West Virginia coach

Rich Rodriguez

yesterday declined comment on a report that he had met in Ohio with Michigan officials about the Wolverines' football coaching vacancy.

West Virginia athletic director

Ed Pastilong

said he was unaware that Rodriguez, who has a $4 million buyout clause in his contract, was in Toledo.

Rodriguez, 44, has compiled a 60-26 record in seven seasons.

The Mountaineers were ranked No. 2 this season and needed only to beat rival Pittsburgh in the season finale to reach the BCS championship game. Pitt won, 13-9.

Now ranked 11th, the Mountaineers will play No. 3 Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 2.

Nicole Fawcett

had 13 kills as Big Ten champion Penn State (33-2) advanced to tonight's NCAA volleyball championship in Sacramento, Calif., with a 3-0 win over California (26-8) on Thursday night.

The Lions will meet Stanford (32-2), a 3-2 winner over Southern Cal (29-5).

Chadron State senior tailback

Danny Woodhead

won the Harlon Hill Trophy, the second straight year he has been honored as the nation's top player in NCAA Division II. Northwest Missouri State and Valdosta State play today for the Division II title in Florence, Ala.

Elsewhere:

Duke officials denied reports that the school has reached an agreement with Tennessee offensive coordinator

David Cutcliffe,

53, to take over as coach. . . . Penn State defensive back

Justin King

confirmed that he filed paperwork with the NFL advisory committee, which will project where he could be picked in April's NFL draft if he left college early. . . . Louisville wide receiver

Mario Urrutia

will bypass his senior season and enter the NFL draft. . . .

Paul Petrino

will be Arkansas' offensive coordinator next season under his brother,

Bobby

. . . .

Duke Crews

, a sophomore basketball player at Tennessee, is sidelined with an unspecified heart condition, a team spokesman said.

Soccer

Marcus Tracy

led Wake Forest (21-2-2) to the title game in the NCAA Men's College Cup, scoring twice in the second half in the Demon Deacons' 2-0 semifinal victory over Virginia Tech (14-4-1) in Cary, N.C.

Eric Edwards

scored off a rebound in the 53d minute to lead Big Ten champion Ohio State (16-3-5) to a 1-0 win over Massachusetts (17-7-1). The final will be tomorrow.

Elsewhere: Fabio Capello

was appointed coach of England's national team for a reported $12.2 million a year.

Golf

Tiger Woods

shot a 10-under 62 to set the course record at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif., building a 4-shot lead over

Jim Furyk

in the Target World Challenge.

England's

Lisa Hall

shot a 3-under 69 to take a 1-stroke lead over compatriot

Laura Davies

after the second round of the Dubai Masters in the United Arab Emirates. Hall was at 136 on the Emirates Golf Club's Majlis Course.

South Africa's

James Kingston

shot a 3-under 69 to take a 1-stroke lead over countryman

Andrew McLardy

and Wales'

Kyron Sullivan

after the second round of the South African Open in Paarl, South Africa.

Noteworthy

World bronze medalist

Kim Yu-na

of South Korea led the women's field in the Grand Prix Final figure skating competition in Turin, Italy, while 14-year-old American

Caroline Zhang

was a surprise runner-up. U.S. champion

Kimmie Meissner

was fourth.

In the men's event, U.S. champion

Evan Lysacek

two-footed his quad toe loop and was third, while

Johnny Weir

fell on a triple axel and ended up fourth.

In the ice dance, U.S. champions

Tanith Belbin

and

Benjamin Agosto

won the original dance segment with their best score of the season.