Newsmakers: Rampone returns to US women’s team following knee surgery

Announced Defender Christie Rampone is returning to the U.S. women’s team for the first time since September. The American captain had arthroscopic surgery on her right knee on Sept. 4, a day after playing until the 51st minute of a 7-0 exhibition win over Mexico. Rampone, 40, has appeared in all five of Sky Blue’s games this season in the National Women’s Soccer League.

California volleyball player Savannah Rennie received a liver transplant that she hopes will have her back next season. After a nearly 2 1/2-month wait, Rennie posted on Twitter that her surgery at Indiana University was a success.

Olympic medalist Arkady Vyatchanin has given up on his bid to swim at the Rio Games after FINA denied his request to represent Serbia. The 32-year-old Russian, who won a pair of bronze medals in the backstroke events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, had a falling out with his country’s national federation over training disputes and concerns about potential doping issues.

Signed Ezekiel Elliott has signed a four-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys that includes a $16 million signing bonus and is worth nearly $25 million for the Ohio State RB who was the fourth overall draft pick. The Cowboys also signed CB Anthony Brown from Purdue, safety Kavon Frazier from Central Michigan and RB Darius Jackson from Eastern Michigan.

Agreed Butler coach Chris Holtmann has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him with the Bulldogs through 2021-22. Holtmann is 45-22 since replacing Brandon Miller, initially on an interim basis in the fall of 2014.

Named UFC has named Michael Bisping as the new opponent for Luke Rockhold in the UFC 199 middleweight championship bout. Bisping replaced Chris Weidman, who pulled out of the fight this week because of an injury.

Vacated Canelo Alvarez vacated his WBC middleweight title rather than be pressured into a deal to fight Gennady Golovkin, though Alvarez said in a statement he still wants to face the unified titleholder. The WBC had imposed a Tuesday deadline for making a fight between the two champions, and Alvarez did not want to negotiate terms for the biggest fight boxing has to offer under such a time constraint.

Fined NASCAR fined the crew chief for driver Kasey Kahne as a part of a slew of penalties levied against the Hendrick Motorsports team for failing post-race inspection. Crew chief Keith Rodden was fined $25,000 and Kahne was docked 15 points in the standings, and the No. 5 team lost 15 points in the owners’ standings.

Transferred Former Colorado prep star Paul Thurston is transferring from Nebraska to Colorado State and will be eligible to play his final season this fall. The center and 2012 graduate of Arvada West High School, Thurston played in 23 games for the Huskers, mostly on special teams.