Michael Love stories, Page 70
Seneca Valley, North Allegheny take top 2 seeds in Class 3A WPIAL volleyball bracket
Seneca Valley and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart are the No. 1 seeds in Class 3A and 2A for the WPIAL playoffs as both brackets were revealed Friday afternoon. The Raiders and North Allegheny, the No. 2 seed, finished tied at the top of the Section 2 standings and...
Alle-Kiski Valley trio rewarded with WPIAL playoff byes
Three Alle-Kiski Valley softball teams — Burrell, Deer Lakes and Springdale — earned byes into the quarterfinals as the WPIAL playoff brackets and pairings were released Thursday at Triblive HSSN. All three section champions will open tournament play Thursday against opponents yet to be determined. Deer Lakes (11-4) drew the...
Former Gateway gymnast Olivia Miller sets high bar athletically, academically at Pitt
Olivia Miller went from misfortune to good fortune this spring as her collegiate academic and athletic tenure at the University of Pittsburgh came to a close. The Gateway graduate saw her 17-year gymnastics career come to a sudden end at the Eastern Atlantic Gymnastics League championships March 19 at George...
Apollo-Ridge overcomes obstacles, eager for WPIAL Class 2A playoffs
Eric Kowalczyk saw promise in his young Apollo-Ridge softball team when the season started in late March. Despite just one senior, several freshman getting their first taste of the varsity game and other returnees continuing to grow, the first-year Vikings coach has seen growth in his team through a playoff-qualifying...
Gateway boys volleyball fends off Plum challenge, finishes undefeated in section
The Plum boys volleyball team hoped to play spoiler and prevent visiting Gateway from finishing its Section 2-2A slate undefeated as the teams met in the section finale Tuesday at Plum. But the Gators, No. 6 in this week’s Western PA Volleyball Coaches Association Class 2A top 10, had other...
Deer Lakes’ McCoy riding high after Baldwin win
Carson McCoy just missed out on gold in the 800-meter run at last year’s Baldwin Invitational. The Deer Lakes senior returned to the track at Baldwin High School in the wind and rain Friday and didn’t let the 800 title slip from his grasp. He ran a personal-best time of...
No changes in final WPIAL Boys Volleyball Coaches Association top-10 polls
WPIAL boys volleyball section play concludes Thursday evening, and the playoff brackets and pairings are scheduled to be released Friday. Several playoff spots, section titles and playoff positioning will be determined over the next four nights. With that, the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its final spring 2022 Class...
Former Gateway soccer standout Sam Alexander set to cheer on Nittany Lions
Sam Alexander fashioned one of the top varsity careers in the history of Gateway boys soccer as a lockdown goalkeeper who earned numerous all-star honors for his play. His athletic endeavors continue at Penn State but in a slightly different direction. Last month, Alexander, a freshman on the University Park...
Ford City grad Lizzie Suwala-Sheaffer ‘honored’ to take spot in A-K Valley HOF
Lizzie Suwala-Sheaffer could hit a shot from anywhere on the basketball court. With a layup, a mid-range jumper or a 3-pointer, the Ford City and Clarion University graduate often frustrated opposing defenses while energizing her teammates, coaches and fans of the teams she represented. Suwala-Sheaffer probably is best known for...
Plum resident Allison Polesnak runs Pittsburgh Marathon in wedding outfit
Allison Polesnak knows all about running marathons and half-marathons, especially the one closest to home in Pittsburgh. The Monroeville native, 2007 Gateway High School graduate and Plum resident ran the Pittsburgh Marathon for the fifth time on May 1, her 33rd birthday, while also putting the finishing touches on wedding...
Riverview baseball ready for another playoff run
Riverview and Springdale are rivals in every sport, and baseball this spring is no exception. So, you can’t blame the Raiders players for being a little excited when they finished off a two-game Section 3-A sweep of the Dynamos last week. Game 1 went down to the wire, and Game...
Alle-Kiski Valley campus clippings: Heilman comes up aces at Merychurst
Jarrett Heilman (Freeport) has been a steady force for the Mercyhurst baseball team. The sophomore crafted a 7-0 record in 10 games — eight starts — through a complete-game 14-2 victory over Seton Hill in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference action April 29. In seven innings that day, Heilman gave up...
Rain again cancels Friday evening racing at Lernerville Speedway
Rain has yet again forced Lernerville Speedway officials to cancel Friday night racing. The announcement came Friday morning after steady precipitation began to fall late Thursday and continued to drench the area. The forecast calls for additional showers well into the day Saturday. Racing is scheduled to resume next Friday,...
Burrell’s Armstrong outduels Freeport’s Selker as Bucs softball team earns 1-0 win
Second verse, same as the first. The first Section 1-4A meeting between the Freeport and Burrell softball teams last Friday was a pitchers’ duel between Burrell’s Katie Armstrong and Sydney Selker. Each struck out 19 in the 1-0 Bucs victory. Both pitchers again were solid in Thursday’s rematch at Bon...
Valley softball enjoying continued renaissance
Morgan Dunkel was ready to take the ball, toe the rubber in the pitching circle and have a breakout freshman season for the Valley softball team. But the early stages of the growing covid pandemic snuffed out the 2020 spring campaign. “It was difficult. I was looking forward to the...
Highlands knocks off Burrell, heating up race for section softball title
The Burrell softball team had an outright Section 1-4A championship in its sights as it hosted Highlands on senior night Monday evening at Bon Air Field in Lower Burrell. The Golden Rams had other ideas. Highlands broke through for four runs in the fourth inning — taking advantage of four...
OLSH returns to top of Class 2A in latest boys volleyball coaches’ rankings
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is back on top of the Class 2A rankings as the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its Week 6 WPIAL boys top-10 polls Monday morning. The Chargers defeated No. 5 Ambridge, 3-1, in Section 1 play last week and also toppled No. 4...
Pittsburgh native Nicole Hilton wins women’s full marathon in event’s in-person returnVideo
Nicole Hilton’s first full marathon finished in victory and with an American flag around her shoulders. The 2011 South Fayette graduate soaked in all the cheers from the thousands of spectators while rain showers soaked her for much of the race Sunday as the Pittsburgh Marathon returned with much celebration...
Plum softball team making final playoff push
Despite a sometimes-rocky trip through the Section 1-5A schedule this spring, the Plum softball team still was alive for a WPIAL playoff spot as it entered its home stretch of games. “It’s been a progression throughout the season, and the girls have dealt with a lot, from injuries to a...
2022 Pittsburgh Marathon by the numbers
The 2022 Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon will be held Sunday morning in Downtown Pittsburgh. Here are some interesting facts and figures about the race: Fastest times Men’s full marathon record: John Kagwe, 2:10.24, 1995 Women’s full marathon record: Margaret Groos, 2:29.50, 1988 Men’s half-marathon: Leonard Korir, 1:01.53, 2019 Women’s...
Kiski Area, Valley, Highlands gear up for WPIAL team tennis tournament
The Kiski Area boys tennis team opens the WPIAL Class 3A team tournament Tuesday as the No. 9 seed, and the Cavaliers, the runner-up to Franklin Regional in Section 1, will take on No. 8 Central Catholic at 3 p.m. at Norwin. The matchup comes almost 10 years to the...
Olympians, elite runners headline field for 2022 Pittsburgh MarathonVideo
Margo Malone made a name for herself as a distance runner at North Hills High School before continuing to raise her game at Division I Syracuse where she won an ACC title and earned All-American recognition in the 10,000 meters. She moved to Boston to join a professional running team...
Pitcher plays key role as Deer Lakes tops Valley, clinches share of section title
Maddie Kee was key for the Deer Lakes softball team in its Section 1-3A clash at rival Valley on Thursday afternoon. Under sunny skies, Kee led the way at the plate, going 3 for 4 with a double and three RBIs. She also scattered four hits in the pitching circle...
Kiski Area defeats Plum, clinches WPIAL playoff berth
The Kiski Area softball team missed the WPIAL playoffs in 2019 and ‘21 after a run to the quarterfinals in ‘18. But the Cavaliers have assured themselves a return to the postseason this spring. They solidified their positioning in the Section 1-5A standings and clinched Wednesday at home against rival...
Springdale softball takes advantage of Leechburg miscues, holds off late rally
The Leechburg and Springdale softball teams ended long weather-related layoffs Monday with the resumption of a Section 3-A rivalry that has produced its fair share of close and competitive outcomes. The contest at Leechburg-Gilpin Park — the first this season between the Dynamos and Blue Devils — was no exception....
