Alle-Kiski campus clippings: WVU's Pierson dazzles for gymnastics teams

Abbie Pierson is making her mark in her first season with the West Virginia women’s gymnastics team.

The St. Joseph graduate and Mountaineers freshman has four podium finishes: two on balance beam, one on vault and one on floor. Three are event wins.

In her collegiate debut Jan. 11 against Penn State, Pierson had two firsts with 9.9 scores on vault and beam. She tied for first in the floor (9.875) Jan. 31 against George Washington, William & Mary and Pitt.

Pierson tied for second on beam (9.825) in a home meet Jan. 26 against New Hampshire and Temple.

The four-year Level 10 gymnast from Gymkhana in Plum is a part of a WVU vault lineup tied for No. 15 in the Southeast Regional rankings.

Pierson and the Mountaineers return to action Friday against at Pitt. The meet is set for a 7 p.m. start.

Women’s swimming

Chatham: Senior Mallory Marzolf (Deer Lakes) was golden three times at the Presidents’ Athletic Conference women’s swimming championships at Grove City. She started with a win in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2 minutes, 6.63 seconds, bettering her first-place time of 2:08.60 from last year’s PAC meet. Marzolf then won the 100 backstroke (57.21), lowering last year’s winning time of 57.64. On the final day of competition, she won the 100 freestyle in 51.94. She also swam three relays, placing fourth as part of the 200, 400 and 800 free relays.

Women’s basketball

Allegheny: Zoe Soilis (Freeport), the lone senior on the Gators women’s basketball team, scored a game-high 14 points on senior day to help her team upset Denison, 54-43, on Saturday in a North Coast Athletic Conference victory. Denison entered the game second in the NCAC with a 10-3 record. Soilis added five rebounds and four steals. She is averaging 10.7 points in 22 games, all starts, for Allegheny (9-14, 5-9 NCAC)

Washington & Jefferson: Maria Lawhorne (Plum) averaged 10 points as the Presidents split a pair of games last week. The junior forward and captain tallied 11 points, nine rebounds and four blocks Wednesday in a 76-59 PAC win over Waynesburg. She scored nine points Saturday in a 72-66 nonconference loss to Kenyon College.

Softball

Robert Morris: Alaina York (Burrell) has fared well since transferring from Wheeling after the 2019 season. In eight games this season, all of them starts, the junior outfielder is batting .286 (6 for 21) with a pair of triples and five RBI. She drove in two for RMU in a win over Colgate on Friday.

Wrestling

Bucknell: Darren Miller (Kiski Area) is 17-11 at 133 pounds in his freshman season, including an 8-1 record in duals in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association. He was one of two wrestlers for Bucknell (9-5, 8-2 EIWA) to post victories in a 32-6 loss Friday to Lehigh, which is ranked No. 11 in the latest NWCA Division I poll.

Pitt-Johnstown: Redshirt junior Allan Beattie (Burrell) scored a 6-0 decision victory at 285 pounds in Saturday’s 21-10 win over Gannon. The victory for the Mountain Cats, ranked No. 4 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division II poll, secured their fifth straight PSAC dual-meet title. Beattie has won six of his last seven matches and is 14-12 overall this season.

Women’s indoor track & field

Washington & Jefferson: Naomi Hanna (Burrell) recently earned PAC Field Athlete of the Week honors after registering a career-best 39-3 in the weight throw at the SPIRE Midwest Open in Geneva, Ohio. She finished 18th out of 39 competitors and was fourth among Division III entrants. The throw also topped the PAC season performance list and ranks fourth all-time at W&J. Hanna also is among the PAC leaders this season in the shot put.

Men’s indoor track & field

Cal (Pa.): Jalen Cloud (Kiski Area) won the long jump at the Baldwin Wallace Mid-February meet Friday. The junior’s top leap of 21 feet, 7.5 inches on his sixth and final attempt bested the field of 22 and helped the Vulcans claim the team title.