YSU’s Newman ranked among top equestrians

YSU’s Newman ranked among top equestrians

YOUNGSTOWN

Sarah Newman, Youngstown State University senior and a member of YSU’s Equestrian Team, is ranked among the top 12 collegiate equestrians nationwide.

A nursing major from Sacramento, Calif., Newman has qualified to compete in the National Intercollegiate Horse Show Association show in Lexington, Ky., the weekend of May 4-7.

The YSU team competes in five shows per season, members commit to taking one riding lesson per week, and no prior riding experience is required. They provide their own riding attire — western-style hats, chaps and boots are appropriate for quarter horse riding — but they are not required to own a horse.

Late Iafallo goal lifts UMD over Harvard, 2-1

CHICAGO

Alex Iafallo tipped in Willie Raskob’s shot with 26.6 seconds remaining to lift Minnesota Duluth to a 2-1 victory over Harvard in the Frozen Four semifinals Thursday night.

A rather slow game ended in spectacular fashion when Raskob took a pass from Joey Anderson and fired the puck toward the slot. Iafallo directed it between Merrick Madsen’s pads to break the tie.

Minnesota Duluth (28-6-7) hung on when Harvard’s Luke Esposito hit the crossbar with four seconds remaining after a scramble in front of the net.

That sent the Bulldogs to their third championship game and their first since the 2011 team brought home the program’s lone title. They’ll face the Denver-Notre Dame winner Saturday.

Lawyers: Athlete didn’t violate UNC rules

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.

Lawyers say the University of North Carolina has determined a football player charged with sexual battery didn’t violate campus policy in his contact with a female student.

Attorneys for Allen Artis and his accuser said Thursday that university officials found no violation of campus policy. A misconduct decision against Artis could have led to his expulsion. The school declined comment.

Artis faces two misdemeanor charges of sexual battery and assault on fellow student Delaney Robinson. The Associated Press typically doesn’t identify alleged victims of sexual assault, but Robinson held a September news conference where she said Artis had sex with her in February 2016 while she was intoxicated and unable to consent.

Artis said their sex was consensual. The reserve junior linebacker from Marietta, Ga., is indefinitely suspended from the football team.

Dunn, Long score twice each as US women roll

FRISCO, Texas

Crystal Dunn scored twice on the same field where she tied a national team record with five goals in a game last year and the U.S. women rolled to a 4-0 exhibition victory over Russia on Thursday night.

Allie Long also scored two goals to give her five for her national team career — all on headers — as the U.S. celebrated with an easy win a day after the announcement of a new labor deal that will cover the 2019 World Cup and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Dunn opened the scoring on Carli Lloyd’s 55th career assist for the national team, then added an unassisted goal for a 3-0 lead in the 41st minute. A little more than a year ago, she scored five goals in a 10-0 win over Puerto Rico in a CONCACAF qualifier for the Rio Olympics at the home of MLS’ FC Dallas in suburban Dallas.

The latest tallies gave Dunn 20 goals in 49 career caps for the U.S., which is second in the world rankings behind Germany.

Rose Lavelle had her first career assist on Long’s first header, and Mallory Pugh assisted on the second.

Alyssa Naeher recorded her eighth shutout in her 11th career start for the United States.

Staff and wire reports