Latest news with #Bertsch
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chicago Sky Release Three of Angel Reese's Teammates on Sunday
After securing a win in each of their first two preseason games, Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky couldn't finish with an undefeated record, falling to 2-1. On Saturday, Reese and the Sky suffered a 92-87 loss to Napheesa Collier and the Minnesota Lynx in their 2025 WNBA preseason finale. Advertisement With the regular season less than a week away, the Sky needed to release some players to cut their roster down to the WNBA maximum of 12. In order to get to this number, Chicago was forced to cut three players on Sunday, including forward Morgan Bertsch, guard Alex Wilson and center Jessika Carter, per Sky reporter Karli Bell. "The Chicago Sky have waived Morgan Bertsch, Alex Wilson and Jessika Carter," Bell wrote on X. "This means that rookie draft pick Maddy Westbeld has made the 2025 roster." With the latest roster moves, it certainly appears as though the Sky will be keeping rookies Maddy Westbeld and Hailey Van Lith around for the foreseeable future. Advertisement The release of Bertsch, Willson and Carter may not come as a surprise to some. Outside of guard Courtney Vandersloot, who was out with a rib injury, new head coach Tyler Marsh elected not to play the three aforementioned players in the preseason finale, marked as a "DNP-coach's decision." Chicago Sky forward Angel ReeseKamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Bertsch is the only player of the Sky's three cuts who has seen legitimate WNBA action in her career. Although she was drafted in 2019, Bertsch did not play until 2023 with Chicago, averaging 4.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game. She also notched five starts in her 28 games played that year. Bertsch played in 11 games last season with the Mercury and Wings as well. Advertisement Now, Reese and the Sky will look toward the regular season, where they open up against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET. Related: Brittney Griner Leaves Game Within Minutes Against Caitlin Clark
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ironman Triathlon returns to Kona in 2026, men's and women's races combined
KONA, Hawaii (KHON2) — The Ironman Triathlon is expected to go through a big change in 2026, with the World Championship returning to Kona. In 2026, men and women will be competing together on the same day. In 2022, the Ironman was held over two days, separating the men and women. But officials said that was unsustainable for the Kona community. Three days later: Search suspended for missing Kona fisherman After that, the men and women's races were held in different locations. But based on feedback from athletes, the decision was made to have everyone race together in Kona. Senior Vice President Diana Bertsch of World Championship Events said the last time the men and women raced together in Kona was back in 2019. 'In 2020, 2021, we had to postpone, cancel and in 2021, we moved that event to St. George in Utah. It really just developed. It's a domino effect, and ultimately, we have thousands of athletes who are qualifying. In 2022, we did a two-day event in Kona and it was just not the right decision for the community. We found out about the impact was overwhelming and we had to redirect,' said Bertsch. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news Bertsch said the Kona community makes the event possible. 'And it's not just this event that happens in Kona. But the world comes to Kona. It's definitely something to celebrate. We listen to our community, we have teams that go out after the race through the night and into the next day and clean up. Clean up rubbish, clean up chalk that people may have done. They want to cheer their family member, their loved ones, so they'll put chalk. Go number 345. And so we're definitely committed. It's a priority for us to ensure that we take care of the land, take care of our island. It's my home, so it's something that we've dug into to make certain that we meet those needs in every way that we can,' said Bertsch. Check out more news from around Hawaii This year's Ironman World Championship is taking place in France. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Often knocked down, Naperville North's Kennedy Bertsch always gets back up. ‘You have to be resilient.'
Kennedy Bertsch was not a typical freshman when she joined the Naperville North girls soccer team last season. That was evident even before tryouts started. 'I first saw Kennedy at our summer camp when she was a freshman, and I knew right away that she was going to be something special here at North,' Naperville North junior goalkeeper Olivia Ochsner said. 'It was just her personality in particular. She cares so much about the program, and you can see that every time she steps foot on the field.' The old saying about being seen and not heard didn't apply to Bertsch. The Huskies wanted to hear from the midfielder. 'She's an incredible kid,' Naperville North coach Steve Goletz said. 'She's got such a good personality, such good balance of competitiveness but also just very easy to talk to as a teammate. She makes everybody feel welcome. 'There isn't anybody on our team that wouldn't respect and listen to the things that come out of Kennedy's mouth during a game because they know she has the best interest of the team in mind. She's got that charisma that people want to follow.' Bertsch isn't a captain, but the sophomore defensive midfielder has emerged as a physical and vocal linchpin for the Huskies by displaying a maturity beyond her years. That she has done so at such a tradition-rich program as Naperville North is impressive. 'She is super thoughtful in how she plays the game, not only tactically, but is always aware of where her teammates should be,' Goletz said. 'She's constantly asking questions to continue to get better in regards to her leadership. 'She has the respect of all of her teammates. There's a lot of great kids on our team, so for a sophomore to do that is a pretty incredible thing.' Ochsner, a three-year starter, is a veteran teammate who appreciates Bertsch's leadership. 'Her drive is what makes her such a good leader and also her relationships with everyone else on the team,' Ochsner said. 'She's such a sociable person that she clicks with everyone right away. 'That definitely helped her grow into this role, and she's just gotten better every single game.' Bertsch returns the praise, saying the Huskies welcomed her with open arms. 'It was such a supportive environment that I felt so connected with everyone, so I was comfortable as soon as I came into the program,' Bertsch said. 'I just try my best to communicate on the field, just little things to help my team out. 'But everyone is so supportive of each other. We're always picking each other up, and if we don't do our best, we just try to connect with each other because that's what ultimately helps makes us successful.' Bertsch has scored two career goals. One was the game-tying strike in a come-from-behind 2-1 win against Metea Valley that helped the Huskies secure the DuPage Valley Conference title last year. But her role as defensive midfielder is geared toward doing the little things that often go unnoticed, like winning challenges in the air. 'I would say I'm pretty good at winning the ball in the air,' she said. 'It's one of my favorite things to do on the field. It's a little thing, but it makes a big difference.' Bertsch made a big difference as host Naperville North edged Oswego 1-0 on penalty kicks in the Naperville Invitational on Thursday. She helped the Huskies (7-2-2) hold off the physical Panthers (13-2-1) in regulation before Ochsner stopped a penalty kick as North won the shootout 4-1. Bertsch had to leave the game twice, once when a ball hit her in the face and once after she took an elbow to the gut, for which an Oswego player received a yellow card. Both times she returned within minutes. 'She gets beat up all the time in the middle, but that doesn't stop her,' Ochsner said. 'She never goes down easy, so when she got down, she got right back up.' It's all in a day's work for Bertsch. 'I just try to be resilient,' she said. 'You have to be resilient. Just get up if you happen to get knocked down because you're doing it for your team, not just for yourself.' That attitude endears Bertsch to her teammates. 'It's amazing to have Kennedy on the team,' Ochsner said. 'We're so lucky to have her. Every time she steps onto the field, she makes an impact, so there's nothing more that I could ask.'
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
$30M incentive for large North Dakota ag facilities receives 'do-pass' recommendation from Senate committee
Mar. 21—GRAND FORKS — The $30 million incentive program for large agricultural developments in North Dakota received a unanimous "do-pass" recommendation from the Senate Agriculture and Veterans Affairs Committee Thursday morning. It was the first hearing for the bill following legislative crossover, when both houses of the Legislature began considering the others' session bills. The bill was designed with the proposed Agristo potato processing facility in Grand Forks in mind. The Belgian potato processor announced its $450 million plan for its first American facility earlier this year and this incentive being considered is just one of several planned. "This really is an important project for us," Grand Forks City Administrator Todd Feland said. "We don't want to let all the regional growers down since they've done so much work. ... (And) we couldn't do these projects without the state of North Dakota." The proposal being considered by the Legislature would allow Agristo to apply for an up to $30 million state grant, paid in two parts. The first half would be given when a certificate of occupancy is issued and the rest when the facility has reached 50% of production capacity. The grant works on a reimbursement model and can be used for capital expenditures, infrastructure and site acquisition. To fund the grant, the Bank of North Dakota will be able to extend a line of credit to the agriculture commissioner for grant awards from the Agricultural Diversification and Development Fund. The appropriation measure would only be valid for the biennium that ends in June 2029. The city of Grand Forks also is providing a tax incentive, allowing the company to have a reduction to its property tax bill for 20 years, if approved by the other taxing entities in Grand Forks . During the Thursday hearing, Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, asked Grand Forks Region Economic Development President and CEO Keith Lund about potential workforce shortages the Agristo development may cause. Lund said the development would attract job-seekers. "(Agristo's) report shows that it is very doable in North Dakota," Lund said. He said the state's business and tax climate is an attractant. While boosters feel the facility, if built, would be an economic asset for the region, some also said that it will bring back an agricultural crop that has lost market share in the last few decades. The project could be a great thing for all aspects of the potato industry, according to North Dakota Seed Commissioner Ken Bertsch. "The announcement of the Agristo project means that our seed potato industry will potentially benefit in the same manner as the commercial production sector," Bertsch said. "North Dakota's seed potato industry could grow 20% to 30% from today in acres produced." Bertsch estimates that the Agristo project would be a $10 million to $20 million boon for seed potato growers and even more to the state's agriculture industry and communities. "This is the most positive development in the seed potato sector in years," Bertsch said.
