COLLEGE FOOTBALL

THE SUN BELT CONFERENCE HAD ITS FOOTBALL MEDIA DAY MONDAY AND WESTERN KENTUCKY WAS PICKED 7^TH IN THE PRE SEASON POLL.

WKU HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART CAST HIS VOTE FOR HIS OWN TEAM AND PICKED THEM TO WIN THE LEAGUE. TAGGART EXPLAINED IN A TELECONFERENCE HE GAVE THE HILLTOPPERS THE FIRST PLACE VOTE BECAUSE THEY WERE COMPETITIVE IN A NUMBER OF GAMES LAST SEASON DESPITE A TWO AND 10 RECORD. TAGGART ADDED THE TEAM’S GOAL IS TO WIN MULTIPLE SUN BELT CHAMPIONSHIPS.

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL WAS PICKED FIRST, FOLLOWED BY TROY UNIVERSITY—WHO HAS HAD AT LEAST A SHARE OF FIVE CONSECUTIVE SUN BELT TITLES. MIDDLE TENNESSEE TIED FOR THIRD WITH NORTH TEXAS.

TWO HILLTOPPERS—RUNNING BACK BOBBY RAINEY AND OFFENSIVE LINEMAN WES JEFFRIES WERE NAMED TO THE ALL SUN BELT OFFENSIVE TEAM.

WKU OPENS THE SEASON THURSDAY SEPTEMBER FIRST AGAINST THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY AT L-P FIELD IN NASHVILLE.

THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCED ITS ALL S-E-C PRE SEASON COACHES TEAM MONDAY. KENTUCKY’S LARRY WORFORD WAS NAMED FIRST TEAM OFFENSIVE LINEMAN, WHILE DEFENSIVE LINEMAN MALIK JACKSON OF TENNESSEE, KENTUCKY LINEBACKER DANNY TRAVATHAN AND VANDERBILT LINEBACKER CHRIS MARVE WERE SELECTED TO THE FIRST TEAM DEFENSE.

VANDY TIGHT END BRANDON BARDEN WAS NAMED TO THE SECOND TEAM OFFENSE, WITH FELLOW COMMODORE AND DEFENSIVE BACK CASEY HAYWARD NAMED TO THE SECOND TEAM DEFENSE.

TENNESSEE DEFENSIVE BACK PRENTISS WAGGNER WAS NAMED TO THE THIRD TEAM DEFENSE.

VANDY RETURN SPECIALIST WARREN NORMAN WAS NAMED TO THE SECOND TEAM SPECIALISTS, WHILE KENTUCKY’S RYAN TYDLACKA WAS NAMED THIRD TEAM PUNTER.

THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE BEGINS ITS MEDIA DAYS TOMORROW IN BIRMINGHAM.

THE SON OF ARKANSAS FOOTBALL COACH BOBBY PETRINO HAS BEEN ARRESTED ON DRUG CHARGES IN INDIANA. THE COURIER JOURNAL REPORTS 23-YEAR-OLD DOMINIC PETRINO WAS ARRESTED EARLY MONDAY MORNING ON CHARGES OF D-U-I, POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA, ILLEGAL POSSESSION OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS AND DRUG PARAPHERNALIA.

THE YOUNGER PETRINO WAS PULLED OVER AFTER BEING SPOTTED BY AUTHORITIES DRIVING OFF A ROAD AND BACK ONTO IT. HE WAS RELEASED LATER MONDAY FROM THE DUBOIS COUNTY JAIL ON A ONE THOUSAND DOLLAR BOND. DOMINIC PETRINO IS A BACK UP QUARTERBACK AT ARKANSAS.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS COACH JOSH PASTNER SAID MONDAY PLAYING THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE IS NOT BENEFICIAL TO HIS PROGRAM.

THE MEMPHIS COMMERCIAL APPEAL SAYS PASTNER APPEARED ON A TALK SHOW ON A KNOXVILLE RADIO STATION AND SAID HE WISHED THE TEAMS DID NOT PLAY. HE SAYS THE ONLY REASON THE GAME IS PLAYED IS BECAUSE HIS ATHLETICS DIRECTOR WANTS HIM TO PLAY IT.

PASTNER LATER TOLD THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL HIS FEELINGS WERE NOT PERSONAL, BUT MORE CONCERINING RECRUITING. PASTNER SAID KNOXVILLE IS NOT A FERTILE RECRUITING AREA FOR HIS PROGRAM, WHILE TENNESSEE ACTIVELY RECRUITS PLAYERS IN MEMPHIS.

MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

AFTER TWO OFF DAYS, THE TRADEWATER PIRATES RETURN TO ACTION THIS EVENING HOSTING THE MARION BOBCATS IN AN OHIO VALLEY LEAGUE DOUBLEHEADER. GAME ONE BEGINS AT FIVE AT RIVERSIDE PARK IN DAWSON SPRINGS.

OWENSBORO AND LEAGUE LEADER FULTON MEET TONIGHT IN FULTON. FULTON HAS A HALF GAME LEAD OVER OWENSBORO AND MARION AND A THREE GAME LEAD OVER TRADEWATER.

THE NASHVILLE SOUNDS OPENED A FOUR GAME SET WITH THE IOWA CUBS WITH A 5-3 TEN INNING WIN LAST NIGHT. GAME TWO IS TONIGHT IN DES MOINES.

THE BOWLING GREEN HOT RODS WRAPPED UP A SERIES AT QUAD CITIES WITH A 6-0 VICTORY. THE HOT RODS ARE OFF TODAY, THEN OPEN A HOME SERIES WITH THE BURLINGTON BEES WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT BOWLING GREEN BALLPARK.

GOLF

PRINCETON’S EMMA TALLEY BEGAN PLAY MONDAY IN THE U-S-G-A’S U-S GIRLS JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP AT OLYMPIA FIELDS COUNTRY CLUB OUTSIDE CHICAGO.

TALLEY FIRED AN OPENING ROUND THREE OVER PAR 75 WHICH PUTS HER IN 32^ND PLACE. THE SECOND ROUND TAKES PLACE TODAY.

HOPKINSVILLE HIGH’S DAYTON JONES IS PLAYING ON THE PEPSI TOUR TODAY AT GAY BREWER JUNIOR GOLF COURSE AT PICADOME IN LEXINGTON. JONES HAS A 500 POINT LEAD OVER THE NEAREST COMPETITOR IN THE BOYS 17-18 DIVISION POINTS RACE, WITH CHRISTIAN COUNTY HIGH GOLFER JONATHAN GRABARA IN THIRD PLACE.

FORMER CHRISTIAN COUNTY HIGH GOLFER DARREN MORRIS HAS QUALIFIED FOR THE POWERBILT KENTUCKY OPEN. THE KENTUCKY NEW ERA REPORTED MONDAY MORRIS SHOT 71 IN A QUALIFIER LAST THURSDAY IN LONDON. THE POWERBILT KENTUCKY OPEN WILL BE HELD AUGUST 2-4 AT PERSIMMON RIDGE GOLF CLUB IN LOUISVILLE.