West Virginia sophomore Nick Turowski was a repeat winner of the Pennsylvania Golf Association’s W.C. Fownes Jr. Amateur Player of the Year.
Turowski, a Penn-Trafford graduate, earned 155 points for a substantial lead over the other candidates.
The Hannastown Golf Club member again bagged an award that “exemplifies the highest standards of excellence on the golf course in skill, sportsmanship, and etiquette in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
Over the summer, he won the 22nd R. Jay Sigel Match Play Championship and placed ninth in the 112th Amateur Championship.
“It means a lot to me, especially upon seeing some of the other people that have gotten this award,” Turowski said in a news release. “I’ve looked up to them — like Patrick Sheehan last year, who I lost to in the Sigel in 2024. So now that I’m player of the year, it’s a huge confidence boost and it feels great.”
Turwoski told PaGolf.Com his approach to the game has changed.
“Before this year, you could say I was a range rat — that person who you’d see on the range all the time, hitting probably too many balls and working on something in my swing. And I feel like it took away some of my ability to just see shots and trust my natural ability to go out and play. So this summer I said, ‘Nick, you’re only going to play golf. You’re not going to go to the range and practice.’ That’s the approach I took, and it has made a world of difference. I took a step away from the range, and I’ve really relearned my game and the importance of every shot I make.”
Transfer portal
Daishaun Alexander changed his mind.
The Greensburg Salem graduate initially put his name in the NCAA transfer portal with one year of eligibility left. But the standout punter has reversed his decision and plans to stay at Shepherd.
Alexander was named a Conference Commissioners Association second-team All-American. He also made the D2CCA All-Super Region One first team and ranked as one of the top Division II punters in the country. He had a 44.57-yard average on 44 kicks, 16 of which he placed inside the 20-yard line.
• Conlan Greene (Penn-Trafford), who began his college career as a defensive lineman at Temple, is looking to play elsewhere for his final college season. Greene is three-year letterwinner. He played quarterback and defensive end in high school.
• Dane Levi, a football player in the portal after one year at Millersville, picked up Division II offers from Cal (Pa.), Edinboro and North Greenville. He is up to 10 offers as he searches for a new place to play.
Men’s basketball
Pitt-Johnstown: Junior guard Adam Bilinsky (Norwin) put in 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting and added four assists as the Mountain Cats (8-3, 2-1 PSAC) won their third straight, 83-79 over East Stroudsburg.
Saint Vincent: The Bearcats went 1-1 at the Cruzin’ Classic at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Fla.
They defeated Vermont State Lyndon, 92-67, as six players scored in double figures. Grad student Jevontae Jones led with 16, junior Maxwell Gordon added 14, sophomore Terek Crosby (Yough) 13 and senior Jaden Gales and senior Nick Peccon 10 each in the win.
Seton Hill: The Griffins (10-2) will have momentum after the holiday break.
They were met with little resistance in a PSAC crossover game, downing Lock Haven, 92-58. Junior forward Kedrick Curtis had a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Griffins.
In the game that followed, Curtis led five double-figure scorers with 18 points in an 89-61 win over Mansfield. Then, Seton Hill throttled Bloomsburg, 104-70, as redshirt sophomore Edir Ortiz had 18 points.
Washington & Jefferson: Sophomore guard Cam Rowell (Franklin Regional) is averaging 7.3 points and 3.3 rebounds for the Presidents (9-2, 2-0 PAC), who have won six straight.
West Liberty: Junior guard Landon Butler (Latrobe) scored 15 points, including a 4-for-6 effort from 3-point range, as the Hilltoppers cruised to a 101-79 victory over Angelo State in the DII Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas.
Women’s basketball
Gannon: A couple of local Olivias came off the bench to help the Golden Knights to an 82-61 win over West Chester.
Freshman Olivia Pepple (Penn-Trafford) and junior Olivia Cernuto (Southmoreland) each scored a season-high 13 points, with Cernuto making 3 of 4 3s and adding five assists and four steals.
Grove City: Junior forward Brooke McCoy (Hempfield) had nine points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench as the Wolverines defeated Regis, 70-43.
Holy Family: Sophomore forward Lauren Palangio (Norwin) scored a season-high 18 points in 19 minutes and pulled down seven rebounds in a 77-39 win over Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras. She made 8 of 11 shots.
Millersville: Freshman Carley Berk (Latrobe) had a season-high 17 points, making 6 of 8 shots and grabbing five rebounds in an 80-65 win over Jefferson.
Saint Vincent: Senior forward Makenna Maier had a dominant performance, scoring a season-high 26 points, including 8 of 16 3-pointers, and grabbed nine rebounds in a 65-44 win over visiting La Roche.
Seton Hill: The Griffins (8-2) are stacking victories heading into Christmas. They are on a seven-game winning streak.
Senior guard Helene Cowan poured in a season-high 27 points, senior Hallie Cowan added 19 points and junior Mia Kalich had 15 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and six steals in a 98-85 win over Lock Haven.
Senior Abby Mankins (Greensburg Salem) added 11 points in the win for the Griffins.
Hallie Cowan scored 16, junior Hailee Ford had 15 and Kalich had 14 points and 11 rebounds as the Griffins rolled past Mansfield, 94-43.
Kalich was the star of an 85-49 win over Bloomsburg as she posted a triple-double: 18 points, 10 rebounds, 10 steals. Hallie Cowan had 20 points and Helene Cowan 18.
USC Upstate: Emma Blair (Latrobe), a redshirt sophomore forward, had a season-high 12 points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes during a 112-39 victory against Agnes Scott.
Wrestling
Pitt: Redshirt junior Briar Priest (Hempfield) won by decision at 141 pounds, and redshirt junior Dayton Pitzer (Mt. Pleasant) scored a major decision at 285 as No. 14 Pitt downed Edinboro, 23-11, to move to 7-1.
Football
Delaware: Grad student lineman Fintan Brose (Hempfield) is now tied for third place all-time in the program in games played with 56. He ended his college career with a victory as the Blue Hens won their first-ever FBS bowl game, 20-13 over Louisiana in the Ventures Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
Delaware piled up 334 yards, including 176 through the air.
Brose now will look to land an opportunity with an NFL team, via the draft or free agency.
Women’s bowling
Saint Vincent: Freshman Savannah Douglass was named MVP at the 244-bowler field at the Glenn Carlson Invitational in Las Vegas.
The Bearcats moved up to No. 17 in the national rankings.
