College football’s annual rite of spring seems to be withering.

Texas became the latest major program Thursday to ditch or change it’s annual spring scrimmage that has long been a staple for fans eager to see the rising stars of their program and get a peek into the upcoming season.

Coach Steve Sarkisian announced there would be no Orange & White scrimmage this year, citing the wear and tear of playing 30 games over the last two seasons when Texas twice advanced to the College Football Playoff.

As of Thursday, about half of the 68 Power Four schools had publicly announced dates for spring games.

Women’s soccer

US beats Colombia in SheBelieves Cup >> Catarina Macario and Ally Sentnor scored goals and the United States beat Colombia 2-0 in the SheBelieves Cup opener for both teams.

The U.S. extended its unbeaten streak to 21 matches since losing to Mexico 2-0 on Feb. 26, 2024. The U.S. has outscored its opponents 43-10 in that span.

The U.S. plays Australia on Sunday in Glendale, Arizona, before facing Japan on Feb. 26 in San Diego.

Golf

international leaderboard AT Mexico Open >> Six of the seven PGA Tour events this year had international winners, and the Mexico Open kept up with trend when Jeremy Paul of Germany, Kris Ventura of Norway and Harry Hall of England shared the lead at 7-under 64.

Hall played early and handled the gusts at Vidanta Vallarta, chipping in from 30 yards for eagle on the par-5 sixth hole and driving the green on the 297-yard seventh hole for another look at eagle. He putted for birdie and closed with two more pars.

Ventura and Paul had the advantage of the wind slightly easing late in the afternoon. But it was a matter of making birdies on a day when 70 players in the 132-man field broke 70.

Boxing

Heavyweight title bout in doubt >> Heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois was undergoing a medical evaluation, raising doubts about whether he can go ahead with his scheduled IBF title bout against Joseph Parker on Saturday.

Dubois was a no-show at a press conference in the Saudi capital, and promoter Frank Warren said it’s because of a medical exam.

Olympics

Staton, US trailblazer at 1952 Games, dies >> Mabel Staton, the Black track and field standout who broke through racial barriers and became the only woman to compete for the United States in the long jump at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, has died. She was 92.

Staton, who went by the name of Mabel Landry when she attended DePaul in the 1950s, before the school had a women’s track team, was inducted into the university’s athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.

Staton was the only American woman to meet the Olympic qualifying standard in the lead up to the Helsinki Games, where she finished seventh.

Tennis

TOP PLAYERS UPSET >> Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz lost for just the second time this year when 25th-ranked Jiri Lehecka beat him 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open.

No. 2-ranked Iga Swiatek lost to a player younger than 18 for the first time on tour when she was stunned by Mirra Andreeva in the Dubai Championships quarterfinals. The 17-year-old Andreeva won 6-3, 6-3 to become the youngest semifinalist in Dubai’s 24-year history.