U.Va.‘s Wright given preseason honor

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

U.Va.'s Wright honored

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Virginia senior Monica Wright yesterday was named the Atlantic Coast Conference preseason player of the year at the ACC's annual media day. The Cavaliers were picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll.

Wright adds the ACC honor to her list of preseason accolades, which include first-team All-America honors from Lindy's and The Sporting News.

Last season, Wright set the school season scoring record with 696 points. She's on pace to become U.Va.'s all-time scoring leader and needs 330 points to surpass Dawn Staley's school record of 2,135 points.

Joining Wright on the preseason first team were Jessica Breland (North Carolina), Jacinta Monroe (Florida State), Carolyn Swords (Boston College) and Jasmine Thomas (Duke). North Carolina was favored to win the league title.

NCAA

Programs found to need cost reform

MIAMI - College and university athletic departments might have to drop some sports unless reforms such as controlling the cost of coaching contracts are implemented, according to a survey of school presidents at major college football's highest level.

The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics released the survey at its 20th anniversary meeting. The commission has successfully lobbied for stronger academic standards, improved graduation rates and more institutional control of college athletics. Commission members say finding ways to solve financial woes will be its most daunting challenge.

NHL

Owner to sell Coyotes to league

PHOENIX - Phoenix Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes agreed to sell the bankrupt franchise to the NHL. The agreement, which still must be approved by Judge Redfield T. Baum, was announced in U.S. Bankruptcy Court after attorneys met for more than an hour during a recess in a status hearing on the case.

Former coach Wayne Gretzky, who has a $22.5 million claim in the case, has not agreed to the deal.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said that once the deal closes, the league will look to sell the team, preferably to an owner who will keep the club in Arizona.

Kovalchuk to miss four weeks

ATLANTA - Atlanta Thrashers star Ilya Kovalchuk is expected to miss four weeks with a broken bone in his right foot. Kovalchuk was injured when he was struck by a puck during the first period of Saturday's game against the San Jose Sharks. He is tied for second in the league with nine goals.

• New Jersey defenseman Paul Martin and left wing Jay Pandolfo will be sidelined four to six weeks after being injured in the Devils' game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. The Devils said Martin, possibly their top defenseman, has a broken left arm that will not require surgery. New Jersey said Pandolfo has a shoulder injury without being more specific.

• Colorado placed Darcy Tucker on the injured list three days after he suffered a concussion on a check from Carolina's Tuomo Ruutu. The NHL suspended Ruutu three games for a boarding infraction.

• St. Louis forward D.J. King will miss eight to 10 weeks with a fracture and dislocation of his right hand. King was hurt in a loss to Dallas on Saturday.

  TENNIS

  Williams battling for top spot

DOHA, Qatar - After months of debate about who is more deserving of the No. 1 ranking, Serena Williams and Dinara Safina will settle the issue on the court at the WTA Tour's season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships. Safina recaptured the top ranking from Williams yesterday, but the margin is so slim that the player who performs better at this week's tournament in Doha will end the year at No. 1. The eight-player tournament starts today.

• Karol Beck upset third-seeded Viktor Troicki 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-4 in the first round of the St. Petersburg (Russia) Open.

ELSEWHERE

• ESPN broadcaster Bob Griese has been suspended one week for a remark he made about NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya. ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said Griese will not be working a football game this week. During ESPN's broadcast of the Minnesota-Ohio State game Saturday, a graphic was shown listing the top five drivers in NASCAR's points race. Fellow analyst Chris Spielman asked where was Montoya, who is Colombian. Griese replied he was "out having a taco." He has twice apologized on air for the remark.

• Kevin Widemond, a 23-year-old American guard, died of a heart attack during a Portuguese basketball tournament in Lisbon. The Portuguese basketball federation said Mr. Widemond collapsed in the locker room Sunday during halftime of a game between his team Ovarense and Academica in Leiria, in northern Portugal. Mr. Widemond played at Texas A&M.

• In Jacksonville, Fla., an ex-convict accused of shooting and paralyzing Jaguars offensive lineman Richard Collier is going on trial. Jury selection began yesterday in the trial on attempted murder and weapons charges against 33-year-old Tyrone Hartsfield.

Chinese women's 100-meters champion Wang Jing tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and was stripped of her national title. - From Staff and Wire Reports