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News Nuggets, 04.19.06
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Krog leads Pirates to C-USA women's golf title

East Carolina claimed its first Conference USA women's golf championship on Tuesday carding a three-round total of 887 to win by 10 strokes at the par 72, 6,216-yard Ironwood Golf Course. Freshman Lene Krog became the Pirates' first individual C-USA champion as she carded a 54-hole total of 216 to win by one stroke over SMU's Jennifer Ackerson.

The victory gives the Pirates an automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals at a site to be later determined. The regionals are scheduled to begin May 4, according to a release from ECU media relations.

Krug was also named the C-USA Freshman of the Year and was selected first-team all-conference as voted upon by the league's nine head coaches. Heidi Helliesen was voted third team all-conference and finished ninth at the championship with a seven-over par 223.

"I knew we had the potential to win today," said first-year Pirate head coach Kim Lewellen. "I'm so proud of the way we competed this afternoon. We were able to make some tough shots down the stretch and put ourselves in position to win."

The Pirates held a four-stroke lead over Tulsa entering the final round and improved theirs lead by six strokes.

ECU finished 23-over par, 887, followed by SMU (897), Tulsa and UCF (902), UTEP (907), Memphis (919), Southern Miss (948), Marshall and UAB (958).

UConn sophomore opts for NBA

University of Connecticut sophomore All-American Rudy Gay has announced that he will forego his final two seasons of eligibility at UConn and make himself available for the 2006 NBA Draft, according to the Huskies' athletics web site.

Gay is the tenth UConn player to declare early for the NBA Draft, including junior Josh Boone, who entered the draft on April 7 but has not hired an agent.

Gay appeared in 64 games in the last two seasons, scoring 870 points, an average of 13.6 per contest. As a sophomore in 2005-06, Gay was a consensus All-American selection.

Another UConn cager eyes different pro route

University of Connecticut basketball player Ed Nelson has announced his intention to pursue a career in the National Football League. The 6-foot-6, 265-pound senior will be available to scouts for testing and timing during a Pro Day on Friday on the UConn campus. Nelson will run through a variety of drills and tests during the workout.

“I am excited about exploring the option of competing in the NFL,” Nelson said. “I feel that the hard work and work ethic that I showed during my college basketball career will help me to be ready for this opportunity. I have gotten great feedback in the last week that I am an individual that NFL teams could and will be very interested in. I am anxious for the chance to show scouts next week that I can help their team in the future.”

Nelson will be represented by Joe Linta, whose company represents over 40 NFL players and coaches.

“I came up to work out Ed with little expectations and came away convinced that he is an NFL prospect at the tight end position,” said Linta. “He is very quick, has outstanding hands and great lower body strength. I have never heard a stronger recommendation about a player’s heart, drive and commitment than Coach (Jim) Calhoun had for Ed. I have already contacted several teams that have committed to attending the workout.”

“I think this is a really great opportunity for Ed,” Calhoun said. “He clearly has the talent to play basketball at the professional level, but if anyone can make this transition, it is him. He knows he has our support and we will do anything we can to help him make this move successfully.”

Nelson completed his college basketball career this season at Connecticut, playing in 29 games for the Huskies as a frontcourt reserve. He played two seasons at UConn, appearing in 60 games and averaging 3.1 points and 2.6 rebounds. He transferred after playing his first two seasons at Georgia Tech, where he was the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2001-02. He averaged 8.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 62 games for the Yellow Jackets.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from other sources. Copyright 2006 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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