District College category, Page 52
Latrobe grad Austin Butler chooses Charlotte as transfer destination
Austin Butler had to rediscover the recruiting process when his four years of college basketball ended at Holy Cross because he could not continue his academic career in Worcester, Mass. The former Latrobe star entered the NCAA transfer portal and got more than a few nibbles on the line. About...
Seton Hill baseball sprints out to best start in program history
When the season schedule was distributed to baseball players at Seton Hill, there was a glaring omission: opponents. It was not an oversight. It was on purpose. “The times and dates are there but no opponents,” coach Marc Marizzaldi said. “It might say ‘Seton Hill vs. … doesn’t matter’ or...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Saint Vincent women’s basketball receives honors
Saint Vincent pulled in some accolades after another successful and albeit, shortened, season in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Senior guard Carlee Kilgus was named PAC Defensive Player of the Year, and Jimmy Petruska, in his 11th year at SVC, was tabbed conference coach of the year. Kilgus averaged 11.8...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Belle Vernon’s Judy rolling in awards
Junior Devin Judy can bring the heat, and the hard-throwing pitcher from Gannon is raking in the awards as a result. Judy, a Belle Vernon graduate, received a pair of accolades after a strong outing against nationally ranked Mercyhurst. The right-hander was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Atlantic...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Seton Hill baseball makes ‘SportsCenter’
Seton Hill senior Derek Orndorff made some magic in right-center field last week, and the nation got to catch a glimpse of it. Orndorff made a spectacular running catch in the top of the second inning in the Griffins’ game last Friday against IUP. The play made No. 4 on...
Seton Hill’s Orndorff makes ESPN’s top plays with highlight catch
In a rather unassuming Friday afternoon baseball game in Greensburg, Seton Hill senior Derek Orndorff made some magic in right center field. And the nation got to catch a glimpse of it. Orndorff made a spectacular running catch in the top of the second inning in the undefeated Griffins’ game...
Iowa’s Spencer Lee withdraws from Olympic Trials
Another day, another surprising announcement from one of college wrestling’s most celebrated lightweights. Iowa senior Spencer Lee, fresh off a third NCAA championship that he won while competing with two torn ACLs, made it known Friday he will not compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials next month. “It is not...
Latrobe product Kokoska causing stir for Kansas State
Zach Kokoska was on the path to becoming a pitcher in college. No, really. “I was a left-hander who could throw 90 (mph),” the former Latrobe standout said. “Coaches jumped all over that.” But when he began to hit for power and average, that ship quickly sailed. When he left...
Saint Vincent women, Westminster men recognized for title run with PAC awards
Defense was a big part of Saint Vincent’s run to a conference championship. Coaching had a little to do with it, too. Both were exemplified by a key senior and the Bearcats’ unfettered leader on the sidelines. The Presidents’ Athletic Conference recognized both with postseason awards Wednesday. Saint Vincent guard...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Latrobe grad Butler on to D-II Elite Eight
The dance goes on for Bryce Butler. A sophomore guard at West Liberty, Butler has helped the Hilltoppers (18-4) reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II men’s basketball tournament. The Latrobe alum had four points and six rebounds in a 78-61 win over Hillsdale. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Butler...
Westmoreland campus clippings: GCC grad Stowovy enters NCAA transfer portal
Brittany Stawovy is on the move. After completing a four-year playing career at West Virginia Wesleyan, the senior basketball player has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. Stawovy, a Greensburg Central Catholic graduate, is unable to continue with a post-grad program, so she is looking to play one more season somewhere...
Spencer Lee becomes 3-time NCAA wrestling champion
Iowa senior Spencer Lee is used to beginning a wrestling match. He’d rather set the tone for his Iowa teammates. But the NCAA wrestling championships had other ideas. They decided to put the 125-pound final at the end Saturday at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The ESPN broadcast team called...
St. Vincent women’s basketball tops W&J in PAC championship game
In a strange, compact college basketball season like no other, the Saint Vincent women aren’t complaining. Why would they? The Bearcats completed a short, five-week schedule with a perfect ending Saturday night, rallying for a 65-61 victory over visiting Washington & Jefferson to win their second Presidents’ Athletic Conference Tournament...
With most sports in full swing, Westmoreland colleges experience different March Madness
As the NCAA Tournament tipped off Friday afternoon, Aaron Smetanka was preparing for kickoff. Yes, kickoff. In March. The Saint Vincent football coach was finalizing gameday plans for the Bearcats’ season opener at Grove City. Elsewhere on campus, the women’s basketball team was practicing for the Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship...
Freshmen from WPIAL programs provide spark for Cal U softball team
After not having a field for 1,409 days, the Cal U softball team returned to Lilley Field and swept Gannon in a doubleheader. The Golden Knights are the team many see as the favorite in the PSAC West. The starting lineup for the Vulcans in the opener featured five freshmen,...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Penn-Trafford grad slugs her way to conference honor
Otterbein senior Hannah Dobrinick, a Penn-Trafford grad, has been named the Ohio Athletic Conference Hitter of the Week. A first baseman, Dobrinick went 7 for 11 in a four-game series against John Carroll with a pair of two-run home runs. She drove in five runs and scored seven times. She...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Seton Hill baseball continues hot start
Seton Hill baseball powered its way to an upset and continued a hot start. The top four hitters in the Griffins’ lineup homered as Seton Hill took down No. 10 Millersville, 13-6, to mark its best start since 2012. The team has risen to No. 1 in the National Collegiate...
Deer Lakes grad McCaskey thrives as dual-threat player for Cal (Pa.) baseball
Jake McCaskey had about a week to prepare for his first collegiate pitching start after getting the call from the Cal (Pa.) coaching staff. The Deer Lakes graduate didn’t let his opportunity go to waste. McCaskey, the Valley News Dispatch Player of the Year in 2018, was in control from...
Penn-Trafford grad Lydia DeFazio again tabbed AMCC softball preseason player of year
Softball season opens Saturday for Mt. Aloysius and junior standout Lydia DeFazio, a player who will carry a unique distinction into a doubleheader at Pitt-Greensburg. DeFazio, a Penn-Trafford product, is the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Preseason Player of the Year. She was bestowed that honor last season before the pandemic...
Saint Vincent women run past Waynesburg, give coach Petruska 200th win
Saint Vincent advanced in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference women’s basketball tournament and Bearcats’ coach Jimmy Petruska reached a milestone. Petruska, in his 10th season, registered win No. 200 of his career as SVC downed visiting Waynesburg, 87-59, in the PAC quarterfinals. Saint Vincent (8-0) advances to play Westminster (6-4) at...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Saint Vincent men’s basketball moves on
The Saint Vincent men’s basketball team snapped a six-game losing streak, and the feat came with a bonus: The Bearcats advanced in the PAC postseason. SVC (3-7) toppled Waynesburg, 72-58, in the play-in round to advance to Tuesday’s quarterfinals at Geneva. The Bearcats used a 45-point second half to pull...
Westmoreland campus clippings: All-America honors for Carlow’s Olivia Miller
Carlow senior Olivia Miller is an All-American again — in two events. The Ligonier Valley product placed sixth in the high jump at the 41st NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships to finish inside the top eight and earn the status. Her distance was 1.61 meters. She also took sixth...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Josh Spiegel impresses in Penn State debut
Josh Spiegel transferred to Penn State from Oklahoma State in the offseason as the redshirt freshman sought a better opportunity to see the field and make an impact. It sure looks like the Penn-Trafford grad made the right decision. He went 3-for-4 with two solo home runs in his Nittany...
Austin Butler leaving Holy Cross, enters transfer portal
Austin Butler plans to play another year of college basketball, but it won’t be at Holy Cross. The senior guard from Latrobe who saw this season end prematurely when Holy Cross had to pull out of the Patriot League playoffs due to a positive covid test on the team has...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Hempfield’s Orie sisters continue dominance
Shattering throwing records are nothing new to Hempfield’s Orie sisters. They’ve had spots on the Spartans’ big leaderboard. Now they’re breaking marks together at the collegiate level. DePaul sophomore Mackenna Orie broke a school record in the shot put in the program’s first competition since March at the Big East...
