Kelvin Sampson out at Indiana
BLOOMINGTON, Ind., Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Indiana University men's basketball Coach Kelvin Sampson Friday resigned at the end of a tumultuous week surrounding alleged improper recruiting.
When the NCAA released a report on Sampson in October, it noted that he and his staff participated in more than 100 impermissible phone calls while Sampson was still on NCAA probation for similar infractions committed while he was the coach at Oklahoma University.
ESPN reported the NCAA gave Indiana 90 days, under policy, to respond to the allegations with a hearing before the committee on infractions scheduled for June 14 in Seattle.
"I am very sorry to see our relationship with Coach Sampson end this way, but we have to focus on doing what's best for the long-term interests of IU and its men's basketball team," Athletic Director Rick Greenspan said in a statement.
Sampson reportedly accepted a settlement of $750,000.
Citing unnamed sources, the Indianapolis Star reported Friday that players walked out of a Thursday night meeting with Greenspan, saying they would refuse to play against Northwestern Saturday if Sampson was fired. It was unknown if the players would stick to their original intention now that Sampson has resigned.
As part of the settlement, Sampson agreed not to sue the school. Numerous reports said the settlement funds are being paid by an anonymous donor.
Assistant Dan Dakich was named interim coach.
Feud ends in open-wheel racing
INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- The 12-year feud that split American open-wheel auto racing into two camps ended Friday.
Officials of the Indy Racing League and the Champ Car World Series signed an agreement in principle to merge the two series -- bringing an end to a battle that helped elevate NASCAR and its stock car series into the forefront of auto racing in the United States.
A group of owners and drivers bolted from the IndyCar Series a dozen years ago to form the IRL. From that time both series struggled for attention, sponsors and quality drivers. The Indianapolis 500, once the premier auto race in the country, also lost ground on the sporting calendar.
During this winter, the Champ Car Series saw four-time defending champion Sebastien Bourdais jump to Formula One. The IndyCar Series lost its defending champion Dario Franchitti to NASCAR.
"This is a great day for open-wheel racing and one that I and my Rahal Letterman Racing team have looked forward to for a long time," said Bobby Rahal, three-time IndyCar champion. "I truly believe that this is the first step toward restoring open-wheel racing and the Indianapolis 500 to not only where it once was, but beyond."
Woods survives close match with Baddeley
MARANA, Ariz., Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Tiger Woods rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt at the second extra hole Friday to earn a spot in the quarterfinals of the Accenture Match Play Championship.
Woods defeated Aaron Baddeley in the third round, setting up a quarterfinal match with K.J. Choi. Both the quarterfinals and semifinals will be held Saturday, with the two survivors meeting in a 36-hole title match Sunday.
Baddeley overcame an early two-hole deficit and turned his meeting with Woods into a tense duel at the Dove Mountain Gallery Course.
"Matches like that are a lot of fun to be a part of," Woods said.
It was the first time Woods and Baddeley had been paired since the final round of last year's U.S. Open. Baddeley had a two-shot lead on that occasion, but triple-bogeyed the opening hole en route to an 80.
Choi reached the quarterfinals Friday with a 2-up victory over Paul Casey. Defending champion Henrik Stenson will face Woody Austin in another quarterfinal match, while Justin Leonard will take on Vijay Singh and Stewart Cink will play current U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera.
Singh went eight extra holes before eliminating Rod Pampling. Leonard defeated Stuart Appleby 2 & 1.
Vonn brings downhill title to America
WHISTLER, British Columbia, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Lindsey Vonn became the first American in a dozen years Friday to win the season-long World Cup downhill championship.
Vonn wrapped up the title by finishing second to Nadia Styger in Friday's downhill event, held on the Olympic run outside Whistler, British Columbia. Vonn was just .01 of a second behind Styger with American Julia Mancuso finishing third.
Picabo Street was the last American to claim the prestigious alpine skiing crown. Vonn needed only a fourth-place finish or better to ensure she would be the downhill champ.
Vonn can now set her sights on the overall title. She leads defending champion Nicole Hosp by 64 points in that battle.
"It's amazing I won the trophy," Vonn said. "It's been a dream of mine since I was a kid to win. The last two years I was really close. I had injuries last year and mistakes the year before, so I'm really happy with the way it's finally happened."
