Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 68
Bears select former Gateway, Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker
Former Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker, who was named an All-American safety on the junior college and Power 5 levels after a decorated career at Gateway, started a new journey Friday night when he was drafted in the second round (48th overall) by the Chicago Bears. Brisker is the fifth...
Falcons choose Penn State defensive end Arnold Ebiketie in 2nd round
Arnold Ebiketie transferred from Temple to Penn State last year for the purpose of showing the NFL he could handle Power 5 blockers. The league’s talent evaluators paid attention, and Ebiketie, a defensive end, was chosen Friday night in the second round of the NFL Draft (38th overall) by the...
Pat Narduzzi shares ’emotional’ moment of seeing Kenny Pickett selected by Steelers
Normally unflappable no matter the game’s intensity, Kenny Pickett was on the phone Thursday night, bent over, hiding his face, his emotions now in charge. He had been drafted into the NFL. In the first round. But by whom? Pat Narduzzi, whose own emotions were starting to spill over, looked...
Penn State hires Patrick Kraft as its next athletic director
Patrick Kraft, who has held leadership roles at Boston College, Temple, Loyola Chicago and Indiana for the past 15 years, has been named Penn State’s next athletic director. Kraft will assume his new position July 1 and replace Sandy Barbour, who previously announced she will retire this summer. Barbour has...
Commanders pick Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson in 1st round, 16th overall
The Washington Commanders took a long look at former Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson and were not bothered by his relatively slight 5-foot-11, 184-pound frame. So much so that the Commanders made Dotson a first-round choice Friday (No. 16 overall). “I’m a big fan of Jahan Dotson. I think...
Pitt women’s basketball signs 6-foot-1 Avery Strickland
Pitt women’s basketball coach Lance White added the second member of his 2022 recruiting class Thursday, signing 6-foot-1 Avery “Ace” Strickland to a national letter of intent. “She is ultra-competitive, has the pedigree of a winner, and is ready to work,” White said Strickland is a two-time all-state choice from...
Pitt women’s lacrosse team defeats Louisville in ACC tournament opener
Pitt isn’t ready to put away its lacrosse sticks. In the first-year program’s debut venture into the ACC Championship, Paulina DiFatta set a tournament record Wednesday with 19 saves to lead the Panthers to 13-10 victory against Louisville at Arlotta Stadium in South Bend, Ind. DiFatta, a second-team All-ACC selection,...
Kenny Pickett leads Pitt hopefuls into 3-day NFL Draft
There were 13 Pitt players who worked out for representatives from 31 NFL teams at Pitt’s Pro Day on March 21. The large number of hopefuls isn’t surprising. Most college players dream of playing in the NFL, and putting on a show for the scouts — and in some cases...
He’s a coach, not an FBI agent, but Pitt swimming’s Chase Kreitler sees common traits
Back in college at Cal State Bakersfield, Chase Kreitler had many conversations with his swim coach, Morgan Bailey. Mainly, they talked strokes and how best to take seconds off Kreitler’s times. You know, swimming basics. Then, Bailey changed professions. All of a sudden, he was working for the FBI in...
From Gateway water boy to Penn State star, Jaquan Brisker ready for the NFL
Sometimes, Jaquan Brisker inserted himself into practice drills at Gateway High School, inching as close to the varsity football team — and his brothers — as a 12-year-old boy could get. Other times, he was quick to provide relief, producing a cold drink of water for the tired and thirsty...
Butler’s Devin Carney, FIU transfer point guard Tevin Brewer choose Duquesne
Duquesne added two more bricks to its roster reconstruction Tuesday when Butler High School’s Devin Carney and point guard Tevin Brewer, a transfer from FIU, signed letters of intent and joined the Dukes’ eight-man recruiting class. Carney averaged 26 points at Butler, shot 55% from the field and 90% from...
Pitt’s new swim coach Chase Kreitler worked with national champions at California, Olympic gold-medal winners
Pitt’s swim program will move in a new direction for the first time in six seasons, with the hiring of Chase Kreitler as its new coach. The university announced Kreitler’s appointment Tuesday morning. He replaces John Hargis, who had served as swim coach since 2016-17. Kreitler was an assistant at...
With 90% of the season to be played, bullpen lifts Pirates to .500 record
The Pittsburgh Pirates concluded the first 16 games of their season with as many victories as defeats (eight) and Bryan Reynolds batting .190. If you had listened to the preseason chatter, both facts might be difficult to believe. It doesn’t matter five weeks before Memorial Day and with 90% of...
Pirates bullpen saves victory against Cubs after Kevin Newman makes amends
Kevin Newman’s bounce-back game wasn’t enough. The bullpen continuing to come up big in the clutch couldn’t carry the Pittsburgh Pirates to victory by itself. Not on this day. What it really took for the Pirates (8-8) to defeat the Chicago Cubs, 4-3, on Sunday was a collective effort from...
Pirates promote pitcher Beau Sulser from Triple-A Indianapolis, DFA Anthony Alford
The Pittsburgh Pirates added a 15th pitcher to their 28-man roster Sunday before their scheduled series finale against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The team selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Beau Sulser from Triple-A Indianapolis. Sulser, who has no previous major-league experience, was 1-2 with a 2.13 ERA,...
Pitt adds Louisiana Tech wide receiver Jerrod ‘Bub’ Means from transfer portal
Despite a full stable of talented wide receivers, Pat Narduzzi didn’t believe Pitt had enough at that position. So, he dipped into the NCAA transfer portal and secured another — for now and future seasons. Jerrod “Bub” Means, who played at Louisiana Tech last season, announced on his Instagram page...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel gets commitment from 6-11 Fede Federiko, formerly of First Love
Pitt added some desperately needed size and shot-blocking ability Thursday when coach Jeff Capel received a verbal commitment from 6-foot-11, 210-pound Fede Federiko, who previously played at First Love Christian Academy in Washington, Pa. Federiko is a native of Helsinki, Finland, and he played for the Finnish under-19 national team....
After 1 season, Leon Ayers III decides to transfer from Duquesne
Leon Ayers III’s stay at Duquesne turned out to last one season. Ayers, who averaged 10 points per game in 2021-22, has decided to put his name in the NCAA transfer portal. A 6-foot-5 guard, he came to Duquesne last year after attending Mercer and Henry Ford (Mich.) College. He...
Hobbled Pitt drags WVU through 11 innings at PNC Park before losing
Mike Bell was unhappy when the 2021 NCAA Tournament field was revealed, and his Pitt baseball team was not among the chosen 64. Who could blame him? Pitt won 17 games against the top 50 of the RPI and was 18-12 against teams in the NCAA field. The Panthers were...
Sports will remain intact when 6 PSAC universities merge into 2 this summer
When Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference universities Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, Mansfield, California, Clarion and Edinboro merge into two schools July 1, athletic programs on each campus will remain intact. The NCAA Division II Membership Committee gave its approval Wednesday for those schools to continue to offer a full complement of programs...
Pirates lean on Ben Gamel’s glove, veteran mindset
Lucky for Ben Gamel, the right field grass at PNC Park was wet. It made his landing a little softer. Of course, it could have been a rock-strewn outfield, instead of the well-manicured carpet at PNC Park, and Gamel still might have left his feet to track down those two...
Junior college guard Quincy McGriff becomes 5th prospect to commit to Duquesne since season’s end
Losing players who disappear into the NCAA transfer portal sets up many obstacles for coaches, but Duquesne’s Keith Dambrot went up by one Tuesday. Quincy McGriff, a second-team junior-college All-American guard, said Tuesday night he will enroll this year. He is the fifth player added to the Duquesne roster since...
Duquesne will add 3 women’s sports over next 2 years
Duquesne University will add three women’s sports over the next two years — triathlon, golf and acrobatics and tumbling — raising the school’s total sport count to 20 and the number of student-athletes on campus to more than 500. Athletic director Dave Harper said the additions are expected to attract...
Pitt gets verbal commitment from Imhotep sophomore defensive tackle Jahsear Whittington
Defensive tackle Jahsear Whittington of Imhotep Charter School in Philadelphia has two years of high school football ahead of him, but he made up his mind early and verbally committed to Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi on Monday. 4444% Committed ????????????????????????#H2P pic.twitter.com/13RHyJXolY— 4⭐️ Jahsear whittington (@jahwhitt) April 19, 2022 Only a...
One batter too long: Brewers slam Pirates after Derek Shelton sticks with starter Zach Thompson in 4th inning
The way the game of baseball is played and managed in 2021, starting pitchers don’t often work beyond the fifth or sixth inning. But all Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton was trying to do Monday night at American Family Field in Milwaukee was get Zach Thompson through the fourth. It...
