Norwin wins boys, girls T&F titles

The Norwin boys and girls track and field teams both captured gold last Tuesday, as the Knights swept the WPIAL Class 3A Track and Field Championships at West Mifflin Area High School. The Norwin boys edged runner-up Butler Area 77-73, and also defeated North Allegheny (78-72) and Mount Lebanon (118.33-31.66). In the process, the Norwin boys captured their first team district crown since 1977. Norwin was led by Ryan Schiller, who took first in both the 110-meter and 300 hurdles, while Luke Simpson won the 800, Nicholas Bognar prevailed in the long jump, Nicholas Puskar won the pole vault, and Dane Petrarco claimed first in the discus. At the same venue, the Knights girls outpaced North Allegheny 83-67, and also bested Butler Area (92.50-57.50) and South Fayette (107-43). The Norwin girls last reigned atop the WPIAL in 2008. Brandi Brozeski finished first in the 100 hurdles, the triple jump, and the high jump, Melani Schmidt won the 100, 200, and 400, Annie Czajkowski reigned supreme in the 800 and 1600, and the Knights finished atop the 4x400 relay.

Warriors, Panthers boys LAX learn playoff seeds

The WPIAL released its boys lacrosse brackets last week, and a pair of Westmoreland County squads learned their fate. In the Class 2A bracket, Penn-Trafford garnered the sixth seed, while Franklin Regional was seeded eighth. The Warriors, who finished in third from Section 1 with a mark of 9-2, will host No. 11 Shaler Area on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. The winner will face No. 3 and homestanding Hampton on Thursday. The Panthers, who tied for fifth from Section 1 at 6-5, will welcome No. 9 Indiana Area on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The victorious team will travel to play top-seeded South Fayette on Thursday. The WPIAL Championships will be contested at Upper St. Clair High School on May 21 and 22.

King, Gardner win Scholar-Athlete Awards

Mount Pleasant Area was well represented at the Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete Awards last Wednesday at Ferrante’s Lakeview, as Vikings swimming standouts Lily King and Joseph Gardner captured the top honors. For the first time in the 69 years of the event, both Excellence Award winners came from the same school. King and Gardner were members of the Vikings teams that both claimed PIAA gold this winter. Individually, King won eight WPIAL and eight PIAA titles, while Gardner captured five state titles. The other finalists were Belle Vernon Area’s Kole Doppelheuer, Toryn Fulton of Franklin Regional, Greater Latrobe’s Eric Bisignani and Maddie Petruzzi, Eva Denis of Greensburg Central Catholic, Kiski Area’s Maddie Joyce, Kendall Berger of Norwin, Penn-Trafford’s Kylie Anthony, and Elliot Premus and Alexis Ohler of Southmoreland. Additionally, Gene Brisbane won the Michael and John Ferrante Memorial Award for his efforts to promote high school athletics and student-athletes.

UPG softball wins conference title

For the first time in program history, the University of Pitt-Greensburg softball team stands atop the conference. The Bobcats captured the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Championship on Sunday with a 5-1 victory against Penn State Altoona in Bradford. Trailing 1-0 to the Lions, the Bobcats scored five unanswered runs to claim the gold. Melanie Mienke earned the win in the circle, allowing just four hits and one run in a complete-game effort, while Madyson Hart anchored the offense with a pair of hits, two RBIs, and a pair of runs scored. Pitt-Greensburg opened the tournament with a 3-1 victory against Hilbert College, followed with a 3-1 triumph against Mount Aloysius College, and also edged Penn State Altoona 4-3 on Saturday. The Bobcats, who improved to 21-17 overall, advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Johnston tabbed as SVC wrestling coach

Saint Vincent College announced the hiring of Colin Johnston as wrestling coach last week. Most recently, Johnston led the wrestling program at Limestone University for four years. He also boasts head coaching experience at Fairmont State University and the University of Pitt-Bradford, as well as a tenure as assistant coach at Davidson College. He replaces Dom Nania, who stepped down earlier this offseason after leading the rebirth of the Bearcats program. This past campaign, SVC went 5-7 overall, including 3-1 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC).