Track & field
HOULE MID-CON COACH OF YEAR: After guiding the Southern Utah women's indoor track team to a first-place finish, Eric Houle was named the 1998 Mid-Continent Conference Women's Coach of the Year.
Olympics
UTAHN AT PARALYMPICS: Wait! The Olympic Games aren't quite over yet. At least they're not for one Utahn. Brent Benroth will be leaving to Nagano, Japan, to represent the United States in the 1998 Paralympic Games. He will compete as a nordic skiier. In 1994, Benroth won two golds and a bronze.
SPECIAL OLYMPICS: The Utah Special Olympics are set to begin Thursday and will run through Saturday. Over 550 athletes and hundreds of volunteers are expected to participate in the games.
Awards
UTAH SPORTSMEN HONORED: A banquet honoring three men who have made significant impacts on sports programs in Utah is staged to take place this Saturday at the Olympus Hotel (161 West, 600 South).
The list of honorees include Glen Beere, who has served seven years as the executive director of the Utah High School Activities Association; Spencer F. Eccles, a member of the executive committee and the board of directors of the 2002 Winter Olympics Committee; and J. Elliott Cameron, who has served as a teacher, principal and superintendent in Utah high schools while dedicating much time to the sports programs.
Festivities begin at 6:30. Tickets are $20, and the event is open to the public.
Football
OILERS FREE TO NEGOTIATE: The Tennessee Oilers are free to negotiate to play in Nashville this year under an agreement with Memphis officials.
The Memphis and Shelby County Sports Authority and the Memphis Parks Commission signed a deal calling for the Oilers to pay $1.2 million to get out of a two-year contract to play in the Liberty Bowl. The city also won't refund the $118,904 the team spent improving the stadium.
Basketball
FULLERTON SCANDAL: A Cal State Fullerton student offered a player $1,000 to throw a Fullerton game last week and suggested he could make as much as $75,000 the rest of the season, according to police.
Jack Oh, 21, was charged with one felony count of point shaving and was being held in lieu of $25,000 bail at the Fullerton jail, Sgt. Dave Stanko said. Oh was to be arraigned Wednesday in Central Court in Santa Ana.
RAPTORS' TRENT SENTENCED: Toronto Raptors forward Gary Trent was sentenced to five days in jail for violating terms of his probation stemming from an incident involving his pregnant girlfriend last year.
VAN EXEL'S DECISION: Los Angeles Lakers guard Nick Van Exel could decide whether to undergo surgery on his right knee by Wednesday.
Steve Lombardo, the Lakers' team physician, recommended diagnostic arthroscopic surgery Monday after examining Van Exel, who has missed four games because of soreness and a clicking sensation he feels in the knee.
DUDLEY OUT: New York center Chris Dudley broke a bone in his right foot in the Knicks' 87-82 loss to Golden State. Dudley is expected to wear a cast for six weeks.
Tennis
ADVANTA CHAMPIONSHIPS: At Philadelphia, Xavier Malisse nearly turned his professional debut into a major upset, pushing Pete Sampras to three sets before the world's No. 1-ranked player prevailed 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the Advanta Championships.
GUARDIAN DIRECT OPEN: At London, Australian Open champion Petr Korda of the Czech Republic beat Germany's David Prinosil 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (7-2), 6-4 in the first round of the Guardian Direct Open.
IGA CLASSIC: At Oklahoma City, third-seeded Venus Williams beat Nana Miyagi of Japan 6-3, 6-2, and Serena Williams, at 16 a year younger than her sister, routed Katrina Adams 6-1, 6-2 in the first round of the IGA Classic.
U.S. FED CUP: Second-ranked Lindsay Davenport was the first player selected by captain Billie Jean King for the U.S. Fed Cup team. The U.S. team will face the Netherlands at Kiawah Island, S.C., on April 18-19.
Hockey
LEAFS, SUNDIN AGREE: Mats Sundin, the first European captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, said he agreed to a new $22.8 million, four-year contract.
SAKIC OUT 4 WEEKS: Colorado captain Joe Sakic is expected to miss about four weeks because of a sprained ligament in his left knee. He was injured playing for Canada in the Nagano Olympics.
Baseball
ROCKIES PITCHERS INJURED: Colorado Rockies pitchers Roger Bailey and Mike Munoz were injured in an auto accident following a workout in Tucson, Ariz.
Bailey, diagnosed with severe whiplash, was taken to the University of Arizona Hospital after complaining of soreness in his neck and shoulder. Munoz experienced minor soreness, but declined treatment.