ysu

ysu

Arnold 7th, Rupe 9th at championships

BROWN DEER, Wisc. — Senior Olivia Arnold continued her strong performance at the Horizon League swimming championships by finishing a career-best seventh place in the 500 freestyle on Thursday night at the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center.

Arnold, who was fifth in the 1,000-yard free on Wednesday, placed seventh in the 500 with a time of 5:04.24. Wright State’s Molly Pipkorn won the event with a time of 4:54.65. At last year’s league meet, Arnold placed 13th in the 500 with a time that was eight seconds slower.

In the 50-yard freestyle, junior Megan Rupe placed ninth with a time of 24.21 seconds while freshman Nishani Cicilson, who just missed the championship final, finished 12th with a time of 24.42 seconds. Rupe’s time was a personal best in the event and ranks as the second fastest 50 in school history.

YSU completed the night with a school-record performance of 3:58.60 in the 400 medley relay. The tandem of Cicilson, Jen Johnstone, Ashley Williamson and Kirstin Walker teamed up to break the school mark, which was set last year at the league meet, by more than two seconds. In the event, YSU finished seventh.

The Penguins are still clinging to fifth place with a score of 121. The Guins are just ahead of Valparaiso (113) and Cleveland State (109). Milwaukee holds a three-point edge of Green Bay (309-306) after two days of action.

The action continues today.

Area

Soccer referee clinic Saturday

SALEM — A clinic for soccer referee candidates will be Saturday at the Salem Memorial Building, 785 East State St., Salem.

The clinic, designated for a USSF grade 9 novice license, will be in session from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.

For instructions, visit www.mvsoa.org.

To make a reservation, call Paul Fennema (330) 853-8729.

Candidates are urged to bring a bagged lunch.

nation

NBA lines up additional money

NEW YORK — The NBA has lined up $200 million to distribute to teams interested in additional cash, which the league considers a sign it remains strong in a slumping economy.

Between $13 million and $20 million will be available to each of 12 teams that have expressed interest in the funds, commissioner David Stern said Thursday. The money can be used for any purpose, including helping teams deal with operating losses incurred because of the economy.

Penguins trade Whitney to Ducks

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins traded defenseman Ryan Whitney to the Anaheim Ducks for forward Chris Kunitz and a junior prospect, less than two seasons into a 6-year, $24 million contract that was supposed to make Whitney a key part of the Penguins’ future.

Whitney, who turned 26 last week, missed Wednesday’s night’s 1-0 win against the New York Islanders. The Penguins said he was in Boston attending to a family matter.

Holmes waives hearing on bust

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers receiver and Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday on a misdemeanor marijuana charge stemming from an October traffic stop.

Holmes’ attorney, Robert DelGreco Jr., said he waived the hearing because district judges cannot assess witness credibility or constitutional challenges.

District Judge Gene Ricciardi commended Holmes for donating the gloves he wore when he caught the Super Bowl-winning touchdown pass for charity, saying it showed fine character.

The auction raised $70,200 for the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America Inc. Holmes’s 6-year-old son, Santonio III, has the blood disease.

Norm Van Lier found dead

CHICAGO — The Comcast SportsNet staff suspected something was wrong when Norm Van Lier didn’t show up Wednesday night to work the Bulls’ halftime and postgame shows.

“Stormin’ Norman” never missed a day of work.

“Normally he was there at least an hour and a half before I got there, always sitting in the same place,” said Kendall Gill, one of his co-hosts. “When I came in and he wasn’t there, I thought he was in makeup or had gone to the restroom. I asked around, ’Where’s Norm?’ Man, I knew something was seriously wrong.”

When no one had heard from Van Lier, a clerk went to his near West Side apartment. He was 61.