Sports in Brief: Citing grueling year, Soul coach resigns

After watching his team fall short of a championship, Soul head coach Doug Plank has decided to resign, the team announced Thursday.

The team said the fifth-year Arena Football League coach is leaving because he needed a break after the long, grueling campaign. Plank led his team to a 15-win season but saw the Soul collapse in the ArenaBowl, falling to the underdog Arizona Rattlers, 72-54.

"I would like to thank the entire organization and the city of Philadelphia for how they embraced me and this team. It was an incredible run," Plank said in a statement released by the team. "In the last few days, my job description has changed. Coach Plank has now become Doug, Dad, and Grandpa."

Under Plank, the Soul offense finished No. 1 in the AFL for scoring, rushing offense, and turnover margin and was the only team to reach 15 regular-season wins.

The team will look to fill the vacancy as soon as possible.

GOLF: Carl Pettersson shot an 8-under 62 on Thursday to take the first-round lead in the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C. David Mathis and Tim Clark were a stroke back; Tom Gillis, Scott Stallings, and Troy Matteson shot 64; and Matt Every had a 65 in the final event before the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Pettersson, a Swede who became a U.S. citizen during the offseason, had his best round at the Wyndham since 2008, when he set the tournament record with a second-round 61 and went on to win in his adopted hometown.

LOCAL: The Atlantic Ten Conference will play its 2013 women's basketball championship game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The women's championship finale will be conducted in conjunction with the men's semifinal contests on March 16 and will be televised on ESPN, while the first three rounds will again be held at St. Joseph's Hagan Arena on March 8-11.

Reigning Atlantic Ten Conference field hockey champion Richmond has been predicted to repeat as league champion, according to the preseason coaches' poll. Temple, which lost in the title game to Richmond in 2011 by a 1-0 score, was picked to finish third. Massachusetts was picked to finish second.

"The poll result is a little disappointing after our strong finish in last year's tournament," said Temple head coach Amanda Janney. "We expect to be in the A-10 final again this coming November, and we can use the poll as more motivation to get us ready for A-10s."

Former Eagles assistant Bill Shuey has joined West Chester football as a new assistant coach. Shuey, who was an assistant to Eagles head coach Andy Reid serving in many capacities from 2001 to 2011, will oversee the Golden Rams' inside linebackers.

"I am excited to get back into the game and work with such a great coaching staff," Shuey said. "The guys are working hard, and the first game will be here before we know it."

Penn men's basketball assistant coach Dan Leibovitz may be leaving the program to join the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats as the team's player development coach. Leibovitz and Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap, a former assistant at St. John's, are longtime friends. A formal contract could be signed next week.

Penn State Abington has hired Eve Wilderman to coach its women's lacrosse team, the school announced Monday. A 2005 Penn graduate, Wilderman spent the previous two seasons as the assistant women's lacrosse coach at Bryn Mawr. Prior to coaching, she played for Penn's varsity team and afterward stayed on as the team manager in 2002 and 2003.

   - Staff and wire reports