Jon Pratkanis and Robert Voltz of Butler both qualified for the West Penn Amateur Championship to be held at Sunnehanna Country Club in Johnstown June 25 and 26.

At a qualifying round at Hill Crest Country Club in Lower Burrell Tuesday, Pratkanis tied for second with David DeNunzio of Jeannette at two-under-par 69, one stroke behind the top golfer, Matthew Gribschaw.

Voltz finished in a six-way tie for 16th place after shooting a three-over 74.

Von Shenefelt of Mars (83) and Joseph Rukas of Sarver (84) competed but did not qualify.

Butler's John Aubrey Sr. finished with an even-par 71 Wednesday at the U.S. Senior Open sectional qualifier at Chestnut Ridge Golf Club in Blairsville.Aubrey finished in a four-way tie for third and will not advance.

Butler County sent 43 athletes who competed in aquatics, athletics, basketball, bowling, equestrian, gymnastics and tennis at last week's Special Olympics Pennsylvania Summer Games at Penn State University.The bowling team and 5-on-5 basketball teams each placed third, and individual athletes garnered first- through sixth-place finishes as well.

NEW YORK — Most of a Haitian national youth soccer team apparently deserted the squad Wednesday during an airport stopover hours before a planned trip to South Korea to prepare for the upcoming FIFA Under-17 World Cup.Five or six of the 13 missing players had returned to the airport and turned themselves in to team officials, said Felix Augustin, the Haitian consul in New York. It was unclear where the youngsters had been and why they had left the team, he said.Most of the team's 18 players, all under age 17, had gone missing from John F. Kennedy International Airport between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, Augustin said.

SHANGHAI, China — Chinese gymnast Wang Yan is expected to paralyzed for life following a fall from the uneven bars during the national championships, a key warmup for the Beijing Olympics.Wang fell headfirst Sunday during the final in Shanghai, breaking her neck and losing consciousness. Doctors said Wednesday she was fortunate to have survived at all given the severity of her injury, the Shanghai Daily reported.