizona State, 25-21, 25-18, 25-16, in the State Farm Showcase on Monday night.

Pittsburgh freshman Abbey Emch, who was an All-Ohioan at Crestview High School, had one block and made two attacks.

The match was played in front of 5,382 fans at PPG Paints Arena.

The Panthers improve to 2-2 and will host Pepperdine at 7 p.m. Friday.

Libb sparks Mount Union golfers

ZOAR — The University of Mount Union’s men’s golf team won the Wooster Gatorade Collegiate at Zoar Village Golf Course on Sunday afternoon.

The Purple Raiders finished with a team score of 593, which was seven strokes ahead of second-place John Carroll and Wooster in the 11-team tournament. The Purple Raiders shot a 295 on Saturday and a 298 on Sunday.

Mount Union junior Brian Myers from Wadsworth was the medalist with a 5-under-par 139 (71-68).

Mount Union freshman Jase Libb from West Branch and Austin Mariani from Badger tied for 17th with 7-over 151s.

The Purple Raiders return to action Sept. 8 for the first round of the Malone Fall Classic at Glenmoor Country Club in Canton.

Cleveland State moves on from Wolstein Center

CLEVELAND — Cleveland State University is advancing discussions to transform the site of its aging Wolstein Center, with the Board of Trustees approving negotiations this week with the United Soccer League (USL) to redevelop the venue into a professional soccer stadium and mixed-use district.

The move represents a symbolic and practical shift away from the 1991-era arena, long considered costly to maintain. Officials have expressed that its outdated infrastructure and high expenses have limited its continued use. A university-issued request for developer proposals earlier this year called for concepts ranging from adaptive reuse to full demolition of the facility, with the vision tied to a broader $650 million, 10-year campus modernization plan.

CSU President Laura Bloomberg said the endeavor goes beyond creating a sports venue. “This project is about more than a new stadium,” she said, emphasizing its role in revitalizing the campus district and deepening community engagement.

If talks with the USL progress as anticipated, construction could begin in two to three years, though details on funding and design remain in flux. The proposed redevelopment aims to introduce both professional men’s and women’s soccer to Cleveland while activating the broader campus district through mixed-use enhancements.

The Wolstein Center has been the longtime home to CSU’s basketball teams, hosting both sporting and cultural events. Under the master plan, basketball operations would move to a smaller, modern facility, while the arena site transitions to a “Partnership District” combining academic, residential, and commercial uses connected to the heart of the university’s vision.

Army football player, dad save a man

FORT MONTGOMERY, N.Y. (AP) — An Army football player and his father pulled a man from a crashed car just before it burst into flames near the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, earning praise from the institution for “heroic” and “selfless” actions.

Video of the daring rescue early Sunday showed sophomore safety Larry Pickett Jr. and his father, Larry Pickett Sr., grabbing the man out of the driver’s seat and carrying him away from the vehicle.

At one point, a woman could be heard screaming: “Larry! Come on! Come on! Get him out!”

The car, a white sedan, had smashed into a utility pole on Route 9W in Fort Montgomery, New York, about 4 miles from West Point, authorities said. Video of the rescue, recorded by Pickett Jr.’s sister, Lauren, showed sparking wires surrounding the vehicle.

The Picketts, in town for Pickett Jr.’s first football game of the season, came upon the crash just after midnight while driving back to campus after a family dinner in New York City’s Times Square. They stayed with the man until police and firefighters arrived.

“We knew that car was about to catch on fire and whoever was in there was going to burn up, and we couldn’t just watch and let that happen,” Pickett Jr. told The Athletic. “We got out, ran over, jumped over the power line, opened the door. He still had his seat belt on.”

“What if we got there just a minute later?” Pickett Jr. said.

Pickett Sr. told WTVD-TV in their hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, that his son “mentioned his military training kicked in” and “jumped right into action.”

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll commended Pickett Jr. in a social media post, saying the 20-year-old “embodies the highest values of the Army and West Point: duty, honor, country.”

“He showed that he can stand ready to act under pressure, whether on the football field, in his community, or in the future with the Soldiers under his command,” Driscoll wrote. “We are proud — and deeply grateful — for his heroism.”

The U.S. Military Academy echoed that sentiment, posting that it was “proud of the heroic actions” taken by Pickett Jr. and his father. The academy’s athletic director, Tom Theodorakis, wrote that their conduct is “exactly what we strive to develop … leadership, courage, and selfless service.”

“Cadet Larry Pickett Jr. and his father exemplify the values we hold dear, stepping up in a moment of crisis to save a life,” Theodorakis wrote. “Proud to see these traits in action, on and off the fields of friendly strife. Count the brave.”

Pickett Jr.’s off-field heroics came a day after he saw action in Army’s season opener, assisting on a tackle on a kickoff in the first quarter of the Black Knights’ 30-27 overtime loss Friday night to Tarleton State. His next game is Sept. 6 at Kansas State.

“Thank you Jesus that this man will live to see another day! I am so grateful for my son LJ for saving his life!” Pickett Sr. wrote in a Facebook post accompanying his daughter’s video.

The elder Pickett’s account of the rescue appeared alongside videos of Pickett Jr. playing football and posts about the cadet being featured in the EA Sports College Football 26 video game and named as Army football’s “Skill Worker of the Week.”

Pickett Jr.’s actions were a “testament to the character West Point is building in him — a readiness to go into the line of fire, not just for his country, but for anyone who needs it,” Pickett Sr. wrote.