Bridget Sloan scored 117.550 points to win the United States women’s all-around gymnastics title during the prestigious Visa Championships in Dallas, Texas. A junior at Tri-West Hendricks (Lizton, Ind.), Sloan made a brilliant comeback after falling off the balance beam on her first routine.
Sloan finished with seven solid routines to edge Ivana Hong (Lovejoy, Texas), who scored 117.250 points. Sloan also won floor exercise with 29.350 and uneven bars with 29.450. Hong won the beam with 30.350 and Kayla Williams (Nitro, W.Va.) captured vault with 29.075.
Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif., won the junior women’s all-around crown with a total of 114 points. She also won vault with 30.350 and balance beam with 29.000.
John Orozco of Bronx, N.Y., dominated the boys 14-15 all-around division with 86.850 points. The 16-18 champion was Cameron Rogers of Mint Hill, N.C., with 82.150.
Williams is USA MVP
MVP Elizabeth Williams had 19 points and seven rebounds as the USA crushed Canada, 103-52, to win the FIBA Americas Under-16 Girls Basketball Championships in Mexico City, Mexico. The 6-foot-3 junior from Princess Anne (Virginia Beach, Va.) averaged 13.4 points and 5.2 rebounds as the USA posted a perfect 5-0 record to win the gold medal.
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, a 6-foot sophomore from Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), scored 24 points during a 105-54 rout of Brazil and 21 points during a crushing 128-17 win against the Dominican Republic.
Minaya fires 7 TD passes
The football season already is heating up in Hawaii.
P.J. Minaya tied a career high by firing seven touchdown passes as Pac-Five rolled past Kaimuki, 48-19. He completed 25-of-41 passes for 370 yards, with Darin Kamealoha snaring eight for 143 yards and four touchdowns.
* In Alaska, Billy Kiefer scored five touchdowns as top-ranked Kenai crushed Houston 71-0. His most spectacular TD was a 77-yarder on the game-opening kickoff return.
Austin wins tennis crown
Eighth-seeded Gonzales Austin, a junior at Ransom Everglades (Miami, Fla.), defeated Jack Sock, 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 to win the United States Tennis Association boys 16 championship in Kalamazoo, Mich.
Sock was the top seed, but a stomach ailment developed in the second set and he was not at his best the rest of the way. A junior at Blue Valley North, he is the defending Kansas Class 6A state champion and is 34-0 during his prep career.
U.S. hockey team is fourth
The U.S. Under-18 Select Team finished fourth during the Memorial of Ivan Hinka Tournament in the Czech Republic. The Americans lost their final game, 9-2, to Sweden.
The U.S. victories were over the Czech Republic, 5-3; Finland, 3-2; and Slovakia, 7-6, in overtime. They also lost to Canada, 6-1; and Russia, 4-3.
Kevin Lind (Homer Glen, Ill.) scored the winning goal in overtime against Slovakia.
Andre Dawkins
Photo by Dan Trevino
Due to the transfer of guard Elliot Williams to Memphis, Duke University is getting talented shooting guard Andre Dawkins a year early. Slated to graduate in 2010, Dawkins took an English course this summer and picked up his diploma.
The 6-foot-4 standout averaged 20.5 points last year at Atlantic Shores Christian (Chesapeake, Va.).
* Ohio State University’s superb recruiting Class of 2010 got even better with the commitment of 6-foot-7 senior J.D. Weatherspoon, who averaged 15.5 points and 7.8 rebounds for a 27-1 Division I state champion at Northland (Columbus, Ohio).
* The University of Detroit has received commitments from two Indiana players from Indianapolis Howe: 6-9 senior Jordan Manuel averaged 18.4 points last year, while junior point guard P.J. Boutte averaged an impressive 9.1 assists. Chalk it up to coach Ray McCallum’s deep Hoosier roots.
* Another Hoosier, 6-foot-1 guard Chrishawn Hopkins, has chosen Butler University. The Indianapolis Manual senior had an outstanding summer, scoring as high as 60 points in a single game.
Cross country rankings
National cross country expert Marc Bloom lists the Fayetteville-Manlius (Manlius, N.Y.) girls No. 1 in his pre-season Harrier rankings. The perennial powerhouse returns four of its top five runners and has added a talented sophomore.
On the boys side, Bloom ranks Ferris of Spokane, Wash., at the top. The Saxons return all of their top runners.
Marlins ink Chad James
Yukon (Okla.) left-handed pitcher Chad James has signed a $1.7 million contract with the Florida Marlins. It is believed to be the second-highest payoff ever given to a No. 18 draft pick.
James, who gave up a scholarship to Oklahoma State University, posted an 8-2 record with a 1.28 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 63.3 innings as a senior.
