YSU

YSU
Mile records set
INDIANAPOLIS -- Youngstown State sophomore Kurt Michaelis and freshman Emily Schnitkey each set school records in the mile at Saturday's Cannon Classic indoor track meet held at the National Sport Institute of Sports Fitness in Indianapolis.
Michaelis ran a 4:04.55, breaking the school record of 4:10, and qualified for the Division I national championships on March 8-9 in Arkansas. He is ranked in the top 10 in the U.S. in the mile.
Schnitkey, the Horizon League freshman of the year, ran 5:02.80 to break the school record and her personal best by six seconds.
Freshman Nick Smith ran 4:19 to post a personal best in the mile. Junior Tony Orcena ran a personal best 15:01 in the men's 5,000 meters (3.1 miles) and freshman Nick Buzek tied his personal best with a 15:14.
LOCAL
Warren's Lewiscaptain of U.S. team
FAR HILLS, N.J. -- Former Warren resident Bob Lewis was named as captain of the U.S. Walker Cup team for the 2003 Walker Cup match, which will be played in North Yorkshire, England.
Lewis, 57, a four-time member of the U.S. team, compiled a 10-4 overall record while competing in 1981, '83, '85 and '87. Only eight golfers have played on more Walker Cup teams than Lewis.
A successful amateur and member of Trumbull Country Club, Lewis was runner-up at three USGA Championships and reached the semifinals twice more. At age 35 he lost to Hal Sutton in 1980 at the U.S. Amateur final.
He has played in seven Masters Tournaments and has qualified for three U.S. Open events. He was a member of the PGA Tour from 1970-74. He also won the Ohio Open Championship in 1978 when it was played at Mill Creek Park Course.
Lewis currently resides in Cleveland.
Oldtimers meeting
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown Baseball Oldtimers Association will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday at the Holiday Bowl starting at 3 p.m.
The guest speaker will be Walter "Buzz' Pishkur, president of Ohio Consumer Water.
Nominations for the Hall of Fame event May 5 will be discussed.
Leetonia gym to host final game
LEETONIA -- Leetonia High School will play the final game in its current gym Tuesday against Lisbon.
The Bears will open their new gym next basketball season.
Leetonia is expected to welcome many former basketball players for the last game in the old gym. For details, call (330) 427-2115.
Boxing clubto host show
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Southside Boxing Club is sponsoring an all-star Amateur Boxing Show March 1 at 7 p.m. at the Krakusy Hall.
Headlining the 12-bout card that is sanctioned by USA Boxing will be Durrell Richardson, Billy Lyell and John Loew.
Also, five nationally-ranked fighters will be on the show, in addition to some outstanding Junior Olympic boxers.
General admission tickets are priced at $10 and will be available at the door. Table seating also is available by calling promoter Jack Loew at (330) 788-7592.
Local professional fighters Kelly Pavlik and Harry Arroyo will make appearances to sign autographs.
Slippery Rock haseight inductees
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- The Slippery Rock University Athletic Hall of Fame will induct eight additional members at a ceremony on April 13.
In the class will be Jeanne Arbuckle (1979), John R. Carpenter (1975), Jean Condo (1962), Quentin P. Currie (1962), John H. Dahlistrand (1983), Robert W. Hannan (1961), Herb Lauffer (1963) and Fay Steving (1973).
Lauffer is deceased. For details call (724) 738-2021.
Correction
The enrollment figures for area schools used in Saturday's column about the Federal League referred to the top three grades in each school. Cardinal Mooney's enrollment is 604 in all four grades.
REGION
Indians' ticket salestake dip on first day
CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians, whose major league record streak of 455 straight sellouts ended last season, sold 110,000 single-game tickets on the first day of public sales Saturday.
The sales were more than any other major league team had on the first day its tickets were made available, but a big dip for the Indians.
On the first day of sales last year, the Indians sold about 300,000 of the 750,000 single-game tickets available. A "sneak preview" on Friday pushed the Indians' ticket sales for this year to 145,000, the team said.
The Indians have sold out two games for this season: opening day April 8 against Minnesota and July 13 against the Yankees. Only limited tickets are available for games June 8 against the Mets, June 28-29 with the World Series champion Arizona Diamondbacks and July 14 against the Yankees.
The Indians' five-year string of selling out the season before opening day ended last season. Their record sellout streak ended last April.
Indians signMercedes to minors
CLEVELAND -- Free agent pitcher Jose Mercedes agreed Saturday to a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians and was invited to spring training as a non-roster player.
Mercedes, 31, was 8-17 with a 5.82 ERA in 31 starts for Baltimore last season. His 17 losses led the American League.
The right-hander has a career record of 33-39 with an ERA of 4.82 in 140 appearances over seven major league seasons with Baltimore and Milwaukee. His best season was in 2000, when he was 14-7 with a 4.02 ERA in 36 games.
NATION
1956 Olympiccyclist dead at 69
ST. LOUIS -- Butch Neumann, a member of the 1956 U.S. Olympic cycling team, died last week while skiing in Utah. He was 69.
Neumann, who died Jan. 28 of an apparent heart attack, was a member of the U.S. team in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, and a member of the 1957 World Cycling Team.
In 1996, Neumann carried the Olympic torch as it made its way to the Atlanta Olympics.
Runners defendcross country titles
VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Deena Drossin and Tim Broe defended their titles Saturday in the USA Winter Cross Country Championships.
Vindicator staff/wire reports