Sports digest 5/14/02

AREA

POWERLIFTING TEAM WINS STATE TITLE; TWO SET RECORDS

The Universal Health and Fitness Powerlifting Team won the Missouri State Powerlifting Championships for the 16th time May 4 at St. Louis, Mo., behind a pair of record-setting performances.

Lindsay Pledger set state teen-age division records in the squat, bench press, deadlift and total weight lifted. Sabrina Pledger set a United States juniors record with 385 lbs. in the deadlift.

Elfrink, Kluesner win horseshoe assoc. event

Tyler Elfrink and Mike Kluesner teamed to win the Southeast Missouri Horseshoe Association event at the Oran Knights of Columbus Hall.

Ron LeGrand and Beth McClain finished second with Rose Kern and Cori Stoverink third.

ELSEWHERE

COLLEGES

A memorial service for former Missouri football coach and athletic director Dan Devine has been scheduled for June 1 in Columbia, Mo. Devine was 77 when he died last week at his Arizona home. The local memorial service is set for 2 p.m. June 1 at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Columbia. It is open to the public.

Football

Mickey Loomis was promoted from director of football operations to general manager by the Saints, four days after the firing of GM Randy Mueller. The team also said it has started talks with coach Jim Haslett about signing him to a long-term contract.

Golf

Tiger Woods says he is "very close" to switching to Nike Golf irons. Woods has been working with several sets of the irons over the last year, but a turning point came last week during the Byron Nelson Classic, when he went to Shady Oaks Country Club in Fort Worth to work with Nike club designer Tom Stites. He did not say when he would change from the Titleist forged irons he has used since early 1998.

Soccer

Tab Ramos, considered the best U.S. soccer playmaker ever, will announce his retirement at the end of the current Major League Soccer season, a source close to the league said. Ramos refused to confirm the report in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. However, a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the announcement would be made today.

Tennis

Andre Agassi withdrew, and Pete Sampras was defeated as the German Open in Hamburg lost two stars . In a letter to organizers, Agassi said his victory at the Italian Open made him reconsider playing in Germany. Sampras' drought stretched to 27 tournaments without a title after his 6-3, 6-4 loss to Max Mirnyi.

Anna Kournikova and Mary Pierce won first-round matches at the Italian Open in Rome. Pierce defeated Marie-Gaiane Mikaelian 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, while Kournikova ousted Marta Marrero 6-3, 6-3.

-- From staff, wire reports