Easy win for Asbel Kiprop and Fionnuala Britton

Kenya's world and Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop easiness to a relaxed victory in the men's 3km event at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country race. He clocked nine minutes, 20 seconds to beat Britain's Jonny Hay (9.25), with Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele well down. Ireland's European cross country champion Fionnuala Britton won the women's 6km race in 21.32 ahead of Britain's Gemma Steel and Elle Baker. "It is nice to feel strong and run like that," Britton told. Kiprop beat fellow Kenyan Brimin Kipruto, who won Olympic gold in the 3,000m steeplechase, and Ethiopian legend Bekele, who both finished well down the field.

We must go back 11 years for the last time Kenenisa Bekele completed outside the top 10 in any race, and that was in the 2001 Oslo 5,000m when he was still a junior. One wonders if his bubble has burst, since he's now lost four of his last five races. But remember the one he did win was last September's Brussels 10,000m, which was highly important as he ran the fastest time in the world in 2011 and almost guaranteed his selection for London in that event. Olympic Park on 4 August will be a far cry from Holyrood Park on 7 January.

Bekele, who won gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m in Beijing in 2008, is regarded as the biggest rival to Britain's Mo Farah at the 2012 London Olympics but he struggled with the pace. Kiprop, 22, said: "I expected a very tough contest from them.”I am excited having won here today after being second last year." Britton beat a quality field at Holyrood Park to win by an inspiring 20 seconds. The 27-year-old said: "It is a big event and I knew I was the person everyone would try to chase down so I knew I had to have a good race.
Read More

Tulane drops C-USA opener at UCF, 60-53



Green Wave fell behind early in could never catch up in 60-53 loss
ORLANDO, Fla. – Tulane’s men’s basketball team fell behind early and could never catch up to UCF Wednesday night in the Conference USA opener, falling 60-53, at UCF Arena.

The Green Wave (12-3, 0-1 C-USA) trailed by nine in the first nine minutes of the game and never got closer than six the rest of the way. The Knights (11-3, 1-0 C-USA) took the lead for good less than two minutes in and led by as many as 17, including a 29-21 lead at the break.

“We did not play as well as we needed to, especially early, and UCF did a number on us on the boards,” Tulane head coach Ed Conroy said. “The first half we did not do the job we needed to boxing out and we need to make sure that doesn’t happen again. We’ve been pretty good on the boards, but tonight we didn’t match their effort.”

Jordan Callahan led Tulane with 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal, while Kendall Timmons missed his second straight double double with 12 points and nine rebounds, and Ricky Tarrant added 12 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Tulane led 4-3 after a dunk by Timmons with 18:48 left in the opening half, but Marcus Jordan, who led UCF with a game-high 19 points, knocked down a jumper 20 seconds later that gave the Knights the lead for good. The Green Wave was held scoreless for over a four minute stretch in the first half and UCF used that time to build a 27-13 lead, the largest of the half.

Tulane scored first to open the second half the cut the deficit to six on a Callahan lay-up, but a 3-pointer by A.J. Rompza for UCF ignited a 10-2 run for the Knights who pulled away to a 17 point lead, 44-27, with 12:49 left. The Green Wave did fight back and used a 16-7 run to cut the UCF lead back down to eight, 54-46, with 3:40 remaining, before Jordan hit a jumper and a pair of free throws to all but seal the victory.

“The second half was a tale of not making shots and finishing plays,” Conroy added. “The first half was not satisfactory in the way we need to execute and move the ball.”

Josh Davis added eight points and five boards for Tulane, who hit just 23 of 48 shots from the floor in the game, including four of 10 for 3-point range. The Green Wave struggled from long range early as well, missing the first nine attempts before Callahan knocked one down eight minutes into the second half.

UCF did shoot well either, hitting 23 of 58 shots from the floor as well, but the Knights won the rebound battle, 43-32, including grabbing 15 offensive boards and turning that into 14 points.

Tulane’s defense forced 12 turnovers and collected seven steals that resulted in 11 points.

The Green Wave, who has played the last three games on the road, return to Fogelman Arena Saturday when they host Southern Miss at 3 p.m. CT.

Read More

No. 5 Baylor skips past Texas A&M

Perry Jones III had 14 points with 12 rebounds, and the Bears remained undefeated with a 61-52 victory over Texas A&M on Monday night for their first 14-game winning streak in school history.


After moving up two spots to No. 4 in the new Associated Press poll earlier Monday, the Bears (14-0) scored the first eight points of the game and lead throughout against the Aggies (9-4).

BOX SCORE: Baylor 61, LSU 52

"I make sure, being the captain of the team, that we don't pay attention to that," senior Quincy Acy said. "It's good to have it, but we want more. … Just make sure that we don't pay attention to that, and we go out every night and play like we have something to lose."

Part of Baylor's opening spurt was Pierre Jackson's half-court alley-oop pass to Jones for a slam dunk

To get the latest sports news from USA TODAY, including game results, columns and features, follow us on Twitter at @USATODAYSports.

"Actually, that was the first time he's ever thrown me an alley-oop that far," Jones said. "But you've got to be ready for anything when he's on the floor."

It was the first double-double of the season for Jones, the Big 12's preseason player of the year. Jones, a 6-foot-11 sophomore who bypassed the chance to be a high NBA draft pick last summer, missed the first five games this season while completing a six-game NCAA suspension for accepting improper benefits before he got to Baylor.

The Bears had already matched the school-record winning streak of 13 in a row set in 1946 by winning their 13 non-conference games. Baylor has won five consecutive Big 12 openers.

Acy added 13 points for Baylor, while freshman Quincy Miller had 11 points with eight rebounds in his first Big 12 game. A.J. Walton had 10 points.

This was the 204th meeting for the Texas teams from along the Brazos River. Baylor has won four in a row, but A&M still leads the series 127-77.

It was the last Big 12 matchup between the two teams in Waco with A&M's pending move to the Southeastern Conference after this season. They play again Feb. 1 at College Station.

"Obviously like everyone else I wish they were still in the Big 12, but we've got a pretty good league, and there's a reason the last four years RPI-wise the Big 12's been the best conference in basketball," Baylor coach Scott Drew said. "It's outstanding basketball. We know the future's very bright for the Big 12."

Elston Turner had 21 points for the Aggies, who have lost three of its last four games. Khris Middleton had 14 points.

Turner's 3-pointer got Texas A&M within 10 with 5 minutes left before consecutive turnovers that Baylor turned into baskets.

After Anthony Jones forced an A&M turnover, Cory Jefferson made a jumper. Jackson then had a steal that led to Walton's baseline jumper in the front of the Baylor bench.

"I wasn't real pleased with that play," Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. "He made a tough shot."

Turner hit another 3-pointer with 2:25 left to get the Aggies within 57-48, but they never got closer.

Texas A&M made only 18 of 63 field goals (29 percent) overall, but that was actually an improvement after making only 6-of-28 (21 percent) in the first half.

There was an 8-minute stretch for Texas A&M with 10 consecutive missed shots. After Turner's jumper with 9:39 left in the first half, when Baylor led 17-9, the Aggies didn't make another field goal until Middleton's 3-pointer with 1:39 left when they still trailed 28-14.

Aggies guard David Loubeau had three fouls while playing only 2 minutes in the first half, when Middleton was limited to only 10 minutes because of two early fouls.

Baylor had an 18-4 run in the first half that Jones started with a turnaround 15-footer and ended with a long jumper. The Bears had a 30-17 halftime lead, then scored the first five points of the second half.

"Defensively, I'm proud of our guys. We did a good enough job defensively," Kennedy said. "But when you go 6-for-28 in the first half and you've got two of your best players on the bench not playing, it's going to be tough."

Read More

Athletic news: World's top hurdlers place for new indoor fixture


Olympic gold medalist Dawn Harper leads a physically powerful field announce on Wednesday for the women's 50m hurdles at next month's US Open indoor athletics meeting at Madison Square Garden.

USA Track and Field said that Harper would be connected in the event by two-time defensive world indoor champion Lolo Jones, USA Indoor and Outdoor champion Kellie Wells and British national record-holder Tiffany Ofili Porter.

The showdown adds to earlier announce stars Jesse Williams, Christian Cantwell, Adam Nelson, Bernard Lagat, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Asafa Powell, David Oliver and Jenn Suhr, all looking for to get their Olympic-season campaigns off to flying starts.

The well-known arena in Manhattan will host the first edition of the US Open on January 28 as the first event of USA Track and Field's Visa Championship Series.

Meanwhile the Millrose Games, the indoor gathering held at Madison Square Garden since 1914, have been stimulated by organizers to the more modern Armory Track and Field Center in New York on February 11.

Read More

Lorissa Rivas,Teresa Perrozzi prepared to rumble

The stage is set for the biggest fight in boxing on local soil today with two major world titles at bet.


Trinidad and Tobago’s Lorissa Rivas and the USA’s Teresa Perrozzi will clash at the Woodbrook Youth ability from 7pm. Rivas, who has been nervous to re-enter the ring since her last defeat to Tori Nelson of the US at the Jean Pierre Complex in July, looked physically fitter and sharper than when she last fight here in Trinidad.

She will take on Perrozzi in the characteristic event of the eight-bout card for the WBA Super Middleweight title and WBC Silver/Final Elimination title. She needs to use this fight to warm-up for a rematch with Nelson in the New Year.

Yesterday, Perrozzi weighed in at 159.5 pounds at the Alicia’s Palace, Lady Chancellor Road, St Ann’s and will be hopeful to get better on her record of 12 fights, seven wins, four losses and one strained bout.

The night’s activities will feature an equally attractive undercard that will comprise Trinidad and Tobago Heavyweight champion Kertson Manswell coming up next to Mitchell Rogers of Guyana and rising gifted professional boxers Prince Lee Isidore facing Shawn Pile of Guyana in a Lightweight contest.

Manswell is eager to establish himself to his fans after suffering three successive defeats earlier this year.

In his last fight, Manswell beat Leon Gilkes of Guyana in the first round at the Queen’s Park Oval to push his record to 22 wins in 25 comprehensive of 17 knockouts.

In another pro bout, Kevon Diaz will come up next to Eion Blue of Guyana in a Middleweight contest. Meanwhile, there will be four amateur fights on the night. In the opening bout Ingle Charles, who only lately won gold medal for TT at a Barbados tournament, will take on Kimberly Jackson in the welterweight division while Dion Charles will face Gideon Prince and Ryan Rampersad will clash with Anthony Durgadeen in a lightweight fight.

Trinidad and Tobago’s US-based boxer Lawrence Singh will make his first appearance next to Imran Khan in a Flyweight contest.

Read More

Boxing news: New Faces - Tony Luis

While Montreal and the province of Quebec are currently the hotspot of Canadian boxing, other province can also claim gifted up and coming boxers. One such case is jr Welterweight Tony Luis (13-0, 5 KOs) hostility out of Cornwall, Ontario.


Articulate and affable, Luis will tell you that being a boxer was forever his goal since his early childhood. “When I was 7 or 8, I used to stand in front of mirrors and mimic the boxers I would see on TV,” he remembers. In his last fight, the 23-year-old Cornwall native took a big step forward by winning the WBC 140lb Continental Americas title with a stoppage of Mexico’s Alejandro Barrera (21-8).

Having crashed into the top 30 of the WBC rankings, young Tony is now looking forward to further his growth in 2012.

Luis was an amateur star in his native Ontario, winning 6 Ontario titles and earn a spot on the Canadian national team. He reach the finals of the qualify round for the 2008 Beijing Olympics but lost a controversial decision that dashed his Olympic dreams. Not making it for Beijing encouraged him to turn pro in May of 2008 a decision over David Aguirre.

With father Jorge as head trainer, Tony has been progressively progressing, beating boxers with optimistic records such as (Adrian Verdugo 14-1, veteran Aldo Valtierra 25-12, and Adrian Valdez 19-7). In only his sixth fight, Tony won the Quebec lightweight title by stopping Jorge Barros.

“It was my first title and my first big success victory. So, for me, it was a landmark,” says Luis. Veteran Canadian trainer and boxing analyst Russ Anber had this to say about Tony: “His assets are great hand speed, a great work rate, throw punches in bunches, plus he’s an outstanding body puncher. He may not have one punch knockout power but he will wear down his opponent.” Punching power is one aspect Luis feels he has greatly better. “My five knockouts wins have been in my last eight fights.”

A promotional free agent, Luis is managed by father Jorge and has knowledgeable Matt Yanofsky as an advisor. Says Yanofsky, “In 2012, we would like Tony to crash into the top 10 or 15 ranking. We are also hoping for big TV exposure and, why not? Maybe a fight in the USA. We would love to have the US boxing viewers see this brilliant young man in action.”

Read More

Volunteer Assistant Coach at Alderson Broaddus College for men’s and women’s track and field teams

Alderson Broaddus College is accepting applications for a volunteer helper coach for the men’s and women’s track and field teams. This position will carry out the practice and training routines in the areas of Sprints and Jumps and support in the training of other event areas when needed.

Bachelor’s degree is necessary and collegiate track & field opposition experience in jumps/sprints is highly favored. The position will assist the head coach in all aspect of the program.

For 140 years, Alderson-Broaddus College has been as long as a quality education for its students. Overlooking the charming Tygart River Valley in Philippi, West Virginia, Alderson-Broaddus College students learn and grow in a faith-based knowledge community.

Deeply entrenched in the liberal arts, Alderson-Broaddus College is a health-related and professional educational institution. Alderson-Broaddus College is allied with the American Baptist Churches, USA, the West Virginia Baptist Convention, and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.

Duties include: Planning/implement daily practices for jump/sprints core, recruit organization and travel to HS meets. Working nights and weekends are standard and expected. Good infrastructure skills and previous recruit of high school student-athletes is necessary and highly sought.

This is a non-paid position restricted to NCAA guidelines; candidates must profitably complete background check.

Read More
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)