A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Churchill Downs moves remaining live racing dates to Ellis Park in wake of 12 equine deaths at the track

Churchill Downs Incorporated has suspended racing operations at its Louisville racetrack beginning June 7 through the remainder of the Spring Meet, scheduled to run to July 3. Live racing at Churchill Downs was held as scheduled this weekend on Saturday and Sunday, but the remainder of the race meet will be relocated to Ellis Park Racing & Gaming in Henderson, beginning on Saturday, June 10. Churchill...

CovCath distance runner adds to his gold medal collection at Class 3A boys state track meet

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter Eight months after he became the first Northern Kentucky distance runner to win the Class 3A boys state cross country meet since 1990, Covington Catholic sophomore Will Sheets claimed a pair of gold medals in track and field. At the Class 3A state championship meet on Saturday, Sheets won the 3200 run and was a member of the CovCath 4×800 relay team...

After Highlands boys win relay event, seniors are local scoring leaders in Class 2A state track meet

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter Curtez Hill was hard to catch on the football field last season when he rushed for 1,467 yards as the leading running back on the Holmes football team. The senior’s speed was on display once again Friday during the Class 2A state track and field meet at the University of Kentucky. Curtez Hill Haley Zell Hill finished second in the 200 dash and third...

Beechwood can’t get big hit against an Apollo team that did as Tigers fall in first round of state baseball

By Dan Weber NKyTribune sports reporter LEXINGTON – It was the kind of game where Beechwood’s opponents look up at the scoreboard after the last inning and ask: “How did that happen?” Only the team doing the asking Thursday night at Lexington’s Counter Clocks Stadium was Ninth Region champ Beechwood. How did that happen, Beechwood fans and players were asking as they stared at the scoreboard...

Kentucky coach John Calipari voices support for departing players, looks to future with current roster

By Keith Taylor Kentucky Today Kentucky coach John Calipari is looking ahead after two of his former players announced their intentions to remain in the NBA Draft on Wednesday. Oscar Tshiebwe and Chris Livingston announced they were planning on staying in the NBA Draft, while Antonio Reeves withdrew his name from the draft. Reeves plans on returning next season, but it’s not certain whether or not...

CovCath’s improbable doubles comeback gives Colonels first team tennis state championship

By Dan Weber NKyTribune sports reporter NICHOLASVILLE – They’d already lost the first set 6-2 and were down 5-1 in the second. One more game lost and it would be all she wrote. One more lost game and Covington Catholic would still not have its first-ever state team championship and Northern Kentucky would still not have a boys’ state doubles champ since – get ready for it – 1949. And...

Tough luck for young Highlands’ team in state tourney softball for second straight year

By Dan Weber NKyTribune sports reporter LEXINGTON – A young Highlands Bluebirds’ team could not halt the Ninth Region’s six-year winless streak in the Kentucky Girls’ State Softball Championship Thursday. But Highlands did manage to end its 12-inning-plus state tournament scoreless streak . . . but just barely. The tears were flowing as Highlands’ Coach Milt Horner said this one...

Walton-Verona boys, Beechwood girls pull off surprising sweep in Class 1A state track meet

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter Northern Kentucky teams sweeping state titles in Class 1A track and field comes as no surprise, but few people expected the Walton-Verona boys and Beechwood girls to pull it off Thursday at the University of Kentucky. Neither of those teams won a championship trophy in the Region 4 qualifying meet last week. Walton-Verona finished fourth in the boys point...

CovCath duo one win away from becoming region’s first boys doubles team in state finals since 1969

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter The last time a Northern Kentucky boys doubles team made it to the finals of the Kentucky state high school tennis tournament was 1969, but a couple of sophomores are one win away from ending that perplexing 54-year streak. Alex Yeager and Kalei Christensen of Covington Catholic won two matches in straight sets on Wednesday at the Top Seed Tennis Club in...

Ryle graduate invited to training camp tryout for U.S. women’s basketball team going to AmeriCup

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter Maddie Scherr, a Ryle graduate who was named Miss Kentucky Basketball in 2020, has been invited to a training camp tryout for the United States women’s basketball team that will play in the 2023 AmeriCup, an international tournament that begins July 1 in Leon, Mexico. Scherr will be competing for one of five remaining roster spots at the training camp...

Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe to forego third season with Wildcats, will remain in NBA draft

By Keith Taylor Kentucky Today Oscar Tshiebwe won’t be returning for a third season at Kentucky. The senior center opted to remain in the NBA Draft on Wednesday, ahead of a midnight deadline to stay in the draft or return. Tshiebwe, the 2021-22 consensus National Player of the Year, announced his future plans on social media. Oscar Tshiebwe (Photo from Kentucky Today) “I would like to thank...

Local tennis players remain title contenders in every bracket going into round of 16 at state tournament

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter Three singles players and four doubles teams from Northern Kentucky won their first two matches in the boys and girls state tennis tournament on Tuesday and advanced to the round of 16 in each bracket. Covington Latin senior Sara Watanabe, the top seed in girls singles, and Dixie Heights junior Tapanee Boonyawat have their next matches scheduled for 9:15...

Prep Sports Notebook: Region champion Highlands has several candidates for softball all-star team

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter When high school softball coaches turn in their ballots for Northern Kentucky all-star teams on Tuesday, there could be several Highlands players among the Division II selections. Highlands won its second consecutive 9th Region championship on Sunday and returns to the state tournament with a 27-8 record that includes a 20-1 mark against teams in Boone,...

Kentucky to host NCAA Regional for first time since 2017; games begin Friday at Kentucky Proud Park

By Keith Taylor Kentucky Today For just the third time in history, the Kentucky baseball team will serve as host for an NCAA Regional set for Friday-Monday at Kentucky Proud Park. Grant Smith and the Wildcats will open NCAA play against Ball State at 1 p.m. Friday in Lexington. (UK Athletics Photo) The Wildcats, seeded 12th nationallly in the event, will host Ball State, Indiana and West Virginia in...

Former University of Kentucky guard Jamal Murray helping Denver Nuggets make NBA history

By Keith Taylor Kentucky Today Jamal Murray wants to keep making history. The former Kentucky guard has played a big role in the Denver Nuggets’ success in the NBA playoffs this year. Murray averaged 30-plus points in the Western Conference finals, a 4-0 sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers. The rare sweep over LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the rest of the Lakers marked the first time Denver had reached...