Karen Kadilak stories, Page 5
NA grad Josh Luchini wraps up stellar sophomore year for Lehigh soccer team
North Allegheny graduate Josh Luchini had a banner season as a sophomore on the Lehigh men’s soccer team. Luchini, a 6-foot forward, was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and first-team all-league. He led the Mountain Hawks (13-5-3 overall, 6-0-3 in the conference) to the conference title and...
Quaker Valley’s Besterman returns to swim team
Thinking about her future, Quaker Valley senior Sophie Besterman returned to the girls swimming team after playing basketball last season. Besterman earned gold and silver medals on the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relay teams at the 2017 WPIAL Class AA championship meet. Both qualified for the PIAA championship. The Quakers...
Plum swim teams adopt different approaches at start of season
The Plum swimming teams go into the season Dec. 9 at home against Penn-Trafford from opposite directions. The boys field one of their smallest squads, and the girls enjoyed a boost in numbers, Mustangs coach Shawn Haupt said. Among the losses on the boys side was Justin Decheck, who placed...
Norwin swim team welcomes back PIAA qualifier Ethan Tulenko
After sitting out last season to compete for his USA Swimming club, Norwin senior Ethan Tulenko has returned to the Knights. Tulenko, 17, placed sixth in the 50-yard freestyle (21.53 seconds) in the 2018 WPIAL Class AAA championship meet. He qualified for the PIAA meet. Norwin coach Doug Watson said...
Franklin Regional swim teams eye section championships
The Franklin Regional boys and girls swimming teams expect to be in the hunt for Section 3-AAA titles. “I have high expectations for both teams,” Panthers coach Vic Santoro said. “The guys are returning many strong swimmers, and the girls have a lot of good young (ones).” The boys lost...
Fox Chapel’s Zoe Skirboll swims at U.S. national team camp
Fox Chapel sophomore Zoe Skirboll was one of 48 swimmers from across the country invited to participate in USA Swimming’s Girls National Select Camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado. During the four-day event, campers experienced the day-to-day routine of a national team athlete and swam in the U.S....
North Allegheny grad, Carnegie Mellon diver Mianzo continues to improve
North Allegheny graduate Maddie Mianzo had a productive month as a junior diver on the Carnegie Mellon women’s swimming and diving team. Mianzo, 20, of Franklin Park, was named University Athletic Association Athlete of the Week for Nov. 18 after earning her first NCAA Division III regional qualifying marks of...
Monroeville Marlins swim team taking large contingent to Pitt Christmas meet
The Monroeville Marlins swimming team expects to up its number of entries at the Pitt Christmas Meet on Dec. 12-15 at Trees Pool. Kathy Bernardi, an administrative coach with the USA Swimming club based at Gateway, said six members will try to qualify individually or add events at a meet...
Record-breaking Mt. Pleasant swimmer Heather Gardner commits to Liberty
Mt. Pleasant senior Heather Gardner is a year away from competing for the Liberty women’s swimming team, but already her times would rank her among top performers in its conference, Flames coach Jake Shellenberger said. Gardner, 18, signed a letter of intent to the Division I school in Lynchburg, Va....
North Allegheny swimmers make NCAA Division I commitments
North Allegheny senior Rick Mihm has signed a letter of intent to compete for the nationally ranked Stanford men’s swimming team next season. Mihm, 18, of Marshall, is a three-time PIAA and four-time WPIAL Class AAA champion in the boys 200-yard individual medley and 500 freestyle. He holds the WPIAL...
Fox Chapel grad Shymansky off to fast start with Yale tennis
Fox Chapel graduate Robby Shymansky is off to a great start in his first season on the Yale men’s tennis team, and is expected to make a big impact when the Bulldogs kick off team matches in January. Shymansky, a freshman, defeated players from Michigan State, Penn State and Buffalo...
North Allegheny runners honored for performances
After earning recognition as one of the top cross country performers in the state, North Allegheny senior Dan McGoey will continue his career with North Carolina State next season. “I chose N.C. State because it was a great fit for me academically and allowed me to further my running at...
Three Rivers Rowing Association earns USRowing Club’s top award again
For a record fifth time, the Three Rivers Rowing Association on Washington’s Landing received the USRowing Club of the Year Award. In announcing the 2019 selection, USRowing praised the club for offering junior and masters rowing programs, which compete on national and international levels; serving as home to high schools...
Sewickley-area runners excel at PIAA cross country championships
Three Sewickley-area runners earned medals at the PIAA cross country championships Nov. 2 in Hershey. Quaker Valley seniors Annie Wicker (19 minutes, 22 seconds) and Daniel Ford (16:49) placed 12th and 22nd in the Class AA girls and boys races, respectively. Eden Christian Academy senior Eric Gronbeck (16:54) came in...
Big finish for Eden Christian boys cross country team at WPIALs
Eden Christian Academy cross country coach Kelly Gronbeck screamed herself hoarse watching three of her runners finish in the top 20 in the WPIAL Class A boys cross country championship meet Oct. 24 at Cal (Pa.). Senior Eric Gronbeck, Kelly’s son (17 minutes, 17 seconds), freshman Sean Aiken (17:58) and...
Bradford Woods’ Michael Grady on track to make Olympic rowing team
Bradford Woods product Michael Grady is headed toward a spot on next year’s U.S. Olympic rowing team. Grady, 23, is one of 24 candidates for 14 spots among the eight, four and pair that will compete next summer in Tokyo, USRowing men’s coach Mike Teti said. The team will be...
Former North Allegheny girls soccer star Alex Adams filling nets for Carnegie Mellon
North Allegheny graduate Alex Adams has made an immediate impact on the Carnegie Mellon women’s soccer team. Adams, an 18-year-old forward from Franklin Park, leads the Tartans with 10 goals, two shy of the school’s freshman record. Six of her goals have been game winners. She was named the Eastern...
North Allegheny grad swims into Richmond hall of fame
Former North Allegheny swimmer Jen MacKay Williams expects her induction into the University of Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame on Nov. 1 to get her some cred around her house. “At this stage of life, where my world is consumed with my kids and their sports, it’s nice to have...
North Allegheny grad making impact for Duke cross country team
North Allegheny graduate Zach Kinne is off to a tremendous start in his first year on the cross country team at Duke. Kinne, 19, has been named ACC Men’s Freshman of the Week twice this season, on Oct. 2 and Oct. 23. He helped Blue Devils to the title in...
Sewickley Academy graduates boost college golf programs
Sewickley Academy graduate and Carnegie Mellon junior men’s golfer Jason Li took the summer off to do an internship, but it has not affected his game. Li, 20, a Sewickley resident, broke the school record for the lowest individual round with a 5-under par 66 on the back nine in...
North Allegheny grad Savchik honored for performance in diving, classroom
North Allegheny graduate and University of Rochester senior diver Stephen Savchik has earned a prestigious award. Savchik, 21, of Franklin Park, was one of 10 Rochester Garnish Scholars. The award is given to members of varsity teams who have achieved at a high level in both athletic and academic pursuits...
International talent bolsters Chatham squash program
In its second season, Chatham men’s squash is seeking its first win after adding several top players, with a women’s team set to join it next season. Cougars coach Larissa Stephenson said freshman Abdul Malik, of Pakistan, has the potential to be an All-American. The Cougars, a member of the...
Penn-Trafford grad thriving as Pitt-Greensburg’s ace
After a stellar freshman season, Penn-Trafford graduate and Pitt-Greensburg sophomore men’s tennis player Turner Price has picked up where he left off. Price, who turned 20 on Oct. 15, ended the fall ranked first in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference at first singles (5-0). He was named the conference’s men’s...
Quaker Valley’s Wicker, Cohen shine at MAC cross country championships
Quaker Valley girls cross country did not have enough runners for a team, but still packed a powerful punch in the Midwestern Athletic Conference championship meet Oct. 9 at Beaver County’s Brush Creek Park. Senior Annie Wicker (20 minutes, 36 seconds) and sophomore Anna Cohen (20:58) placed second and third...
North Allegheny cross country teams to test course at Tri-State championships
After passing one test with flying colors, the North Allegheny girls cross country team will face another in the Tri-State Track Coaches Association championship meet Thursday at Cal (Pa.). The Tigers took first place in the girls varsity Class AAA race in the PIAA Foundation Invitational Sept. 21 in Hershey....
