BRIEFLY\Marathoner overlooked, not overtaken.

Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Services

Jenny Spangler, unknown and overlooked by even her closest competitors, scored a shocking victory in the U.S. women's Olympic marathon trials Saturday in Columbia, S.C.

Sentimental favorite Joan Benoit Samuelson finished 13th.

Joining the unheralded Spangler on the team that will compete against the world's best long-distance runners at the Atlanta Games were Linda Somers, the 1993 and 1994 U.S. marathon champion, and Anne Marie Lauck, who dedicated the race to her late mother.

"I didn't know who she was," the surprised Lauck said of the winner, who had run her best marathon 13 years ago. "I heard the name before, but honestly, I did not know who she was."

Thirteen years ago, Spangler, from Gurnee, Ill., set an American junior record of 2:33:52 in the marathon while at the University of Iowa, then essentially disappeared. She suffered a stress fracture during the 1984 Olympic trials, ran poorly in 1988, then gave up the sport for nearly six years during a failed marriage and a return to school to complete her master's degree in business administration.

Marla Runyan of Camarillo outran her closest competitor in the final event to win the USA National Indoor women's pentathlon. Runyan ran the 800 meters in 2:14.21, finishing 10 seconds ahead of Jill Montgomery.

Maria Mutola of Mozambique smashed one of the oldest world indoor records at her first attempt when she won the 1,000 meters in 2 minutes 32.08 seconds in Birmingham, England.

FOOTBALL

The 1999 Super Bowl might have to be held elsewhere because San Francisco doesn't have the $26 million needed for 3Com Park upgrades, mayor Willie Brown said.

GOLF

Tom Watson and John Daly were the big money winners as the Australian Skins began in Gold Coast. Watson, a five-time British Open champion, won two skins to finish with $21,000 after the first nine holes of the 18-hole event. Daly made a birdie on the ninth hole to move into second place with $12,000.

ETC.

Brooke Bennett dominated a talented field in winning the 800-meter freestyle in the National Swimming Championships at Orlando, Fla. Bennett finished in 8 minutes, 30.54 seconds, third-fastest of the year...

Infielder Luis Alicea and the Boston Red Sox agreed to a $1.5 million, one-year contract, nearly double his $800,000 salary last season.

Picabo Street of Sun Valley, Idaho, the defending World Cup downhill champion and current points leader, heads an American team of 14 skiers named to compete in the Alpine World Championships in the Southern Spain resort of Sierra Nevada.The championships open with the women's super-G on Monday.