Cooper, Braydich top Insurance Agents Classic

July 26, 2013 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Christina Cooper of Canfield, playing in the 16-18 year-old girls division, and Nick Braydich of Struthers, playing in the 14-15 boys, both shot 72 to lead the field Wednesday in the 43rd annual Mahoning County Independent Insurance Agents Junior Golf Classic held at Mill Creek Golf Course.

There were a total of 70 golfers competing. The top placers in each age division follow:

16-18 boys: Jack Fassler, Waxsan, N.C., 74; Matt Motasy, Austintown, 77; Adam Catauro, Austintown, 77.

16-18 girls: Christina Cooper, Canfield, 72; Olivia DeMartino, Canfield, 82; Michele Whiteleather, Youngstown, 82.

14-15 boys: Nick Braydich, Struthers, 72; Damon Brickley, Boardman, 76; Ken Keller, Youngstown, 77.

14-15 girls: Sarah Brindly, Warren, 93; Kaci Ann Carpenter, Canfield, 98; Tori Augustine, Poland, 101.

13-under boys: Cole Christman, Canfield, 38; Bobby Jonda, Boardman, 40; Conner Stevens, Brookfield, 41.

13-under girls: Hannah Keffler, Canfield, 46; Gillian Cerimele, Canfield, 52; Jenna Jacobson, Poland, 52.

YSU pair compete in collegiate team event

Powell, Ohio

The Youngstown State women’s golf duo of Aislynn Merling and Angela Molaskey tied for 30th at the three-day Pure Silk Women’s Collegiate Team Championship held at Wedgewood Golf & Country Club. Merling and Molaskey had an 86 on Tuesday during the alternating-shot opening round; a 74 on Wednesday in best ball play; while the two combined for a 165 (Merling 81, Molaskey 84) on Thursday.

YSU’s Brown still has chance at NCAA award

Indianapolis

Youngstown State women’s basketball player Brandi Brown is one of more than 140 NCAA female student-athletes selected as a 2013 Woman-of-the-Year conference honoree, the organization announced on Thursday. Originally a total of 429 female student-athletes, were nominated for the 22nd annual NCAA Woman of the Year award.

Brown and UIC’s Coryn Schmit are the two nominees from the Horizon League. The Woman of the Year selection committee will continue to pare the list of nominees until the winner is announced on Oct. 20.

The Woman of the Year Award honors graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, community service and leadership.

Dillon wins on dirt in Truck Series at Eldora

ROSSBURG, Ohio

Austin Dillon grabbed the golden shovel and scooped a pile of dirt. His dirty work over, Dillon dumped the black clump in a small jar, a nice souvenir for a victory four decades in the making. Dillon left the rest of the field in his dust to win NASCAR’s return to dirt racing in the Truck Series races at Eldora Speedway Wednesday night.

Hartford native Dave Blaney, a regular on the Sprint Cup circuit, finished ninth and his son, Ryan Blaney, who is eighth in points in the Truck Series, finished 15th.

The last time one of NASCAR’s top touring series competed on dirt was Sept. 30, 1970, when Richard Petty won a Sprint Cup — called the Grand National Division at that time — race at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.

NASCAR returned to dirt in an attempt to reconnect with its roots and give fans raised on asphalt and stock cars a taste of the slides and wall-banging that are staples of the surface. Fans packed the track that opened in 1954, a rare feat for a series that often runs in front of mostly empty grandstands as a support race in a Sprint Cup weekend.

D.C. United, city agree to soccer stadium deal

WASHINGTON

D.C. United and city officials signed an agreement Thursday that would keep the Major League Soccer franchise in the District of Columbia with a new, $300 million soccer-only stadium. The city and the team would split the cost of the stadium, which is tentatively scheduled to open in 2016 in an industrial section of southwest Washington known as Buzzard Point.

Vindicator staff/wire reports