Kenyans Sweep Boston Marathon

The Kenyan national anthem got its annual airplay Monday after another Boston Marathon sweep.

It was the Americans, though, who were boasting of a breakthrough.

Robert Cheruiyot finished in 2 hours 7 minutes 14 seconds to set the course record by a second, and Rita Jeptoo won the women’s race in 2:23:38 to complete Kenya’s fourth sweep since 2000. With five American men in the top 10 -- including Nos. 3, 4 and 5 -- the United States had its best finish since the addition of prize money in 1986 helped bring back the top international fields.

“It’s exciting to see a lot of American guys run well,” said Meb Keflezighi, who was third behind Cheruiyot and Kenya’s Benjamin Maiyo. “The crowd was just phenomenal. When they were chanting, ‘Go USA! Go Meb! Go USA!’ I was like, ‘I’m glad I’m here.’ ”

Keflezighi, a naturalized citizen from Eritrea who lives in San Diego, ran with the leaders until the 16th mile and then began falling behind. Brian Sell, from Rochester, Mich., was fourth, catching Alan Culpepper of Lafayette, Colo., around the last turn before the finish.

The last American to win in Boston was Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach in 1985; no American man has won since Greg Meyer in 1983, and 12 times since then there have been no Americans in the top 10. Cheruiyot and Jeptoo each won $100,000. Kenyan men have won 14 of the last 16 Boston titles. Kenyan women have won three in a row and six of the last seven.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

LSU’s Thomas Aims for NBA

Louisiana State freshman forward Tyrus Thomas made himself available for the NBA draft, and sophomore teammate Glen Davis says he is returning to school.

Thomas, the Southeastern Conference’s freshman of the year and defensive co-player of the year, signed with an agent Sunday, a move that ended his college career. Davis, known as “Big Baby,” said he still has unfinished business in college.

Connecticut forward Rudy Gay will forgo his final two seasons of eligibility and make himself eligible for the NBA draft.

There is speculation that UCLA sophomore guards Arron Afflalo and Jordan Farmar will test the NBA waters to gauge their worth in the draft, though neither is expected to hire an agent, which would end their college careers.

“We would do nothing to jeopardize Arron’s eligibility,” said Ben Afflalo, Arron’s father.

Damon Farmar, Jordan’s father, said his son had not made a decision regarding the NBA.

Should the players explore their options, they would have until June 18, nine days before the draft, to withdraw from the draft and continue playing at UCLA.

-- Steve Springer

PRO FOOTBALL

Titans Respond to Grievance

The Tennessee Titans deny they breached their contract with Steve McNair by not allowing the quarterback to work out on their property, a union spokesman said. The Titans defended themselves in a response to a grievance filed April 7 on McNair’s behalf by the NFL Players Assn.

“They’ve actually denied any wrongdoing in not permitting him to work at his place of employment while under contract,” said Carl Francis, the NFLPA’s director of communications. “At this point, we’re moving forward to try to bring some remedy to this.”

MISCELLANY

Federer Overcomes Errors

Roger Federer struggled through 37 unforced errors before beating Novak Djokovic, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, in the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters clay-court tournament at Monaco.

The top-ranked Swiss is hoping to extend his finals streak to 12 and match the record set by John McEnroe in 1984.

Chelsea moved within a point of winning its second consecutive English Premier League soccer title by beating Everton, 3-0, hours after second-place Manchester United beat Tottenham, 2-1.

Iowa State linebacker Matt Robertson won’t be allowed to play his senior season with the team after testing positive for a banned nutritional supplement.

Greg Norman has invited Annika Sorenstam to play in the Merrill Lynch Shootout. Norman is the tournament host of the event also known as the “Shark Shootout.”

The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball tour signed a deal that makes CROCS, a footwear manufacturer, its title sponsor.