Michael Love stories, Page 114
Knoch grad Geist focused on future shot put events, including Olympic Trials
In the most recent world rankings for the men’s shot put, Jordan Geist checked in at No. 19, fifth among his American colleagues. Those rankings came out the last day of March, and in the weeks prior, Geist, who owns a personal record of 21.59 meters (70 feet, 10 inches),...
Fox Chapel grad Lacey Cohen’s tennis future up in air at Slippery Rock
Lacey Cohen begins an occupational therapy doctoral program June 1 at Slippery Rock. The Fox Chapel graduate and senior on The Rock tennis team said she will get a good look at her workload at that time to determine if she will be able to use the extra year of...
Franklin Regional seniors Huczko, Hudson in contention for excellence awards
Editor’s note: This is the fourth in an 18-part series profiling nominees for the Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete Excellence Awards. Jo-Michelle Huczko joined the Franklin Regional track and field team shortly before the 2019 spring season. She certainly made the most of her one year. Huczko captured last year’s WPIAL Class...
Penn Hills graduate Shy Faulkner earns NJCAA All-American honors
Shy Faulkner finished his 2019-20 basketball season as one of the top scorers in National Junior College Athletic Association Division III, and the Penn Hills graduate was honored Wednesday for his on-court exploits. The Community College of Allegheny County sophomore guard was named third-team All-American after he finished the season...
Senior Spotlight: Hempfield outside hitter turns focus to Penn State career
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Will Kuhns had big plans this spring for himself and the entire Hempfield boys volleyball team. “With a team that has been together since seventh grade, and all the...
Shady Side Academy earns national athletic trainers award
The National Athletic Trainers Association has recognized Shady Side Academy with its Safe Sports School 2nd Team Award for its athletic training program under the direction of head trainer Chris Rose and assistant Brynn Mahoney. The award honors secondary schools that have met the recommended standards to improve safety in...
FIBI organizers optimistic tournament will take place
Chuck Sarver’s voice rang out with optimism and hope. The president of the Freeport International Baseball Invitational said Monday that plans are going forward to host games this year, provided national or state regulations in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic give them the green light. “The bottom line and...
Burrell’s Feroce, Malits reflect on stellar careers
Editor’s note: This is the second in an 18-part series profiling nominees for the Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete Excellence Awards. As a three-sport athlete, with a challenging class schedule and several other school activities, Ricky Feroce didn’t have much down time throughout the academic year. The Burrell senior, a standout in...
Senior Spotlight: Bedi hoped to lead Sewickley Academy tennis on one final title run
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. After dominating WPIAL Class AA for years, the Sewickley Academy boys tennis team tested its mettle in Class AAA in 2019. Leading last year’s charge was Arjan Bedi, who...
Taliani, Tanilli helped turn Deer Lakes, Gannon softball into champions
Rachel Tanilli and Maria Taliani’s first experience as softball teammates came more than a decade ago in the Deer Lakes youth program. Combining their talents led to many memories made on and off the field and brought them to one final season together on the Gannon softball team. While this...
Senior Spotlight: Bethel Park’s Boff sought to expand on-court versatility
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Tony Boff had an expanded role in mind for his final season with the Bethel Park boys volleyball team. Before the PIAA shut down the spring sports season in...
Knoch senior upbeat despite disappointing ending to long rehab road
James Johnston was ready. The Knoch senior, a cornerstone of the Knights boys lacrosse team, did all he could to be 100% prepared for spring practices and games with several months of recovery from a severe lower left leg and ankle injury suffered during the football season. He was pleased...
AAABA cancels annual August tournament in Johnstown
The All-American Amateur Baseball Association will not hold its annual August tournament in Johnstown and at other locations in the region because of the ongoing uncertainty with the coronavirus pandemic. “As everybody is aware, the AAABA Tournament is a Johnstown and national tradition. So after 47 years with AAABA, it...
Lombardi voted to IUP men’s basketball all-decade team
Dante Lombardi, an Indiana native and 2015 Kiski School graduate, has earned inclusion on Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s men’s basketball 2010s All-Decade Team, the university announced Thursday. He is a member of the five-player second team. The 2019 Crimson Hawks graduate earned National Association of Basketball Coaches All-Atlantic District honors...
Little League World Series canceled for 1st time amid coronavirus impactVideo
For the first time since its inception in 1947, there will not be a Little League World Series in South Williamsport. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Little League International decided Thursday to cancel the annual regional and world-championship events, as well as its six other World Series tournaments. “After a...
Appleby leads WPIAL products on IUP women’s basketball all-decade team
During her four years with the Indiana University of Pennsylvania women’s basketball team through last season, Carolyn Appleby proved her worth as she helped the Crimson Hawks maximize their abilities in and out of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play. The Greensburg Central Catholic graduate, second in program history with 1,723...
Pine-Richland grad picked for national rowing camp, still has goals to reach at Alabama
Gabrielle Krieger wrapped up her senior academic year at the University of Alabama on Tuesday morning with her online final in advanced exercise physiology. For the 2016 Pine-Richland graduate, a veteran member of the Crimson Tide women’s rowing team, it was a positive development in what has been a challenging...
Roberta Groner running virtual Pittsburgh Marathon for good cause
Pittsburgh area native Roberta Groner worked as a nurse for more than a decade at UPMC Presbyterian, and the mission of those in emergency care facilities throughout the county in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic is a cause close to her heart. The 42-year-old Groner, a Seneca Valley graduate...
Senior Spotlight: WPIAL singles champion hoped to build on success
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Zach Palko wasn’t satisfied. The Indiana senior had the 2019 WPIAL Class AA boys singles title and a trip to the PIAA semifinals in his growing portfolio, but he...
Plum native Peyton Kondis puts swimming career behind her
When the NCAA Division I swimming championships were canceled March 12 because of the coronavirus, Plum resident Peyton Kondis began to turn her attention and preparation to wrapping up her competition career in late June at the U.S. Olympic swim trials in Omaha, Neb. But for the Oakland Catholic graduate...
Senior Spotlight: Artistry expands beyond the volleyball court for Ambridge’s Liam Buck
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Liam Buck fashioned himself an on-court artist for the Ambridge boys volleyball team as the outside hitter turned his talents into a trio of Class AA all-section and All-WPIAL...
Pine-Richland grad selected for USRowing national selection camp
Gabrielle Krieger made her mark the past four years with the women’s rowing team at the University of Alabama. USRowing took notice of the Pine-Richland graduate’s talents and accomplishments, and the sport’s governing body recognized the multi-time conference medalist this week with an invitation to a national camp with international...
Burrell grad selected to attend international athletic forum
Burrell graduate Nicole Kristof is making her mark on the water as a member of the Robert Morris University rowing team. But her athletic influence and passion extends beyond the sphere of competition, and that dedication has been recognized and honored with selection to the International University Sports Federation Forum...
Monroeville’s Ahmad Matour hopes for shot at Mr. Olympia title
Ahmad Matour hopes to compete in the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding competition in September. The 26-year-old Monroeville resident and native of Jordan punched his ticket to the prestigious annual competition in Las Vegas with a strong showing last month at the Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio. But as the coronavirus pandemic...
Big 26 Baseball Classic canceled
The Big 26 Baseball Classic, the annual summer all-star competition between rising high school juniors and seniors from Pennsylvania and Maryland, will not take place this year in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Hershey Harrisburg Sports & Events Authority made the announcement Thursday morning. The event, which includes...
