National sports
Stanford swimmer Kirk named nation’s top collegiate woman
Tara Kirk set the world record in the 100-meter breaststroke, swept four straight NCAA titles and became a favorite to make the Olympic team.
Still, when it came to the Stanford swimmer winning the Broderick Cup as the nation’s collegiate woman athlete of the year, her mother was concerned about the competition.
“We watched the women’s Final Four and saw Diana Taurasi. She was outstanding. When Tara told us that she’d won, we were like, ‘Really?’ We were surprised,” Margaret Kirk said.
With her parents watching, Kirk accepted the Broderick Cup in ceremonies at Columbia University on Monday.
Kirk credited her teammates and competitors for making her better, and thanked her mom and dad for years of their daily ritual of “up at 5 a.m., driving me to swim practice.”
Kirk will turn 22 next month, during the U.S. Olympic team trials. She hopes to go to Athens in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke events, and has already committed to training for the 2008 Beijing Games.
Kirk was among five finalists, a group that included North Carolina soccer standout Catherine Reddick, Florida State softball player Jessica van der Linden, Southern California volleyball star April Ross and Taurasi, who led Connecticut to three straight national championships.
Taurasi, however, was declared ineligible for the honor and received no votes because rules call for the winner to attend the trophy presentation. She declined to travel to New York because of WNBA games she was playing in.
Distance runner Zoila Gomez of Adams State College won the Division II award and tennis player Mary Ellen Gordon of Emory was chosen as the Division III athlete of the year.Chanda Gunn, who overcame epilepsy to become a star goaltender on Northeastern’s hockey team, won the Inspiration Award.
Football
Charges against Law dropped
Prosecutors dropped a final charge against New England Patriots cornerback Ty Law, who was arrested in April after he allegedly led police on a brief foot chase.
Prosecutor Jonny Mosely dismissed the remaining charge of resisting an officer without violence at the hearing. Miami-Dade County Judge Jeffrey Schwarz also agreed to return Law’s $150 bond. Mosely had no comment on why the charges were dropped.
“Jim Nantz, who had been host of the “NFL Today” studio show, is moving to the play-by-play job on the network’s No. 1 broadcast team. He’ll be working with returning analyst Phil Simms. Greg Gumbel will move from the No. 1 play-by-play slot to the studio host’s role.
Golf
Furyk will defend Buick title
Jim Furyk confirmed his plans to defend the Buick Open title at the end of July. He made the announcement one day after the end of the U.S. Open, his first competitive outing since having wrist surgery in January.
Furyk, who will relax this week, plans to compete every other week and to limit the amount of time he practices to aid his comeback.
His next tournament will be the Western Open (July 1-4), followed by the British Open (July 15-18) and Buick Open (July 29-Aug. 1)
Boxing
Tyson granted New Jersey license
Mike Tyson was granted a boxing license in New Jersey, a state he walked away from nearly six years ago after swearing at regulators during a licensing hearing.
“He’s been behaving himself for quite some time,” Athletic Commissioner Larry Hazzard said.
Gov. James E. McGreevey isn’t so sure. Soon after Hazzard gave the former heavyweight champ a license on behalf of the state Athletic Control Board in Atlantic City, N.J., the governor said he wouldn’t allow Tyson to fight at any facility owned or operated by the state.
McGreevey also said he would ask the board to review the decision.
Miscellany
Falkenstein honored by Hall
Philadelphia Daily News writer Phil Jasner and Kansas announcer Max Falkenstien were chosen by the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., to receive the Curt Gowdy Award given to media members.
“The Olympic torch touched down in Europe after ending its tour of North America, kicking off the relay’s final leg before it heads back to Greece.
The torch arrived from Montreal, host of the 1976 Summer Olympics. It was handed to Belgian officials and athletes at Brussels International Airport and then driven to Antwerp, which hosted to the 1920 games.
From there, the torch started a European tour of 17 cities, including all that have hosted the Olympics, including London, Moscow, Stockholm, Rome and Barcelona.
“ Dick Pound is willing to stay on as president of the World Anti-Doping Agency for another two years.
Members of the agency’s executive board asked Pound, who has headed WADA since its inception in 1999, to stay on through the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
“A punctured tire, probably from debris left on the track after an earlier crash, caused the spin that sent Ralf Schumacher into the wall during the U.S. Grand Prix in Indianapolis, a team spokesman said.
Schumacher spent the night at a hospital as a precaution and was released Monday morning. He planned to return home to Austria but skip a scheduled test session this week in Spain.
“The U.S. soccer team’s World Cup qualifier against Panama on Oct. 13 will be played at RFK Stadium.
“The San Jose Sharks exercised their option on defenseman Brad Stuart.
“A newly assembled United States men’s fours boat earned an upset victory in the rowing World Cup circuit in Lucerne, Switzerland, and will enter the Olympics as a medal contender.
The U.S. women’s eights, meanwhile, took a second straight World Cup victory Sunday at Lucerne, the last world cup race before the Athens Olympics.