Digest (Nov. 20): Morgan State begins search for new football coach

Morgan State athletic director Edward Scott announced that a national search for a permanent head football coach will begin immediately. Ernest T. Jones led the team on an interim basis in 2018, leading the Bears to a 4-7 record, including a 16-13 upset of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion North Carolina A&T, which will be attending its third Celebration Bowl in four years. “As Interim head coach, Ernest gave his all to the Morgan State Bears football program this year, and moved the program forward in many ways,” Scott said in a statement. “We thank Ernest and his family for their service and commitment to Morgan State student-athletes.” The Bears finished the season with two straight victories, including their first win over Norfolk State since 2006. Jones inherited a team that went 1-10 in 2017 after Morgan fired coach Fred Farrier and promoted Jones, the associate head coach and defensive coordinator. Jones was previously the head coach at ASA Miami, a two-year college, and worked briefly as the running backs coach for Connecticut in 2014. He also served a three-year stint at Notre Dame that began in 2011 as the Fighting Irish’s director of player development and engagement.

Swimming

Ledecky honored as top female swimmer again

Katie Ledecky was honored as the top female swimmer for the sixth straight year, while Ryan Murphy took home three prizes at USA Swimming’s Golden Goggles awards. Ledecky and Murphy were honored Monday night In New York for their performances at 2018’s biggest meet, the Pan Pacific Championships. The 21-year-old Ledecky, a Bethesda native, won five medals at Pan Pacs, including repeat gold-medal performances in the 400-, 800- and 1500-meter freestyle events. Also this year, she lowered her own world record in the 1,500 free at a meet in Indianapolis. Murphy was the big winner with three Golden Goggles awards: male athlete of the year, male race of the year for his 100 backstroke victory at Pan Pacs and relay performance of the year for his part on the winning 4x100 medley relay team in Tokyo. He shared the relay award with Andrew Wilson, Caeleb Dressel and Nathan Adrian.

Et cetera

Duke’s Danowski to return as U.S. men’s lacrosse coach

Duke men’s lacrosse coach John Danowski will return for a second term as the United States men’s senior national team coach after leading the U.S. to gold at the Federation of International Lacrosse World Championships this past summer. This will be the first time in the history of the U.S. men’s program that a coach will serve for more than one term. Sue Stahl, Wendy Kridel and Ricky Fried all won multiple titles with the U.S. women’s program. Under Danowski, the U.S. returned to the top of the podium this past summer with a 9-8 last-second victory over Canada in Israel. The next world championship event will be in 2022 in Coquitlam, British Columbia.

College football: Towson redshirt junior quarterback Tom Flacco was named the Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Year. Tigers junior returner Shane Simpson was picked Special Teams Player of the Year. Flacco and Simpson were joined on the All-CAA first-team by junior wide receiver Shane Leatherbury, senior offensive lineman Matt Kauffman and junior kicker Aidan O’Neill. Junior linebacker Robert Heyward, senior linebacker Diondre Wallace and offensive lineman Aaron Grzymkowski earned third-team honors.

NBA G League: Chasson Randle of the Capital City Go-Go will participate in FIBA World Cup Qualifying training camp and games Nov. 23 to Dec. 2. Randle will begin training in Houston at the Rockets’ practice facility from Nov. 23-25 before traveling with the team to face Argentina in La Rioja on Nov. 29 and Uruguay on Dec. 2 in Montevideo. The Go-Go have re-acquired Devin Sweetney to fill the roster void during Randle’s 10 days with Team USA.