YSU

YSU
Softball awards
INDIANAPOLIS -- Youngstown State's 23-win improvement from a year ago did not go unnoticed, as the Penguins swept the Horizon League awards, announced Wednesday.
Christy Cameron was named Coach of the Year, junior Amanda Berry was player of the year, freshman Kelly Murphy was pitcher of the year and freshman Liz Holt was newcomer of the year.
Cameron, who is in her fourth season, guided the Penguins to their best season ever (34-15-1) and a second-place finish in the Horizon League regular season.
YSU also set records in runs scored (208), hits (355), doubles (66), triples (18), home runs (33), RBIs (188) and consecutive wins (9).
Berry (Lorain) is the first conference player of the year in YSU softball history. She is ranked in the top 10 in nine league offensive categories, including first in hits (52), RBIs (38) and total bases (92). The 2003 YSU female athlete of the year, Berry is second in the league in triples (4) and home runs (7), third in runs scored (30) and slugging percentage (.575), fourth in doubles (11) and eighth in batting average (.325). Her 38 RBIs is a YSU season record.
Murphy (North Olmsted) set YSU records for wins (20) and strikeouts (166) and leads the league in victories, ERA (1.50) and shutouts (5) and ranks second with 6.9 strikeouts per game.
Holt (Galion) set the school season home run record (10), which led the league, as did her 52 hits. She ranks second in total bases (91) and slugging percentage (.576).
Berry, Holt and Murphy were named to the All-Horizon League first team, along with freshman Tiffany Patteson.
Patteson (Guelph, Ontario) set the school season record and tied the career record with a league-high eight triples. She also ranks fifth in the nation.
Holt, Murphy and Patteson were also named to the 2003 league all-newcomer team.
LOCAL
Games moved
CORTLAND -- The Division II district tournament softball games scheduled for the Jefferson JAGS fields have been moved to Lakeview High School. The games will be played May 20-21 at 4:30 p.m.
Doyle athlete of week
HUNTINGTON, Ind. -- Jonathan Doyle, a junior member of the Huntington College men's track and field team from Boardman High, was selected the school's men's athlete of the week by the athletics department.
Doyle qualified for the NAIA outdoor track and field national championships in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 54.73 seconds last Saturday.
His time was a half-second better than the qualifying standard, and advanced him to No. 2 on Huntington's all-time rankings in the event.
Doyle will be making his second appearance in the national meet, which is May 22-24 in Olathe, Kan. Last year, he ran the 55 hurdles at the national meet.
REGION
License challenged
PITTSBURGH -- The Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission improperly granted a thoroughbred racing license to a company that plans to build a track near Erie, lawyers for two competitors challenging the license said.
MEC Pennsylvania Racing Inc. and Penn National Gaming Inc. said during a hearing Wednesday before the Commonwealth Court that they and the state's racing industry will be hurt by the commission's decision to award the license to MTR Gaming Group Inc.
The commission granted MTR the license for Presque Isle Downs without giving other tracks a chance to challenge the license, MEC and Penn National attorneys said.
MTR also owns and operates Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort.
NATION
Nenn out
MIAMI -- San Francisco Giants relief ace Robb Nen underwent season-ending shoulder surgery to repair a partial tear in his right rotator cuff.
Vindicator staff/wire reports