Texas Decathlon Favorite Falters in Pole Vault

Texas senior Trey Hardee failed to defend his decathlon title at the NCAA track and field championships Thursday when he was unable to clear a height in the pole vault, one of his best events, in Sacramento.

His stunning blunder cleared the way for Arizona junior Jake Arnold to win with 7,870 points. Chris Helwick of Tennessee was second at 7,772.

Hardee stayed in the competition despite missing three times at 15 feet 9 inches, and finished ninth at 7,263, one place shy of scoring a point for the Longhorns in the team race.

“It was for the team,” he said. “I had a shot to score some points. I tried my best in the last event to see if I could get at least one point for the team because it’s a team title. It’s nothing individual.”

Another decathlete, Darion Powell of Louisiana State, was treated at a local hospital for heat exhaustion and dehydration after fouling three times in the discus, then nearly collapsing with temperatures in the high 80s. He was carted off the field and taken to a nearby hospital, where he was given intravenous fluids. He was resting at his hotel later, his coach said.

USC’s Phillip Francis advanced in the 100 meters, and teammate Duane Solomon advanced in the 800. USC’s 1,600-meter relay team also advanced, and the Trojans’ Noah Bryant reached the final in the shot put.

Arkansas and Wisconsin were tied for the men’s team lead with 14 points. Nebraska and Arizona had 10 each.

Florida State was still the team to beat in the men’s race, though, with LSU also a major threat.

In the women’s race, Texas remained the favorite despite some setbacks. USC and Auburn could contend, and Arizona State was aiming for a top-three finish.

UCLA’s Chelsea Johnson (pole vault), Ashley Caldwell (1500 meters) and Nicole Leach (400-meter hurdles) advanced in their events, as did USC’s Carol Rodriguez (100 meters) and Karen Freeberg (shot put).

Clemson freshman Travis Padgett led qualifiers in what could be a wide-open 100-meter men’s finals, winning his semifinal heat in 10.13 seconds, just ahead of Churandy Marina of Texas El Paso at 10.15. Defending champion Walter Dix of Florida State was third in the heat at 10.25.

In the women’s 100, Kerron Stewart of Auburn was the fastest in the semifinals at 11.18. Shalona Solomon of South Carolina finished second in Stewart’s heat at 11.26. Kelly Ann Baptiste of LSU won the other heat at 11.24.

MOTOR RACING

Skinner Wins Fourth Craftsman Pole in a Row

Mike Skinner set a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series record with his fourth consecutive pole victory at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

The former truck champion broke his own track record -- 182.902 mph set last June -- with a lap of 183.206. And Skinner did it early in the evening qualifying session, when the 1.5-mile track was still holding onto a lot of the heat from an afternoon that reached 92 degrees.

Runner-up Terry Cook and rookie Kraig Kinser also surpassed Skinner’s previous Texas track record with laps of 182.976 and 182.914. Johnny Benson was fourth at 181.953, followed by Rick Crawford at 181.916 and series points leader Todd Bodine at 181.806.

Skinner, who won the inaugural truck title in 1995, is 18th in the points heading into tonight’s Sam’s Town 400.

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The first two rows for Saturday night’s IRL IndyCar race at Texas Motor Speedway have a familiar look.

Two weeks ago, the first four spots in the Indianapolis 500 lineup were filled by Marlboro Team Penske drivers Sam Hornish Jr. and Helio Castroneves and Target Chip Ganassi drivers Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon, in that order.

Only the starting positions have changed on the 1.5-mile Texas oval.

Hornish, who won the 500 from the pole, earned the top spot again in qualifying Thursday night with a lap of 213.624 mph, followed by Wheldon at 213.588, Castroneves at 213.182 and Dixon, who won last Sunday’s road race at Watkins Glen, N.Y., at 212.929.

Only those two teams have won so far this year, with series leader Castroneves winning twice and each of the other three once.

Going into the Bombardier Learjet 500 (kilometer) race, Castroneves holds a 12-point lead over Dixon, with Hornish 20 behind and Wheldon 25 in back of the series leader.

BASKETBALL

Michigan State’s Brown Is Staying Draft-Eligible

Shannon Brown will keep his name in the NBA draft and skip his senior season at Michigan State, the shooting guard said.

Brown, who averaged 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists last season, was regarded as an early second-round pick or late first-round pick. But after strong workouts, he is a projected first-round pick.

Brown worked out for the New Jersey Nets, the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Indiana Pacers, the Boston Celtics, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Chicago Bulls.

Brown said he received positive feedback but no guarantee he’ll be a first-round pick in the June 28 draft.

Brown, who at 6-foot-4 shared team most valuable player honors with Paul Davis and Maurice Ager, had until June 18 to pull his name out of the draft.

Michigan State already knew it was losing seniors Davis and Ager, each possible first-round picks. Ager, Davis and Brown teamed to average 54 of 74 points for Michigan State last season.

HOCKEY

Ducks Defender Signs With German Elite Team

Mighty Duck defenseman Jason Marshall signed a contract to play for Kolner Haie of the German Elite League next season. Marshall, 35, was often the Ducks’ extra defenseman and played in only 23 games last season, totaling four assists. An unrestricted free agent, he wasn’t expected to return.

-- Eric Stephens

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The New York Islanders are staking their immediate future on two men who have spent the last several years away from the NHL.

The team introduced new general manager Neil Smith and head coach Ted Nolan, and also announced the hiring of former Islanders Hall of Famer Pat Lafontaine as a senior advisor to owner Charles Wang.

Neither Smith nor Nolan has worked in the NHL since the end of the 1999-2000 season.

The shake-up is intended to reverse the fortunes of a team that missed the playoffs this season after three straight trips that ended in first-round eliminations.

Before that, the Islanders failed to qualify for the postseason for seven consecutive years.

MISCELLANY

Orange’s Johnson Is the Choice in Tennis

Steve Johnson from Orange High has been selected The Times’ boys’ tennis player of the year. Johnson, a sophomore, finished with a 66-1 record in sets and won the Southern Section individual singles title.

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USC’s football season opener at Arkansas on Sept. 2 will kick off at 5:45 p.m. PDT and will be televised by ESPN.

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Kristen Kjellman of Northwestern has been chosen the nation’s top collegiate female lacrosse player for the second year in a row.