Sports briefs
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OU SID earns two awards
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and Sports Information Directors of America (SIDA) announced the Publication Contest winners and Ottawa University’s Katie Tooley earned two awards. Tooley earned her first two awards as an SID for her football and basketball media guides.
Tooley’s football guide finished sixth and her combined men’s and women’s basketball media guide had a ninth-place finish in the NAIA-SIDA contest.
“It was a complete surprise to me, I didn’t think that I would receive anything,” Tooley said. “I sent in the guides to get feedback and to see in what areas I could improve my work. I was very excited though when I found out the news.”
Foursome claims scramble victory
The team of Jim Clark, Steve Sleichter, Bob Haas and Gary Cole won the Wednesday night scramble at Hickory Hollow with a minus-6. Jim Hepner (No. 3) and Elton Murrow (No. 7) were closest to the pin winners.
NHRA shortens race length
GLENDORA, Calif. (AP) — Eleven days after Scott Kalitta was killed in a racing accident, the NHRA reduced the length of Top Fuel and Funny Car races from a quarter-mile to 1,000 feet Wednesday in an interim safety measure.
The 320-foot reduction will start next week in the Mopar Mile High Nationals in Colorado. The Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle classes will continue to run a quarter-mile.
The 46-year-old Kalitta, the son of longtime driver and owner Connie Kalitta, died June 21 after an accident during the final round of qualifying at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in New Jersey. His Funny Car burst into flames, continued at a high rate of speed and crashed and exploded at the end of the track.
Since the NHRA started in 1955, there have been nine deaths at national events, four in Top Fuel, three in Funny Car and two in Pro Stock, spokesman Anthony Vestal said. Before Kalitta, Darrell Russell was the last driver to have a fatal accident at a national event, in St. Louis in 2004. Funny Car driver Eric Medlen died last year after an accident in a testing session at Gainesville, Fla.
The distance change was made in collaboration with race teams.
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