SPORTS SECTION E
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2025
UB Athletics, Page 7
Jonquel named to WNBA First, All-Defensive teams By JONATHAN BURROWS
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ew York Liberty stalwart Jonquel Jones has been named to both the 2025 All-WNBA First Team and WNBA All-Defensive Team. This season, Jones is averaging 13.9 points. 8.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, shooting an efficient 49.8 percent from the field, 43.7 percent from the three, and 76.2 percent from the free throw line. Jones’ resilience this season has been notable after battling knee sprains, hamstring issues, and illnesses mid-season, she averaged around 16.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and one steal over her last five appearances as of late August. The Liberty hold a 25-17 record, sitting at 2nd in the
Eastern Conference, just behind the Atlanta Dream. They currently have one of the league’s best offensive ratings of 110.8 and one of the best league defensive ratings of 91.3 with an impressive net rating of +19.5. Yet, the season hasn’t been without its turbulence. Despite a blazing 9-0 start to the season, injuries to key players like Jones, Leonie Fiebich, and Sabrina Ionescu disrupted early momentum. Heading into the playoffs, the Liberty have secured a berth and with veteran leadership, particularly from Jones, it has reignited the team’s competitive fire. Jones’ All WNBA selections reflect a season of elite and efficient production alongside stifling defence. These accolades cement the reason why the Liberty remain the favourite to win the title this season.
GOLDEN State Valkyries guard Kaila Charles (6) drives to the hoop against New York Liberty centre Jonquel Jones (35) in the second quarter during a WNBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco, on Tuesday, September 2, 2025. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Coe reinforces key strategies for athletics’ growth
WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
PROFILE
THE topics of growth, innovation and prioritisation drove discussion at the 238th World Athletics Council Meeting in Tokyo, where World Athletics President Lord Sebastian Coe reinforced the sport’s key strategies for growth. Gathering in the Japanese capital ahead of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 that will take place from September 13-21, the Council received updates on the next two years.
“In two years’ time we will meet again in Beijing and a number of us in this room, including me, will end our term of office at World Athletics. That gives us two years to supercharge our sport so we can hand it over to others in better shape than we inherited it,” said Coe during the Council meeting September 8-9. “World Athletics is now a high-performing growth business. This isn’t a vision or a wish. It is a fact. Growth is exciting, but it
can also be risky if you are not prepared. Fast-growth businesses are not just looking for short-term wins, they are building scalable systems and strategies to sustain that growth over time. It’s why we have a four-year business strategy and an eight-year World Plan.” The end of 2025 will mark the halfway point for the business strategy, ‘Pioneering Change’.
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WORLD Athletics president Lord Sebastian Coe at the meeting.
95% OF FEMALE ATHLETES HAVE COMPLETED SEX TESTING AHEAD OF THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TOKYO (AP) — Nearly all female athletes have completed sex testing ahead of the athletics world championships this month in Japan. World Athletics said yesterday that more than 95% percent of tests — a genetic screening to determine the athlete’s sex at birth — have been completed in the lead up the world championships that will take place in Tokyo beginning this weekend.
The governing body for track and field said the remainder of the tests — for the French and Norwegian teams and some athletes based in France, both being countries where genetic testing for non-medical reasons is banned — will be done in Tokyo before the start of the competition. “This has been a whole sport response to a principle that we all fundamentally
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THE SPORTS CALENDAR
Over the next 3 days heading into the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, The Tribune’s Sports will be running a series of profiles, highlighting the 15-member team that will represent The Bahamas. The championships will run from September 13-21. The profile continues today with sprinter Camille Rutherford ...
UPTOP ELITE TOURNAMENT THE Uptop Elite Basketball Club is scheduled to hold its second annual Season Tip-Off Basketball Tournament from September 24-28 at the DW Davis Gymnasium. The starting time is 4pm Wednesday to Friday, 10am on Saturday and 1pm on Sunday. The tournament is designed for junior and senior boys’ basketball
Sept
teams. The registration fee is $250 per team. Prizes and giveaways will be presented. For more information, persons are asked to contact coach Lamont “Redhead” Armaly at 826-8306. BBSF BASKETBALL TOURNEY THE Bahamas Baptist Sports Federation’s 2025 Basketball Tournament
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