THE BOTTOM LINE

Greg LeMond, last week named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year for his effort in returning from injuries and misfortune to win the Tour de France and world cycling titles this year, was named as the year’s top athlete today by L’Equipe, the French sports daily newspaper. The American cyclist received 254 points. Boris Becker, U.S. Open and Wimbledon tennis champion, was second with 177 points. His compatriot, Steffi Graf, who won the women’s titles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, was third with 162 points.

Track and field star Carl Lewis and tennis star Martina Navratilova were picked as the best athletes of the 1980s in an international survey by Italy’s largest sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport of Milan.

Lewis edged soccer player Diego Maradona of Argentina, hockey player Wayne Gretzky and heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson in the survey carried out among the world’s largest newspapers and news agencies.

Navratilova topped Steffi Graf and East German track star Marita Koch.

Former Bradley standout Hersey Hawkins, who led the nation in scoring his senior season, has been named player of the decade in the Missouri Valley Conference. He was one of six unanimous selections today to the 10-player all-decade team.