Sports in Brief: Serena Williams named AP's top female athlete

Tennis player

Serena Williams

was named the Associated Press female athlete of the year, easily winning a vote by news organizations.

Williams received 55 of 96 votes in the AP results announced on Wednesday.

It's the third AP award for the tennis star, who also won in 2002 and 2009.

Williams went 78-4 in 2013, including a 34-match winning streak and 11 titles.

Brittney Griner, a two-time AP player of the year in college basketball and the No. 1 pick in April's WNBA draft, finished second with 14 votes. Swimmer Missy Franklin was next with 10.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL At the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu, DeAndre Kane scored 23 points as No. 14 Iowa State (11-0) took the tourney title with a 70-66 win over Boise State (10-3). Duane Notice scored 15 points as South Carolina (4-6) grabbed third with a 69-59 defeat of Akron (6-4), while Isaac Fotu scored 17 to lift Hawaii (9-3) to a 79-73 win over Oregon State (7-4) and fifth. Patrick Holloway and Bryon Allen scored 15 points each as George Mason (6-6) rallied for a 65-63 win over Saint Mary's (9-3) for seventh.

BASEBALL Righthander Masahiro Tanaka is set to move to the majors next season after the Rakuten Eagles, his Japanese league team, announced it was prepared to let him leave through the posting system, reversing its earlier rejection. Tanaka went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA with the Eagles during the regular season and sought a move to the majors, but he has two years remaining on his contract and the Eagles were under no obligation to release him.

The New York Yankees are considered the leading candidates to sign Tanaka, though the capping of the posting fee at $20 million meant other teams could also afford to make offers. The Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers are among those said to also have interest in the Japanese ace.

For 30 days from the time a player is posted, any MLB team can attempt to sign him. The team only pays the fee if a deal is reached.

SOCCER Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan has sealed a nearly $2 million deal to take control of top-flight Bosnian club FK Sarajevo, according to London's Guardian newspaper. The English Premier League club and Sarajevo will exchange players and share marketing.

Bosnian media reported that the quirky Malaysian billionaire will not change Sarajevo's uniform colors, as he did with the Bluebirds, angering fans by switching from blue to red.

Tan has furthered annoyed fans over his recent treatment of Cardiff manager Malky Mackay, who had been given an ultimatum that he resign or be fired. The order has since been put on hold, after Cardiff fans displayed banners critical of the owner at games.

                        - Staff and wire reports

Athlete Votes

Serena Williams. . . 55

Brittney Griner. . . 14

Missy Franklin. . . 10

Inbee Park. . . 7

Lindsey Vonn. . . 6

Lauren Holiday. . . 1

Candace Parker. . . 1

Katie Ledecky. . . 1

x-Diana Nyad. . . 1

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