Meagan Lettko Selected for Prestigious Institute Commencement Award

TROY, NY » Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) student-athlete Meagan Lettko of Averill Park 12018 and Averill Park High School has been recognized with a prestigious Commencement award, garnering the Livingston W. Houston Citizenship Award.

The Livingston W. Houston Citizenship Award was established by Clay P. Bedford in 1964 with the prize given in memory of Livingston Waddell Houston, 11th president of Rensselaer. It is awarded to a student who is considered the “First Citizen of the College”. The recipient must rank high in character, leadership, scholarship and athletic ability. In addition to being four-year performer a on the soccer team, Lettko served as the 154th Grand Marshal, the highest elected student leader on campus; the presiding officer of the Student Senate and an ex-officio member of all committees. She was the Vice Grand Marshal in 2018-19 and a Class of 2020 Senator for two years. Lettko, a Dean’s List mechanical engineering major, was a student ambassador who was recognized with a Founder’s Award of Excellence and the White Key Award. She was inducted into the Phalanx Honor Society in 2019.

Lettko will be working for BAE Systems in Nashua, N.H., as a member of their Engineering Leadership Development Program.

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA (AP) » The Alaska Baseball League has canceled its summer season, as the future of sports worldwide remains uncertain during the coronavirus pandemic.

The summer league season was scheduled to begin on June 29.

The five-team league is made up of college players from mostly the Lower 48 but also from places as far away as Taiwan. If competition resumed on time, travel and housing would have been a logistical challenge during the seven weeks of play, KTVA-TV reported.

The Mat-Su Miners proposed a short season in July and other teams have also expressed their desire to compete, officials said. League teams are expected to contact state and local governments about the plan.

Even Major League Baseball is trying to formulate a plan to get its players back on the field.

WASHINGTON (AP) » The Washington Nationals have changed their plans for their virtual World Series ring ceremony after players decided they would rather wait until they could reunite in person to receive their new jewelry.

The Nationals had announced they were going to give out the rings during a show broadcast on television and online — an unprecedented approach brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. They still plan to unveil the design of the ring Sunday and go ahead with a fundraiser for two food banks and the showing of a documentary about Washington’s 2019 season.

The Nationals consulted some team leaders before moving forward with the virtual ring ceremony.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) » The postponement of the Indianapolis 500 from Memorial Day weekend until late August because of the coronavirus pandemic has created a “void” for businesses near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that rely on spending by race fans and tourists, local officials said.

Connie Harris, executive director of the Greater Speedway Area Chamber of Commerce, said May is usually a busy month for restaurants and businesses in the Marion County town of Speedway, which sees its population jump from about 12,000 residents to more than 200,000 during race weekend.

But Chris Gahl, Visit Indy’s senior vice president for marketing and communications, told The Indianapolis Star that this year’s race delay until Aug. 23 will hurt businesses during what is normally their most profitable time of the year.