Bisons’ Pereira named Canada West DPOY

Manitoba Bisons linebacker Nic Pereira was named the Canada West conference’s Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday.

The fifth-year captain, who also earned his second straight Canada West All-Star nod, finished the regular season tied for the conference lead with four interceptions, alongside teammate Carter Dallas.

The St. Paul’s product was a force in pass coverage and run defence this season, recording 39.5 total tackles, including 29 solo stops, five pass breakups and four tackles for loss.

Pereira is the first Bisons player to win the conference’s top defensive honour in 10 years, and fifth in program history, joining Wade Miller (1994), Joey Mikawoz (2000), Cory Huclack (2006) and DJ Lalama (2016).

Pereira will now represent Canada West for the national President’s Trophy, awarded annually to the top defensive football player in U SPORTS.

Rogers 10th in World Athletics voting

MONACO — Canadian hammer thrower Camryn Rogers finished 10th in the World Athletics women’s athlete of the year voting, the organization said Wednesday.

Rogers, 27, had the five best throws in the world this year, including a toss of 81.13 metres that broke her own North American record and stands second globally all-time.

The reigning Olympic champion and two-time defending world champion from Richmond, B.C., won her second straight Commonwealth Games title this past summer in Glasgow, Scotland.

Rogers was named to the 10-athlete shortlist for the award on Oct. 6. Sprinter Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and hurdler Masai Russell, both from the United States, and Swiss middle-distance runner Audrey Werro were named the three finalists.

Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis, Brazilian 400-metre hurdler Alison Dos Santos and Kenyan marathoner Sebastian Sawe were named as men’s finalists on Tuesday.

Award winners will be announced Nov. 29.

Whitecaps up for two MLS year-end awards

NEW YORK — Two Vancouver Whitecaps are up for Major League Soccer’s year-end awards, while Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi is once again a finalist for the league’s most valuable player honour.

Whitecaps midfielder Ryan Gauld has been named a finalist for comeback player of the year after he returned midseason from a long-term knee injury to put up six goals and five assists over 20 regular-season games.

The 30-year-old Scotsman is vying for the award with FC Cincinnati’s Nick Hagglund and Eduard Lowen of the San Jose Earthquakes.

Vancouver’s head coach Jesper Sorensen is up for coach of the year alongside B.J. Callaghan of Nashville SC and St. Louis City’s Yoann Damet. The Danish bench boss guided the ‘Caps to a 19-8-7 record in his second year at the helm, with the team finishing the regular season sitting No. 1 in the MLS Western Conference standings.

Messi won the league’s Golden Boot race with 26 goals in regular-season play, and is up for MVP against FC Cincinnati’s Evander, Guilherme of the Houston Dynamo, Hany Mukhtar of Nashville SC and Philadelphia Union phenom Cavan Sullivan.

MLS is set to announce the winners of its year-end awards throughout the playoffs, which begin with play-in games on Nov. 19.

Blue Jays apologize to Muslim community

TORONTO — Toronto Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro says the team is deeply sorry to the Muslim community and the club’s fans for the harm caused by Islamophobic social media posts shared by outfielder Anthony Santander.

In a statement, Shapiro says team officials met with leaders in Toronto’s Muslim community, who shared the harm caused by the posts last week.

The club says the opportunity to listen and learn was important, and reaffirms the organization’s beliefs and values.

Santander shared anti-Muslim posts last week and deleted them two days later.

Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins recently said he spoke with Santander and asked him to publicly address his decision.

Santander, who signed a lucrative five-year deal with the team in January 2025, has yet to publicly comment or apologize.

Shapovalov, Diallo to miss Davis Cup finals

MONTREAL — The Canadian team was dealt a blow Thursday as two key players withdrew from the upcoming Davis Cup Final 8 due to injuries.

Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo have pulled out of the Nov. 24-29 competition in Bologna, Italy, Tennis Canada said in a statement.

Shapovalov had to retire from his first-round match at the Paris Masters earlier this month due to an adductor injury.

“Given the seriousness of the injury, I unfortunately haven’t had enough time to heal to be fully ready to compete in the Davis Cup finals,” Shapovalov said in a statement. “I always love representing my country so I’m extremely disappointed.”

Diallo, meanwhile, returned to competition last month after recovering from a leg injury he sustained in August. However, his comeback was cut short when he was forced to withdraw from a tournament in Brest, France.

“It is always a great disappointment to be unable to represent your country,” Diallo said. “I did everything I could to be ready in time for the Davis Cup, but unfortunately I was not cleared to compete by my doctor.

“I look forward to representing Canada again soon and wish the team the best of luck at the Finals in Bologna.”

Alexis Galarneau of Laval, Que., and Regina’s Keegan Rice were added to the roster as replacements. World No. 14 Félix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal headlines a Canadian lineup that also includes Liam Draxl of Newmarket, Ont., and Duncan Chan of Markham, Ont.

Canada was scheduled to play Czechia in the quarterfinals on Nov. 24. Each tie consists of two singles matches and a deciding doubles match if necessary.

Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov were key contributors to Canada’s lone Davis Cup title in 2022.

Korda strong in

return to golf

BELLEAIR, Fla. — Two months later, Nelly Korda didn’t miss a beat. She played bogey-free Thursday at The Annika and opened with a 7-under 65 to trail Minami Katsu and Hye-Jin Choi by two shots in her first competition since the Solheim Cup.

Korda already has clinched LPGA player of the year based on points, and she can qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame with a victory in one of the final two events of the season.

Choi, coming off a strong Asia swing that included a pair of runner-up finishes, is looking for her first LPGA title in five years as a member. Her game travelled well from Asia to the Gulf Coast of Florida, with birdies on half her holes for 63.

Katsu played in the afternoon and ran off three straight birdies late in her round to catch Choi at 63. Lindy Duncan was another shot behind with a 64 on a day of low scoring at Pelican Golf Club.

So much attention was on Korda, the No. 1 player in women’s golf who captured two majors early in the season. Her last tournament was the FM Championship outside Boston and then the Solheim Cup, where Korda went 2-1-1 in an American loss in the Netherlands.

And then it was time to rest.

“I needed to take that break, and right after Solheim I was burned out,” Korda said. “I just needed to mentally step away for a few days.”

She typically skips the Asia swing, early and late in the year, and then gears up for the final two LPGA events in Florida.

Korda has four wins this year, but not since the big one — her first U.S. Women’s Open title in early June at Riviera. She leads the Race to CME Globe, although next week at the Tour Championship any of the 60 players in the field can become the season champion who gets a US$2-million prize.

Curry sidelined with oblique injury

SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry has been playing some of his best basketball at age 38, at the start of his 18th NBA season.

Now, he will have to work his way back from injury yet again.

The Golden State Warriors star is set to miss at least two weeks because of a torn oblique muscle, a frustrating interruption for the NBA’s all-time 3-point leader who is on pace for another special season.

The Warriors announced Thursday that Curry would be reevaluated in two weeks for the abdominal tear. An MRI exam revealed the injury, which sometimes can take longer than two weeks to heal. Coach Steve Kerr called the concern level “high.”

Curry recently had 30 or more points in four games out of five, including a 41-point performance against Orlando on Saturday that tied him with Oscar Robertson for eighth place with 77 40-point games – and Curry’s 16 such outings after age 35 are the most in NBA history.

Curry left early in Golden State’s loss at Houston on Wednesday night that ended an eight-game winning streak. He was in obvious discomfort, grabbing at his right side above the hip.

The two-week timetable means Curry will miss at least six games, starting with a matchup at San Antonio today. Golden State’s backcourt is already thin: Guard Brandon Williams is out with a strained left hamstring, while Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are working back from knee injuries last season that required surgery. Second-year guard Will Richard returned Wednesday but is playing with a torn ligament in his left thumb.

— from staff, the news services