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Chalk up another win for the Reed swim team.Reed swim coach Michelle Peterson was the conclusive winner as the top boys’ 5A/4A coach of 2024-25 in this week’s Champion Chevrolet Athlete of the Week poll. Peterson picked up 66.1% of the 3,451 votes cast.Reed’s boys swim team finished second overall, the top posting for a northern school, at the 5A state meet on May 19. Hunter Dawson broke the state 50-meter freestyle record at the meet.

Reed swimming was named the top boys team of 2024-25 in a poll in late June, and both Dawson and teammate Vlad Shustov won Champion Chevrolet Athlete of the Week honors during the season.

Galena track and field’s Jason Mixie finished second in this week’s poll with 29.1% of the vote.

Previous Champion Chevrolet Athlete of the Week winners for 2024-25

• Aug. 12-18: Christian Rey, Carson football
• Aug. 19-25: Erick Rodriguez, Galena football
• Aug. 26-Sept. 1: Logan Arata, Truckee football
• Sept. 2-8: Abigail Franco, Carson volleyball
• Sept. 9-15: Carson Melendy, Fallon football
• Sept. 16-22: Kambri Felsted, Spanish Springs cross country
• Sept. 23-29: Brandon Mann, Bishop Manogue football
• Sept. 30-Oct. 6: Kambri Felsted, Spanish Springs cross country
• Oct. 7-13: Kambri Felsted, Spanish Springs cross country
• Oct. 14-20: Addison Bowers, Spanish Springs tennis
• Oct. 21-27: Nishaan Bajwa, Reed football
• Oct. 28-Nov. 3: Kambri Felsted, Spanish Springs cross country
• Nov. 4-10: Bradley Mayville, Damonte Ranch football
• Nov. 11-17: Jackson Wicks, Truckee football
• Nov. 18-25: Brandon Mann, Bishop Manogue football
• Nov. 26-Dec 1: Jeriah Macias, Damonte Ranch basketball
• Dec. 2-8: Travis Lee, Spanish Springs basketball
• Dec. 9-15: Tanner Bowers, Spanish Springs basketball
• Dec. 16-22: Drew Dodson, Damonte Ranch basketball
• Dec. 23-29: Drew Dodson, Damonte Ranch basketball
• Dec. 30-Jan. 5: Jeriah Macias, Damonte Ranch basketball
• Jan. 6-12: Taua Puloka, Reed basketball
• Jan. 13-19: Kin Vong, Damonte Ranch basketball
• Jan. 20-26: Ivy Williams, North Valleys basketball
• Jan. 27-Feb. 2: Raegan Johnson, Fallon basketball
• Feb. 3-9: Mackenzie Chase, Spanish Springs basketball
• Feb. 10-16: Kin Vong, Damonte Ranch basketball
• Feb. 17-23: Kaitlin Mandell, Pyramid Lake basketball
• Feb. 24-March 2: Ryan Vanek, Reed baseball
• March 3-9: Marcie Hannum, Dayton softball
• March 10-16: Annie Hill, Douglas softball
• March 17-23: Anthony Juarez, Fallon baseball
• March 24-30: Amaya Chapman, Spanish Springs track and field
• March 31-April 6: Preston Snyder, Spanish Springs baseball
• April 7-13: Landen Wolf, Silver Stage baseball
• April 14-20: Hunter Dawson, Reed swimming
• April 21-27: Chase Spencer, Reed baseball
• April 28-May 4: Vlad Shustov, Reed swimming
• May 5-11: Jaxon Reddig, Spanish Springs swimming
• May 12-18: Vlad Shustov, Reed swimming
• Fall sports: Kambri Felsted, Spanish Springs cross country
• Winter sports: Travis Lee, Spanish Springs basketball
• Spring sports: Vlad Shustov, Reed swimming.
• Top girls team of 2024-25: Pyramid Lake basketball
• Top boys team of 2024-25: Reed swimming
• Top high school mascot: Reno Huskies
• Top girls 5A/4A coach: Steve Estipona, soccer

TRUCKEE, Calif. — Ben Martin scored 16 points Thursday to take a two-point lead over David Lipsky and Nick Watney after the first round of the Barracuda Championship, the only PGA Tour event that uses the modified Stableford scoring system.

Players receive eight points for a double eagle, five for eagle and two for birdie. A point is deducted for bogey and three for double bogey.

Martin rebounded from bogeys on Nos. 6-7 with birdies on Nos. 8-9 to close his morning round at Tahoe Mountain Club, the tree-line layout that sits at an elevation of 6,000 feet.

“To be honest, warming up on the range this morning, it’s cold. I’m getting old. It’s hard to keep my body moving well,” said the 37-year-old Martin, whose lone PGA Tour came in Las Vegas in 2014. “I had very few expectations, but went out, was hitting the ball in front of me, kind of hitting to where I was looking and made some early putts. Saw those go in, so confident with the putter.”

Played opposite the British Open, the tournament is co-sanctioned by the European tour. The winner gets into the PGA Championship but not the Masters.

Lipsky scored 15 points on his first nine holes, then dropped three on the par-4 second after his approach bounced off a greenside sprinkler into trouble.

“Bounced way over the green,” Lipsky said. “It was tough to make even bogey from there. So, a little unfortunate there, but overall a good day.”

He birdied the par-5 third and parred the final six. On the opening nine, he eagled the par-5 15th and had five birdies in a 7-under 29.

The 44-year-old Watney won the last of his five PGA Tour titles in 2012.

Cameron Champ was three points back at 13 with Rico Hoey, Joel Dahmen, Danny Walker, Dale Whitnell and Todd Clements. Andrew Putnam, the 2018 winner, was at 12 with Jackson Suber, Yuto Katsuragawa and Vince Whaley.

Max Homa lost a point, struggling alongside defending champion Nick Dunlap and NCAA champion Michael La Sasso of Mississippi in the afternoon. Dunlap lost six points, and Sasso — playing on a sponsor exemption — seven.

German twins Yannik and Jeremy Paul also got off top slow starts. Yannik has zero points and Jeremy lost two. They played in college at Colorado.

The long-awaited commitment of Australian basketball star Roman Siulepa has become official.

Siulepa, the No. 1 prospect in Australia, has committed and enrolled to Pitt, a source tells Pittsburgh Sports Now.

PSN first reported that Pitt would land Siulepa and has since been working on monitoring Siulepa’s situation after it was revealed that he was a top target for the Pitt basketball program.

NEWS: Australian forward Roman Siulepa has enrolled at Pitt, Daniel Moldovan of Lighthouse Sports told ESPN.

Siulepa had an explosive showing at the FIBA U19 World Cup, posting 18.9 points, 8.1 rebounds in 29 minutes per game, leading the event in free throw attempts. pic.twitter.com/4OSJx8h2LW

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) July 18, 2025

Sources indicated over the past few months that Siulepa was waiting to complete the FIBA U19 World Cup before committing. The 6-foot-7, 220-pound small forward put together an impressive tournament, averaging 18.9 points, 8.1 rebounds in 29 minutes per game, while hitting on 41.6 percent of his shots from the floor.

This comes as one of Capel’s biggest commitments of his Pitt tenure with Siulepa having major upside as an NBA prospect.

Siulepa is described as an “overpowering physical presence, that fears no battles or collisions and is terrifying in transition and is developing into an unstoppable force on the glass.”

Siulepa played a full season for the South West Metro Pirates in the NBL1 and the Tasmania JackJumpers and his teammate was former Pitt standout Lamar Patterson, who has been trying to recruit him to Pitt.

Last year before signing with the JackJumpers, Siulepa was one of the most sought-after international prospects before deciding to stay in Australia.

Siulepa won MVP of the NBA’s BaSiulepa won MVP of the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders Asia Camp and MVP of the Australian U20 National Championship.

This isn’t the first Australian prospect in Pitt’s 2025 recruiting class after the Panthers landed 6-8 forward Henry Lau out of Sydney, Australia.

Along with Roman Siulepa and Lua, Pitt’s freshman class includes Omari Witherspoon, Kieran Mullen and Macari Moore.

Pitt returns several other players, including Beebah Cummings, Cameron Corhen Papa Amadou Kante and Amdy Ndiaye. The Panthers have brought in four transfer portal prospects: Barry Dunning Jr., Damarco Minor, Nojus Indrusaitis, and Dishon Jackson.

AI-assisted summary
• Girls flag football is experiencing rapid growth, leading to the Ohio High School Athletic Association sanctioning a state tournament in 2026.
• The NFL Flag Championships at the Hall of Fame Village showcase the rising talent in girls flag football, with teams from across the country competing.
• College opportunities for female flag football players are expanding, with scholarships becoming available and coaches actively recruiting.
• The growth of flag football is attributed to its accessibility and the increasing recognition of female athletes’ skills in the sport.

CANTON ‒ Zoe Conner has her head in the game.

And why wouldn’t it be? The 15-year-old has been playing flag football since she was 9. Her position of choice? Quarterback.

“It’s a great position because I rely on my teammates (and) my teammates rely on me,” she said. “The competition (is) getting better, (so) we have to elevate each year as well, (and) quarterback provides a great opportunity to do that.”

This year, her team, the Virginia Hurricanes, qualified for the NFL Flag Championships, making the trip to Canton for a chance to play against the best in the nation.

“Flag is a great outlet for me,” she said. “Seeing it grow is really awesome to watch and all of the opportunities that it opens now is just amazing.”

In recent years, flag football has grown rapidly, especially among girls. Tens of thousands of girls are participating in the sport across the country at the high school level. On July 17, the Ohio High School Athletic Association announced it would sanction an OHSAA flag football state tournament in spring 2026 because of the rise in popularity.

The association noted that 20 Ohio schools had a girls team three years ago, and that has grown to 80 today. Many girls teams are showcasing their skills at the NFL Flag Championships, which run through Sunday at the Hall of Fame Village.

“Ohio becoming the latest state to sanction girls flag football is a testament to the strong growth and appeal of the sport,” said Stephanie Kwok, NFL vice president, head of flag football. “This is an exciting time with 17 states having sanctioned girls flag football and we’re thankful to the Browns, Bengals and OHSAA for their support in growing the sport.”

Mason Conner, Zoe’s father, said the competition in this age group is a marvel to witness.”It gives them this platform to excel,” he said. “A lot of them play other sports, so it’s nice to come out (and) have fun, but just let their competitive spirit show.”‘The sky’s the limit for this sport’Jeremy Thorne, coach for the Arizona Heatwave 14-and-under girls flag football team, said being able to experience the rising interest surrounding the sport has been a phenomenal experience.”We are now having ladies that have been playing softball, volleyball, basketball that are now seeing another opportunity to display their abilities,” he said. “The sky’s the limit for this sport.”Thorne said a lot of girls who show interest in the team have never played flag football before, so dedicated coaching is important.“It’s important to teach them the basics, and having coaches that are knowledgeable and willing to put in the time and effort to help them grow,” he said.Thorne said the opportunities becoming available for girls playing flag football are largely unknown, with the next few years brewing potential for programs at the collegiate level in high divisions.”We’re already having coaches reach out that don’t have programs yet but are starting to put them in place looking at girls even out in the 2029 graduation year,” he said. “They’re going to get a chance to continue to play the sport they love.”Flag football attracts attention of college coachesBeyond the high school level, the rise of flag football has opened opportunities for female collegiate athletes, with many universities starting their own teams.”It’s a great avenue for the girls to come in and play,” said Charlie Holloway, head coach of the women’s flag football team at William Woods University in Missouri. “The girls that play for me are excited because they get to help teach the future.”Holloway said there are a lot of opportunities for collegiate athletes to earn scholarships in the sport.”In the country, there’s girls that are going to school for free. You can’t beat that,” he said. “It’s harder for them to get a soccer scholarship or a volleyball scholarship because there’s so many players, but flag is so new.”Holloway said there’s a large gap between the opportunities for male athletes playing football compared to female athletes playing flag, but the skill set is the same.”(Guys are) going to school for free, but they’re also getting paid millions of dollars with NIL and everything else,” he said. “These girls are out here setting their life, learning the same skills that the boys are doing. … And it’s going to make them better in life. That’s what’s so exciting about it.”‘It’s so cool to just be part of the experience.’Samantha Harris, head coach of the women’s flag football team at Keiser University in Florida, said the sport has been growing over many years, and it’s been a thrill to watch it continue to expand.”I’m big with opportunities and experiences,” she said. “It’s so cool to just be a part of the experience, part of the growth and continue to watch it boom.”With the 2028 Olympic Games adding flag football, there’s a lot riding behind the emergence of the sport. Harris said it will go a long way to increase awareness and interest for young athletes.”We already have U.S. National (Team) members on our team,” she said. “To be able to help guide that and help continue those reps for them, it’s only going to continue to grow and get stronger. … We’re super excited, and hopefully we’ll be able to see some of our athletes take on those roster spots and compete.”Harris said events such as the NFL Flag Championships are great for generating buzz around the sport.”As far as continuing to get leagues popping up, it’s really just continuing to do what they’re doing,” she said. “Putting on clinics, camps (and) bringing the college world into it. Being able to all work together to lift this up is really what’s going to make it take off.”If you goWhat: NFL Flag Championship tournament. Championship games are July 20. Concessions and football-themed activities also are available.

Where: Hall of Fame Village: 2626 Fulton Drive NW, Canton

When: July 17-20. Here are the times for the remainder of the event: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 18, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 19, and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. July 20

Admission: Free

How to watch: ESPN, ABC, Disney and the NFL are providing coverage of the NFL Flag Championships. ESPN will show 15 games from the girls high school division, including the national championship game.

More details: nflflag.com/events/championships