Penguins participate in special program

YSU

Penguins participate
in special program

YOUNGSTOWN — The YSU baseball team will sign autographs and collect baseball equipment for less-fortunate players at the YSU basketball doubleheader Saturday.

The donation is being held in conjunction with the Midwest Baseball Academy and Major League Baseball’s “Donate A Dream” campaign, which is attempting to raise $1 million is new and used equipment.

The baseball team will join the men’s and women’s basketball teams for a special “autograph night” in which all three squads will sign team pictures and posters.

Fans may also purchase game-used jerseys, team warm-ups and other Penguin merchandise at the YSU Rummage Sale in the front lobby of Beeghly Center.

The YSU women’s basketball team will open the doubleheader at 4:35 p.m. against Milwaukee and the men will play Wright State at 7:05 p.m. For information call (330) 941-3485.

AREA

South Range tickets

NORTH LIMA — Tickets for South Range’s girls basketball tournament game against Springfield will be on sale at the high school this week.

The Raiders play Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Mineral Ridge.

Time change

RAVENNA — The Springfield at Southeast girl’s basketball game Wednesday will begin at 7 p.m. There will not be a junior varsity game.

Southeast is now selling advance tickets for the sectional basketball tournament.

Hannon named POTW

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. — Craig Hannon, a graduate of New Castle Union High School and a member of the Westminster College men’s basketball team, was named the Presidents’ Athletic Conf. player of the week.

Hannon averaged 32 points per game in two home wins over the week. The Titans beat defending PAC champion Grove City 82-60 and downed Thomas More 89-80.

Hannon scored a season-high 33 points against Grove City and now has five 30-point games in his career.

Hannon, a senior guard, added 7.5 rebounds over the week. With 1,608 career points, Hannon needs 22 points to become Westminster’s all-time career scorer.

NATION

Wife of Hornish Jr.
gives him a daughter

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sam Hornish Jr. will start his NASCAR season stress free thanks to the speedy arrival of his first child.

Addison Faith Hornish was born Monday. She wasn’t due until Feb. 10 — the same day Hornish would have been in Daytona attempting to qualify for his first Daytona 500.

Hornish’s wife, Crystal, had expected her husband would likely miss the birth, which was scheduled to take place in their hometown of Defiance, Ohio.

“She was like, ’I want you to be there, but it really doesn’t matter anymore. I just want to be able to have the baby and be done,”’ Hornish said last month.

But the 2006 Indy 500 winner wasn’t behind the wheel. Hornish, a three-time IndyCar Series champion, is making a full-time move to NASCAR after a successful open-wheel career.

LPGA event to move
from California desert

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. — The LPGA Tour’s Samsung World Championship is moving this fall from the California desert to the Ocean Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links. The tournament, which features an elite field of 20 players, had been at Bighorn Golf Club in Palm Desert the last four years.

The move will give northern California consecutive weeks of women’s golf. The Samsung Championship will be played Oct. 2-5, one week before the Longs Drugs Challenge in Danville.

Half Moon Bay, designed by Arthur Hills in 1997, becomes the 15th course to host the Samsung.

Meissner turns to
Callaghan for answers

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Kimmie Meissner is hoping a new coach can solve her problems.

The former world figure skating champion, whose season-long struggles included a seventh-place finish at the recent national championships, announced Monday she is leaving longtime coach Pam Gregory to train with Richard Callaghan for the next six weeks. Meissner will work with Callaghan, who coached Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski, through the world championships, which are March 17-23 in Sweden.

“I’m just really trying to put all my focus and energy into training for worlds,” Meissner said. “I’m grateful to Pam Gregory for everything she has done, but I needed to make some changes in order to regain my focus and confidence.”

Meissner won the 2006 world championships and followed it up with her first U.S. title last year. But she has struggled this year, getting worse as the season ended instead of better. After finishing last at the six-person Grand Prix final in December, she retooled her free skate in hopes of getting herself back on track at the national championships.

Instead, she fell on the first two jumps in her free skate, managed only three clean triples and finished seventh. Tears filled her eyes afterward, and she was at a loss to explain her struggles.

Vindicator staff/wire reports