Carla Overbeck, an assistant coach for the women's soccer team, co-captained the United States' victorious World Cup team. Overbeck, a defender, played every minute of every game in the tournament. In the championship game, she scored America's first penalty kick in its shootout win against China.
"We were exhausted, physically and mentally," Overbeck told the Associated Press. "Then we got together and rallied. We talked about not wanting our dreams to end here. We told our minds that we weren't tired, and we were going to leave all that we had out on that field."
Although as a defender Overbeck did not score any goals and did not grab many headlines, in the championship game, ABC named her the Chevrolet Player of the Game. And as a captain, she was the first to hoist the championship trophy into the air.
Duke-UConn rematch?: The rematch won't mean as much, but there is a chance that Duke and Connecticut will meet early next season in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic held in Madison Square Garden.
The Blue Devils are slated to play Stanford Nov. 11, while the Huskies will take on Iowa. The tournament's championship and consolation games will take place the following evening.
"We are excited about participating in what has become one of the premier college basketball tournaments in the country," coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
Brand joins Team USA: Elton Brand's dream summer actually began before he became the No. 1 pick of the NBA Draft. One month earlier, Brand was one of three collegians to be named to the U.S. National basketball team. The rest of the team is composed of established NBA stars like Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, and while Brand was looking forward to the competition, he was a little awestruck.
"You watch these guys all the time on TV," Brand told the Associated Press after his first practice with the squad. "It's a big adjustment playing on another level. But I think I held my own for the first scrimmage. I wasn't dominated or anything, so I think I did all right."
The team was created to compete in the Pre-Olympic qualifying tournament of the Americas. Although at the time of publication the tournament had not started, the United States was heavily favored to qualify for the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia.
Brand also earned more accolades when he was named the ACC Athlete of the Year.
Hempen stays at Duke: Women's soccer head coach Bill Hempen interviewed for the head coaching job at UCLA this summer, but will remain at Duke. Hempen, who has been the head man at Duke since its inaugural 1988 season, interviewed in Los Angeles June 23.
Before he left for California, he told The Chronicle that he was unsure if he would take the job if it was offered to him. He indicated that it was curiosity more than anything else that inspired him to do the interview.
In the end, however, the three-time ACC coach of the year decided he would rather stay with the Blue Devils.
"A big part of the decision came from the people at UCLA," Hempen said. "It is an incredible university and everyone I talked to there had so much pride in the school. It really made me think about how I felt about Duke and how much pride I have for this place. It was a difficult decision, to pass up that opportunity, but I don't feel like I'm through yet with what I want to accomplish at Duke. I want to see it through."
Hempen has a 135-82-15 career record with the Blue Devils, but last season went just 7-11-2. But Athletics Director Joe Alleva, for one, was glad to have Hempen back.
"Bill is a tremendous asset to our athletic department," Alleva said. "We are very pleased to have him stay and continue the high level of success he has brought to our women's soccer program."
Duke receives $5 million gift: The estate of Tobias "Zollie" Sherrill, a 1951 Duke graduate, will give at least eight Duke athletes scholarships as a result of a $5 million gift. Sherrill left the money in an endowment to support athletic scholarships, which cost $33,000 annually. The donation is Duke's largest ever for athletic scholarships.
Sherrill graduated from the University in 1951. While at Duke he was a football letterwinner and later became a charter member of the Iron Dukes. Sherrill was the president of a Charlotte construction company and died in 1996.
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