Other Local category, Page 24
A-K Valley campus clippings: Freeport grad swinging hot bat at Mercyhurst
Ally DeJidas is enjoying a strong start to her softball season with Mercyhurst. The Freeport graduate and Lakers senior pitcher/outfielder led the team in batting with a .528 (19 of 36) average through her team’s first 10 games. She collected four doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs as Mercyhurst...
Norwin grad Hailee Culbertson hoping to build on breakout year with Alderson Broaddus softballVideo
To say Hailee Culbertson’s first two seasons of college softball were difficult would be an understatement. During her freshman year at Alderson Broaddus, the pandemic trimmed the Battlers’ schedule to a mere 10 games. In 2021, the effects of the pandemic were less prevalent, but, the Norwin grad said, issues...
Pine-Richland grad Dan Petcash shares secret to his success at Binghamton
Baking soda, salt, magnesium and water. Those are the ingredients for what Dan Petcash calls his “secret stuff.” The name is a nod to the movie Space Jam and it’s also a formula Petcash, a Pine-Richland grad, credits for his breakout year at Binghamton. “It sounds kind of funny, but...
Golden Gloves tournament kicks off Saturday with bouts at Monroeville Mall
The road to the Golden Gloves state and national finals begins Saturday with a loaded card at Gloria’s Gym in the Monroeville Mall. Both eliminations and championships will be a part of the 14-bout card and will feature Golden Gloves veterans and others new to the amateur tournament. Eleven of...
Westmoreland Sports Club welcomes Pittsburgh Warriors hockey team to next meeting
The Westmoreland Sports Club will meet again 7 p.m. Thursday for its latest social event. This time, Sam Johnson and Dave Jackel of the Pittsburgh Warriors hockey team will speak to members and guests at Ferrante’s Lakeview in Greensburg. The Warriors are a team of disabled veterans. Johnson is a...
Change in weight class has been boost for Kiski Area grad Darren Miller at Bucknell
Two years ago, as a sophomore at Bucknell, wrestler Darren Miller qualified for the NCAA Tournament at 133 pounds. Though he lost his first two matches to exit early, Miller relished his milestone moment and learned some important lessons. “What I learned most is that it’s a tough tournament,” the...
Norwin grad McDowell joins Phillies Double-A affiliate
Norwin graduate Max McDowell will be with a new team this baseball season. The journeyman catcher, who will begin his eighth season in the minor leagues, will play for the Reading Fightin Phils, the Double-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. After spending most of last season with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRaiders,...
Professional rugby franchises to begin play in Pittsburgh in 2023
Premier Rugby Sevens, a top-tier women’s and men’s rugby organization in North America, has announced that the Pittsburgh Steeltoes Rugby Club will begin operation in 2023. The expansion franchise will host the PR7s 2023 Eastern Conference Finals at Highmark Stadium on July 23. The Steeltoes also will host an open...
2 Penn State athletes, 1 from Pitt land NIL deal with WWE
Two Penn State University athletes have landed Name-Image-Likeness deals with WWE through its “Next In Line” program. WWE said this is its third class of 15 college athletes to join the program. This class includes Penn State athletes, two-time NCAA All-American wrestler Greg Kerkvliet and Nick Dawkins, a lineman for...
Pittsburgh Passion releases 2023 schedule
The Pittsburgh Passion women’s semi-pro football team on Monday released its 2023 season schedule. The Passion will play six games — three at home and three on the road — in the Women’s Football Alliance Pro National Division. They will open their season April 22 at longtime rival D.C. Divas....
Westmoreland County’s top 10 sports stories of 2022
There were thrilling wins. There were gut-wrenching losses. Records were set and broken. The 2022 local sports year had breakthrough moments and dominating performances, first-time champions, veteran leaders and next-level talent. Teams and individuals left their mark in a tapestry of memories. Here are the top 10 local sports stories...
Springdale grad Rachel Halapchuk provides versatility, leadership for John Carroll swimming
Coaches often talk about leadership qualities in certain athletes. That might entail demonstrating a strong work ethic in practice. It might mean sacrificing individual glory for the good of the team. Or it could mean offering words of wisdom. John Carroll senior swimmer Rachel Halapchuk checks all of those boxes....
Oakmont’s Sean Knapp wins PAGA senior golfer of year
The Pennsylvania Golf Association Senior Player of the Year needs no introduction. Oakmont’s Sean Knapp has been winning local, state and national championships for decades, so his sixth straight award should come as no surprise. The Hannastown Golf Club member always finds a way to contend, and if he doesn’t...
Fox Chapel grad Pilarski catches on with Dodgers
Not only did Fox Chapel graduate Jake Pilarski agree to sign with an MLB team, he will join one of the sport’s premier franchises. Pilarski will sign a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and will report to the team’s minor-league training facility in February. Pilarski played for the Washington...
After successful run in Japan, Plum native Scott McGough making return to MLB
Scott McGough is coming home. The 33-year-old Plum native who got his start in professional baseball in 2015 after being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers will return to Major League Baseball for the 2023 season. McGough, a reliever who helped the Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League...
Fox Chapel grad catches on with Dodgers
Not only has Fox Chapel graduate Jake Pilarski agreed to sign on with a Major League Baseball team, but he’ll also be joining one of the sport’s premier franchises. Pilarski will be inking a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and will report to the team’s minor league training facility...
West Miffin’s Logan Cooley selected to United States’ team for IIHF World Junior Championship
Forward Logan Cooley, a native of West Mifflin, was selected to play for the United States’ team in the upcoming International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship tournament later this month. USA Hockey announced the roster of 25 players on Friday evening. It marks the second time Cooley has been...
Lernerville Speedway to host high-paying sprint car race as part of 2023 season
Lernerville Speedway will host a high-stakes sprint car evening race late in the 2023 season that will pay out $50,000 to the winner. The Commonwealth Clash on the High Limit Sprint Car Series schedule is set for Tuesday, Sept. 26, and is the highest-paying sprint car event ever held at...
Lernerville Speedway sets 2023 schedule
Four months from now, fans will hear the firing of motors at Lernerville Speedway as the 2023 season gets rolling. Lernerville officials over the weekend released the upcoming season’s schedule of events. The slate is highlighted by additional Fab4 Revved Up with Marburger Farm Dairy events on Friday nights. That...
Former Jeannette/Hempfield wrestler Ethan Berginc off to perfect start for ArmyVideo
Ethan Berginc’s college wrestling career is off to a perfect start. Literally. Berginc, a freshman at Army who attended Jeannette and wrestled in a co-op with Hempfield, went unbeaten through his first 12 matches with the Black Knights. The run included a sudden-victory triumph over the then-No. 7 wrestler in...
Kiski Area grad Adam Marco named Ballpark Digest’s 2022 Broadcaster of the Year
There are 120 minor-league baseball teams with broadcasters, and Adam Marco stands among the best of them. The voice of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, was named Ballpark Digest’s 2022 Broadcaster of the Year. “To be recognized and even just considered for it is...
Brennan Marion, Greensburg Salem alum, a candidate to coach at his college alma mater
Brennan Marion has emerged as a candidate for the head football coach vacancy at Tulsa, the college alma mater of the former Greensburg Salem standout. Marion confirmed he interviewed for the opening after Tulsa let Philip Montgomery go after eight seasons. A former wide receiver plagued by knee injuries, Marion...
Laurel Valley to host ’23 Arnold Palmer Cup match
It seems appropriate that an event in his name should be played in his backyard. The 27th Arnold Palmer Cup matches will be contested at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, tournament organizers announced Wednesday. The event, which uses a Ryder Cup-style format, will be June 8-10 and feature top...
NCAA women’s volleyball tournament has plenty of WPIAL connectionsVideo
Taylor Cigna has been here before. Sophia Spiridonakos thought this day never would come. Cigna (Oakland Catholic) and Spiridonakos (Ambridge) will be leading their teams into the NCAA volleyball tournament this weekend, and they will be among a number of western Pennsylvania connections to the tourney. Cigna, a junior libero...
Kiski Valley 10U Knights celebrate Super Bowl victory
It was a productive fall season for the Kiski Valley Lancers youth football teams as three of the four made the Big East Youth Football League playoffs and the 10U Knights captured the championship of their division. The Knights defeated Penn-Trafford, 24-8, in the Super Bowl Nov. 5. Kiski Valley...
