College athletes say it all the time. Their school didn’t “fit,” so they bolted for another one that did. Or, at least that is the idea.
That was the case with Mackenna Orie, the former Hempfield standout thrower who announced recently she is leaving one Division I track and field program for another.
Orie will transfer from DePaul, where she found success, to Arizona.
“I left DePaul because I didn’t feel like I fit in with the university and the setting,” Orie said. “I chose Arizona because of the great reputation and high-caliber program the coaching staff has built.”
Orie, who just completed her sophomore season, was the Most Outstanding Field Performer at the Big East outdoor championships, where she won the shot put and took second in the discus.
She holds the DePaul school record in the shot put with a throw of 51 feet, 7 inches.
Her sister, Sam, is a thrower at the Naval Academy.
Bach still browsing
Former Yough star baseball pitcher Jarett Bach made it clear he was leaving Pitt when he put his name into the NCAA transfer portal, but the left-hander’s next stop is undecided — for now.
“I am hoping to transfer somewhere for the spring semester,” the 6-foot-4 Bach said. “I start throwing (again) soon, so I’m going to use the fall just to get healthy on my own.”
An injury slowed Bach’s progress at Pitt. He did not pitch at all this past season after one relief appearance in 2020.
“I’m just looking for a fresh start somewhere else,” he said.
Bach had thoracic outlet syndrome, where blood vessels and nerves can become compressed between the collarbone and first rib.
The diagnosis can cause pain in the shoulders and neck and cause numbness in the fingers.
On the go
Transferring is trending in Westmoreland County.
At least 17 other county athletes are playing for, or will be playing for, new schools — and in various sports.
This local list, which goes back about a year, includes some fifth-year players who lost time over the pandemic and others who simply wanted a change.
More area transfers include:
Carolyn Alincic (softball, Mt. Pleasant, Morehead State to Pikeville)
Emma Armstrong (softball, Penn-Trafford, Hartford to Towson)
Austin Butler (basketball, Latrobe, Holy Cross to Charlotte)
Anthony DelleFemine (football, Norwin, Robert Morris to Youngstown State)
John Gay IV (football, Penn-Trafford, Lafayette to Maine)
Alayna Gribble (basketball, Norwin, Pitt to St. Joseph’s)
Robert Kennedy (football, Jeannette, East Carolina to Old Dominion)
Jared Kollar (baseball, Latrobe, Seton Hill to Rutgers)
Jeff Mankins (golf, Greensburg Salem, IUP to Towson)
Brady Pevarnik (golf, Latrobe, Charleson to Bowling Green)
Morgan Ryan (softball, Hempfield, Notre Dame to Seton Hill)
Gia Scala (basketball, Greensburg Central Catholic, Point Park to Pitt-Greensburg)
Pedro Schmidt (football, Norwin, North Dakota State to TBD)
Josh Spiegel (baseball, Penn-Trafford, Oklahoma State to Penn State)
Brittany Stawovy (basketball, Greensburg Central Catholic, West Virginia Wesleyan to TBD)
Jayvon Thrift (football, Norwin, West Virginia to Youngstown State)
Maddie Uschock (softball, Hempfield, Dominican to Shippensburg)
