SPORTS DIGEST || YSU’s Vanbeek shares Horizon League honor

YSU’s Vanbeek shares Horizon League honor

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown State senior middle blocker Lori Vanbeek has been named the Horizon League Co-Player of the Week for her efforts in leading the Penguins to an undefeated weekend.

Vanbeek, a native of Paw Paw, Ill., averaged four kills per set while hitting an impressive .500 over 70 attacks at the Akron Invitational. She began the weekend with a career-high 21 kills in a four-set victory over Eastern Kentucky, and she added 11 kills versus Canisius and 12 more against Akron. The tournament’s most valuable player added 13 blocks to her offensive showcase.

For the year, Vanbeek ranks third in the Horizon League with a .361 hitting percentage, and she’s also fifth in kills per set at 3.53. She’s the only player in the conference ranking in the top nine in both categories. Additionally, Vanbeek is fourth in the league with 1.03 blocks per set.

Vanbeek shared Horizon League Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors with Cleveland State’s Gina Kilner, and Northern Kentucky’s Lauren Hurley was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week.

The Penguins will play a match at Robert Morris today, and they’ll wrap up non-league play this weekend at the Dayton Flyer Classic.

West Point football player killed in crash

west point, n.y.

A West Point football player from New York City died in a car accident hours after helping Army win its second straight game.

Cadet Brandon Jackson, a 20-year-old sophomore from Queens, died in a single-car accident at around 1:50 a.m. Sunday in Westchester County, north of New York City, according to police and the U.S. Military Academy.

Police in Croton-on-Hudson said Jackson was driving by himself when he hit a guardrail. The accident is under investigation. Police and academy officials did not provide information on where Jackson was headed when his vehicle crashed about 20 miles south of West Point, across the Hudson River from the academy.

Jackson was a starting defensive back and recorded two solo tackles and one assist in Army’s 31-14 win Saturday over Rice. Army is 2-0.

“We will honor his life as we mourn the untimely death of a young man who had a promising future as a leader in service to our nation,” said West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr. “Brandon internalized our watch words: duty, honor, country.”

Soccer concussions up, according to study

chicago

Soccer injuries are sending soaring numbers of U.S. kids to emergency rooms, a trend driven in part by young players with concussions seeking urgent medical care, a study has found.

The findings, based on 25 years of data, partly reflect soccer’s growing popularity. But the researchers and sports medicine experts believe the trend also is a result of greater awareness about concussions and their potential risks. Coaches and parents are likely seeking emergency treatment for symptoms that in previous years might have been downplayed or overlooked.

Nearly 3 million players aged 7 through 17 received ER treatment for soccer-related injuries in the 2000-2014 study. The overall rate of injuries, which takes into account soccer’s rising popularity, more than doubled to 220 per 10,000 players in 2013, from 106 per 10,000 players in 1990. Researchers did not have enough data to calculate 2014 rates.

AP Source: Howard OK after hospitalization

ATLANTA

A person familiar with the situation says Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard is recovering from a likely case of dehydration after becoming ill on a flight from China, leading to a brief hospitalization. The person says Howard became sick Sunday on the long flight back to Atlanta, which followed a promotional tour of the Asian country. He was released from the hospital early Monday after being treated with fluids and showing no signs of a serious problem.

Staff and wire reports