Caltech is penalized by the NCAA

Caltech has been given a reprimand and penalties for fielding players who were academically ineligible, the NCAA announced Thursday, putting a school whose losing streaks can run into the decades in the company of athletic powerhouses from major conferences.

Caltech allowed 30 ineligible players in 12 sports, including baseball, basketball, tennis and swimming, to practice or compete over four academic years, the NCAA said.

The problems came from the school’s system of “shopping” for courses, in which students attend classes for three weeks at the beginning of a term before registration. That meant that under NCAA rules, some athletes were not considered full-time students when they took the field.

The NCAA blamed a lack of oversight and communication among athletic administrators, coaches and the registrar.

Caltech athletic officials discovered and reported the problems themselves. The penalties, many of them self-imposed by the school, include three years of probation, one year of no campus recruiting and the vacating of wins and records.

ETC.

Bobcats to sign Sessions

A person familiar with the situation said the Charlotte Bobcats have agreed to a two-year contract with former Lakers point guard Ramon Sessions.

The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the move has not been publicly announced.

Financial terms of the deal have not been announced.

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The Minnesota Timberwolves kept up their aggressive push to upgrade their promising young roster, waiving center Darko Milicic and formally submitting their offer sheet for restricted free-agent forward Nicolas Batum.

Owner Glen Taylor said the Timberwolves were continuing to talk with Batum’s current team, the Portland Trail Blazers, about a sign-and-trade option for acquiring the 6-foot-8 native of France.

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The San Antonio Spurs said they re-signed French forward Boris Diaw for the coming season. The Spurs announced the move without disclosing terms.

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Brendan Haywood was waived by the Dallas Mavericks, who designated the 7-foot center as their amnesty player.

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Every country competing at the London Games will include female athletes for the first time in Olympic history after Saudi Arabia agreed to send two women to compete in judo and track and field.

The move by the ultraconservative Muslim kingdom to break with its practice of fielding male-only teams followed similar decisions by Qatar and Brunei.

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Troy Matteson scored 10 birdies en route to a bogey-free round of 10-under 61 for a three-stroke lead after one round of the John Deere Classic at Silvis, Ill.

Matteson, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, birdied five holes on each nine of the TPC Deere Run to surpass the seven-under 64 of second-place Ricky Barnes.

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Tom Kite set a U.S. Senior Open record with a 28 on the front nine at Lake Orion, Mich., and finished with a five-under 65.

Corey Pavin’s sixth birdie on his 17th hole pulled him into a tie atop the leaderboard, but a penalty pushed him back to the pack after he completed his first round.

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Francesco Molinari tied the best round in the Scottish Open’s 40-year history, shooting a 10-under 62 at Inverness to take a two-shot lead into the second day of the British Open warmup tournament. The Italian rolled in 10 birdies in his first 15 holes.

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Investigators said there is not enough evidence to arrest San Francisco Giants slugger Pablo Sandoval in an alleged sexual assault at a hotel near Santa Cruz.