IN BRIEF

POLO

Official: Horses died from selenium overdose

Florida's top veterinarian on Tuesday blamed the deaths of 21 elite polo horses on an overdose of a common mineral that helps muscles recover from fatigue.

Florida's state veterinarian, Dr. Thomas J. Holt, said toxicology tests on the dead horses showed significantly increased selenium levels.

The horses from the Venezuelan-owned Lechuza Caracas team began collapsing April 19 as they were unloaded from trailers at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Fla., before a championship match. Some died at the scene, others hours later.

"Signs exhibited by the horses and their rapid deaths were consistent with toxic doses of selenium," Holt said.

The team was preparing to play in the U.S. Open and was seen as a top contender.

A Florida pharmacy that mixed a brew of vitamins and minerals for the team on order from its Florida veterinarian said the strength of selenium was incorrect. Jennifer Beckett, chief operating officer for Franck's Pharmacy in Ocala, Fla., would not say whether the incorrect amount was specified in the veterinarian order or was a pharmacy error.

COLLEGES

UNLV women's tennis nets NCAA regional bid

The UNLV women's tennis team earned an NCAA regional at-large bid, getting sent to Los Angeles to face No. 30 Arizona State on May 9.

The 44th-ranked Rebels won the Mountain West Conference regular-season championship and reached the finals of the conference tournament before falling to Texas Christian.

The winner of the UNLV-ASU match will play May 10 against the winner of the UCLA-Boston University match for the right to advance to the round of 16, set for May 15 in College Station, Texas.

Also: The UNLV baseball team defeated Cal State Northridge 13-8 Tuesday night at Earl E. Wilson Stadium in a nonconference game.

Trailing by a run after the seventh inning, the Rebels loaded the bases with a walk and two singles and following a pop out, Kyle Kretchmer came to the plate and stroked a single to center.

Two runs scored and after UNLV loaded the bases again, Chad Claus laid down a run-scoring bunt. J.J. Sferra capped the rally with a two-run single.

Ryan Thornton added a solo home run in the eighth as the Rebels improved to 23-21 overall, winning its third consecutive game. CSUN dropped to 17-26 on the season

UNLV second baseman Ashli Holland was named Mountain West Conference softball player of the week.

Holland helped the Rebels go 4-0 last weekend, batting .615, including a grand slam among her five extra-base hits. Holland had seven RBIs.

Florida men's basketball player Alex Tyus decided to remain with the program, changing his mind 10 days after announcing plans to transfer.

Tyus, a 6-foot-8-inch sophomore forward, was Florida's second-leading scorer at 12.5 points per game and leading rebounder at 6.2 per game last season..

Two local boys basketball players signed national letters of intent with Division I programs.

Cheyenne guard Demetric Williams signed with Wichita State, and Las Vegas guard Tony Eackles signed with Alcorn State.

The two join Findlay Prep's Avery Bradley (Texas), D.J. Richardson (Illinois) and Carlos Lopez (UNLV), Cheyenne's Elijah Johnson (Kansas) and Mike Cutright (Northwestern State), Mojave's Anthony Marshall (UNLV) and Liberty's Milos Knezevic (Bradley) as area seniors who have signed.

MISCELLANEOUS

NHL helping Coyotes stay financially afloat

The NHL has loaned an unknown amount of money to the Phoenix Coyotes for payroll and rent payments.

The Arizona Republic online edition reported if the team fails to pay its debt, the league can take it over, according to financial records filed with the Maricopa County Recorder's Office.

The day after the team agreed to loan terms Feb. 24 with the NHL, it paid Glendale nearly $351,000 in overdue arena rent payments.

The loan terms give the NHL more control over the future of the struggling Coyotes, including the possible relocation of the team.

Also: Defending champion Russia earned a 4-2 victory over Switzerland in Bern, Switzerland, at the ice hockey world championships.

Both teams had already qualified for second-round play.

In a later match in Zurich, Canada rolled over Slovakia 7-3 to finish atop its group with a 3-0-0 record. Slovakia also advanced to the second round.

Lance Armstrong will compete in the Tour of the Gila this week in New Mexico, the seven-time Tour de France champion's first race since breaking his collarbone in a crash last month.

Race director Jack Brennan said Armstrong and Astana teammates Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner will be allowed to compete in the event after USA Cycling reached an agreement with the International Cycling Union.

USA Cycling spokesman Andy Lee confirmed a deal with UCI was in place, one day after the governing body informed race organizers of a rule that bars top professional teams from sending organized squads to national-level races.

The compromise allows up to three members of a pro team to race individually without a team car or team director.

The WTA Tour said Maria Sharapova will miss next week's Italian Open and the Madrid Open the following week as she recovers from right shoulder surgery.

Chelsea held Barcelona to a 0-0 tie in the first leg of the European Champions League soccer semifinals in Barcelona, Spain.

The Italian soccer federation upheld a ruling ordering Juventus to play its next Serie A home match in an empty stadium as punishment for racist insults hurled by fans at Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli.

Yulia Yefimova set a world record in the women's 50-meter breaststroke by clocking 30.23 seconds at the Russian swimming championships in Moscow.