Times wires
Monday, May 23, 2011
STANFORD, Calif. — Virginia finally made it to a final. USC seeks a three-peat.
The top-ranked and top-seeded Cavaliers beat No. 4 Ohio State 4-2 on Monday in the semifinals of the NCAA championship to reach their first final.
"To finally reach the finals feels good," Cavs senior Michael Shabaz said. "USC has had a lot of success, but we are not worried. We have the guys who can win the match, and we're going for it."
Steve Johnson and Daniel Nguyen led No. 2 seed USC past Georgia 4-0 and into today's final.
The Florida women's semifinal against UCLA was not over at press time.
UF PLAYS FRIDAY: Florida's softball team opens its best-of-three Super Region series against Oregon at 2 p.m. Friday in Gainesville. Game 2 is noon Saturday followed by Game 3 if necessary. The winner advances to the Women's College World Series, June 2-8 in Oklahoma City.
BASKETBALL: Ed DeChellis, who led Penn State to the NCAA Tournament this year, resigned to take Navy's coaching job. … Murray State promoted assistant Steve Prohm to head coach.
FOOTBALL: Former Alabama running back Demetrius Goode signed to play his final season at North Alabama, a Division II program where he'll be able to play right away for former Florida State coach Terry Bowden.
OBITUARY: Joe Steffy, who helped pave the way for Heisman Trophy winners Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis at Army and won the Outland Trophy as the nation's top lineman in 1947, died Saturday. He was 85. In 1944, before being drafted into the service, he played for a Tennessee team that went to the Rose Bowl.