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WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Buckeyes make top 10; Huskies No.1
Top four teams stay the same for the first time in four weeks despite other changes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Connecticut's Big Ease Montgomery runs past Villanova's Maria Gentry in the first half of a game in the Big East Conference women's basketball tournament semifinal round in Hartford, Conn.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ohio State cracked the top 10 of The Associated Press women's college basketball poll Monday for the first time in two years.
Louisville moved up two places to fifth. The Cardinals survived a double overtime thriller against Rutgers on Sunday and will meet Pittsburgh in the Big East semifinals on Monday night.
The Buckeyes moved into ninth after beating Purdue 67-66 to win the Big Ten tournament on Sunday. Connecticut remained an unanimous No.1 for the 15th week in a row. The Huskies face Villanova on Monday night in the semifinals of the Big East tournament.
Duke climbed two spots to sixth after falling just short against Maryland.
Connecticut was followed by Stanford, Oklahoma, and Maryland — marking the first time in four weeks that the top four teams remained unchanged. The Terps captured their first Atlantic Coast Conference tournament crown in 20 years with a 92-89 overtime victory over then-N. 8 Duke on Sunday.
Stanford is the top seed in the Pac-10 tournament this week and Oklahoma is the No. 1 team in the Big 12 tournament.
Baylor and Auburn each dropped two spots to seventh and eighth. Ohio State moved up three places. The Buckeyes, who are the only team from the Big Ten in the rankings, were in the top 10 every week from Dec. 4, 2004, to the final poll of the 2007 season.
Texas A&M and North Carolina remained in 10th and 11th. California fell three places after a loss to Arizona State. The Bears were followed by Florida State and Pittsburgh.
Vanderbilt made the biggest leap, climbing seven spots to 15th. The Commodores captured the Southeastern Conference title.
Arizona State was followed by South Dakota State, Iowa State, Tennessee, and Xavier.
"I just can't wait to play again," Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb said. "I know we've got to wait a while for NCAAs, but I think we're ready to do some great things."
Florida, Kansas State, Texas, Notre Dame, and Virginia rounded out the poll.
Arizona State moved up two spots to 16th, but lost star Dymond Simon for the rest of the season because of a knee injury.
The Wildcats jumped back in at No. 22 after sweeping Texas and Colorado.
International sports figures can now play longer in the U.S.
ATHLETES
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — The next big Dominican baseball prospect won't face a limit on his playing career in the United States, now that U.S. immigration officials have agreed to let foreign athletes keep playing here as long as they leave the country after 10 years and apply for a new visa.
is for internationally recognized athletes or members of internationally recognized entertainment groups.
The change came in a new policy memo issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, following months of lobbying by sports leagues and lawyers for foreign athletes. The memo, obtained Monday by The Associated Press, also came after the AP made inquiries to the agency about the limit.
Under the old regulations, recipients could get five years on the visa, and extend it once for another five years, not to exceed a total of 10 years.
The leagues and lawyers had complained that the agency recently began enforcing a 10-year limit, endangering the U.S. careers of foreign athletes. Agency officials countered that they've enforced the limit for years, which is based on a 1990 immigration law.
Foreign athletes participate in pro sports such as baseball, basketball, hockey and golf. They can come to the U.S. and play under what's known as a P-1 visa, which
NASCAR
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NACSAR driver Mark Martin smiles after posting the pole-wining time for Sunday's Kobait 500 Sprint Cup at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Ga., Friday.
Driver works to stay positive despite luck
ASSOCIATED PRESS
He's learned that the hard way over his 27 years at NASCAR's top level.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - If Mark Martin didn't have bad luck, he probably wouldn't have any luck at all.
"I do have a history of not being the luckiest guy out there."
There have been four runner-up championship finishes and a myriad of small disasters on a resume that most likely will still go down as
right rear tire to fail. But despite a severely damaged Chevrolet, crew chief Alan Gustafson was able to get the car back on the track so Martin could limp it home to a 31st-place finish.
one of the greatest in series history
one of the greatest in series history. So is it really any surprise Martin's start to the season has been hit by misfortune?
It's not to Martin, who can't seem to catch a break.
"I do have a history of not being the luckiest guy out there," he said Monday, softly chuckling a day after yet another malfunction ruined what was on pace to be a top-five run.
He was fourth at Atlanta on Sunday when he apparently ran over something on the track, causing his
That followed a pair of engine failures in California and Las Vegas.
MARK MARTIN
NASCAR driver
Now, Martin is 34th in the standings and fighting hard not to get all negative again.
His unbridled optimism at the start of the season was so out of character for the 50-year-old pessimist, who was lured
back to a full Sprint Cup schedule by Hendrick Motorsports.
The equipment was supposed to give him his best shot at a championship. Instead, it's failed him so far, and Martin feels obligated to put on a brave face for his new team.
"I've been so bad over the years at judging my self-worth off of the results," he said. "I told everyone that I am mentally tougher now than I've ever been in my life, and I am working at living up to that."
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