COLLEGES
UMaine goaltender Jeremy Swayman signed with the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, the day after he was named the 68th recipient of the Walter Brown Award, presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England.
Maine officially announced the junior goalie was signing with the Bruins via Twitter. Swayman was the Bruins’ fourth-round pick in 2017 after playing with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL before heading to Orono.
In his junior season, Swayman had the best year of his career with a 2.07 goals-against average and .939 save percentage. The Black Bears were slated to host UConn in the quarterfinals of the Hockey East tournament.
A native of Alaska, Swayman quickly rose through the ranks of top Bruins prospects and now enters the organization as their most promising goalie prospect.
Swayman has been the Black Bears’ No. 1 goalie since his freshman season, when he posted a 2.72 GAA and a .921 save percentage, but improved as Maine did to end the shortened college hockey season with the second-best save percentage in the country. He also saw the most shots against in the nation.
The Walter Brown Award was established in 1953 by the members of the 1933 Massachusetts Rangers, the first American team ever to win the World Championship Tournament. Brown coached the Rangers to the title in Prague, Czechoslovakia, where the team defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime in the championship game.
Swayman is Maine’s first Walter Brown Award winner since Mike McHugh in 1988.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Dawn Staley and South Carolina are No. 1 in the final Associated Press women’s basketball poll for the first time in school history.
The Gamecocks received 26 first-place votes from the national media panel in voting. No. 2 Oregon garnered the other four votes. Baylor, Maryland and UConn rounded out the first five.
“Our season ended and we’re No. 1,” said Staley, in her 12th year at South Carolina. “I don’t think it’s up for discussion who No. 1 is.”
Louisville, Stanford, N.C. State, Mississippi State and UCLA rounded out the first 10 teams, which were unchanged from the previous poll.
Before this season, South Carolina had never finished the season higher than No. 3.
The Gamecocks topped the Top 25 the final 10 weeks of a season cut short before the NCAA Tournament by concerns about spreading the coronavirus pandemic. The AP has always released its final poll of the season before the start of the tournament that settles the national championship.
MEN’S BASKETBALL: Grand Canyon has hired former Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew as its next men’s basketball coach.
Drew replaces Dan Majerle, who was fired after seven seasons on March 12.
The 45-year-old Drew spent three years at Vanderbilt, leading the Commodores to the NCAA Tournament his first season before being fired after going 9-23 in 2018-19. He previously led Valparaiso, his alma mater, to four regular-season Horizon League titles and two trips to the NCAA Tournament in five seasons. He has a career record of 164-108.
Drew spent the past year working as an ESPN studio and game analyst.
He takes over a Grand Canyon program that went 13-17 this season after winning at least 20 games its first two Division I seasons.
BASEBALL
MAJORS: Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander had surgery on his right groin and is expected to be out about six weeks.
The timing gives Verlander time to heal before Opening Day, which had been pushed back to mid-May at the earliest because of the coronavirus.
Verlander dealt with the problem early in spring training. His first start was delayed until March 3 because of discomfort in his right groin. He made two starts pitching 4 2/3 innings with a 3.86 ERA.
Verlander left his second start on March 8 with a mild strain of a back muscle and said at the time that it would be unlikely that he would be able to start the scheduled March 26 opener against the Los Angeles Angels.
DIVING
USA: USA Diving has hired Lee Michaud as its president.
He was an All-American diver at Michigan and spent five years on the U.S. national team, winning multiple national titles.
Michaud said he feels like “I’m coming home.” He added that he’s “committed to fostering a community in which our divers can safely compete at the highest level.”
Michaud spent the last eight years working for Texas-based Daseke Inc., an owner and consolidator of flatbed and specialized transportation companies in North America. He led two of its companies: Smokey Point Distributing and the Schilli Cos.
Dave Gascon, chairman of USA Diving’s board of directors, cited Michaud’s proven leadership, analytical skills and deep understanding of the sport in announcing the hire. Jack Perkins has been the acting president.
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