Sports briefs for May 31, 2005

Tuesday, May 31, 2005 | 8:59 a.m.

Drag racer killed at South Carolina track

A drag racer was killed after his car crashed into a guard rail in front of about 100 spectators in Orangeburg, S.C.

Dean Martin, 53, died at Orangeburg Drag Strip on Sunday afternoon due to severe head injuries after he was partially ejected from his 1960s-era Chevrolet Nova, coroner Samuetta Marshall said.

Martin was testing his car's engine to see how fast it could go, and crashed as he tried to slow down after topping 90 mph, said Zane DeWitt, the track's longtime operator. The car flipped after hitting the guard rail and Martin was partially thrown from the vehicle.

"The car was not in the best structural shape, so we are not real clear at this point whether speed was a factor," Marshall said.

Neither DeWitt nor Marshall could remember another fatality at the strip, which has been open for more than 40 years.

Monty earns exemption

Colin Montgomerie moved up to No. 50 in the world rankings by the narrowest margin, making him exempt for the U.S. Open next month at Pinehurst.

Montgomerie appeared destined for qualifying until he birdied the last hole and closed with a 6-under 66 in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in England last weekend, moving from 37th place to a tie for 11th. When Kirk Triplett failed to finish second on the PGA Tour, Montgomerie had just enough points to reach No. 50.

Johns Hopkins beats Duke for NCAA title

Johns Hopkins won its first NCAA lacrosse title in 18 years, beating Duke 9-8 to complete an undefeated season.

Jake Byrne's goal with 13:35 left in the fourth quarter was the difference for the Blue Jays (16-0), who became the first men's team to finish the season undefeated and win the national championship since Princeton (15-0) in 1997.

Duke's 17 wins this season set an NCAA record.

FIU gets probation

Florida International's 3-year-old football program was placed on three years probation by the NCAA after an internal investigation revealed an assistant coach committed offseason football workout violations.

The unidentified assistant coach -- fired by the school -- supervised and conducted offseason practice, illegal under NCAA rules. The sanctions don't include any loss of scholarships or reductions in postseason play or television appearances.

Famed linesman dies

John D'Amico, a Hall-of-Fame linesman who worked 1,689 regular-season National Hockey League games and 247 playoff contests, died last night at age 67.

D'Amico was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993 after a 23-year career. He started his career as a referee in 1964, but became a linesman 22 games later. He worked 52 games in Stanley Cup finals before moving to the NHL front office as a supervisor of officials in 1987.

Pioneer dead at 77

Dale Velzy, a surfing pioneer who helped popularize the sport along the California coast and was once the world's biggest surfboard maker, died at 77.

He died Thursday of lung cancer at the Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo, hospital administrative supervisor Brian Noakes said Monday.

-- Sun wire services