Bill Beckner stories, Page 208

Thursday’s games Baseball First round Class 6A No. 8 Upper St. Clair (12-6) vs. No. 9 Hempfield (11-9) 4 p.m. at West Mifflin Winner plays: No. 1 Penn-Trafford (16-3) Coaches: Jerry Malarkey, Upper St. Clair; Tim Buzzard, Hempfield Players to watch: Eli Shedd, Jr., P, Upper St. Clair; Luke Hudson,...

Courtney McQuaide fought back tears as she limped to the medal stand and pulled herself up to the top block to receive her gold medal. It wasn’t the writhing pain she felt in her left foot or the thrill from winning a third straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference pole vault...

Auston Kranick was glad to be collateral damage. That is how recruiting sometimes can work. Funny story, though, how Kranick became a Division-I soccer player. The Franklin Regional senior was not the recruit Oakland University was coming to scout during a game last season, but the Golden Grizzlies are glad...

Emma Nedley was so good this season for the Penn softball team, the postseason award she garnered Wednesday almost seemed anticlimactic. Nedley was rewarded for her breakthrough season by being named Ivy League Rookie of the Year. A freshman outfielder from Penn-Trafford, she also made the all-conference first team as...

Carnegie Mellon sophomore Jason Li is a semifinalist — one of 30 players nationally — for the prestigious NCAA Division III Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award. Li, a Sewickley Academy graduate, is having one of the best scoring seasons in the country. He was selected by the...

Gannon sophomore Michael Marsico grabbed the final individual qualifying spot Saturday for the NCAA Division II Golf Championships with a 54-hole total of 4-over-par 220 at the Atlantic/East Regional tournament played at Totteridge Golf Club near Greensburg. Marsico, a Fox Chapel graduate, shot 73, 74 and 73 over the 7,154-yard...

Courtney McQuaide fought back tears as she limped to the medal stand and pulled herself up to the top block to receive her gold medal. It wasn’t the writhing pain she felt in her left foot or the thrill from winning a third straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference pole vault...

Perhaps as clear-cut as No. 1 seeds come, Penn-Trafford and Mt. Pleasant didn’t give the WPIAL softball steering committee much to think about in Class 5A and 4A. Playoff pairings came out Thursday, and both were slotted comfortably into the top-left corner of the brackets, earmarking them as the teams...

Zak Kruger was named women’s head soccer coach at Seton Hill, the university announced Thursday. Kruger replaces Andy McNab, who resigned after four seasons to take a coaching job at Barton College in Wilson, N.C. Kruger was the head coach at Wilson College in Chambersburg last year. He also was...

There is a bucket spilling over with softballs in the corner of Emma Hoffner’s room. Each ball is labeled with accomplishments from the Hempfield sophomore’s high school and travel career: home runs, big hits, important wins. Warm and fuzzy memories. A can of keepsakes. Included is the ball she drove...

For the first time this season, the scoreboard was up and running at Haymaker Park, adding some ambience to Franklin Regional’s final home game. Senior outfielder Tommy Kegerreis enjoyed seeing the old display panel working again so much he took direct aim at it in the fifth inning. Kegerreis clubbed...

Emma Nedley was so good this season for the Penn softball team, the postseason award she garnered Wednesday almost seemed anticlimactic. Nedley was rewarded for her dynamic, breakthrough season by being named Ivy League Rookie of the Year. A freshman outfielder from Penn-Trafford, she also made the all-conference first team...

The WPIAL Class 6A softball bracket will be noticeably more compact when the pairings are released Thursday. With the WPIAL going from three sections to two this season, the league took just eight teams to the postseason in its largest classification. There were 13 qualifiers last season and 12 made...

Lydia DeFazio took Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference softball by storm this season. The sophomore catcher and first baseman swung a hot bat from start to finish in the regular season and her proficiency earned her AMCC Player of the Year honors Wednesday. DeFazio, a Penn-Trafford graduate, was a “triple crown”...

Wes Hills had been stuck between the Rock and a pro place. But that all changed this week as the former Slippery Rock star running back was invited to rookie minicamp with the Arizona Cardinals. He is expected to sign a free agent contract. Hills, a native of Wildwood, N.J.,...

Franklin Regional’s standout shortstop and top entrepreneur is heading to the Ivy League. Senior Jake Williams will further his playing career at Yale, the Panthers’ baseball team announced Tuesday via Twitter. Williams, who helped create the nonprofit business, mySportResume.com, an online athletic and academic portfolio for aspiring college student-athletes, used...

If all goes according to plan, Penn-Trafford could have artificial turf infields on its baseball and softball diamonds in the near future. The move could happen if the fields pass a test. At Monday’s board meeting, plans to have turf installed were tabled so an engineering study can ascertain if...

Seton Hill will be well-represented at the NCAA Division II lacrosse championships. The Griffins men’s and women’s teams earned spots in this week’s national tournaments. Seton Hill (12-4) is the No. 5 seed in the men’s North Region and will open at No. 4 Mercy (17-1) at 3 p.m. Wednesday....

Last year, the Yough softball team raised $6,000 for a pair of classmates who were stricken with cancer. The students since have recovered and are doing better. Yough’s “Strikeout Cancer” event also is going strong. The annual fundraiser game will be played again Wednesday as the Cougars host nonsection opponent...

Put another ball on the banner. That has been the goal, Greensburg Salem baseball coach Bill Wizniewski said, since the first day of the regular season. It remains his team’s goal until the last. With an offensively-charged, 10-5 victory over Knoch on Monday at Seton Hill, the Golden Lions —...

Saint Vincent made the most of an opportunity to host the PAC softball playoffs. The Bearcats won the championship Friday in Latrobe. During a grind of a morning and afternoon, SVC won three games to claim the title and advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament. It was the team’s...

After proving its worth as the top team in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, Saint Vincent softball is set for the next step. The Bearcats (29-14), who earned an automatic bid by winning their second PAC title, will open the NCAA Division III Tournament Friday against host DePauw (31-12) in Greencastle,...

Seton Hill will be well-represented at the NCAA Division II lacrosse championships. The Griffins men’s and women’s teams have earned spots in this week’s national tournaments. Seton Hill (12-4) is the No. 5 seed in the men’s North Region and will open at No. 4 Mercy (17-1) at 3 p.m....

Saint Vincent made the most of an opportunity to host the PAC softball playoffs. The Bearcats won the championship Friday in Latrobe. During a grind of a morning and afternoon, SVC won three games to claim the title and advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament. It was the team’s...