Mark Emmert, a staff writer with the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, has been named Maine Sportswriter of the Year for 2014 by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

Emmert, who has been with the newspaper since 2013, covers University of Maine athletics and has written in-depth features on topics such as specialization in youth sports and measures to combat sports concussions.

He was selected for the honor through a nomination and balloting process among NSSA members.

CROSS COUNTRY

HIGH SCHOOLS: Sophomore Katherine Leggat-Barr of Greely High School was named Gatorade Girls’ Cross Country Runner of the Year for Maine.

Leggat-Barr won the Class B individual state championship with a time of 19 minutes, 17.12 seconds to lead the Rangers to the state title.

Leggat-Barr, who was also Maine Sunday Telegram Runner of the Year, finished 32nd at the New England Cross Country Championships with a time of 19:25.

Greely’s Kirstin Sandreuter was last year’s receipent.

PREP SCHOOLS

GIRLS’ HOCKEY: Charlotte Collins and Kristina Block provided the goals as North Yarmouth beat host Kents Hill 2-0.

Alex Barnes stopped 22 shots for the Panthers, while Lexi Crites had 35 saves for Kents Hill.

BASEBALL

NATIONAL LEAGUE: Washington Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth will have surgery on his right shoulder Friday.

The 35-year-old Werth hit .292 with 16 homers and 82 RBI in the regular season, but was just 1 for 17 in Washington’s four-game playoff loss to San Francisco.

TENNIS

QATAR OPEN: Top-ranked Novak Djokovic was upset by Ivo Karlovic of Croatia 6-7 (2), 7-6 (6), 6-4 in the quarterfinals.

CHENNAI OPEN: Slovenian qualifier Aljaz Bedene knocked out second-seeded Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 6-4 in second-round action in India.

Bedene will play fifth-seeded Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who beat Japan’s Tatsuma Ito 6-7 (1), 6-2, 6-0.

BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL: Though rusty in his season-opening match, Roger Federer beat Australian wild-card entry John Millman 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

GOLF

EUROPEAN TOUR: Jbe Kruger and Andy Sullivan both shot a 6-under 66 to share the first-round lead at the South African Open..

BASKETBALL

WNBA: Nearly three months after the New York Liberty chose not to exercise the option year on Coach Bill Laimbeer’s contract, the team offered him his old job back.

SOCCER

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: The league added to the mystery over Frank Lampard’s status by confirming he is under contract at Manchester City and does not have a formal deal with partner club New York City FC.

The New York team said in July that Lampard signed a two-year deal and used it to sell jerseys and tickets.

BIATHLON

WORLD CUP: Anton Shipulin pulled away from eight-time Olympic champ Ole Einar Bjoerndalen to give Russia the win in a men’s relay that almost was called off because of rain and fog in Oberhof, Germany.

– From staff and news services

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