District College category, Page 42
Westmoreland campus clippings: Latrobe grad Jake Biss shines in return from injury
Jake Biss is back in the Shippensburg basketball lineup and it didn’t take him long to make an impact. He was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division Athlete of the Week after a couple of 20-point games. In just his third game since returning from an injury, the...
Slippery Rock’s Chad Kuhn caps college career as one of Division II’s top defensive linemen
Slippery Rock’s Chad Kuhn fit the mold. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound high-energy defensive end was one of eight national finalists for the 2021 Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award, presented annually by the Manheim Touchdown Club. Kuhn’s strength, speed, mobility and ruggedness on the gridiron, along with a...
Greensburg C.C. grad Maietta rekindles love for basketball at Pitt-GreensburgVideo
When Melina Maietta was finished playing basketball at Greensburg Central Catholic, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go through the grind anymore. She had put a lot of work into it through the years, but with college looming, she had reservations about balancing basketball with schoolwork. So she enrolled at...
Norwin grads looking forward to sibling rivalry on college court
Magen and Mara Polczynski have Jan. 19 and Feb. 16 circled on their calendars. They have for a while now. Those are the days when the Westminster and Grove City women’s basketball teams will meet in Presidents’ Athletic Conference games. The teams are traditional rivals that don’t need much motivation...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Hempfield’s Burns rewriting record book
Michelle Burns came back for a fifth year at Point Park, which basically rendered the women’s basketball program’s record book defenseless. The grad point guard out of Hempfield topped the 1,500-point mark for her career during an 86-84 loss to Washington Adventist. She had 29 points in the game and...
Ligonier Valley graduate Marrek Paola grows into key player for Seton Hill
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...
Freeport grad Jenna Manke takes on leadership role under new Allegheny women’s basketball staffVideo
When Kelly Muffley took over as the Allegheny women’s basketball coach six months ago, not only was she moving into her first head-coaching job, she was inheriting a roster that was more than half freshmen and sophomores. She needed strong senior leadership to smooth the transition and set the tone...
Alle-Kiski Valley Campus Clippings: Myers nets career-high 23 points
Tess Myers has made quite the impact for the Duquesne women’s basketball team. The latest evidence from the Dukes freshman guard, Lower Burrell resident and North Catholic graduate came Saturday against St. Francis (Pa.) in a nonconference game at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Myers scored a career-best 23 points (6 of...
District college notebook: Coleman named football coach at Waynesburg
Waynesburg named alum and former defensive lineman Dr. Cornelius Coleman as its head football coach. He replaces Chris Smithley, who was transferred to a new position, Assistant Director of Athletics Development, after serving as head coach for four years. Coleman also will work as assistant provost for Undergraduate Learning Experiences....
Westmoreland campus clippings: Pitt-Greensburg’s Michalek earns all-region honors
Pitt-Greensburg senior Tiffany Michalek capped another outstanding season for the Bobcats as she was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region Third Team. Michalek led the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference in goals (22), assists (10), points (54) and shots (59) as UPG returned to the conference championship for the second...
Carnegie Mellon’s Rich Lackner named AFCA regional coach of year
His final season has an unfinished look to it, like a Christmas tree without a star on top, but Rich Lackner still goes out a winner. The longtime football coach at Carnegie Mellon was announced Monday as the American Football Coaches Association Region 2 Coach of the Year, making him...
Highlands grad Brayden Thimons named PAC Defensive Player of the Year
Brayden Thimons has been a stalwart in his short time in the Westminster football program, culminating in a sensational 2021 fall season. A rock-solid 6-foot-4, 235-pound senior lineman, Thimons was named Defensive Player of the Year and first-team all-conference in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. “I am shocked and honored to...
Greensburg Salem grad Megan Kallock finds right fit with Grove City women’s basketball teamVideo
When Megan Kallock transferred from Saint Vincent to Grove City halfway through the 2020-21 academic year, it was equal parts inopportune and perfect. The down side: The Greensburg Salem grad got to campus in the middle of the covid-19 pandemic and started with a three-week quarantine over Christmas break. “I...
Westmoreland campus clippings: County connections help Pitt to ACC title
Pitt mania is sweeping across the country as the Panthers continue to work their way back to national respectability. The football program’s exploits this season are fitting in with their proud glory days of the past. The ACC champion Panthers have plenty of Westmoreland County connections as they prepare for...
Point Park, Carlow set for women’s NAIA ‘City Game’
Point Park and Carlow have been watching the schedule with eager eyes as a unique matchup approached. Finally, it is here. The women’s basketball teams will face off Thursday night in the NAIA “City Game” at Duquesne’s new UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Tip is set for 5:30 p.m. One team will...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Klimchock picks up 1st UPG win
After a slow start to his debut season, Chris Klimchock (Greensburg Salem) picked up his first win as men’s basketball coach at Pitt-Greensburg. JoJo France had a lot to do with the maiden victory as the senior guard poured in a season-high 34 points to pace the Bobcats to an...
Norwin grad Gianni Rizzo, other former Westmoreland County standouts make transfer plans
Youngstown State will play Duquesne next football season, but Gianni Rizzo will change his uniform and allegiance long before kickoff. Rizzo, a redshirt freshman linebacker out of Norwin, announced recently he is leaving Youngstown State and will transfer to Duquesne. A want to see the field more and a belief...
WCCC working to rebuild men’s, women’s basketball programs
The goal of the Westmoreland County Community College men’s basketball team, simply put, is to be competitive. Then, perhaps, the victories will come. “We’re getting better in practice,” coach William Tyler Johnson said. “I’m not trying to control too much right now. It’s all just about teaching, having the guys...
Kiski Area grad Roscosky off to strong start for W&J wrestling
Brayden Roscosky wants to win every match he wrestles. He also has a firm grasp on reality, and the Washington & Jefferson freshman lets that guide his mindset. “If I’m not going to win, I want to lose that match in style,” Roscosky said. “If I’m going to lose. I’m...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Hempfield grad Tara Zollinger guides Shippensburg to 5th national title
Tara Zollinger is a national champion — again. The Hempfield alum guided Shippensburg to its fifth national title, the third since she took over the program in 2017, as the Raiders topped West Chester, 3-0, on Sunday in the title match. Shippensburg (20-0) was the No. 1 seed in the...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Derry grad Justin Huss earns All-PAC honors
Justin Huss did some things on the football field at Derry you might call “special.” A tightrope-run down the far sideline for a huge gain. A defense-defying cutback for a touchdown. A breakaway run up the middle for six. His field vision was one of his best attributes and it...
Gateway grad, John Paul Kromka off to fast start this season for Pitt-Johnstown
Two seasons ago, as a sophomore on the Pitt-Johnstown men’s basketball team, Gateway graduate John Paul Kromka averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds a game as the Mountain Cats went 22-9 overall, 15-7 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, and made it to the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. Kromka...
District college football roundup: Slippery Rock falls in Division II playoff opener
Chris Brimm threw three touchdown passes and Idris Lawrence ran 26 times for 164 yards as No. 6 Notre Dame College held off No. 19 Slippery Rock, 33-25, in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs Saturday afternoon. Brimm hit Devana Conliffe for a 40-yard touchdown pass to...
Covid-19 cases force Carnegie Mellon to withdraw from NCAA football playoffs
Carnegie Mellon’s journey in the NCAA football playoffs is over before it started. The university announced Friday that several football players tested positive for covid-19, so the team will withdraw from the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Tartans (8-2) were scheduled to play a first-round game Saturday against North Central...
With more depth, Penn State New Kensington men’s basketball happy to be back on court
Sometimes patience can be a virtue. At least that’s what Brant Mack hopes is the case. Mack was an assistant for Penn State New Kensington’s men’s basketball program for three years before taking over the head coaching job before last season. However, the season was canceled because of covid-19. But...
