2015 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2015 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament was held from May 20–24. The top eight regular season finishers of the conference's twelve teams, regardless of division, met in the double-elimination tournament held at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, Ohio. The Ohio Bobcats won the tournament and earned the conference's automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


2015 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament, Seeding and format
The winners of each division claim the top two seeds, with the remaining six spots in the field determined by conference winning percentage, regardless of division. Teams then play a two bracket, double-elimination tournament leading to a single elimination final.


2015 Mid-American Conference Softball Tournament
The 2015 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Softball tournament will be held at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio, home of Akron University, from May 6 through May 9, 2015. The tournament winner will earn the Mid-American Conference's automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament. All games will be streamed via mac-sports.com.


2015 Mid-American Conference football season
The 2015 Mid-American Conference football season is the 70th season of college football play for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and is part of the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season


2015 Mid-American Conference football season, 2015 MAC Specialty Award Winners
Coach of the Year:  Matt Campbell, ToledoFreshman of the Year:  RB Jamauri Bogan, Western MichiganOffensive Player of the Year:  QB Matt Johnson, Bowling GreenDefensive Player of the Year:  LB Jatavis Brown, AkronSpecial Teams Player of the Year: KR Aregeros Turner, Northern IllinoisVern Smith Leadership Award Winner:  QB Matt Johnson, Bowling Green


2015 Mid-American Conference football season, All Conference Teams
2015 All-MAC First Team OffenseQuarterback – Matt Johnson, Bowling GreenOffensive Linemen – Storm Norton, ToledoOffensive Linemen – Andrew Ness, Northern IllinoisOffensive Lineman – Willie Beavers, Western MichiganOffensive Linemen – Nick Beamish, Central MichiganOffensive Linemen – Aidan Conlon, Northern IllinoisTight End – Matt Weiser, BuffaloWide Receiver – Roger Lewis, Bowling GreenWide Receiver – Corey Davis, Western MichiganWide Receiver – Tajae Sharpe, UMassWide Receiver – Daniel Braverman, Western MichiganRunning Back – Joel Bouagnon, Northern IllinoisRunning Back – Travis Greene, Bowling GreenPlacekicker – Christian Hagan, Northern Illinois


2015 Mid-American Conference football season, All Conference Teams
2015 All-MAC First Team DefenseOutside Linebacker – Jatavis Brown, AkronOutside Linebacker – Sean Wiggins, Ball StateInside Linebacker – Boomer Mays, Northern IllinoisInside Linebacker – Austin Valdez, Bowling GreenDown Lineman – Orion Jones, ToledoDown Lineman – Perez Ford, Northern IllinoisDown Lineman – Joshua Posley, Ball StateDown Lineman – Terence Waugh, Kent StateDefensive Back – Shawun Lurry, Northern IllinoisDefensive Back – Nate Holley, Kent StateDefensive Back – Cheatham Norrils, ToledoDefensive Back – Demetrius Monday, Kent StatePunter – Joe Davidson, Bowling Green


2015 Mid-American Conference football season, All Conference Teams
2015 All-MAC First Team SpecialistsKickoff Return Specialist – Aregeros Turner, Northern IllinoisPunt Return Specialist – Corey Jones, Toledo


2015 Mid-American Conference football season, All Conference Teams
2015 All-MAC Second Team OffenseQuarterback – Cooper Rush, Central MichiganOffensive Lineman – Alex Huettel, Bowling GreenOffensive Lineman – Jacob Richard, Ball StateOffensive Lineman – Levon Myers, Northern IllinoisOffensive Lineman – Jacob Bennett, Bowling GreenOffensive Lineman – John Kling, BuffaloTight End – Ben McCord, Central MichiganWide Receiver – Jordan Williams, Ball StateWide Receiver – Kenny Golladay, Northern IllinoisWide Receiver – Gehrig Dieter, Bowling GreenWide Receiver – Alonzo Russell, ToledoRunning Back – Kareem Hunt, ToledoRunning Back – Terry Swanson, ToledoPlacekicker – Brian Eavey, Central Michigan


2015 Mid-American Conference football season, All Conference Teams
2015 All-MAC Second Team DefenseOutside Linebacker – Trent Greene, Bowling GreenOutside Linebacker – Brandon Berry, BuffaloInside Linebacker – Great Ibe, Eastern MichiganInside Linebacker – Jovan Santos-Knox, UMassDown Lineman – Allen Covington, ToledoDown Lineman – Blake Serpa, Central MichiganDown Lineman – Bryson Albright, MiamiDown Lineman – Cody Grice, AkronDefensive Back – Darius Phillips, Western MichiganDefensive Back – Kavon Frazier, Central MichiganDefensive Back – Ian Wells, OhioDefensive Back – Ronald Zamort, Western MichiganPunter – Anthony Melchiori, Kent State


2015 Mid-American Conference football season, All Conference Teams
2015 All-MAC Second Team SpecialistsKickoff Return Specialist – Darius Phillips, Western MichiganPunt Return Specialist – Trey Dudley-Giles, UMass


2015 Mid-American Conference football season, All Conference Teams
2015 All-MAC Third Team OffenseQuarterback – Zach Terrell, Western MichiganOffensive Lineman – Taylor Moton, Western MichiganOffensive Lineman – Ramadan Ahmeti, Central MichiganOffensive Lineman – Mike McQueen, OhioOffensive Lineman – Lucas Powell, OhioOffensive Lineman – Isaiah Williams, AkronTight End – Rodney Mills, UMassWide Receiver – Jesse Kroll, Central MichiganWide Receiver – Ronnie Moore, Bowling GreenWide Receiver – Sebastian Smith, OhioWide Receiver – KeVonn Mabon, Ball StateRunning Back – Jamauri Bogan, Western MichiganRunning Back – Darius Jackson, Eastern MichiganPlacekicker – Andrew Haldeman, Western Michigan


2015 Mid-American Conference football season, All Conference Teams
2015 All-MAC Third Team DefenseOutside Linebacker – Okezie Alozie, BuffaloOutside Linebacker – Trey Seals, UMassInside Linebacker – Matt Dellinger, Kent StateInside Linebacker – Quentin Poling, OhioDown Lineman – Jamal Marcus, AkronDown Lineman – Rodney Coe, AkronDown Lineman – JT Jones, MiamiDown Lineman – Trent Voss, ToledoDefensive Back – Asantay Brown, Western MichiganDefensive Back – Marlon Moore, Northern IllinoisDefensive Back – Boise Ross, BuffaloDefensive Back – DeJuan Rogers, ToledoPunter – Logan Laurent, UMass


2015 Mid-American Conference football season, All Conference Teams
2015 All-MAC Third Team SpecialistsKickoff Return Specialist – KeVonn Mabon, Ball StatePunt Return Specialist – Ryan Burbrink, Bowling Green


2015 Mid-American Conference football season, Bowl games
Seven MAC programs received invitations to bowl games for the 2015 season. This matches the MAC's record number of bowl invitations in a single season, a record which was established in the 2012 bowl season.


2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament began on May 13 and ended on May 16, 2015 at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, MD. It was a six-team double elimination tournament. Florida A&M won their first tournament championship and claimed the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. Runner-up Bethune-Cookman had claimed fourteen of the sixteen tournament championships, with Savannah State winning in 2013 and North Carolina A&T earning the 2005 title.


2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament, Format and seeding
The top three teams in the North Division and top three finishers from the South Division were seeded one through three based on regular season divisional records, with first round matchups of the second seed from the North and the third seed from the South, the second seed from the South against the third seed from the North, with the divisional winners gaining first round byes. The first round winners advance in the winners' bracket to face regular season divisional champions in the second round, while first round losers play elimination games. The format means that one team from the North and two from the South will be left out of the field.


2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament, Format and seeding
Savannah State earned the tiebreaker for the S3 seed over North Carolina Central.


2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Softball Tournament
The 2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Softball tournament will be held at Ormond Beach Sports Complex in Ormond Beach, Florida from May 7 through May 9, 2015. The tournament winner will earn the MEAC's automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament. Stats will be available for all games, but no games will be streamed or televised.


2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football season
The 2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football season was the XXth season for MEAC Football, as part of the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season.


2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football season, Previous season
22nd ranked Bethune-Cookman, along with North Carolina A&T, South Carolina State, North Carolina Central & Morgan State finished the season in a five-way tie for the MEAC Championship. Due to the MEAC's tiebreaker system, Morgan State earned the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs marking the Bears's first time in the FCS playoffs. Morgan State lost to Richmond in the First Round of the playoffs, eliminating the MEAC's lone representative in the postseason.


2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football season, Regular season
Rankings reflect that of the Sports Network poll for that week.


2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football season, Regular season, Postseason
Since 1996, the MEAC earned an automatic bid into the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. As of the 2015 season, the conference champion will abstain from participating in the playoffs and compete against the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in the newly created Celebration Bowl. Any other team from the MEAC is able to participate in the playoff if they earn an at-large bid.


2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football season, Regular season, Postseason, Post Season Awards
As the MEAC regular season came to an end, the conference post season awards were announced. North Carolina A&T running back Tarik Cohen and South Carolina State's Javon Hargrave were named Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the year, both of which received the top honors the previous season. Rounding out the postseason player selections were North Carolina Central’s Dorrel McClain, who earned Rookie of the Year, and North Carolina A&T’s Brandon Parker, was selected as the Offensive Lineman of the Year.


2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football season, Regular season, Postseason, Post Season Awards
First-year head coach Terry Sims of Bethune-Cookman was selected as the MEAC Coach of the Year. Sims led the Wildcats to a share of the conference title, including a 9-2 overall finish and 7-1 mark in conference play. Highlights of the Wildcat's season include a victory over rival Florida A&M in their final game of the season which secured their stake in the conference title and entering the STATS FCS Top 25 poll in the final ranking of the season (25th) and reaching the FCS Coaches Poll with a 21st spot.


2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football season, Regular season, Postseason, All Conference Teams
The following players were named to the MEAC All Conference Teams:


2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football season, Regular season, Postseason, All Conference Teams
^ indicates that there was a tie in the voting


2015 Mid-Season Invitational
The 2015 Mid-Season Invitational is the first event of the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) – a League of Legends tournament organized by publisher Riot Games that was held after Spring Season, from May 7–10, 2015 at the Florida State University Donald L. Tucker Civic Center in Tallahassee, Florida. The participants is 6 winner teams of the Spring Season: 5 teams from North America (NA LCS), Europe (EU LCS), China (LPL), South Korea (LCK), Taiwan/Hong Kong/Macau (LMS) and a team from Wildcard regions (Brazil, CIS, Japan, Latin America, Oceania, Southeast Asia) that won the Mid-Season International Wildcard Invitational (IWCI).


2015 Mid-Season Invitational
EDward Gaming from China won the first ever MSI title after defeating SK Telecom T1 from South Korea 3–2 at the final.


2015 Mid-States Football Association season
The 2015 Mid-States Football Association season was made up of 13 United States college athletic programs that competed in the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) under the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) for the 2015 college football season. The conference is divided into two leagues, the Mideast League and the Midwest league.


2015 Mid-States Football Association season
A total of three of the teams qualified for the 2012 NAIA Football National Championship:  Saint Francis and  Marian from the Mideast League and Saint Xavier from the Midwest League


2015 Middle East Rally Championship
The 2015 Middle East Rally Championship was an international rally championship sanctioned by the FIA. The championship was contested over eight events held in eight countries across the Middle East region, running from February to November. The championship was significantly expanded for the 2015 season. The Oman International Rally returned to the calendar after a seven-year absence, while Iran joined the championship for the first time with the Shiraz Rally debuting in May, the last rally before the mid-year winter break.


2015 Middle East Rally Championship
For the fifth season in a row, Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah won the championship title. Al-Attiyah won six of the seven rallies he contested – the only failure being a retirement in Lebanon – en route to his eleventh MERC title overall. With his victory in Oman, Al-Attiyah also tied Mohammed bin Sulayem for most rally wins in the MERC, with 60. Al-Attiyah finished 48 points of his nearest challenger, Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, who finished five rallies in second place during the 2015 season. Third place in the championship went to Khalid Al Qassimi, who won the rally that Al-Attiyah did not contest, the Dubai International Rally. Roger Feghali won the season's other event in Lebanon, but did not compete in enough events to be eligible for the championship standings.


2015 Middle East Rally Championship, Championship standings
The 2015 MERC for Drivers points was as follows: Only drivers that had contested at least five events during the season were eligible for the championship standings.


2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea
An outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus occurred in South Korea from May 2015 to July 2015. The virus, which causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), was a newly emerged betacoronavirus that was first identified in a patient from Saudi Arabia in April 2012. From the outbreak, a total of 186 cases have been infected, with a death toll of 38.


2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea, Outbreak
South Korea reported its first MERS case on 20 May 2015. A 68-year-old man returning from the Middle East was diagnosed with MERS nine days after he initially sought medical help.


2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea, Outbreak
The following table shows the daily statistics on the number of infected persons since 20 May 2015, based on the official report of the Central MERS Management Task Force, Ministry of Health and Welfare at the beginning of each day.


2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea, Government reaction
The Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare initially withheld details from the public, as identifying the medical institution treating a MERS patient might cause unnecessary anxiety to its other patients. This policy lacked public acceptance, and was heavily criticized as preventing the Ministry from properly notifying hospitals and municipal governments. On 3 June, it was found that the Ministry had not notified the Incheon municipal government of the transfer of an infected patient to its local medical institution.


2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea, Government reaction
The following day the Seoul municipal government announced that it had learned by chance, through an official attending a meeting, that a hospital doctor, who began to show symptoms on 29 May and tested positive on 1 June, had been moving freely within the city and had attended a gathering of 1,565 people in Gaepo-dong on 30 May. The municipal government obtained a list of the 1,565; the Ministry proposed to undertake "passive surveillance"; the municipal government rejected this as "lukewarm" and intervened directly: initially by contacting those listed.


2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea, Government reaction
On 7 June, after 2,361 people were isolated, 64 patients were confirmed infected and 5 had died, the central government finally disclosed the names of MERS-exposed medical institutions.


2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea, Hospitals
On 7 June 2015, the South Korean government released the names of 24 MERS-affected hospitals to the public. These hospitals include the Pyeongtaek St. Mary's (SeongMo) Hospital (평택성모병원) and the Seoul Samsung Hospital (삼성서울병원), an affiliate of Samsung Medical Center.


2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea, Related incidents
A 44-year-old South Korean man travelled to Huizhou, China via Hong Kong, on business, on 26 May, contrary to a doctor's advice and in breach of a self-quarantine order from the government: his father and elder sister were both confirmed infected by MERS. He was later found to have a fever, and was subsequently confirmed infected. He was suspected of dishonestly failing to disclose to Hong Kong border quarantine officers that he had visited his father in hospital on 16 May for nearly 4 hours.


2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea, Related incidents
On 30 May 2015, a website said that a driver in Huizhou who transported a South Korean male MERS patient was suspected to be infected but later the government clarified that this was a rumor.


2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea, Related incidents
A Chinese fugitive who stayed in South Korea for 3 years turned himself in as he was afraid of the outbreak. He arrived at Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport on 4 June.


2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea, Related incidents
On 8 June 2015, a South Korean couple who did not follow the self-quarantine notice were found to have visited the Philippines on 6 June. They had visited the respective clinics in Sunchang County where a 72-year-old woman was confirmed positive for MERS after having visited the clinic for lumbago treatment. The couple said that they only knew that the 72-year-old woman was a MERS-positive patient only after reading the news.


2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea, Related incidents
On 9 June 2015, two Hong Kong students from City University of Hong Kong doing a three-month exchange program in Sungkyunkwan University were ordered by a professor to get out of the classroom as they refused to remove their protective masks. The professor also said that they were too sensitive to the outbreak because of the history of SARS in Hong Kong in 2003.


2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea, Related incidents
Sungkyunkwan University replied that some professors saw wearing masks as impolite and said if students insist on wearing masks, they might be refused to give presentations in class and may be unable to graduate due to this. Affected students said this reflected that the South Korean public was not attentive to the threat of the MERS outbreak.


2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea, Related incidents
On 25 June, a South Korean man who had been treated at a Chinese hospital after being diagnosed with the MERS virus in late May, was released from the hospital and returned to South Korea.


2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea, Effects, Education
The following table shows the number of schools that temporarily closed due to the outbreak:


2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea, Effects, Economy
On 11 June 2015, South Korea's central bank cut interest rates by 0.25 percentage points to stem the economic fallout from the outbreak.


2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea, Effects, Economy
South Korea's department store sales decreased by 16.5% compared to the same period last year, and retail shops also decreased 3.4%, according to the Minister of Strategy and Finance, as of June 17, 2015.


2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea, Effects, Economy
As of 17 June 2015, 100,000 tourist visits to the nation had been cancelled.


2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea, Effects, Testing infrastructure
After the outbreak, South Korea developed a system to rapidly expand testing capabilities during future disease outbreaks. This has been credited as a reason for South Korea's widespread testing and effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic.


2015 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team
The 2015 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team represented Middle Tennessee State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season as members of the East Division of Conference USA. They were led by tenth-year head coach Rick Stockstill and played their home games at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. They finished the season 7–6, 6–2 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for second place in the East Division. They were invited to the Bahamas Bowl where they lost to Western Michigan.


2015 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Schedule
Middle Tennessee announced their 2015 football schedule on February 2, 2015. The 2015 schedule consist of six home and away games in the regular season. The Blue Raiders will host CUSA foes Charlotte, Florida International (FIU), Marshall, and North Texas, and will travel to Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, UTSA, and Western Kentucky (WKU).


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election
The 2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election took place on 7 May 2015 to elect members of Middlesbrough Borough Council in England. It took place on the same day as the election for the Mayor of Middlesbrough, as well as the UK general election, and other local elections across England. Since the 2011 election, there have been boundary reviews, which resulted in two fewer seats on the council, many old wards being discontinued and new wards being formed.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Overall results
There are two fewer seats on the council as a result of a boundary review.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Overall results
A total of 89,088 valid votes were cast and there were 645 rejected ballots. The turnout was 55.62%.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Council Composition
Prior to the election the composition of the council was:


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Council Composition
ConMI - Marton IndependentsL - Liberal DemocratsG - Green Party


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Ward Results, Berwick Hills and Pallister
This is a newly created ward, therefore there are no previous figures to compare the 2015 result to.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Ward Results, Berwick Hills and Pallister
Dryden previously served as a councillor for the Pallister ward from 2011-2015.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Ward Results, Brambles and Thorntree
This is a newly created ward, therefore there are no previous figures to compare the 2015 result to. Cllrs G Purvis and T Purvis were both previously councillors for the Thorntree ward. Len Junier was previously the Labour cllr for North Ormesby & Brambles Farm.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Ward Results, Linthorpe
This ward has changed from having 3 seats to 2 seats as a result of recent boundary changes, therefore there are no previous figures to compare the 2015 result to.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Ward Results, Longlands and Beechwood
This is a newly created ward, therefore there are no previous figures to compare the 2015 result to.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Ward Results, Longlands and Beechwood
Cllrs McTigue and Rooney previously served as councillors from 2011-2015 in the Beachwood and Clairville wards respectively.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Ward Results, Marton East
This is a newly created ward, therefore there are no previous figures to compare the 2015 result to.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Ward Results, Marton East
Both Cllrs Mawston and Davison were previously councillors for Marton Ward from 2011-2015.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Ward Results, Newport
This is a newly created ward, therefore there are no previous figures to compare the 2015 result to.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Ward Results, Newport
Cllrs Brady and Harvey previously served as councillors for the Gresham ward from 2011-2015.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Ward Results, Newport
Sajaad Khan previously served as a Labour councillor in the Gresham ward from 2011-2015.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Ward Results, North Ormesby
This is a newly created ward, therefore there are no previous figures to compare the 2015 result to.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Ward Results, Park
Cllr Rostron previously served as councillor for Linthorpe from 2011-2015.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Ward Results, Park End and Beckfield
Cllrs Hubbard and Cox previously served as councillors in Beckfield, whilst Cllr Saunders served as a councillor for Park End.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Ward Results, Stainton and Thornton
This is a newly created ward, therefore there are no previous figures to compare the 2015 result to.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Ward Results, Trimdon
This is a newly created ward, therefore there are no previous figures to compare the 2015 result to.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Ward Results, Trimdon
Cllr J Sharrocks previously served as a councillor for the Brookfield ward from 2011-2015.


2015 Middlesbrough Borough Council election, Ward Results, Trimdon
Peter Sharrocks previously served as a councillor for the Brookfield ward from 2011-2015.


2015 Milano–Torino
The 96th edition of the Milano–Torino cycling classic was held on 1 October 2015. It was run over a distance of 186 km, starting near Milan in San Giuliano Milanese and ending near Turin on the Colle di Superga ("Superga Hill"). The route will pass through the plains of Vigevano and Lomellina, then reaching the hills near Casale di Monferrato. The final climb to the Superga Hill will have a mean slope of 9%, with maximal slope of 14% and will likely be the decisive point.


2015 Milano–Torino
The race will be first of the three races of the Trittico d'Autunno, the others being the Gran Piemonte (held on 2 October) and the "monument classic" Giro di Lombardia (held on 4 October). The race was won by Diego Rosa (Astana) ahead of Rafał Majka (Tinkoff–Saxo) and Fabio Aru (Astana). After the early breakaway had been caught, Astana rode hard on the first ascent of the Superga to eliminate a large number of riders. Rosa then attacked with 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) remaining on the final ascent. Although various riders, including Majka, Wout Poels (Team Sky) and Thibaut Pinot (FDJ), attempted to chase him down, Rosa stayed away to take his first win of the season by sixteen seconds.


2015 Milano–Torino, Teams
A total of 20 teams will take part to the race, 12 World Tour teams and 8 Professional Continental teams.


2015 Milan–San Remo
The 2015 Milan–San Remo was a one-day cycling classic that took place in Italy on 22 March. The race was the 106th edition of the Milan–San Remo. It was the fourth of the 28 races on the Union Cycliste Internationale's (UCI) 2015 World Tour and the first of them to be a one-day race. It was also the first of the 2015 cycling monuments, the five most important one-day races of the year. The defending champion was Alexander Kristoff (Team Katusha), who won the previous year's race in a sprint.


2015 Milan–San Remo
The 2015 race returned to the traditional route of Milan−San Remo, which had not been used since an extra climb had been added in the 2008 race. The removal of the La Manie climb was seen as making the race more suitable for sprinters. The race started in the city of Milan, travelling to the Mediterranean and then south along the coast. The final part of the race was the most difficult, with five climbs in the last 55 kilometres (34 mi), before the race ended in the city of Sanremo, for a distance of 293 kilometres (182.1 miles).


2015 Milan–San Remo
After numerous attacks in the final stages of the race, particularly from riders on the BMC Racing Team and Team Sky, it was decided in a sprint in San Remo on the Via Roma, won by John Degenkolb (Team Giant–Alpecin), with Kristoff second and Michael Matthews (Orica–GreenEDGE) in third place.


2015 Milan–San Remo, Route, Route history and course changes
The route of Milan–San Remo has varied over the years, with climbs added at various points to make the course harder. The first climb to be introduced was the Poggio, followed by the Cipressa in 1982. The course was made more difficult again in 2008, with the addition of the climb of La Manie approximately 90 kilometres (56 miles) from the end of the race. The finish of the course was also moved in 2008 from the traditional location on the Via Roma to Lungomare Italo Calvino. Further changes were planned for the 2014 edition. The climb of La Manie was removed, and a new climb, the Pompeiana, was planned between the Cipressa and the Poggio, but was discarded after landslides made it unsafe to ride.


2015 Milan–San Remo, Route, Route history and course changes
The 2015 edition of the race was similar to the route ultimately taken by the 2014 edition: neither La Manie nor the Pompeiana were included. The course closely resembled the route that had been used between 1982 and 2007, with the traditional finish on the Via Roma. The race director, Mauro Vegni, announced that the race would use this route again in future editions, without any extra climbs. He expressed hope that the race would remain "finely balanced" between sprinters and attackers.


2015 Milan–San Remo, Route, 2015 route
The longest one-day race on the professional cycling calendar, the 2015 edition was 293 kilometres (182 miles) in length. It began in the city of Milan, on the Via della Chiesa Rossa. From Milan, the first part of the route was almost entirely flat, as the course passed through the provinces of Milan, Pavia and Alessandria. There were no significant climbs in the first 100 kilometres (62 miles). As they entered the province of Genoa, the riders climbed the Passo del Turchino, a long and gentle climb with no significant difficulty. The descent, however, was twisting, giving an advantage to the riders who were towards the front of the peloton. The next 80 kilometres (50 miles) were again generally flat. This part of the course, in the province of Savona, took the riders along the Mediterranean coast.


2015 Milan–San Remo, Route, 2015 route
After around 240 kilometres (150 miles), the route entered the province of Imperia, and the riders faced a series of climbs known as the Capi: the Capo Mele after 241.7 kilometres (150.2 miles); the Capo Cerva after 246.4 kilometres (153.1 miles); and the Capo Berta after 254.3 kilometres (158.0 miles). With less than 40 kilometres (25 miles) left in the race, a short flat section followed before the riders entered the climb of the Cipressa, where there was always a battle between the teams to position their riders. The Cipressa was 5.6-kilometre (3.5-mile) long, with an average gradient of 4.1%, and its summit came with 21.5 kilometres (13.4 miles) to the finish line.


2015 Milan–San Remo, Route, 2015 route
After the descent from the Cipressa, a flat, 9-kilometre (5.6-mile) section of road followed, often with a headwind. The final climb of the race was the Poggio, which was 3.7 kilometres (2.3 miles) long, with an average gradient of 7% and a maximum of 8%; the summit came with 5.5 kilometres (3.4 miles) left in the race. The descent from the climb used narrow roads and hairpin bends; it required strong bike-handling skills. At the foot of the descent, there were 2.3 kilometres (1.4 miles) left, on major urban roads. The final turn came with 750 metres (2,460 ft) remaining.


2015 Milan–San Remo, Teams
Milan–San Remo is part of the UCI World Tour; all of the 17 UCI WorldTeams were obliged to take part. The race organisers, RCS Sport, also made eight wildcard invitations to UCI Professional Continental teams, for a total of 25 teams.


2015 Milan–San Remo, Pre-race favourites
As Milan–San Remo is generally flat and the climbs at the end are not particularly hard, it is often seen as a race for sprinters and is sometimes known as the "sprinters' classic". The defending champion, Alexander Kristoff (Team Katusha), was foremost among these, as he had a particular aptitude for long races in cold conditions. Mark Cavendish (Etixx–Quick-Step), who won the race in 2009, was seen as the most likely challenger to Kristoff in a bunch sprint. Cavendish, however, had suffered from a stomach virus in the weeks before the race and was not in perfect condition. Other sprinters expected to have a chance at victory included John Degenkolb (Team Giant–Alpecin), Michael Matthews (Orica–GreenEDGE), André Greipel (Lotto–Soudal), Arnaud Démare (FDJ), Ben Swift (Team Sky) and Peter Sagan (Tinkoff–Saxo).


2015 Milan–San Remo, Pre-race favourites
The other likely scenario was that a small group of riders would break away over the final climbs, most probably on the Poggio, and be able to hold off the chase from the group behind. Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing), who won the race in 2008 and had finished on the podium for the last four years, was considered the most likely rider to win the race in this scenario.


2015 Milan–San Remo, Pre-race favourites
Sagan was also believed to have a good chance of victory, since he was thought to have the ability and form to win the race from a breakaway as well as a bunch sprint. Other riders who could win the race from a breakaway included Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing Team) and Sep Vanmarcke (LottoNL–Jumbo). Although Cavendish was not in perfect form, his Etixx–Quick-Step had other riders capable of victory: Zdeněk Štybar and Michał Kwiatkowski, the 2014 world champion, had the potential to attempt an attack in the final part of the race.


2015 Milan–San Remo, Report, Early stages
The race began in wet and cold conditions in Milan. Four riders formed a breakaway shortly after the beginning of the race: Jan Bárta (Bora–Argon 18), Juan Sebastián Molano (Colombia), Andrea Peron (Team Novo Nordisk) and Maarten Tjallingii (LottoNL–Jumbo). They were joined shortly afterwards by Marco Frapporti, Tiziano Dall'Antonia (both Androni Giocattoli), Matteo Bono (Lampre–Merida), Serge Pauwels (MTN–Qhubeka), Adrian Kurek (CCC–Sprandi–Polkowice), Stefano Pirazzi (Bardiani–CSF) and Julien Bérard (AG2R La Mondiale). After 30 kilometres (19 miles), they had a lead of over 10 minutes.


2015 Milan–San Remo, Report, Early stages
Trek Factory Racing and Team Katusha were among the teams leading the peloton; their efforts reduced the gap to seven minutes after 100 kilometres (62 miles). As the breakaway passed over the Passo del Turchino, about halfway through the race, they had a lead of five minutes. The gap was briefly as low as four minutes, but was generally held at about five minutes until there were about 85 kilometres (53 miles) left to race. As the riders arrived on the Mediterranean coast, the weather conditions improved, with the rain stopping and the roads drying out.


2015 Milan–San Remo, Report, Tre Capi and the Cipressa
With 50 kilometres (31 miles) remaining, as the riders climbed the Capi climbs, the breakaway's lead was reduced to three minutes; this was reduced again to 90 seconds over the next 10 kilometres (6.2 miles). The leading group was breaking up during these climbs, leaving Pirazzi and Bono at the front of the race. Team Sky were the main team controlling the peloton at this point, especially as the climb crossed the Capo Berta. Luke Rowe was leading the group, with Geraint Thomas, Ben Swift and Salvatore Puccio immediately behind. On the descent from the Capo Berta, Puccio crashed and brought down several riders behind him, including Zdeněk Štybar (Etixx–Quick-Step) and Christopher Juul-Jensen (Tinkoff–Saxo), whose crash resulted in a bloodied face.


2015 Milan–San Remo, Report, Tre Capi and the Cipressa
Following Puccio's crash, Rowe, Thomas and Swift had a gap ahead of the peloton. Rowe continued to drive the three-man group of Team Sky riders and they caught the remainder of the original breakaway, with Bono the last to be caught. Several riders bridged across to the Sky group, including Štybar and Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing Team), while Orica–GreenEDGE kept up a fast pace in the peloton. As the riders reached the foot of the Cipressa climb, the groups came back together. At this point, Arnaud Démare (FDJ) crashed.


2015 Milan–San Remo, Report, Tre Capi and the Cipressa
On the climb, Team Sky's Lars Petter Nordhaug and Trek Factory Racing's Julián Arredondo set the pace and caused difficulty for several of the sprinters, including Alexander Kristoff (Team Katusha), Mark Cavendish (Etixx–Quick-Step) and Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis). Cavendish had a mechanical problem during the climb – the same slipped-chain problem that he had suffered in stage 2 of Tirreno–Adriatico. He had to put in significant effort to stay with the group on the Cipressa, which meant that he was unable to contest the later stages of the race.


2015 Milan–San Remo, Report, Tre Capi and the Cipressa
On the descent from the Cipressa, Filippo Pozzato (Lampre–Merida) put in a brief, unsuccessful attack. Soon afterwards Daniel Oss (BMC Racing Team) attacked and was followed by Thomas. Oss and Thomas built a lead ahead of the main group. With 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) to the finish line, they were 30 seconds ahead. After some hesitation, the lead was cut down by the pack behind, initially led by José Serpa (Lampre–Merida), then by riders from Trek Factory Racing and Astana. The pack was 17 seconds behind at the foot of the Poggio climb.


2015 Milan–San Remo, Report, Poggio and San Remo
On the Poggio, Thomas attacked alone; Luca Paolini (Team Katusha) was leading the peloton, although he was unable to reduce Thomas' lead. Eventually, attacks came from Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) and, more tellingly, his teammate Van Avermaet. Van Avermaet's attack was followed by Arredondo, Peter Sagan (Tinkoff–Saxo) and Michael Matthews (Orica–GreenEDGE). Van Avermaet and Thomas were together at the top of the climb, a few seconds ahead of the second group; the peloton were a further few seconds back. On the descent from the Poggio, Gilbert crashed, causing the crash of several other riders. These included Michał Kwiatkowski (Etixx–Quick-Step), Gerald Ciolek (MTN–Qhubeka) and Štybar. Kwiatkowski said after the race that his helmet had saved his life in the crash.


2015 Milan–San Remo, Report, Poggio and San Remo
Van Avermaet and Thomas were caught soon after the summit of the Poggio, with one reduced group coming into the finish. Thomas continued at the front of the group, bringing back another attack from Van Avermaet and attempting to lead out Swift, but he was exhausted from his earlier efforts in several breakaways. As no rider was able to escape from the front group in the final part of the race, a group came together into the finishing straight. Paolini attempted to lead out Kristoff, as he had done a year earlier.


2015 Milan–San Remo, Report, Poggio and San Remo
Kristoff launched his sprint with 300 metres (980 ft) remaining, but was tired after a long day's racing and was unable to maintain his speed to the finishing line. John Degenkolb (Team Giant–Alpecin) came around him in the final 50 metres (160 ft) to take the race win, the first monument win of his career. Kristoff finished second, while Matthews beat Sagan to third place.


2015 Milan–San Remo, Post-race analysis, Reactions
After the race, Degenkolb contrasted his tears of frustration at his eighteenth place in the 2014 race to the tears of joy that followed his victory in 2015. He attributed his win in part to the fact that he was not seen as a favourite, and he gave credit to his teammates Bert De Backer and Tom Dumoulin for their assistance during the race. Degenkolb described it as "the best day in [his] cycling career", as it was his first victory in one of the cycling monuments (he won a second the following month at Paris–Roubaix).


2015 Milan–San Remo, Post-race analysis, Reactions
Kristoff, meanwhile, expressed disappointment with his second-place finish and his failure to defend his 2014 title. He suggested that another rider in the final part of the race could have given a better result, as Paolini's tiredness after a long spell at the front of the race meant that Kristoff had to start his sprint too early. Michael Matthews' third-place finish was the most significant result of his career, but he too was disappointed at having fallen short, after feeling strong on the climb of the Poggio.


2015 Milan–San Remo, Post-race analysis, UCI World Tour rankings
Thanks to the 100 points won in the race, Degenkolb moved into fourth place in the UCI World Tour rankings. His total of 102 points left him 96 points behind the leader, Richie Porte (Team Sky). Matthews and Kristoff also moved into the top ten. Team Sky and Australia retained their leads in the teams and nations rankings.


2015 Milex Open
The 2015 Milex Open was a professional tennis tournament played on green clay courts. It was the first edition of the tournament which was part of the 2015 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic between 7 February and 15 February 2015. The event was the first professional tennis tournament of the Challenger level to be held in the Dominican Republic.


2015 Milex Open, Singles main draw Entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2015 Milex Open – Doubles
This was the first edition of the tournament. Roberto Maytín and Hans Podlipnik-Castillo won the title, defeating Romain Arneodo and Benjamin Balleret in the final, 6–3, 2–6, [10–4].


2015 Milex Open – Singles
This was the first edition of the tournament. Damir Džumhur won the title, defeating Renzo Olivo in the final by retirement, 7–5, 3–1.


2015 Military Bowl
The 2015 Military Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game played on December 28, 2015 at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. The eighth edition of the Military Bowl featured the Pittsburgh Panthers of the Atlantic Coast Conference against the hometown Navy Midshipmen of the American Athletic Conference. It began at 2:30 p.m. EST and aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2015–16 bowl games that concluded the 2015 FBS football season. Sponsored by aerospace and defense technology company Northrop Grumman, it was officially known as the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman.


2015 Military Bowl, Teams
The game featured the Pittsburgh Panthers against the Navy Midshipmen.


2015 Military Bowl, Teams, Navy Midshipmen
On September 14, 2015, it was announced that Navy would play in the Military Bowl should they be bowl-eligible and not selected for one of the New Year's Six bowl games. After compiling a 9–2 record in their regular season and losing to Houston in their American Athletic Conference finale, the Midshipmen automatically qualified for the game.


2015 Military Bowl, Teams, Navy Midshipmen
This will be the Midshipmen's second Military Bowl, after the inaugural 2008 game (when it was known as the EagleBank Bowl) where they lost to Wake Forest by a score of 29–19.


2015 Military Bowl, Teams, Pittsburgh Panthers
The Panthers are heading to their eighth straight bowl game, the longest such streak in school history. First-year head coach Pat Narduzzi led the Panthers to an 8–4 record and a 2nd-place finish in the ACC Coastal division. Pittsburgh is 13–18 all-time in bowl games.


2015 Military World Games
The 2015 Military World Games (Korean: 2015년 세계군인체육대회, romanized: Icheon sib-o nyeon segyegun-incheyugdaehoe), officially known as the 6th CISM Military World Games (Korean: 제6회 세계군인체육대회, romanized: Jeyukhoe segyegun-incheyugdaehoe), is hosted from October 2–11, 2015 in Mungyeong, South Korea.


2015 Military World Games
The games is the largest military sports event ever held in South Korea, with approximately 8,700 athletes from 110 countries competing in 24 sports. The Games were organized by the Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea in accordance with CISM regulations and the rules of the International Sports Federations.


2015 Military World Games, Sports
The competition comprised 24 sports, some of them appearing for the first time in military world games, such as archery.


2015 Milton Keynes Council election
The 2015 Milton Keynes Council election took place on 7 May 2015 to elect members of Milton Keynes Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections.


2015 Milton Keynes Council election, Council make up
After the 2015 local election, the political make up of the council was as follows:


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season
The 2015 Milwaukee Brewers season was the 46th season for the Brewers in Milwaukee, the 18th in the National League, and 47th overall. They finished fourth in the National League Central Division. On May 3 after starting the season 7-18, Ron Roenicke was fired as manager and replaced with Craig Counsell.


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason
October 30: Francisco Rodríguez, Mark Reynolds, Lyle Overbay, Tom Gorzelanny, and Zach Duke become free agents.


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason
October 31: Claimed Juan Centeno off waivers from the New York Mets.


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason
November 1: Received Adam Lind from the Toronto Blue Jays for Marco Estrada.


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason
November 7: Released Miguel De Los Santos and signed Jeremy Hermida and Pete Orr to minor leagues contracts and invited Orr to spring training.


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason
November 14: Received Kyle Wren from the Atlanta Braves for Zach Quintana and signed Jaye Chapman.


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason
November 18: Signed John Ely to a minor league contract.


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason
November 25: Sent Ariel Pena to the minors and signed Nick Additon to a minor league contract.


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason
November 29: Signed Brent Leach to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason
December 2-December 17: Signed 4 players to a minor league contract and invited 1 of them to spring training.


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason
December 18: Received Matt Long and Jarrett Martin from the Los Angeles Dodgers for Shawn Zarraga.


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason
December 23: Claimed Shane Peterson off waivers from the Chicago Cubs.


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason
January 5: Signed Nevin Ashley to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason
January 19: Received Corey Knebel, Luis Sardinas, and Marcos Diplan from the Texas Rangers for Yovani Gallardo and cash. Also sent Hunter Morris to the minors.


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason
January 21: Signed Dontrelle Willis to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason
January 29: Signed Hiram Burgos to a minor league contract.


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason
January 30: Signed Neal Cotts and sent Elian Herrera to the minors.


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason
February 2: Signed Beau Wallace to a minor league contract.


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Offseason
February 5: Signed Chris Perez to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Statistics, Batting
Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; BB = Base on balls; SO = Strikeouts; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Statistics, Pitching
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; HR = Home runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts


2015 Milwaukee Brewers season, Farm system
The Brewers' farm system consisted of seven minor league affiliates in 2015.


2015 Mina stampede
On 24 September 2015, an event described as a "crush and stampede" caused deaths estimated at well over 2000 pilgrims, suffocated or crushed during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mina, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, making it the deadliest Hajj disaster in history. Estimates of the number of dead vary; the Associated Press reported 2,411 dead, while Agence France-Presse reported 2,236 killed. Based on the total of the individual national reports cited in the table below (nationalities of victims), at least 2,431 people died. The government of Saudi Arabia officially reported two days after the event that there had been 769 deaths and 934 injured. These figures remained official at the time of the following year's Hajj and were never updated. The largest number of victims was from Iran, followed by Mali and Nigeria.


2015 Mina stampede
The crush took place in Mina at the intersection of streets 204 and 223 leading up to Jamaraat Bridge. The cause of the disaster remains in dispute. The Mina disaster inflamed tensions between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, which were already elevated due to the wider turmoil in the Middle East, such as the Syrian Civil War and Yemeni Civil War. In a press conference held on the day of the incident, Saudi Ministry of Interior spokesman Mansour Al-Turki attempted to address most issues regarding the incident. He said in September 2015 that an investigation was ongoing, and that the exact cause of the overcrowding that led to the deadly crush had not yet been ascertained.


2015 Mina stampede, Background
The Hajj is an annual pilgrimage in Mecca prescribed as a duty for Muslims to undertake at least once in their lifetime if they can afford to do so physically and financially. As traditionally performed, the Hajj consists of a series of rites including the Stoning of the Devil (Arabic: رمي الجمرات ramī aj-jamarāt) which takes place at the Jamaraat Bridge in Mina, a district a few miles east of Mecca. The Jamaraat Bridge is a pedestrian bridge from which pilgrims can throw pebbles at the three jamrah pillars. The stoning ritual is the last major ritual and is often regarded as the most dangerous part of the Hajj, with its large crowds, confined spaces, and tight scheduling.


2015 Mina stampede, Background
The 2015 Hajj took place against a background of regional turmoil (including wars in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Libya), the highest temperatures in Mecca in 20 years, the threat of MERS, and pre-existing tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.


2015 Mina stampede, Background
A number of Hajj-related crowd crush disasters have occurred in the past, with 1,426 people being suffocated and trampled to death in a 1990 tunnel tragedy, and at least 701 people killed in crowd crushes between 1991 and 2005. 346 people were killed in a similar Jamaraat incident in 2006, which prompted the Saudi government to improve the infrastructure of the city and its procession routes.


2015 Mina stampede, Background
The Saudi Arabian government has been spending $60 billion to expand the Grand Mosque which houses the Kaaba, and has deployed 100,000 security forces and 5,000 CCTV cameras to monitor the crowds. The Saudis have also built a permanent tent city in the Mina valley. It is covered with approximately 160,000 air-conditioned tents across multiple campsites (grouped by nationality) for use by Hajj pilgrims.


2015 Mina stampede, Disaster
According to a statement by the Saudi civil defence directorate, the stampede occurred Thursday 24 September 2015 at 09:00 Mecca time (06:00 UTC) at the junction between street 204 and 223 as pilgrims were en route to the Jamaraat Bridge. The Saudi Interior Ministry stated that the stampede was triggered when two large groups of pilgrims intersected from different directions onto the same street. The area was not previously identified as a dangerous bottleneck. The junction lay between two pilgrim camp sites. The International Business Times reported that the governor of Mecca Province and Saudi Arabia's head of the central Hajj committee, Prince Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud, blamed the crush outside the holy city on "some pilgrims with African nationalities"; prompting condemnation from several African leaders.


2015 Mina stampede, Disaster
In a press conference held the day of the incident, spokesman of the Ministry of Interior Mansour Al-Turki attempted to address the incident. He said that an investigation was ongoing, that the exact causes for crowding that led to the deadly stampede on Mina Street 204 are yet to be ascertained. He explained that "Street number 204 is a road leading from the camps to the Jamarat Bridge.


2015 Mina stampede, Disaster
What happened was that a group of pilgrims on buses were allowed to descend onto the pathways that lead to the Jamarat Bridge at a time that wasn’t allocated to them," Al Arabiya News Channel's correspondent in Mina, Saad Al-Matrafi said. "As they neared the area, they converged with an existing group of people who were already in the area, which pushed the area to over capacity."


2015 Mina stampede, Disaster
One day after the Mina crush tragedy, Saudi media publicized a statement by the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh, exonerating Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef (known as "MBN") from responsibility for the disaster, as his Interior Minister title holds him accountable for safety issues at the Mecca shrine. The Grand Mufti's statement, which characterized the incident as "beyond human control", "inevitable", and attributable to "fate", immunized MBN against possible domestic criticism.


2015 Mina stampede, Disaster, Casualties
The exact casualty figure for the Mina crowd collapse is disputed. The Saudi government officially reported 769 deaths, a figure that did not change, while Iranian media sources have proposed figures as high as 4,173. Independent estimates range between 2,236 and 2,431 (see nationalities of victims table) people killed, with the most recent Associated Press estimate giving a death toll of 2,411, based on "media reports and officials comments from 36 of the over 180 countries that sent citizens to the hajj".


2015 Mina stampede, Disaster, Casualties
Estimates of the injured and missing also vary greatly; Saudi reports claim 934 injured; Iranian reports are much higher, estimating more than 2,000 injuries. On the day of the disaster, the Saudi Civil Defence directorate stated that casualties were of multiple nationalities and announced the deployment of 4,000 personnel to the stampede site alongside 220 emergency response units. Pilgrims were redirected away from the stampede site, and the Saudi Red Crescent Authority was mobilised. Medics at Mina's emergency hospital said they alone received almost 700 people on the day of the incident. The eight hospitals around the Hajj landmarks and the six main hospitals in the city of Mecca were operating at full capacity after the stampede, medics said.


2015 Mina stampede, Disaster, Casualties
By 2 October 2015, the Saudi Arabia Health Ministry stated they had completed the DNA profiling of all unidentified pilgrims who were killed or injured in the crush. DNA samples of the next of kin of Hajj stampede victims were collected at Al-Nour Specialist Hospital, Mecca.


2015 Mina stampede, Eyewitness accounts
Early eyewitnesses' accounting stated that the crush was caused by the closure of the eastern part of Street 206, which forced pilgrims to travel up Street 223, colliding with a mass of people moving the opposite direction on Street 204.


2015 Mina stampede, Eyewitness accounts
Alhaji Samaila Dabai Yombe, Deputy Governor of the Nigerian state of Kebbi, who was present at the incident, stated that the deaths happened due to a blockage of the route to Jamaraat Bridge. "What actually happened was that all the pilgrims scheduled to throw Jamrat at that time were channeled to one particular street. At a time we got to a certain point around 8:00am, a military vehicle was set across to create a barrier and then some of the Saudi soldiers were standing by, suggesting that you cannot go beyond that point. [


2015 Mina stampede, Eyewitness accounts
...] About 5,000 people coming from the same direction were not aware of the road block in front, which resulted to a tight and stationary human traffic, which made it very difficult for us to even stand. So, we continued to squat to make room for fresh air while the temperature was about 47 degrees Celsius. [ ...] Pilgrims, in efforts to get fresh air, attempted to scale fences of tents on both sides of the road. Very few succeeded, while most people just succumb to the situation. It was at this juncture that we saw dead bodies piling up around us".


2015 Mina stampede, Eyewitness accounts
Ishaq Akintola, a Nigerian Professor of Islamic eschatology, gave an eyewitness account of the disaster: "on that fateful day, we found out that some of those who had thrown their own stones made a U-turn instead of moving ahead to take a detour. They came through the route meant for entrance and not exit. They came towards us. They were in a very large group and the road was not spacious enough to allow a free flow of those of us coming to throw stones at the Devil and those who had stoned the Devil. The road could not take those coming and those going. And I discovered that most of those who took the wrong way were Egyptians".


2015 Mina stampede, Investigation, Saudi official statements
In a statement released by the Saudi embassy, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir stated, "The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has directed to launch a thorough investigation that will be transparent [...] We will reveal the facts when they emerge, and we will not hold anything back. If mistakes were made, those who made them will be held accountable, and we will make sure that we will learn from this in order to ensure that it doesn’t happen again."


2015 Mina stampede, Investigation, Saudi official statements
Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef oversaw the official investigation. Saudi newspapers reported that on 18 October 2015 bin Nayef talked to the investigators and urged them to "continue their efforts to find the causes of the accident, praying to Allah Almighty to accept the martyrs and wishing the injured a speedy recovery." However, Saudi Arabia has not yet released any findings by their investigators.


2015 Mina stampede, Investigation, Saudi official statements
Prompted by difficulties in identifying bodies after the Mina disaster, Saudi Arabian Deputy Minister of Health, Hamad Al-Duwailie, announced plans to require all Hajj pilgrims to wear an electronic bracelet containing identity information. Al-Duwailie also said that Saudi Ministry of Health would upgrade its current Hajj and Umrah committee a permanent coordinating body within the Ministry. In January 2016, the Saudi Shura Council recommended "raising the capacity of roads leading to the Jamarat facility, and to the accommodation areas in Mina" as well as more studies on Hajj-related transportation flow.


2015 Mina stampede, Investigation, Recommendations by independent experts
Najmedin Meshkati, Professor of Engineering and International Relations at the University of Southern California, who is an expert in accident investigation, recommended in a self-authored opinion piece in the World Post that, "the Saudi government should embark on the immediate creation of an independent investigation commission/panel. This interdisciplinary commission/panel should be chaired by a nationally renowned Saudi statesman or scholar, with members selected from Saudi Arabia and affected countries based on their technical expertise and to include responsible governmental entities, first responder agencies, and academics of requisite disciplines for accident investigation. [ ...] And it should be empowered by the subpoena power and charged to conduct a comprehensive, systematic and interdisciplinary investigation by employing the system-oriented, robust 'AcciMap' methodology to write the most technically-sound report on the root-causes of this tragedy".


2015 Mina stampede, Investigation, Recommendations by independent experts
Amer Shalaby is a Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Toronto's Transportation Research Institute, former Hajj pilgrim, and consultant to Saudi government on crowd management. Shalaby, who specializes in transportation planning for large-scale events, proposes using "smart phones and other static and dynamic sensors" to provide authorities real-time information that could identify potential hot spots during the Hajj. He also suggests that "some of the effective methods of highway traffic flow management, such as flow metering, could be adapted for streamlining crowd flows in Mecca."


2015 Mina stampede, Investigation, Recommendations by independent experts
Keith Still, Professor of Crowd Science at Manchester Metropolitan University in Britain, who helped redesign the Jamaraat (the pillars representing the devil stoned by pilgrims) after a disaster in 2004, said there was criticism at the time that the upgrades at the Jamaraat had not been extended to other areas. He said "For complex systems that flow in and out, if you make one change along the way it can have knock-on and ripple effects elsewhere. Change any one part of system with 3 million people, and there's a danger of an accident like this."


2015 Mina stampede, Investigation, Recommendations by independent experts
Mohammed Ajmal, a physician specializing in Emergency Medicine and former manager of a medical center set up to treat Indian Hajj pilgrims, details issues with both the design of the Mina tent city and quick access to disaster medical care at the site. Ajmal points to structural design flaws in Mina, calling it a "badly designed death trap—in times of disaster" as it attempts to funnel tens of thousands of people through T intersections, such as the junction of Streets 204 and 223 where the crush took place.


2015 Mina stampede, Investigation, Recommendations by independent experts
Compression asphyxia is the cause of death for most victims of a crowd collapse, and can occur within ten minutes; Ajmal notes that Mina's design prevents medical care from arriving within that time frame stating that people at crush site are "destined to die" within minutes before any medical help can reach the site.


2015 Mina stampede, Reactions, Governments
In the wake of the Mina disaster, many world leaders sent messages of sympathy and consolation, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Qatari Prime Minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, King Mohammed VI of Morocco, Kuwaiti Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain, and Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi.


2015 Mina stampede, Unconfirmed reports, Saudi royal convoy
Lebanon-based Arabic-language daily Ad-Diyar reported that a convoy escorting Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud, Deputy Crown Prince and Saudi Minister of Defense, composed of 200 soldiers and 150 police officers triggered the disaster by blocking a street forcing pilgrims to turn around against the flow of traffic. The paper also alleged that the deputy crown prince and entourage swiftly left the scene, and that the Saudi authorities sought to impose a media blackout on reporting the Prince's presence in the area.


2015 Mina stampede, Unconfirmed reports, Saudi royal convoy
Iranian media reported the Ad-Diyar story, and Iranian Hajj officials stated that two streets near the disaster point had been sealed for "unknown reasons", while the Iranian Fars News Agency, quoted a member of the Iraqi parliament, Hassan Salem, as saying "the Mina disaster was an engineered tragedy to kidnap the Iraqi and Iranian officials on the pretext of the Mina incident." A reporter with the BBC's Hausa Service, Yusuf Ibrahim Yakasai, confirmed that at least one road leading to the Jamaraat was blocked. Saudi officials denied the reports, stating diplomatic convoys take place in the south of Mina and in tunnels, while the incident took place in the north.


2015 Mina stampede, Unconfirmed reports, Beheadings of responsible officials
The Saudi government was reported to have beheaded 28 people found responsible for the disaster.


2015 Mina stampede, Unconfirmed reports, Killing of the injured
Iran's leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the Saudis of killing injured pilgrims by putting them in containers along with the dead.


2015 Mina stampede, Aftermath
The 2015 Mina Crush disaster has increased tensions in the already-strained relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran, led to calls from politicians in a number of Muslim nations for changes in oversight of Mecca and the Hajj, and bolstered opposition to King Salman among the senior members of the Saudi Arabian royal family.


2015 Mina stampede, Aftermath, Criticism of Saudi control of Hajj
Politicians and religious leaders in a number of Muslim countries have cited the 2015 Mina Crush disaster as reason for control of the Hajj be handed over to either a different nation or to a pan-Islamic organization. Mehmet Ali Sahin Deputy Chair of Turkey's Justice and Development Party (AKP) criticised the Saudi organisation, and claimed that Turkey could do a better job than Saudi Arabia at organising the Hajj pilgrimage, calling for Turkey to be entrusted with its management.


2015 Mina stampede, Aftermath, Criticism of Saudi control of Hajj
Nouri al-Maliki, former Prime Minister of Iraq, proposed that the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) should take over administration of the Hajj. Mohammad Emami Kashani, an Iranian Ayatollah, also called for transfer of the control of the Hajj to the OIC, stating "Saudi Arabia is incapable of organising the pilgrimage. The running of the Hajj must be handed over to Islamic states."


2015 Mina stampede, Aftermath, Criticism of Saudi control of Hajj
Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of Hezbollah stated that Saudi Arabia should allow Muslim countries to help the kingdom run the Hajj pilgrimage rituals, emphasising the need for the formation of a Muslim committee to "supervise the management" of the annual Islamic event. The Saudi government rejected such calls; Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal stated Saudi control over the Hajj was "a matter of sovereignty and privilege and service".


2015 Mina stampede, Aftermath, Criticism of Saudi control of Hajj
In 2016, supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sent a global message via his website severely criticizing Saudi rulers for what he called "the crimes they have caused throughout the world of Islam," and asked they be held responsible. In his message Khamenei described the nature of Saudi rulers as "blasphemous, faithless, dependent and materialistic," and asked "the world of Islam" to know them. He demanded reconsidering the management of two holy places and the issue of hajj due to what he described as "Saudi rulers' oppressive behavior towards God's guests," referring to 2015 Mina disaster. "Otherwise Muslims would face biggest problems," he warned. "The hesitation and failure to rescue the half-dead and injured people... is also obvious and incontrovertible. ... They murdered them," he said.


2015 Mina stampede, Aftermath, Increased Saudi–Iranian tensions
Government and religious leaders of Iran—which lost at least 464 citizens in the Mina disaster—have been harshly critical of Saudi Arabia. Saudi leaders have in turn have claimed that Iran is attempting to take advantage of a tragedy for political purposes.


2015 Mina stampede, Aftermath, Increased Saudi–Iranian tensions
In the immediate aftermath of the Mina Crush, both Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, had harsh words for the Saudi government and blamed Saudi Arabia for the disaster. Rouhani suggested that the Mina crush could be the result of the Saudi government moving their best troops to Yemen, and leaving Hajj crowd control in the hands of less experienced soldiers.


2015 Mina stampede, Aftermath, Increased Saudi–Iranian tensions
While Ebrahim Raisi, Iran's State Prosecutor claimed the disaster had been caused by the Saudi officials blocking a road so as to clear a path for a Saudi convoy, and that the House of Saud should be held responsible under international law. Iranian legal experts later decided that Iran could not bring such a case before the International Court of Justice or the International Criminal Court due to jurisdictional issues. Iranian officials also accused Saudi Arabia with kidnapping Iranian diplomat, Ghazanfar Roknabadi, who went missing during the Hajj, until his body was finally identified on 25 November 2015.


2015 Mina stampede, Aftermath, Increased Saudi–Iranian tensions
On 24 November 2015, Iran announced that it was forming its own fact-finding committee to investigate the disaster. Iran claims that the death toll of the disaster far exceeds what has been reported, and that between 4,700 and 7,500 pilgrims actually died. On 4 January 2016, Iranian government spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht stated that Iran would be suspending participation by its nationals in the Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca, as "conditions of safety will not be guaranteed to pilgrims".


2015 Mina stampede, Aftermath, Increased Saudi–Iranian tensions
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir has urged Iran to wait for the results of the official Saudi investigation, stating that the Saudi government, "will reveal the facts when they emerge. And we will not hold anything back. If mistakes were made, who made them will be held accountable." Saudi government officials have made few official comments addressing specific Iranian allegations, while attempting to de-escaltate tensions with Iran. However, Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Ambassador to the UK, did specifically deny what he called "unfounded allegations", including accusations that a road blockage by a Saudi royal convoy caused the disaster. Additionally, an anonymous Saudi official involved with management of the Hajj suggested to a reporter for Al-Monitor that Mina disaster might be the result of Iranian sabotage, and that the Iranian Hajj Mission was being investigated.


2015 Mina stampede, Aftermath, Increased Saudi–Iranian tensions
Amid deteriorating diplomatic relations and following months of negotiations over visa requirements and safety logistics, in May 2016 Iran suspended participation in the upcoming Hajj scheduled for September 2016. Iran previously suspended participation in the Hajj in 1988 and 1989, after 400 Iranian pilgrims were killed by Saudi security forces.


2015 Mina stampede, Aftermath, Opposition to Saudi King Salman
The Mina disaster increased and emboldened opposition to Saudi King Salman. The Guardian reported after the disaster that a "senior Saudi prince has launched an unprecedented call for change in the country's leadership" writing two letters calling for his replacement. The prince was quoted by the Guardian as saying "The public are also pushing this very hard, all kinds of people, tribal leaders [...] They say you have to do this or the country will go to disaster." According to reports, favored to replace Salman is his younger brother, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, another son of Saudi Arabia's founding king Ibn Saud, and former Interior Minister.


2015 Mina stampede, Aftermath, Opposition to Saudi King Salman
The likelihood of such a coup, at least in the short term, and the authenticity of the prince's letter, have both been questioned. However, structural economic problems, the Yemen War, and discord in the royal family all contribute to the real possibility of instability for Saudi Arabia. But as the holder of the royal title "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques", King Salman has been embarrassed by the twin disasters that bracketed the 2015 Hajj season—the Mecca crane collapse and the Mina Crush.


2015 Mina stampede, Description as "stampede"
Some academics who study crowd movements and crushing disasters have questioned the use of the term "stampede". "The rhetoric of 'stampede' is often used to imply that the crowd is animalistic or mindless, but from a crowd psychology point of view, I'm sure that there was a logical explanation for the crush", University of Sussex crowd behavioral expert Anne Templeton told Newsweek. "The density of the Hajj has been shown to reach up to 6–8 people per square meter, so I would be very surprised if a stampede (implying people running mindlessly) could occur in the first place."


2015 Mina stampede, Description as "stampede"
They argue that the Mina disaster is better described as a "progressive crowd collapse": beginning at densities of about six to seven persons per square meter, individuals are pressed so closely against each other they are unable to move as individuals, and shockwaves can travel through a crowd which, at such densities, behaves somewhat like a fluid. If a single person falls, or other people reach down to help, waves of bodies can be involuntarily precipitated forward into the open space. One such shockwave can create other openings in the crowd nearby, precipitating further crushing. Unable to draw breath, people in a crowd can also be crushed while standing.


2015 Mina stampede, Description as "stampede"
Use of the word "stampede", says Edwin Galea of the University of Greenwich, is the result of "pure ignorance and laziness … it gives the impression that it was a mindless crowd only caring about themselves, and they were prepared to crush people." In reality, "people are only directly crushed by others who have no choice, and the people who can choose ... are too far away from the epicentre" to be aware of what is happening. According to experts, true "stampedes" (and "panics") rarely occur except when a crowd is fleeing in fear, such as from a fire, and rarely does trampling by other human beings in such "stampede" conditions result in fatal injuries.


2015 Mina stampede, Description as "stampede"
"If you look at the analysis, I’ve not seen any instances of the cause of mass fatalities being a stampede," says Keith Still, professor of crowd science at Manchester Metropolitan University. "People don't die because they panic. They panic because they are dying."


2015 Mini Challenge UK
The 2015 Mini Challenge season was the fourteenth season of the Mini Challenge UK. The season started on 25 April at Donington Park and ended on 1 November at Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit. The season featured eight rounds across the UK. The 2015 season saw the introduction of the F56 Class which features the Gen-3 Mini.


2015 Mini Challenge UK, Championship standings
Championship points were awarded for the first 32 positions in each Championship Race. Entries were required to complete 75% of the winning car's race distance in order to be classified and earn points. There were bonus points awarded for Pole Position and Fastest Lap.


2015 Ministry of Higher Education attack
On 14 April 2015, Al-Shabaab militants launched a suicide car bomb and shooting attack on the Ministry of Higher Education and Ministry of Petroleum and Resources building in Mogadishu. Special forces quickly reseized the compound, killing the attackers.


2015 Ministry of Higher Education attack, Overview
The attack began when a suicide car bomb detonated at the gate of the Ministry of Higher Education and Ministry of Petroleum and Resources building in Mogadishu. The compound is situated near the KM4 junction, which was often used by government officials during travels to and from the country. Armed insurgents in military fatigues subsequently penetrated the premises. However, no senior government officials were on the grounds. According to witnesses, there were between two or three gunmen, who were armed with light and heavy weapons and had on suicide vests.


2015 Ministry of Higher Education attack, Overview
Special Forces units arrived at the compound shortly afterwards, and quickly recaptured control of the area after a brief exchange in gunfire with the militants. Interior Minister Abdirizak Omar indicated that the security forces also rescued dozens of individuals. Additionally, a federal government spokesman stated that casualties included seven Al-Shabaab militants, eight pedestrians and two soldiers. Around 15 people were also wounded and were taken to the hospital for treatment.


2015 Ministry of Higher Education attack, Overview
Al-Shabaab later claimed responsibility for the attack. Analysts suggested that the fact that the group had begun resorting to raids against soft targets reflected its structural weakness, as the militants were no longer able to mount large counterstrikes against Somali army and AMISOM positions.


2015 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team
The 2015 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Jerry Kill, who resigned on October 28, 2015 due to health reasons. Tracy Claeys replaced Kill on an interim basis and was named head coach two weeks later on November 11. The Gophers played their home games at TCF Bank Stadium. They were a member of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference.


2015 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team
Minnesota finished the regular season with a record of 5–7, 2–6 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for fifth place in the West Division. Despite finishing below .500, the Gophers were invited to the Quick Lane Bowl versus Central Michigan due to there not being enough bowl eligible teams and Minnesota's high Academic Performance Rating. Minnesota defeated Central Michigan 21–14 to finish the season 6–7.


2015 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team, Schedule
Minnesota faced all six Big Ten West Division opponents: Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, and Wisconsin. The Gophers also faced Big Ten East Division opponents Michigan  and Ohio State. Minnesota played four non-conference games: TCU of the Big 12 Conference, Colorado State of the Mountain West Conference, and Kent State and Ohio of the Mid-American Conference. Minnesota had one bye week during the season between their games against Nebraska and Michigan.


2015 Minnesota House of Representatives District 3A special election
A special election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on December 8, 2015, to elect a new representative for District 3A in the Minnesota House of Representatives, caused by the death of Representative David Dill on August 8, 2015. A primary election was held on September 29, 2015, to nominate a Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) candidate. Rob Ecklund, the DFL nominee, won the special election.


2015 Minnesota House of Representatives District 3A special election, Primary election
The DFL did not hold an endorsing convention that was originally scheduled for September 19. In announcing his decision to cancel the event, Senate District 3 DFL chair Paul Fish said that "[t]he voters of 3A deserve the opportunity to select the DFL candidate who best represents their interests. Therefore, a DFL endorsing convention for the 3A seat will not be held. Participation in the Sept. 29 primary is encouraged."


2015 Minnesota House of Representatives District 3A special election, Primary election
Cook County DFL chair Anton Moody, Lake County DFL chair Marlys Wisch, and St. Louis County DFL chair Kirsten Larsen, whose counties include District 3A, said that they disagreed with the decision, citing a lack of transparency. The decision also upset DFL candidate Bill Hansen, who was considered to be the front-runner for the party endorsement.


2015 Minnesota Lynx season
The 2015 WNBA season is the 17th season for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association. The Lynx became the third franchise to win three titles.


2015 Minnesota Lynx season, Awards and honors
After winning their third WNBA championship this season, the Lynx were honored with a private party hosted by renowned Minnesota music legend Prince at his Chanhassen home.


2015 Minnesota Swarm season
The 2015 Minnesota Swarm season is the eleventh and final season of the Minnesota Swarm, a lacrosse team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota playing in the National Lacrosse League. Beginning in 2016 the Swarm will relocate to Duluth, Georgia and become the Georgia Swarm.


2015 Minnesota Swarm season, Regular season, Current standings
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games PlayedW: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowedDifferential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game


2015 Minnesota Swarm season, Transactions, Entry Draft
The 2014 NLL Entry Draft took place on September 22, 2014. The Swarm made the following selections:


2015 Minnesota Twins season
The 2015 Minnesota Twins season  was the 55th season for the franchise in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, their sixth season at Target Field and the 115th overall in the American League. The team finished second in the AL Central with an 83–79 record, their best overall result since the 2010 season, which was the last year they made the playoffs. The team remained in the running for a wild card berth in the American League playoffs until losing Game 161 (their second to last). They would eventually win a wild card berth two years later, in 2017. In between, however, the team lost 103 games.


2015 Minnesota Twins season
After seven years away, outfielder Torii Hunter returned for his twelfth year as a Twin. Lauded rookies Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton arrived from the minors; each tallied their first big-league hit, home run and run batted in. In Rosario's case, he did all three on May 6 on the first big-league pitch he saw, just the twenty-ninth player in history to do so. In May, the Twins had a month record of 20-7, which was the best month for the franchise since June 1991, the last year they won the World Series.


2015 Minnesota Twins season, Offseason
Week of November 11: Signed 4 players to a minor league contract and invited 3 of them to Spring training.


2015 Minnesota Twins season, Offseason
November 20: Signed 3 players to a minor league contract (2 with a Spring training invite) and promoted 4 players from the minors.


2015 Minnesota Twins season, Offseason
December 3: Signed Torii Hunter to a one-year, $10.5 million contract.


2015 Minnesota Twins season, Offseason
December 5: Signed Shane Robinson to a minor league contract and invited him to Spring training.


2015 Minnesota Twins season, Offseason
December 13: Signed Ervin Santana and Carlos Paulino (minor league contract) while sending Chris Parmelee to the minors.


2015 Minnesota Twins season, Offseason
Week of December 15: Signed 5 players to a minor league contract (1 with an invite to Spring training) and invited 11 others to Spring training.


2015 Minnesota Twins season, Offseason
December 31: Signed Blaine Boyer to a minor league contract and invited him to Spring training.


2015 Minnesota Twins season, Offseason
Week of January 7: Signed 3 players to a minor league contract.


2015 Minnesota Twins season, Season summary
New manager Paul Molitor oversaw a winning season (83-79) for his Minnesota club, following four consecutive seasons of 90 or more losses under previous manager Ron Gardenhire.


2015 Minnesota Twins season, Season summary
2.22 million fans attended Twins games at Target Field, the ninth highest total in the American League.


2015 Minnesota Twins season, Season summary
The season brought some "Twins' firsts" and broke or matched several longstanding club records:


2015 Minnesota Twins season, Season summary
Two Twins made the All-Star Game: relief pitcher Glen Perkins and second baseman Brian Dozier. In the eighth inning, Dozier pinch hit and homered off Mark Melancon in his only at-bat in Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park. Perkins pitched the ninth inning in the AL's 6-3 win.


2015 Minnesota Twins season, Season summary
Pitchers Phil Hughes and Kyle Gibson each finished with eleven wins for tops in the Win column. No pitcher lost more than eleven games. Eight Twins finished with ten or more homers.


2015 Minnesota Twins season, Statistics, Batting
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; BB = Base on balls; SO = Strikeouts; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases


2015 Minnesota Twins season, Statistics, Pitching
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; HR = Home runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts


2015 Minnesota United FC season
The 2015 season will be Minnesota United FC's sixth season of existence and their fifth consecutive season playing in the North American Soccer League, the second division of the American soccer pyramid.


2015 Minnesota Vikings season
The 2015 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 55th season in the National Football League and their second under head coach Mike Zimmer. It marked the last season in which the Vikings played their home games at the University of Minnesota's on-campus TCF Bank Stadium, before moving into U.S. Bank Stadium, which opened in July 2016, located on the site of the now-demolished Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The Vikings improved on their 7–9 record from 2014 and clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2012.


2015 Minnesota Vikings season
They also won their first NFC North title since 2009 with a Week 17 victory at the Packers. As a result, they hosted the Seattle Seahawks in the wild card round of the 2015–16 NFL playoffs, but lost 10–9 after kicker Blair Walsh missed a potential game-winning 27-yard field goal in the final seconds.


2015 Minnesota Vikings season, Preseason, Schedule
On February 11, 2015, the National Football League announced that the Vikings would play the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. The game was played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, on Sunday, August 9. The remainder of the Vikings' preliminary preseason schedule was announced on April 9. The Vikings first hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders before road games against the Dallas Cowboys and the Tennessee Titans, making this the third consecutive year in which the Vikings face the Titans in the preseason.


2015 Minnesota Vikings season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers
The Vikings opened their 2015 season on the road against the San Francisco 49ers. Despite allowing San Francisco to start with the ball, the Vikings made a positive start, as Andrew Sendejo blocked a 28-yard field goal attempt from Phil Dawson, which Marcus Sherels returned 44 yards to the San Francisco 26-yard line. Minnesota QB Teddy Bridgewater was unable to complete a single pass on the next drive, forcing Blair Walsh to attempt a 44-yard field goal; however, he pushed it wide right.


2015 Minnesota Vikings season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers
After forcing the 49ers to punt on the next series, the Vikings were themselves forced to punt immediately afterwards, only for the 49ers' rookie former rugby league star Jarryd Hayne to muff the catch, allowing the Vikings to recover the ball. The next drive saw the Vikings attempt to convert on 4th-and-3, but Bridgewater's completed pass to tight end Kyle Rudolph fell a yard short of a fresh set of downs.


2015 Minnesota Vikings season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers
Both sides exchanged punts at the start of the second quarter, with the 49ers eventually returning one 85 yards for a touchdown, only for it to be called back for an illegal block by a San Francisco player.


2015 Minnesota Vikings season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers
However, the ensuing possession ended with a 49ers touchdown, as they drove 93 yards in just under 5 minutes, before Carlos Hyde finished the series with a 10-yard touchdown run; after finding nowhere to go on his initial run to the right, he beat a Minnesota defender with a spin move and ran back to the left side of the field, where quarterback Colin Kaepernick led him into the end zone. With the Vikings unable to score in the remaining 47 seconds, the first half ended 7–0 to San Francisco.


2015 Minnesota Vikings season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers
Minnesota started the third quarter with the ball, but they were unable to make it out of their half before being forced to punt. The 49ers then extended their lead on the ensuing possession, driving 73 yards to the Minnesota 11-yard line to set up a 30-yard field goal attempt for Dawson. The Vikings finally got on the scoreboard early in the fourth quarter, as Walsh finished off a 66-yard drive with a 37-yard field goal, but the 49ers pulled further ahead with a second touchdown for Hyde on a 17-yard run.


2015 Minnesota Vikings season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers
Bridgewater attempted to spark the Vikings back into the game, but a deep pass intended for Rudolph was intercepted by Tramaine Brock, setting up a 25-yard field goal for Dawson. The next drive saw the Vikings go for it again on 4th-and-8, but Bridgewater was sacked for a loss of 14 yards, allowing the 49ers to kneel out the game.


2015 Minnesota Vikings season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: vs. Chicago Bears
Teddy Bridgewater's best game of his career, going 17/20, 231 yards, and 4 touchdowns, along with a rushing touchdown on the ground. Before this game, Bridgewater had only 9 passing touchdowns, and afterwards, he had 13. Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears were stopped to 17 points, while Cutler also having a good game with 26/37 for 231 and 2 touchdowns.


2015 Minnesota Vikings season, Postseason, Game summaries, NFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. #6 Seattle Seahawks
The Vikings' only points in this game came from the foot of kicker Blair Walsh, whose three field goals put them 9–0 up by the end of the third quarter; however, Seattle outscored them 10–0 in the final period, with a touchdown catch from Doug Baldwin being followed by a 46-yard Steven Hauschka field goal in the first seven minutes of the quarter. The Vikings had a chance to win it with 20 seconds remaining, but Walsh missed a 27-yard field goal, reminding Vikings fans of Gary Anderson's missed field goal in the 1998 NFC Championship Game.


2015 Minnesota Vikings season, Pro Bowl
Running back Adrian Peterson was the only Minnesota Viking selected for the 2016 Pro Bowl. It was Peterson's seventh Pro Bowl selection, tying him for the fourth-most in Vikings franchise history with offensive tackle Ron Yary. After Houston Texans DE J. J. Watt suffered an injury in the wildcard round game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen was called up to replace him, his first career Pro Bowl selection.


2015 Minnesota Vikings season, Pro Bowl
Griffen was followed by a fellow first-time Pro Bowler, safety Harrison Smith, on January 25, after Earl Thomas of the Seattle Seahawks was ruled out of the game due to injury. The next day, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and linebacker Anthony Barr were added to the Pro Bowl roster as replacements for injured Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer and New England Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins respectively.


2015 Minor Counties Championship
The 2015 Minor Counties Championship was the 111th Minor Counties Cricket Championship season, and the second under the name 'Unicorn Counties Championship'. It was contested in two divisions: Eastern and Western. Cumberland won the competition for the third time after defeating Oxfordshire by 10 wickets in the final played in Carlisle.


2015 Minor Counties Championship, Standings
Teams receive 16 points for a win, 8 for a tie and 4 for a draw. Teams also received 12 points for a win, 6 for a draw and 4 points for losing a match reduced to a single innings. Bonus points (a maximum of 4 batting points and 4 bowling points) may be scored during the first 90 overs of each team's first innings.


2015 Mississippi Attorney General election
The 2015 Mississippi Attorney General election was held on November 3, 2015, to elect the Attorney General of Mississippi. Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood, who had been the only statewide elected Democrat in Mississippi since 2008, sought and won reelection to a fourth term. As of 2021, this is the last statewide election in Mississippi that was won by a Democratic candidate.


2015 Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball team
The 2015 Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball team represented Mississippi State University in the 2015 season of NCAA Division I baseball.


2015 Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball team, Pre-Season
The 2015 MSU baseball team has Collegiate Baseball's No. 3 ranked recruiting class in 2015 according to Collegiate Baseball. This is the third straight top 10 class, following No. 2 in 2013 and No. 6 in 2014.


2015 Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball team, Schedule and results
Game results and box scores can be found at the reference.


2015 Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball team, Rankings
^ Collegiate Baseball ranks 40 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season. † NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season. * New poll was not released for this week so for comparison purposes the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.


2015 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team
The 2015 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs played their home games at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi and competed in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by seventh-year head coach Dan Mullen. The Bulldogs finished the season 9-4, having won the 2015 Belk Bowl.


2015 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team, Previous season
The 2014 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team finished the regular season 10-2, with their only two losses to Alabama and Ole Miss. Mississippi State knocked out three top 10 teams in a row during the season, #8 LSU, #6 Texas A&M, and #2 Auburn. The Bulldogs were ranked as high at #1 in all polls including the new College Football Playoff Rankings for the first time in school history until their first loss to #4 Alabama on November 15, 2014, of a deficit of 5 points.


2015 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team, Previous season
Mississippi State was in the mix to be a part of the all-new College Football Playoffs most of the regular season until their second loss to #18 Ole Miss two weeks after the loss at #4 Alabama. The team finished the regular season ranked seven in the College Football Playoff Rankings and was invited to play in the 2014 Orange Bowl against #12 Georgia Tech of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Mississippi State fell short to the Yellow Jackets in Miami Gardens, Florida with a loss of 34-49 and finished 10-3. It was the Bulldogs' third appearance in the Orange Bowl and first since 1941.


2015 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team
The 2015 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team represented Mississippi Valley State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Delta Devils were led by second-year head coach Rick Comegy and played their home games at Rice–Totten Field. They were a member of the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). They finished the season 1–10, 1–8 in SWAC play to finish in last place in the East Division.


2015 Mississippi elections
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Mississippi on November 3, 2015. All of Mississippi's executive officers were up for election. Primary elections were held on August 4, 2015, with primary runoffs, necessary if no candidate wins a majority of the vote, to be held on August 25, 2015. The filing deadline for primary ballot access was February 27.


2015 Mississippi elections, Governor
Incumbent Republican Governor Phil Bryant won re-election to a second and final term in office. He was challenged in the Republican primary by Mitch Young.


2015 Mississippi elections, Governor
Retired firefighter Robert Gray, physician Valerie Short and attorney Vicki Slater ran for the Democratic nomination.


2015 Mississippi elections, Lieutenant Governor
Incumbent Republican Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves is running for re-election to a second term in office. He is being challenged in the primary by teacher Alisha Nelson McElhenney. Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, State Senator and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2014 Chris McDaniel and State Senator Michael Watson all considered running against Reeves in the Republican primary, but none did so.


2015 Mississippi elections, Lieutenant Governor
Two candidates filed for the Democratic nomination: actor and candidate for Mayor of Greenwood in 2013 Jelani Barr and former Republican State Senator and former Republican Madison County Supervisor Tim Johnson. Mississippi Public Service Commissionner Brandon Presley was a potential Democratic candidate but is instead running for re-election.