European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 2, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 38 stars and stripes monday april 2 2007 Paris edges Parker As aps player of the year by Doug Feinberg the associated press Duke coach Gail Goestenkors was the driving Force behind the Blue devils perfect regular sea son Oklahoma Sophomore court Ney Paris too showed consistent excellence their successes were honoured saturday when they received the associated press women basketball coach and player of the year awards if s a great Honor and a tribute to this team the players and what they gave to the program goes tenors said they were Able to and embrace new roles Paris became the first Sopho More to be voted player of the year narrowly edging Tennes sees Candace Parker and Dukes Lindsey Harding Paris received 18 votes while Parker and hard ing got 16 each in the voting by Dukes Goestenkors awarded top coaching Honor the 50member National Media panel that selects the weekly top 25 it Means a lot to me Paris said of being the first Sophomore if s a reflection of How much our sport has grown and How younger kids Are growing up watching those older players and becoming better because of it i think in a reflection of that Goestenkors who has won nearly 400 games in her career at Duke was a runaway Winner for coach of the year with 40 votes North Carolina states Kay Yow a sentimental Choice after re turning from treatment for breast six votes Goestenkors said she was accepting the award for Yow my Job is easy compared to what she has been through Goestenkors said of Yow she embodies what All coaches should strive for we should All As Pire to be like her Goestenkors guided the Blue devils to a 290 record in the regular season first acc team to do so and 14th in Mcaa history she also led Duke to an inca record seventh straight 30win season the Blue devils suffered their first loss in tie acc tournament Goestenkors Phelps wins seventh Gold 5th world record by Paul Newberry the associated press Melbourne Australia Michael Phelps showed he can win seven Gold medals now Hes got to do it at the olympics Phelps smashed his own Stan in the 400meter individual Medley by 204 seconds sunday night breaking his fifth world record and becoming the most successful swimmer Ever at the world championships this is probably one of the Best meets Ive Ever had he said tin definitely Happy with How it turned out the 21yearold american joined countryman Mark Spitz As the Only swimmers to win seven golds at a major International meet of course Spitz achieve came on the sports grand est stage the olympics Phelps Hopes to equal the feat or go one better at yearns Beijing games v this is definitely the Best Case for what we had in mind leading into the trials and olympics next year he said buoyed by Phelps historic performance the United states won a leading 36 medals including 20 golds equating its record haul in the 1978 worlds at Berlin Australia was second with 21 medals and nine golds including five by Labby Lenton Phelps and teammate Katie Hoff accounted for the night s Only world records american swimmers accounted for 12 of 15 Marks set Over eight Days in the temporary Pool at Rod Laver Arena a polish swimmer staged the final night s biggest upset in the grueling 1500 freestyle where aussie Grant Hackett s run of four consecutive titles ended Mark the United states Katie Hoff races during the women 400meter individual Medley in the world swimming championships in Melbourne Australia on sunday Hoff won Gold and set a world record in the event Mateusz saw Rymowicz won the Gold medal in 14 minutes 4594 seconds against the fastest Field in history he perched on the Lane rope and waved his arms urging the aussie crowd to cheer him Yury Pri Lukov of Russia took the Silver David Davies of Brit Ain earned the Bronze Katie Hoff looked like a Chip off Phelps Block in winning the Wom ens 400 in the 18yearold out of the same North Baltimore club that launched Phelps set a world record of ifs my first one said Hoff who was part of a world record in the 800 freestyle relay in still in disbelief i dont think ill sleep tonight Hoff won by an even bigger margin than Phelps 725 seconds ahead of Yana Martynova of Russia Stephanie Rice of austra Lia settled for Bronze just like Phelps Hoff won the race on the breaststroke portion when she dipped under world record Pace and opened a huge Lead Phelps never got a Chance at an eighth Gold in Melbourne after his us teammates were shockingly disqualified in the 400 med Ley relay preliminaries sunday morning Ian Crocker who had been in position to derail Phelps in the 100 Fly before losing to Bis rival Dove in too Early on an Exchange causing the do it definitely want intention Al Phelps said everything cant go perfect if s All about How you adapt from those things and learn from experiences learn from mistakes i think hell Battle Back from that still Phelps closed out his eight Day run in style winning the 400 in in improving his old Standard of set at the 2004 Athens olympics being a second or More under my Best time in a few events is sort of something that shocked me a Little bit he said Lenton won the women 50 fre Estyle in 2453 seconds american Natalie Coughlin was last closing out a five medal showing including two golds semifinals falling to no state her team was no 1 in the a poll for the seasons final nine weeks and the Overall no 1 seed in the Mcaa tournament Dukes season came to an abrupt end when the Blue devils fell to Rutgers 5352 in the Greensboro regional semifinals she is a great teacher and great motivator Duke senior guard Harding said Shes just someone who cares about her players who would do the Best for her players before anything a seven time Atlantic coast conference coach of the year the 44yearold Goestenkors future at Duke is unclear considered the top candidate for the vacancy at Texas where Jody Conradt announced her resignation March 12 Goestenkors interviewed with the longhorns on wednesday i would like to make the Deci Sion As soon As possible for peace of mind and peace of heart goes tenors said saturday Texas is a Job that Ive always thought was one of the Best jobs in the country Oklahoma coaches decided not to Tell Paris that she was player of the year she looked at them quizzically when her name was announced saturday i was a Little taken Back by it Paris said it was just a huge sur prise and in very humbled by it she said the award easily could have gone to Harding who smiled from her seat in the Audi ence the 6foot4 Paris was third in the nation in scoring at 233 Points and second in rebounding with 158 Paris led the sooner to the round of 16 where they lost to Mississippi Thorpe Calls report of doping rubbish by Neil Frankland the associated press Melbourne Australia clearly distressed Ian Thorpe said sunday Hes confident hell be cleared of any doping violation after a test last year showed elevated Levels of two banned sub stances i have never cheated he declared the five time olympic Champi on at the Center of a doping controversy five months after retiring told a packed news Confer ence that he had been one of swimming most drug tested ath letes theres not going to be an Ideal outcome to this but it will finish and i will win the Thor Pedo said the unshaven Thorpe dressed in Slacks and a rumpled striped dress shirt spoke publicly for the first time since the French sports daily Lequire reported Friday that he had elevated Levels of two banned substances in a doping test last May he announced his retirement in november at age 24 Thorpe said the report had Al ready tarnished his reputation and that it would be Tough to undo the damage Ive always been remembered in this sport As a hero to a lot of people he said i want that to re main flanked by his attorney Thorpe described his initial reaction to the report i sat in my room physically shaking i didst really under stand it he told a couple Hun dred journalists gathered across the Street from the world championships if s completely rubbish it really is Thorpe has Long been an outspoken critic of Finas drug testing methods saying the sports governing body int Tough enough on cheating at the 2001 world Champion ships he complained that Fina should be testing blood for epo and human growth hormone three years later at the Athens olympics he said it was naive to think that All swimmers Are drug free i speak my mind and it gets you in trouble but i was also brought up to be honest Thorpe said if you cant speak your mind and be honest if s not Worth it unfortunately that offends a lot of people Thorpe said he is deeply alarmed about the leak the press receiving this information before an athlete jeopardizes the whole integrity of the testing process he said what is even More troubling is that the result is one for which i understand there is Many inno cent explanations Fina swimming world governing body confirmed that it had appealed a ruling by Asada to the court of arbitration with the aim of clarifying issues sur rounding this Case Fina did not mention Thorpe by name Lequire reported that Asada threw out the Case against Thorpe for Lack of scientific proof Fina then went to Cas the highest Tri Bunal in sports Richard Ings chief executive of the australian anti doping Agency said the investigation had not been closed and was request ing More information on the Case Gomel Marculescu Fina executive director said the Appeal was made in december and he was not sure Why the news came out now the French newspaper said Thorpe turned up with irregular Levels of testosterone and Lute Iniz ing hormone synthetic versions of testosterone the male hormone can act like steroids to improve performance Lut Einung hormone is re leased by the pituitary gland and produces testosterone in men Thorpe said he received a stack of letters Over the years confirm ing negative drug tests