M-Rob denied invitation to Heisman ceremony
NEW YORK (AP) -- The Heisman Trophy competition is a three-man race -- just as it's been all season.
Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart of Southern California will be back in New York on Saturday, along with Texas quarterback Vince Young, when the Heisman Trophy is awarded to the nation's best college football player. Penn State's Michael Robinson, who led the Nittany Lions to a Big Ten Championship, however, did not receive an invitation.
The Downtown Athletic Club, which hands out the sport's most prestigious individual award, invited only three players yesterday to the presentation ceremony -- leaving Robinson out in the cold.
Last season, five players attended the Heisman ceremony and Leinart won it. Since 1999, either four or five finalists have been invited to New York.
Bush, Leinart and Young have been the front-runners since the preseason, and they've been jockeying for position all year.
PSU alumna qualifies for LPGA after tourney
Former Penn State golfer Katie Futcher finished 4-under-par to qualify for the LPGA tour at the 2005 Qualifying School Final in Daytona, Beach, Fla.
Though standout Japanese 20-year-old Ai Miyazato won the tournament with a phenomenal 17-under, Futcher turned a few heads when spectators found out she had played at Penn State.
"I got a few 'WE ARE's' and that made me really proud ... I bleed blue and white, and it always helps to get that support," Futcher said.
Futcher started off the tournament with a one-under-par 71. Futcher knocked in two birdies on that day, securing a spot in the top pairings for the next round.
On Day 2, she continued to move up in the standings to ninth place after another stellar performance.
The third round turned out to be a good day for most of the golfers, including Futcher.
She shot an impressive 69, bringing her right to the front line chase of first-place Miyazato, who finished round three at 11-under-par.
Futcher shot a 73 in the final round to finish tied with Brooke Tull in fourth place overall, securing a bid to the LPGA Tour.
Lions find replacement for 2006 La. Tech game
Penn State has filled a recent opening in its 2006 schedule with Youngstown State, which will join Notre Dame and Akron, the 2005 Mid-American Conference champion, on the non-conference slate.
The September 16, 2006 game with Youngstown State came as result of Louisiana Tech canceling its scheduled visit to Beaver Stadium last month due to scheduling conflicts with the new alignment of schools in the Western Athletic Conference.
Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions are now scheduled to open the 2006 season by hosting Akron on Sept. 2 and visit Notre Dame on Sept. 9 to begin a two-game series before hosting Youngstown State in the first meeting between the schools.
Youngstown State is one of the nation's top Division I-AA programs -- winning four NCAA Championships since 1991 -- and has played numerous games against I-A opponents, including Pittsburgh during the 2005 season.
Three recruits commit to women's golf team
Head coach Denise St. Pierre and the Penn State women's golf team signed three high school seniors for its 2006 recruiting class this past week. Michele Romano, of West Islip, N.Y., Lindsay Cullen, from Allen, Texas and Katherine Murphy, of Portsmouth, R.I. will bring plenty of notable amateur and high school experience to the Lions.
In addition to her second place finish at the PGA Junior Series this past summer, Romano has finished five other times in the top 10.
Cullen carded her best score at the AJGA-Randy Smith Classic with 73-75-80, good for the third-place finish. She finished fifth at the Texas State High School Boys & Girls 5A Championship, with an amateur career low-round of 72.
Murphy won the Challenge Cup Championship hosted by Cranston Country Club in Cranston, R.I.. She has had the top finish at the Ocean State Women's Amateur at Triggs Memorial Golf Course in Providence, R.I.
