District College category, Page 16
Shaler grad travels difficult path to success with Westminster women’s lacrosse
Jade Hromanik held her hand out so her friend’s family’s dog would feel comfortable. But the dog didn’t stay cool. The chaotic seconds that followed left everyone scrambling. The dog leaped forward, biting Hromanik on the arms and legs. Hromanik needed assistance to pull the dog off her. The Westminster...
Mercyhurst ace from Freeport looks for landing spot for final college baseball season
Jarrett Heilman graduated from Mercyhurst on May 11, closing out four years of academic studies at the Erie university. The Freeport product, who also fashioned a standout three-year collegiate pitching tenure with the Lakers baseball team, now is searching for a place to conclude that career with one year of...
Kathy McConnell-Miller named head women’s basketball coach at Carnegie Mellon
A new challenge awaits long-time women’s basketball coach and Seton LaSalle graduate Kathy McConnell-Miller after she was named Tuesday head coach at Carnegie Mellon. Her ties to women’s basketball in western Pennsylvania and around the nation go all the way back to high school when she helped Seton LaSalle win...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Norwin grad Declan O’Brien transferring to Delaware
Record-breaking wide receiver Declan O’Brien isn’t done catching passes yet. After a brilliant three-year run at Allegheny, the Norwin product is planning to play a fifth season at a higher level. O’Brien, an All-Region 2 First Team player as a senior, is joining Delaware as a preferred walk-on. O’Brien will...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: PSAC West champion Seton Hill set to open playoffs
Seton Hill locked up its second straight PSAC West Division baseball championship with a two-game split against Gannon. Senior Andino Vecchiolla earned the 3-0 win in Game 2, the final game of the regular season, working five innings, while freshman Owen Henne, grad student Jack Oberdorf (Greensburg Salem), junior Max...
Derry grad Josh Ulery beefs up numbers while shouldering big responsibilities for UPJ baseball
Derry grad Josh Ulery already was a fixture in the Pitt-Johnstown baseball lineup. Over his first two seasons with the Mountain Cats, he started 67 of a possible 75 games. In his sophomore season, he raised his batting average by more than 30 points from his freshman year, increased his...
Leechburg grad McKenna Pierce shows position versatility, big bat with Carlow softball
When Morgan Pierce wanted to work on pitching during her days as a junior high and high school player at Leechburg, she had a built-in practice partner: sister McKenna, younger by three years. Being the little sister, McKenna Pierce usually didn’t have much choice when Morgan asked her to serve...
Franklin Regional alum Andrew Muraco commits to Old Dominion
Admitting he needed to get a better grip on his academics while continuing to improve his game, Andrew Muraco took a roundabout way back to Division I baseball. But here he is, back on the doorstep and raring to go again. The former Franklin Regional standout and WPIAL championship game...
Hempfield grad Callie Sowers tosses no-hitter to lead Bloomsburg to PSAC Tournament win
Callie Sowers always has had a flair for pitching in big games. The larger the stage, the harder she throws. And when the Bloomsburg junior ace is locked in, good luck hitting her. Slippery Rock was fortunate to get a foul tip Wednesday morning during the opening round of the...
Highlands grad Cassidy Davis leaps to prominence during freshman track and field season at Slippery Rock
Cassidy Davis, a freshman on the Slippery Rock women’s track and field team, has a lot in common with her event coach, Tabitha Bemis. Like Bemis, she is competing for a PSAC school (Bemis was a standout at Edinboro). She also is competing in one of the same events —...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Hempfield grad Jacob Boord returns from injury at PAC championships
He didn’t defend his conference title, but the fact that Jacob Boord was able to compete at all came with a sizable measure of gratification. A senior at Allegheny College and a Hempfield graduate, Boord was medically cleared from a foot injury to compete around 8:15 a.m. Thursday. With less...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: UPG’s Melanie Mienke sets program strikeout record
Junior softball pitcher Melanie Mienke (Plum) etched her name into the Pitt-Greensburg record book. The veteran righthander became the Bobcats’ all-time leader in strikeouts when she fanned 11 in a 6-3 victory over Wells Express. Her total climbed to 241. The previous record was held by Marley Lafferty, who pitched...
After run to ACHA nationals, Latrobe grad Vinny Amatucci transitions quickly to Saint Vincent baseball season
Latrobe is the one place Vinny Amatucci would rather be. He’s a local fella, and he usually doesn’t stray. “I live in the Third Ward. We call it ‘The Hill,’ up on St. Clair Street,” said the 20-year-old sophomore at nearby Saint Vincent, where he’s been a busy guy, majoring...
Hard work, new approach help Burrell grad Elizabeth Clark have breakout season for Edinboro softball
For the past few weeks, Elizabeth Clark has spent the hours between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. instructing a classroom full of young children. It’s one of the requirements as she works toward a degree in early childhood and special education at Edinboro. When asked what subject she hopes to...
Fox Chapel grad reaching goals on Saint Vincent golf team
Brevin Urso put himself in position for a strong finish to his senior season during the fall. With how the Presidents’ Athletic Conference men’s golf championship is set up, one round is played in the fall while the other two are played in April. Urso, a Fox Chapel Area graduate...
Duquesne, Robert Morris alter football schedules, add Mercyhurst for 2024
Duquesne and Robert Morris announced scheduling alterations to their 2024 football season Friday, with both teams now set to face the Mercyhurst in the Lakers’ inaugural campaign at the Division I level. Mercyhurst revealed earlier this month that 24 of its athletic programs would be making the jump from the...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Derry grads John Kerr, Mark Pavlik earn postseason awards
Derry has a strong presence on the Penn State men’s volleyball team. It also loomed large at postseason award time. A pair of Derry alums — a high-energy hitter and his veteran coach — are taking home some top-notch hardware. Grad student John Kerr was named the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Franklin Regional golfers make noise at next level
The Franklin Regional boys golf program reached a crescendo a few years ago when it produced a PIAA individual champion and then won a WPIAL team title. Big-time recruit Palmer Jackson went from states to Notre Dame, and a number of other Panthers alums moved on to play collegiate golf....
Karli Thomas tasked with leading Waynesburg’s new women’s wrestling program
Karli Thomas has faced down opponents in MMA matches. She has worked her way up to being a purple belt (intermediate level) in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Those challenges, however, might pale compared to her latest venture. Thomas, a Plum resident, is tasked with building the Waynesburg University women’s wrestling team from...
A-K Valley campus clippings: Duquesne standout Myers enters transfer portal
Tess Myers is on the move for her final year of NCAA women’s basketball eligibility. A Lower Burrell resident and Duquesne standout the past four seasons, Myers announced Wednesday evening on X (formerly Twitter) that she will enter the transfer portal. Myers started 32 games in her final season with...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Belle Vernon grad tops podium for Duquesne track
Duquesne senior Hannah Seitzinger (Belle Vernon) won the 400-meter run in 55.45 seconds and anchored the winning 1,600-meter relay (3:50.25) at the Dalton Ebanks Invitational at George Mason. Senior Sadie Wetzel (Latrobe) added a third-place finish in the high jump (5 feet, 6 inches), while senior Emily Brozeski (Norwin) took...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Franklin Regional brothers make mark at college level
Franklin Regional’s Kegerreis brothers made a lasting impression when they played for the Panthers. When the team needed an extra-base hit, maybe a home run, they often came through. While both went off to play college baseball, they redirected their path at the next level. Freshman Louie Kegerreis, who hit...
Fox Chapel grad Carissa Shepard takes firm grasp on No. 1 singles spot for Seton Hill women’s tennis
As the first-year coach of the Seton Hill women’s tennis team, Megan Satira needed to prioritize learning her players’ abilities. She got more than she bargained for from sophomore Carissa Shepard. While Satira was on the court doing a drill with the players, Shepard unleashed a forehand. But instead of...
Hempfield grad David Shearer earns call to Clarion Sports Hall of Fame
His school-record 42 points in a game at Hempfield has stood for 27 years. And David Shearer is not going to lie: He’s proud of it. Long miffed at the lack of recruitment from college coaches, the 45-year-old Shearer is humbled by such an impressive accomplishment in high school. “That...
Hempfield grad Sowers elevates herself among top Division II pitchers in nation
A breakthrough season called for an encore, but Callie Sowers didn’t rest on her laurels or her repertoire to greet the curtain call at Bloomsburg. No, the ace softball pitcher went back into the lab in the offseason. “Last season was a stepping stone for me and a platform to...
