Sports digest

ysu

Penguins sign guard

YOUNGSTOWN — LeeShantea Johnson has signed a financial aid agreement to continue her basketball and academic future at YSU, Penguins head women’s coach Cindy Martin announced.

Johnson is a 5-foot-9 guard from Midland College (Texas) who was ranked as the 92nd-best JUCO prospect in the nation by the Collegiate Girls Basketball Report.

Johnson averaged 8.3 points and played in all 32 games for the Chaparrals last season as a sophomore.

She averaged 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals as Midland went 30-2 and finished the year ranked fifth in NJCAA Division I.

Johnson is the eighth student-athlete to join the women’s basketball program for the 2009-10 season.

area

Track officials

The Greater Youngstown Track Officials Association has elected its 2009-2011 officers: Bill Julian/President, Ed Votaw/Vice President, Pat Julian/Treasurer, B.J. Duckworth/Secretary, John Daubenspeck/Rules Interpreter.

They will hold rules meetings on Aug. 20 at Fitch High School and Sept. 10 at Boardman High School.

Both start at 7 p.m.

Anyone interested in becoming an official or anyone with question should contact BJ. Duckworth at gytoa@yahoo.com.

Izzo turns pro

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. — Former Westminster College baseball player John Izzo (Union High) signed a professional contract with the South Louisiana Pipeliners of the Continental League.

The Pipeliners are an independent professional team located in Morgan City, La.

Izzo played four years at Westminster and he finished his career as the school’s all-time leader in career hits (185), home runs (26) and RBI (124).

state

Browns training camp begins on August 1

BEREA — New Browns coach Eric Mangini will open his first training camp in Cleveland with a pair of practices on Aug. 1.

The team announced the initial portion of its training camp schedule Wednesday. The Browns’ first workout will begin at 8:45 a.m. with an evening session at 5:45 p.m. The majority of sessions, which will run through Aug. 24, are free and open to the public. Practice on Aug. 4 will be closed to fans.

Due to construction near the training facility in Berea, the Browns said public parking has yet to be determined.

The Browns also announced that their family day scrimmage will be held on Aug. 9 at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

nation

Steelers’ sale paperwork complete

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney’s four brothers signed papers this week transferring majority ownership of the six-time Super Bowl champions to Rooney and son Art Rooney II, the team president.

The complicated sale, ongoing for nearly a year, is expected to close within the next several weeks.

The sale allows Dan Rooney, now the U.S. ambassador to Ireland, and Art II to control 30 percent of the team’s shares, as required of a principal owner under NFL rules.

Wooden Classic

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Georgetown will play its first West Coast game in eight years against Washington, and UCLA plays Mississippi State in the 16th annual John R. Wooden Classic on Dec. 12.

The complete field for the doubleheader at Honda Center was announced Wednesday.

Georgetown hasn’t played on the West Coast since visiting UCLA in 2001. It will be the Hoyas’ first meeting with defending Pac-10 champion Washington.

The Huskies return to the doubleheader named for the former UCLA coach for the second time. In 2005, they beat New Mexico State.

world

Mexican boxer dies

MEXICO CITY — Mexican junior welterweight Marco Antonio Nazareth has died at a hospital in Puerto Vallarta, four days after sustaining a brain hemorrhage in a loss to Omar Chavez.

The 23-year-old Nazareth was hospitalized after the fight, in which Nazareth was knocked down in the first round and knocked out in the fourth.

Vindicator staff/wire reports