U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS ROUNDUP : Ovenhouse Springs Into Lead

Julie Ovenhouse scored a 9.5 on her final dive and took a 54-point lead over 12 qualifiers in the 3-meter springboard preliminaries in the U.S. Olympic diving trials Wednesday night at Indianapolis.

Ovenhouse received marks ranging from 8.0 to 9.5 for the inward 2 1/2 somersault. She also received a 9.5 on her fourth dive--her highest score on the springboard since a pair of 10.0s in college.

The same dive cost Karen LaFace a chance to stay within reach of Ovenhouse. LaFace received marks of 4.5 to 5.5 on the inward 2 1/2 somersault.

Ovenhouse had 542.88 points to 488.19 for LaFace. Wendy Lucero-Schayes, a 1988 Olympian, was third with 484.62 and Krista Klein fourth with 473.79. The top 12 of 16 divers advanced to tonight’s finals. The top two finishers will compete in the Olympics.

Jeanne Golay won her third consecutive title and Chann McRae rode into contention for a spot on the men’s team in the U.S. Cycling Olympic trials and national championships at Hollidaysburg, Pa.

McRae and Golay need strong finishes in Friday’s races to earn spots on the Olympic team. The combined winners, based on points earned in both races, will receive an automatic spot on the three-rider Olympic road race teams. The two remaining positions will be selected by the team’s coaches.

McRae, 20, of Plano, Tex., broke from the lead group of 10 riders with about three miles left and posted a 45-second victory in the 128-mile event in 5 hours 11 minutes 53 seconds.

Lance Armstrong, 20, defending national champion from Austin, Tex., finished second in 5:12:37.

Bob Mionske of Madison, Wis., the 1990 national champion who finished fourth in the 1988 Olympic road race, was third among the 150 finishers, also in 5:12:37.

Golay, 30, of Glenwood Springs, Colo., won her sixth national title with a two-bike-length victory in the 64-mile women’s race in 2:48:49.

Defending titlist Inga Thompson of Reno was second and Linda Brenneman of Mission Viejo was third.

Michael Matz moved into a commanding lead for a berth on the U.S. Olympic equestrian team when he rode Heisman and Olisco to clear rounds in the fourth selection trial at Gladstone, N.J.

Matz and the German-bred stallion Heisman, led the field of 15 contenders with four penalties imposed for a rail down at the second trial at Devon, Pa., last month.