BRIEFLY.

Byline: -Daily News Wire Services

Armstrong surprise competitor in Ojai

Lance Armstrong was a surprise entry at a cycling race, stunning riders at the line minutes before the start and then finishing 15th in the Lemire Memorial Grand Prix in Ojai.

Wearing a blue and white jersey, the Tour de France champion took his place with others for the 90-minute criterium race Sunday.

Armstrong, who rarely rides in the United States, is tuning up for an attempt this summer for a record seventh consecutive title at the Tour de France. He is scheduled to ride in the Tour of Georgia on April 19-24.

The crowd roared when announcer Dave Towle welcomed Armstrong, racer No. 120.

``I've been lining up at races since I was a kid, and I still get that nervous feeling in my stomach,'' Armstrong told Towle. ``I just love it. It's great to be here.''

BASKETBALL: Washington guard Nate Robinson, who led the Huskies to a No. 1 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament, said he plans to enter the NBA Draft.

--Stanford guard Chris Hernandez plans to declare early for the NBA Draft, but will not hire and agent, giving him the option of returning for his final season with the Cardinal.

--Brigham Young promoted assistant Dave Rose to head coach.

--West Virginia assistant Jeff Neubauer was hired as head coach at Eastern Kentucky, replacing Travis Ford, who left the team for Massachusetts last month.

FOOTBALL: Patriots running back Corey Dillon signed a contract extension that could keep him with New England for the rest of his career.

The agreement guarantees the 30-year-old Dillon $10 million over two years and could be extended for up to five years and a total $25 million in base pay and various bonuses, said his agent, Steven Feldman.

--LaVar Arrington criticized the Washington Redskins for a failing to support him during his recent knee injury, an injury that forced him to have another surgery.

``It's like nothing in terms of the support from them, it's like nothing,'' Arrington said. ``It's like, just let me disappear and die.''

Arrington revealed he had a second surgery last Wednesday on the same knee that forced him to miss 11 games last season.

--Carson officials were upbeat Monday after spending several hours meeting with NFL executives in New York over plans to develop a stadium on the 157-acre site.

Carson economic development manager Ron Winkler said some outstanding issues remained, which he declined to identify, but that the city and

the developers would respond to the NFL on them in the next several week. He said the party was given no indication that the NFL is close to eliminating Carson and focusing on the Rose Bowl, Coliseum and Anaheim, as has been speculated.

- Billy Witz

BOXING: Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson will fight for the first time in nearly a year, facing journeyman Kevin McBride on June 11 at Washington's MCI Center, a boxing source told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

GOLF: Michelle Wie accepted a sponsor's exemption to play in the John Deere Classic, the second time this year the 15-year-old from Hawaii will take her promising game to the PGA Tour.