autos: Danica wins Nationwide Series pole

In about 24 hours, Danica Patrick went from her biggest crash to her biggest moment in a stock car.

The former IndyCar star won the pole yesterday for the season-opening Nationwide Series race at Daytona, becoming the first woman to secure the top qualifying spot in NASCAR’s second-tier series since Shawna Robinson at Atlanta on March 12, 1994.

It came a day after she wrecked on the final lap of a qualifying race for the Daytona 500.

Patrick won just once in 115 IndyCar starts. She moved to NASCAR full time this season and will make her Sprint Cup debut in the Daytona 500 tomorrow.

hoops: Harvard rallies to beat Princeton

Kyle Casey scored 20 points as Harvard rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat visiting Princeton 67-64, avenging its only Ivy League loss of the season and setting a program record for wins in a season with 24.

Jae Crowder scored 26 points and No. 10 Marquette, after benching Darius Johnson-Odom and two other starters in the first half for breaking team rules, overcame a double-digit deficit to beat host West Virginia 61-60.

Greg Mangano scored 22 points as Yale defeated visiting Columbia 75-67.

Novar Gadson scored 23 points as host Rider defeated Loyola (Md.) 83-79 to clinch a first-round bye in the MAAC tournament.

In other games, Manhattan beat visiting Canisius, 90-77 behind George Beamon’s 28 points and 10 rebounds and Niagara topped St. Peter’s, 59-56.

golf: Three share lead at Mayakoba

In Playa del Carmen, Mexico, Daniel Summerhays birdied the final hole yesterday for a 6-under 65 and a share of the second-round lead with Will Claxton and Greg Owen in the wind-swept Mayakoba Golf Classic.

In Singapore, Katie Futcher and Jenny Shin shot 5-under 67s in the HSBC Women’s Champions to join first-round leader Angela Stanford at the top of the leaderboard.

etc.: Giants to get sweet ride at Daytona

NASCAR announced Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka of the Giants will ride in the pace car tomorrow during prerace festivities at the Daytona 500.

The Liberty have agreed to a contract with veteran guard Kelly Miller who played for the Mystics last season.