West Tops East 31-13 in East-West Shrine Game

West receiver Kevin Robinson flips into the end zone after scoring a touchdown. (Photo copyright by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography)

By Robert H. Kelly
(Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications)

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 19, 2008) Lead by Utah State receiver Kevin Robinson, the West defeated the East 31-13 in the 83rd East-West Shrine Game at Robertson Stadium in Houston.

Displaying his talent before 15,328 fans and numerous NFL scouts, Robinson showed he is a versatile athlete by scoring a touchdown and returned a punt for another score.

Robinson scored his first touchdown with 49 seconds left in the first quarter. In addition, he returned a punt of 72 yards for his second score. He weaved his way around the East’s line of defense and outran East punter Brett Kern (Toledo) to find the endzone. He celebrated the score by flipping into the end zone, as the crowd showed their support with loud cheers.

His first touchdown came with 11 minutes left in the game on a 6-yard pass from quarterback Josh Johnson (San Diego).

While at Utah State, Robinson broke the NCAA record for career all-purpose yards per play. He averaged 16.16 yards on 6,479 yards and 401 career plays.

University of Houston standout Anthony Alridge helped in the scoring; finding the end zone on a 4-yard run in the 3rd quarter to take the score to 17-3. Aldridge finished the game with two receptions for 39 yards.

With 30 seconds left in the game, the West’s Alvin Bowen (Iowa State) found himself in the right place at the right time. Bowen snagged an errant pass by East quarterback Paul Smith (Tulsa), returning it 20-yards for the final touchdown of the game.

West kicker Garrett Hartley (Oklahoma) added to the scoring with a 23-yard field goal to end the first half. He also tallied four conversions.

The East scoring was limited to a two field goals by Taylor Mehlhaff (Wisconsin). The first came with 4:07 in the 1st quarter and the second at 13:44 in the 4th quarter.

Cory Boyd (South Carolina) scored the East’s lone touchdown on a 5-yard run with 4:18 left in the game. Mehlhaff added the conversion to close out the East scoring.

Johnson was honored at the game’s conclusion with the William M. Coffman Award as the Offensive Most Valuable Player. He finished the night 5 of 11 passing for 78 yards, 91 yards rushing, with one touchdown.

The E. Jack Spaulding Award was given to Arizona linebacker Spencer Lawson as the Defensive MVP. Lawson had one solo tackle and six assists.

This is the third year the game has been played in Texas. It was held at Reliant Stadium last year and in San Antonio in 2006.

Swimming and Diving Falls at No. 12 SMU on Saturday

DALLAS, TEXAS (January 19, 2008) University of Houston freshman diver Courtney Forcucci scored 270.45 points on the 1-meter springboard to lead the Cougars during a 140-91 loss at No. 12 SMU on Saturday afternoon at Perkins Natatorium.

Forcucci grabbed top honors in a close race that saw less than five points separate the four competitors. Senior captain Ginni van Katwijk was a close second with 269.69 points.
The Cougars' 200-yard freestyle relay team of Sasha Schwendenwein, Brittany Copeland, Doreen Polotzek and Lindsey Graves capped the day with a first-place finish after posting a time of 1:40.38.

Junior Sasha Schwendenwein finished second in both the 100- and 200-yard freestyle events, while freshman Andrea Kells captured second place in the 200-yard butterfly and the 200-yard breaststroke.

Freshman Lindsey Graves (1,000-yard freestyle), junior Andrea Pa'lmai (400-yard individual medley) and freshman Lacey Truelove (3-meter diving) also recorded second-place finishes to lead the Cougars.

The Cougars return to action next weekend when they play host to LSU and C-USA rival Rice during a two-day meet at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Natatorium. That meet begins at 5 p.m., Friday and wraps up at 11 a.m., Saturday.

View the complete and final results here.

Houston Swimming and Diving Fall to North Texas

DENTON, TEXAS (January 18, 2008) Junior swimmers Andrea Pa'lmai and Sasha Schwendenwein and senior diving captain Ginni van Katwijk each won multiple events, but it would not be quite enough as North Texas claimed a 133-110 win over the University of Houston swimming and diving team Friday afternoon at the Pohl Recreation Center Natatorium.

Although the Cougars won the majority of the individual swimming events and swept the Top Three places in both diving events, the Mean Green began and capped the meet with relay wins to enjoy its first win against UH.

With the loss, the Cougars fell to 8-4 overall in dual meets this season. The Cougars also saw their 13-meet winning streak against the Mean Green come to an end.

Pa'lmai won the 1,00-yard freestyle with a time of 10:30.88 and added a similar finish in the 200-yard individual medley after posting a time of 2:08.22.

The Budapest, Hungary, native capped her day with a first-place showing in the 500-yard freestyle after recording a time of 5:06.00.

Schwendenwein finished first in the 200-yard freestyle with a clocking of 1:51.93. The Randburg, South Africa, native also won the 100-yard freestyle event with a time of 52.32.

van Katwijk led a Cougar sweep of the Top Three places in both diving events. The Grootebroek, Netherlands, native won the 1-meter event with 262.73 points and scored 273.08 points on the 3-meter springboard to grab top honors.

Freshman Andrea Kells grabbed top honors in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 58.64.

Freshman Courtney Forcucci finished second in the 1-meter event with fellow freshman Lacey Truelove placing second on the 3-meter board.

The Cougars wrap up their stay in north Texas when they face No. 12 SMU at 1 p.m., at Perkins Natatorium.

Click here for complete results.

Houston Swimming Sweeps at Hawai'i Relay Meet

HONOLULU, HAWAII (January 18, 2008) The University of Houston swimming team capped its winter training with an impressive sweep of Stony Brook, Puget Sound and St. Cloud State on Wednesday at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatics Center.

Competing in a variety of relay events only, the Cougars, who improved to 8-3 overall this season in dual meets, enjoyed 41-13 wins over both Stony Brook and Puget Sound and a 28-26 thriller over St. Cloud State.

The Cougars finished first or second in five of the six events in which they competed to take the wins.

The team of Andrea Pa'lmai, Doreen Polotzek, Andrea Kells and Sasha Schwendenwein started the meet on a high note, winning the 400-yard medley relay event with a time of 4:04.44, nearly six seconds faster than its closest competitor.

After second-place finishes in the 150-yard freestyle and the 150-yard butterfly relays, the team of Schwendenwein, Pa'lmai and freshman Paige Bissett claimed top honors in the 150-yard backstroke with a clocking of 1:23.91, nearly five seconds ahead of the closest competition.

The Cougars finished third in the 150-yard breaststroke relay before the team of Schwendenwein, Pa'lmai, Bissett and freshman Brittany Copeland finished first in the 500-yard freestyle relay with a time of 4:42.69, more than nine seconds ahead of their closest competitor.

Schwendwein was a member of three first-place teams, while Pa'lmai and Bissett were a part of two winning teams.

The Cougars were originally slated to compete on Dec. 31 in the relay meet and on Jan. 4 against an opponent to be determined but unforeseen circumstances forced the cancellation of those meets.

The Cougars return to action during this weekend with a trip to the Dallas area. The weekend starts at 4 p.m., January 18 when the Cougars face North Texas in Denton. From there, the team wraps up its stay in North Texas at 1 p.m., January 19, at No. 12 SMU.

Click here for complete results.

Steelers, TSU Great Ernie Holmes Dead at 59

By Robert H. Kelly
(Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications)

BEAUMONT, TEXAS (January 18, 2008) Ernie Holmes, a key member of Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense in the 1970s, was killed on Thursday when his car went off a Texas highway and rolled over several times.

Police stated Holmes, 59, who played alongside Mean Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, Andy Russell and Dwight White was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene about 20 miles north of Beaumont in southeastern Texas.

Holmes was a two-time All Pro drafted by the Steelers in 1971 after playing at Texas Southern. He played 81 games for the Steelers from 1972 through 1977 and finished his career with the New England Patriots.

Holmes, who attended Texas Southern University in Houston, was an ordained minister living on a ranch near Wiergate, Texas at the time of his death.

"Ernie was one of the toughest players to ever wear a Steelers uniform," club chairman Dan Rooney said in a statement. "He will be missed by the entire Steelers family."

Teammate Jack Ham remembered Holmes as a great player. “That run we had in ‘74 and through the playoffs and our first Super Bowl, he just had a dominating performance, especially against Gene Upshaw and the Raiders in Oakland in the AFC championship game. I think they rushed for 29 yards in that game. It was the most dominating performance against a great offensive line. He’s a big reason why we ended up winning that game.”

Native Texans, BCS Hero Highlight East-West Shrine Rosters

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 17, 2008) The rosters for the East-West Shrine Game officially were released recently and the annual all-star classic is highlighted by University of Houston running back Anthony Alridge, and LSU quarterback Matt Flynn, who was the Offensive MVP of the BCS Championship game earlier this month.

A Second Team, All-Conference USA selection from Denton, Texas, Alridge helped lead the Cougars to their third straight bowl game as he rushed for a career-high 1,597 yards and 14 touchdowns. Alridge is slated to take play for the West Team in the game.

As for Flynn, the Tyler, Texas native led the Tigers to the national championship with a 38-24 win over Ohio State in the Louisiana Superdome on January 7. For the season, Flynn passed for over 2,400 yards and 21 touchdowns while completing over 56 percent of his passes. Against the Buckeyes Flynn completed 19-of-27 passes for 174 yards and four touchdowns.

The rosters include 17 players who either played high school or college football in the state of Texas, including 13 on the West team. The West squad included two members of the Texas Bowl-winning TCU squad--- defensive lineman Tommy Blake (Aransas Pass, Texas) and Chase Ortiz (League City, Texas)---as well as Texas A&M defensive lineman Chris Harrington (Houston), Texas defensive lineman Frank Okam (Dallas), and UTEP defensive back Quentin Demps (San Antonio.)

Texas State punter Chris MacDonald (Mesa, Ariz.) also is on the team, as are the Oklahoma trio of kicker Garrett Hartley (Southlake, Texas), tight end Joe Jon Finley (Arlington, Texas) and defensive back Marcus Walker (Waco, Texas). UCLA's Bruce Davis (Houston) and James McClinton (Garland, Texas) of Kansas---both defensive linemen---round out the Texas contingency.

Other notable names for the West squad include Oklahoma State running back Dantrell Savage, San Diego State quarterback Kevin O'Connell, Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller and Hawai'I receiver Jason Rivers.

The East team is heavy on ACC, SEC and Big Ten stars but does include a trio of Texans outside of Flynn. Navy fullback Adam Ballard (Lewisville, Texas), Army defensive back Caleb Campbell (Perryton, Texas) and Iowa defensive lineman Kenny Iwebema (Arlington, Texas) all hail from the Lone Star State.

The East team will be paced offensively by Flynn, Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco, Penn State signal-caller Anthony Morelli, running backs Cory Boyd (South Carolina), BenJarvus Green-Ellis (Ole Miss) and Georgia's Thomas Brown, as well as wide receivers Justin Harper (Virginia Tech) and Paul Hubbard (Wisconsin.)

Dallas Cup Sleuths Solve The “Beckham” Case

DALLAS, TEXAS (October 16, 2008) Sixteen years ago a fifteen year old English boy played his first ever soccer game in the USA, representing the Essex Schools select team at the famed Dallas Cup Youth International Soccer Tournament. Now he plays for the LA Galaxy on a five year, the highest ever, contract offered to a professional soccer player in the history of the game. His name is David Beckham.

In a recent Sports Illustrated article he talks of his first visit to Dallas and how in the Dallas Cup HomeStay Program he stayed with an Hispanic family. He mentioned how welcoming and enjoyable they made his stay. He states that over the years he has attempted to trace that family without success.

In the true Sherlock Holmes/Dr. Watson style, Randy Jones, Dallas Cup tournament manager and Gordon Jago, the executive director, set out to trace the "unknown family." Delving into past tournament records to trace the Dallas teams involved, numerous phone calls and "clever detective work", the case has been solved. The family has been traced and they still live here in the Dallas area. Now all that remains is for a meeting of the HomeStay family with David Beckham to be arranged when David next visits to play against FC Dallas. Another problem? Elementary, my dear Watson."

Dallas Cup Announces Super Group Teams

DALLAS, TEXAS) (January 16, 2008) Dr Pepper Dallas Cup XXIX announces the Dr Pepper Opening Sunday game lineup, with local Dallas team, Andromeda SC competing against last year's Dallas Cup Super Group Champions, Sao Paulo FC of Brazil on March 16th for the 3:00 p.m. kick-off at Pizza Hut Park Stadium in Frisco. At 5:00 p.m., the 29th Annual Opening Day Ceremonies, an Olympic-style parade, will allow spectators to see all participating teams. The 7:00 p.m. match-up will feature Liverpool FC of England and Slavija FK of Bosnia/Herzegovina.

There are a number of new teams competing for the first time in the Super Group (U19) division, including:
Andromeda SC of Dallas - 2007 USYS National Boys Champions
Leicester City of England - 2007 Premier League Champions
Ryutsu Keizai FC of Japan - 2007 Prince Takamodo Cup Champions
Liverpool FC of England - popular British club owned by Dallas businessman Tom Hicks, Jr.
Slavija FK of Bosnia/Herzegovina - from Sarajevo, host city of the 1984 Olympic Winter Games
Whitecaps FC of Canada - developmental teamVancouver Whitecaps USL 1st Division team

Teams returning in 2008 to the Super Group division are:
Sao Paulo of Brazil - with the opportunity to make Dallas Cup history by winning three Super Group championships, taking the present five way tie away from Real Madrid, SC Corinthians, Clube Atletico Paranaense and EC Vitoria
Benfica of Portugal - sponsored by adidas, returns to compete after a five year absence.
Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany - have promoted five players from their squads here in 2004/2006/2007 to their Bundesliga first team, will return this year with another strong squad
CF Monterrey of Mexico- holds the all-time Dallas Cup record for most championships won at all age levels
Tigres of Mexico - strong youth development program, which could have the opportunity to compete against their arch-rivals, CF Monterrey, both from Monterrey, Mexico
CD Guadalajara of Mexico - known throughout the world as Chivas, is one of the few professional clubs to restrict their team rosters to local players
With approximately 180 teams from around the United States and the world, ages under 13 to under 19, competing in this years' tournament March 16-23, the tournament will be another strong show for spectators to enjoy!

"We are delighted that so many top boys youth teams from around the world of soccer, will be competing in our tournament next March, giving the players the very best competition and allow the Dallas soccer fans the opportunity to see the very best youth soccer and potential soccer stars of the future", Dallas Cup executive director, Gordon Jago stated.

Dr Pepper Dallas Cup XXIX Super Group (Under 19) Division Complete Listing:

Andrómeda SC (USA)
Benfica (Portugal)
CD Guadalajara [Chivas] (Mexico)
CF Monterrey (Mexico)
Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany)
Leicester City FC (England)
Liverpool FC (England)
Ryutsu Keizai FC (Japan)
Sao Paulo FC (Brazil)
Slavija FK (Bosnia/Herzegovina)
Tigres (Mexico)
Whitecaps FC (Canada)

Rice’s Zelnick and SMU’s Yancey Honored as Conference USA Swimmer/Diver of the Week

IRVING, TEXAS (January 15, 2008) Rice’s Pam Zelnick is the Conference USA Swimmer of the Week after winning the 100-yard breaststroke against No. 6 Texas A&M last weekend. The sophomore was also third in the 100-yard freestyle and competed on two Rice relays that claimed second and third place, respectively. SMU’s Britney Yancey is the Diver of the Week. Yancey won the three-meter board against No. 1 Auburn and No. 6 Texas A&M this past weekend, tallying 288.90 for her six dives.

Zelnick won the 100-yard breaststroke in a non-conference dual meet against No. 6 Texas A&M Friday afternoon at Rice. Zelnick posted a winning time of 1:07.08 to top six competitors. She also was third in the 100-freestyle and competed on both the 200-free and 200-medley relays for Rice that claimed second and third place, respectively. The weekly award is the first of Zelnick’s career.

Yancey won the three-meter board against No. 1 Auburn and No. 6 Texas A&M this past weekend, tallying 288.90 for her six dives. Her next nearest competitor was over 17 points behind her, as Yancey ran away with the event. In addition, she took fourth in the one-meter board, scoring 214.00, putting her ahead of Texas A&M’s Courtney Brown. This is Yancey’s first career weekly honor.

Texas Divers Compete for Spots on World Cup Team

By Robert H. Kelly
(Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications)

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA (January 14, 2008) USA Diving has invited 32 divers to its 2008 World Cup team selection camp, set for January 20-24 in Columbus, Ohio. The list included seven divers from Texas, who are listed below:

Harrison Jones (Spring, Texas): 3 meter springboard, 10 meter platform
JJ Kinzbach (Montgomery, Texas): 10 meter platform
Drew Livingston (The Woodlands, Texas): 10 meter platform
Heather Bounds (Round Rock, Texas): 10 meter platform, 10 meter synchronized platform
Nancilea Foster (Spring, Texas): 3 meter springboard, 3meter synchronized springboard
Laura Wilkinson (Spring, Texas): 10 meter platform, 10 meter synchronized platform
Jessica Livingston (The Woodlands, Texas): 10 meter platform, 10 meter synchronized platform

Jones, Kinzback, Foster, Wilkinson, and Drew and Jessica Livingston dive for the Woodlands Diving Club, while Bounds dives for the Longhorn Diving Club in Austin.

The FINA World Cup, an Olympic qualifying meet, will be held February 19-24 in Beijing. Competition will be conducted in four events for both men and women: 3-meter, 10-meter, synchronized 3-meter and synchronized 10-meter. The U.S. may enter two divers on each individual event and one team per synchronized event.

The United States has already secured six out of a possible 12 Olympic spots and will be looking to fill its additional spots at the World Cup. The U.S. still needs to earn one individual spot for men’s 3-meter and women’s 10-meter, two individual spots for men’s 10-meter, and one spot each for both women’s synchronized diving events. The U.S. earned its other spots at the 2007 World Championships.

USA Diving will use the World Cup selection camp to choose teams to compete at 2008 Grand Prix meets in China and Russia as well.

Records Abound at 2008 Chevron Houston Marathon

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 13, 2008) More than 20,000 participants, a race record, lined up on a weather-perfect morning for the 36th running of the Chevron Houston Marathon trio of races. Among the records set, Dire Tune obliterated her 2007 record by a staggering 2 minutes, 12 seconds for back-to-back victories in the marathon.

Tune, 22, of Ethiopia set a course record 2:24:40, besting her 2007 record of 2:26:52. Worknesh Tola, 30, of Ethiopia, finished second in 2:35:37.

In the men’s race, David Cheruiyot, the 2005 and 2006 marathon winner, returned to Houston to claim his third victory in four years.

Cheruiyot, 37, of Kenya had a closer race, finishing in 2:12:32, just 13 seconds ahead of Kasime Adilo of Ethiopia. With his victory, Cheruiyot joins Stephen Ndungu as the second three-time winner of the Houston Marathon.

In the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, which serves as the USA Half Marathon Championships, James Carney clocked a 1:02:21, eleven seconds ahead of Jason Lehmkuhle. Kate O’Neill, 27, broke the tape in 1:11:57, 13 seconds ahead of Desiree Davila.

“We are proud the Chevron Houston Marathon and the Aramco Houston Half Marathon continue to attract some of the finest athletes in the world, proven by yet another year of record-setting performances,” said Brant Kotch, race director. “None of this would be possible without the support of our sponsors, our army of 5,000 volunteers and the quarter of a million spectators who line the streets of Houston on race day. They combine to provide a world-class experience for all participants.”

Tune, who hopes to make the 2008 Ethiopian Olympic team, said she expected to run a record time, but was concerned about the breezy conditions on an otherwise ideal day. For her victory, Tune pocketed $25,000 and an additional $10,000 for the record.

O’Neill, of Palo Alto, California and Carney, 29, of Boulder, Colorado, fresh off his 2:16:54 showing at the U.S. Olympic Trial marathon in November, take home $12,000each in prize money.

The races are expected to raise a record $1 million for 44 charities associated with the Houston Marathon Committee’s Run for a Reason charity program.

The Chevron Houston Marathon, a Running USA founding member, is the nation’s premier winter marathon, annually attracting participants from all 50 U.S. states and nearly 30 foreign countries. In 2008, more than 23,000 runners took part in four marathon weekend events (marathon, half marathon, 5K and children’s run). The Chevron Houston Marathon offers the only closed marathon course in Texas and is ranked among the top five in the nation by the Ultimate Guide to Marathons for fastest course, organization and crowd support. More than 5,000 volunteers organize the race, which is Houston’s largest single-day sporting event.

Cheruiyot, Tune Win 2008 Houston Marathon

By Robert H. Kelly

(Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications)

HOUSTON, TEXAS (Jaunary 13, 2008) David Cheruiyot donned the victorious white cowboy hat for the third time Sunday by winning the 2008 Chevron Houston Marathon. The Kenyan pulled away from Ethiopia’s Kasime Adilo by sprinting the final 400-meters to ensure the victory. Cheruiyot also won in 2005 and 2006

His time of 2:12.31 was faster than his victory in 2005 (2:14.50) but a mire 29 seconds slower than 2006 (2:12.02). He finished in fifth place in 2007 with the time of 2:15.55. Cheruiyot’s personal best time came at the 2007 Ottawa Marathon, where he ran 2:10.36. He had previously won the 2007 Istanbul Marathon with the time of 2:10.56.

On the woman’s side, Ethiopia’s Dire Tune broke her own course record by more than two minutes in winning her division of the marathon. She destroyed the record of 2:26.52 by running 2:24.39.

In the half-marathon, former Penn State and Millerville University runner James Carney was victorious with the time of 1:02.21. The race also served as the U.S.A. Track and Field national championship.

On the woman’s side, 2004 Olympian Katie O’Neill ran 1:11.57 to take the title, a bit slower than her personal best of 1:11.47 at last year’s race. She finished in second place in that race, losing to Elva Dryer (2:10.42). Dryer did not finish in the top 25 in this year’s race.

Record-setting Weekend Ahead for Chevron Houston Marathon, Aramco Houston Half Marathon, EP5K

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 11, 2008) The Chevron Houston Marathon will mark its 36th running with its biggest and best race ever this weekend, when more than 20,000 runners take to the streets of Houston in three events. The fastest runners will compete for a prize purse that tops $230,000.

Registration for the Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon reached the combined field limit of 17,000 and closed in late September, a record 14 weeks prior to race day. Registration for the EP5K will be available at the Roger Clemens Institute EXPO at the George R. Brown Convention Center on Friday, Jan. 11 and Saturday, Jan. 12. The three races are scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 13.

“Runners from the local and regional running communities and athletes from around the world are once again beating a path to Houston,” Brant Kotch, race director, said of the record participation. “We’ve seen a constant increase in participation for six years in a row and that trend continues this year. We capped the marathon and half-marathon three years ago to ensure runner safety and make sure runners had a great race experience. With some adjustments, we were able to increase that cap this year and still deliver that same quality experience.”

The Aramco Houston Half Marathon will host the USA Men’s Half Marathon Championship for the fourth consecutive year and the USA Women’s Half Marathon Championship for the second year in a row. Both races will bring in many of America’s top male and female distance runners, who will compete for $62,500 in prize money in the half marathon. The race will host the Championships through 2011.

Houston Mayor Bill White will fire the starting gun to begin the marathon and half marathon at 7 a.m. The EP5K will get under way at 7:30 a.m.

Elite athletes won’t be the only winners in this year’s race. Record participation again this year is expected to generate $1 million through the race’s Run for a Reason charity program, which raises money for 44 different charities. Runners raised a record $852,000 in 2007.

Runner packet pickup and on-site registration for the EP5K begins Friday at the Roger Clemens Institute EXPO. The EXPO, which includes more than 100 exhibitors and seminars on health, fitness and running, is open Friday, Jan. 11 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 12, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Staged in the George R. Brown Convention Center, Hall D, first level, the EXPO is free and open to the public. There is no runner packet pickup on race day.
For the first time ever, the Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon will feature a wave start this year. The first wave will start at 7:00 a.m. and the second wave will start at 7:10 a.m.

The Chevron Houston Marathon, a Running USA founding member, is the nation’s premier winter marathon, annually attracting participants from all 50 U.S. states and nearly 30 foreign countries. In 2007, more than 20,000 runners took part in four marathon weekend events (marathon, half marathon, 5K and children’s run). The Chevron Houston Marathon offers the only closed marathon course in Texas and is ranked among the top five in the nation by the Ultimate Guide to Marathons for fastest course, organization and crowd support. More than 5,000 volunteers organize the race, which is Houston’s largest single-day sporting event.

NASA Astronauts, Exercise Exhibit To Be At Houston Marathon Events

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 11, 2008) Runners and exercise enthusiasts of all ages are invited to visit NASA's exhibit and meet astronauts this weekend at the Roger Clemens Institute EXPO leading up to the Chevron Houston Marathon. The exhibit will be in the George R. Brown Convention Center - Hall D on Friday and Saturday.

Visitors can learn how astronauts exercise in space at the exhibit, which will feature information and a treadmill representative of one of the exercise methods on the International Space Station. NASA's exhibit will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Jose Hernandez and Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger will meet the public and sign autographs on Saturday. The autographs are 11 a.m. to noon for Williams, noon to 1 p.m. for Hernandez and 1 to 2 p.m. for Metcalf-Lindenburger. In addition to autograph sessions, the trio will participate in Sunday's marathon.

Williams is the record-holder for the longest duration spaceflight by a woman and most spacewalking hours by a female. She set the records during a 195-day mission aboard the International Space Station, which began Dec. 9, 2006, and concluded June 22, 2007. She served as a flight engineer for the station's Expedition 14 and 15 crews and accrued more than 29 hours working outside the station during four spacewalks. Williams became the first person to run a marathon in space in April when she ran the Boston marathon on the station's treadmill.

Hernandez was tabbed to join NASA's astronaut corps in May 2004. He is qualified for future flight assignment as a mission specialist. Prior to becoming an astronaut, Hernandez worked as an engineer for 14 years at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif., and for three years at Johnson Space Center.

Metcalf-Lindenburger was selected by NASA in May 2004 and is qualified for future flight assignments as a mission specialist. Metcalf-Lindenburger has five years of experience teaching Earth science and astronomy.

Also making an appearance this weekend is Cosmo, NASA's inflatable astronaut. Cosmo will be at the EXPO exhibit on Friday and Saturday and will provide encouragement to the runners on race day at the marathon's half-way point at Richmond and Montrose.

US Olympic Committee Issues Statement on Marion Jones

Statement from United States Olympic Committee Chief Executive Officer Jim Scherr on the sentencing of Marion Jones

“Today’s sentencing is illustrative of just how far-reaching and serious the consequences of cheating can be. The fact that an athlete with so much talent and promise, who so many people looked up to, made the decision to cheat is a terrible disappointment. This unfortunate situation does, however, offer a lesson to young people about the importance of making good choices and honoring the value of clean competition.”

USA Track and Field Issues Statement on Marion Jones

Statement from USA Track & Field President Bill Roe and CEO Craig Masback on the sentencing of Marion Jones to six months in prison:

"Today's sentencing concludes a sad series of events. The revelation that one of the sport's biggest stars took performance-enhancing drugs and repeatedly lied about it, in addition to being a party to fraud, has no silver lining. But, it is a vivid morality play that graphically illustrates the wages of cheating in any facet of life, on or off the track. We hope that all Americans will take to heart those lessons. The sport of track and field in the United States has moved on since Marion Jones competed, reaching even higher levels of success, as a team, than when she was at her peak. No one wanted to see this happen, and we hope that Marion and her family can move on as well."

Astros Sign Brandon Backe

By Robert H. Kelly

HOUSTON, TX (January 11, 2008) The Houston Astros have signed right-handed pitcher Brandon Backe to 1-year, $800,000 contact for the 2008 season.

Backe had five starts for the Astros in 2007, going 3-1 with a 3.77 ERA. He won his final three starts in 2007, raising his lifetime average to 22-15 with a 4.63 ERA. He has pitched in 109 career games while starting 47 of them.

The 2008 season will be Backe's fifth the Astros. He played high school baseball for Galveston Ball High School and in college for Galveston College.

Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

Mullan Re-Signs With Houston Dynamo

HOUSTON, TX. (January 11, 2008) The 2006-2007 MLS Cup Champion Houston Dynamo has reached a contract agreement with midfielder Brian Mullan. Mullan recently completed his seventh Major League Soccer season and ranks 33rd among all active MLS players in games played, with 173. Among Dynamo players, only Richard Mulrooney (225) and Wade Barrett (203) have competed in more league contests.

Mullan was named Co-MVP of the 2007 season, sharing the honor with goalkeeper Pat Onstad. Mullan, one of the most versatile and consistent members of the Dynamo, played in 28 league games, scoring once, with three assists. Mullan’s goal came June 21 in a 4-0 victory over Chivas USA.

“I’m happy to be back with a great team and our great coaching staff,” said Mullan. “I’m glad it worked out and I can’t wait to get next season started.”

Mullan began his MLS career with the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2001, before joining the San Jose Earthquakes/Houston Dynamo in 2003.

“I’m glad that Brian has reached this agreement so he can stay a Dynamo for years to come,” said Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear. “Fans in Houston really enjoy watching Brian play and he is an important part of our back-to-back titles.”

The Dynamo opens 2008 MLS play March 29 at New England, with the Dynamo home opener April 6 at Robertson Stadium vs. FC Dallas at 2:00pm CDT. The Dynamo will participate in the prestigious Pan Pacific Championship in Honolulu on February 20-23.

USA Mens Volleyball One Win Away from Trip to Beijing

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA (January 10, 2008) The U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team will have to defeat Puerto Rico one more time to earn a trip to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The U.S. Men (4-0) advanced to the championship match of the 2008 NORCECA Continental Olympic Qualifying Championship by defeating Cuba (25-22, 27-25, 25-18) on Thursday at Hector Sola Bezares Coliseum the in Caguas, Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico (4-1) then defeated Canada (41-39, 25-21, 25-19) to advance to the final.

The two teams will square off on Friday at 4 p.m. PST. The match will be streamed live on the Internet at www.mediasports.tv/.

“This was not the best of our matches and hopefully we have reserved our best for the last day,” said Tom Hoff (Park Ridge, Ill.), the U.S. team captain. “Today we served well and controlled the ball better.”

“We played well for the first two sets, but could not make the plays at the end, which USA did,” said Cuba’s captain Roberlandy Simon. “In the third set, the Americans served, blocked and defended better than us.”

Cuba out-killed the U.S. Men 43-39 and out-blocked them 7-5. However Team USA finished with five aces while Cuba had none and was hurt by 17 service errors.

Clay Stanley (Honolulu, Hawai’i) led the U.S. effort Thursday with 12 points on nine kills and three aces. Riley Salmon (League City, Texas) scored eight points on six kills, one block and one ace. Sean Rooney (Wheaton, Ill.) added eight points on eight kills. Ryan Millar (Palmdale, Calif.) scored eight points on six kills and two blocks.

David Lee (Alpine, Calif.) scored six points on six kills and Reid Priddy (Richmond, Va.) had five points on four kills and one block.

Setter Lloy Ball (Woodburn, Ind.) scored one point on an ace and was also credited with 21 assists. Libero Rich Lambourne (Tustin, Calif.) was credited with four digs and seven receptions.

Raydel Corrales led Cuba with 12 points on 12 kills and two blocks. Simon added 10 points on nine kills and one block.

Stanley’s serving proved to be the difference in the first set, combined with Cuba’s service errors.

Cuba missed two chances to win the second set when Corrales and Odelvis Dominico had service errors. Team USA won its first chance when Hoff’s block was followed by Rooney’s kill.

Stanley scored the final two points for the United States in the third set with his third ace and closed with a laser shot from the right side.

Friday's match between the United States and Puerto Rico will be the fifth meeting of the teams in the past five months.

In September, the United States won the NORCECA Men's Continental Championship by defeating Puerto Rico in pool play (25-19, 27-25, 25-18) and again in the championship match (25-20, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23). However, Puerto Rico came back to defeat the United States in the second match of the World Cup (25-21, 20-25, 25-17, 25-22) bringing Team USA back down to Earth after it had defeated Brazil the day before.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Men defeated Puerto Rico (25-21, 25-23, 25-22) in pool play at the NORCECA Olympic Qualifier.

United States Olympic Committee, United States Anti-Doping Agency, Major League Baseball and National Football League Announce Partnership

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO (January 10, 2008) The United States Olympic Committee (USOC), United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Football League (NFL) announced today the formation of a landmark research collaborative designed to further curtail the use of banned and illegal substances in sport.

The Partnership for Clean Competition (PCC) will, for the first time ever, combine the resources and expertise of many of America’s leading sports entities to underwrite meaningful and scientifically-legitimate anti-doping research. Beginning this year, the focus of the PCC will be to fundraise and make targeted grants in support of non-partisan and independent scientific research to be conducted at universities and other world-class research institutions. Priorities for the collaborative will include underwriting research that addresses:

• new methods to more cost-effectively detect and deter the use of banned and illegal substances at every level of sport
• identification and detection of designer substances
• the consequences of doping, from both a medical and ethical perspective
• the further development of a widely-available, cost-effective test to detect Human Growth Hormone (HGH)

As the initial Founding Partners, the USOC, USADA, MLB and NFL have collectively committed to contribute $10 million to this landmark collaborative. Each Founding Partner will have one representative on the Board of Governors, which will oversee the research collaborative.

Also participating and contributing financially to the research collaborative are the National Basketball Association (NBA), National Hockey League (NHL) and Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA). The Founding Partners will seek to raise additional funds and include other entities (both sport and non-sport) in the collaborative as well.

“It is vital that the major sport organizations in America work together to combat a problem that, left unchecked, has the potential to destroy the value and integrity of sport,” said USOC Chairman Peter Ueberroth. “In order to make greater progress in the fight against doping, significantly more must be done in the area of research, which is why the USOC created the Partnership for Clean Competition. Major League Baseball, the National Football League, USADA and the additional participating organizations have joined our efforts to combat this problem in a more aggressive way, and we commend them for uniting with us to address what has become a national issue.

“Ultimately, we are in a battle to protect and preserve the benefits of sport participation for the youth of our country,” added Ueberroth.

The PCC is a stand-alone non-profit entity. The organization will consist of the Board of Governors and a Scientific Research Advisory Board. The Board of Governors will include one representative from each of the Founding Partners. It will set the direction and policy of the PCC, and appoint the Scientific Research Advisory Board. The Scientific Research Advisory Board, consisting of universally-recognized and scientifically-qualified experts, will review grant requests, make recommendations to the Board of Governors and provide oversight regarding the results of the research projects.

“Major League Baseball’s support of this important new effort by the U.S. Olympic Committee and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency continues our commitment to fight the use of performance-enhancing substances among our athletes,” said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. “I am hopeful that our alliance with the Partnership for Clean Competition, as well as those with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and the Taylor Hooton Foundation, among others, will make an impact in detecting the use of these illegal substances and in educating the public about their dangers.”

“We are pleased to join the USOC and other partners in this collaborative program to develop the next generation of anti-doping strategies for the benefit of all levels of athletic competition,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “Our support of the Partnership for Clean Competition is consistent with our longstanding commitment to invest in research that advances the goal of eliminating doping in sport.”

“The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has always recognized the importance of credible scientific research to protect clean sport and those who compete with integrity,” said USADA Chief Executive Officer Travis T. Tygart. “The Partnership for Clean Competition is a vital new initiative to further advance our ongoing efforts to eradicate doping from sport through science. USADA welcomes and greatly appreciates the shared commitment of the U.S. Olympic Committee, National Football League and Major League Baseball, and that of others who join us in this important endeavor.”