Summitt Hits $1-Million Mark

Pat Summitt is the newest millionaire coach, and the first in women’s basketball.

Tennessee raised Summitt’s salary Monday to $1.125 million for next season and extended her contract six years, through the 2011-12 season.

Geno Auriemma of Connecticut, the Lady Vols’ biggest rival, will be the next coach to make more than $1 million a year. He signed a five-year contract in 2005 worth a total of $4.85 million. His salary for this season is $975,000 and it will increase to $1.05 million for 2007-08.

“What a statement. I’m obviously just honored to be the coach and very thankful to have this opportunity because of so many great staff members,” Summitt said Monday.

“You think of all the All-Americans and Olympians and just the players that walked on years ago and helped us build this program. It’s incredible what has happened.”

Summitt, 53, leads all Division I basketball coaches -- men’s and women’s -- with 913 wins. Tennessee has won six national championships under Summitt, and the court is named “The Summitt” in her honor.

Her salary was $975,000 last season.

Texas sophomore forward Mike Williams has decided to transfer, leaving the Longhorns without five of their top seven players from last season.

Mississippi Valley State assistant men’s basketball coach Cecil Dowell was killed in a car accident at Itta Bena, Miss. He was 45.

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TENNIS

Pepperdine Men to Play for NCAA Title

The No. 2 Pepperdine men’s team advanced to the NCAA title match after handing third-seeded Texas a 4-1 defeat at Stanford. The Waves (35-2) will face Georgia, a 4-3 winner over Baylor, today in the final.

Despite losing to Texas earlier in the season, the Waves came out strong and never let the Longhorns into the match.

The third-seeded USC women’s team lost to seventh-seeded Miami, 4-1, in the rain-delayed semifinals of the NCAA team championships at Stanford.

Top-ranked and undefeated Stanford (29-0) reached the finals for the seventh straight year with a 4-0 victory over No. 4 Florida (25-2).

Whitney Deason clinched Stanford’s NCAA-record 85th straight win when she beat Nina Suvak, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 5 singles.

Croatia beat the United States, 2-1, at the World Team Cup at Duesseldorf, Germany. The Czech Republic defeated Argentina by the same score.

Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia beat James Blake, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (4), in the first singles match, but Robby Ginepri made it 1-1 by defeating big-serving Ivo Karlovic, 6-4, 7-6 (1). Croatia won when Ljubicic and Karlovic beat Bob and Mike Bryan, 6-3, 7-6 (4).

Lleyton Hewitt lost his first match since returning from a calf injury, falling, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3), to Marcos Daniel in the opening round of the Hypo Group International at Poertschach, Austria. Hewitt was playing his first tour match in almost two months.

Guillermo Coria withdrew from the French Open because of an elbow injury. Coria was runner-up at the event in 2004 to Gaston Gaudio.

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Trojans’ Spanos Is Declared Ineligible

Matt Spanos, who was competing with Jeff Byers for the starting left guard spot on USC’s offensive line, is academically ineligible for the 2006 season, Coach Pete Carroll confirmed.

Spanos, a 6-foot-5, 300-pound, fourth-year junior from Corona, can practice with the Trojans but cannot play.

-- Gary Klein

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PRO FOOTBALL

Former No. 1 Pick Wilkinson Is Released

The Detroit Lions released defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson and re-signed linebacker James Davis to a one-year contract.

Wilkinson, the No. 1 pick overall in the 1994 draft by Cincinnati, spent the last three seasons in Detroit.

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MISCELLANY

Track Star El Guerrouj Announces Retirement

Moroccan middle-distance great Hicham El Guerrouj retired, saying it was time for a “new life” after 16 years in sports.

El Guerrouj, 31, won the 1,500- and 5,000-meter gold medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Hezekiel Sepeng, a silver medalist in the 800 meters at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, was suspended for two years by Athletics South Africa for doping.

Amid calls that he resign, Italy’s national soccer coach received the full support from the top official of the country’s soccer federation.

Marcello Lippi met with federation commissioner Guido Rossi and Italian Olympic Committee President Gianni Petrucci.

“We have explicitly expressed our full and total confidence in the team and in Marcello Lippi,” said Rossi, who was appointed last week to clean up the wide-ranging scandal shaking Italian soccer.