Devers Gets Going in Time to Win

Gail Devers had an unusually slow start but still won her second consecutive women’s 100-meter title in the USA-Mobil Outdoor Track and Field Championships Thursday night at Knoxville, Tenn.

Devers, usually quick out of the blocks, appeared to be caught napping when the starter’s gun went off, and she trailed until overtaking Sheila Echols at 60 meters, winning in 11.12 seconds.

Dennis Mitchell was the men’s 100 winner in 10.13.

Sheila Hudson equaled her American record of 46 feet 8 1/4 inches to win her fifth national triple jump title.

Hockey

Sergei Fedorov of the Detroit Red Wings was the big winner at the NHL Awards in Toronto, accepting the Hart Trophy as most valuable player and the Selke Award as top defensive forward.

Wayne Gretzky of the Kings was presented with the Lady Byng Trophy as most gentlemanly player for the fourth time.

Ray Bourque of the Boston Bruins won the Norris Trophy as the top defenseman, Dominik Hasek of the Buffalo Sabres won the Vezina Trophy as the best goaltender, Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year and Jacques Lemaire of the Devils won the Adams Award as coach of the year.

The Vancouver Canucks and Pavel Bure have agreed on a contract that will keep him with the club for at least five more years.

Tennis

Eleven-time champion Martina Navratilova ran off the court fighting back tears after losing, 6-7 (7-5), 6-2, 6-4, to 39th-ranked Meredith McGrath in the quarterfinals at Eastbourne, England.

In another upset, Mary Pierce lost to 15-year-old Ludmila Varmuzova, 6-4, 6-4.

Top-seeded Wayne Ferreira, down a service break in the final set for the second consecutive day, recovered to beat Greg Rusedski, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3, to reach the semifinals of the Manchester Open in England.

Third-seeded Jim Courier overpowered Bernd Karbacher, 6-3, 6-2, to advance to the quarterfinals of the Halle Grand Prix in Germany.

Southland Report

The 27th annual Watts Summer Games--the nation’s largest high school athletic competition--will begin this weekend with more than 12,000 athletes competing in 12 sports.

Football

With talk of an NCAA football playoff dying out again, bowls are secretly trying to become players in a second postseason alliance with the major conferences.

Invitations by as many as five bowls will be extended to the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big 12 and the Southeastern conferences Monday, officials said this week.

The current two-tiered, three-year bowl agreement will end after next January’s games.

Defensive lineman Cedric White, who played at Dorsey High, was released from his scholarship at Washington so he can transfer.

John Huard was fired as coach of the Shreveport Pirates of the Canadian Football League before the team even played a game and was replaced by Forrest Gregg, athletic director at Southern Methodist.

Miscellany

Former NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers blasted the NCAA system for its “neoplantation mentality,” and predicts its demise.

In a speech reprinted in this week’s NCAA News, Byers also said the reform movement of the NCAA Presidents Commission contains “far more form and very little movement.”

Neither Tonya Harding nor her attorney will be present to defend her when a U.S. Figure Skating Assn. panel meets this month to discipline her for her involvement in the attack on Nancy Kerrigan.

The U.S. Cycling Federation signed contracts to acquire the U.S. Professional Cycling Federation and became the sole governing body for the sport in the United States.

The Legends of Golf is moving from Austin, Tex., and will be played April 22-23 at PGA West.

Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield left an Atlanta hospital after tests on his heart, and said his doctor has given him hope he could fight again.