Sun Devils extend Koetter’s contract
The contract of Arizona State football coach Dirk Koetter will be extended, athletic director Lisa Love said Tuesday from Tempe.
Terms of the extension, including the year it ends, were still being discussed, but Koetter said he is authorized to tell recruits that he will be the coach through their time at the school.
Koetter’s current contract is to expire after the 2007 season.
“This extension is something I have wanted because I want to continue coaching at Arizona State University for a long, long time,” Koetter said.
“Koetter, 46, has a 34-28 record in five seasons at Arizona State.
The Sun Devils, 6-5 this year, play Rutgers in the Insight Bowl in Phoenix on Dec. 27. This year’s team struggled down the stretch but became bowl-eligible by beating archrival Arizona in its regular-season finale.
“Chuck Priore was hired as coach at I-AA Stony Brook (N.Y.) after six years at Division III Trinity (Conn.), where the Bantams ended the season riding a 30-game winning streak.
“Division II Missouri Southern has hired Northwest Missouri State assistant Bart Tatum to replace late head coach John Ware, who died of a heart attack in September.
Speed skating
Ohno slips up slightly
Kim Hyo-jung remained perfect at the U.S. short track championships at Marquette, Mich. Apolo Anton Ohno finally slipped up.
Ohno easily won the 1,500 meters but ran into trouble in the 500, sliding across the line on his stomach after wiping out on the final turn. But, true to the capricious nature of short track, he wound up in second place – another skater had gone down earlier and the first guy across the line, Rusty Smith, was disqualified for an illegal block.
Ohno, who won both time trials on Monday, has a commanding lead in the overall men’s standings with 89 points. The top spot is more clear-cut on the women’s side. No one has come close to beating Kim, a 17-year-old native of South Korea who became an American citizen. She’s 4 for 4 halfway through the four-day meet, giving her the maximum 102 points.
Tennis
Seles sets timeline
Monica Seles said if she doesn’t get back on the court by the end of 2006, she may hang up her racket.
Seles, a nine-time Grand Slam winner, attended a Manhattan luncheon in her honor. She’s joining the Laureus World Sports Academy, which brings sports and social programs to the world’s underprivileged youth.
It may prove to be a transition into another career. Seles never officially retired, but last played a Grand Slam tournament in 2003. A broken bone in the ball of her right foot has hampered her return.
“A West Palm Beach, Fla., judge declared a mistrial in a lawsuit by promoters who contended Venus and Serena Williams reneged on a deal to play men in a proposed “Battle of the Sexes” event in 2001.
Judge Jeffrey A. Winicoff granted a request for a mistrial by John Romano, attorney for promoters Carol Clarke and Keith Rhodes, after almost three weeks of testimony. It was not clear if the case would return to court.
Miscellany
Sorenstam earns honor
In London, Annika Sorenstam has won the European Golf Writers’ Trophy for the second time in three years, becoming the first woman to claim the award more than once.
The Swede edged Michael Campbell and Colin Montgomerie to win the trophy. Sorenstam, 35, won 11 of 21 tournaments this season, including two majors.
“The Wizards of Major League Soccer are still for sale but will remain in Kansas City at least through the next season.