area

area

Tressel brothers pay for new BW turf

BEREA — Ohio State coach Jim Tressel on Saturday helped Baldwin-Wallace College kick off a $2 million renovation at the private college’s stadium, where Tressel’s father coached football for 23 years.

Tressel and his two brothers — all alumni of the college in suburban Cleveland — donated an unspecified amount to pay for the replacement of the stadium’s artificial turf. All three attended Saturday’s groundbreaking ceremony at The George Finnie Stadium.

The field, which is used for football and soccer, has been named Tressel Field to honor Lee Tressel, who coached at Baldwin-Wallace from 1958-80.

Chaney HOF meeting

YOUNGSTOWN — The Chaney High School Athletic Hall of Fame committee will meet in the school cafeteria Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Nomination forms are available from Ron Berdis (330-744-8833) or Ed Matey (330-744-6985).

Thomas earns honors

ALLIANCE — Mount Union College sophomore Scott Thomas earned all-OAC academic track field honorable mention status.

Thomas (West Branch High) is a biology major with a 3.64 GPA and runs sprints and plays football at Mount Union.

At the OAC meet he took second in the 100 (11.01 seconds) and second in the 200 (22.31).

He was also a part of the 4x100 relay squad that took third place.

Baseball meeting set

POLAND — The Tri “T” baseball league will meet at the Poland Community Building May 21 at 8 p.m.

Fall schedules requested

The Vindicator requests area high school athletic directors to submit 2008 fall varsity sports schedules.

They can be sent by mail to Vindicator sports department, P.O. Box 780, Youngstown, 44501; fax (330-747-6712) or email (sports@vindy.com).

Rock hires Reynolds

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — Kevin Reynolds has been hired as the men’s basketball coach at Slippery Rock Univ.

Last season Reynolds was an assistant coach at Morehead St. He is a native of Bethlehem, Pa.

Blue Storm wins twice

SHARON — The Penn-Ohio Blue Storm Boys fourth-grade basketball team won a pair of tournament championships.

The Blue Storm defeated the Rising Stars to win the Y-Town Classic AAU Tournament held at Youngstown State with a 4-0 record.

Then the Blue Storm defeated Steal City and finished with a 5-0 record to win the Rock Jamfest AAU Tournament held at Slippery Rock Univ.

nation

Spartans release QB

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State says backup quarterback Connor Dixon has been granted a release from his scholarship.

Michigan State associate athletic director John Lewandowski said Saturday that the school granted Dixon’s request for a release.

Dixon came to Michigan State in 2006 from Pennsylvania state champion South Park High.

Lewandowski says Dixon has battled shoulder injuries, and indicated he wanted to try a fresh start at another school.

golf in review

•AT T Classic

DULUTH, Ga. — Charles Howell III shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead over Kenny Perry into the final round of the AT T Classic.

An Augusta native seeking his third PGA Tour victory and first since the 2007 Nissan Open, Howell had a 13-under 203 total on at TPC Sugarloaf.

Perry shot a 69. David Toms (69), Ryan Palmer (70) and second-round leader Jonathan Byrd (73) were two strokes back at 11 under.

•Sybase Classic

CLIFTON, N.J. — Lorena Ochoa said her own little goodbye to Annika Sorenstam.

The two-time defending champion shot a 5-under 67 and left the retiring Sorenstam in her wake after two rounds of the rain-shorted $2 million Sybase Classic on Saturday.

Ochoa will enter Sunday’s final round of the now 54-hole tournament with a 9-under 135 total and a two-shot lead over third-year tour player Teresa Lu and veteran Sophie Gustafson.

•Regions Charity Classic

HOOVER, Ala. — Andy Bean birdied the final hole to take a one-shot lead over Mike Goodes into the final round of the Champions Tour’s Regions Charity Classic.

Bean capped a second-round 68 with a 151‚Ñ2-foot birdie putt on the 7,356-yard Ross Bridge course on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, moving to 11 under.

•Irish Open

ADARE, Ireland — Wales’ Bradley Dredge shot a 6-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over England’s Richard Finch after the third round of the Irish Open.

Dredge, who lost to Padraig Harrington in a playoff last year at Adare Manor, had a 9-under 207 total. Finch, the New Zealand Open winner in December, shot a 65.

England’s Lee Westwood was two strokes back after a tournament-best 64.

world

Portsmouth wins cup

WEMBLEY, England — Nwankwo Kanu scored a first-half goal Saturday for Portsmouth to beat Cardiff 1-0 and win the FA Cup final for the first time since 1939.

The Nigerian striker took advantage of a fumble by Cardiff goalkeeper Peter Enckelman in the 37th minute of the 127th FA Cup final to give manager Harry Redknapp his first major trophy in 25 years of coaching.

Radcliffe on crutches, treating hip injury

LONDON — Marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe is on crutches because of a hip injury that is disrupting her training for the Beijing Olympics.

The pulled muscle in her left hip was revealed after two MRI scans. The 34-year-old British runner is scheduled for another MRI this week.

Olympic warning

TORONTO — Canadian athletes should “make a stand” for human rights and think twice about heading to the Beijing Olympics, two-time Winter Games medalist Elvis Stojko said Saturday.

Stojko, who won silver medals in figure skating at the 1994 and 1998 Winter Olympics, said he would consider boycotting the Games if he were still a competing athlete. He spoke during a rally of about 200 protesting China’s human rights record outside the Ontario legislature Saturday afternoon.

China has also come in for criticism over its policies on Tibet and Darfur.

Vindicator staff/wire reports