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PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S HOCKEY LEAGUE (PWHL) SETS FOUNDATION FOR INAUGURAL SEASON

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Paul Krotz | ThePWHL

Boston, Minnesota, Montreal, New York, Ottawa, and Toronto are home to first six teams

Player selection process, including draft and free agency guidelines, announced

TORONTO, ON (August 29, 2023) – The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) was officially introduced today with a foundational announcement naming its six markets across Canada and the United States. When the puck drops in January 2024, the world’s best women’s players will compete in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto, as well as Boston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and the New York City area.

Rosters for the inaugural season will begin forming during an initial free agency period commencing September 1, with the majority of the league’s founding players to be selected during the 2023 PWHL Draft on Sept. 18.

The league is supported financially by business and philanthropic leaders Mark and Kimbra Walter and is led by a Board of Directors that includes sports icon Billie Jean King, sports executive Ilana Kloss, Los Angeles Dodgers President Stan Kasten, and Dodgers Senior Vice President of Business Strategy Royce Cohen.

“On behalf of ownership and our board, I am honored to announce the official name of our new league and to unveil the blueprint for this historic inaugural season. And we are especially proud to be providing this new platform for elite women athletes,” said Kasten. “Our great game has the power to captivate and connect sports fans everywhere, and we are thrilled to plant roots in six of North America’s most passionate hockey markets.”

The 2023-24 PWHL schedule will feature 24 regular season games per team. The full schedule will be announced in the coming months.

“Today, we look ahead to a phenomenal future for the PWHL,” said Jayna Hefford, PWHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations. “We have never seen more excitement and demand for women’s sports, and through the launch of this league, the top women’s players in the world will have the opportunity to reach even greater heights.”

The PWHL is in the final stages of securing six General Managers who will be responsible for building team rosters through free agency and the draft. A Player Evaluation Advisory Committee has assessed the eligible player pool as an additional resource for the new GMs. The committee has extensive knowledge in coaching, scouting, and player development with members representing all levels of the women’s game from professional (PWHPA and PHF) to collegiate programs (NCAA and U SPORTS) to international competition (Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, and IIHF).

Initial Free Agency

Prior to the Sept. 18 draft, a 10-day free agency period will occur from Sept. 1-10. Each team can sign three players to Standard Player Agreements. Of note, current or graduating players from NCAA or U SPORTS programs are not eligible for this preliminary free agency period.

Draft Declaration

Any player who is interested in competing in the 2023-24 PWHL season must declare for the draft by Sept. 3. Of note, players with remaining collegiate eligibility are permitted to declare for the draft (in consultation with their campus compliance officers).

Draft Selection Process

Order of selection for the first round of the inaugural draft will be determined by a draft lottery. Subsequent rounds will follow a ‘snake format’ in which, once the round is completed, the following round will be conducted with the teams selecting in the reverse order of the previous round. The inaugural draft will consist of 15 rounds. There will be no draft picks traded until at least the completion of the 2023-24 season.

Post-Draft

Undrafted players become free agents immediately following the draft and may sign a Standard Player Agreement with any team at any point following the draft. Selected players may go unsigned for two years before becoming eligible to enter the draft again. No player can declare for more than two drafts.

Standard Player Agreements

No more than 20 Standard Player Agreements per team are permitted to be executed in advance of 2023-24 Training Camps, which will commence in November. Six players on each team will be signed to three-year SPAs of no less than $80,000 per league year. In 2023-24, up to five players on each team will be signed to two-year SPAs. A player will become a free agent following the termination or end date of a signed SPA.

Key Dates

Sept. 1 – Initial free agency period begins
Sept. 3 – 2023 PWHL Draft declaration deadline
Sept. 10 – Initial free agency period ends
Sept. 18 – 2023 PWHL Draft

Fans can stay connected to the PWHL and register for email updates at thepwhl.com. Follow the new league on all social media platforms @thepwhlofficial plus all six new team accounts @pwhl_boston, @pwhl_minnesota, @pwhl_montreal, @pwhl_newyork, @pwhl_ottawa, and @pwhl_toronto.

Prospective players seeking more information about the draft declaration process may contact [email protected].

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Media Contact:
Paul Krotz
PWHL Director of Communications
647-505-8010
[email protected]

Simone Biles: Eighth U.S. Gymnastics title feels like ‘fever dream’

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Emma Hruby | Just Women’s Sports

Simone Biles’ return to gymnastics has made it seem like she never even left at all.

On Sunday, the 26-year-old won her unprecedented eighth U.S. all-around gymnastics title. She capped it off with what coach Laurent Landi called “the best floor routine I’ve ever seen her do.”

“Every time I come out here, I feel like I’m in a fever dream,” Biles said of the meet, her first major competition since her return. “I feel like nothing’s real. I knew I did a good floor routine, but as soon as I got off and saw the score, I was like, ‘Damn, I need to see that routine.’ Because I wasn’t sure.”

Through it all, Biles has made gymnastics look easy. She landed another Yurchenko double pike on Friday, continuing her reign as the only woman ever to so much as attempt it in competition. She earned a 9.8 execution score.

“It’s not normal. She is not normal,” Landi said.

And Biles is doing this all at the age of 26. In gymnastics terms, she is redefining what the sport can look like. Most gymnasts at 26 aren’t competing at their best, like Biles is.

She’s approaching the sport with a different mindset, choosing not to share her goals and instead to “be at peace” while taking it “one thing at a time.”

“I like to keep (my goals) personal, just so that I know what I’m aiming for,” Biles said. “I think it’s better that way. I’m trying to move a little bit differently this year than I have in the past. I think it’s working so far, so I’m going to keep it secretive.”

That peace will take her to the world championships next month, where she’ll attempt to add to her 25 world championship medals – 18 of which are gold. But for Biles, she’s just happy to be back in the thick of competition.

“I just didn’t think I was going to be back here competing,” she said. “I’m in the moment. But it doesn’t feel real for some reason. I just, seriously, can’t believe I’m out here competing again. I’m proud of myself for that.”

USA Squad Named for ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier

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USA Cricket

A 14-player squad to represent Team USA has been named for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier in Los Angeles, next month.

Charlotte Dickenson, named as Interim Women’s Head Coach
Four teams will compete for a spot in the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier

USA Cricket are delighted to announce the 14-player USA Women’s squad that will attempt to qualify for the T20 World Cup Global Qualifier in 2024. The regional qualifier will run from September 4th to 11th at the Woodley Park Cricket Complex, Van Nuys, California.

The 14-player squad contains seven players who participated in the 2023 ICC Under 19 Women’s World Cup, most of which have represented the senior team previously. The squad also sees the return of experienced off-spinner Uzma Iftikhar and all-rounder, Onika Wallerson.

Three uncapped players have earned their maiden call-up: Jessica Willathgamuwa, Chetna Reddy Pagydyala and Jivana Aras.

Left-arm pace bowler Tara Norris, who made history in this year’s Women’s Premier League by recording the tournament’s first 5-fer, is unavailable due to representative cricket commitments in England. Off-spinner Bhumika Bhadiraraju, a college freshman this Fall, is unavailable due to College commitments.

Charlotte Dickenson will be leading the charge as the USA Cricket Interim Head Coach. Dickenson is an ECB Level 3 coach who is also an ICC Coach Tutor and Master Educator. She brings immense experience having coached England’s U17, U19 and U21 national women’s teams. In 2005, she was England’s Assistant Coach and Manager during the team’s Ashes win against Australia. Dickenson was a part time coach for the Belgium Women’s team and has been coaching in the USA Cricket National Domestic Pathway tournaments since 2021.

The national team will be assembling in Van Nuys, California on August 25 for a pre-tournament camp.

Team USA Women’s Squad
Sindhu Sriharsha (Captain)
Geetika Kodali (Vice-Captain)
Aditi Chudasama
Anika Kolan
Chetna Reddy Pagydyala
Disha Dhingra
Gargi Bhogle
lsani Vaghela
Jessica Willathgamuwa
Jivana Aras
Onika Wallerson
Ritu Singh
Suhani Thadani
Uzma Iftikhar

Non Travelling Reserves

Laasya Mullapudi
Snigdha Paul
Chetnaa Prasad

Support Staff

Head Coach: Charlotte Dickenson
Assistant Coach: Chitaranjan Nilak
Manager: John Aaron
Analyst: Rohaan Gosala
Physiotherapist: Alondra Castellanos

Selection Panel: Joan Alexander-Serrano (Chair), Erica Rendler, Jyotsna Patel, Rajeshwari Antani, Syed Masood Akhtar

Noelle Malkamaki Has Fully Embraced Being A Para Collegiate Athlete

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LELA MOORE | USA Paralympics Track and Field

When Noelle Malkamaki broke the world record in the women’s shot put F46 for the first time, she didn’t even realize it.

It was earlier this summer, while competing at the U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Championships in Chula Vista, California. Malkamaki said she wasn’t having her best meet and ended up not feeling the thrill she thought she would.

The circumstances were different when she broke her own world record two months later. In fact, Malkamaki set a new record three separate times during last month’s World Para Athletics Championships in Paris, with the official record of 13.32 meters coming on her final throw. That was more than enough to secure the gold medal in Malkamaki’s world championships debut.

“The energy was better, and I enjoyed the performance personally,” Malkamaki, 22, said.

Her journey to the world record has been a short and fast one, although, she said, it did not seem like it would ever begin at the outset.

The Decatur, Illinois, native, whose right hand never developed due to amniotic band syndrome, began throwing in middle school and earned a scholarship to DePaul University in Chicago. Two years into her NCAA career, her coach brought up the Paralympics.

With no concept of how many classifications existed in Paralympic competition and what qualification entailed, Malkamaki was hesitant.

“I was a complete outsider,” she said. “It wasn’t even like I was looking in from the outside; I just didn’t have the information.”

Malkamaki initially worried, she said, that she was not “disabled enough.”

“Those were the words that I used because I didn’t have any idea or understanding of how everything worked,” she said.

There were many steps to the process of getting classified, and many times when she wondered if she was going about everything correctly.

She eventually received her national classification, followed by her international classification. And finally, she said, “the ball really started moving.”

For a while, Malkamaki felt like she was living in two different worlds. She was a Division I athlete, attending meets against able-bodied athletes one day, then she’d be competing as a Para athlete the next.   

After a year of pursuing Para competition, Malkamaki said, “it’s weird living in these two spheres, but the more I think about it, I’m realizing that there are ways that these two things can be the same.”

Malkamaki had a successful senior season at DePaul, where she throws discus and hammer in addition to the shot put. She took fourth place in the shot put at the Big East outdoor championships.

With one year of eligibility left at DePaul (granted because of the COVID-19 pandemic), Malkamaki has started to feel more comfortable competing in college and on the Para international stage.

“I don’t have to be two different athletes,” she said. “I’m one athlete that takes up space in both, and that’s OK.”

Her experience in Paris helped Malkamaki become more accepting of that, as she was able to interact with other athletes who have similar experiences. She quickly discovered she was not the only one struggling mentally with the dichotomy.

“Among the other athletes on the U.S. Para team who are also in college sports, we’re all able to talk to one another and make each other feel secure,” she said. “We can all tackle this together and work through some of these confusing feelings together.”

One of Malkamaki’s closest friends on the national team is Liza Corso, who won a silver medal in the women’s 1500-meter T13 in Paris. The visually impaired distance runner will be entering her junior year this fall at Lipscomb University in Nashville.

“She was the first person I talked to about, ‘Hey, am I normal for feeling this way?’” Malkamaki said of Corso.

The two women supported each other throughout training and watched each other compete in Paris.

Malkamaki is grateful that she will have the support at DePaul as she competes through her fifth season while also training with an eye on next summer’s Paralympic Games Paris 2024.

“I really have a lot of trust in my college program right now,” she said.

Malkamaki will add in more plyometric exercises into her strength-training regime, she said, with the hopes of making her both stronger but also more explosive.

“I want to leave the college system with a bang because I’m really grateful for the time that I’ve had here,” she said.

Malkamaki knows that once she leaves college, her training will become much more single-minded. Ultimately, she hopes to break her own world record again, perhaps at the Paralympics. She has not taken a break since she began Para competitions, and she doesn’t plan to before Paris.

“Why mess with something that isn’t broken?” she said.

Sha’Carri Richardson stamps a comeback with a 100-meter world title

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Peter Granitz | NPR

Sha’Carri Richardson ran past a heat of the fastest sprinters in the world Monday to win the women’s 100 meter at the World Athletics Championship in Budapest.

She ran from behind and past Jamaicans Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the defending world champion, to win with a time of 10.65 seconds.

Richardson’s run – from the disadvantageous outside lane – catapults her back into the elite ranks of women’s track and marks a major comeback after two years of disappointment.

“I would say never give up,” Richardson said after Monday’s race. “Never allow media, never allow outsiders, never allow anything but yourself and your fate to define who you are. I would say always fight. No matter what. Fight.”

Richardson was poised to contend in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, but after testing positive for marijuana, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency suspended her from competition for a month, which prevented her from competing in the games.

Her suspension set off a debate over the fairness and equal application of anti-doping tests, a debate Richardson herself joined, after initially and immediately accepting her suspension. At the time, President Joe Biden said of her suspension, “The rules are the rules, and everybody knows what the rules were going in, whether they should remain the rule is a different issue.”

Richardson said she took marijuana in Oregon, where it is legal, after learning of the death of her mother. The ban marked the start of two years in the track and field wilderness.

She finished last in the 100 meters in her return after the suspension at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic. Then she failed to make last year’s worlds team.

But 2023 marked a new lap. In May, at the LA Grand Prix she said she “went through a tough time,” in track and field, and that in the previous years “It just was me that was standing in my way.”

There was little standing in her way in Monday’s finals.

The two Jamaicans were running from the middle and ran out of the blocks to an early lead. Richardson trailed until the final meters of the race and pulled far enough ahead to cross the line with outstretched arms.

Sponsor Message

On Monday, she repeated a message she said she’s been saying all year.

“I’m not back. I’m better.”

Paralympic Gold Medalist Morgan Stickney Persevered to Graduate College

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Charlotte McKinley | Biola University

LA MIRADA, CALIF. — After seven years, countless surgeries and perseverance through suffering, Tokyo 2021 Paralympian Morgan Stickney will graduate from Biola University on May 5, 2023.

Stickney started college in 2016 ranked as a top-20 American freestyle swimmer and swam on Biola’s swim team as a freshman in 2016. Soon after, pain from a previously broken sesamoid bone in her left big toe quickly worsened leaving her unable to compete or swim. In 2017, she developed a staph infection in her foot and the then-20-year-old made the difficult decision to amputate her foot.

Just weeks after her surgery, Stickney was in the pool again. However, similar pain started in her right foot due to a mysterious cardiovascular condition that blocked blood flow to her lower legs. Stickney had to amputate her right foot and became a bilateral amputee.

Stickney kept training and won two Paralympic gold medals in the 400-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter medley relay for the United States in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. Recently, she set a new American record in the women’s S7 400 freestyle at the 2023 Citi Para Swimming World Series in Minneapolis. Throughout her training and suffering through surgeries and recovery, she continued to work on her college degree.

“Morgan’s courage, perseverance and deep faith in God have helped her persevere, and we are honored to present her with her hard-earned degree,” said Dr. Barry H. Corey, President of Biola.

Stickney will graduate with a B.S. in Applied Psychology on May 5, 2023 at 7 p.m.

CEO of the YouVersion Bible App, Bobby Gruenewald, is the commencement speaker for both of Biola’s Spring Commencement ceremonies. Gruenewald serves on the Leadership Team at Life.Church as the Pastor, Innovation Leader and Founder.

For those unable to attend in person, a live stream of the ceremonies will be available on the Biola website, and on Biola’s Facebook.

For more information or press passes, please contact Sarah Dougher, media relations coordinator, at [email protected].

FOR MEDIA: Upon arrival to campus, please call (949) 521-1829.

Biola University

13800 Biola Ave.

La Mirada, CA 90639

2023 PARA WORLDS DAY 2: USA’S MORGAN STICKNEY SMASHES WORLD RECORD IN WOMEN’S S7 400 FR

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James Sutherland | Swim Swam

Five world records fell during the second day of competition at the 2023 Para Swimming World Championships in Manchester, including Morgan Stickney obliterating one mark to give the United States its first gold medal of the competition.

Stickney, 26, put up a time of 4:54.28 to win gold in the women’s 400 free S7, knocking nearly five seconds off the previous world record in the process.

Stickney’s time broke the previous mark of 4:59.02 set by Australian Jacqueline Freney in 2012, and she also broke her own American Record of 5:03.16 set earlier this year in Minneapolis.

Three of Tuesday’s world records came in the 100 freestyle, with two male and one female marks going down.

In the men’s 100 free S4, Israel’s Ami Omer Dadaon clocked 1:18.94 to erase the record of 1:19.26 he set earlier this year at the Para Swimming World Cup in Berlin.

In the S6 category of the men’s 100 free, Italian Antonio Fantin also broke his own world record, bringing his 1:03.65 mark from last year’s Worlds down to 1:02.98 to successfully defend his title.

On the women’s side, China’s Jiang Yuyan brought the 100 free S6 record sub-1:11 for the first time, as she put up a time of 1:10.86 to knock off the previous mark she shared with Ukrainian Yelyzaveta Mereshko (1:11.07), with the two swimmers having tied for bronze (in the S7 category) in the event at the 2021 Paralympics.

The lone non-freestyle world record broken on the day came in the men’s 100 fly S11, where Ukraine’s Danylo Chufarov logged a time of 1:00.66 to lower the 15-year-old mark of 1:01.12 set by Spain’s Enhamed Enhamed in 2008.

With six gold and eight total medals after the opening day, Italy led the medal table early on, and they extended that on Tuesday, now sitting atop the heap with nine gold and 15 total medals.

Leading things off for Italy on the day was Federico Bicelli, who won the men’s 400 free S7 in a time of 4:40.55 to top Argentine Inaki Basiloff (4:40.96).

Following Bicelli’s lead for the Italians was Fantin, who claimed the men’s 100 free S6, and they also had a victory from Stefano Raimondi, who topped the men’s 200 IM SM10 in 2:10.41. Raimond’s win marked a successful title defense, having won the event last year in Portugal, and he also won silver in Tokyo.

China had a strong showing on the day, moving up to second on the medal table after winning four golds and seven total medals on Tuesday to bring their cumulative tally up to 7/17.

In addition to Jiang’s win in the women’s 100 free S6, China also had Lu Dong set a new Championship Record in the women’s 50 back S5 (38.21), and Yuan Weiyi topped the men’s 50 back S5 in a time of 32.73, leading a 1-2-3 sweep.

The Chinese team then capped the night off by winning the mixed 4×50 free relay 20pts in 2:18.58, setting a new Championship Record.

Great Britain also had a strong day, including a podium sweep in the women’s 100 back S14 as they rank third on the medal table, tied with China with seven golds while trailing by one in terms of overall medal count.

Read more: 2023 PARA WORLDS DAY 2: USA’S MORGAN STICKNEY SMASHES WORLD RECORD IN WOMEN’S S7 400 FR

MEDAL TABLE THROUGH DAY 2

RANKNATIONGOLDSILVERBRONZETOTAL
1Italy92415
2China76417
3Great Britain74516
4Australia43310
5Canada4026
6Brazil34512
7Ukraine3339
8Germany3216
9Netherlands2305
10Hungary2002
11Spain15410
12United States1348
13Mexico1203
14Israel1012
15Greece1001
Republic of Korea1001
17Japan0336
18France0224
19Argentina0134
20Azerbaijan0112
New Zealand0112
22Colombia0101
Croatia0101
Ireland0101
Kazakhstan0101
South Africa0101
27Cyprus0011
Denmark0011
Switzerland0011
Turkiye0011

ALL DAY 2 MEDALISTS

Men’s 400 Freestyle S7

Women’s 400 Freestyle S7

  • Gold: Morgan Stickney (USA) – 4:54.28 WR
  • Silver: Ahalya Lettenberger (USA) – 5:22.27
  • Bronze: Sabrina Duchesne (CAN) – 5:31.17

Men’s 100 Freestyle S4

  • Gold: Ami Omer Dadaon (ISR) – 1:18.94 WR
  • Silver: Cameron Leslie (NL) – 1:22.56
  • Bronze: Takayuki Suzuki (JPN) – 1:22.91

Women’s 100 Freestyle S4

  • Gold: Tanja Scholz (GER) – 1:22.18
  • Silver: Lidia Vieira Da Cruz (BRA) – 1:29.43
  • Bronze: Gina Boettcher (GER) – 1:30.31

Men’s 50 Backstroke S5

  • Gold: Yuan Weiyi (CHN) – 32.73
  • Silver: Wang Lichao (CHN) – 32.92
  • Bronze: Guo Jincheng (CHN) – 33.71

Women’s 50 Backtroke S5

  • Gold: Lu Dong (CHN) – 38.21
  • Silver: He Shenggao (CHN) – 41.44
  • Bronze: Sumeyye Boyaci (TUR) – 43.32

Men’s 150 IM SM3

  • Gold: Ahmed Kelly (AUS) – 2:58.59
  • Silver: Marcos Rafael Zarate Rodriguez (MEX) – 3:19.28
  • Bronze: Emmanuele Marigliano (ITA) – 3:29.03

Women’s 150 IM SM3

  • Gold: Tanja Scholz (GER) – 2:53.18 CR
  • Silver: Marta Fernandez Infante (ESP) – 3:03.87
  • Bronze: Ellie Challis (GBR) – 3:13.13

Men’s 100 Freestyle S6

  • Gold: Antonio Fantin (ITA) – 1:02.98 WR
  • Silver: Talisson Henrique Glock (BRA) – 1:04.73
  • Bronze: Daniel Xavier Mendes (BRA) – 1:05.14

Women’s 100 Freestyle S6

  • Gold: Jiang Yuyan (CHN) – 1:10.86 WR
  • Silver: Anna Hontar (UKR) – 1:13.48
  • Bronze: Nora Meister (SUI) – 1:14.45

Men’s 200 IM SM10

  • Gold: Stefano Raimondi (ITA) – 2:10.41
  • Silver: Col Pearse (AUS) – 2:13.68
  • Bronze: Alexy Saffy (AUS) – 2:16.07

Women’s 200 IM SM10

  • Gold: Bianka Pap (HUN) – 2:28.58
  • Silver: Lisa Kruger (NED) – 2:30.15
  • Bronze: Faye Rogers (GBR) – 2:31.50

Men’s 100 Back S8

  • Gold: Inigo Llopis Sanz (ESP) – 1:05.32
  • Silver: Kota Kubota (JPN) – 1:06.40
  • Bronze: Sam Downie (GBR) – 1:08.36

Women’s 100 Back S8

  • Gold: Alice Tai (GBR) – 1:12.11
  • Silver: Xenia Francesca Palazzo (ITA) – 1:19.40
  • Bronze: Tupou Neiufi (NZL) – 1:20.35

Men’s 100 Fly S11

  • Gold: Keiichi Kimura (JPN)  – 1:03.66
  • Silver: Uchu Tomita (JPN) – 1:04.28
  • Bronze: Mykhailo Serbin (UKR) – 1:07.29

Men’s 100 Fly S12

  • Gold: Douglas Matera (BRA) – 58.28
  • Silver: Stephen Clegg (GBR) – 58.41
  • Bronze: Raman Salei (AZE) – 58.73

Women’s 100 Fly S12

  • Gold: Maria Carolina Gomes Santiago (BRA) – 1:05.68
  • Silver: Maria Delgado Nadal (ESP) – 1:06.87
  • Bronze: Alessia Berra (ITA) – 1:06.98

Men’s 100 Back S14

  • Gold: Benjamin Hance (AUS) – 57.26 CR
  • Silver: Gabriel Bandeira (BRA) – 59.05
  • Bronze: Alexander Hillhouse (DEN) – 59.86

Women’s 100 Back S14

  • Gold: Bethany Firth (GBR) – 1:05.80 CR
  • Silver: Poppy Maskill (GBR) – 1:05.87
  • Bronze: Georgia Sheffield (GBR) – 1:08.61

Men’s 100 Breast SB13

  • Gold: Taliso Engel (GER) – 1:03.26 CR
  • Silver: Nurdaulet Zhumagali (KAZ) – 1:05.16
  • Bronze: David Henry Abrahams (USA) – 1:05.55

Women’s 100 Breast SB13

  • Gold: Rebecca Redfern (GBR) – 1:15.01
  • Silver: Colleen Young (USA) – 1:15.89
  • Bronze: Olivia Chambers (USA) – 1:18.45

Men’s 200 IM SM9

  • Gold: Timothy Hodge (AUS) – 2:12.74 CR
  • Silver: Ugo Didier (FRA) – 2:17.15
  • Bronze: Federico Morlacchi (ITA) – 2:21.26

Women’s 200 IM SM9

  • Gold: Zsofia Konkoly (HUN) – 2:35.91
  • Silver: Nuria Marques Soto (ESP) – 2:36.67
  • Bronze: Sarai Gascon (ESP) – 2:37.13

Mixed 4×50 Free Relay 20pts

  • Gold: China – 2:18.58 CR
  • Silver: Brazil – 2:23.65
  • Bronze: Ukraine – 2:25.93

Stickney’s second world title caps four-medal final night for Team USA in Manchester

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KRISTEN GOWDY | USA Paralympic Swimming

MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM – Team USA brought home four more medals, including a second title of the meet from Morgan Stickney (Cary, North Carolina), as the 2023 Para Swimming World Championships concluded with a seventh day of competition at the Manchester Aquatics Centre.

World championships rookie Olivia Chambers (Little Rock, Arkansas) added a silver medal, while

Paralympians McClain Hermes (Dacula, Georgia) and Elizabeth Marks (Colorado Springs, Colorado) each brought home bronze to bring Team USA’s total on the meet to 25.

The Americans wrapped competition finishing 8th in the overall medal count. Chambers led the charge with six medals, while Noah Jaffe (Carlsbad, California) earned five. Stickney and Jessica Long (Baltimore, Maryland) won two gold medals apiece to lead Team USA.

Already a world champion in the 400-meter freestyle S7, Stickney sprinted to her second world title of the meet in the 100-meter freestyle S7 in convincing fashion. Her time of 1:09.29 was nearly three seconds ahead of the rest of the field.

“I’m really excited,” she said. “I don’t get to sprint very often, so it’s always fun to get to do that. These are some amazing competitors I get to go against, and it was a really fun race.”

Stickney’s win is her fourth career world championships gold medal. The two-time Paralympic champion will look to qualify for her second Paralympic Games next summer.

“It’s so fun to be here and so fun to be a part of Team USA,” she said. “I’m so excited to see what training looks like and what the next year has to bring.”

Teammate Julia Gaffney (Mayflower, Arkansas) earned a spot in the 100-meter freestyle S7 finals alongside Stickney, but elected not to compete in the evening session. Her preliminary time of 1:15.97 would have ranked her sixth in the finals. Gaffney has had a busy meet, earning three medals in five events.

The two-time Paralympian Hermes swam to her first world championships medal since 2017, securing bronze in the women’s 400-meter freestyle S11 with a time of 5:18.66.

For Hermes, the medal was redemption after a fourth-place finish in the event at the 2022 world championships.

“I had a really good prelim swim today, and knew I had to keep it together for the finals,” Hermes said. “I did something similar last year where I swam really fast in the morning and then fell apart at night, so I knew that I needed to go out strong and hold onto it. I’m really happy to go another personal best time tonight and to get a medal.”

Hermes attributed her medal in part to her recent shift to training as a dual-sport athlete in both swimming and paratriathlon. She recently graduated from Loyola University Maryland and has transitioned to living at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

“My training has really changed,” she said. “I learned how to ride a bike and run in the last year, and that has really benefitted my training. I’m swimming less, but I’m doing so much more cardio and cross-training that it’s really impacting my swimming for the better. It’s really great to be competing in two sports right now and seeing growth in both.”

The medal is Hermes’ sixth career world championships podium.

Chambers, meanwhile, completed a perfect six-for-six podium performances in her world championships debut, taking her second consecutive silver medal in the women’s 200-meter individual medley SM13. Chambers wrapped her meet with a time of 2:28.23, putting herself comfortably in the silver medal position.

The 20-year-old will return home with four bronze medals to accompany her two silvers in what has been a dominant and well-rounded first world championships. She won medals in three freestyle events, plus butterfly and breaststroke, then put it all together for her individual medley medal tonight.

She will seek her first Paralympic Games berth next summer.

Teammate and Paralympic medalist Colleen Young (St. Louis, Missouri) returned to the pool for her final race of the meet and placed fifth behind Chambers. Young won silver in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke SB13 earlier in the week, adding her 12th career world championships medal.

The five-time Paralympic medalist Marks swam to her second bronze medal of the meet, snagging a podium finish in the women’s 50-meter butterfly S6 competition. Marks’ time of 36.80 was just .3 seconds off the silver medal pace, and just over two seconds behind the world record and gold medal-winning time set by Yuyan Jiang of China.

Marks also earned bronze in the 200-meter individual medley SM6 earlier in the week. She adds her fourth and fifth world championships medals to her resumé in Manchester as she tries for her third Paralympic Games next summer.

Paralympic silver medalist David Abrahams (Havertown, Pennsylvania), already a Manchester medalist in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke SB13, just missed his second medal of the week in the men’s 200-meter individual medley SM13. Abrahams put together a strong second half of the medley in the breaststroke and freestyle legs and was just out-touched at the wall, finishing .29 seconds off the bronze medal pace. Abrahams is set to return to Harvard University for his senior season on the men’s swimming team.

After winning a bronze medal in last night’s 200-meter freestyle, Paralympic silver medalist Leanne Smith (Salem, Massachusetts) finished her meet with a fifth-place result in the women’s 100-meter freestyle S3. She swam to a time of 2:05.61 in her sixth race of the week.

Team USA’s mixed 4×100-meter freestyle relay finals team, comprised of Stickney, Jaffe, Jamal Hill (Inglewood, California) and Audrey Kim (Salt Lake City, Utah) combined for a fifth-place finish in the mixed 4×100-meter freestyle relay 34 pts. to cap the meet for the Americans. Team USA swam to a time of 4:12.75.

The prelims relay team of Jaffe, Hill, Lizzi Smith (Muncie, Indiana) and Long finished second in their heat to qualify Team USA’s finals team into the evening session.

Hill also earned a fourth-place finish in the men’s 50-meter freestyle S9 just before competing in the relay finals. The Paralympic bronze medalist missed the podium by just .16 seconds in one of the closest Team USA finishes in Manchester. He and Stickney both raced both individual and relay races on the day.

Lizzi Smith, who swam in the prelim relay and qualified for the women’s 50-meter freestyle S9 final in the morning session, took a sixth-place finish in the event final. The three-time Paralympic medalist’s top finish of the week was fourth in the women’s 100-meter butterfly S9.

Paralympian Lawrence Sapp (Waldorf, Maryland) earned a seventh-place finish in the men’s 100-meter butterfly S14 competition, his signature event and only race of the meet. Sapp swam nearly identical times between his prelim and his final, finishing in 58.10 and 58.09, respectively.

Rounding out Team USA’s results was Paralympic champion Hannah Aspden (Raleigh, North Carolina), who wrapped her meet with a sixth-place finish in her heat of the women’s 50-meter freestyle S9.

With 2023 Para Swimming World Championships competition concluded, Team USA turns to its next major meet: the 2023 ParaPan American Games in Santiago, Chile, this November. Follow U.S. Paralympics Swimming on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates on the team.

For media requests and photo inquiries, please contact Kristen Gowdy at [email protected].

Team USA Medals – August 5

GOLD
Morgan Stickney – women’s 100-meter freestyle S7

SILVER
Olivia Chambers – women’s 200-meter individual medley SM13

BRONZE
McClain Hermes – women’s 400-meter freestyle S11
Elizabeth Marks – women’s 50-meter butterfly S6

Montgomery County Resident Brings Home Two Gold Medals at US National Karate Championships

by

Patrick Herron | Moco Show

Fabianna Herrera, instructor/Sensei at Senshi Karate Do in Montgomery Village, won the National Gold Medal in two categories – Women’s 16-34 Kata and Style Specific, at this year’s USANKF Karate Championships, which was held July 13-16th in Richmond, VA. Seventeen of Fabiana’s students also competed in junior divisions, bringing home a Total of 22 Medals – 7 Gold, 8 Silver, and 7 Bronze. The USANKF Karate Championships saw competitors from across the United States, including several who have represented the country at the Olympic Games. It is considered the most significant event on the Olympic circuit for karate.

Fabianna is a 2020 graduate of Clarksburg High School and started her karate journey at the age of seven, when she began training with her parents, David Abraham and Karla Flores, owners of the Senshi Karate dojo.  Over the past decade she has participated in numerous competitions, including a Gold Medal win at last year’s US Open in Las Vegas. In 2019, Herrera earned a spot on Team USA’s roster.

Fabianna’s tells us, “Karate is a way of life. It teaches respect, discipline, focus, and above all, courage. Courage to try new things and step out of your comfort zone. Whether it be earning a new belt rank, or participating in competitions, my aim is to help my students build the confidence that will help them to have a successful life. When you love what you do and find joy in it, everything else comes easy. I am honored to represent my Dojo and the state of Maryland while doing what I love most.”

With her recent wins at the USANKF Karate Championships, Fabianna Herrera’s dedication to her craft is evident. By imparting the values of work ethics, discipline, and the importance of setting ambitious goals, she hopes to inspire young martial artists and athletes.  “It means so much to be a role model for my students, but they are the ones who inspire me! Their words of encouragement and admiration are what motivate me to better myself every day.”

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