ysu

ysu

Penguins open No. 12

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Three-time defending FCS national champion Appalachian St. received more preseason praise Thursday as the Mountaineers were selected the unanimous number one team in the country in the FCS Coaches Preseason football Poll. ASU received all 24 first-place votes in collecting 600 total points.

After a 10-1 record in its final season in the Great West Conference, North Dakota St., now in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, came in at No. 2.

Youngstown State opened at No. 12.

Softball youth clinic

YOUNGSTOWN — The YSU softball program will hold a free youth clinic on Sept. 20 at McCune Park in Canfield to kick-off its annual Hit-A-Home Run Through Recycling Drive.

The clinic, which will run from 10 a.m. until noon, is open for students from eighth to 12th grade and is limited to 150 participants. Participants are urged to bring any used softball equipment for the recycling drive.

pavlik

Pavlik fan rally Wednesday

YOUNGSTOWN — A public pep rally for Kelly Pavlik will be held at the Chevrolet Centre Aug. 27.

The doors will open at noon — admission is free — with the event scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

Both Pavlik and his opponent, Bernard Hopkins, are scheduled to attend.

Fans are invited to take part in a sign/banner contest, with three winners receiving tickets for the October fight in Atlantic City.

Tickets for the fight will also be on sale at the Chevrolet Centre box office.

state

Revenue dispute

CINCINNATI — Ohio horse owners and the state’s three thoroughbred race tracks appear headed for a showdown when the Ohio Racing Commission meets at River Downs track in Cincinnati.

They haven’t been able to reach an agreement on a new contract on how race revenues should be split.

The owners have sued for a larger share of the money.

Gene Upshaw dies

NEW YORK — Gene Upshaw, a towering lineman on the football field who went on to win untold millions of dollars for NFL players as their union leader, has died at age 63.

Upshaw had a Hall of Fame career as a guard for the Oakland Raiders — a team that won two of the three Super Bowls it reached during his 15 years in a black and silver jersey.

But his work as executive director of the NFL Players Association over a quarter-century was even more important. It changed the business side of the league.

Upshaw died Wednesday night at his home near California’s Lake Tahoe, of pancreatic cancer, the NFL Players Association said Thursday.

U.S. Open draw

NEW YORK — The Williams sisters would meet in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open, a bit earlier than their matchup in the final of the last Grand Slam, Wimbledon.

Venus and Serena, coming off a doubles gold medal together at the Olympics, found themselves in the same part of the bracket when the Open held its draw Thursday.

On the men’s side, struggling four-time defending champ Roger Federer might have to get through No. 3 Novak Djokovic to reach the final.

U.S. golf amateur

PINEHURST, N.C. — Danny Lee was so dominant that his day ended early at the U.S. Amateur. Derek Fathauer had to work overtime twice just to get back into the quarterfinals.

Lee, the world’s top-ranked amateur at 18, cruised past both of his opponents in match play Thursday and moved within three wins of supplanting Tiger Woods as the youngest champion in Amateur history.

He dominated Clemson freshman Jacob Burger 5 and 4 in the second round, then defeated Wichita State’s Connor McHenry 7 and 6 in the round of 16.

Vindicator staff/wire reports