Trojans represent at the LA Sports Awards

The 2008 LA Sports Awards were held Friday, bringing together some of the biggest names in the Southland. Mark Sanchez was on hand, and while he kept mum about the NFL, he did pose for a picture with Phil Jackson. Sanchez was also spotted last week at a Lakers game.

A media panel selected by the LA Sports Council named the top 10 moments of the year, and the Trojans' continued dominance of Pac-10 football -- a seventh straight conference title -- was selected as Los Angeles' seventh greatest moment of 2008. Ken Norton Jr. was there to pick up the hardware. When asked if the Trojans will experience a drop-off on defense next season, he said they might surprise everybody and be even better.

Every local team was honored for its greatest moment, based on an Internet fan poll. USC's top moment was its athletes or alumnis winning 21 medals in the Beijing Olympics. If the school were a nation, it would have been 13th in the world in overall medals and eighth in the world with nine gold medals.

Curiously, the media's favorite USC moment (winning the Pac-10 in football) wasn't even among the three choices that fans had: the Beijing Olympics, the NCAA women's golf championship and the NCAA men's water polo championship. Those three nominees were selected by the school.

The Dodgers' acquisition of Manny Ramirez and the subsequent "Mannywood" craze was the top winner. Staples Center stars dominated the individual awards, with Kobe Bryant being named sportsman of the year, Candace Parker sportswoman of the year, Phil Jackson coach of the year and Mitch Kupchak executive of the year.

A presentation of the awards ceremony will air on PrimeTicket this Friday, with several repeats in the following days.

-- Adam Rose
Photos by Jon SooHoo, courtesy LA Sports Council

USC's Olympic medal haul

In this year's Olympic Games, 40 Trojans competed in nine sports and represented 16 countries. Nine USC athletes are coming home with a gold medal. The last time Troy was shut out from the top of the podium was in 1908.

Here's how USC earned 21 medals in Beijing (all representing the United States, unless otherwise noted):

Gold: 9

• Rebecca Soni (swimming, 200-meter breast stroke)
• Klete Keller and Erik Vendt (swimming, 800 freestyle relay)
• Ous Mellouli (swimming, 1,500 freestyle, Tunisia)
• Amy Rodriguez (women’s soccer)
• Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson (women’s basketball)
• Gabe Gardner (men’s volleyball)
• Allyson Felix (track, 1,600 relay)

Crosstown Rivals Team Up for Gold

Amy Rodriguez and Lauren Cheney are usually sworn enemies. A few months ago, Cheney was leading UCLA toward a national title in women's soccer when Rodriguez's USC squad upset the Bruins in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament.

On Thursday in Beijing, the pair's teamwork earned each an Olympic gold medal.

Playing for the U.S. in an overtime final against Brazil, Cheney one-touched the ball to Rodriguez, who played the ball off of her back heel to Carli Lloyd. After a touch outside the box, Lloyd blasted a shot into the lower left corner of the net.

-- Adam Rose
Photo: Carli Lloyd is surrounded by U.S. teammates after scoring in a 1-0 victory over Brazil in the women's soccer gold-medal game Thursday in Beijing. Credit: Luca Bruno / Associated Press

Soni Rises to the Occasion

Rebecca Soni, a senior communications major at USC, set the world record today in the 200-meter breast stroke and earned her first Olympic gold medal. Her upset victory came over previous world record holder Leisel Jones from Australia.

Soni's time of 2:20.22 eclipsed the old mark of 2:20.54. Jones led on the first two turns, but Soni edged ahead on the third. As she cruised to victory in the final stretch, NBC's announcer screamed, "This could be the upset of these Olympic games in the swimming pool!"

This wasn't the pair's first showdown in Beijing. Soni picked up a silver medal earlier in the week after losing to Jones in the 100 breast stroke.

USC's last individual gold medal in swimming was won by Lenny Krayzelburg in 2000, and the last woman was Canadian Anne Ottenbrite in 1984 (coincidentally in the 200 breast stroke). Several Trojans have won gold medals recently on relay teams.

Later this week, Soni will swim the breast stroke leg for the U.S. in the 4x100m medley relay.

USC's overall medal count this Olympics is up to five -- three golds, one silver, one bronze.

-- Adam Rose

Photo by Ian Kington / AFP / Getty Images

Cardinal-and-Gold Streak Continues

Michael Phelps' relentless assault on swimming history was the main draw in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay yesterday. His performance also helped USC's medal count.

Erik Vendt and Klete Keller, both USC alumni, swam the final two legs of the preliminary round en route to an Olympic record of 7:04.66. Though they didn't swim in the final round (in which the U.S. broke the world record), they'll both come home with gold medals. That means at least one Trojan has won gold in every Summer Olympics dating back to 1912. A gold medal in the 2012 London Games would extend the streak to a full century.

Vendt earned a silver in the 400m individual medley at the 2004 Athens Games behind -- who else? -- Michael Phelps. He currently trains with Phelps in Michigan. This was Vendt's first gold.

Keller already had one gold, one silver and two bronzes from 2004 and the 2000 Sydney Games. He earned his first gold by holding off Australia's Ian Thorpe in the anchor leg of the 4x200m freestyle relay in Athens.

This week in Beijing, former Trojan Larsen Jenson picked up a bronze in the 400m free and USC senior Rebecca Soni took home a silver in the 100m breaststroke. If it were a nation, USC would rank 12th in this year's medal count, ahead of Canada, Mexico, Spain, Brazil and India.

With 41 athletes at these Games, USC hopes to add to its current total of 114 golds, 67 silvers, and 59 bronzes.

--Adam Rose

Photo: Eric Vendt swimming the breaststroke leg en route to winning the 400 individual medley final during the Janet Evans Invitational in Long Beach on June 12. Credit: Donald Miralle/Getty Images

39 Trojans Go for Gold

Current or former USC athletes have taken at least one gold medal in every Olympic Games dating back to 1912. Next month, 39 will make the trip to Beijing (18 of them in their first Olympics) in hopes of continuing the streak. They will be joined by eight coaches with a tie to the Trojans. For more on USC's delegation, the full press release is after the jump.

Trojan Named L.A. Sportswoman of the Year

The L.A. Sports Council handed out its top awards for 2007, and one of the biggest winners was USC's Allyson Felix. It's a role she should be pretty used to.

At a school where amateur athletes are the recipients of marketing campaigns, Felix has flown under the radar because she was competing in red, white, and blue -- not cardinal and gold. Her story is exceptional. Many athletes use USC as a springboard to their professional careers, but Felix turned pro at 18. With sponsorship money already pouring in and her first Olympics a year away, the sprinter did what few people in her position opt to do -- enroll in college.

Felix couldn't run in NCAA meets, but she's been representing the Trojans at a much higher level. The USC grad sprinted to a silver in the 200-meter at the 2004 Olympics and has consistently placed first at world-class meets ever since. In 2006, she won an ESPY award. In 2007, she went to the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan, and came home with a whopping three gold medals (200m, 4x100 relay, 4x400 relay) -- just the second female athlete to accomplish that feat.

Her golden performance made the council's list of Greatest Sports Moments of 2007 and earned her the title of L.A.'s Sportswoman of the Year. Her male counterpart, David Beckham, may have stolen more headlines, but Felix stole the show when picking up her award. As Felix came up to accept wearing enormous red heels, legendary Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully couldn't resist cracking a couple of jokes. Both are quick on their feet.

The program also honored the top moment in 2007 for all local teams. USC's best, chosen by Internet voters from a list submitted by the school, was winning the NCAA women's soccer national championship. Other nominees had been the men's basketball run in the NCAA tournament and the football team's record streak of six consecutive Pac-10 titles and BCS appearances.

A panel of media experts ranked the region's overall top 10 moments and went a slightly different direction than the USC fans. The Trojans' football streak was named L.A.'s 6th greatest moment in 2007. The Ducks' Stanley Cup victory claimed first.

USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian was there to pick up the school's hardware. Also on hand was USC alum and sports personality Petros Papadakis, who emceed the event with Bill Macdonald.

After the show, Felix said that she planned on running the 200-meter and 100-meter in the Olympic trials and hopes to make a couple of relay teams, as well. Asked about the top sports moment she'd ever seen, she quickly recalled Michael Johnson's 200-meter record at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. She hopes to have some more memorable moments of her own this summer in Beijing.