Penguins lead Horizon with 18 honorees

June 18, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown State led the Horizon League with 18 students earning academic all-conference honors during the spring sports season.

Thehonorees are: Kevin Hix (baseball), Miranda Castiglione (softball), Sarah Dowd (softball), Jon Hutnyan (track and field), Garrett Mathias (track and field), Eric Rupe (track and field), Nina Grambling (track and field), Jessica Parham (track and field), Hannah Ropp (track and field), Brittany Stockmaster (track and field), McKenzie Sturtz (track and field), Silviu Mistreanu (tennis), Marta Burak (tennis), Annina Brendel (tennis), Brandon Pluchinksy (golf), Emily Dixon (golf), Allison Mitzel (golf) and Aislynn Merling (golf).

Three earned academic all-league status for the third time: Mistreanu, Burak and Rupe. Eight are two-time recipients: Pluchinsky, Merling, Mitzel, Brendel, Hutnyan, Grambling, Parham and Stockmaster.

To be eligible for Academic All-Horizon League consideration, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.20 or higher (based on a 4.00 scale) and have completed at least one year at the member institution, having earned 24 semester-hour or 36 quarter-hour credits.

Cafaro donates $50,000 for stadium

BROOKFIELD

The Cafaro Foundation has donated $50,000 to help the Brookfield Local School District start renovating Addison Stadium.

Recently, the Ohio Office of Civil Rights determined that the stadium was not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The project is estimated to cost $500,000.

“Unfunded mandates like this leave school districts in the lurch and they hit student athletes hard,” Cafaro Foundation Trustee William A. Cafaro said. “The school board has no choice but to reach out to local businesses and foundations for help.

“We’re hoping that our donation encourages others in the community to step up and join us in helping Brookfield renovate its stadium.”

Colombia next for USA soccer team

VANCOUVER, British Columbia

Upstart Colombia will be the next opponent for the U.S. national team at the Women’s World Cup.

The second-ranked U.S. women, who have two World Cup titles, finished atop Group D with a 1-0 victory over Nigeria on Monday night. Colombia, ranked No. 28 in the world, was the third-place finisher in Group F behind France and England. But Las Cafeteras already pulled off one of the tournament’s biggest upsets with a 2-0 group-stage victory over No. 3 France.

In its group finale on Wednesday, Colombia fell 2-1 to England in Montreal. Sixteen teams in the expanded field of 24 advanced to the knockout round.

Colombia will face the United States on Monday night at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta.

Las Cafeteras will be without goalkeeper Sandra Sepulveda because of a pair of yellow cards, one against France and the second against England. Sepulveda was key to the team’s victory over France with six saves.

Colombia is making its second World Cup appearance. The team, which finished in 14th in 2011 in Germany, had never won a match in the sport’s premier tournament until the upset over France.

The United States has won the World Cup twice, but not since 1999.

Striped caps set for All-Star Game

NEW YORK

Players will wear special caps with horizontal stripes for the All-Star Game at Cincinnati on July 14.

Major League Baseball and New Era said Wednesday each cap will have two stripes. It is patterned after the caps worn by Cincinnati’s players in the 1880s and 1890s. MLB started using special All-Star caps last year, when the design was based on the 1970s batting helmet of the host Minnesota Twins.

Staff/wire report