Michael Love stories, Page 85

Neshannock’s Conner McBeth and Belle Vernon’s Ian Shahan picked up where they left off from WPIALs in the 50-yard freestyle as the seniors did battle for state gold at the PIAA Class AA boys swim championships Friday at Cumberland Valley High School. They finished tied for the WPIAL title March...

In his final high school meet, Ian Shahan put his stamp on the PIAA state record book. The Belle Vernon senior set a record in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 20 seconds flat, bettering the previous record of 20.45. “I knew it was going to be a fight,”...

Alexis Schrecongost wanted more. After winning the WPIAL Class AA girls 100-yard breaststroke two weeks ago at Upper St. Clair, the Freeport junior made her return to the PIAA championships hoping to capture her first state medal. However, she fell just shy of her goal. Schrecongost swam to a time...

John Kinnamon is cautiously optimistic his Apollo-Ridge softball team can add to recent successes which include three straight WPIAL playoff appearances. While he likes the talent he has assembled, he sees a lot of work still to be done with only a week before the start of the season. “With...

It took Ella Menear a little longer than she had hoped to make her PIAA Class AA swimming debut. But when the independent sophomore from Mapletown reached the light at the end of the tunnel Friday at Cumberland Valley High School, she found herself in possession of a state gold...

A long and winding road finally leads to Cumberland Valley High School for the start of the PIAA swimming championships Friday morning. Covid concerns and restrictions forced PIAA officials to make numerous changes to the regular format. No longer at Bucknell because of capacity limitations, additional reductions to the championships...

One title defense down, one to go. Two weeks after Fox Chapel sophomore Sophie Shao captured her second WPIAL Class AAA girls 100-yard butterfly championship in as many attempts, she will go after her second PIAA gold medal in the event Saturday as the state championships descend on Cumberland Valley...

Henry Miller and his father were about 10 minutes away from Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium last year when they got the call that the PIAA, out of growing concern with what would become the covid pandemic, canceled the two-day Class AA swimming and diving championships. “At first, we were like,...

Jake McCaskey had about a week to prepare for his first collegiate pitching start after getting the call from the Cal (Pa.) coaching staff. The Deer Lakes graduate didn’t let his opportunity go to waste. McCaskey, the Valley News Dispatch Player of the Year in 2018, was in control from...

Andrew Holmes had WPIAL gold on his mind March 7 at the Class AAA championships at Upper St. Clair High School. Soon enough, after posting a school-record time of 1 minute, 41.43 seconds in the 200-yard freestyle, he had gold around his neck. “It was an amazing feeling to see that...

All Will Kromka could do was watch. The Gateway junior guard/forward missed the Gators’ WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal game at No. 1 Chartiers Valley on March 6 after suffering a broken wrist in his team’s first-round win over Albert Gallatin three nights earlier. “It was obviously really tough not being...

After Plum seniors Logan Minick and Sam Schohn secured top-eight medals in the 500-yard freestyle and 100 breaststroke, respectively, at the WPIAL Class AA championships March 6 at Upper St. Clair, the waiting game began. While only the WPIAL champions qualified automatically for the PIAA championships, set for Friday at...

Plum girls soccer coach Jamie Stewart knew that at the end of the 2020 season he would be losing another strong senior class that had accomplished a great deal on and off the field. The senior group finished 32-5-1 at home and 58-16-1 over four seasons. The Mustangs won back-to-back...

Last spring was one of loss for high school teams across the state as the covid pandemic caused the PIAA to suspend and ultimately cancel the spring sports season. A renewed optimism abounded throughout the WPIAL one week ago with the start of practices, and good weather enabled boys tennis...

The fourth time was the charm for Fox Chapel senior David Manelis. The diving standout and two-time WPIAL Class AAA champion hoped to add state gold medalist to his performance portfolio as he took on a field of seven others Saturday evening at Cumberland Valley High School. Manelis grabbed the...

The “fab four” of WPIAL diving champions will attempt to claim more gold Saturday at the PIAA Class AAA and Class AA competitions at Cumberland Valley High School. Representing the WPIAL are Fox Chapel senior David Manelis and North Allegheny sophomore Christina Shi in Class AAA and South Park senior...

WPIAL team rifle champion Hempfield placed third overall at Wednesday’s Pennsylvania State Scholastic Smallbore Rifle Championships. The Spartans, led by Abby Bowin, Lydia Dunn, Rylee Loucks, Paige Roberts and Clair Martz, finished with a team score of 1,011.5. District 11’s Southern Lehigh claimed the state title with a five-shooter score...

Elizabeth Weimer is laser focused on throwing the hammer, shot put and discus during her upcoming collegiate outdoor track and field season. The Burrell graduate and redshirt junior at Ashland hopes to carry over momentum gained from an indoor season during which she captured her second straight Great Lakes Intercollegiate...

West Virginia’s Shane Lyons is one of four recipients of the Athletics Director of the Year Award from the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the university announced Wednesday. “I am humbled and honored to receive this prestigious award, and I share it with all the hard-working people who...

Robert Morris football was scheduled to play its spring home opener Saturday against Monmouth at Joe Walton Stadium. That game now has been postponed because of a positive covid test within the Colonials program, the RMU athletic department announced Wednesday morning. The Big South Conference is working with both Robert...

The Beaver girls basketball team is back in familiar territory. The Bobcats will play for a WPIAL championship for the second year in a row. Behind a game-best 22 points from senior point guard Emma Pavelek, Beaver limited Knoch on the scoreboard and came away with a 40-22 victory in...

Swimmers from Alle-Kiski Valley and Westmoreland County schools brought home eight WPIAL Class AAA and Class AA titles from this past weekend’s swimming championships at Upper St. Clair High School. With those titles came automatic bids to the PIAA championships, set for March 19-20, at Cumberland Valley High School. Claiming...

A change of location didn’t deter Sophie Shao’s goal of defending her WPIAL Class AAA girls 100-yard butterfly championship. Covid-related capacity limitations forced the WPIAL to move Sunday’s meet from Pitt’s Trees Pool to Upper St. Clair High School. But the Fox Chapel sophomore, who already had a WPIAL title...

Gateway boys basketball coach Alvis Rogers appreciated the spirited atmosphere that an increased number of fans, including student sections, brought to the Gators’ WPIAL Class 5A first-round game against Albert Gallatin last Wednesday at the Furrie Sports Complex. Two days earlier, the Gov. Tom Wolf administration raised gathering limits on...

The Gateway girls basketball team hoped for good things from their WPIAL Class 5A preliminary-round game March 1 at Mars. Despite a spirited effort, which included a rally from a double-digit deficit, the Planets pulled away for a 47-33 victory that ended the Gators’ season at 7-11. “We started off...