LOCAL

LOCAL
Softball teamplaces high
ROCK HILL, S.C. -- The Ohio Stars 18 and under fast-pitch softball team finished in the top 24 of the 88-team National Softball Association A Division World Series.
This season, the Stars were runners-up in three NSA tournaments and the Mineral Ridge league.
Players were Nikki Garrett, Elizabeth Brown and Karrie Haurin from Canfield; Barbie Lewis, Amy Cornicelli and Stephanie Cornicelli of Howland, and Jen Feret, Jenna Brandenstein, Melanie Lodyn and Jesse MacMurchy from Boardman.
The managers were Bill Garrett and Carter Lewis and coaches were Mike Lodyn, Tom Cornicelli and Dave Brown.
Canfield boys win
CANFIELD -- Canfield High defeated Lakeview 5-1 in a boys soccer game Saturday.
Jim Hlebakleads Boardman
SALEM -- Jim Hlebak led Boardman High's boys to the championship of the Salem Early Bird cross country invitational.
Hlebak finished in 17 minutes, 18 seconds. Salem's Patrick Gorby was second in 17:24.
Boardman scored 34 points while the Quakers were in second place with 50.
REGION
Former Ohio State team physician dies
COLUMBUS -- Dr. Robert Murphy, team physician for the Ohio State football team from 1952-1993, has died.
Murphy died Saturday night at a hospice in Riverside Methodist Hospital after an extended illness. He was 80.
Murphy was nationally recognized as a pioneer in the change in water usage by athletes in the prevention of heat strokes.
NATION
White takes gold
American Kelli White won gold in the women's 100-meter dash at the World Championships on Sunday, beating countrywoman Torri Edwards.
Jon Drummond was disqualified from his 100-meter heat when he was the second runner in the group to commit a false start. The heats were then thrown into chaos when the American sprinter refused to leave the track following his disqualification. Four other runners were disqualified in the heats under a controversial new false-start rule.
Washington isWUSA champion
SAN DIEGO -- Abby Wambach scored the winning goal in the sixth minute of overtime as the Washington Freedom defeated the Atlanta Beat 2-1 in the WUSA championship game on Sunday.
Wambach took a crossing pass from Jenny Meier and beat goalie Briana Scurry with a close-range shot from the left side. .
U.S. team unamusedby scheduling
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- When the second-round schedule for the Tournament of the Americas was released, it prompted a late-night, closed door meeting between the head of USA Basketball and the director of FIBA-Americas.
When the meeting ended in the wee hours this morning, the schedule remained the same.
Usually in international tournaments, the second round begins with the first-place team from Group A playing the fourth-place team from Group B, with A2 playing B3, A3 playing B2, and so on.
But in this case, the U.S. team will open the second round against the second-place team from Group B, Canada, and then will play the first-place team, Argentina, Tuesday.
The Americans then will face Mexico on Wednesday and Puerto Rico on Thursday. Friday is an off day before the semifinals are played Saturday.
WORLD
Nowitzki injured
BRAUNSCHWEIG, Germany -- Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki injured his ankle Sunday night while playing in a game for Germany. Mavericks spokeswoman Sarah Melton said that Nowitzki sustained a mild left ankle sprain. An MRI exam showed no bone or ligament damage.
Vindicator staff/wire reports