BRIEFLY.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

Gatlin is on the mark

Justin Gatlin is the new sprint king in Kansas.

Gatlin turned back hometown hero Maurice Greene in a battle of Olympic 100-meter champions in the anchor leg of the 400-meter relay Saturday at the 79th Kansas Relays in Lawrence, Kan.

Gatlin's Sprint Capitol team of Dwight Thomas, Rodney Thomas and Shawn Crawford finished in 38.16 seconds, the best mark in the world this season. That also broke the meet record of 38.45 set by Greene's HSI team in 2000.

Allyson Felix (L.A. Baptist of North Hills), the reigning world outdoor champion and 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the 200, also set a meet record, pulling ahead near the end to edge Muna Lee in the women's 100.

Felix's time of 11.04 seconds broke Lee's mark of 11.10 seconds, set last year. Lee ran 11.13.

CYCLING: Tom Danielson won the Tour de Georgia's most difficult stage for the second straight year and overall leader Floyd Landis was right with him as both finished the 94.5-mile race up Brasstown Bald in Blairsville, Ga., in 4hours, 5 minutes, 56 seconds.

Landis, of California, has an overall time of 19:23:10, four seconds ahead of Danielson.

If Landis holds off the peloton in today's final stage, he will win his third major race of the year following victories at the Tour of California and Paris-Nice.

LACROSSE: Several Duke Universityalumni questioned the school's president about suspending two lacrosse players charged with raping a stripper at a team party, with one saying his alma mater is guilty of "a tremendous rush to judgment."

"It was convenient to throw the lacrosse team overboard along with their coach," said Joe Baden, a 1970 Duke graduate.

Baden was among about a half dozen alumni to question president Richard Brodhead during a forum held as part of a weekend of class reunions. During a talk about the school's strategic plan, Brodhead stopped the program for a half hour to specifically take questions from the crowd of nearly 100 about the lacrosse team and the rape allegations.

VOLLEYBALL: USC's Bibiana Candelas and Minnesota's Paula Gentil won the inaugural CSTV Collegiate Nationals Beach Volleyball Championship in Reno, Nev.

Candelas and Gentil also earned a wild-card berth into the AVP Crocs Tour Hermosa Beach Open in June.

SWIMMING: Sixteen-year-old Thomas Finchum won the finals of the men's 3-meter springboard at the U.S. Open in Indianapolis after the event was delayed when another diver was injured.

Greg Ferrucci, 15, of Huntersville, N.C., struck his head on the springboard on his third attempt of the competition. His coach, Ted Hautau, went into the water fully clothed to rescue Ferrucci, who was taken to Methodist Hospital where he was reported in serious but stable condition.