Phelps captures 2 races at nationals

Michael Phelps won the 200-meter freestyle and 200-meter butterfly Wednesday at the U.S. national swimming championships in Indianapolis.

The 14-time Olympic gold medalist held off David Walters in the closing meters of the freestyle race to touch first in 1 minute, 44.23 seconds. Ryan Lochte was third in 1:45.66. The eight-man field included the 800 freestyle relay team of Phelps, Lochte, Ricky Berens and Peter Vanderkaay that won gold at the Beijing Olympics.

In the butterfly race, Phelps finished in 1:52.76.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

MWC agrees to BCS television deal

After taking its fight to change the Bowl Championships Series to Congress, the Mountain West Conference is reluctantly agreeing to a BCS television deal.

The MWC still doesn’t receive an automatic berth to a BCS game, but needed to sign the agreement with ESPN so the league’s nine schools would still be eligible to play in one of the top-tier bowls.

The Mountain West released a statement Wednesday from University of Utah president Michael Young, who testified the day before at a Senate subcommittee hearing.

AUTO RACING

Formula One deal thrown in doubt

Formula One’s fragile peace deal was thrown into doubt Wednesday when eight leading teams walked out of a meeting with the governing body after being told they had not been entered into the 2010 championship and would have no say on finalizing cost-cutting measures.

The Formula One Teams Association accused the FIA of putting “the future of Formula One in jeopardy” by reneging on a deal that saw them halt plans to form a breakaway series.

MORE AUTO RACING

Busch holds no grudge after crash

Tony Stewart says Kyle Busch holds no hard feelings about the final-lap crash at Daytona International Speedway.

Stewart said he spoke to Busch on Tuesday and that they are on the “same page” following the accident that sent Busch to the infield care center and Stewart to Victory Lane in the final moments of the 400-mile race Saturday.

Busch took the lead on the next-to-last lap and tried to block Stewart, but Stewart hooked Busch’s right rear fender instead, sending him into the wall a few hundred yards from the finish.

ETC.

U.S., Australia remain unbeaten

The United States and Australia stretched their unbeaten records to six games at the FIBA under-19 world basketball championships, heading their pools. The U.S. shrugged off Lithuania 76-69 while Australia topped its six-team pool with a 79-74 win over Croatia. The US will face neighbor Canada in Friday’s quarterfinals, while Australia will meet France. … The NCAA has sanctioned the women’s basketball program at Missouri Western for letting an ineligible athlete play for two seasons. … In the NHL, the Blackhawks agreed to terms with left wing Kris Versteeg on a three-year contract. The 23-year-old Versteeg led all league rookies last season with 31 assists and was second with 53 points.