IN BRIEF

COLLEGE BASEBALL

Top-seeded Texas seeks seventh national crown

Top-seeded Texas will make a record 33rd appearance -- but first in four years -- when the College World Series begins today in Omaha, Neb.

The Longhorns, seeking their seventh national title, will be playing in a field that includes 2008 CWS qualifiers North Carolina and Louisiana State and first-timers Virginia and Southern Mississippi. Texas will try to become the first No. 1 seed to win the CWS since Miami in 1999.

In Bracket 1 games today, No. 2-seeded Cal State Fullerton (47-14) will play No. 7 Arkansas (39-22) and No. 3 LSU (51-16) will meet No. 6 Virginia (48-13-1). In Bracket 2 games Sunday, No. 4 North Carolina (47-16) will face No. 5 Arizona State (49-12) and Texas (46-14-1) will play No. 8 Southern Miss (40-24).

Winners emerging from double-elimination bracket play will meet in a best-of-3 finals starting June 22.

MOTOR SPORTS

Vickers nabs third pole of Sprint Cup season

Brian Vickers won the pole for Sunday's Lifelock 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, his third of the season and eighth of his NASCAR Sprint Cup career.

Vickers posted a lap of 189.110 mph, followed by Kyle Busch at 188.536. Cup champion Jimmie Johnson was third at 188.299, followed by David Reutimann at 188.137, Kurt Busch at 187.950 and AJ Allmendinger at 187.891.

Also: NASCAR driver Robby Gordon's reign as the overall champion in the June 6 SCORE Baja 500 lasted five days. His official finishing position was dropped to seventh Thursday after SCORE officials reviewed information collected in his truck's "black box" data recorder.

The devices are used in each SCORE race vehicle, and Gordon's indicated he exceeded mandated highway speeds and skirted parts of the course. The race's top seven finishers and most in SCORE Trophy-Truck and Class 1 were issued penalties.

Harley Letner of Orange, Calif., was declared the official overall winner.

General Motors has told NASCAR teams it is cutting back on its support in all of the sanctioning body's professional series.

Among the teams already notified that they will lose funding are JR Motorsports, owned by Sprint Cup star Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kevin Harvick Inc., co-owned by Cup star Harvick and his wife, DeLana.

Ashley Force Hood topped Funny Car qualifying in the United Association NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J. She had a 4.071-second run at 303.37 mph.

Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel, 3.818 seconds and 314.46 mph), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock, 6.607 and 208.23) and Craig Treble (Pro Stock Motorcycles, 7.008 and 190.43) also led their divisions in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.

BOXING

Las Vegas' Hunter wins, reaches national final

Defending champion Michael Hunter Jr. of Las Vegas stopped J'Von Wallace at 1:09 of the first round to advance to today's super heavyweight final of the USA boxing national championships in Denver.

Hunter, who on Thursday won an appeal of his disqualification from his quarterfinal bout, will meet Javier Torres, who defeated Trevor Bryan 12-8 in the other semifinal.

Hunter was dominant from the opening bell, landing combinations and stunning Wallace. Hunter scored a knockdown in the first minute and moments later floored Wallace again. The referee then stopped the fight.

Also: Light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson (28-0, 17 knockouts) has agreed to a rematch with Glen Johnson (49-12-2, 33 KOs) this fall, promoter Gary Shaw said. Dawson beat Johnson by unanimous decision last year.

The date and site have not been announced, but the fight probably will be in early November or December. Shaw said he would like it to be in New York's Madison Square Garden, but Las Vegas and Connecticut, where Dawson lives, also are possibilities.

Clarence Adams of Las Vegas defeated Alex Baba of Doraville, Ga., by technical knockout at 1:02 of the eighth round in a super featherweight fight that headlined a card at the Palms.

Other winners were super lightweight Sharif Bogere of Las Vegas, super lightweight Francisco Rios Gil of Phoenix, super lightweight Rynell Griffin of Las Vegas and super middleweight Andre Himphill of Philadelphia. Welterweights Rashad Holloway of Raleigh, N.C., and Harrison Cuello of the Bronx, N.Y., fought to a draw.

Robert Guerrero stopped Efren Hinojosa after eight rounds in a super featherweight fight in San Jose, Calif. Guerrero, a two-time featherweight champion, improved to 24-1-1 with 17 knockouts, and Hinojosa fell to 30-6-1.

Diobelys Hurtado of Cuba won a unanimous decision over Manuel Garnica of Mexico in a welterweight fight in Miami. Hurtado moved to 42-3-1, and Garnica fell to 25-11.

MISCELLANEOUS

Sharapova moves into semifinals in England

Maria Sharapova reached her first semifinal in more than a year by defeating Yanina Wickmayer 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 at the Aegon Classic in Birmingham, England.

Sharapova had 11 double-faults with a remodeled serve to protect her shoulder, which required surgery last year and sidelined her for 10 months.

Sharapova will play Li Na.

Also: Andy Roddick stayed on track for his fifth title at Queen's Club by defeating Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) to advance to the semifinals of the Aegon Championships in London. Roddick will face James Blake.

Former Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson, 34, is quitting professional tennis after more than 15 years on the ATP tour. The Swede won nine singles titles and reached a top ranking of No. 7 in 2002.

Chip Woolley, the trainer of Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, said the horse next will run in the Grade II $750,000 West Virginia Derby on Aug. 1, then the Grade I $1 million Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 29. From there, the goal is the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita, Woolley said.

Michael Phelps easily won the 200-meter butterfly at the Santa Clara International Grand Prix in California, finishing in 1 minute, 54.31 seconds to beat the field by 5.67 seconds.

The Rose Bowl will be televised on ESPN beginning in January 2011, giving the network broadcast rights to all Bowl Championship Series games. The network previously had said it would air the Fiesta, Orange, Sugar and BCS national championship game as part of a multiyear agreement that also begins in January 2011.

The U.S. Olympic Committee has added $16.5 million to the coffers of America's winter sports as it prepares for the Vancouver Olympics in February. That brings the total funding for the current four-year period to $58.2 million -- a 55 percent increase over 2003 to 2006, despite an ailing economy.