Fast Break
Swimming
Phelps cruises Down Under
Michael Phelps set his second world record in two days on Wednesday at the 12th FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.
Phelps won the 200-meter butterfly in 1 minute, 52.09 seconds to claim his third gold medal at the event, lowering his world mark by more than 1.5 seconds. It was his third world record in two months.
“I feel like a 12-year-old, being able to drop more than a second off of my best time,” said Phelps.
Fewer than two months after dropping his record in the 200 fly .09 second to 1:53:71, Phelps sliced it by another 1.62 seconds – a remarkable drop. That came about 24 hours after he broke Aussie legend Ian Thorpe’s 200 freestyle record, which had stood for six years.
“I guess it’s like a chain reaction,” Phelps said. “One, then another, then another.”
Phelps, shooting for eight gold medals at the event, still has two relays, the 200 and 400 individual medleys and the 100 butterfly left to swim.
The meet is beginning to resemble the 2003 world championships in Barcelona, when Phelps burst onto the international scene as a 17-year-old and set five world records. He also won four gold medals and two silvers, setting high expectations for the 2004 Summer Games. There he won six gold medals and two bronzes.
Football
Shock ranked No. 2 in poll
Defending ArenaCup champion Spokane was ranked No. 2 in the af2 preseason poll.
Florida was selected No. 1 with 395 points. Spokane was next with 388. Shock American Conference West Division rival Bakersfield is No. 8.
Stockton, Spokane’s opponent at 5 p.m. Saturday in the Arena, isn’t ranked. The Lightning have settled on a starting quarterback – Derrick Crudup, who spent some time with Spokane last season. The former Miami (Fla.) player was 3 of 4 for 18 yards.
Tennis
Whits put air in tennis program
The final piece of the Scotford Tennis Center will be officially opened Saturday, when the Whitworth men’s tennis team hosts George Fox University at 11 a.m.
The Whitworth Tennis Bubble will host its first NCAA tennis match when the Pirates men take on the Bruins. The bubble, which covers three of the six courts at the Scotford Tennis Center, will be inaugurated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The bubble gives Whitworth its first year-round tennis facility and is the end result of an anonymous donation.
“Because of tremendous donors, the facilities for our tennis programs have been significantly upgraded over the past two years,” said athletics director Dr. Scott McQuilkin. “We believe having this bubble will make our tennis programs even more attractive to recruits because they can practice year-round.”