Sports Briefs: UNLV’s golfers ranked fourth

Thursday, Sept. 19, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

The UNLV golf team received its first ranking of the fall season Wednesday when the Rebels placed fourth in the initial Rolex Collegiate Rankings.

UNLV received 145 points in voting done by a panel of College Golf Foundation coaches.

Florida, which ranked fourth last season, took six of the seven possible first-place votes and is the top team heading into competition. Defending champion Arizona State, which nipped the Rebels by three shots at the NCAA finals in June, was second while perennial power Oklahoma State was third. Texas Christian rounded out the top 5.

UNLV senior Mike Ruiz, who was third in the nation individually last season, is No. 16 in the Rolex rankings, one spot behind teammate Ted Oh. Only Florida, with the Nos. 1 and 4 players, has more than one member ranked in the Top 20.

The Rebels opened their season Saturday by tying for fifth place at the William H. Tucker Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M. Their next tournament is the Preview Invitational Oct. 7-8 at Lake Forest, Ill.

Girls softball team forming

The Las Vegas Gamblers softball club is holding tryouts for its 14-and-under team for the 1997 season. Any girl interested in playing competitive fast-pitch softball who will be 14 or younger on Sept. 1, 1997 is invited to the tryout. Practices will begin immediately and the team will be in tournaments in Nevada, California and Arizona. For more information, call 547-3908.

Nomo's shtick

The morning after the Los Angeles Dodgers' Hideo Nomo pitched a no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies in Denver, his catcher said Nomo probably won't discard his twirling windup permanently. Nomo junked his usual back-to-the-plate windup because of a slick mound and pitched from the stretch Tuesday night. But don't expect him to continue it. "Then he wouldn't have a trademark," said catcher Mike Piazza. "He wouldn't be 'The Tornado.' He'd only be 'The Tropical Storm.' Gotta have a shtick, you know."

Favre: NFL did it

Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre said he was forced into rehab by the NFL and would not have told the league about his problem with painkillers had he known what would have happened. Favre, the league's MVP last season, said "I'd have never" told the NFL of his Vicodin dependency had he known he would have been forced into drug rehab rather than face a fine of four weeks' salary, according to Sports Illustrated. Favre had always indicated his admittance to the program was voluntary, but S.I. said the ultimatum came three weeks after he had flown to Chicago to see a group of doctors retained by the NFL to discuss his Vicodin dependency.

Petty charged

Former stock-car racing great Richard Petty, who is running for North Carolina secretary of state, was charged with hit-and-run and reckless driving in connection with an accident last week. State Highway Patrol officials said the accident occurred on Interstate 85 as Petty tried to pass another car. Petty is accused of bumping the car from behind, then passing it and driving away.

Sanchez Vicario, Pierce win

Second-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario of Spain overpowered Italy's Rita Grande 6-2, 6-1 today to advance to the quarterfinals of the $450,000 Nichirei Ladies tennis tournament in Tokyo. Fourth-seeded and defending champion Mary Pierce of France also advanced, beating South Korean Park Sung-hee 7-5, 6-2 on the hard courts at Tokyo's Ariake Tennis Park. Others moving to the quarters were American Kimberly Po and Wang Shi-ting of Taiwan.

Maxwell must pay

Former Houston Rockets guard Vernon Maxwell has to pay an injured Phoenix security officer $120,000. A Maricopa County Superior Court jury awarded the money to Alton Bell, 29, who sustained lower-back injuries while trying to restrain Maxwell from charging a heckler. Maxwell had been ejected from Game 6 of the 1994 NBA Western Conference semifinals with the Phoenix Suns at the time.

Thompson's house burns

Fire swept through the home of Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson on Wednesday night. No injuries were reported. District of Columbia fire crews responded to Thompson's stately stone house in Northwest Washington about 8:40 p.m. for a fire on the second floor.