Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

Former University of Kentucky softall All-American Molly Johnson was named Friday to the United States National Team.

Molly Johnson (Staff file photo, 2009)

Johnson, a shortstop, became UK’s first softball All-American in 2009, when she broke three school records (81 hits, 53 runs, .498 on-base percentage) and set career highs in nine offensive categories. She completed her UK eligibility in 2010 and served as an assistant coach for the Wildcats this year.

This will be her third consecutive season representing Team USA. She also played for the USA Futures squad last year.

The 2011 National Team has an 18-player roster and one alternate.

The team will open play against the USA Softball Junior National Team on Saturday, June 25, with a doubleheader exhibition series at Plant City, Fla. Exhibition doubleheaders against the Junior Nationals also are set June 29 at Salem, Va., and July 1 at Bowie, Md.

Then, it will be on to international play.

Team USA will go to Surrey, British Columbia, for the Canadian Open Fast Pitch International Championship, July 9-17. That will be followed by the World Cup of Softball VI, July 21-25, at Oklahoma City.

The Americans will be after their ninth Pan American Games gold, Oct. 17-23, at Guadalajara, Mexico.

South Florida’s Ken Eriksen will coach the National Team, assisted by Olympic gold-medalists Tairia Flowers and Stacey Nuveman. Flowers is head coach at Cal State Northridge, while Nuveman is an assistant at San Diego State. Completing the coaching staff is Oregon head coach Mike White.

The National Team roster (with school attended): Valerie Arioto (California); Whitney Canion (Baylor); Kaitlin Cochran (Arizona State); Lauren Gibson (Tennessee); Kelly Grieve (Tennessee); Taylor Hoagland (Texas); Ashley Holcombe (Alabama); Molly Johnson (Kentucky); Stacy Johnson (Iowa); Megan Langenfeld (UCLA); Jenae Leles (Arizona); Michelle Moultrie (Florida); Christine Orgeron (Louisiana Lafayette); Keilani Ricketts (Oklahoma); Brittany Schutte (Florida); Jordan Taylor (Michigan); Rhea Taylor (Missouri), and Chelsea Thomas (Missouri). Alternate: Jessica Shults (Oklahoma).

The women’s watch list for The Bowerman, released Thursday, saw the addition of Colorado’s Emma Coburn, Southern Cal’s Nia Ali, Arizona’s Brigetta Barrett, LSU’s Semoy Hackett and Texas A&M’s Jeneba Tarmoh to the top 10.

The Bowerman is collegiate track and field’s top award, first presented in 2009 by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Ten semifinalists will be named June 21 and three finalists will be listed July 14.

The women’s watch list, in alphabetical order, includes the athlete, class, school and events.

Nia Ali, sr., Southern Cal, hurdles/jumps
Brigetta Barrett, soph., Arizona, jumps
Jessica Beard, sr., Texas A&M, sprints
Emma Coburn, jr., Colorado, distance
Kimberlyn Duncan, soph, LSU, sprints
Semoy Hackett, jr., LSU, sprints
Jordan Hasay, soph., Oregon, distance
Tina Sutej, jr., Arkansas, pole vault
Jeneba Tarmoh, jr., Texas A&M sprints
Kim Williams, sr., Florida State, jumps

Also receiving mention

Jackie Areson (sr., Tennessee) distance; Marie Louise Asselin (sr., West Virginia) distance); Joanna Atkins (sr., Auburn) sprints); Gwen Berry (sr., Southern Ill.) throws; LaKya Brookins (sr., South Carolina) sprints; Ti’erra Brown (sr., Miami, Fla.) hurdles; Dominique Duncan (jr., Texas A&M) sprints; Colleen Felix (jr., Georgia) jumps; Sheniqua Ferguson (sr., Auburn) sprints; Melissa Gergel (sr., Oregon) pole vault; Anna Jelmini (rs-frosh, Ariz. State) throws; Amber Kaufman (sr., Hawaii) jumps; Liz Lawton (sr., Chicago) distance; Lindsay Lettow (jr., Central Missouri) combined events; Chantel Malone (sr., Texas) jumps/sprints; Gabby Mayo (jr., Texas A&M) sprints/hurdles; Chantae McMillan (sr., Nebraska) combined events; Lauryn Newson (jr., Oregon) jumps; Holly Ozanich (sr., Wisconsin-Oshkosh) throws; Ashton Purvis (frosh, Miami, Fla.) sprints; Sheila Reid (jr., Villanova) distance; Brianna Rollins (soph-i, frosh-o, Clemson) hurdles; Faith Sherrill (sr., Indiana) throws; Karen Shump (soph., Oklahoma) throws; Neely Spence (jr., Shippensburg) distance; Brianne Theisen (sr., Oregon) combined events; Kate Van Buskirk (sr., Duke, mid-distance); Lucy Van Dalen (sr., Stony Brook) distance; Lea Wallace (sr., Sacramento State) mid-distance.

Jackie Areson

Tennessee’s Jackie Areson is the latest addition to the women’s “watch list” for The Bowerman. Collegiate track and field’s top award is sponsored by the United States Track & Cross Country Coaches Association, which provides this background information.

Areson leads the NCAA in the 5,000 meters this season. She is undefeated in the mile, 3K and 5K this season. Last weekend, she won the 5,000 and anchored the Lady Vols’ first-place distance medley relay.

The 10-deep watch list follows, in alphabetical order.

Jessica Beard

Jessica Beard, Texas A&M, sr., from Euclid, Ohio
IN 2011: Beard won an unprecedented fourth straight indoor Big 12 title at 400 meters last weekend and did so in a collegiate-leading time of 51.68. Beard was named Big 12 Performer of the Year as she also scored second-place honors in the 200 meters at the conference meet and anchored the Aggies to a fifth straight crown in the 4-by-400. Her season-best 200 time of 22.95 ranks fourth in the NCAA. Beard is undefeated in the 400 meters this season.

LaKya Brookins

LaKya Brookins, South Carolina, sr., from Seneca, S.C.
IN 2011: Brookins has the nation’s leading time in the 60 meters with a 7.14, achieved in winning the SEC title Sunday. All told, Brookins has won five-out-of-six finals at the distance this year and has clocked sub-7.20 performances on four occasions, including the last three. Brookins also won 60-meter titles at the Tyson Invitational, the New Balance Collegiate Invitational and the Texas A&M Challenge.

Ti'erra Brown

Ti’erra Brown, Miami (Fla.), jr., from Hampton, Va.
IN 2011: Known mostly for her 400-meter hurdle prowess, Brown has overall had a light indoor season. However, that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been competitive. Most recently at the ACC Indoor Championships, Brown placed second overall in the open 400, and won her section of the finals, in a time of 53.25. The time currently stands as the No. 16 time in the NCAA this year and is on the “bubble” to be selected for the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Semoy Hackett

Semoy Hackett, LSU, jr., from Scarborough, Trinidad & Tobago
IN 2011: In her first season as a Division I participant, Hackett has achieved marks in the 60 and 200 that among the nation’s top five in both events. Her season best in the 200 meters of 22.84 is just off the 22.78 leader set by teammate Kimberlyn Duncan in winning the SEC title. In the 60, Hackett is tied with the fifth-best mark of the 2011season at 7.24. Hackett finished runner-up in the SEC in both the 60 and 200.

Sheila Reid

Sheila Reid, Villanova, jr., from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
IN 2011: In one of the more impressive showings by anyone at a conference championship this year, Reid won three Big East titles this indoor season. Starting off, she was the winner of the 1000 meters in a very fast 2:43.70, was the third leg of the Wildcats’ winning DMR, and anchor of the squad’s 4-by-800 team that won a conference crown. Reid holds claim to the second-best mark among collegians this year in the 3,000 meters, having run 8:56.92 in competition against collegians. At the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston, Reid ran a would-be NCAA-leading mark in the mile with an impressive showing against a bevy of professionals in the event’s 3,000-meter run. Reid would finish third in that event with a 4:35.30 clocking.

Tina Sutej

Tina Sutej, Arkansas, jr., from Ljubljana, Slovenia
IN 2011: After having achieved the chance to break the collegiate record in her last four competitions, Sutej was relieved to finally break through with a clearance of 14-10¾ (4.54m) to reset the record in winning the SEC title. Sutej broke the 2002 record of Amy Linnen. Undoubtedly the most consistent in the vault this season, Sutej has cleared more than 14-6 (4.42m) four times this season and has won six straight events.

Jeneba Tarmoh

Jeneba Tarmoh, Texas A&M, jr., from San Jose, Calif.
IN 2011: Tarmoh has been busy to start the 2011 season. Including relays and all rounds, Tarmoh has contested 22 races in the 60, 200, and 4-by-400. Like Hackett, Tarmoh is also in the nation’s top five in the 60 (7.24, tied fifth) and 200 (22.88, third). Tarmoh was the Big 12 Champion in the 200 meters, runner-up in the 60, and helped the Aggies to another conference victory in the 4-by-400. Additional winning credits from 2011 include a victory in the 200 at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational and in the 60 at the Texas A&M Conference Challenge on Jan. 15.

Brianne Theisen

Brianne Theisen, Oregon, sr., from Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada
IN 2011: Theisen has already claimed a collegiate record this season. On Jan. 28 at the Washington Invitational, Theisen scored 4,507 points in the heptathlon to top the previous mark of 4,498 set by Arizona State’s Jacquelyn Johnson in 2008. With a high jump of 6-0 (1.83m) in the record-setting pentathlon, Theisen also ranks in seventh in the NCAA this season in that event. In addition, Theisen has won nine straight combined-event competitions against collegiate competition with the win at the UW Invitational. At the MPSF Championships, Theisen sat out the pentathlon, but competed in four other events, including the leadoff leg on the Ducks first-place 4-by-400, placing second in the high jump and third in the 60-meter hurdles.

Kim Williams

Kim Williams, Florida State, sr., Kingston, Jamaica
IN 2011: Netted impressive performances in both long and triple jumps at the ACC Championships. In becoming the first in ACC Championship history to win an event for a fourth time, Williams triple jumped to a collegiate-leading mark of 45-9¾ (13.96m). In addition, the previous day, Williams won the ACC long jump title with a leap of 21-6 (6.55m) -– a performance that ranks No. 2 in the NCAA this year.

The Bowerman Advisory Board appointed four of its members to comprise The Bowerman Women’s Watch Committee and another four of its members to make up The Bowerman Men’s Watch Committee. The committee will release its next women’s update on Thursday, March 17. The three men and three women finalists will be named late June.

J.D. Martinez

Lexington Legends outfielder J.D. Martinez is among 10 players selected to the Topps Class A All-Star team. Topps, in conjunction with Minor League Baseball, honors the top performances in all minor-league classifications.

J.D. Martinez

Class A includes the South Atlantic, Midwest, California and Florida State leagues — 52 teams in all.

Martinez, MVP of the South Atlantic League and Minor League Player of the Year in the Houston Astros organization, is the only SAL player named to the Topps All-Star team.

Martinez, 23, led all of Class A with a 1.030 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentages). He also led the SAL in batting (.362), slugging (.598) and on-base percentage (.433). At the time of his promotion from Lexington to Double-A Corpus Christi on July 15, he led the league in hits, doubles, extra-base hits, runs and total bases. He hit 15 home runs and drove in 64 runs over 88 games with the Legends.

Topps Class A All-Stars

Pos.  Player                  Team/League    MLB affiliate  Avg.-HR-RBI
1B   Paul Goldschmidt     Visalia/California      Arizona        .314-35-108
2B   Kyle Seager             High Desert/Calif.    Seattle         .345-14-74
3B   Stephen Parker       Stockton/California   Oakland      .296-21-98
SS   Grant Green            Stockton/California   Oakland       .318-20-87
OF   Johermyn Chavez   High Desert/California  Seattle     .315-32-96
OF   J.D. Martinez           Lexington/SAL           Houston      .362-15-64
OF   Mike Trout              Cedar Rapids/Midwest L.A.Angels .341-10-58
                                      Rancho Cucamonga/California
C    Jason Hagerty          Fort Wayne/Midwest   San Diego  .302-14-74
DH   Rich Poythress       High Desert/California  Seattle     .315-31-130
                                                                                           W-L    ERA
P    Matthew Moore      Charlotte/Fla. State     Tampa Bay  6-11    3.36

Jarvis moves from Diamondbacks to Padres

Kevin Jarvis

Kevin Jarvis, 41, is switching organizations as a major league scout, moving from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the San Diego Padres.

Jarvis, a former Tates Creek High School and Wake Forest standout, pitched for the D-backs and Padres, among others, over a 12-year big-league career.

During his time with the Padres (2001-03), the right-hander was 18-23 with a 5.06 ERA over 55 starts. For his career, Jarvis was 34-49 with a 6.03 ERA.

The Padres also named former catcher Brad Ausmus as special assistant to baseball operations, and former Arizona State University head coach Pat Murphy as manager of the short-season A Eugene (Ore.) Emeralds.

Lawless, Clapp, Montague assigned to Hooks

Tom Lawless

Stubby Clapp

The Astros have stocked the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks staff with multiple connections from the Legends.

Named as manager is Tom Lawless, who held the same post with Lexington in 2009 and High-A Lancaster last season.

His staff includes former Legends hitting coach Stubby Clapp and trainer Eric Montague. Also on Lawless’ staff is pitching coach Don Alexander.

The 10-person Bowerman Advisory Board, in conjunction with the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), made the announcements. The Bowerman is the highest award given to collegiate track and field competitors in the United States.

The men’s finalists, announced Tuesday, are all seniors: Ashton Eaton and Andrew Wheating of Oregon, plus Ryan Whiting of Arizona State.

Women’s finalists, announced Monday, also are all seniors: Virginia Tech’s Queen Harrison, Iowa State’s Lisa Koll and Texas-El Paso’s Blessing Okagbare.

Finalists were chosen based on performances throughout the 2010 indoor and outdoor seasons. Only performances through the conclusion of the NCAA Outdoor competition were considered.

The Bowerman Voters will receive ballots listing each of the finalists and must rank them by first, second and third choice. First-place votes will receive three points, second place will notch two, and third will receive one point. The finalist with the highest point total will be declared the winner.

The Bowerman Voters consist of:

• The Bowerman Advisory Board, media personnel, statisticians, collegiate administrators
• Galen Rupp, 2009 men’s winner of The Bowerman
• Jenny Barringer, 2009 women’s winner of The Bowerman
• Online voting by the public will constitute one collective vote (ranking of choices will be made by order of total single votes)
• Online voting by USTFCCCA members will constitute one collective vote (ranking of choices will be made by order of total single votes)

Ashton Eaton

Paper balloting will conclude in August while online voting will begin in the coming weeks and will last until late August. Winners will be announced in a ceremony at the USTFCCCA Convention on Dec. 15 at San Antonio, Texas.

Eaton, from Bend, Ore., won his second consecutive NCAA Indoor heptathlon title and a third straight NCAA Outdoor decathlon championship. His title-winning score of 6,499 indoors broke the world record set 17 years earlier by Dan O’Brien. Outdoors, he topped 8,150 points three times, setting an NCAA Championships meet record. 

Andrew Wheating

Wheating, from Norwich, Vt., won NCAA outdoor crowns in the 800 and 1,500, becoming the fourth overall and first to accomplish the double win since 1984. Wheating also defended his outdoor 800-meter national crown with the win, the first American to do so since 1994. In the 1,500, Wheating led Oregon to a 1-2-3 national sweep. At the NCAA Indoor, Wheating anchored the distance medley relay to a second straight national title and was national runner-up in the 800.

Ryan Whiting

Whiting, from Harrisburg, Pa., produced a third straight NCAA Indoor crown with the shot put and a second-consecutive outdoor title. In addition, Whiting won his first NCAA crown with the discus and is only one of 11 to have notched national crowns with the shot and discus in the same championship. At the outdoor championships, Whiting’s final toss of 72-1 (21.97 meters) moved him into a tie for second on the all-time collegiate list and just three centimeters shy of the collegiate record. Overall, Whiting marked throws of over 70 feet on eight occasions during the year –- an all-time collegiate best. Whiting was also undefeated among collegians with the shot in 2010.

Queen Harrison

Harrision, a native of Richmond, Va., became the first female in NCAA history to win both 100- and 400-meter hurdle national titles. In addition, Harrison won the NCAA indoor crown in the 60-meter hurdles. She recorded the 2010 collegiate-best times in all three hurdle events spanning the indoor and outdoor seasons and went undefeated in every finals of those events. Harrison notched the fourth-best, all-time collegiate best 100-meter hurdle time in winning the Penn Relays title (12.61).

Lisa Koll

Koll, out of Fort Dodge, Iowa, swept NCAA crowns in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, only the fourth female ever to do so. Koll won the 10k by over 23 seconds to claim her second national title in the event, while her 30-second victory in the 5,000 paired with her 2010 NCAA indoor title at the same distance. Koll opened the outdoor season with a collegiate record, clocking 31:18.07 in the 10k at the Stanford Invitational. In individual races, Koll only lost to a collegian once during the season.

Blessing Okagbare

Okagbare, from Umuahi, Nigeria, notched NCAA Outdoor crowns in the 100 meters and long jump, becoming the first in collegiate history to pull off such a feat. Indoors, Okagbare won national titles in the 60 and long jump, twice bettering the NCAA long-jump record. Okagbare was undefeated in all sprint and jump finals during the season and anchored the UTEP 4×100 to the NCAA Championships semifinals.

Baseball

South Atlantic
      League

Lexington Legends
                                 vs. West Virginia Power

What: Five-game series

Where: Appalachian Power Park (Charleston, W.Va.)

When: Thursday through Monday (7:05 nightly except Sunday, 2:05 p.m.)

Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends), Pittsburgh Pirates

Jose Cisnero

Luis Cruz

Brad Dydalewicz

Robby Donovan

Tanner Bushue

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Thursday, RH Jose Cisnero (3-5, 4.40) vs. RH Brett Lorin (0-0, 0.00) or RH Brandon Holden (1-8, 7.16); Friday, LH Luis Cruz (3-1, 3.12) vs. RH Kyle McPherson (5-7, 4.09); Saturday, LH Brad Dydalewicz (0-2, 7.11) vs. RH Jason Erickson (5-5, 3.74); Sunday, RH Robby Donovan (7-5, 3.67) vs. LH Nathan Baker (6-5, 3.21); Monday, RH Tanner Bushue (4-5, 4.76) vs. RH Phillip Irwin (3-1, 2.64).

Jarek Cunningham

Power to watch: 2B Jarek Cunningham (6-foot-1, 185 pounds, from Spokane, Wash.) is hitting .265 with six homers, 28 RBI, 35 runs and a team-leading 28 doubles through Tuesday. Six of his 72 games have come against the Legends, with six hits in 24 at-bats, including a double, triple and homer. Cunningham, who will turn 21 on Christmas Day, was selected by the Pirates in the 18th round of the 2008 draft out of Mead (Wash.) High School. He signed for $300,000, passing up on a committment to Arizona State University. Assigned to the Gulf Coast League Pirates that summer, he hit .318 with five homers and 22 RBI over 43 games. However, he missed the entire 2009 season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a conditioning drill. He had the same injury earlier, costing him his senior year of high school ball. Coming into this season, Baseball America ranked him No. 20 among Pirates prospects. Baseball America’s summation reads, in part: “He has a short stroke, makes consistent hard contact and figures to develop at least slightly above-average power. He has a solid approach for a young player, so he should hit for average as well. Cunningham is a good athlete with above-average speed, range and arm strength.”

Wander Alvino

Legend to watch: RHP Wander Alvino (5-11, 159, from Nizao, Dominican Republic) has provided solid relief all season. Over 24 appearances and 52 2/3 innings, Alvino is 3-1 with three holds and a 2.91 ERA, with 48 strikeouts to 16 walks. Included are two outings versus the Power, spanning 3 2/3 innings, with a 1-0 record and a 2.45 ERA. Over his last 10 games, Alvino is 2-1 with a 1.64 ERA. Signed by the Astros Feb. 22, 2006 as a non-drafted free agent, Alvino spent the 2006 and ’07 seasons with the Dominican Summer League Astros, going 1-2 with a 2.82 ERA in his debut season, 2-4 with a 3.16 in 2007. Then came a season with Greeneville of the Appalachian League (1-6, 5.79) and a 2009 campaign with Tri-City of the New York-Penn League (4-7, 5.17).

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

Rondel Sorrillo

Kentucky landed six athletes on the list, topped by three-event honoree Rondel Sorrillo. He won the NCAA 200-meter dash and was runner-up in the 100. Sorrillo, Sean Lange, Kwasi Obeng and Alex Williams all earned All-America status in the 4-by-100 relay. 

The Wildcats also were represented by Colin Boevers in the men’s discus and Ashley Muffet in the women’s discus and shot put.

Forty-nine SEC men earned 65 honors, while 34 women garnered 51 awards.

Florida led the men’s list with 11 individuals, while LSU was first among the women with eight individuals.

Sorrillo was one of two men to earn awards in three events. The other was South Carolina’s Johnny Dutch (110-meter hurdles, 400 hurdles, 4-by-400 relay).

Three women earned three-event honors: Auburn’s Joanna Atkins (400, 4-by-100, 4-by-400), Auburn’s Sheniqua Ferguson (100, 200, 4-by-100), LSU’s Samantha Henry (200, 4-by-100, 4-by-400) and LSU’s Takeia Pinckney (100, 200, 4-by-100).

Florida led SEC teams in the NCAA Championships, placing second in the men’s standings and third in the women’s standings. UK, with Sorrillo doing all the scoring, placed 13th in the men’s events. The UK women tied for 51st in the nation.

Bowerman candidate Lists of 10 announced

The USTFCCCA has released the lists of 10 men and 10 women that will be considered for The Bowerman Award. The Bowerman is college track and field’s version of football’s Heisman Trophy, presented to the top athlete in the sport on an annual basis.

The groups of 10 will be trimmed to three men and three women by a 10-member Bowerman Advisory Board. The board, chaired by Herman Frazier, senior associate athletics director for sports administration at Temple University, will release its selections July 12.

Then, Bowerman Voters — a group of about 100 national and regional media members, statisticians, administrators and presidents of affiliated organizations — will cast the final votes. Voters include this writer and last year’s winners: Galen Rupp and Jenny Barringer.

The winners will be announced at the USTFCCCA Convention, Dec. 13-16, at San Antonio Texas.

The top 10 lists, in alphabetical order, follow.

WOMEN

Semoy Hackett

Queen Harrison

Kylie Hutson

Semoy Hackett, Lincoln (Mo.) — Sophomore sprinter from Trinidad & Tobago won five NCAA Division II titles, setting three meet records.

Kylie Hutson, Indiana State — Senior from Terre Haute, Ind., swept NCAA pole-vault titles indoors and outdoors, setting a meet record outdoors, and was undefeated in collegiate competition.

Mariam Kevkhishvili

Lisa Koll

Porscha Lucas

Mariam Kevkhishvili, Florida — Senior from the nation of Georgia swept NCAA shot-put titles indoors and outdoors, was undefeated and surpassed 60 feet four times.

Lisa Koll, Iowa State — Senior from Fort Dodge, Iowa, won the NCAA 5,000 and 10,000 meters outdoors, 5,000 meters indoors and set a 10,000-meter collegiate record of 31:18.07.

Porscha Lucas, Texas A&M — Senior from Plano, Texas, won NCAA titles in the 200 and 4-by-100 relay, running the second leg on an undefeated relay, and placed second in the 100.

Francena McCorory

Blessing Okagbare

Francena McCorory, Hampton — Junior from Hampton, Va., won the indoor and outdoor 400-meter titles, setting an American indoor record of 50.54.

Blessing Okagbare, Texas-El Paso — Senior from Nigeria is the first woman to win the 100 meters and long jump in the same NCAA Championships; also swept 60 meters and long jump indoors.

Brianne Theisen

Phoebe Wright

Brianne Theisen, Oregon — Junior from Canada swept NCAA multi-event titles (pentathlon indoors, heptathlon outdoors) and led off the winning 4-by-400 relay.

Phoebe Wright, Tennessee — Senior from Signal Mountain, Tenn., swept NCAA 800 crowns, was undefeated at that distance, led off the NCAA Indoor-champion distance medley relay and ran on three Penn Relays championship teams.

MEN

Sam Chelanga

Johnny Dutch

Jeff Demps

Sam Chelanga, Liberty — Red-shirt junior from Kenya won the NCAA 10,000 meters and, earlier in the season, sliced 20 seconds off his own collegiate record in the event.

Jeff Demps, Florida — Frosh (indoors)/soph (outdoors) from Winter Garden, Fla., won NCAA sprint titles indoors at 60 meters and outdoors at 100, and anchored the winning 4-by-100 relay outdoors.

Johnny Dutch, South Carolina — Junior from Clayton, N.C., won the NCAA 400-meter hurdles, running the fourth-best time in the world (48.12) in the quarterfinals, and also was a finalist in the 110-meter hurdles and 4-by-400 relay.

Ashton Eaton

Kirani James

Walter Henning

Ashton Eaton, Oregon — Senior from Bend, Ore., won a second straight NCAA heptathlon title indoors, setting a world record in the process, and took his third straight decathlon championship outdoors.

Walter Henning, LSU — Junior from Kings Park, N.Y., won national crowns in the 35-pound weight throw indoors and in the hammer throw outdoors, the first such double since 2006.

Kirani James, Alabama — Freshman from Grenada, at 17, won the NCAA 400 meters in 45.01.

David McNeill

Christian Taylor

David McNeill, Northern Arizona — Senior from Australia swept NCAA 5,000-meter titles indoors and outdoors, clocking 13:25.63 in the latter.

Christian Taylor, Florida — Sophomore from Fayetteville, Ga., is the first to sweep NCAA triple jump titles, indoors and outdoors, since 2002, and also was runner-up in the long jump at both meets.

Ryan Whiting

Andrew Wheating

Andrew Wheating, Oregon — Senior from Norwich, Vt., is the first man to sweep the NCAA Outdoor 800 and 1,500 crowns since 1984; also anchored the Ducks’ first-place distance medley relay indoors.

Ryan Whiting, Arizona State — Senior from Harrisburg, Pa., won the NCAA shot put indoors and outdoors, recording eight puts beyond 70 feet, and added the discus crown outdoors.

Louisville and Kentucky both have squads among the top 25 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) pre-season rankings for the Division I outdoor track season.

The Florida men and Texas A&M women have the No. 1 spots. Florida won last month’s NCAA Indoor Championships. A&M’s women are defending NCAA outdoor champs.

U of L came in at 14th in the men’s poll and 20th on the women’s side.

UK’s men are unranked, but the women are No. 21.

The Southeastern Conference leads the men’s rankings with eight teams ranked: 1. Florida; 7. Auburn; 8. LSU; 11. South Carolina; 12. Mississippi State; 15. Arkansas; 21. Tennessee; and 23. Mississippi. The Pac-10 is next with six, followed by the Big 12 with five.

The SEC also tops the women’s rankings with six teams: 3. LSU; 4. Florida; 13. Auburn; 21. UK; 22. South Carolina; and 23. Tennessee. The Pac-10 and Big 12 have five each.

For more on the rankings and links to guidelines and rationale, visit

http://www.ustfccca.org/rankings/division-i-rankings

Men’s rankings

(School, points, 2009 final ranking)

1. Florida, 371.37 (2); 2. Texas A&M, 347.88 (1); 3. Oregon, 258.41 (2); 4. Florida State, 226.14 (2); 5. Texas Tech, 219.96, — (unranked).

6. Southern California, 186.25 (10); 7. Auburn, 173.46 (12); 8. LSU, 171.22 (5); 9. Arizona State, 153.53 (8); 10. Nebraska, 149.76 (17).

11. South Carolina, 149.65 (6); 12. Mississippi State, 149.35 (17); 13. Oklahoma, 134.71 (25); 14. LOUISVILLE, 127.17, –; 15. Arkansas, 125.37 (9).

16. UCLA, 114.84, –; 17. Virginia Tech, 110.86 (16); 18. California, 105.42 (25); 19. Baylor, 104.89 (20); 20. Minnesota, 104.02, –.

21. Tennessee, 91.26, –; 22. Washington State, 88.01 (17); 23. Mississippi, 85.03, –; 24. Brigham Young, 84.99 (13); 25. Wisconsin, 83.10, –.

Women’s rankings

(School, points, 2009 final ranking)

1. Texas A&M, 347.28 (1); 2. Oregon, 274.57 (2); 3. LSU, 266.69 (6); 4. Florida, 186.92 (9); 5. Florida State, 186.57 (4).

6. Baylor, 177.14 (10); 7. Southern California, 176.22 (8); 8. Oklahoma, 170.55 (23); 9. Virginia Tech, 154.08 (12); 10. Brigham Young, 144.51 (15).

11. Texas-El Paso, 140.48 (25); 12. Washington, 133.80 (19); 13. Auburn, 122.01 (25); 14. Penn State, 121.97 (14); 15. Miami (Fla.), 116.87 (16).

16. Nebraska, 116.34, –; 17. Texas, 102.76 (5); 18. UCLA, 97.46 (16); 19. Stanford, 95.99, –; 20. LOUISVILLE, 88.22, –.

21. KENTUCKY, 86.23, –; 22. South Carolina, 85.29, –; 23. Tennessee, 84.00 (10); 24. North Carolina, 82.61, –; 25. Illinois, 82.05 (12).

Former University of Louisville star Angel McCoughtry is among 12 players added Wednesday to the 2010-12 USA Basketball Women’s National Team roster.

The 12 additions brings to 20 the player pool from which this year’s World Championships team and 2012 Summer Olympics teams will be chosen. Team USA first must qualify for the latter tournament.

McCoughtry, reigning Rookie of the Year in the WNBA, plays for the Atlanta Dream. She also was part of Team USA’s gold-medal squad at the 2007 Pan American Games.

Others added to the roster by the five-member Player Selection Committee are: Alana Beard (Washington Mystics), Swin Cash (Seattle Storm), Tina Charles (University of Connecticut), Shameka Christon (New York Liberty), Candice Dupree (Chicago Sky), Lindsey Harding (Washington Mystics), Asjha Jones (Connecticut Sun), Renee Montgomery (Connecticut Sun), Maya Moore (University of Connecticut), Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx) and Candice Wiggins (Minnesota Lynx).

UConn’s Geno Auriemma is head coach.

Players previously named the team are: Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever), Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky), Kara Lawson (Connecticut Sun), Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks), Cappie Pondexter (Phoenix Mercury) and Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury).

Monkey business

By the way, you may have noticed that I’m baaaccckk.

Back from the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, a working vacation. For details, see my personal blog:
www.monkeyalarm.com

SEC has most track teams nationally ranked

The Southeastern Conference dominates the latest Indoor Track & Field national rankings of NCAA Division I teams, compiled by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The SEC has seven men’s teams among the top 25 and six women’s teams. The Big 12 is second in both categories with six men’s teams and five women’s squads.

Louisville is the lone in-state representative, with the 13th-ranked women’s program.

The top seven men’s rankings in the Southeast Region, in order: Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Louisville, South Carolina, Clemson, Kentucky and Virginia.

The Southeast Region top seven women’s teams: Clemson, South Carolina, Louisville, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Duke and Virginia.

Men’s rankings
Rank  Team (Points)                 Previous rank
 1. Texas A&M (141.69)                           1
 2. Florida (136.89)                                   4
 3. Oregon (134.27)                                  2
 4. LSU (109.18)                                        3
 5. Arizona State (107.75)                        5
 6. Arkansas (91.80)                                 6
 7. Texas Tech (91.19)                             9
 8. Virginia Tech (80.81)                        15
 9. Oklahoma (75.10)                             12
10. Indiana (71.67)                                   7
11. Nebraska (69.31)                              8
12. Minnesota (65.06)                            17
13. Penn State (64.53)                           11
14. Florida State (63.65)                        13
15. Stanford (62.08)                                14
16. California (55.78)                              24
17. Northern Arizona (53.64)                 19
18. Auburn (50.94)                                  16
19. Baylor (50.91)                                    10
20. South Carolina (46.02)                     –
21. Arizona (45.76)                                  18
22. New Mexico (44.69)                          22
23. Mississippi (44.02)                            –
24. Georgia (44.00)                                 25
25. Texas (43.78)                                      –

Women’s rankings
Rank  Team (Points)                 Previous rank
 1. Oregon (185.55)                                 1
 2. Texas A&M (158.94)                           2
 3. Florida (113.51)                                  3
 4. Clemson (108.53)                              7
 5. Tennessee (108.03)                          4
 6. LSU (102.35)                                       5
 7. Penn State (99.38)                           10
 8. Arkansas (97.84)                                6
 9. Villanova (79.07)                                 8
10. Texas-El Paso (78.12)                   17
11. Auburn (72.23)                                   9
12. Southern Illinois (59.52)                12
13. Louisville (59.11)                            13
14. Arizona (58.62)                                16
15. Brigham Young (58.15)                 11
16. Indiana State (57.93)                      18
17. Florida State (56.64)                       20
18. Nebraska (56.02)                            14
19. Oklahoma (53.27)                           15
20. Indiana (49.90)                                19
21. Iowa State (49.57)                            –
22. Virginia Tech (49.04)                      21
23. South Carolina (46.35)                    –
24. Texas Tech (42.52)                          –
25. Miami (Fla.) (38.98)                          –

Louisville 1-2 in women’s weight throw

D'Ana McCarty

Highlighting individual rankings is the women’s weight throw, where Louisville’s D’Ana McCarty (74-0 1/4) and Jere’ Summers (73-4) are 1-2 and UK’s Kristin Smith (67-6) is No. 8.

Event-by-event leaders, plus in-state representatives among the top 25, follow.

Men
60 meters — Jeff Demps (Fla.) 6.59; tie 2. Rondel Sorrillo (Ky.) 6.60; tie 20. Justin Austin (Ky.) 6.69.
200 — (tie) Calvin Smith (Fla.) and Charles Clark (Fla. St.) 20.67; 5. Rondel Sorrillo (Ky.) 20.77.
400 — Torrin Lawrence (Ga.) 45.03.
800 — Andrew Wheating (Ore.) 1:46.3.
Mile — Lee Emanuel (N.M.) 3:57.62.
3,000 — David McNeill (Northern Ariz.) 7:47.52.
5,000 — David McNeill (Northern Ariz.) 13:39.32.
60 hurdles — Ronnie Ash (Okla.) 7.59.
4×400 relay — Texas A&M 3:04.86.
Distance medley relay — Oregon 9:29.82.
High jump — (tie) Paul Hamilton (Neb.) and Derek Drouin (Ind.) 7-5; tie 12. Tone Belt (U of L) 7-2 1/4.
Pole vault — Scott Roth (Wash.) 18-9 1/4.
Long jump — Alain Bailey (Ark.) 26-9 3/4; tie 7. Rudon Bastion (U of L) 25-10; tie 13. Tone Belt (U of L) 25-6 1/4; 16. Wesley Smith (U of L) 25-4 1/2.
Triple jump — Christian Taylor (Fla.) 55-2 3/4; 14. Andre Black (U of L) 52-7 1/4.
Shot put — Ryan Whiting (Ariz. St.) 70-7 1/4.
Weight throw — Walter Henning (LSU) 78-1.
Heptathlon — Ashton Eaton (Ore.) 6,256.

Women
60 — (tie) Blessing Okagbare (Texas-El Paso) and Layka Brookins (S.C.) 7.18.
200 — Shavon Greaves (Penn St.) 22.98.
400 — Jessica Beard (Texas A&M) 51.15; 25. Jenna Martin (Ky.) 53.76.
800 — Phoebe Wright (Tenn.) 2:01.47.
Mile — Charlotte Browning (Fla.) 4:31.24; 17. Janet Jesang (Western Ky.) 4:41.57.
3,000 — Lisa Koll (Iowa St.) 8:56.09; 8. Janet Jesang (Western Ky.) 9:11.09.
5,000 — Lisa Koll (Iowa St.) 15:29.65; 13. Janet Jesang (Western Ky.) 16:04.48.
60 hurdles — Queen Quedith (Va. Tech) 7.94.
4×400 relay — Arkansas 3:32.87; 15. Kentucky 3:37.90.
Distance medley relay — Oregon 10:59.64.
High jump — (tie) Elizabeth Patterson (Ariz. St.) and Amber Kaufman (Hawaii) 6-3 1/2; tie 25. Rachel Gehret (U of L) 5-10 3/4.
Pole vault — Kylie Hutson (Ind. St.) 14-8 1/4.
Long jump — Blessing Okagbare (Texas-El Paso) 21-11 3/4.
Triple jump — Kimberly Williams (Fla. St.) 46-8 1/4.
Shot put — Mariam Kevkhishvilli (Fla.) 60-10 3/4; 6. Jere’ Summers (U of L) 55-9 1/4; tie 14. Ashley Muffet (Ky.) 53-9 1/4; 21. Chinwe Okoro (U of L) 52-7 1/4.
Weight throw — D’Ana McCarty (U of L) 74-0 1/4; 2. Jere’ Summers (U of L) 73-4; 8. Kristin Smith (Ky.) 67-6.
Pentathlon — Liane Weber (Clemson) 4,262; 16. Precious Nwokey (Ky.) 3,967.

Three new names on The Bowerman watch list’s top 10

The men’s ”watch list” for the USTFCCA’s Bowerman Award has three new names among the top 10 this week: LSU’s Walter Henning, Georgia’s Torrin Lawrence and Northern Arizona’s David McNeill. The Bowerman is college track and field’s version of the Heisman Trophy in football. For more information, see www.TheBowerman.org

The Bowerman Watch List top 10 through March 3, in alphabetical order:

Name (school, class) event, hometown
Jeshua Anderson (Wash. St., jr.) hurdles, Woodland Hills, Calif.
Ronnie Ash (Okla., jr.) hurdles, Raleigh, N.C.
Sam Chelanga (Liberty, jr.) distances, Nairobi, Kenya
Ashton Eaton (Ore., sr.) combined events, Bend, Ore.
German Fernandez (Okla. St., so.) distances, Riverbank, Calif.
Walter Henning (LSU, jr.) throws, Kings Park, N.Y.
Torrin Lawrence (Ga., so.) sprints, Jacksonville, Fla.
David McNeill (Northern Ariz., sr.) distances, Melbourne, Australia
Andrew Wheating (Ore., sr.) distances, Norwich, Vt.
Ryan Whiting (Ariz. St., sr.) throws, Harrisburg, Pa.

Also receiving mention — Aaron Braun (Adams St.); Charles Clark (Fla. St.); Will Claye (Okla.); Jason Colwick (Rice); Lee Emanuel (N.M.); Ricky Flynn (Lynchburg); Ryan Foster (Penn St.); Ramon Gittens (St. Augustine’s); Tabarie Henry (Texas A&M); Trindon Holliday (LSU); Bryce Lamb (Texas Tech); Ngonidzashe Makusha (Fla. St.); Scott Roth (Wash.); Ramon Sparks (Abilene Christian).

Campbell is Athlete of the Week

Amber Campbell is USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week, having won the women’s weight throw with a season world-leading and a meet-record mark of 81 feet, one-half inch at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships at Albuquerque, N.M.

Campbell, a 2008 Olympian, won here fourth consecutive national title with the third-best throw ever. She earned 1,213 points to earn the title of Visa Champion by one point over sprinter Carmelita Jeter, worth $30,000.

The best performances by American in the week ending Feb. 28 follow. AL = American leader; OT = oversized track; WL = world leader.

MEN
60 — Ivory Williams (Nike) at Albuquerque, 6.49 WL; 200 — Charles Clark (Fla. St.), Blacksburg, Va., and Calvin Smith (Fla.), Fayetteville, Ark., 20.67 WL; 400 — Torrin Lawrence (Ga.), Fayetteville, 45.10; 800 — Nick Symmonds (Nike/Ore. TC Elite), Albuquerque, 1:47.59; Mile — Andrew Wheating (Ore.), Seattle, 3:58.20 OT; 3,000 — Mark Matusak (Calif.), Seattle, 7:59.67 OT; 5,000 — Elliott Heath (Stanford), Seattle, 13:47; 5K walk — Tim Seaman (NYAC), Albuquerque, 20:57.47; 60 hurdles — Terrence Trammell (Trackstar Appeal), Albuquerque, 7.41 WL; High jump — Jesse Williams (Nike), Albuquerque, 7-8; Pole vault — Scott Roth (Wash.), Seattle, 18-9 1/4; Long jump — Bryce Lamb (Texas Tech), Ames, Iowa, 26-8 1/2); Triple jump — Lawrence Willis (unattached), Albuquerque, 55-3 3/4; Shot put — Christian Cantwell (Nike), Albuquerque, 69-4; Weight throw — A.G. Kruger (Nike), Albuquerque, 82-0 WL; Heptathlon — Nick Adcock (Mo.), Ames, Iowa, 5,938.

WOMEN
60 — Carmelita Jeter (Nike), Albuquerque, 7.02 AL; 200 — Shavon Greaves (Penn St.), State College, Pa., 22.98 WL; 400 — Debbie Dunn (unatt.), Albuquerque, 50.86 WL; 800 — Anna Pierce (Nike), Albuquerque, 2:00.84 AL; 1,500 — Morgan Uceny (Reebok), Albuquerque, 4:19.46; Mile — Jordan Hasay (Ore.), Seattle, 4:35.01 OT; 3,000 — Lisa Koll (Iowa St.), Ames, Iowa, 8:56.09 OT; 5,000 — Lisa Koll (Iowa St.), Ames, Iowa, 15:41.57 OT; 3K walk — Maria Michta (Walk USA), Albuquerque, 13:51.33; 60 hurdles — Ginnie Powell (Nike), Albuquerque, 7.87; High jump — Chaunte Lowe (Nike) Albuquerque, 6-6 AL; Pole vault — Lacy Janson (unatt.), Albuquerque, 15-3; Long jump — Brittney Reese (Nike) Albuquerque, 22-7 1/4 WL; Triple jump – Erica McLain (Nike) Albuquerque, 46-1 1/2 AL; Shot put — Jill Camarena (Nike/NYAC), Albuquerque, 61-1 1/2; Weight throw — Amber Campbell (Nike), Albuquerque, 81-0 1/2 WL; Pentathlon — Chantae McMillan (Neb.), Ames, Iowa, 4,151. 

Kentucky’s men are No. 19 and Louisville’s women are 14th in the first regular-season U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association rankings of NCAA Division I teams.

The Florida State men and Texas A&M women retained the No. 1 spots awarded in the pre-season. Oregon is No. 2 in both men’s and women’s rankings.

The UK men dropped two spots from the pre-season. The Wildcats are last among seven Southeastern Conference teams ranked among the top 20.

The top 25 men’s teams include seven each from the SEC, Pac-10 and Big 12, plus two each from the ACC and Big Ten.

Louisville’s women climbed four spots from the pre-season. The Cardinals are the first of three Big East teams among the top 25.

The SEC leads the women’s poll with six teams among the top 25. The Big 12 has four teams, followed by the Big East, Pac-10 and ACC with three each.

Both Louisville and Kentucky will be in action this weekend at UK’s Rod McCravy Memorial Meet.

Friday’s schedule is limited to four field events — men’s high jump, women’s pole vault and weight throws for men and women.

Saturday’s card begins at 10:30 a.m. with the women’s high jump and long jump. The first track event, semifinals of the women’s 60-meter hurdles, is set for 12:30 p.m.

MEN                                                                                   WOMEN
Rank (previous rank) School (points)                     Rank (previous) School (points)

 1. (1) Florida State (135.17)                                        1. (1) Texas A&M (189.67)
 2. (3) Oregon (124.74)                                                 2. (2) Oregon (120.25)
 3. (2) Florida (120.22)                                                  3. (5) Brigham Young (117.86)
 4. (8) Texas A&M (118.10)                                           4. (3) LSU (105.16)
 5. (4) Nebraska (107.17)                                             5. (4) Florida State (103.16)
 6. (9) LSU (106.59)                                                       6. (10) Penn State (91.38)
 7. (5) Arkansas (94.10)                                                7. (9) Clemson (85.29)
 8. (7) Arizona State (89.48)                                          8. (12) Tennessee (82.15)
 9. (6) Oklahoma (88.97)                                               9. (6) Florida (79.60)
10. (11) Baylor (67.78)                                                 10. (17) Arkansas (75.59)
11. (14) Texas Tech (65.59)                                       11. (7) South Carolina (74.18)
12. (10) Minnesota (62.80)                                         12. (11) Nebraska (66.28)
13. (13) Virginia Tech (61.23)                                     13. (8) Washington (65.98)
14. (19) Georgia (57.62)                                              14. (18) LOUISVILLE (63.40)
15. (12) South Carolina (57.45)                                 15. (21) Oklahoma (61.68)
16. (38) Indiana (53.65)                                              16. (16) Baylor (61.40)
17. (16) Stanford (48.07)                                             17. (26) Arizona (58.12)
18. (15) Auburn (47.67)                                               18. (13) Virginia Tech (56.30)
19. (17) KENTUCKY (47.42)                                        19. (27) Auburn (53.31)
20. (101) Arizona (41.20)                                             20. (23) Southern Illinois (53.29)
21. (18) Washington State (40.92)                            21. (14) Connecticut (47.74)
22. (20) California (40.72)                                           22. (20) Indiana State (46.28)
23. (22) Kansas State (40.59)                                    23. (22) West Virginia (44.97)
24. (21) Oklahoma State (39.64)                               24. (19) Illinois (44.91)
25. (36) Washington (37.87)                                      25. (25) Texas-El Paso (44.56)

Cardinals 21st, Wildcats 26th in softball pre-season poll

Louisville is No. 21 and Kentucky is one spot shy of making the ESPN.com/USA Softball Pre-Season Collegiate Top 25 poll released Tuesday.

Topping the list is defending NCAA champion Washington (51-12 last season), taking 17 of 20 first-place votes.

U of L (48-11) is one of two Big East teams ranked, one spot behind DePaul. The Cardinals open their season Feb. 12 in the Marriott Tournament at Houston. In order, U of L will face Kansas, No. 15 Baylor (twice), Houston and No. 16 Ohio State.

UK (34-23) had the most votes of “others receiving votes” – 26th overall. The Wildcats begin play Feb. 11 in the Kajikawa Classic where they will face, in order, host and No. 7-ranked Arizona State, San Diego State, Cal State Fullerton, Western Michigan and No. 11 California.

Five Southeastern Conference teams are ranked ahead of UK: No. 2 Alabama, No. 5 Florida, No. 8 Georgia, No. 13 LSU and No. 18 Tennessee.

Rank, Team (first-place votes), 2009 record, points

 1. Washington (17)         51-12   479
 2. Alabama (1)                 54-11   457
 3. Michigan                       47-12   430
 4. Arizona (1)                    46-17   424
 5. Florida                           63-5     407
 6. UCLA (1)                       45-11   396
 7. Arizona State                47-19   387
 8. Georgia                         47-12   363
 9. Missouri                        50-12   337
10. Oklahoma                    41-16   306
11. California                     38-20   282
12. Stanford                       48-11    256
13. LSU                           34-18-1    234
14. Georgia Tech               46-15   215
15. Baylor                            40-22   214
16. Ohio State                     47-11   187
17. Northwestern               31-15   167
18. Tennessee               40-18-1   163
19. Florida State                 44-16   128
20. DePaul                          39-14   107
21. LOUISVILLE                  48-11    93
22. North Carolina              47-13    91
23. La.-Lafayette                 45-13    84
24. Fresno State                 28-20    70
25. UMass                           41-10     55
Others receiving votes: KENTUCKY (26), Jacksonville State (17), Auburn (14), North Dakota State (14), Nevada (12), Oregon (11), Oklahoma State (10), Texas (8), Cal Poly (7), Notre Dame (7), Nebraska (6), Texas A&M 5, Ball State (4), Brigham Young (4), San Diego State (4), Long Beach State (3), Purdue (2), New Mexico State (1), Virginia Tech (1), Western Michigan (1).

SCORE one for the ol’ coach

Jeff Bennett

Former UK baseball coach Keith Madison, now national baseball director of SCORE International, is helping raise funds for the non-profit organization through an online sale of baseball memorabilia. The pair of items come courtesy of Jeff Bennett, relief pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays and an annual supporter of SCORE. The sale on eBay runs through January.

Descriptions follow.

1. 2009 official MLB Rawlings baseball, with 22 autographs from the World Series champion New York Yankees. Signatures include Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, Mariano Rivera, Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira, Jorge Posada, (World Series MVP) Hideki Matsui, Andy Pettitte, AJ Burnett, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Nick Swisher, Joba Chamberlain and Manager Joe Girardi.  Online, see: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=220543520321&Category=73418&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D1

2. 2009 official Mark Teixeira-autographed baseball bat. The bat was donated from Teixeira’s personal game collection, straight from the Yankees clubhouse, and is signed in permanent silver ink. Online, see: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220546270071