COLLEGES

University of Maine quarterback Chris Ferguson was named the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week for guiding the Black Bears to a 42-14 victory over Sacred Heart in an opener.

Ferguson, who completed his first 11 pass attempts, went 23 of 29 for 423 yards and three touchdowns Friday night.

Ferguson, who amassed his numbers in three quarters, threw for 404 yards and three scores in the first half. His 423 passing yards was the most by a Black Bears quarterback since 2009 and marked the first time a Maine player had thrown for 400 or more yards since 2012.

• Bob Walsh, the UMaine men’s basketball coach from 2014-18, was hired by Providence College as associate director of player development, scouting and recruiting coordination for the men’s basketball program.

SOCCER

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FIFA AWARDS: Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk joined five-time winners Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the three finalists for the best player in the world award. United States forward Megan Rapinoe is the favorite for the women’s award.

The winners will be announced Sept. 23 in a ceremony at Milan.

MEXICAN SIGNS: Veteran striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez of Mexico signed with the Spanish team Sevilla for the next three seasons.

TRACK AND FIELD

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: Christian Coleman, the U.S. champion and a favorite in the 100 meters – a distance at which he holds the world-leading time over the past three years – will be eligible for this month’s world championships and next year’s Olympics after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency dropped his case for missed tests because of a technicality.

Coleman faced a possible sanction for three “whereabouts failures” over a 12-month period. That meant he either didn’t fill out forms telling authorities where he could be found, or wasn’t where he said he’d be when they came to test.

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Wayde van Niekerk won’t defend his 400-meter title because he’s still recovering from a serious knee injury suffered playing a charity rugby match in late 2017.

JUDO

IRANIAN COMPETES: A world champion from Iran is afraid to return home and could seek asylum in Germany after disobeying orders from the government to withdraw from the world championships in Tokyo to avoid a potential bout against an Israeli opponent.

The International Judo Federation said Saeid Mollaei was ordered to withdraw from last week’s competition by Iranian deputy sports minister Davar Zani. The IJF said Mollaei was then called by Iranian Olympic Committee president Reza Salehi Amiri, who said security services were at his parents’ house.

HOCKEY

NHL: Carolina Hurricanes captain Justin Williams, 37, said he’s taking a break from the game to start this season.

With the start of training camp looming later this month, Williams said this is “the first time in my life that I’ve felt unsure of my aspirations” about hockey and he lacks his usual “mental and physical commitment.”

– Staff and news services

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