Young America

Terry Bowden, the coach who took Auburn to the height of college football while under NCAA probation, has been interviewed by the University of Miami for its vacant coaching job, sources said yesterday. They also said that Wisconsin's Barry Alvarez, who has publicly said he is not interested in the Hurricanes job, was interviewed earlier this week. A source also said that Miami may begin "talking numbers" with Youngstown State Coach Jim Tressel. As Miami finished its first week in the search to replace Dennis Erickson, none of the coaches returned reporters' calls.

Terry Bowden became the most prominent coach to turn down the Miami Hurricanes, quickly quashing speculation yesterday that he might be interested in the vacant job. The Auburn coach denied a published report that he was interviewed by Miami. Hurricanes athletic director Paul Dee also denied the report. "I have not been contacted by anyone at the University of Miami," Bowden said. "They have not asked me to interview for the job, nor would I interview for any job at all. " Bowden, speaking with WBRC-TV in Birmingham, called the report a "100 percent rumor.

Holy Bull raced to a 2 1/2-length victory yesterday in his debut as a 4- year-old, in the $100,000 Olympic Handicap at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Fla. Carrying top weight of 126 pounds and ridden by Mike Smith, last year's 3- year-old colt champion was challenged briefly at the eighth pole by Birdonthewire. Holy Bull, which went off as the 2-5 favorite, ran seven furlongs in 1 minute, 22 seconds. Holy Bull is owned and trained by Jimmy Croll, the 74-year-old Hall of Fame trainer from Devon.

Conchita Martinez capitalized on an overpowering first set to win her second straight tournament, routing Gabriela Sabatini yesterday, 6-1, 6-4, in the final of the Bausch & Lomb championship in Amelia Island, Fla. Martinez, who a week ago won the Family Circle Magazine Cup in Hilton Head Island, S.C., sent the Argentine star to her third consecutive loss in the Bausch & Lomb final. Martinez won in 74 minutes, with the first set taking 25. "It was important to get off to a fast start, especially with the crowd behind her," said Martinez, the top seed, who is ranked fourth in the world.

Bonnie Blair won her last two races on American ice yesterday, winning the 1995 World Sprint Speedskating Championship at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee. Blair, 30, who delayed retirement for a year after winning double gold in the Winter Olympics in Norway so she could skate for the world title on her home ice, swept all four races in the two-day event. Blair took the 500 meters in 39.54 seconds yesterday and the 1,000 at 1:19.52. Both times were slower than the track record times she posted in the two events Saturday.

Laffit Pincay Jr. rode Irish Nip to victory in the sixth race at Hollywood Park for his 8,834th win yesterday, breaking Bill Shoemaker's 29-year-old record. Pincay, 52, took Irish Nip to the lead out of the gate along the rail and never went to the whip despite being pressured most of the way by Laps N'Bounds. The crowd roared as Pincay crossed the finish line. He raised his right hand in the air. Shoemaker had owned the victory mark since 1970, when he took it from Johnny Longden.

The Delaware River Port Authority has finally rid itself of the Young America schooner, a six-figure embarrassment now rotting away in Camden's Broadway Terminal. Just as officials had written the vessel off as dead, enter Alfred M. Johnston, an 82-year-old King of Prussia developer who built a long and profitable career creating unusual waterside restaurants in Philadelphia and the suburbs. Johnston has agreed to pay $60,000 for the 125-foot schooner and plans to transform it into a traveling whaling exhibit based in Massachusetts.

Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, the top two ranked players in the world, advanced yesterday to set up a dream final at the Newsweek Champions Cup at Indian Wells, Calif. Sampras, No. 1 in the world, came up with his best tennis on the crucial points to outlast 11th-seeded Stefan Edberg in the semifinal. Second-seeded Agassi dominated third-seeded Boris Becker in the other semifinal. "The final is going to be a tough match," Agassi said of today's matchup. "Pete and I are forming a true rivalry.

Randy Soth is in his first year as the racing secretary at Garden Stake Park. Under the circumstances, he has done an excellent job with the day-to- day cards as the track tries to present some remnants of quality racing. With Philadelphia Park and Delaware Park also racing now, that is no easy task. Tomorrow's $100,000 Cherry Hill Mile at Garden State contains no Kentucky Derby winners. But Soth has put together a representative field in the midst of a glut of Derby prep races with larger purses and more prestige.

Few top 3-year-olds this year have suffered as rough a trip as Near The Limit encountered in the recent Remington Park Derby in Oklahoma City. Sent off as the 19-10 favorite in a bulky field of 14, Near The Limit stumbled at the start, raced in heavy traffic in the early going, swung about seven wide on the final turn but still managed a third-place finish behind Queen's Gray Bee. Tomorrow, the Bob Wheeler-trained colt will go postward as...