TAMPA - South Florida athletic director Doug Woolard was named to the NCAA sports wagering task force assembled in response to the NCAA's 2003 study of sports wagering among student-athletes. Woolard has chaired an NCAA subcommittee on amateurism and agents.
"The scope of sports wagering among intercollegiate student-athletes is startling and disturbing," NCAA president Myles Brand said. "Sports wagering is a double threat because it harms the well-being of student-athletes and the integrity of college sports."
Woolard, the Saint Louis AD the past 10 years, was hired Wednesday by USF and begins work June 14.
BASKETBALL: Eckerd signed Damone Morris, a 6-foot-3 guard out of Lakeland's Lake Region High. Morris was named to last season's Class 5A all-state second team and was first team all-area by the Lakeland Ledger. He started 31 games as team captain and led in scoring (12.5 points), assists (3.0) and steals (2.5). Morris is third all time at Lake Region with 188 assists and is sixth in all-time scoring with 682 points.
FOOTBALL: Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick and two teammates convicted of serving alcohol to minors will be punished by the school, athletic director Jim Weaver said. The brother of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, receiver Brenden Hill and tailback Mike Imoh were fined and sentenced to jail time Friday.
Weaver said the players would be punished for their role in a party in which they were accused of giving teenage girls alcohol and telling them to strip. Also, Vick's lawyer, Marc Long, appealed the player's 30-day jail sentence and $2,250 fine. No court date was set for the appeal. Lawyers for Imoh and Hill said they would appeal.
LACROSSE: Senior attackman Mike Powell, the all-time leading scorer at Syracuse, was named a finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy a fourth straight year. The other finalists for the Tewaaraton, which Powell won in 2002, are Ryan Boyle of Princeton, Kyle Harrison of Johns Hopkins, Brodie Merrill of Georgetown and Jed Prossner of North Carolina. The Tewaaraton honors the top female and male varsity collegiate lacrosse player in the United States and will be presented June 3 in Washington.
SOFTBALL: Jacksonville senior shortstop Dianna Korcak of Clearwater was voted first-team District III Academic All-American for the university division, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. To be eligible, a player must have a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or better and be a starter or key reserve on the field. Korcak hit .361 this season, had 36 RBIs and set an NCAA single-season record with 17 triples. Korcak graduated with a 3.67 GPA in elementary education. ... Janet Nagle pitched a one-hitter, and St. Thomas of Minnesota defeated Moravian 2-0 to win the NCAA Division III championship in Salem, Va. The championship was the first for the Tommies (46-4). It was the first national championship series for the Greyhounds (40-6).
TRACK AND FIELD: Arkansas swept the SEC championships in Oxford, Miss., on Sunday. The men finished the four-day event with 183 points, 63 ahead of second-place Florida. The women had 124 points, while LSU finished second with 114. UF was fifth with 79.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: USF holds its inaugural Spring Fun Fest from noon to 1 p.m. on Saturday at the school's outdoor courts, located between the parking lot on the north side of the Sun Dome and the USF Soccer Stadium. Food and refreshments are provided, and fans can meet the team and get autographs and pictures.
OBITUARY: Dan Allen, who coached the Holy Cross football team from a wheelchair last season, died Sunday in Westboro, Mass. He was 48. He said in August he had multiple chemical sensitivity, an illness that robbed him of his mobility from the neck down. His career record was 61-97 over 14 years. He was fired as coach in November after a 1-11 season but remained employed by the college.
- Information from Times wires was used in this report.
