AREA

AREA
Canfield playersin All-Ohio tourney
CANFIELD -- Two Canfield High softball players will play in the Underclass All-Ohio Tournament in Pinkerington on June 27-28.
Junior Lauren McGivern (shortstop) and sophomore Jena Ervin (catcher) were selected after tryouts were held last week in Barberton. McGivern and Ervin will play for the Northeast Ohio team against all-star teams selected from the Northwest, Southeast, Southwest and Central districts of Ohio.
The team is composed of two girls for every position, except pitchers and catchers, where they take three each.
Boardman sendssix to nationals
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Five girls and one boy will represent Boardman High School at the Nike Outdoor National Track and Field Championships Saturday at North Carolina A & amp;T University.
Brooke Katzman qualified for in the shot put with a career-best toss of 41 feet, 6 1/2 inches at the Federal League meet.
The Spartans' 4x400 relay (Alix Yetter, Liz Yazbek, Jenna Agnew and Jessica Moore) qualified with a school record 3 minutes, 58.36 seconds at the Division I regional meet.
Matt Moore will compete in the freshman 1600. His best effort last season was 4:40.
Mercer Raceway
MERCER, Pa. -- Venango County residents will be admitted for free at Mercer Raceway on Saturday.
Families who do not live in Venango County will be charged $10. Grandstands open at 4:30 p.m. with hot laps slated for 6:15 p.m. For details, call 724-964-9300 or visit www.mercerracewaypark.com.
Steel City Sparks
GIBSONIA, Pa. -- The Steel City Sparks women's soccer team will play host to the Massachusetts Aztecs at 7 p.m. Saturday at Pine Richland Stadium.
The Sparks (3-0-1) are in first place in the Eastern Division. YSU's Brittny Humphrey, a Liberty High graduate, has scored two goals for the Sparks. For details, visit www.steelcitysparks.com.
Beloit's DeShieldsin MLB contest
BELOIT -- Kip DeShields, 8, of Beloit, will compete at the Pepsi Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit & amp; Run Team Championship Competition at Jacobs Field on Saturday.
DeShields was the all-around champion at the Massillon Sectional on May 21 and will try to qualify for the national finals, which will be held at this year's All-Star game in Detroit.
Mixed doubles bowling
AUSTINTOWN -- Gloria Smith and Lloyd Hays are in first place with a 1,517 series in the 33rd Mar-Hill mixed doubles tournament being rolled at Amron Lanes.
L. Susie and Dave Wolcott are in second place with 1,499 pins and in third place is Tracy and Rick Walter with 1,444.
REGION
Pro Football HOF
CANTON -- The Pro Football Hall of Fame will offer free admission on Sunday to any father accompanied by a son or daughter.
The first 500 fathers will also receive a Hall of Fame Father's Day souvenir. All fathers will get a 10 percent discount on most purchases in the Hall's Museum Store.
NATION
Bivens to replaceLPGA's Votaw
PINEHURST, N.C.-- Carolyn Vesper Bivens was hired Wednesday as the first female commissioner in the 55-year history of the LPGA Tour, taking over a sport driven by the success of Annika Sorenstam and the potential of teenagers like Michelle Wie.
Bivens will replace South Range High graduate Ty Votaw, who is stepping down after seven years.
For the last four years, Bivens was president and CEO of Initiative, a media planning and buying company. She previously was the associate publisher of USA Today, where she also had been senior vice president of advertising.
"My hope is to keep the momentum going," Bivens, 52, said in a telephone interview. "This is not an organization that needs to be fixed."
Bivens has a background in marketing and a love for golf, having been a member at Congressional Country Club for 22 years before moving to California.
She left for Initiative to learn how to run a business and didn't think much about the LPGA job when Votaw announced in January that this would be his last year as commissioner. Votaw, 42, has not said what he plans to do next.
"I got a phone call that someone had put my name in the hat and asking if I could talk about it," Bivens said. "It only took that one conversation to rekindle the embers. I couldn't be more thrilled to come to the LPGA at a time when it has all kinds of momentum and an incredible array of players."
She will start with at least one advantage over Votaw -- her golf. Votaw rarely played growing up and only slightly improved his game during his 14 years at the LPGA Tour.
Bivens said her most recent handicap is 14.
Vindicator staff/wire reports