The Bounce: Kovalcheck heading to Vanderbilt
by John Moredich on May. 30, 2006, under SportsEx-University of Arizona starting quarterback Richard Kovalcheck will try out to fill the hole at Vanderbilt left by first-round NFL draft pick Jay Cutler.
Kovalcheck, who transferred after the 2005 season after losing his job to true freshman Willie Tuitama, will be eligible to play in the 2006 season.
The City Paper in Nashville, Tenn., said the transfer will be made official by the end of the week.
Kovalcheck couldn’t be reached for comment, and UA coaches will be reticent about his status until his transfer is official.
Kovalcheck, who started 11 games in two seasons at UA, will be eligible immediately to battle for a starting job. NCAA rules will not force him to sit out one season because he graduated from UA in three years and UA does not have his post-graduate program.
Kovalcheck, who has two years of eligibility, will enroll at Vanderbilt as a graduate student studying health care administration, The City Paper reported.
Interceptions led to his demise as UA’s starter. The Wildcats took Tuitama out of his redshirt year after Kovalcheck threw 11 interceptions in UA’s first seven games. He completed 57 percent of his passes for 1,351 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Kovalcheck threw for six touchdowns and had seven interceptions after winning the starting job late in the 2004 campaign.
Vanderbilt is looking for a new quarterback after Cutler was drafted by the Denver Broncos.
Sophomore Chris Nickson and redshirt freshman Mackenzi Adams competed for the starting nod this spring.
ASU softball ‘dreamed big’ to get to WCWS
TEMPE – Coach Clint Myers made believers out of his Arizona State softball players.
The Sun Devils earned a spot in the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. ASU opens with Texas on Thursday (noon, ESPN2).
Myers, in his first year at ASU, is a former Sun Devils catcher who played in the College World Series twice in Omaha, Neb.
Asked which is better, Omaha or Oklahoma City, Myers said, “Oklahoma City, by far. Omaha was fun, but this is my dream.”
The dream began when the team first began meeting in August after Myers’ hiring June 29.
“He said, ‘I’m taking this team to the World Series,’ ” said sophomore second baseman Mindy Cowles. “We all kind of looked at each other. There had been talk of conference (Pac-10) and regionals, but not the World Series. We believed since then.”
Myers knew it would take commitment and effort to reach the WCWS.
“We saw all of that,” he said. “We dreamed big. It took us beyond our dream, and we’re not done yet.”
ASU sophomore left-hander Katie Burkhart (29-6) faces Texas senior left-hander Cat Osterman (37-2).
Burkhart has been thinking about playing in the WCWS since she was 10.
“I’m never one to be speechless, but I’m so excited for everybody,” Burkhart said.
The Arizona Republic
Beijing police in training for 2008 Olympic Games
BEIJING – At least 10,000 Beijing policemen are training for the 2008 Olympics by practicing high-speed car chases.
At a special track, police are learning to drive customized police cars with roll bars, safety seats and special seat belts, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.
The training, which started last year, includes changing direction at high speeds and U-turns, according to a report from the Beijing Public Security Bureau.
The Associated Press
