Sports Rundown – March 23, 2026
- Madelyn Dibiase
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
The Seawanhaka Sports Rundown is a weekly roundup of five stories that examine developments in sports news at the local, state, national and international levels.
BY: MADELYN DIBIASE / CO-NEWS EDITOR
LIU Sharks Softball Sweeps Le Moyne Dolphins
The LIU Sharks started their conference play on Saturday, March 14. With a two-game doubleheader, they defeated the Le Moyne Dolphins with an 8-0 shutout and 12-4 victory. The following game took place the next day, which the Sharks won 5-4.
The first game of the series saw the Sharks taking an early lead in the bottom of the third, where juniors Jaedyn Lincoln and Jen Rodriguez batted in a pair of RBI’s. Sophomore Hannah Burnett then hit a single, driving in two runs. The success kept going the whole game, where they took a commanding victory of 8-0 against the Dolphins.
The second game of the doubleheader was just as successful for the Sharks. Another early lead came in the bottom of the first, where Rodriguez hit a single which drove in a run, followed by Lincoln’s two-run homer. After the Sharks’ lead was extended to 5-0 in the second, the Dolphins fought back, cutting the lead to one run. Burnett hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth, which was the spark that kept the Sharks aflame to give the Sharks a 12-4 win.
The last game of the series was more of a nailbiter, but the Sharks pulled it out in the end to complete the sweep. In the bottom of the second, the Sharks took an early lead thanks to an RBI double by junior Lily Hinkle. The Dolphins responded with two runs batted in two innings later. Freshman Anais Soto helped the Sharks by scoring thanks to an error on Le Moyne in the fourth inning. Lincoln hit a two-RBI single which preserved the Sharks’ advantage for the rest of the game.
Legendary Mets Radio Talent Howie Rose Announces Retirement Following 2026 Season
Longtime broadcaster for our hometown New York Mets, Howie Rose, announced his retirement on Thursday. He will be retiring following the conclusion of the 2026 MLB season, following 39 years with the Mets.
Rose served as the lead radio announcer, voicing the play-by-play since 2006, following the start of his career with the Mets in 1987. He was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 2023.
When explaining his decision, he “just felt it was time,” and even noted how he desires to spend more time with his family. Rose has dedicated so much to the Mets’ organization, and this was emphasized by Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen in their statement. “His passion for the Mets has carried across the airwaves and into the homes and hearts of fans everywhere.”
One of Howie’s most iconic calls (and my personal favorite) was a recent one. It was his call of Pete Alonso’s go-ahead homer in the 2024 postseason. His passion for Mets baseball and the team’s success can be heard as he calls it.
He comments that, “For [him], letting go of the Mets isn’t hard - it’s impossible.” Howie Rose’s iconic voice will be greatly missed for seasons to come, but it is important, now more than ever, to give him the chance to call a Mets World Series game before he “puts it in the books”.
WNBA and Players’ Union Come to an Agreement on CBA
Early Wednesday morning, the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association had met for the eighth straight day, and finally came to an agreement on a new CBA. The deal comes just 51 days prior to the start of the season.
The details of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement are as follows. Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the salary cap will start at $7 million, a clear improvement from $1.5 million during the 2025 season. The supermax will start at $1.4 million, down from its previous price of $249,244.
The average salary for a WNBA player will be approximately $600,000, the previous number being $120,000 in 2025. The minimum salary a WNBA player will get surpasses $300,000. In 2025, that number was $66,079.
With this new deal, players will also be receiving an increase in benefits with regard to players with children and players planning to start their families. There will also be a guarantee for team-supported housing for all players in the WNBA.
According to Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty, she had this to say when commenting about the new CBA: “This deal is going to be transformational… It’s going to build and help create a system where everybody is getting exactly what they deserve and more from on-the-court and off-the-court aspects. And just excited that we can tell our fans that we’re going to be back.”
Warriors’ Stephen Curry to Return to Action
It was announced on Saturday that Stephen Curry will soon begin participating in full team practices after missing 21 games due to a right knee injury. The 38-year-old Warriors star suffered a patella-femoral pain syndrome injury and bone bruising in his right knee.
The Warrior was re-evaluated Saturday, and the indication was clear that he was making good progress in healing the knee. He has been working out lightly on the court, and so the next step in the recovery process is a full contact practice with the team.
Steph will be re-evaluated next week following the team’s return to Golden State after their game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. He last played in an NBA game on January 30 vs. the Detroit Pistons. He was averaging 27.2 points per game prior to the injury, and leads the team in the stat.
NFL Free Agency is in Full Swing
The NFL’s Free Agency period began on March 11. However, things are really beginning to heat up now. Here are some of the most beneficial signings that have resulted from this month’s window.
Quarterback Kyler Murray has signed with the Minnesota Vikings after spending his seven seasons in Arizona with the Cardinals. After a subpar season from QB J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings made the decision to bring in another player at that position.
Wide receiver Mike Evans is signing with the 49ers for three years, on a deal that is worth up to $60.4 million. He is coming off a season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that was riddled with injury, but San Francisco needed a player at the wide receiver position, and they got their guy.
As for our hometown New York teams, the Giants and the Jets, they have been making moves too. The Giants have added, but are not limited to, WR Darnell Mooney, OL Jermaine Eluemunor, and punter Jordan Stout. The Jets have been looking to revamp their defense, which include signings of DE Joseph Ossai, LB Demario Davis, and they even added QB Geno Smith as a veteran presence in the QB room.
The free agency period is far from over, and it will be exciting to see what other teams make moves as they work towards the 2026-27 NFL season.
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