By VERA FILIPELLI, Times wires
Published March 1, 2004
MIAMI BEACH - The Bowl Championship Series agreed to add a fifth game Sunday, increasing access for schools not part of college football's most lucrative postseason system.
The champions of the six BCS conferences - the Big East, ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-10 - maintain an automatic berth in one of the five games. The remaining four spots will be at-large berths to be decided by a complex formula using national rankings.
The fifth bowl still is subject to final approval based on market viability, but all indications point to it being in place when the new BCS contract takes affect before the 2007 season.
BASEBALL: Gibbs Chapman and Eddy Martinez-Esteve each had two RBIs to lead host Florida State (9-4) past North Carolina-Asheville 4-1. ... Brian Leclerc's single scored two and keyed a five-run seventh inning that helped host Florida (10-3) pull away from Northwestern in a 12-3 win. ... USF (6-4) scored five runs in the fifth to defeat Stetson 6-4 at the News-Journal Classic in DeLand.
SOFTBALL: Jenilee Garner scored the winner as Florida beat Gardner-Webb 1-0. The host Gators (17-2) finished the Cox Communications Classic undefeated. ... At the GSC/SSC Crossover Tournament in Valdosta, Ga., Tampa (9-2) lost to Alabama-Huntsville 4-3 and beat Lincoln Memorial 13-4. Saint Leo (12-7) won twice, 1-0 over Valdosta State and 4-0 over West Florida.
TENNIS: The USF men defeated UAB 4-3 in the Conference USA Shootout semifinals in New Orleans. The Bulls face Tulane in the final. ... The Florida women won their 23rd straight dual match, 7-0 over visiting Arkansas. ... Host USF dropped its match to Eastern Michigan 4-3.
TRACK: The Florida men's and women's teams won SEC indoor championships in Lexington, Ky. The men edged seven-time defending champion Arkansas 128-126. The women scored 105.50, beating Tennessee by seven points.
TRACK: Dragila wins eighth title
Stacy Dragila won her eighth indoor pole vault title at the U.S. Championships in Boston. Dragila jumped 15 feet, 5 inches. Jen Toomey won the 1,500 meters in 4 minutes, 9.82 seconds, adding it to the 800 title she won Saturday. She is the first to win a "middle-distance double" at this meet.
WINTER SPORTS: Ohno's sweep secures title
Apolo Anton Ohno won the 1,000- and 3,000-meter races in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, to complete a sweep at the U.S. short-track speed-skating championships and capture his fourth straight title. Ohno won all six races to take the U.S. short-track title for the sixth time. Shani Davis became the first U.S. men's skater to make the short- and long-track world teams in the same season. Caroline Hallisey won her second straight women's title despite finishing second in the 1,000 and 3,000 to overall runnerup Hyo-Jung Kim.
SKIING: American Bode Miller failed to qualify for the second run of the slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, hurting his chances to win the overall World Cup title. Norway's Truls Ove Karlsen got his first World Cup victory, finishing in 1:42.72. ... American Jeremy Bloom won a moguls event in World Cup freestyle competition in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic. Bloom, who plays football at Colorado and has challenged the NCAA's rules on endorsement money, finished with 26.97 points.
PARIMUTUALS: Peace Rules in New Orleans
Peace Rules held off a late charge by Saint Liam and Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide to win the $500,000 New Orleans Handicap by a head at the Fair Grounds, becoming the second horse to win the Louisiana Derby as 3-year-old and the Handicap at 4. With Jerry Bailey aboard, Peace Rules covered the 11/8 miles in 1:48.61.
GREYHOUNDS: Cayman Went competes Wednesday night at three-eighths mile as he prepares for the $100,000 Distance Classic starting March 13. Moby posted back-to-back wins Saturday night at Hollywood and is a leading contender for Round 3 Wednesday night. The stakes final is March 12.
OLYMPIC QUALIFYING: U.S. women in soccer semis
The United States defeated Mexico 2-0, and both moved on to the semifinals in the women's soccer tournament in San Jose, Costa Rica. The Americans play the second-place team in Group A on Wednesday, but their opponent won't be determined until today, when Canada plays Costa Rica.
BOXING: Vanes Martirosyan won the final spot on the U.S. team two days after his 10 teammates clinched theirs. He beat Austin Trout 25-17 in the welterweight division, which was thrown into turmoil during the trials when top contenders Juan McPherson and Andre Berto were disqualified.
ET CETERA
BOXING: Luis Villalta, who collapsed moments after losing a unanimous decision and his regional lightweight title to Ricky Quiles on Saturday, was in a coma. His condition was listed as critical at North Broward Medical Trauma Center in Pompano Beach. He had surgery late Saturday to relieve swelling around his brain.
GYMNASTICS: Five-time U.S. champion Blaine Wilson will fly to Alabama today to have his torn left biceps examined by Dr. James Andrews, an orthopedic surgeon who has operated on Wilson's shoulder. He is scheduled for surgery Wednesday. Wilson tore the muscle during the still rings event at Saturday's American Cup in New York.
TENNIS: Four-time champion Andre Agassi withdrew from the Franklin Templeton Classic because of a hip injury. It begins today. ... Three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten beat Agustin Calleri 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the rain-interrupted final of the Brasil Open in Costa Do Sauipe. ... Dominik Hrbaty won his third title of 2004 by beating Robin Soderling 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the Open 13 indoor tournament in Marseille, France.
