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Westmoreland campus clippings: Franklin Regional grad helps Arizona State to upset | TribLIVE.com
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Westmoreland campus clippings: Franklin Regional grad helps Arizona State to upset

Bill Beckner
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Arizona State redshirt senior 149-pounder Josh Maruca (Franklin Regional) earned a 5-4 decision over Penn State sophomore Jarod Verkleeren (Hempfield) as the No. 5 Sun Devils upset No. 1 Penn State, 19-18, to snap the Nittany Lions’ 60-dual match winning streak that dated to 2015.

Bucknell: Sophomore Zach Hartman (Belle Vernon) finished third at 165 pounds at the Navy Classic. Senior Drew Phipps (Norwin) reached the quarterfinals at 197.

Hartman is 10-3, and Phipps moved to 7-2.

Pitt-Johnstown: Senior Chris Eddins (Greensburg Salem) earned a pin in 2 minutes, 45 seconds at 149 pounds as No. 1 UPJ sailed past No. 12 Kutztown, 34-12. Eddins is the top-ranked wrestler in his weight class and a two-time national champion.

Seton Hill: The Griffins won eight matches to topple Millersville, 37-6, in their PSAC opener. Freshman Brandon Matthews (174), redshirt freshman Joey Romjue (184) and redshirt junior Billy Bowlen (197) won by fall for Seton Hill, which swept the upper weights. Heavyweight Jake Beistel (Southmoreland), a redshirt junior, won by decision.

Gannon: Junior Jake Dunlap (Belle Vernon) placed third at 125 pounds at Lake Erie College’s Storm Open. He went 3-1 at the event.

Football

Bethany: Senior defensive back Phil Taylor (Belle Vernon) made All-PAC honorable mention. He was fourth on the team in tackles (56), forced two fumbles and added two interceptions.

Case Western Reserve: Junior fullback Brett Carney (Penn-Trafford) was an All-PAC honorable mention selection. A converted linebacker, Carney was a key blocker for the Spartans (9-1). He has 55 yards rushing and nine receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown.

Grove City: Senior defensive back Jacob Ross (Franklin Regional) was All-PAC honorable mention. The four-year starter had 46 tackles and two interceptions.

IUP: Senior Nick Amendola (Norwin) was named first-team All-PSAC West at linebacker. Amendola registered 71 tackles and four interceptions for the Crimson Hawks.

Mercyhurst: Sophomore tight end Jason Armstrong (Latrobe) was named first-team All-PSAC West. In addition to blocking duties, Armstrong had six red-zone touchdowns and finished with 21 receptions for 233 yards.

Ohio Northern: Sophomore kicker Dom DiFalco (Franklin Regional) was named second-team All-Ohio Athletic Conference. DiFalco made 6 of 7 field goals, with a long of 49 yards, and connected on 40 of 42 extra points.

Saint Vincent: Eight Bearcats players received All-PAC recognition. Senior Christian Witchey was named to the first team as a punter; junior offensive lineman Colton Belmont and junior running back Mike Stasko made the second team; and senior defensive linemen Cody Henry and Izaak Gray, junior offensive lineman Bruce Johnson, and junior linebacker Cam Norris all made honorable mention.

Witchey led the PAC with a 38.7 punting average, and Stasko set single-season program records in the modern era with 912 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns and 12 overall touchdowns. SVC finished 3-7.

Waynesburg: Freshman running back Justin Flack (Derry) was an All-PAC honorable mention selection. He ran for 778 yards and four touchdowns on 174 carries. He had a 68-yard TD run against Saint Vincent.

Women’s basketball

Westmoreland County Community College: Freshman Mackenzie Markle (Latrobe) had a career day with 16 points and 18 rebounds to lead WCCC to a 45-29 win over Butler Community College. Freshman Julea Claycomb (Southmoreland) grabbed 19 rebounds in the win.

Women’s volleyball

Point Park: Senior outside hitter Maria Ferragonio (Norwin) was selected second-team All-River States Conference. A transfer from Eastern Kentucky, she had 234 kills, 397 digs, 175 assists and 29 blocks for the Pioneers.

Seton Hill: Junior Viktorian Farian was named first-team All-PSAC, and senior Jillian Livorse was a third-team selection. Farian leads the team in points (495), kills (422), aces (50) and digs (431). Livorse has 306 points, 276 kills and 315 digs.

The Griffins earned their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Atlantic Regional with an at-large bid.

Women’s cross country

Point Park: Freshman Natalia Zucco (Greensburg Salem) was the sixth runner for the Pioneers, who ran to a 27th-place finish at the NAIA national championship in Vancouver, Wash. Zucco finished in 22 minutes, 45.2 seconds.

Men’s swimming

Saint Vincent: Freshman Chris Bush was named PAC Rookie of the Week. He took 14th in the individual medley (4:23.96), 20th in the 200 breaststroke (2:16.12) and 23rd in the 500 freestyle at the Franklin & Marshall Invitational.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

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