Fielding wins HL Athlete of Year

The postseason honors continue to pour in for junior McKinley Fielding, as she can now add Horizon League Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year to her résumé, the league announced Thursday.

Fielding becomes just the second Penguin female to win the prestigious award, and the first since Morgan Cole in 2022. This marks the third-straight year that a Penguin has received a #HLXC Athlete of the Year honor, though, as YSU great Hunter Christopher won the Men’s Athlete of the Year award in 2023 and 2024.

At the Horizon League Championships on Nov.1, Fielding blazed through the field en route to winning the conference crown, as her winning 6K time of 20:10.9 was 36 seconds quicker than the second-place finisher, and also broke her previous program record mark in the event by 30 seconds. Her victory put her in YSU XC lore as she became just the second Penguin female to win the individual Horizon League title, joining Morgan Cole in 2022. She also received First Team All-Horizon League honors for the second consecutive year following the league meet.

Fielding also led the Penguins to their third Horizon League title in program history, and first since 2014. The Penguins had 54 points, followed by Purdue Fort Wayne with 74 points, and Oakland with 79.

On the season, Fielding was the top YSU finisher in each of the five races she competed in, including a victory on Sept. 27 at the YSU Invitational XC Meet, where she set a new course record 5K time of 17:35.5. She had an impressive 42nd-place finish at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships in Evansville, Ind., on Nov. 14.

Cavs fined again for resting players

NEW YORK — The NBA fined the Cleveland Cavaliers $250,000 on Thursday for violating the league’s player participation policy by resting All-Star guard Darius Garland for a nationally televised game against the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 24.

It is the second time this season the Cavaliers have been fined for violating the policy. They received a $100,000 fine on Nov. 18 for resting both Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley against the Miami Heat on Nov. 12.

The league said an investigation confirmed that Garland was able to play in one of the team’s games in a back-to-back set. He played on Nov. 23 at home against the LA Clippers but the not the next night in Toronto, which was carried by Peacock in the United States and Sportsnet in Canada. Garland is considered a star play under the policy.

The Raptors extended their winning streak to eight games with a 110-99 victory. Cleveland was also missing De’Andre Hunter (rest) and Jarrett Allen (sprained finger) for that game.

Slay contemplating football future

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Cornerback Darius Slay has put off reporting to the Buffalo Bills to instead take time to consider his future, the player’s agent confirmed Thursday.

“Slay is honored that a first-class organization like the Bills claimed him, but he is going to take some time away from football right now and decide in the next few days if he wants to keep playing,” Drew Rosenhaus wrote in a text to The Associated Press.

Slay has 13 seasons of NFL experience, and the decision to take some time comes a day after the Bills claimed him on waivers following his release in Pittsburgh. In his first season in Pittsburgh, Slay was inactive in two of the Steelers’ past three outings after losing his starting job.

He was cut to make room for the team claiming receiver Adam Thielen on waivers.

Slay was not present at Bills practice on Thursday, with the team declining to comment.

Complicating matters further, Buffalo (8-4) may have lost a player for nothing if Slay decides not to continue playing. In claiming Slay, the Bills released fourth-year defensive back Ja’Marcus Ingram, who on Thursday was claimed by the Houston Texans.

Slay, meantime, takes up a spot on Buffalo’s 53-player roster as the team prepares to host Cincinnati (4-8) on Sunday. The Bills regarded Slay as an upgrade over Ingram in a bid to add experienced depth to a position where veteran Tre’Davious White and rookie Maxwell Hairston have split time opposite starter Christian Benford.

The 34-year-old Slay was an All-Pro in 2017 while playing his first seven seasons in Detroit. He spent another five years in Philadelphia, where he won a Super Bowl last season.

Athletics’ Las Vegas stadium on track

LAS VEGAS — The Athletics are on track to open their approximately $2 billion Las Vegas stadium on time, officials said Thursday at the Las Vegas Stadium Authority meeting.

The A’s, who are scheduled to move to Las Vegas before the 2028 season, met their year-end goals of beginning the concrete phase, having cranes in place and putting in the first buttress and concrete column.

A’s President Marc Badain also was instrumental in getting Allegiant Stadium built in time for the 2020 NFL season, when he had the same title with the Raiders. Mortenson-McCarthy built Allegiant and is the contractor for the A’s new venue.

Ceremonial groundbreaking on the 33,000-person capacity domed stadium located on the Las Vegas Strip occurred June 23. The A’s Ballpark Experience Center opened Tuesday in Las Vegas to give fans a chance to view the stadium in detail and take part in other immersive experiences.

The price tag has gone up considerably twice, rising from $1.5 billion to $1.75 billion to the current estimate. A’s vice chairman Sandy Dean indicated he didn’t expect the cost to increase much more.

Nevada and Clark County have approved up to $380 million in public funds for the ballpark, and the A’s have said they will cover the remaining expenses. Owner John Fisher has been seeking investors, but Dean said he didn’t have an update on that effort.

Steve Hill, CEO and president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said A’s officials have not yet asked for their share of public assistance.

This Las Vegas Stadium Authority meeting occurred one day short of the one-year anniversary of when it approved lease, non-relocation and development documents, the last major hurdles before construction. The lease and non-relocation agreements each cover 30 years.