Jeff Vella stories

Ashleigh Schmidt could have returned to Penn State Behrend next season, taking advantage of the NCAA allowing athletes an extra year of eligibility because of the covid pandemic. But the Freeport graduate has a job waiting for her as a nurse at Children’s Hospital. Plus, it’d be hard to top...

Young baseball players in Western Pennsylvania grow up dreaming about the moment. Josh Spiegel experienced it. The Penn-Trafford graduate hit a three-run homer at PNC Park on May 17, leading Penn State to a 19-6 victory over Pitt. Spiegel drove a first-pitch slider over the North Side Notch in left-center,...

Robert Morris’ Alaina York has some serious range in center field. How serious? “It’s kind of a running joke that any time a ball gets hit in the air, it automatically seems like Alaina is calling for it,” Colonials coach Jexx Varner said of York, a Burrell graduate. “It could...

One of the leading scorers in NCAA Division II lacrosse played one varsity game as a high schooler. Let that sink in. It suffices to say Seton Hill graduate student Jackie Frank has made up for lost time, as she has 43 goals and 65 assists this season and was...

Kiley Myers at 75% is better than many college pitchers. That’s why the Latrobe graduate has continued to play for Division I Marist this season despite persistent pain in her left knee. “That kid goes out there every day and gives us a chance to win,” Marist coach Joe Ausanio...

Newcomers make up half of the resurgent Saint Vincent softball team’s roster: seven freshmen and a transfer. Norwin graduate Alexandra Dillner isn’t one of them, but it might seem that way. The sophomore left fielder made major changes in the offseason and has gone from part-time starter to the leading...

The pain is constant. On the field. Off the field. Driving in her car. Major knee surgery awaits Penn softball player Emma Nedley next month, but don’t expect the Penn-Trafford graduate to sit out many games the rest of the season. The pandemic already robbed Nedley of most of her...

An injury had nothing to do with Chloe Poulich missing a month’s worth of games and almost every practice in February for the Towson softball team. Still, getting a doctor’s note would not have been a problem. Poulich, a Mt. Pleasant graduate, spent February fulfilling her final 120 hours to...

Pitt softball coach Jodi Hermanek wants freshman Haylie Brunson to sing the national anthem before one of the team’s games this season. “I’ve yet to see this hidden talent that I’ve heard is pretty awesome,” Hermanek said. For now, though, the coach is more than happy to watch Brunson’s more...

For the first time as a competitive runner, Faith Remich is trying to slow down. The Burrell graduate and Washington & Jefferson senior’s career is nearing its end, and she is trying to soak in as much as possible. “I feel like in general, due to covid, I have a...

After four schools in six seasons, Greensburg native Asa Klimchock has found a home with the Bethany (W.Va.) basketball program. And that new home includes a new position this winter. Klimchock moved from point guard — where he played his “whole life” — to shooting guard, and he is thriving...

Katie Nolan and her Seton Hill women’s basketball teammates are not fans of the 60s. And it has nothing to do with bell-bottoms or hippies. The Griffins’ goal is to hold every opponent below 60 points, and that defensive focus has played a major role during their rise to the...

When Kennedie Montue finally got her shot this season with the Oakland University basketball team, she made it count. That should come as no surprise since making shots is what the Plum graduate does best. Montue, a freshman guard, played five total minutes in the Golden Grizzlies’ first 11 games,...

Penn-Trafford graduate Mackenzie Powell didn’t want to choose between basketball and soccer when she was looking at colleges. So she found a school where she could play both, and Powell is making an impact as a two-sport athlete during her freshman year at Division III Westminster. “I love it,” she...

Not too many kids grow up wanting to be triple jumpers. But when Kiski Area graduate Jalen Cloud got a taste of the event as an eighth grader, he was hooked. “I like the fact that a lot of people can’t do it, that it’s an unorthodox movement,” said Cloud,...

Marrek Paola’s height is up for debate. At Ligonier Valley, Paola was listed at 6-foot-6. Seton Hill’s basketball roster says the junior forward is 6-foot-10. His actual height? “On a good day, 6-9, 6-10,” Paola said with a laugh. “I grew about an inch since I got to college. I...

Sam Wexell probably seemed machine-like to opponents in high school, as she recorded 53 shutouts at Norwin and led the Knights to the 2017 state soccer title. But upon arriving at Division I Ohio University in 2018, she became, well, human. She suffered a concussion during the first week of...

Dominating intramurals at Clarion wasn’t enough for Kaison Branch. So when the opportunity to walk on to the basketball team presented itself, the Highlands graduate took it. Three years later, the player nicknamed “Sensei Kaison” is starting at point guard. “It’s like having a coach on the court every time...

Declan O’Brien is hungry for more. The Norwin graduate has emerged as one of Allegheny’s top receivers as a sophomore, and he credited some of his success to a bulkier frame. After being listed at 138 pounds as a high school junior, he entered college at 150. Now, he said...

Declan O’Brien is hungry for more. The Norwin graduate has emerged as one of Allegheny’s top receivers as a sophomore, and he credited some of his success to a bulkier frame. After being listed at 138 pounds as a high school junior, he entered college at 150. Now, he said...

There was nothing simple about Sol Castro’s first year with the Robert Morris women’s basketball team. Between playing during a pandemic, navigating numerous quarantines throughout the season and adjusting to life away from home for the first time, Castro dealt with hurdle after hurdle as a freshman. Oh yeah, and...

When the third round came along in his fantasy football draft this year, Mercyhurst senior Jason Armstrong couldn’t resist picking his favorite player, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle. The two play the same position, and Armstrong said he loves Kittle’s “attitude.” The injury-riddled Kittle, though, has struggled through...

Soccer competition was never far away for Apollo-Ridge graduate Emily Bonelli growing up. She had a full-size goal that her dad built in her backyard. And she had a future Division I goalie living under the same roof: older sister Megan. Another older sister, Sarah, also went on to play...

Hempfield graduate Justin Sliwoski hopes to take care of patients someday as a physician’s assistant. He is good with a different kind of patience, as well. Sliwoski made his first collegiate start Oct. 2 for St. Francis (Pa.), the first time he started a game since his senior year of...