Mercyhurst drops its struggling Division I men’s hockey program as part of its master plan
ERIE — Mercyhurst will drop its Division I men’s hockey program at the end of the academic year as part of a university-wide master plan, the 2,600-student private school announced Friday. The Lakers finished 6-28-3 this season and were last in Atlantic Hockey for the second straight year. They haven’t...
IUP women’s basketball team reaches Division II championship
Nyshae’ Weaver’s blank stare elicited a quirky question for the IUP senior and two-time PSAC West women’s basketball Athlete of the Year. Had the 6-foot forward from Baltimore Coppin Academy High School ever felt this numb before? “Never,” Weaver said without a blink. Rightfully so, because IUP is headed to...
Westmoreland County college notebook: Saint Vincent bowlers return to NCAA Tournament
The Saint Vincent women’s bowling team is headed back to the NCAA Tournament, a Division III power among a cluster of Division I and II programs, and the Bearcats will roll on at the local regional. Saint Vincent (45-3), which has the best winning percentage in the nation, will take...
A-K Valley campus clippings: Kiski Area grad Veronica Flanagan named All-American
The transition from high school to collegiate bowling didn’t keep Veronica Flanagan from reaching top-flight status this past winter. The Kiski Area graduate and freshman at Lourdes in the Toledo, Ohio suburb of Sylvania recently was selected to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-American team. Flanagan, whose prolific high...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Saint Vincent swimmer Dzurica earns 3 All-American honors
Saint Vincent senior swimmer Jacob Dzurica came home with three All-American nods from the NCAA Division III Championships in Indianapolis. Dzurica, a Hempfield graduate, earned All-American honors in the 50-yard freestyle (19.79 seconds) as he finished fourth, the 100-yard freestyle (44.01), good enough for seventh — he swam a school-record...
Westmoreland County college notebook: Pitt-Greensburg’s Trent Rozich earns postseason honors
Trent Rozich had a senior season to remember at Pitt-Greensburg. The bulky, 6-foot-6 forward led the Bobcats in points (16.6), rebounds (5.6) and assists (4.3) per game. He was named to the D3Hoops.com All-Region Second Team. This weekend, the AMCC Player of the Year and All-AMCC first team selection will...
Bolstered by Westmoreland County players, Saint Vincent hockey returns to ACHA National Tournament
The formula for building a championship-winning roster is simple for the Saint Vincent men’s hockey team. Scout every team playing in Westmoreland County and a few neighboring districts, target a few players, find out who their hockey-playing friends are and recruit them, too. That strategy has turned SVC into a...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Seton Hill’s Norwin alum Whalen grabs PSAC all-time stolen bases record
Some say Jack Whalen was a recruiting steal for the Seton Hill baseball program. The Norwin alum has a record to prove it. Whalen, a senior outfielder, is now the all-time leader in stolen bases in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, with 118. Through 13 games this season, he had...
IUP women fend off Seton Hill in NCAA regional semifinals
Top-seeded and host IUP withstood a hot-shooting third quarter from Seton Hill to rally past the No. 4 Griffins, 94-87, on Saturday night in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region women’s basketball semifinals. IUP (28-3) advances to the regional championship at 7 p.m. Monday to play No. 3 Winston-Salem (28-3)....
Seton Hill women march into NCAA Tournament with ‘full head of steam’
An at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Tournament is an invitation. There is nothing automatic about it, and it is not promised to any team. That is why Seton Hill coach Maeve Gallagher wants her players to know they did indeed earn a spot in the national...
Westmoreland County campus clips: 1st-year Saint Vincent coach earns conference honors
Kam Gissendanner was the AMCC women’s basketball coach of the year five times in 12 years when she led LaRoche. She’s 1 for 1 at Saint Vincent. The first-year leader of the Bearcat women was named PAC coach of the year after guiding Saint Vincent to a conference runner-up season....
Seton Hill men’s basketball team overcomes spate of injuries to reach PSAC semis
The math doesn’t add up on how this conundrum of a college basketball team made the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference semifinals for the first time in program history. How a rash of injuries and corresponding tailspin dumped off Seton Hill in Afterthought City, only for the Griffins to hitchhike their...
Longtime Pitt-Johnstown men’s basketball coach Rukavina retires
Legendary Pitt-Johnstown men’s basketball coach Bob Rukavina, who has ties to the Alle-Kiski Valley, has retired after 37 seasons, 47 overall in coaching. “Coach Ruk,” a longtime Lower Burrell resident, registered 577 wins and a .580 winning percentage while guiding the Mountain Cats to five NCAA Division II Tournament appearances...
Westmoreland County campus clips: Latrobe grad stunned when Marshall drops swimming
Like her teammates and coaches, freshman Lauren Bell was blindsided by the news. In a cost-cutting move, Marshall Univerity opted to cut the women’s swimming team, effective at the end of this season. Bell, a Latrobe alum and former WPIAL standout, is suddenly faced with a tough decision: stay or...
W&J women defeat Saint Vincent, successfully defend PAC basketball title
LATROBE — Winning last year’s PAC women’s basketball championship created a confident foundation for the returning players at Washington & Jefferson. That confidence traveled with the Presidents to Robert S. Carey Center for Saturday’s conference tournament final against top-seeded Saint Vincent despite the Bearcats sweeping the regular season series. It...
Starters from Franklin Regional ’24 team making mark in college basketball
The starting five from Franklin Regional’s PIAA boys basketball runner-up team from 2023-24 merged directly into college basketball. All five are playing this season at the NCAA Division III level. Here is a look at where they are now and how they are doing: Cam Rowell, So., G, Washington &...
