Bill Beckner stories, Page 152
Westmoreland campus clippings: Chrisman helps Baylor acrobatics win title
Baylor acrobatics and tumbling junior Hannah Chrisman (Norwin) won her second NCATA national championship, the second-seeded Bears’ sixth in a row, with a 279.790 to 276.465 victory over Azusa Pacific. Chrisman, a base/top performer, is the sister-in-law of Norwin alum Max McDowell, a minor league baseball player with the New...
Westmoreland notebook: Anticipated Hempfield-Norwin baseball series awaits
Finally. The much-anticipated two-game baseball series between Hempfield and Norwin is set for Monday and Tuesday. The Section 2-6A series features Norwin (10-1, 6-1), ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL and No. 4 in the state, against the sneaky-good Spartans (10-5, 6-2), who are perched third in the WPIAL ranks....
Norwin softball team expects to keep on contending
Norwin had just lost to Hempfield, 10-5, to snap a four-game winning streak. It was the first Section 2-6A loss for the softball Knights, who vaulted to No. 2 in the Trib HSSN rankings. They quickly brushed off the defeat, learned from it and moved on rather abruptly. “We’ll use...
Clutch hits, bullpen lift Hempfield baseball past Penn-Trafford
Like sunshine that finally peeked through a slate gray sky to warm up an otherwise wet and windy Friday afternoon, Hempfield shined when it mattered most. The Spartans rallied from a late two-run deficit to clip host Penn-Trafford, 7-6, in a nonsection baseball game in Harrison City, ending the Warriors’...
Roundball Classic to allow fans at Geneva
Roundball Classic organizer Allen Deep said he has received a number of inquiries about fan attendance at the all-star basketball event set for May 13, 14 and 15 at Geneva College. Deep said 450 fans will be allowed to attend each of the eight games. That would equate to about...
Penn-Trafford grad Tyler Horvat bolsters lineup, rotation at W&J
As Tyler Horvat pauses to admire his handiwork (if he actually does), the sophomore baseball player at Washington & Jefferson immediately shifts his attention to the now. “I think the season has gone well so far,” the pitcher and outfielder said. “I came into the year looking to improve on...
Westmoreland County baseball notebook: Injuries haven’t slowed Hempfield
Hempfield might be down two key players, but the Spartans don’t seem too concerned about the sky falling any time soon. Junior Joey Fiedor and senior Michael Hosni were injured in the same game when the Spartans won at Bethel Park, 3-2, on April 16. Fiedor injured his right elbow,...
Offense helps Derry baseball team overcome slow start, get into contention
In between a pair of covid shutdowns — one that is going on now — the Derry baseball team discovered something about itself: It can flat-out score runs. Derry (5-3, 3-2) jumped right into Section 3-3A play, losing its first two-game series to Valley. But it was quick to rebound,...
Burrell ace Armstrong whiffs 17 in win over Greensburg Salem
Katie Armstrong said she “drew a blank” when she tried to remember the Greensburg Salem softball lineup and hitter’s tendencies when she and her Burrell teammates faced the Golden Lions for a second time. “Because it was so long ago,” she said. “As the game went on, though, I started...
Westmoreland softball notebook: Latrobe’s Tallman sisters flying high
The Tallman sisters, Jordan and Jenna, hope to take the Latrobe softball team to new heights this season, their last together as high school teammates. But they have been reaching for the sky for some time now — several months, in fact — as they seek to become certified pilots....
Hempfield softball team starting to show look of contender again
It would seem Hempfield has a lifetime pass in the WPIAL softball rankings, a permanent perch maybe, among the elite. When the Spartans, who have won five straight championships in the league’s largest classification, do not appear in the Class 6A top five, something must be off. The preseason No....
Westmoreland campus clippings: Westminster’s Napper wins PAC golf title
Westminster sophomore Sam Napper (Mt. Pleasant) helped the Titans capture the PAC men’s golf title. Napper finished tied for sixth place at the conference finals with a 36-hole score of 154 (75, 79) at Speidel Jones Course at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, W.Va. Napper was named to the All-PAC second...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Penn-Trafford loading college softball teams
Penn-Trafford alums are scattered across the college softball landscape, and the players are making an impact at various levels. Consider: The Warriors have impactful former players at the Division I, II, III and NAIA levels this season — more than any other area program. You could fill out a lineup...
Penn-Trafford names football hall of fame class
Penn-Trafford announced its 2020-21 Warrior Football Hall of Fame class on Tuesday. The latest inductees are: • Tony Babeo (1992) • Jeff Filkovski (’86) • Jason Kacinko (2005) • Kevin Mullen (’05) • Jeremy Schropp (’94) • Dan Schneider (’64, Trafford High School) • Coach Eli Visnick (’93-09) • 1972...
Seton Hill baseball win won’t count after Mercyhurst protest
Seton Hill baseball has an impressive record this season, but one of the Griffins’ wins was taken off the board Monday. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced that Mercyhurst played Saturday’s game against Seton Hill under protest and the Lakers’ objection to a reversed call was upheld by the league...
Elizabeth Forward ace Kailey Larcinese attacks Yough lineup, throws no-hitterVideo
The fin was up in the water early. With her rise ball forcing Yough hitters to flail and swat at air for the first three innings, Elizabeth Forward softball pitcher Kailey Larcinese had the Cougars right where she wanted them. “It was blood in the water,” Yough coach Dutch Harvey...
New coach Frye will keep bar set high for Franklin Regional girls volleyball
A young coach with enthusiasm to match, Rachel Frye inherits a girls volleyball program at Franklin Regional with a championship past — a very recent past. The Panthers won their first WPIAL title last fall and went on to place second in the PIAA in Class AAA. Ninth-year coach Mike...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Pitt-Greensburg tennis smashing success
Turner Price plays singles and doubles for the Pitt-Greensburg men’s tennis team. He also likes to double up on awards. Price, a junior from Penn-Trafford, repeated as the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Player of the Year and earned all-conference first-team honors at No. 1 singles after a strong spring season....
Tennis anyone? Future Pitt walk-on offensive lineman Matt Metrosky holds serve for GCC
With touch and toughness, Matt Metrosky gently plows through his spring schedule. With prowess and a been-there-before cast of mind, he serves and volleys, and chucks heavy objects through the air. A tennis match ends and a track and field meet begins for the mega senior from Greensburg Central Catholic...
Seton Hill freshman pitching duo dominant from the start
You might call it unique that Seton Hill has two freshman pitchers who have been mowing down opposing lineups in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Or maybe unusual is the right word to describe the upsurge from the first-year arms. Griffins coach Jessica Strong is going another direction. “Lucky,” she...
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Norwin’s Kyle Martin to coach at Junior Pan American Championships
When Kyle Martin is not coaching wrestlers on the Norwin varsity team, he is training others to become Olympians. Martin recently was selected by USA Wrestling, the governing body of wrestling for the World and Olympic Championships in the United States, to coach the United States team at the Junior...
After early-season adversity, Norwin boys volleyball getting up to speed
Norwin boys volleyball seems to take two steps back every time it takes one forward. It’s like everyone is rotating counterclockwise. Since this season of adversity began March 26, the Knights had played in only one mini-tournament, one nonsection match and one section match three weeks into the campaign. Other...
Norwin notebook: Track and field athletes shine at Lady Spartan/Wildcat Invitational
Norwin track and field athletes made their presence felt at the recent 29th annual Lady Spartan/18th Annual Wildcat Invitational at Latrobe’s Memorial Stadium. The boys team finished third overall and the Knights had numerous individual winners. Winning for the girls were Jordyn Turcovski (100-meter dash), Bernadette Zukina (400), Aleksandra Brozeski...
Despite cancellation of annual event, Franklin Regional basketball boosters make donation to Clelian Heights
Franklin Regional’s annual basketball game with Clelian Heights School for Exceptional Childen was canceled in January because of the pandemic, but the goodwill of the annual event is right on schedule. The schools have a partnership that brings students together for a much-anticipated day of fun and friendships. The event...
Hempfield softball responds in big way after falling behind early, downs Norwin
With its first three hitters, Norwin began the day double, home run, home run in its Section 2-6A softball clash Friday at Hempfield. The Knights had a three-run lead before some fans beyond the outfield fence got settled into their lawn chairs and covered themselves with blankets. It looked like...
