Daniel Leads Webb by Two at LPGA Championship

Beth Daniel topped a short list of survivors Friday at the LPGA Championship, making a birdie on her last hole to escape with a one-under-par 70 and a two-stroke lead over Karrie Webb at Wilmington, Del.

Daniel, the only player to break par in both rounds at punishing DuPont Country Club, was at 137 and had the 36-hole lead at a major championship for the first time in 10 years.

Only four players remained under par entering the weekend--Daniel, Webb, Se Ri Pak and Carin Koch.

Annika Sorenstam finished with a five-over 76 and was nine strokes back entering a weekend that only figures to get more difficult. It was her worst score in relation to par on the LPGA Tour since a 79 in the second round of the 1999 Samsung World Championship--62 tournaments ago.

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Wayne Levi had an up-and-down round that included six birdies and four bogeys, but his 68 gave him a one-stroke lead through two rounds of the PGA Seniors Championship at Akron, Ohio. Larry Nelson, Larry Ziegler and Walter Hall also shot 68s and were at 138.... Loren Roberts, who failed to qualify for next week’s U.S. Open at Bethpage State Park, shot a three-under 68 to take a one-stroke lead over David Gossett during the suspended second round of the Buick Classic at Harrison, N.Y.

College Basketball

A women’s coach forced to resign a day after Vanderbilt hired him did indeed earn two graduate college degrees as he stated on a resume, Miami of Ohio officials said.

Questions surrounding Tom Collen’s academic background cost him his job at Vanderbilt, which he took after quitting as coach at Colorado State. Both schools now have new coaches, and Collen is out of work.

Collen, a 1983 Miami graduate, asked the school last week to check into his academic credentials. Miami told Vanderbilt last month that Collen held only one master’s degree in two subjects.

But a further review found that the registrar’s office made a mistake on Collen’s transcript when he graduated. The office incorrectly entered that he earned one master’s degree in two areas of study, but the record should have shown two separate degrees, Miami spokesman Richard Little said.

Motor Racing

Kenny Brack, who finished second last year in the Championship Auto Racing Teams series, moved into a tie for 13th place by earning a single point for being the fastest qualifier at the Shell 300 at the Grand Prix of Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Brack averaged 114.989 mph in a Toyota-powered Lola around the 2.2-mile road course, guaranteeing a spot on the front row for Sunday’s race.

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Sterling Marlin got his first pole of the season without turning a wheel when qualifying for Sunday’s Pocono 500 in Long Pond, Pa., was canceled because of a wet track. The 43-car field was set on the basis of Winston Cup points.... Greg Biffle won the pole for today’s inaugural Busch Series Inside Traxx 300 at Gladeville, Tenn., with a qualifying speed of 161.288 mph in 29.753 seconds.... The appeal of driver Paul Tracy’s runner-up finish in the Indianapolis 500 will be heard on June 17.

Miscellany

Chamique Holdsclaw returned to the lineup and scored 27 points and the Washington Mystics spoiled Nikki McCray’s return to the MCI Center in Washington with an 89-68 victory over the Indiana Fever in a WNBA game.

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The Minnesota Vikings finally found a new partner for Randy Moss, agreeing to terms with free-agent wide receiver Derrick Alexander, who played with the Kansas City Chiefs last season.... Guard Ray Brown, who made his first Pro Bowl last season at 39, was released by the San Francisco 49ers.

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A judge granted a separate trial for one of four former Notre Dame football players accused of gang rape. Judge Roland Chamblee Jr. set an Oct. 28 trial date for Justin Smith.