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Morando selected

BETHANY, W. Va. — Tyler Morando was named Presidents’ Athletic Conference Player of the Week for the week of December 1st.

Morando led the Bison basketball team (2-1) by shooting 62 percent (13-for-21) from behind the arc.

He is ranked fifth in the PAC in scoring, putting up 95 points to average 15.7 points a game.

He is shooting 56 percent (24-43) from 3-point range.

Capellas top coach

HIRAM — Carl Capellas, a Warren native and Howland High graduate who completed his fifth season as Hiram College soccer coach, has been selected as the 2008 North Coast Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year.

It was the first time ever that a Hiram men’s soccer coach was named the NCAC’s top coach.

Capellas guided Hiram to its third straight winning season (13-6) and a second place tie in the NCAC (6-3) — the Terriers’ best finish since joining the NCAC in 1999. They also made their first-ever appearance in the NCAC Tournament.

Hiram’s 13 wins were the most since 1996 when the Terriers won a school-record 16 games. He has a five-year record at Hiram is 43-39-9.

Capellas joins six of his players on the All-NCAC team: Senior goalkeeper Nate Rausch, junior midfielder Nick Gdanetz and junior defender David Mason made the first team, sophomore forward Petar Knezevic the second team and junior midfielder David Krems and senior defender Trevor Gibbs School honorable mentions.

Davies All-American

PORTSMOUTH — Lisa Davies, a senior on the Shawnee St. women’s cross country team from West Branch High and Homeworth, made the NAIA All-American team for the second straight year.

Davis placed 17th at the NAIA National Championship Meet in Kenosha, Wisc., in a time of 17:54 — only one second off her school-record 17:53 — to gain All-American honors.

It was the first time that the Bears qualified for the NAIA national meet, and led by Davies, they placed 13th.

Last year, Davies placed 19th at the NAIA national meet to gain All-American, after placing 76th in 2006.

While at West Branch on the track team, Davies won the 3,200-meter run at the State Division II championship in 2003.

Bletso all-region

SAINT LEO, Fla. — Danielle Bletso, a freshman member of the Saint Leo Univ. volleyball team from Boardman High, was named to the 2008 American Volleyball Coaches Association All-South Region Team as the South Region’s Freshman of the Year.

Bletso, a 6-foot-2 middle blocker who also was named the Sunshine State Conference’s Freshman of the Year, helped the Saint Leo front line to rank No. 3 in blocks per set in all of NCAA Division II with an average of 2.47.

She ranked No. 2 in blocks per set in the SSC with an average of 0.95, and she also was No. 2 in the loop in hitting percentage with .376.

In addition, Bletso averaged 1.93 kills per frame.

While at Boardman High, Bletso was district player of the year, was named to the All-Federal League team and was a team MVP.

nation

SI names Phelps

BALTIMORE — Michael Phelps was named the 2008 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated Tuesday, becoming the first Olympian to earn the honor since speedskaters Bonnie Blair (United States) and Johann Olav Koss (Norway) shared it in 1994.

Since its inception in 1954, Sports Illustrated has annually presented the Sportsman of the Year award to “the athlete or team whose performance that year most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement.”

By winning eight gold medals this summer at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing to surpass Mark Spitz’s previous gold-medal total of seven at the 1972 Olympics, Phelps easily distanced himself from the 39 nominations of SI writers.

The first swimmer to win the honor, Phelps set seven world records and eight Olympic records and won five individual events in Beijing.

Miller is fastest

BEAVER CREEK, Colo. — Bode Miller can’t be conservative on a downhill course, even on a training run.

While other top skiers took a more leisurely jaunt in the opening downhill training run Tuesday, Miller darted down the Birds of Prey course, turning in the fastest time of 1 minute, 42.82 seconds.

David Poisson of France had the second fastest training time, nearly a full second behind Miller.

His two downhill titles on the course lend credence to that. He’s also won a giant slalom title here.

Vindicator staff/wire reports