INDIANAPOLIS — Chip Ganassi remembered the first time he saw Tony Renna, a young, fearless driver who finally reached the pinnacle of big-time racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Watching from the pits in May, Ganassi managing director Mike Hull leaned over, pointed to Renna and told his boss, “There's the guy.” “Who's the guy?” the car owner wanted to know. “In a couple of years, that's the guy we're going to have to beat,” Hull said. Ganassi didn't want to wait, so after Renna left Kelley Racing, where he finished in the top 10 in five of seven races, Ganassi hired him for next season as the teammate of 2003 Indy Racing League champion Scott Dixon. In his first test drive with Ganassi last week, Renna's car went out of control in the third turn of the Speedway's famed 2 1/2-mile oval, went airborne and crashed at almost 220 mph. The 26-year-old driver with so much promise was dead on arrival at Methodist Hospital, leaving a stunned racing community and a grieving family, friends and fiancee. “Tony had arrived at the peak of his dreams,” best friend Mark Coughlin said at a funeral Mass on Monday at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. “His persistence to succeed in this sport is nothing short of remarkable. “Chip,” he said, turning to Ganassi near the front of the church during the nearly two-hour service, “you chose the right guy. It's just that God needed him on his team earlier. COLLEGE BASKETBALL The Penn State women's team, which returns all five starters from a 26-9 season, was selected as the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten Conference championship in a poll of conference coaches. Penn State senior guard Kelly Mazzante was chosen as preseason player of the year. On the men's side, Michigan State was tabbed as the favorite. Duquesne announced that the starting time of its Dec. 31 home game against Cornell at Palumbo Center has been moved up one hour to noon to accommodate travel arrangements for Cornell. Two-time defending champion Glenville State was selected to repeat again in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. West Liberty State, one of two district schools in the conference, was chosen to finish as runner-up. COLLEGE FOOTBALL Georgia has lost another key player to a season-ending injury. Cornerback Decory Bryant had neck surgery Sunday morning that will end his season and leaves his NFL future in doubt, the seventh starter or top backup lost to a season-ending injury for the fourth-ranked Bulldogs this season. Texas running back Cedric Benson will return to practice this week and will likely start against No. 12 Nebraska, Longhorns coach Mack Brown said. North Carolina State forward Marcus Melvin escaped injury when the sport utility vehicle he was driving went down an embankment near campus. Illinois receiver Lonnie Hurst will miss the rest of the season with a broken right leg, adding another blow to a battered Illini team that has lost seven games in a row. Penn State announced that its Big Ten Conference game at Northwestern on Nov. 8 will be televised at noon by ESPN2. PRO FOOTBALL Two Oakland players confirmed they are among several Raiders subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury investigating a lab that supplies elite athletes with nutritional supplements. Defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield said he was subpoenaed “a while ago,” but doesn't know exactly when he will be in court. Running back Tyrone Wheatley also said he was subpoenaed in the case involving the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, or BALCO. Defensive tackle Darrell Russell was released by the Oakland Raiders, shortly after the NFL reinstated him for completing a 11/2-season suspension for violating its substance abuse policy. Broncos linebacker John Mobley returned to Denver after spending the night in a Baltimore hospital with a bruised spinal cord. David Carr probably will miss the Texans' next game against Carolina because of a badly sprained right ankle, though an MRI showed no serious damage. Rookie cornerback Andre Woolfolk's sprained left ankle could sideline him for the season, but Titans coach Jeff Fisher said the team will seek a second opinion. Jacksonville linebacker T.J. Slaughter was arrested and spent several hours in jail after two men in a passing car told police the player pointed a gun at them. San Francisco safety Ronnie Heard will miss 4-5 weeks with a sprained left knee. Eagles defensive tackle Hollis Thomas will have season-ending surgery today after tearing his left biceps in the final minute of Philadelphia's victory over the New York Jets. HOCKEY Goaltender Curtis Joseph was recalled from the minors by the Detroit Red Wings. Joseph made a rehabilitation start Friday for Grand Rapids of the AHL. He had 20 saves in his first minor-league hockey game in eight seasons. The St. Louis Blues acquired left winger Erkki Rajamaki from the Tampa Bay Lightning for an eighth-round selection in the 2004 draft. OLYMPICS Two executives who headed Salt Lake City's bid to host the 2002 Winter Olympics go on trial today on charges of using bribery to help land the games. Prosecutors say bid leader Tom Welch and deputy Dave Johnson gave $1 million in inducements ranging from cash to medical care to scholarships to International Olympic Committee delegates who eventually selected Utah to host the games. SOCCER Mexico's popular Chivas team is looking at four U.S. cities to place an MLS expansion team, with San Diego the front-runner. MLS and Chivas officials are touring possible sites, including Houston, Chicago and Los Angeles, but MLS commissioner Don Garber said both sides were “leaning toward” San Diego. TENNIS Albert Costa of Spain defeated Mariano Zabaleta of Argentina, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-5, to reach the second round of the Paris Masters. Stephanie Cohen-Aloro, Tathiana Garbin, Jelena Jankovic, Tina Pisnik and Martina Sucha advanced to the second round of the Advanta Championships. Kim Clijsters returned to the No. 1 ranking in women's tennis, one week after surrendering the spot to Justine Henin-Hardenne. OFF THE FIELD The sentencing date for former middleweight champion Michael Nunn on a federal drug charge has been rescheduled for Dec. 16. Former Minnesota Vikings receiver Anthony Carter pleaded guilty to charges related to a domestic battery case, and received five years of probation.

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