Karen Kadilak stories, Page 6
Tennis game coming together for Sewickley Academy grad Sam Sauter at St. Joseph’s
After two injury-riddled seasons, things are falling into place for Sewickley Academy graduate and St. Joseph’s junior men’s tennis player Sam Sauter. Sauter, 20, and his doubles partner led the Hawks in the season-opening Villanova Invitational, reaching the final of the Wildcat Draw. In the St. Joseph’s Invitational a week...
South Fayette’s Janet DeCostro trades tennis racket for pickleball paddle
South Fayette resident and former Pitt women’s tennis player Janet DeCostro is shining in a new sport. DeCostro, 61, earned a gold medal with her mixed doubles partner in the 60-64 age group in the Super Senior International Pickleball Association East Championships in September in Griffin, Ga. She won silver...
Head of the Ohio Regatta a showcase for Pittsburgh rowing
More than 600 entries will take to the Allegheny River for the Head of the Ohio Regatta on Saturday and Sunday in downtown Pittsburgh. Race director Matt Logue of host Three Rivers Rowing said it will be the largest turnout since 2004. “We are expecting a slightly larger regatta than...
Squirrel Hill runner Jennifer Bigham among favorites in Great Race
After a huge achievement earlier this year, Squirrel Hill runner Jennifer Bigham will be among favorites in the Great Race’s women’s 10K on Sunday. Bigham, 38, won the Eugene Marathon in Oregon in April and qualified for next year’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials in a personal best 2 hours, 41...
Quaker Valley grad Chris Tanabe going from good to great on Bucknell golf team
Quaker Valley graduate and Bucknell junior men’s golfer Chris Tanabe is off to a strong start and expects to be a serious contender for the Patriot League title. Tanabe shot a school-record tying 65 in the final round to earn his second career tournament victory in the Dartmouth Invitational on...
Postseason success makes Franklin Regional tennis player eager for more
Franklin Regional junior girls tennis player Hannah Yan already is looking forward to next season after a successful run recently. Yan upset Latrobe’s Jenna Bell, the defending champion, for the Section 1-AAA singles title 6-4, 6-3. Yan went to the WPIAL tournament, where she made it to the quarterfinals. “This...
Scores falling for Shady Side Academy grad Casey Morrow at Bucknell
After a breakthrough season, Shady Side Academy graduate and Bucknell women’s golfer Casey Morrow continues to climb. Morrow, a junior, was the Bison’s top finisher (77-72-79) in the season-opening Bucknell Invitational on Sept. 14-15. Her total score of 228 tied her for 18th place. The Bison came in seventh of...
North Allegheny grad Josh Luchini lighting it up at Lehigh
North Allegheny graduate and Lehigh men’s soccer player Josh Luchini earned two major awards back to back. Luchini, a 6-foot sophomore forward, was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 9 and Sept. 16. At Northwestern on Sept. 6, Luchini scored an insurance goal in the 82nd...
North Allegheny’s Catanzarite hopes to deliver for tennis team
Like her older sister, North Allegheny freshman girls tennis player Nora Catanzarite leads the Tigers. Catanzarite, 14, of Franklin Park, has an 9-5 record and a 6-1 Section 2-AAA mark playing first singles. She earned the section singles title and advanced to the WPIAL tournament, where she lost in the...
South Fayette swim club welcomes accomplished new coach
South Fayette Aqua Club coach Todd Clark has been on the job only a few weeks and already has made an impact. Mark Koutavas, the club’s assistant director said, there were close to 100 members after tryouts, compared with 80 last year. Koutavas said Clark, 54, a North Allegheny graduate...
Pair of W. Pa. roller hockey standouts to play professionally in Spain
Two members of a Westmoreland County roller hockey team are headed to Spain to play in that country’s highest league. Noah Litsko, 18, of North Huntingdon, and Ryan Soboslay, 18, of Plum, plan to join the HCR Cent Patins for the 2019-20 season. Tyler Davis, the manager of the Hot...
More All-America honors for Gateway swimmer Livingston
Gateway senior Olivia Livingston is determined to do as well in the classroom as the pool, and it has paid off with a national swimming award. Livingston, 17, was named to the 2018-19 USA Swimming Scholastic All-America Team, the second year she was honored. To earn the title, athletes must...
Sewickley Academy girls golfers join the boys team
After a successful two-year playoff run, Sewickley Academy girls golf has been blended with the boys team. Nancy Means, who coached the girls, said there were not enough girls to field a team. The Panthers have only two girls back from last season, when they placed second in the WPIAL...
Penn-Trafford girls golfers set sights on section repeat
Despite losing three starters, the Penn-Trafford girls golf team is off to a strong start. The Warriors were 5-1 overall and 4-0 in Section 3-AAA play, their only loss coming to defending WPIAL Class AAA champion North Allegheny. Junior Lauren Barber and senior Skyler Jefairjian return from last season’s section...
Upper St. Clair’s Joshua Matheny makes U.S. national team in breaststroke
Upper St. Clair junior Joshua Matheny has soared to the top of the national swimming ranks on the heels of an impressive international performance. Matheny, 16, was named to the 2019-20 USA Swimming National Team. Matheny earned a gold medal and set a meet record in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke...
Gateway grad Memije expecting big year with Michigan State tennis team
Gateway graduate Samantha “Sammie” Memije steadily has climbed to the top of the Michigan State women’s tennis team. Memije, a senior, is in her second season playing first singles for the Spartans. “Sammie’s freshman year, she was in and out of the lineup,” Michigan State coach Kim Bruno said. “Her...
Sewickley Academy girls tennis in position to repeat; Quaker Valley rebuilding
With most of its players back, the Sewickley Academy girls tennis team is optimistic about repeating as WPIAL and PIAA Class AA champions. “We’re a tight group,” junior Evelyn Safar said. “I think that comes from all the experience we’ve had playing together. “All the fun stuff we do together...
Triathlon experience invaluable to South Fayette 3-sport athlete Hailey Poe
South Fayette senior Hailey Poe expects to be a better high school athlete after competing on an international stage this summer. Poe, 17, was a part of Team USA at the International Triathlon Union Age Group Sprint Triathlon World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. Poe (1:13:52) placed 16th in the 16-19...
Pine-Richland grad Kristen Murslack named assistant coach with Pitt swimming
Pine-Richland graduate and former Auburn swimmer Kristen Murslack is returning to the scene of some of her greatest high school accomplishments. Murslack, 24, recently was named an assistant coach with Pitt swimming and diving. “I grew up swimming and competing at Trees Pool,” said Murslack, a four-time WPIAL Class AAA...
Winning reputation to uphold for Franklin Regional girls tennis
The Franklin Regional girls tennis team is planning a return to the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs, but the Panthers have work to do, even with a large team. Franklin Regional coach Howard Fisher said junior Hannah Yan, at first singles, is the only player to return to her position. “We’re...
After world juniors, Upper St. Clair’s Matheny to compete at U.S. Olympic swimming trials
Upper St. Clair junior Joshua Matheny is shifting his focus to the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials after taking his place recently among the world’s best under-18 swimmers. Matheny, 16, earned a gold medal in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke (2 minutes, 9.40 seconds) and a silver medal in the 100...
Boot camp helps Gateway tennis team prepare for season
Members of the Gateway girls tennis team are not in the military, but sure felt like that recently. The Gators had a week of boot camp-style training, in which they started practice at 7 a.m. and worked on conditioning for an hour without lifting a racket. Gateway second-year coach Kenny...
Improving Penn-Trafford girls tennis eyes WPIAL playoff berth
After coming close last season, the Penn-Trafford girls tennis team is hoping to make the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs. Penn-Trafford coach Megan Satira said the Warriors, who are off to an 0-2 start, were a win away from qualifying for the postseason last season. “We have some tough competition with...
Norwin girls tennis eager for extended postseason run
The Norwin girls tennis team looks forward to a longer run in the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs after early exits the past two seasons. Second-year Norwin coach Diane Pesarsick said all starting players practiced in the offseason. “They’ve all worked really hard, and it shows,” Pesarsick said. Senior co-captain Ashley...
Moon’s Mancini, Woodland Hills’ Wolford selected for USA Rugby training camp
Two members of the West Pittsburgh Foxes Rugby Club are heading north for a major event. Moon rising senior Sofia Mancini and Woodland Hills rising senior Vanessa Wolford were invited to the USA Rugby Girls High School All-American East training camp this week in Ontario, Canada. At the East and...
