Westmoreland campus clippings: Pitt's Phillippi earns ACC wrestling honor

Redshirt freshman Micky Phillippi was a bright spot for the 14th-ranked Pitt wrestling team over the weekend in a 36-9 loss to No. 3 Oklahoma State.

Phillippi, a Derry graduate, knocked off No. 2-ranked Daton Fix, 3-1, at 133 pounds.

The fourth-ranked Phillippi (13-1) handed Fix (21-1) his first collegiate loss, but Pitt fell to 8-1.

Phillippi was recognized for his big win as he was named ACC Wrestler of the Week.

Phillippi continues his impressive charge since transferring from Virginia, finding his way into the national championship conversation with the NCAA Tournament set for March 21-23 at PPG Paints Arena.

“It feels really good,” said Phillippi, who is 6-1 against ranked opponents. “I’ve been working a lot in the room for moments like that, so it paid off. I feel good about what happened, and I feel good about the day.”

Phillippi moved to No. 2 in the Intermat and Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine national rankings.

Wrestling

Bucknell: Freshman Zach Hartman (Belle Vernon) posted a pin at 157 pounds and teammate Drew Phipps (Norwin), a junior at 197, won a 16-1 technical fall as the Bison defeated Harvard, 32-3.

Iowa: Sophomore Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional), the nation’s second-ranked wrestler at 125 pounds, pinned his opponent in a career-best 38 seconds as the Hawkeyes (8-0) dropped Rutgers, 30-6. According to FloWrestling, Lee has outscored opponents in the first period of his college career 287-11.

Ohio State: Junior 133-pounder Luke Pletcher (Latrobe) won a tight 5-4 decision over Anthony Tutolo as the second-ranked Buckeyes beat Michigan State, 37-4. Pletcher improved to 16-1 for the season. He has three pins and three technical falls.

Virginia: Redshirt freshman Cam Coy (Penn-Trafford) and freshman Rob Patrick (Ligonier Valley) picked up victories for the Cavaliers (11-6) — Coy at 165 pounds, Patrick at 174 — in a 29-9 win over Ohio.

Virginia Tech: Redshirt senior Zack Zavatsky (Latrobe) picked up his 24th career major decision as the 13th-ranked Hokies defeated Virginia, 37-5, to win the Virginia Duals.

Men’s basketball

Saint Vincent: The Bearcats (16-2, 9-0) increased their lead to three games in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference with a 78-70 victory over visiting Washington & Jefferson.

Senior forward Tom Kromka led the way with 23 points and eight rebounds.

Sophomores Shemar Bennett added 21 points, and classmate David Stephen 13 with six assists.

Sophomore Zach Queen (Hempfield) scored a career-high 26 points for W&J (8-10, 6-3), making 8 of 12 3-pointers.

Saint Vincent has won 10 straight games.

Kromka was lauded Tuesday for his efforts by being named PAC Player of the Week. He shot 62.5 percent from the field in two wins (15 of 24), finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds in a 75-68 win over Chatham.

He is the second-leading scorer and rebounder in the PAC and is shooting 59.4 percent for the season.

Women’s indoor track and field

Carlow: Sophomore Olivia Miller (Ligonier Valley) was named River States Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week. She placed eighth in the high jump at the Youngstown State Invitational, clearing 4 feet, 7 inches.

Football

Seton Hill: Redshirt junior wide receiver Ardell Brown was named to the Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region I First Team.

Brown led the PSAC with 81 receptions and a school-record 1,267 yards and nine touchdowns.

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review
staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or
via Twitter @BillBeckner.