YSU

YSU

Volleyball team
falls to Dayton

YOUNGSTOWN — Senior Jessica Fraley posted her 16th double-double of the season with 13 kills and 10 digs with three blocks but the Penguin volleyball team suffered a 18-30, 20-30, 28-30 loss to Dayton on Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly Center.

Youngstown State is 12-16 while Dayton is to 25-1.

Junior Ebony Barbosa, who posted 10 kills, became just the eighth player in school history to record 300 kills and 300 digs in a season.

Freshman Laurie Shives moved into fourth place on the YSU single-season digs list with 413 after collecting 10 against Dayton.

YSU closes out the regular season at Cleveland State on Saturday.

NATION

Runner dies during
marathon trials

NEW YORK — Ryan Shay and Ryan Hall hoped to celebrate together with their wives after the U.S. men’s marathon Olympic trials.

Now Hall, the trials champ, faces a future of all he dreamed about and what he never imagined: the glory of the Olympics, the heartbreak of a funeral.

Shay, one of America’s top distance runners, collapsed and died not even six miles into Saturday’s race. Minutes after Hall crossed the finish line in record time, his arms raised in triumph, he heard the unthinkable news.

Shay was 28. He was one of Hall’s former training partners, and his wife was Hall’s college teammate at Stanford.

“That just cut me straight to the heart,” Hall said. “It makes you forget what you just did.”

What was supposed to be a glorious weekend for the sport became instead a wake. And that somber mood is sure to carry over to Sunday’s New York City Marathon, in which 38,000 runners will compete.

“It’s a big loss for the running community,” said 2004 Olympic women’s marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor, who used to train with Shay in California. “It’s a day we should be celebrating. It has cast a pall.”

Organizers had decided to pair the trials with the storied annual marathon, hoping the timing would attract large crowds. The plan worked, as fans fought gusty wind to line the compact 26.2-mile course, which began in Rockefeller Center and traipsed through Times Square before heading to Central Park for five loops.

They witnessed a potentially historic day for American marathon running. Hall, a 25-year-old who had never raced the distance before April, established himself as a contender in Beijing, with a trials record time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, 2 seconds. He was followed by Dathan Ritzenhein (2:11:07) and Brian Sell (2:11:40), who will join him in China.

Meb Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, was hobbled by cramps in both calves and fell back to eighth.

But back about 51⁄2 miles into the race Shay had collapsed. He was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival at 8:46 a.m., according to New York City police.

“He was a tremendous champion who was here today to pursue his dreams,” said Craig Masback, CEO of USA Track & Field. “The Olympic trials is traditionally a day of celebration, but we are heartbroken.”

No immediate cause of death was announced, and the medical examiner’s office said an autopsy will be performed Sunday.

Shay’s coach, Joe Vigil, said he wasn’t aware of any health problems.

“He was the epitome of athleticism,” Vigil said. “I don’t know what caused it.”

A recreational runner died during last month’s Chicago Marathon, the warmest in that event’s history. But the death of an elite athlete during a major competition is a rare and startling occurrence.

Tennessee starts No. 1

It’s unanimous, Tennessee is No. 1.

Seven months after winning their seventh national championship, the Lady Vols are the top team in The Associated Press preseason poll for the 12th time in school history.

The Lady Vols received all 50 first-places votes Saturday from a national media panel and compiled 1,250 points — 75 more than No. 2 Connecticut.

It’s easy to see why.

Coach Pat Summitt returns four starters, including All-American Candace Parker, from the team that ran through the NCAA tournament last season, beating Rutgers 59-46 in the title game to finish 34-3.

Golf report

•Children’s Miracle Network

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Scott Verplank was two shots behind with three holes to play Saturday, then surged into a share of the lead at the Children’s Miracle Network simply by making pars.

Verplank, one of six players who had at least a share of the lead on a wild afternoon at Disney, wound up with a 71 and was tied with Stephen Ames going into a final round.

Ames, who had a two-shot lead at one point, bogeyed two of his last three holes with three-putts that measured 60 and 70 feet. He had to settle for a 70, but had few complaints about still being in the lead.

•Mizuno Classic

SHIMA, Japan — Laura Davies was penalized two strokes for putting from the wrong place, a penalty that dropped the 44-year-old English star into a tie for the lead with Momoko Ueda in the Mizuno Classic.

The penalty led to a double bogey on the par-4 14th, and Davies settled for an even-par 72 and a tie with Ueda (67) at 7-under 137. American Reilley Rankin (72), Sweden’s Maria Hjorth (68) and Japan’s Mie Nakata (70) were one stroke back.

LPGA Tour vice president Doug Brecht explained the ruling on the putt, citing rule 20-7. He said Davies marked her ball and was then asked to move her mark because it was in a competitor’s line.

•Volvo Masters

SOTOGRANDE, Spain — England’s Justin Rose shot an even-par 71 to take a four-stroke lead over European Order of Merit rival Padraig Harrington and countryman Simon Dyson after the third round of the Volvo Masters.

•Singapore Open

SINGAPORE — U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera shot a 1-under 70 to double his lead to four strokes after the third round of the Singapore Open.

American Jin Park (72) was second, England’s Lee Westwood (71) followed at 4 under, and two-time defending champion Adam Scott (73) was 3 under along with Vijay Singh. Phil Mickelson (73) was even par.

Vindicator staff/wire report