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O’Ward, McLaren Sweep the Weekend at Milwaukee Mile; Alex Palou Clinches Fifth NTT IndyCar Series Championship

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Alex Palou clinches his fifth IndyCar championship as Pato O'Ward sweeps the Milwaukee Mile, turning around his oval struggles in dominant fashion.
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Pato O’Ward is no stranger to heartbreak on ovals. After numerous top-five finishes on ovals this year, O’Ward gets two straight on the same day at the Milwaukee Mile.

“I want to turn my ovals around” O’Ward said in his post-race interview after winning his second race of the day. Safe to say he and his McLaren crew turned their oval performance around this weekend. The No. 5 team had struggled all year with getting his car to where O’Ward could fight for wins. Coming into the weekend, O’Ward was winless on ovals in 2026.

“I want my car to be on edge; much like my 2024 car.” said O’Ward. The McLaren driver explained that the car was not where it needed to be after his first two pit stops of the day, and that the car felt “Stuck” when in dirty air.

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The No. 5 crew then made the right adjustment after the third stop of the day, allowing the Mexican driver to surge his way up the field…”I took advantage of the restarts, track position is critical here.”

Changed setup and fresh tires allowed O’Ward to carve his way through the field, eventually passing David Malukas with 19 laps to go. O’Ward never looked back, cruising his way to victory.

A great weekend for the McLaren No. 5 team, who only had one win prior to the sweep in Milwaukee. The victory gives O’Ward momentum heading into the last race of the season at Laguna Seca, in hopes of ending the 2026 season on a high note and carrying that positive momentum into 2027.

Back-to-back-to-back-to-back for Palou!

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The Spaniards’ dominance in IndyCar over the past six years continues to grow. With just one race remaining in the season: The Mission Grand Prix of Monterey; Palou has clinched his fifth series championship over the past six years, including winning the past four.

When asked how it feels to win his fifth championship, Palou said, “Incredible. Feels like, I don’t know what to say man. I owe everything to this team and everybody at Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda, DHL, all our partners, but especially Chip and everybody that is behind us. Just so proud of this team.” A humbling and Emotional response from one of the most dominant figures in motorsports over the past decade.

Palou has six wins on the year, 14 wins over the past two years, including an Indianapolis 500 victory in 2025, and starting on pole for the 110th Indy 500 this past May.

Time and time again, Palou and his Chip Ganassi crew have shown that they are quicker than the rest and that it is impossible to beat Palou on weekends when he is clicking on all cylinders.

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Kentucky Men’s Golf Ties For 9th at Windon Memorial Classic With Season-Best Team Total

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Photo via UK Athletics

Kentucky Men’s Golf traveled to Lake Forest, IL to face off in the Windon Memorial Classic in a two-day tournament, taking place on both Monday, Sept. 28 and Tuesday, Sept. 29.

The tournament was hosted by Northwestern at Onwentsia Club, where the Wildcats tied for 9th with the University of South Florida among 16 schools following the final round.

Kentucky ended with a team score of eight-over par.

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On Monday, the Wildcats finished in 12th place at 14-over par to wrap up day one. Junior Jacob Lang finished in 12th place individually with a score of one-under par, shooting 72 in the first round and 67 in the second.

“This was a big week for Lang,” head coach Gator Todd said. “He’s been off his standard the first two events, but he looked in complete control this week. He was one hole and a few putts dropping from winning this tournament.”

In round one, Kentucky scored 289 and improved later in the day, with a 285 in the second round.

For day two, Kentucky came back and posted a season-best team total of six-under par. This improvement allowed the Wildcats to jump three spots on the leaderboard after day one. All four counting scores for Kentucky were at par or better for the first time this season.

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“I’m really proud of the way we stepped up and finished today,” Todd said. “We haven’t been playing our best golf this fall and we challenged guys to find a way and they did. I thought today was the best round we’ve played so far this fall.”

Kentucky will host their first home event next week at the Lexington Country Club for the Cullan Brown Collegiate Tournament. It will take place all day on both Monday, Oct. 5 and Tuesday, Oct. 6.

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Asia Thigpen Shares How Kentucky Can Maintain Intensity Continuing Conference Play

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Photo via Grace Smith | UK Athletics

On Sunday, Sept. 27, No. 3 Kentucky Volleyball swept the No. 7 Texas Longhorns at Historic Memorial Coliseum, moving the Wildcats to 2-0 in conference play.

Following the victory, junior outside hitter Asia Thigpen spoke on the team’s ability to maintain their intensity during high-pressure plays.

“As a player, I really burn myself on my intensity in every way that I can impact my teammates,” said Thigpen. She finished the match with 15 kills, two of which taking place in the last two points of the third set, securing the final score of 25-22 and earning the sweep.

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Thigpen’s communication and passion throughout the game built up her teammates, giving Kentucky momentum whether she’s attacking or not.

The outside hitter also talked about always preparing for the next win and treating all games equally matters the most.

“I feel like for us just really treating every team the same.” said Thigpen when asked on carrying on the momentum. “Just playing to our Kentucky Volleyball standard.”

The Wildcats expectation to play at their elite level, whether the game is unranked or not, displays how much intensity Kentucky has built over the course of the season.

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Additionally, the junior added that head coach Craig Skinner encourages the team to bring that intensity and confidence to every single match. Skinner instilling confidence and energy into this team over and over allows them to make aggressive plays and swing hard.

The Wildcats play next on the road at Auburn later this week, meeting on Friday, Oct. 2, for Kentucky’s third conference matchup. Start time is scheduled for 7:00pm ET.

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No. 3 Kentucky Volleyball Sweeps the No. 7 Texas Longhorns, Moves to 2-0 in SEC

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Photo via Camryn Williams | UK Athletics

On Sunday, Sept. 27, No. 3 Kentucky Volleyball swept No. 7 Texas, moving to 9-2 on the season and 2-0 in conference play. Kentucky started its SEC matchups strong, securing a win on the road over Vanderbilt and now bringing out the brooms for the Longhorns.

Senior outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye and junior outside hitter Asia Thigpen led the team to victory, combining for a total of 26 kills.

In the opening set, the Wildcats started slow, allowing Texas to go on a 4-0 scoring run.

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With the Longhorns leading 21-20, Kentucky responded after Craig Skinner’s second timeout with four consecutive kills by DeLeye and Thigpen. As the set progressed, Kentucky faced a point-by-point climb, tied or down by one point at seemingly every moment that went by.

The Wildcats asserted pressure through the set and took the lead on another kill by Thigpen, making the score 24-23. Thigpen would tally another kill to win the set 25-23.

Skinner and his team had the ability to shift the tone and build intensity on high-pressure plays, helping them secure the first set.

In the second set, Kentucky dominated with a final score of 25-20, thanks to 16 kills and 10 digs, increasing their hitting percentage from .250 to .324 overall.

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Seeking the sweep, the Wildcats faced another uphill battle in the third set.

After another timeout, sophomore outside hitter Georgia Watson secured Kentucky an immediate side-out with a kill. This wasn’t Watson’s only significant play – she had nine kills throughout the match, two of them giving Kentucky a lead in the third set.

To end the third and final installment, a kill by Thigpen finished off the Longhorns and gave Kentucky the win. This match wasn’t just any sweep, because for years, Texas Volleyball held a significant historical advantage.

Kentucky Volleyball has started to change the conversation.

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The teams played regularly in the 1980’s and 1990’s, with Texas holding the all-time series advantage at 15-6, but the Wildcats have won the last two meetings.

These two SEC teams have transformed the climate of women’s volleyball by having a rivalry of excellence, one that will continue for years to come.

During the game as well, Kentucky recognized AVCA Third-Team All-American alumnae Leah Edmond. She finished her career as the school’s all-time rally-scoring kills leader with 1,978 kills and earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors in her time.

Looking to continue the win streak and remain undefeated in the conference, the Wildcats will play at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday Oct. 2, heading on the road to face the Auburn Tigers.

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Can Kentucky’s excellence against top-10 opponents give them the advantage?

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