Hopple leads YSU women

ROCHESTER, Mich. — Freshman Maggie Hopple’s high finish in the 1,500 meters Sunday helped the Youngstown State University women’s track team capture its fifth Horizon League outdoor championship in six years.

Hopple, a former Salem High School All-Ohioan, finished fourth in the 1,500 meters in a personal-best time of 4 minutes, 33.56 seconds at the Elaine Leigh Track and Field Complex. YSU senior McKinley Field won in 4:24.30.

The Penguins started the day down 13 points after seven events and rallied to post 172 points to outdistance Milwaukee with 163 1/2.

Hopple was joined by two more Salem and YSU teammates in the 5,000-meter final on Sunday.

Sophomore Megan Stafford was 14th (17:57.25), senior Molly Hopple was 15th (17:58.39) and Maggie Hopple was 32nd (18:31.42) in the 51-runner field.

Carly Hall was 21st in the 800-meter preliminaries (2:26.02) on Saturday.

Butcher scores for Penguins

ROCHESTER, Mich. — Youngstown State sophomore Logan Butcher placed in three sprints Sunday at the Horizon League Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Butcher, a South Range High School graduate, was third in the 400 meters in a personal-best 47.21 seconds, seventh in the 200 meters (22.14) and third in the 1600 relay (3:16.06) at the Elaine Leigh Track and Field Complex.

He helped the YSU men capture their seventh straight Horizon League outdoor title with 264 points. Pursue Fort Wayne was second with 129 1/2 points.

YSU juniors Sage Vavro and Connor Shingleton finished one-two in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase on Saturday.

Sage Vavro defended his Horizon League title with a winning with a time of 8:54.55. Shingleton, a former Minerva High School standout, was second in 9:07.36.

Area athletes race at Harrison Dillard Twilight

BEREA — Several area runners raced in the men’s 5,000 meters at the Harrison Dillard Twilight meet on Friday night.

Walsh University junior David D’Altorio from Boardman topped the 123 runner-field in a time of 14 minutes, 22.95 seconds at George Finnie Stadium.

Youngstown State freshman Dominic Pappagallo from Mineral Ridge ran unattached and was fifth (14:33.25)

Other area runners were John Carroll sophomore Chuck Reigrut from South Range in 57th (15:30.24), Baldwin Wallace sophomore Michael Dorris from West Branch in 63rd (15:34.90) and John Carroll senior Brian Standley from South Range in 64th (15:35.55).

The two-day unscored meet attracted more than 50 teams and 66 unattached athletes.

It is is held annually in honor of Harrison Dillard, a 1949 graduate of Baldwin Wallace who won four NCAA national titles in the hurdles with the Yellow Jackets and four Olympic gold medals.

East Liverpool alumni golf scramble

EAST LIVERPOOL — The East Liverpool High School Alumni Associationwill hold its golf outing scramble May 23 at the East Liverpool Country Club.

Entry fee is $100 per person, which includes 18 holes of golf with cart, hot dog, chips and beverage at the turn, dinner following and prizes.

For more information, call Dave Jr. at the pro shop at (330) 385-0624.

Proceeds will benefit the alumni association’s support of city schools veterans and the community.

Day’s son to Northwestern

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Quarterback RJ Day said he is committing to play at Northwestern beginning in 2027, putting him in line to join his father in the Big Ten Conference.

The son of Ohio State football coach Ryan Day announced his decision this weekend on social media.

“Excited for the next step and ready to get to work,” Day posted in a message thanking coaches and family.

Chip Kelly is the offensive coordinator on coach David Braun’s staff at Northwestern after serving in that role under Day when the Buckeyes won the national championship in the 2024 season. Kelly was also the offensive coordinator when Ryan Day played QB at New Hampshire and set nine school records.

RJ Day plays at St. Francis DeSales High School in Columbus, Ohio.

Wizards get No. 1 pick in NBA draft

CHICAGO (AP) — For Michael Winger, 1 was the loneliest number. And for the Washington Wizards, it was the best ping-pong ball.

Let’s explain: Winger, the president of Monumental Basketball, was the Wizards’ representative inside the sequestered room where the NBA draft lottery was taking place Sunday. The first ball was 4, the second ball was 2.

“I knew it was us,” Winger said.

He was right. The third ball — 1 — made it official. The fourth ball was a 13, which meant nothing. The 4-2-1 combination ensured that the Wizards had won the lottery and earned the right to pick No. 1 in next month’s draft, a huge step forward for a team that finished with the league’s worst record this season.

It will be Washington’s first time with the No. 1 pick since they chose John Wall in that spot in 2010. Wall was the Wizards’ on-stage representative for the lottery.

“They could be a team that I feel should be in playoff contention next year,” Wall said.

Washington had a 14% chance of winning the No. 1 pick, tied with Brooklyn and Indiana for the best odds. The Wizards had basically a 50-50 chance of getting either a top-four pick or the No. 5 spot.

But three consecutive years of losing paid off for a team that went 17-65 this season. Utah will pick No. 2, Memphis will pick No. 3 and Chicago will pick No. 4.

The Los Angeles Clippers got the fifth pick — via a trade with the Pacers, who were shut out of the draft entirely — followed by No. 6 Brooklyn, No. 7 Sacramento, No. 8 Atlanta, No. 9 Dallas, No. 10 Milwaukee, No. 11 Golden State, No. 12 Oklahoma City, No. 13 Miami and No. 14 Charlotte.

The draft begins June 23 in New York.