UCLA Women’s Team Wins Gymnastics Title

With Jamie Dantzscher and Kate Richardson leading the way Friday night at Lincoln, Neb., UCLA won its third NCAA women’s gymnastics championship in four years.

The Bruins -- who feature five Olympians -- won their fourth title, outscoring defending champion Alabama, 197.825-197.275.

“On paper this is the most talented team ever assembled in collegiate gymnastics,” UCLA Coach Valorie Kondos Field said. “We have had some very talented teams, but the depth and talent and depth of character that this team had, no team has ever matched that.”

Georgia finished with a score of 197.150 to take third. Nebraska (197.125), Michigan (196.050) and Utah (195.300) rounded out the top six.

Only four schools -- Utah, Georgia, Alabama and UCLA -- have won titles in the 22-year history of the meet. UCLA’s previous titles came in 2001, 2000 and 1997.

Dantzscher, edged for the all-around title by Nebraska’s Richelle Simpson, bettered her scores of Thursday in all four events. The 2000 U.S. Olympian led the Bruins with a 9.9 in the vault, 9.95 in the bars, 9.90 in the beam and a 9.975 in the floor exercise.

Richardson, a Canadian Olympian, provided support with a 9.95 on the beam, 9.2 on the bars, 9.9 on the vault and a 9.275 on the floor.

UCLA also got top scores from Onnie Wills (9.925 beam, 9.9 floor), Yvonne Tousek (9.9 bars, 9.9 beam) and Jeanette Antolin (9.925 bars).

Golf

Hank Kuehne set a course record, shooting an eight-under-par 64 to join Mark Calcavecchia and Fred Couples for a share of the lead at 11-under 133 after two rounds of the Houston Open at Humble, Texas.

First-round leader Couples opened with a 65 Thursday and had another solid round with a four-under 68 Friday that left him tied with Calcavecchia, who shot 65, and Kuehne. Jay Haas shot 67 and is at 134. Paul Stankowski shot a 66, and defending champion Vijay Singh shot a 68 to finish in a group at nine-under 135.

Sophie Gustafson shot a six-under 66 to take the lead in the rain-shortened first round of the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship at Stockbridge, Ga. Michelle Wie, a 13-year-old from Hawaii playing in her fifth LPGA event, was at one under after five holes.... Thunderstorms at Savannah, Ga., washed out most of the first round in the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, a Champions Tour event. The first round will resume this morning followed by the second round.

Tennis

Venus and Serena Williams will work double duty for the United States in the first round of the Fed Cup against the Czech Republic, beginning today at Lowell, Mass.

Venus Williams will play the opening match against Daja Bedanova, followed by Serena Williams against Iveta Benesova. On Sunday, they’ll switch opponents and play singles again. The sisters also are scheduled to play doubles against Eva Birnerova and Klara Koukalova.

Andre Agassi breezed past his third opponent in the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships at Houston and moved within one victory of becoming the oldest men’s player to be ranked No. 1 in the world.

Agassi needed only 43 minutes to defeat Ricardo Mello of Brazil, 6-0, 6-1, to reach the semifinals. Andy Roddick beat Fernando Meligeni of Brazil, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, to also advance to the semifinals.

A victory in today’s semifinals would give Agassi enough points to surpass Lleyton Hewitt of Australia for the top ranking in the world. Agassi, who will turn 33 on Tuesday, would surpass Jimmy Connors as the oldest player to rank No. 1.

Connors was No. 1 on June 13, 1983, at 30 years, 10 months.

Top-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero won his ninth consecutive match, 6-4, 6-4, over Gustavo Kuerten, to reach the Open Seat Godo semifinals at Barcelona, Spain. Ferrero, who won the Monte Carlo Masters last weekend, will face Marat Safin, who beat Argentina’s Gaston Gaudio, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.

Miscellany

LeBron James made himself available for the NBA draft, a move that clears the way for the nation’s top high school player to become the probable No. 1 pick.

The 6-foot-8 forward made the anticipated announcement at Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary High, which he led to three state championships in four seasons.

Long Beach State dipped into the Division III ranks and hired Mary Hegarty as its women’s basketball coach.

Hegarty, 40, went 160-92 at Chapman over the last 10 seasons, becoming the school’s winningest coach. A former point guard at UCLA, she led the Panthers to four NCAA tournament appearances after taking over a program that went 2-23 the season before she arrived.

Hegarty signed a five-year contract with a total annual package worth approximately $100,000.

Top-ranked Pepperdine (24-4) plays host to No. 3 Brigham Young (21-6) in the championship match of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men’s volleyball tournament tonight at 7:30 at Firestone Fieldhouse. The winner earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Final Four, which begins Thursday at Long Beach State.