Sports digest

Area

Curbstoners

BOARDMAN — Len Perry, a Youngstown State University instructor, will speak when the Curbstone Coaches meet Monday at noon at the Blue Wolf Banquet and Catering Center.

Canfield basketball

CANFIELD — Tickets are now on sale at the Canfield High School athletic office for the basketball game against Howland at the Chevrolet Centre.

Canfield girls meet Howland on Wednesday at 7:45 p.m.

The office is open weekdays from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. For details, call (330) 533-5341.

Pirates Caravan visits on Wednesday

YOUNGSTOWN — General Manager Neal Huntington and Team President Frank Coonelly will speak when the Pittsburgh Pirates Caravan makes a stop Wednesday at noon at the Butler Institute of American Art, 524 Wick Ave.

Three players — outfielder Nyjer Morgan, third baseman Neil Walker and pitcher Jeff Karstens — will attend, along with pitching coach Don Long and broadcasters Greg Brown and Steve Blass.

Fans who attend the luncheon will have the opportunity to purchase tickets for an Indians-Pirates game this summer at PNC Park.

Luncheon tickets cost $15 and include a Pirates ticket. Reservations are required and may be made by calling (330) 743-1107 ext. 122.

Vallinger qualifies

ADA, OH. — Mount Union College sophomore Mary Vallinger (Poland High) posted a score of 254.35 in the 1-meter dive to automatically qualify for the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships in an Ohio Athletic Conference dual meet at Ohio Northern University.

The reigning OAC Diver of the Year and defending conference diving champion will compete at the national meet March 12-14 at University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN.

The Purple Raiders lost the meet 144-98.

state

Davis-White take title

CLEVELAND — Up-and-comers for so many years, you can call Meryl Davis and Charlie White something else now: Champions.

Davis and White won their first ice dance title Saturday at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, far outclassing the rest of the field. Their score of 201.68 points was 20 better than reigning world junior champions Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates. Kimberly Navarro and Brett Bommentre were third.

With Olympic silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto back home while he recovers from a back injury, Davis and White were expected to take over from the five-time U.S. champions.

nation

Yow dies at 66

RALEIGH, N.C. — Hall of Famer and longtime North Carolina State women’s basketball coach Kay Yow has died after a decades-long fight against breast cancer. She was 66.

The university announced that Yow died on Saturday morning. She had been in the hospital since last week. Yow was first diagnosed with the disease in 1987.

Yow won more than 700 games in a career filled with milestones. She coached the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal in 1988, won four Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championships, earned 20 NCAA tournament bids and reached the Final Four in 1998.

But for many fans, Yow was best defined by her unwavering resolve while fighting cancer. She raised awareness and money for research, and stayed with her team through much of the debilitating effects of the disease.

White leads South in Senior Bowl

MOBILE, Ala. — Local hero Pat White passed for 95 yards and a touchdown and directed two scoring drives to lead the South to a 35-18 win over the North in the Senior Bowl Saturday night.

The West Virginia quarterback is a native of Daphne just outside Mobile. Projected to be a receiver in the NFL, White stood out among a group of high profile signal callers and was the most valuable player of the game that featured many top NFL prospects.

If there were doubts about the strength of White’s arm, he tried to erase them in the third quarter when he stretched the South’s lead with an impressive 39-yard scoring toss to Mississippi’s Mike Wallace in the corner of the end zone.

Paumonok Handicap

NEW YORK — True Quality drew off to a 33‚Ñ4-length victory over Place Your Bet in the $69,330 Paumonok Handicap Saturday at Aqueduct.

The even-money favorite was severely tested before securing his fourth win in nine starts. True Quality, with Chuckie Lopez aboard, grabbed the early lead as expected, but quickly faced challenges from Accredit and Place Your Bet. The 4-year-old colt trained by John Campo, Jr. fended off the pressure, eventually pulling clear in deep stretch. The time was 1:10.92 for the six furlongs on a fast track.

world

New challenger for downhill title

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Lindsey Vonn is heading to the World Championships with a few kinks to remove from her downhill form — and perhaps a new challenger for her speed crown.

Dominique Gisin of Switzerland won her second straight downhill Saturday, edging Vonn and Anja Paerson in one of the most prestigious races on the women’s World Cup circuit.

Gisin timed 1 minute, 16.98 seconds down the shortened Olympia delle Tofane course.

Soccer progress

WARSAW, Poland — Poland and Ukraine have earned the endorsement of soccer’s officials — again — for the 2012 European Championship after months of speculation that they’d lose the tournament.

Recent visits to host cities, however, reveal the giant task that lies ahead.

The jubilation that erupted in Poland and Ukraine after the Union of European Football Associations’ decision in April 2007 to award them European soccer’s showcase event turned to fear last year as false starts on the construction of stadiums, roads, airports and hotels in both countries fueled speculation UEFA could dump the eastern Europeans and move the tournament to a backup host — possibly Italy, Germany or Scotland.

Indian GP set

LONDON — India is set to host a Formula One race in New Delhi in 2011, F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone said Saturday.

Ecclestone said he and Indian partner Jaiprakash Associates were “fully committed” to bringing a race to the Indian capital.

Construction on a circuit in New Delhi has yet to begin.

Vindicator staff/wire reports