National Highlight Reel: Missy Franklin stars at FINA World Swimming Championships

Her father nicknamed her "Missy the Missile" several years ago because, even then, she seemed to zoom through the water.

Now the entire world may be echoing him after Missy Franklin stole the show from Olympian Michael Phelps during the FINA World Swimming Championships in Shanghai, China.

The rising junior from Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.) thrilled fans and teammates alike when she won the 200-meter backstroke in an American-record 2 minutes, 5.10 seconds. She told USA Swimming, "I am so happy right now. I just wanted to go out there and have fun. It was my last individual race in my first world championships and I'm never going to get that opportunity again. I definitely went out there and had a blast and it was the most exciting race ever."

The 6-foot superstar added a second gold medal when she anchored the 400 medley relay to victory in 3:52.36 – another American record. She captured a third gold medal by anchoring the winning 800 freestyle relay team to victory. She also earned a silver and a bronze to bring home a total of five medals.



Despite her youth, Franklin's shocking performance has thrust her into the running for World Female Swimmer of the Year, which is awarded by Swimming World Magazine, according to managing editor Jason Marsteller.

"Everybody on the team loves her and she just had a good old time," Marsteller said. "If she can keep her head on straight next year and have a good London (2012 Olympics), she probably can become a Natalie Coughlin. It's all according to how she handles the pressure."

FOOTBALL: DAPHNE WINS NATIONAL 7-ON-7
Daphne (Ala.) defeated Prattville (Ala.), 10-8, to win the National Select 7-on-7 football championship in Hoover, Ala. Led by Auburn-bound receiver T.J. Yeldon and rising junior quarterback T.J. Fleeton, Daphne finished with a 13-0 record to become the first unbeaten champion in the tourney's nine-year history.

The field of 31 teams from 15 states included five defending state champions and five other teams that finished second in their state tournaments last year.

* Indiana University has received a commitment from two-way lineman Jason Spriggs (6-6, 260), according to the South Bend Tribune. Spriggs, who runs 40 yards in 4.68 seconds, had 13.5 tackles for losses and 5.5 sacks as a junior for Concord (Elkhart, Ind.).

* Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.) defensive end Jarvis Lewis has made a commitment to Arizona State University over Oregon and Arizona, according to the Arizona Republic. The 6-4, 260-pounder made 14 sacks in his first year of football as a junior at Kellis (Glendale, Ariz.) before transferring for his senior year.



* The Deseret News reports that Highland (Salt Lake City) senior running back Sione Houma has decided to attend the University of Michigan. Houma (6-0, 210) sparked his team to the 2010 Class 4A state title by running for 661 yards and five touchdowns during the final three games of the playoffs.

* Skyler Mornhinweg, a 6-3, 215-pound quarterback, made a commitment to Penn State University, as reported by MaxPreps. As a junior he threw for 31 touchdowns and almost 3,100 yards for St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia). Formerly committed to Stanford, he is the son of Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg.

* The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Georgia's No. 1 offensive lineman, Joe Harris (6-4, 290) of Lithonia (Ga.), has chosen the University of South Carolina over Georgia and Clemson.

Continue reading{PAGEBREAK}GIRLS BASKETBALL: USA U19 WINS GOLD
The USA routed Spain, 69-46, to win the FIBA U19 World Championship basketball tournament in Puerto Montt, Chile.

The USA placed Ariel Massengale and Breanna Stewart on the five-member all-star team. Massengale set a USA record with 39 assists in nine games – including seven in the finale. The 6-1 Stewart, from Cicero-North Syracuse (N.Y.), is the nation's No. 1-ranked rising senior and had 21 points to go with 13 rebounds during a comeback 70-64 quarterfinal victory over France.

* Team Concept, based in Portland, Ore., crushed the field to win the 32-team Las Vegas Live Tournament. The powerful champions gave up just 11 points per game while averaging around 70. Highly recruited team members include rising juniors Mercedes Russell (6-5) from Springfield (Ore.), Kailee Johnson (6-4) from Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.), Jordan Reynolds (6-1) from Jefferson (Portland, Ore.), and rising sophomore Jaime Nared (6-2) from Westview (Portland, Ore.).



* La Jolla Country Day (Calif.) routed perennial power Poly (Long Beach, Calif.), 46-26, to win the Elite Division of the 25th annual San Diego Classic. Rising senior twins Maya Hood and Malina Hood, who both are 5-10, dominated the field. Maya had 24 points and seven rebounds in the finale, while Malina had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

* Alabama's Class 4A Player of the Year as a sophomore, Marques Webb, has transferred from Brewbaker Tech (Montgomery, Ala.) to Hoover (Ala.). The powerful 6-1 Webb had 24 points and 30 rebounds as Brewbaker Tech won the 4A title and stopped Midfield's streak of titles at four.

* Rising eighth-grader Dijonai Carrington already is being mentioned in the same breath as former San Diego greats Candice Wiggins and Charde Houston. The 5-11 standout, who attends Horizon (San Diego) Junior High, is the ambidextrous daughter of ex-NFL player Darren Carrington and Vicky Carrington, a former track star at Northern Arizona who also is her coach.

* South Medford (Medford, Ore.) star Tess Picknell has made a commitment to Stanford University, according to the Oregonian. The 6-5 center averaged 9.8 rebounds and 4.9 blocks as a junior. She blocked a school-record 13 shots in a single game.

BOYS BASKETBALL: BOYLE RELOADS AT MONTVERDE
Kevin Boyle's switch from St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) to Montverde Academy (Fla.) has put the highly successful coach in a position to again bid for the national championship.

"I'd be disappointed if this team isn't better than the team I had last year," Boyle told MaxPreps. That team held the nation's top ranking until a season-ending loss to St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.). "We have more talent, but we don't have a Michael Gilchrist. To be fair to Kevin Sutton (former Montverde coach), almost all the kids were there (already)."



Boyle has added former St. Patrick youngster Dakari Johnson, a very promising 6-11, 263-pound rising sophomore; and phenomenal shooter Michael Frazier, a 6-5 guard from Plant (Tampa, Fla.) who is committed to the University of Florida.

* The Playaz rallied to defeat the Mac Irvin Fire, 80-72 in overtime, to win the Desert Duel in Gilbert, Ariz.

* Rising junior point guard Conner Frankamp has committed to the University of Kansas, according to the Wichita Eagle. He averaged 27.2 points as a sophomore for North (Wichita, Kan.) and set a City League record with a 52-point game.

* Former NBA player Jason Hart has been named head coach at powerhouse Taft (Woodland Hills, Calif.).

BASEBALL: FRANKLIN WINS WISCONSIN TITLE
Franklin (Wis.) nipped West (Wis.), 5-4, to win the state summer baseball tournament. West was playing its third game in one day and had won its last 19 games. The Sabers became only the second team to win back-to-back titles in the 47-year history of the tournament. Jim Hughes added to his state record by posting his 777th career coaching victory.

* The Maryland Monarchs defeated Allen Baseball of Houston, 6-0, to win the championship during the National Amateur Baseball Federation World Series in Knoxville, Tenn. The champs posted a 6-0 record despite losing pitcher Rob Koski (neck injury) and two others during a first-round game fight that broke out after Koski hit a batter with a pitch and he charged the mound. Monarch shortstop Sean Miller was named MVP and right fielder Tom Labriola batted .470.



* The annual Under Armour All-American Baseball Game will be held Aug. 13 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The 36-player roster includes seven from Florida.

Continue reading{PAGEBREAK}TRACK & FIELD: BRACY WINS PAN AM GOLD
Marvin Bracy, a rising senior at Boone (Orlando, Fla.), won the 100-meter dash in a blazing 10.09 seconds (2.4 meter wind) to capture the gold medal during the Pan Am Junior Championships in Miramar, Fla. The Florida State University recruit now prepares for his final football campaign after passing up his junior year.

Another rising senior, Trinity Wilson of St. Mary's (Berkeley, Calif.), won the 100 hurdles in 13.17 seconds. Rising senior Avione Allgood of Legacy (North Las Vegas) won the javelin with a toss of 174 feet, 1 inch, while rising junior Devin Field of Lancaster (Texas) claimed the long jump with a leap of 24-10½.

Most of the USA champions soon will be freshmen in college.

Iowa recruit Kayla Beattie won a pair of golds by capturing the 5,000 in 16:48.44 and the 3,000 in 9:30.63. Other college-bound champs included Morgann LeLeux (pole vault), Omar Kaddurah (1.500), Immanuel Hutchinson (800) and Shelby Ashe (hammer).

GOLF: BAUCHOU WINS 8-HOLE PLAYOFF
Rising freshman Zachary Bauchou of Forest, Va., outlasted rising senior Chad Cox of Charlotte, N.C., in a record eight-hole playoff to win the Cleveland HealthCare Foundation Junior golf tournament in Shelby, N.C. Both golfers shot eight-under-par scores of 208 after 54 holes.



* The East defeated the West, 32-18, to win the 22nd AJGA Wyndham Cup in Wilmington, N.C. Each team consisted of 10 boys and 10 girls. Michael NeSmith of North Augusta, S.C., won all four of his matches, while Karen Chung of Livingston, N.J., had three wins and a tie.

TENNIS: JACK SOCK TURNS PRO
After compiling a spectacular 80-0 record with four state titles during his career at Blue Valley North (Overland Park, Kan.), Jack Sock is turning professional. The 6-1 standout hopes to quickly improve on his No. 549 world ranking.

* Top-seeded Gabrielle Andrews of Pomona, Calif., defeated unseeded Denise Starr of Brooklyn, N.Y., 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, to win the USTA Girls 18 National Clay Court Championships in Memphis, Tenn. Though just 14 years old, she now has won four national singles titles. Starr, age 16, upset three top-10 players to reach the title round.

* The Kempin family of Sandy, Utah, has a tennis dynasty. Three sons are the top-ranked players in the state in their age groups: Brendon (15), Ryan (13) and Conner (12).

POTPOURRI
* Nkosi Moody of Country Club Hills, Ill., won the Junior Nationals Freestyle and Greco-Roman titles at 98 pounds in Fargo, N.D., making him only the third wrestler ever to win three major junior titles in the same year. Earlier this year he won the Junior National Folkstyle title in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

* Rising senior Alexandra Raisman of Needham (Mass.) won the senior all-around gymnastics title with 57.250 points during the CoverGirl Classic in Chicago. Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif., captured the junior all-around crown with a score of 58.850.



* After winning his first state title in 44 years last fall, Lakeville North (Minn.) volleyball coach Milan Mader has retired with 806 victories. The 72-year-old coach also led North to 10 state gymnastics titles before retiring from that post the previous year.

* Colorado's No. 1 attackman, Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) rising junior Wilkins Dismuke, has committed to Johns Hopkins for lacrosse, according to the Denver Post. As a sophomore, he led the state with 61 goals and 104 points.

* Rising sophomore Kylee Perez has made a commitment to UCLA for softball, according to the Oakland Tribune. As an Alhambra (Martinez, Calif.) freshman, she batted a prolific .628 with nine homers, 29 runs batted in, 41 runs and 35 stolen bases from the leadoff position.