Westmoreland campus clippings: Saint Vincent's Lafko named PAC player of year

Saint Vincent’s Jenna Lafko was lauded for a terrific junior season as she was named the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Year.

Lafko averaged 13.8 points and 4.6 rebounds, and led the Bearcats (19-7) in assists (95) and steals (78).

Junior Madison Kollar (Latrobe) joined Lafko as an All-PAC first team selection. Kollar led the Bearcats in scoring at 17.1 ppg and had a 41-point game against Waynesburg.

Grove City: Sophomore forward Allison Podkul (Hempfield) had seven points and 10 rebounds as the Wolverines won the PAC championship 54-52 over Washington & Jefferson. Grove City (25-2) is headed to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in 37 years.

Pitt-Greensburg: Despite cutting a 19-point lead to four in the fourth quarter, UPG dropped a 60-54 decision to La Roche in the AMCC semifinals to end the season at 17-10.

Junior Nadege Durand had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and freshman Sidney McCully had 17 points off the bench for UPG.

Point Park: Junior guard Michelle Burns (Hempfield) was named to the All-River States Conference first team. Burns leads the team in scoring at 15.8 ppg and has made 81 3-pointers. She also averages 4.2 assists.

Seton Hill: Junior guard Cheyenne Trest scored a season-best 33 points, including a 13-for-14 effort at the free-throw line, to lead the Griffins (14-14) to a 72-68 win over Edinboro to secure a PSAC West playoff spot.

Junior forward Katie Nolan pulled down 20 rebounds.

Trest was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Week, and Nolan won the weekly award for defense.

Westminster: Sophomore guard Magen Polczynski (Norwin) averaged 9.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists this season for the Titans (20-7), who reached the PAC semifinals. She made a team-best 35 3-pointers.

Men’s basketball

Grove City: Junior guard Justice Rice (Monessen) was named to the PAC all-tournament team after helping to lead the Wolverines to the conference title. Grove City (20-8) defeated Geneva, 86-70, in the title game.

Rice had 12 points in a 76-62 quarterfinal win over Thiel and 13 points and seven rebounds in a 70-69 victory over Saint Vincent in the semis.

Lehigh: Freshman Reed Fenton (Latrobe) was named to the Ivy League All-Rookie team. Fenton averages 6.9 points and 2.4 rebounds and has played in all 30 games, with 27 starts.

Pitt-Greensburg: One of the most exciting seasons in program history came to an end for the Bobcats in a 73-68 loss to Penn State Behrend in the AMCC semifinals at La Roche.

UPG finished at 20-6 for a .769 winning percentage, the best for the program since it joined the NCAA. Sophomore Jojo France led UPG with 19 points and junior Cam Seigfreid (Penn-Trafford) had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Saint Vincent: Junior guard David Stephen became the 34th player in program history to score 1,000 career points. Stephen, from Winter Garden, Fla., reached the milestone in an 88-78 upset win over Westminster in the PAC tournament quarterfinals.

Stephen scored career-high 33 points for the sixth-seeded Bearcats against the No. 3 Titans.

West Liberty: Freshman Bryce Butler (Latrobe) had 11 points to join four teammates in double figures as the Hilltoppers (24-2) topped Wheeling, 90-76, for their seventh straight win heading into the Mountain East Conference Tournament.

Wrestling

Pitt-Johnstown: Senior Chris Eddins (Greensburg Salem), a two-time defending NCAA Division II champion, won his third Super Region I title without allowing a point in the 149-pound bracket.

Teammate Devin Austin (Penn-Trafford), a redshirt senior, finished third at 165 and will join Eddins at the NCAA Tournament March 13-14 in Sioux Falls, N.D.

Seton Hill: The Griffins will send a pair of wrestlers to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Sophomore Frank Bonura (125 pounds) and redshirt junior Billy Bowlen (197) both finished third at the Super Region I Tourament at Mercyhurst.

Baseball

Cal (Pa.): Senior Jansen Eichenlaub (Franklin Regional) stuck out 11 in 4²⁄₃ innings and earned the win as the Vulcans defeated Mount Union, 10-1. He gave up two hits against the 19 batters he faced.

Seton Hill: Redshirt freshman Tanner Froehlich was named the PSAC West Player of the Week. He led the Griffins to wins over University of the Sciences (12-8) and Wilmington (13-2), going 7 for 11 with three RBIs, a double and two runs.

Thiel: Senior Andrew Giesey (Penn-Trafford) hit a two-run homer for the Tomcats in a 12-3 season-opening win over Rivier at the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers, Fla.

Softball

Robert Morris: Senior Briana Bunner (Southmoreland) went 3 for 4 with a double and two runs to lead the Colonials to a 6-5 victory over host UNC-Wilmington at the Seahawk Softball Challenge. Bunner is hitting .326 this season.