Favor Hamilton qualifies for Olympics in 1,500 meters Suzy Favor Hamilton is making her third straight trip to the Olympic Games. Favor Hamilton, a 1986 Stevens Point Area Senior High graduate, qualified for the Olympics in Sydney, Australia, in the 1,500-meter run Sunday with a second place finish at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Sacramento, Calif. The Stevens Point native, who says she wants to be on the medal stand in Sydney, dueled with Regina Jacobs for the lead on the last lap before Jacobs finished with a strong kick in the last 300 meters and won the race. Jacobs finished in 4:01.01 and Favor Hamilton crossed the finish line in 4:01.81. Marla Runyan, who is legally blind, also qualified for the Olympic team after finishing third in 4:06.44. Favor Hamilton, who returned from Achilles' tendon surgery earlier this year, competed in the 800 meters in the 1996 Olympics and was fourth in her heat. In 1992, she was 11th in her heat of the 1,500 meters. Favor Hamilton has the fastest times of the year for a U.S. runner in the 1,500 meters (4:00.79), the 3,000 (8:46.16) and the 5,000 (15:06.48). * * * SIMONSON UPDATE: Chris Simonson improved to 3-2 and allowed no earned runs in 7-2/3 innings Sunday as the Beloit Snappers topped the Michigan Battlecats 6-5 at home. Simonson, a Pacelli High and University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point graduate, scattered six hits, struck out five and walked none. The outing, in which Michigan scored three unearned runs, lowered his earned run average to 4.50. Simonson also appeared in relief last Thursday in a 10-2 loss at Cedar Rapids. * * * SULLIVAN UPDATE: Kevin Sullivan, playing with the Class A Batavia Muckdogs, collected his first hit Sunday at Utica. In 25 plate appearances, he has walked five times and scored three runs. Sullivan, a Pacelli High graduate, is sharing the catching duties for the Muckdogs, an affiliate for the Philadelphia Phillies. * * * BOMBERS AWAY: The Green Bay Bombers, defending champions of the Indoor Football League, travel to Wheeling, West Virginia to take on the Steel Valley Smash (9-5) Saturday in the semifinals of the league's playoffs. The Bombers (10-4) routed Dayton 64-23 last Sunday in the first round. Wide receiver Jose Banda, who played at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, caught one pass for five yards. For the season, Banda has 189 yards receiving in 11 games. Shane Konop, another former UW-SP player and a Pacelli High graduate, has played in eight games for the Bombers. Konop has 2-1/2 sacks, 27 tackles (14 unassisted) and three tackles for loss.