Westmoreland County campus clippings: Seton Hill's Ky'Ron Craggette earns preseason honor

Seton Hill running back Ky’Ron Craggette made a national preseason watch list.

Craggette, a redshirt senior, was named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 preseason watch list.

The list aims to begin the process of identifying All-­American-caliber players. There are first, second and “squad,” or honorable mention, teams. Craggette made the second team.

Craggette returns after a career season in which he ran for PSAC highs in yards (1,287) and touchdowns (13) and was named to the D2CCA All-Super Region team and PSAC West first team.

He was fourth in all of Division II in rushing yards.

Men’s soccer

Seton Hill: The Griffins were voted No. 2 in the PSAC West preseason coaches poll.

Last season, they finished 10-5-4 overall and 5-2-3 in the conference.

Division freshman of the year Nils Heinrich (eight goals, nine assists) returns, along with first-team All-PSAC midfielder Julian Marker.

Women’s soccer

James Madison: Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Sofia DeCerb (Latrobe) made six saves over 90 minutes as JMU blanked North Carolina State, 3-0, in the season opener.

Maryland: Sophomore Ella Bulava (Latrobe) had an assist in the Terrapins’ opener, a 3-0 victory against Lehigh.

Bulava, who has battled back from an ACL tear, started the game. She played in two games last season.

Robert Morris: For the second year in a row, senior forward Paloma Swankler (Norwin) was selected as a team captain for the Colonials.

Swankler had six goals and five assists last fall and earned All-Horizon League second-­team honors.

She has started 24 of 56 career games and has 10 goals and eight assists.

“This season is especially meaningful to me because this group of players is passionate and hungry for a Horizon League championship,” Swankler said. “I look forward to upholding the elite standard of this program while leaving behind a legacy for future players.”

Women’s basketball

Seton Hill: A local transfer will join the Griffins next season and reunite with her sister.

Sophomore Kaitlyn Mankins (Greensburg Salem) is primed to play at Seton Hill after one season at D’Youville, another Division II program in Buffalo, N.Y.

Her sister, Abby Mankins, will be a key senior guard for the Griffins. Kaitlyn Mankins, a 6-foot forward, played in eight games as a freshman, averaging 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 12.6 minutes.

She had eight points in 14 minutes against Anslem.

Men’s lacrosse

Seton Hill: Kevin Steele will be a new assistant on head coach Brian Novotny’s coaching staff.

Steele coached six seasons as an assistant at Middle Creek High School (N.C.), which won a state championship in 2022.