Sports Rundown - September 21, 2025

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: VINCENT MENDOZA / CHIEF OF SPORTS

A’ja Wilson Makes WNBA History

A'ja Wilson made WNBA history with a 30-20 stat line. (Photo via CNN)

Aces superstar A’ja Wilson became the WNBA’s first four-time MVP after earning the award a second straight season. 

In what was considered to be a close battle, Wilson ultimately tallied 51 first-place votes to total 657 points, edging out Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, who finished with 18 first-place votes and 534 total points. 

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas placed third, Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray placed fourth, and Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell placed fifth in the race.

After bringing home the individual honors on Sunday, Wilson has now surpassed three-time MVP winners Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoops, and Lauren Jackson. Wilson also joined an elite company alongside Cynthia Cooper (1997-98) as the only two players to win the award in back-to-back seasons.

The 29-year-old led the league in points and blocks, boasting 23.4 and 2.3, respectively, while placing second in rebounds, snatching 10.2 per contest. Wilson’s defense prowess also earned her to be named Co-Defensive Player of the Year alongside Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith.

The Aces opened the season inconsistently, sitting at an even .500 after 28 games, but then caught fire and closed out the regular season undefeated, finishing 30-14 to secure the second seed in the playoffs. 

After defeating the Seattle Storm in the first round, the Aces look to bounce back and tie their second-round series against the Indiana Fever after dropping Game 1 at home. 

Eagles’ Jordan Davis Seals Comeback Against Rams to Remain Undefeated

Eagles put exclamation point on comeback win over Rams with Jordan Davis' blocked field goal return for TD (Photo via Fox News)

Although the defending champion Eagles found themselves up by one point with three seconds left, it was the Rams’ game to lose, as Joshua Karty was gearing up to make the game-winning field goal. Unfortunately for the Rams, Karty’s kick was blocked for the second time in the outing.

Defensive tackle Jordan Davis extended his arms to block Karty’s attempt, then proceeded to scoop the ball up and take it to the crib to add the exclamation point on the Eagles’ comeback victory. 

According to Next Gen stats, Davis reached a top speed of 18.59 mph on the return, the fastest speed by a player over 330 pounds since at least 2017.

Just a minute into the third quarter, Kyren Williams scored on a Matthew Stafford pass to take a commanding 26-7 lead. This would be the last time the Rams put points on the board.

Following their score, Jalen Hurts, who has garnered ridiculous amounts of attention and skepticism from fans and media, proceeded to throw three touchdown passes on their path to victory. The Super Bowl MVP threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns, accompanied by 40 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. 

A.J. Brown, who had just six receptions for 35 receiving yards and zero touchdowns in the first two weeks combined, ended Sunday’s contest with six receptions for 109 yards and a score. Devonta Smith also provided much-needed contributions, tallying eight receptions for 60 yards and a score. 

Phoenix Mercury Dethrone Defending Champion New York Liberty

Alyssa Thomas made WNBA playoff history with her triple-double performance in the Mercury's Game 3 win over the Liberty on Friday night. (Photo via ClutchPoints)

Despite the New York Liberty stealing Game 1 in Phoenix, the Mercury stole Game 2 in New York and defended home court in a win-or-go-home Game 3 to knock off the defending champions and advance to the second round.

Alyssa Thomas, who finished third in MVP voting, finished the game with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists to achieve her fifth career playoff triple-double. Thomas also tallied two steals and a block in the win. 

Satou Sabally added 23 points, 12 rebounds, and two steals, while Kahleah Copper provided 12 points and nine rebounds. Off the bench, Sami Whitcomb scored 13 points and DeWanna Bonner grabbed eight rebounds to pass Candace Parker for the most boards in playoff history with 614.

In spite of Breanna Stewart spraining her MCL in her left knee in overtime of the Game 1 victory, she finished with 30 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter. Sabrina Ionescu added 22. After those two, the Liberty struggled heavily.

Last year’s Finals MVP recipient, Jonquel Jones, tallied just three points on 10% from the field, including missing all five attempts from beyond the arc. Jones also added eight rebounds and four assists in her 33 minutes of action.

Offseason acquisition and former Mercury Natasha Cloud had four of the Liberty’s seven steals, but only provided seven points and two assists on offense.

In the loss, the defending champions got outrebounded 49-33, shot just 22% from three on 32 attempts, and left injured superstar Brenna Stewart by her lonesome in the fourth quarter. 

While the Liberty focuses on offseason moves, the Mercury must battle against the first-seed Minnesota Lynx, led by the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year and back-to-back MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier.

U.S. Wins Most Gold Medals in World Track and Field Championships

The U.S. won gold medals in both the women's and men's 4x100 relays to close out the world championships in Tokyo (Photo via Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The U.S. made history on Sunday in Tokyo, winning the most gold medals at a World Track and Field Championships after winning three out of the four relays. 

Despite the rainy weather, the U.S. won the women’s and men’s 4x100m and the women’s 4x400m to finish with 16 gold medals, snapping the previous record of 14 gold medals for a single Worlds (USA, 2005, 2007 and 2019).

In the women’s 4x100m, American anchor Sha’Carri Richardson held off Jamaican Jonielle Smith by four hundredths. 

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden joined Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce as the only women to sweep the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m at a single Worlds. 

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone anchored the U.S. to a dominant victory in the women’s 4x400m en route to racking up her fifth career world title, tying for second on the U.S. all-time list.

For Noah Lyles, despite walking away with bronze in the 100m last weekend, he went on to match Jamaican legend Usain Bolt's record of four consecutive world 200m titles after he convincingly won that event on Friday.

Indiana Destroys Illinois in Big Ten Matchup

Fernando Mendoza Rushes Against Illinois Defense (Photo via The Athletic)

After a nebulous victory against Old Dominion in week one, 19-ranked Indiana once again displayed extraordinary prowess en route to its 63-10 victory over 9-ranked Illinois, marking its first win over a top-10 opponent in five years.

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw for 267 yards and five touchdowns while finishing with a 93.6 QBR. Elijah Sarratt totaled nine receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns, and Omar Cooper Jr. tallied six receptions for 78 yards and a score.

Khobie Martin rushed for 107 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, with Kaelon Black not too far behind, accumulating 89 yards and a score. Defensive back D’Angelo Ponds scooped up the punt he blocked and returned it 11 yards for a score to open the barrage for the Hoosiers. 

Looking ahead to this week, the Illinois Fighting Illini will match up against the Trojans of Southern California. The Indiana Hoosiers play their first road game against Iowa.