NAC cross country

NAC cross country

cortland

Both the boys and girls from Maplewood High School won team titles at the NAC cross country championships meet.

In the boys meet, Maplewood had 28 points and was trailed by Pymatuning Valley (44), Lordstown and Badger (each 81) and Grand Valley (135).

The girls from Maplewood had 35 points, followed by Badger (44), Lordstown (81), Pymatuning Valley (89), Bristol (111) and Grand Valley (132).

Szakacs hits plateau

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa.

Westminster College junior volleyball player Jessie Szakacs (Liberty High) posted her 2,000th career assist in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference win over Saint Vincent.

Szakacs, a 5-foot-7 setter, dished out 47 assists in the 3-1 (25-23, 18-25, 25-21, 25-21) win to give her 2,022 for her career. She becomes the eighth player in team history to reach the 2,000-assist milestone.

Szakacs entered the week ranked fourth in the PAC with 9.08 per set.

Westminster is 11-9, 6-1 PAC.

Bruyneel backs Contador’s defense

LONDON

Alberto Contador’s former manager is supporting the three-time Tour de France winner’s claim that contaminated meat caused his positive doping test.

Johan Bruyneel, Contador’s manager on the Discovery Channel and Astana teams, told The Associated Press that “I’ve worked with him for three years. I personally cannot believe he is guilty.”

Contador was provisionally suspended by the International Cycling Union after a trace of the banned substance clenbuterol was discovered in a urine sample taken at the Tour in July.

Bruyneel also coached seven-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong and now manages the Texan’s RadioShack team.

Returning champs expected for marathon

CHICAGO

Two defending champions will highlight the deepest field of elite runners to date when the 33rd Chicago Marathon begins on Sunday.

The field includes Russia’s Liliya Shobukhova and Kenyan Sammy Wanjiru. Both won last year’s race.

Also expected to race are Steve Jones and Joan Benoit Samuelson, who were Chicago champions 25 years ago. Jones is making a recreational run while 52-year-old Benoit Samuelson is trying to qualify for a fifth straight U.S. Olympic trials in the marathon if she finishes in 2 hours, 46 minutes or lower.

Mayor Richard M. Daley says amateurs will swell the field to 45,000 people.

Croatian Blanka Vlasic wins European award

LAUSANNE, Switzerland

Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic has been voted women’s European Athlete of the Year.

Vlasic earned the honor Thursday by winning her first European outdoor title in Barcelona, world indoors gold at Doha, Qatar, and all seven Diamond League meets that staged her event.

Her jump of 2.06 meters indoors at Arnstadt, Germany, in February was the highest all year.

The 26-year-old Vlasic also won the European award in 2007. It is organized by the European Athletics governing body and voted on by national federations, fans, media and an expert panel.

British heptathlete Jessica Ennis was second, after adding European gold to her world title.

Sarah’s Secret takes Hollywood feature

INGLEWOOD, Calif.

Sarah’s Secret won for the second time in two starts, beating Tales in Excess by a half-length Thursday in the $41,360 feature race at the Oak Tree meet at Hollywood Park.

Ridden by David Flores, Sarah’s Secret ran 61/2 furlongs on the Cushion Track in 1:16.24 and paid $7 and $2.40. There was no show wagering after May Day Rose was scratched, reducing the field to four.

Tales in Excess returned $2.10 as the 3-10 wagering favorite. Swiss Wild Cat was another 33/4 lengths back in third and Hi Ho Yodeler was fourth.

Vindicator staff/wire reports