*** The latest news from the USOC - May 27 ***
(Courtesy of United States Olympic Committee)
Salt Lake City, UT (My Sportsbook) - The following is a recap of events from the United States Olympic Committee.
Archery: (May 23) Nathan McCullough (University of Colorado, Colorado Springs) took the national title in the men's recurve category after defeating Tim Meyers (Texas A&M), 104-101, in the finals of the 2005 United States Intercollegiate Archery Championship. Utah State University's Dakota Sinclair finished in third place. In the women's recurve category, Kate Anderson (UCLA) took home the gold, beating Columbia University's Nasreen Bakht, 93-88, while 2004 Paralympian Lindsey Carmichael (University of Texas) defeated Ashley Kamuf (Indiana University), 101-99, to win the bronze. For the compound men, Braden Gellenthien (James Madison University) won his first USIAC title after beating fellow JMU teammate Jedd Greshock 113-110. Logan Wilde (Idaho State University) defeated Cassidy Miller (Texas A&M), 114-111, to take the bronze. Texas A&M's Jessica Grant won the collegiate national title for the compound women, defeating Karen Morse (Pennsylvania College of Technology), 98-96, in the gold medal match. Anna Stratton (Texas A&M) finished in third place. Texas A&M University captured the national overall team title at the USIAC, while James Madison University took second and Atlantic Cape Community College finished third. The event also determined the team that will represent the U.S. at the 2005 World University Games, Aug. 11-21 in Izmir, Turkey. For more information, log on to www.usarchery.org.
Baseball: (May 23) USA Baseball announced a list of 12 additional collegiate players that have accepted invitations to participate in the 2005 USA Baseball National Team Trials, June 27-30 in Raleigh, N.C. For more information, log on to www.usabaseball.com.
Basketball: (May 19) USA Basketball announced that Texas A&M University men's head coach Billy Gillispie and George Washington University (D.C.) men's head coach Karl Hobbs will serve as court coaches at the 2005 USA Men's World University Games Team Trials, July 28-31 in Colorado Springs, Colo. (May 22) Following five trials sessions in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball announced 15 finalists for the USA Women's U-19 World Championship and 16 finalists for the USA Women's World University Games teams. (May 24) Six of the nation's top prep basketball coaches were named to coach this summer's USA Basketball Men's Youth Development Festival teams during the June 8-11 event. Included among the slate of USA head coaches are Ron Crawford, head coach of the AAU Arkansas Wings and high school head coaches Pat Fitterer (Seattle, Wash.) and Otis Hughley (Mobile, Ala.), while fellow prep coaches Kenny Hoffpauir (Dallas, Texas), Douglas Mitchell (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Jarrett Stephens (Memphis, Tenn.) will serve as assistant coaches. For more information, log on to www.usabasketball.com.
Bowling: (May 18) Shirley Levens (Titusville, Fla.) needed to defeat Sharon Wanczyk (Crofton, Md.) twice to win the 2005 Women's International Bowling Congress Senior Queens Tournament, but she did it with ease. Levens put an end to the three-game, double-elimination tournament by winning two straight matches over Wanczyk, 696-530 and 612-540, for her second Senior Queens title. (May 18) Tennelle Milligan (Yorba Linda, Calif.) knew what she had to do -- strike and spare in the 10th frame to clinch the title at 2005 WIBC Queens Tournament - and she did it to defeat WIBC Hall of Famer Anne Marie Duggan (Edmond, Okla.) in the second championship game, 202-177, to claim her third major title. (May 21) Juanita Younger (Denver, Colo.), a bowler off the sub board, lifted a Maryland team into the top five at the WIBC Championship Tournament. The "Let's Go III" team moved into third place in Division II (average 746 thru 845) with a score of 2,573. (May 22) New friendships will be made as bowlers from across the country will be introduced and formed into teams to compete at the WIBC Championship Tournament. The "Friendship Squad" unites bowlers who didn't previously have teams to bowl on. (May 23) Two months ago, Kansas senior Kelly Zapf was on the outside looking in at the 2005 Collegiate Singles Championships. Now she is in prime position to end her collegiate career as a national champion. Zapf, a late entrant to the national finals, earned the women's division top seed for match play by posting a 12- game qualifying total of 2,631. (May 24) Entering best-of-five, single- elimination match play at the 2005 Collegiate Singles Championships, Newman junior Bianca Montagnino (Ashland, Ore.) was just hoping to make good shots. Instead, Montagnino went above and beyond her expectations, earning a 3-1 victory over Kansas senior Kelly Zapf in the women's title match and completing her unexpected run to a national championship. (May 24) Top-seeded P.J. Haggerty (Weimar, Calif.) of Fresno State, the 2004-05 National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association MVP, defeated San Jose State sophomore Jason Andersen (Fremont, Calif.), 3-1, in the best-of-five men's title match of the 2005 Collegiate Singles Championships. For more information, log on to www.bowl.com.
Boxing: Eleven champions were crowned at the 2005 National Golden Gloves in Little Rock, Ark., including 2005 U.S. National Champions Gary Russell Jr. (119 pounds, Capital Heights, Md.) and Michael Evans (132 pounds, Dayton, Ohio). Jeremy Bryan (141 pounds, Sumter, S.C.) and Daniel Jacobs (165 pounds, Brooklyn, N.Y.) each won their second consecutive Golden Gloves title, with Jacobs accomplishing the feat in two different weight classes. Roberto Ceron (106 pounds, Doraville, Ga.), Barry Dennis (112 pounds, St. Louis, Mo.), Prenice Brewer (125 pounds, Cleveland, Ohio), Brad Solomon (152 pounds, Lafayette, La.), Rommel Rene (178 pounds, Orlando, Fla.), Eric Fields (201 pounds, Ardmore, Okla.) and Gregory Corbin (201+ pounds, Dallas, Texas) all earned their first Golden Gloves championships, with Fields receiving the tournament's Golden Boy award.
Cycling: (May 18) After a three-month break, the 2005 Shimano NORBA National Mountain Bike Series resumes in Park City, Utah as Deer Valley Resort gets set to host its first NORBA National since 2001 with round three of the nine-race off-road cycling series, June 16-19. (May 22) The U.S. Women's National Team wrapped up a successful week in France as Kristin Armstrong (Boise, Idaho) finished third overall at the Tour de l'Aude Feminin stage race. One of the most prestigious women's events on the international calendar, the Tour de l'Aude was won by American Amber Neben (Irvine, Calif.), who rides for the Dutch-based Buitenpoort-Flexpoint team. (May 22) U.S. U-23 National Team rider Tyler Farrar (Wenatchee, Wash.) won the 101 km stage from Laroques d' Olmes to Lezat at the Ronde de l' Isard d' Ariege stage race in France. Following the stage win, it was reported that Farrar also signed a contract with the French-based Cofidis squad, a UCI ProTour team, for the 2006 season. Farrar becomes the latest rider in USA Cycling's U-23 National Team program to earn a spot on an international squad at the highest level of professional cycling. For more information, log on to www.usacycling.org.
Equestrian: (May 18) Accomplished dressage athlete and Olympic hopeful Carol J. Plough suddenly passed away in Riverside, Calif. on May 16. She was 50. (May 19) The FEI World Cup Dressage Final Presented by Offield Farms will be televised on the Outdoor Life Network on June 6 at 3 p.m. EST, an hour earlier than originally scheduled. (May 19) The United States Equestrian Federation has announced the team for the second European show jumping tour-a series of three international competitions, including a stop on the 2005 Samsung Super League circuit. (May 19) International Equestrian Federation representatives met with leading footing specialists in Windsor, England for a brainstorming session that will likely provide the criteria upon which all future championship arena footing is to be based. (May 19) The United States Dressage Federation will hold its National Convention and Symposium Nov. 30-Dec. 4 in Los Angeles, Calif. (May 19) The report detailing the work of those who participated in the nation's first-ever Unwanted Horse Summit is now available from the American Association of Equine Practitioners. (May 19) Steve Simon's (Paxton, Mass.) Custom Crome has reached a National Reining Horse Association milestone. Custom Crome's sons and daughters have excelled in the NRHA show pen and moved their sire to the prestigious NRHA Million Dollar Sire list. (May 19) In the first week of the two-week Legacy Cup in Lexington, Ky., while Jennifer Waxman and Tuscany took the lead in the Pony Hunter division and Lauren Bass on Jivago dominated in the Restricted Pro 3'6" division, it was a Take Away victory for Havens Schatt in the Pro 3'6" division. Schatt also dominated in the Pro 3' division, winning the Finals on Nassau, who also won the Pre-Green Incentive. Additionally, she won the Walter J. Lee Perpetual Trophy and the Leading Trainer Award for week one. Michael Tokaruk and Polaroid were the big winners in the Restricted Pro 3' division. (May 20) The family of Carol Plough has requested that expressions of sympathy be made in the form of donations to the Alzheimer's Association in lieu of flowers. There will be a memorial service at 10:00 a.m. on May 27 at the Shadow Ridge Equestrian Center in Highland, Calif. (May 24) The USEF announced that George H. Morris (Pittstown, N.J.) will become the new Chef d'Equipe for the U.S. Show Jumping Team. For more information, log on to www.usef.org.
Field Hockey: (May 23) The young U.S. Women's National Team gave new head coach Lee Bodimeade his first victory with the squad as the USA topped New Zealand, 1-0, in the finale of their five-game series. Veteran Carrie Lingo (Rehoboth Beach, Del.) connected on a field goal in the 17th minute and goalkeeper Amy Tran (Grantville, Pa.) withstood 22 shots on goal to give the USA the win. For more information, log on to www.usfieldhockey.com.
Figure Skating: (May 19) The International Skating Union announced the dates, locations and skater selections for the 2005-06 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, which will begin with Smart Ones Skate America in Atlantic City, N.J., Oct. 20-23. For more information, log on to www.usfigureskating.org.
Hockey: (May 24) USA Hockey announced that Northern Michigan University head coach and former National Hockey League assistant Walt Kyle (Waterloo, Iowa) has been named head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team that will compete in the 2006 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship. For more information, log on to www.usahockey.com.
Judo: (May 18) The San Jose State University Judo Team and Mike Swain announced the establishment of The Swain Scholarship at San Jose State University. The scholarship is the only major state university scholarship in the country specifically created to give financial assistance to judo athletes who want to pursue their education while furthering their judo training in an elite program. (May 20) Ronda Rousey (Scotia, N.Y.) won the gold medal at 63 kg on day one of the 2005 Pan-American Judo Union Championship. Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill., 81 kg), Darius Mikolajczak (Brooklyn, N.Y., 90 kg), Kirk Hoffmann (Colorado Springs, Colo., 100+ kg) and Molly O'Rourke (El Cerrito, Calif., 78 kg) all won bronze medals for the U.S. (May 22) USA Judo athletes won five medals - three gold, one silver and one bronze - on the second day of competition at the Pan American Judo Union Senior Championships. Ryan Reser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) defeated Diogo Coutinho of Brazil at 73 kg with a major throw for ippon (the Judo equivalent of a knockout). Valerie Gotay (Temecula, Calif.) got the best of Roberta Bittencourt of Brazil for the women's 57 kg gold medal. Carrie Chandler (Scotia, N.Y.) defeated María Garcia of the Dominican Republic in the women's 52 kg gold-medal match. Fifteen-year-old Aaron Kunihiro (Covina, Calif.) beat two seasoned veterans before losing to Carlos Tenesaca of Ecuador in the final match in the men's 55 kg division. Sayaka Matsumoto (Richmond, Calif.) pinned Patricia Bermudez of Argentina for the women's 48 kg bronze. The U.S. Women's Team finished second in the event, while the men's squad finished third. For more information, log on to www.usjudo.org.
Luge: (May 23) Young athletes who want to experience the thrill of luge and train under the guidance of USA Luge national team coaches and athletes can do so when the Verizon-USA Luge Slider Search rolls into Southlake, Texas, June 10-11. (May 24) USA Luge recognized six athletes as the association named its 2005 Athletes and Team of the Year. Tony Benshoof (White Bear Lake, Minn.) won his third-career Male Athlete of the Year award, while Ashley Hayden (Westborough, Mass.) captured her second consecutive Female Athlete of the Year honor. Mark Grimmette (Muskegon, Mich.) and Brian Martin (Palo Alto, Calif.) scored their eighth-career Team of the Year honor together. Christopher Mazdzer (Saranac Lake, N.Y.) earned the association's Junior Male Athlete of the Year honor and, for the second straight year, Erin Hamlin (Remsen, N.Y.) came away with the Junior Female Athlete of the Year award. For more information, log on to www.usaluge.org.
Rowing: (May 24) Chris Liwski (Sarasota, Fla.) and Michael Blomquist (Greensboro, N.C.) will represent the U.S. in the men's pair at the first stop of the 2005 BearingPoint Rowing World Cup circuit beginning on May 26 in Eton, England. For more information, log on to www.usrowing.org.
Sailing: (May 23) U.S. Sailing and Gowrie, Barden and Brett, one of the largest marine insurance agencies nationwide, announced that they have teamed up to offer a new big boat insurance program for U.S. Sailing members. The program offers comprehensive, customized coverage for sailboats larger than 30 feet on and off the racecourse. (May 23) U.S. Sailing announced the qualifying events for the 2006 U.S. Youth World Team, which will represent the U.S. at the 2006 International Sailing Federation Volvo Youth Sailing World Championships. (May 24) U.S. Sailing announced that Extrasport, a well-known manufacturer of lifejackets, has been named the Official Personal Flotation Device Sponsor of the U.S. Sailing Team, the U.S. Disabled Sailing Team and the U.S. Youth World Team. For more information, log on to www.ussailing.org.
Shooting: (May 23) In his second World Cup ever, 16-year-old Vincent Hancock (Eatonton, Ga.) clinched the only medal won at the ISSF World Cup Rome for the U.S. Shotgun Team-- the silver medal in men's skeet. For more information, log on to www.usashooting.com.
Soccer: (May 18) In a unique women's soccer event, the U.S. Women's National Team Program will hold its largest-ever training camp from May 22-28 as the U.S. U-20 and U-21 women's teams will hold concurrent events, each bringing 32-player rosters to the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. (May 18) The U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team fell behind early, but bounced back with two goals in a five-minute span late in the first half to defeat Canada, 2-1, in cold and rainy conditions at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn. (May 24) The U.S. Men's National Team had their entire team in attendance for training in Chicago, Ill. The 20-player roster is preparing for its May 28 match-up with England in a major international showdown at Soldier Field in Chicago, which will be shown live on ESPN and Telemundo. For more information, log on to www.ussoccer.com.
Track and Field: (May 18) USA Track and Field's Be A Champion youth outreach program has achieved coast-to-coast outreach, with 23 athletes speaking to more than 4,000 students since October 2004. The May 20 visit by Lauryn Williams (Rochester, Pa.) and Coby Miller (Los Angeles, Calif.) to Curtiss Middle School in Carson, Calif., will bring the number of students reached to more than 4,500. (May 19) Two of America's finest middle distance runners, Alan Webb (Fairfax, Va.) and Dathan Ritzenhein (Boulder, Colo.), will split the difference in facing each other in a two-mile race June 4 at the 2005 Nike Prefontaine Classic at venerable Haywood Field in Eugene, Ore. (May 19) Two- time Olympic silver medalist shot putter Adam Nelson (Athens, Ga.) has enlisted the aid of online marketplace eBay for the purpose of finding a sponsor. (May 19) Louis Zamperini, 1936 Olympic 5,000m finalist, will be inducted June 8 into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame in Boise, Idaho. Other inductees will include football player Drew Bledsoe and three- time equestrian Olympian Kathy Kusner. (May 22) Joanna Hayes (Los Angeles, Calif.), John Godina (Mesa, Ariz.), Allyson Felix (Los Angeles, Calif.), Jeremy Wariner (Grand Prairie, Texas) and Bershawn Jackson (Raleigh, N.C.) each posted world-leading marks in winning their events in front of 10,723 fans at the 2005 Adidas Track Classic at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. (May 23) The Freihofer's Run for Women has a long tradition of attracting the best masters athletes in the country for the USA 5 km Women's Masters Championship. This year, the 27th edition of the event, June 4 in downtown Albany, N.Y. should be no different. (May 23) At the Race for the Taste 10K October 9, athletes have the opportunity to compete for a minimum of $14,000 in prize money as a part of the USATF Club Co-ed 10 km Team Challenge. (May 23) The USATF Georgia Association is holding its first ever LDR Grand Prix Series in 2005. There are eight races in the series, which began in February with the Georgia Association 50 km Championship and ends in December with the Georgia Association 10 mile Championship. (May 23) Phenomenal performances by American athletes have rewritten the standings in the Race for the Visa Championship, following the Adidas Track Classic. The top eight performances thus far on the men's side of the Visa Championship Series all came at the meet, topped by indoor Visa Champion John Godina's personal-best throw of 22.20m/72-10 in the shot put. The women's standings got a new top four after equally impressive performances. Allyson Felix, 2004 Olympic silver medalist, earned 1,219 points thanks to her winning time of 22.14 seconds in the 200 meters. (May 24) John Godina has been named USA Track and Field's Athlete of the Week after setting a world-leading mark and personal best in the men's shot put at the Adidas Track Classic. For more information, log on www.usatf.org.
Triathlon: (May 22) Enduring temperatures well over 100 degrees, America's two best intermediate-distance triathletes, Hunter Kemper (Longwood, Fla.) and Barb Lindquist (Alta, Wyo.), blew away the competition at the Tempe International Triathlon in Arizona. Kemper won the USA Triathlon Elite Cup race in 1 hour, 51 minutes, 4 seconds. Lindquist stayed cool on the run and won the race in 2:03:52, almost five minutes faster than second-place Lauren Groves of Canada. For more information, log on to www.usatriathlon.org.
Water Skiing: (May 20) The International Water Ski Federation's World Tournament Council has selected 13 U.S. athletes to participate in the seventh World Games, July 14-24, in Duisburg, Germany. The World Games is a multi- sport event held every four years that features sports not currently in the Olympic Games. (May 23) Defending world overall champions Regina Jaquess (Suwanee, Ga.) and Jimmy Siemers (Round Rock, Texas) each set pending national collegiate tricks records and dominated much of the action at the 2005 Collegiate All-Stars Water Ski Championships at Beaver Lake in Ahoskie, N.C. For more information, log on to www.usawaterski.org.
Wrestling: (May 18) Troy Nickerson (Chenango Forks, N.Y.) has been named as the national winner of the 2005 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. (May 19) USA Wrestling will host the inaugural University World Team Trials at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 26-28. The 2005 University World Team Trials will determine who will represent the U.S. at the World University Games in Izmir, Turkey, Aug. 11-21. (May 20) USA Wrestling will host the FILA Junior World Team Trials at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, May 26-28. The Junior World Team Trials will determine who will represent the U.S. at the Junior World Championships in Vilnius, Lithuania, July 4-8. (May 22) The U.S. squad placed fifth at the 2005 Women's World Cup in France, defeating Venezuela 19-7 in the fifth-place dual meet. Uncharacteristic of past World Cup events, the six teams were divided into two pools. The U.S. team lost both of the dual meets in its pool to Russia and eventual champion Japan. (May 23) Brad Vering(Colorado Springs, Colo), 2004 Olympian and 2003 U.S. World Team member Justin Ruiz (Colorado Springs, Colo.) won gold medals at the O.Karavaev Memorial International. Also winning medals for the U.S. were bronze winners Lindsey Durlacher (Colorado Springs, Colo.) at 55 kg/121 lbs., Glenn Garrison (Colorado Springs, Colo.) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. and Russ Davie (Colorado Springs, Colo.) at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. For more information, log on to www.themat.com.
