UCLA head football coach Chip Kelly announced Saturday the hiring of Brian Norwood as the team’s assistant head coach/passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach.
Norwood comes to UCLA after serving a second stint at Navy in the 2019 season as assistant coach/co-defensive coordinator/cornerbacks coach. The Midshipmen captured a victory over Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl to finish with an 11-2 record, matching the program’s record for most wins in a season. Norwood’s resume includes 14 bowl appearances.
— Bill Wagner
Horse racing: Frank Demarco’s Honor the Fleet, Grade 3-placed as a 3-year-old in 2017, got a patient ride from jockey Alex Cintron to become a stakes winner for the first time in Saturday’s $100,000 Fire Plug Stakes at Laurel Park.
The 24th running of the Fire Plug 4-year-olds and up and the 34th renewal of the $100,000 What a Summer for fillies and mares 4 and older, both contested at 6 1/2 furlongs, were among four stakes worth $350,000 in purses on a nine-race program.
It was the second stakes win of the afternoon for Cintron, who earlier upset Anna’s Bandit with Artful Splatter in the $75,000 Geisha for Maryland-bred/sired horses. The winning time for Louis Albertrani-trained Honor the Fleet was 1:17.09 over a main track rated good following morning rain.
Bull riding: In front of a raucous crowd inside Royal Farms Arena, Devon Weaver (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) surged to an early lead at the Professional Bull Riders Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour’s Baltimore Invitational, winning Round 1 of competition.
The 27-year-old recorded the top marks of the opening night of competition when he covered Roll of the Dice for 87 points.
Men’s college volleyball: 14th-ranked Stevenson dropped a tight four-set contest versus No. 1 SUNY New Paltz before rebounding with a straight set victory over Kean on day two of The Clash at Kean on Saturday.
Logan Smiley led the Mustangs (2-1) in both matches, recording a combined 24 kills while adding 13 digs, six block assists, and four service aces. Sophomore Peyton Ranck totaled 52 assists, 14 digs, one kill, and one service ace. Senior Derek Tangorra finished with 15 digs, including 10 versus Kean, while junior Nate Reynolds had nine kills and 10 total blocks, including two solo.
College wrestling: McDaniel took advantage of five forfeits and added a pair of pins in a 45-9 win over Thaddeus Stevens at the Mid-Winter Classic in Williamsport.
Gabe Dennis led the Green Terror with a 40-second pin at 184 and Steven Pabon added a 2-minute, 30-second fall at 133.
McDaniel also won six bouts, including two by fall to key a 34-24 win over Hunter in the final match at the Mid-Winter Classic.
Earlier, McDaniel and Penn College split the 10 bouts with five wins each three six-point wins helped the Green Terror secure a 24-22 win in the second round of the Mid-Winter Classic. Ryker Eckenbarger (/Westminster) had a 6-minute, 17-second pin at 141.
Men’s college hockey: Stevenson had six goal scorers, including two goals by sophomore Ryan Patrick, as the Mustangs posted a, 7-3, United Collegiate Hockey Conference and Middle Atlantic Conference victory over Lebanon Valley on Friday night at Hersheypark Arena.
