06/07/06

Mary Byrne hired as AP's deputy sports editor

NEW YORK -- Mary Byrne, Olympic editor of USA Today, has been appointed deputy sports editor of The Associated Press.

The announcement was made June 7 by sports editor Terry Taylor.

Byrne replaces Ben Walker, who will return to a national writing assignment. The appointment is effective July 10.

Byrne has been at USA Today for two years and planned coverage for the Athens and Turin Games. Before that, she was deputy sports editor at the Miami Herald, where she coordinated coverage of Olympics and World Cup soccer, as well as the Florida Marlins' World Series.

Byrne who grew up in Saginaw, Mich., is a graduate of the University of Missouri.

Contact: Jack Stokes, AP Corporate Communications, 212.621.1720