European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 25, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday March 25, 1986 stars and stripes Page 25 w. Kentucky again bars Texas path by the associated press the top ranked Texas lady longhorns May have last season s semifinals on their minds when they play for a shot at this year s Mcaa women s basketball championship. Last season Western Kentucky deprived Texas of an Opportunity to Advance to the final four when the Hill toppers used a Buzzer beater to gain a 92-90 upset in the Mideast semifinals. Texas 32-0, has not lost since and will face no. 5 Western Kentucky 32-3, Friday in Rupp Arena in Lexington by. The Hill toppers Are expected to bring about 8,000 fans on the three hour trip from Bowling Green to cheer coach Paul Sanderford s team on to sunday s National title game. Texas in its first Mcaa final four has other ideas. In fact lbs which is televising the championship has an Opportunity to get the no. 1 team against the no. 1 player if Cheryl Miller and her third ranked Southern California teammates can beat no. 15 Tennessee in the other semifinal Friday night. Western Kentucky became the Only team to return from last year s finals when it Defeated no. 10 Rutgers 89-74, Mcaa tourney in Philadelphia for the East regional title. Lillie Mason scored 18 Points and grabbed 16 rebounds while Kami Thomas outside shooting produced 22 for the Hill toppers. Regina Howard scored 18 and sue Wicks had14 for Rutgers 29-4. These kids really wanted to get to Lexington Sander Ford said. They really played with a  Texas meanwhile almost suffered a fourth straight disappointment before gaining the upper hand Over no. 11 Mississippi 66-63, for the Midwest title As Beverly Wil Liams scored 20 Points. Home Sweet Home Texas coach Jody Conradt said As a crowd of Over 10,000 largest to see an Mcaa women s regional title game watched her team in aus tin. Texas shot 61 percent in the second half after trailing the rebels by three Points. Jennifer Gillom led Mississippi 24-8, with 25 Points and 10 rebounds. Tennessee 24-9, gained its seventh National semifinal and third in the Mcaa by Downing Southeastern Confer ence rival Louisiana state 67-65, at Iowa City for the Mideast title. I was very upset with this team at halftime said Tennessee coach Pat head Summitt who led the . To an olympic Gold medal at los Angeles in 1984. You could t feel the electricity that you could feel on thurs  on thursday the vols eliminated another Sec rival no. 2 Georgia 85-82. Shelly Sexton was a Factor in both games. Against no. 9 Louisiana state 27-6, she scored 17 Points in helping the vols rally. In the West Miller and Cynthia Cooper led us 30-4, to a Chance to win its third National title in the last four years by beating no. 4 Louisiana tech 80-64 at Long Beach Calif to avenge an earlier defeat by the techs Erthis season. Miller the tournament map scored 23 Points and Cooper added 19. The two played key roles in 1984 when us won the championship Over Tennessee. I was most impressed with the Way Cheryl blended in with her teammates Louisiana tech coach Leon bar More said. The key to their improvement is the play of freshman Center Cherie  i m really Happy with our play the last two games and we re ready to go to Lexington us coach Linda Sharp said. Feels 4 aging fighters could get Hurt wac chief asks sex champs to quit Wilfredo Gomez. 17 title defences by Luis r. Varela san Juan puerto Rico a world boxing Council president Jose Sulaiman is calling for the retirement of four aging for Mer world champions before they suffer serious injury in the ring. Sulaiman said in an interview that Roberto Duran Alexis Arguello Wilfredo Gomez and Wilfred Benitez no longer pos sess the skills that permitted them to win world titles in three different divisions. All four Are currently talking about a run at a title in a fourth division something no Boxer has Ever achieved. They All should retire but the one that worries me most is Gomez because i feel like his godfather Sulaiman said. It s criminal to pressure him to keep fighting when he is no longer in top  Gomez made 17 defences of the wac super bantamweight Crown before relinquishing the title and moving up to take the featherweight Crown from Juan la Porte. He lost that title in his first defense to Azumah Nelson but won the world boxing association Junior lightweight title from Rocky Lockridge Here last May. The Aba is expected to strip him of the 130-Pound title later this month for Refus ing to defend against top ranked Alfredo Layne of Panama. But he has hinted he May seek a shot at one of the titles in the 135-Pound lightweight division. Gomez will be remembered As one of boxing s greatest champions in the lighter divisions Sulaiman said. But he can t go on any  he also called it a shame that Duran and Arguello Are insisting on trying to make comebacks. Arguello who has held the Feather weight super featherweight and Light weight titles is looking for a shot at the Aba super welterweight title held by Pat Rizio Oliva of Italy. Duran who held world lightweight welterweight and super welterweight crowns has announced he will return the ring in april to try to get a Chance at the undisputed middleweight Champion marvelous Marvin Hagler. Benitez who held the Aba Junior welterweight and wac welterweight and Junior middleweight crowns is also hoping for a shot at Hagler s title. But in his last out ing he was knocked out in the ninth round by Canadian super welterweight Matthew Hilton. Benitez should retire Sulaiman said. All hell do if he continues to fight now is mar the vast prestige he  Yugoslavia . Proved ski surprises Bromont Quebec a As expected Switzerland and Austria dominated world cup ski racing this season. Unexpected was the remarkable Progress made by teams from Yugoslavia and the near collapse of the american women. Switzerland waltzed to the nation s cup title As the top Alpine squad after 30 victories a world cup women s Over All title for Maria Waltser and Pirmin Zurbriggen s runner up finish in the men s Overall. It was won by Marc Girardelli of Luxembourg. Austria Rode the hot skis of men s downhill Champion Peter Wirnsberger and women s slalom titlist Roswitha Steiner to 15 victories More than double last season s meager haul of seven. The United states which won four medals at the 1985 world championships was expecting great things from its women s team and improvement from the men. The men managed just scattered top 15 finishes and the Bottom fell out of things for the distaff racers. Diann Roffe of Williamson n.y., the giant slalom Gold medallist in the world championships did t score a Point this year because of injuries. Debbie Arm Strong the olympic Champion in the same event was Hurt Early in the year after a promising Start. The loss of those two standouts seemed to sap the strength of the remaining skiers especially Tamara my Pam Fletcher Kinney of Squaw Valley Calif. The 1983 world cup Overall Champion did t have a finish higher than a fifth place and scored Only 63 Points to tie Eva Twar dozens of Squaw Valley for 24th place Overall. The top american was Pam Fletcher of Acton mass., who posted the single Ameri can Victory in a downhill at Vail Colo. After almost two years without a single top 15 finish Fletcher got a career Best third in a super giant slalom at Furano Japan be fore winning at Vail. Fletcher s late charge gave her 66 Points,23rd Overall. It was typical of the disastrous american Campaign that Fletcher injured her ankle a Day after the downhill Victory and was through for the season. While the americans faded Canada an Yugoslavia flowered. The canadians bolted past the United states to finish fifth in the women s portion of the nation s cup scoring primarily on the skiing of Liisa Savi Jarvi and Laurie Graham. Savi Jarvi finished 12th Overall with 136 Points the most by a Canadian woman since Nancy Greene won consecutive Over All titles in 1967 and 1968. Graham finished 14th in the Overall standings and was third in the downhill category. Slalom Champion Rok Petrovic 20, Anduri photo Mateja Svet a 17-year-old Junior Whiz led the yugoslavian surge. Petrovic won five _ _ of o to a Tonly . Victory races and Svet two and an eighth was added by 29-year-old, 13-year Veteran Bojan Krizaj. Before this season Yugoslavia had won Only five world cup events All by Krizaj. The season concluded sunday with dual slalom that counted Only for team Points. Liechtenstein s Paul Frommelt one of Sev eral veterans who enjoyed Banner years beat Italy s Marco Tonazzi in the men s final and Vreni Schneider led a Swiss sweep in the women s race by beating Wal Liser. The biggest news was made by Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden who returned to form after a sub Par 1985. He snapped a 21 month non winning Streak by winning a giant slalom at la Villa Italy in Decem Ber the first of his four victories this year. The last the 83rd of his Brilliant career came at Lake Placid n.y., on March 18,his 30th birthday. Vettori Nykanen Triumph Planica Yugoslavia a Ernst Vettori of Austria sunday won the 90-meter event the season s last Competition but 22 year old Matti Nykanen of Finland emerged Overall Winner of the world cup ski jumping Competition on the strength of his saturday Triumph. Nykanen s cup Triumph was his third the others coming in 1983 and 1985. Vettori missed a shot at cup honors by finishing 19th in saturday s 70-meter Hil Competition