Westmoreland County campus clippings: Tom Brush to lead WCCC women's basketball (2024)

Tom Brush is the new women’s basketball coach at Westmoreland County Community College.

Brush coached the Hempfield girls for five seasons, from 2018-23, before stepping down because of a change to his work schedule.

He is back in the game and ready to take a stab at the college level.

With the Spartans, he went 37-63 with one WPIAL Class 6A playoff appearance.

Brush also coached with the Franklin Regional and East Allegheny girls and the Trinity Christian boys.

He owns and coaches Pride Hoops, an AAU organization for girls in grades 5-12.

Softball

Central Connecticut: Freshmen outfielders Maren Metikosh (Belle Vernon) and Emma Henry (Greensburg Central Catholic) are leaving the program after one season.

Metikosh played in three games and went 2 for 3 with an RBI.

Henry saw time in 16 games and had two hits in three at-bats.

Ohio: Junior catcher Emma Hoffner (Hempfield) was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Mideast Region Third Team.

Hoffner started all 55 games for the Bobcats (31-24), leading the team in batting average (.325), hits (52) and doubles (12). She also had five home runs and 32 runs.

Behind the plate, she had a .982 fielding percentage and threw out 11 base runners.

Penn State: Junior Haylie Brunson (Mt. Pleasant) finished a strong first season with the Nittany Lions, who reached the NCAA Tournament before going 1-2 at the Bryan-College Station Regional to finish 35-20.

Brunson had a double in a 9-3 win against Albanay, the Nittany Lions’ first NCAA tourney win in 13 years.

Brunson, a Pitt transfer, hit .247 with 14 doubles, six home runs and 34 RBIs. She started all 55 games.

Westminster: Junior center fielder Sydney Lokay (Norwin) had a triple and an RBI single, but the Titans went 1-1 in a pair of elimination games and saw their season end at the NCAA Division III Tournament.

After a 2-1 win over Wisconsin-Stevens Point — the program’s first NCAA Tournament win — Westminster fell to Mount Union, 7-2, to finish the season at 26-13.

Lokay hit .350 with eight doubles, three triples, 20 RBI and 13 runs.

Westmoreland County Community College: Sophom*ore Sydney Matijevic (Jeannette) was an All-Region 20 honorable mention selection. A first baseman and pitcher, she batted .277 and led the Wolfpack with five doubles and nine RBIs, while tying for the team lead in hits with 13.

Robert Morris: Jane Garver (Ligonier Valley) and redshirt sophom*ore Courtney Poulich (Mt. Pleasant) were named to the Horizon League All-Tournament Team.

The Colonials lost to Cleveland State, 7-0, in the semifinals to finish the season 20-24.

Garver finished 5-9 with a 4.10 ERA and 1.55 WHIP, and had 62 strikeouts and 30 walks in 73 1/3 innings.

Poulich batted .229 with six home runs, 19 runs and 20 RBIs.

Baseball

Cal (Pa.): Sophom*ore pitcher Jake Kramer (Hempfield) was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All-Region First Team.

Kramer led the Atlantic Region with a school-record 10 saves, the fifth-most in Division II. He went 4-1 with a 1.47 ERA in 20 relief appearances.

He has 16 career saves, which is tied for the program record.

Penn State Behrend: Sophom*ore catcher Thomas Nicely (Franklin Regional) earned All-AMCC Third Team recognition.

Nicely hit .313 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in 15 games for the Lions.

Behrend (29-11-1) won the AMCC title and advanced to the NCAA Division III Regional.

Pitt: The Panthers (26-27) secured a berth into the AMCC Tournament behind the efforts of a several local players.

Grad student Josh Spiegel (Penn-Trafford) has a slash-line of .362/.805/.424 with eight home runs, 34 RBIs and 16 runs, while sophom*ore Jake Kendro (Norwin) is hitting .259 with seven home runs, 27 RBIs and 27 runs.

The Panthers’ closer is redshirt sophom*ore Phil Fox (Hempfield), who is 3-2 with a 1.51 ERA and eights saves in 35 2/3 innings out of the bullpen.

No. 12 seed Pitt will open the tournament at 3 p.m. Wednesday against No. 8 Wake Forest in Charlotte, N.C.

Pitt-Greensburg: Sophom*ore James Domer was named to the All-AMCC Second Team.

Domer was the Bobcats’ leader in batting average (.392), and 29 of his 56 hits went for extra bases.

He had 19 doubles and 34 RBIs, and tied for the conference lead with six homers.

In a game against Chatham, Domer went 6 for 6 with two doubles, two homers, seven RBIs and five runs scored. He also earned a save in the win.

St. Bonaventure: Sophom*ore Noah Czajkowski (Norwin) struck out a career-high eight and earned his fourth win of the season as the Bonnies capped a series sweep with a 6-5 win over Fordham. He gave up six hits, but allowed just one earned run and one walk.

Saint Vincent: Senior first baseman and outfielder Billy Perroz (Kiski Area) and sophom*ore Dylan Schmude (OF/2B) were named to the All-PAC Second Team.

Junior pitcher Alex Polito made honorable mention.

Perroz hit .328 and led the Bearcats in hits (39), doubles (12), triples (2), home runs (3) and RBIs (25).

Schmude batted .356 and led the team in on-base percentage (.438), runs (23) and stolen bases (11).

Polito was 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 23 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.

Seton Hill: Grad student third baseman Jack Oberdorf (Greensburg Salem) was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All-Region First Team.

Oberdorf leads the Griffins, who made the NCAA Atlantic Regional at East Stroudsburg, with a .357 batting average, 61 hits, eight home runs and 46 RBIs.

Waynesburg: Senior third baseman Mike Bell (Yough) was an All-PAC honorable mention pick.

Westmoreland County Community College: Sophom*ore pitcher Travis Keister received All-Region 20 honorable mention. He went 3-5 with a 5.07 ERA in nine appearances. He had a team-high 48 strikeouts.

He had three complete games.

Men’s track and field

Grove City: Senior Gabe Dunlap (Penn-Trafford) qualified to compete in the javelin and 400-meter relay at the All-Atlantic Region Championships in Cortland N.Y.

Women’s track and field

Duquesne: Senior Hannah Seitzinger (Belle Vernon) qualified for the NCAA Division I Championships East First Round, set for May 23-25, at Kentucky.

Seitzinger is seeded 27th in the 800-meter run with her school-record time of 2 minutes, 4.92 seconds.

She was the IC4A/ECAC champion and the Atlantic 10 runner-up.

Saint Vincent: Sophom*ore Miranda Cincotta broke her program record in the 1,500-meter run with a mark of 4:44.44 at the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference Championships in Cortland, N.Y.

She finished eighth in a field of 20.

Men’s golf

Notre Dame: Grad student Palmer Jackson (Franklin Regional) helped the Fighting Irish advance to the NCAA National Championship.

Jackson was tied for first after the opening round after a 67, then added a 73 and 75 to tie for 25th individually at the NCAA Austin Regional at Texas Golf Club.

The Irish finished third at the regional at 6-under 846.

Westmoreland County Community College: Freshman Conner Iarussi (Hempfield) shot rounds of 73 and 72, and the Wolfpack rallied from nine strokes down to win the Division III Region 20 Tournament at The Links at Spring Church near Apollo.

The victory earns WCCC its first trip to the NJCAA National Championship June 4-7 at Chautauqua Golf Club in New York.

Iarussi also played in the national tournament last year.

Men’s lacrosse

Seton Hill: Six Griffins were named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-Region teams.

Sophom*ore Carter Green (Penn-Trafford), sophom*ore Will Cody, junior Alex Callahan and grad student Gage Williams were second-team selections.

Honorable mention picks included sophom*ore Nate Herbster and junior Braedan Lockyer.

Green scored 28 goals and had 10 assists, Cody went 11-6 in goal with 150 saves, and Williams had 27 ground balls.

Seton Hill reached the Great Midwest Athletic Conference championship and finished 11-6.