FR grad Lee captures Olympics silver

Franklin Regional graduate Spencer Lee was narrowly denied gold in the 2024 Olympics on Friday, as he lost in the 57-kilogram freestyle wrestling final. Lee was ousted via decision 4-2 by Japan’s Rei Higuchi. Lee opened his Olympics run with a 3-2 victory against China’s Wanhao Zou, followed with a 12-2 quarterfinals triumph against Bekzat Almaz Uulu of Kyrgyzstan, and then ousted Uzbekistan’s Gulpmjon Abdullaev 14-4 in the semifinals. Lee, a 2017 grad of the Panthers, competed collegiately at the University of Iowa.

Auld targeted to lead Norwin boys hoops

Cam Auld, who has guided the Greensburg Salem boys basketball team for the past two seasons, is listed as the candidate for the Norwin boys position. Per the meeting agenda, the Norwin school board will vote on hiring Auld as the Knights head coach at Monday’s meeting. The position has been vacant since Lance Maha stepped down earlier this summer to become the athletic director at West Mifflin Area. Maha achieved a mark of 31-33 in his three-year stint at Norwin, including 8-13 last campaign. Auld, meanwhile, has compiled a record of 9-34 in his time with the Golden Lions. Auld, a 2016 Norwin grad, played collegiately at Waynesburg University. He previously served as the freshman coach at Norwin, as well as an assistant at Waynesburg Central.

West Point softball falls shy of championship game

After racking up three straight wins earlier in the week, the West Point 12U softball team saw its run in the Little League World Series end with a loss on Sunday. West Point suffered a 1-0 defeat to Pitt County (North Carolina), thus coming up one win shy of reaching the championship game. Lexi Stabile was the tough-luck loser in the circle, as she allowed just four hits, issuing three walks while compiling three strikeouts. Rian Starz, Jayelyn Luft, and Lily Carroll collected hits for West Point in the setback. After dropping the opening game of the tournament last Sunday, West Point claimed a 2-1 win against Italy on Tuesday, edged Bacolod City (Philippines) 2-0 on Friday, and smacked Cranston Western (Rhode Island) 10-0 in four innings on Saturday.

Fall sports practices commence

The majority of the WPIAL fall sports will commence practice this week. While football began with heat acclimatization last week, traditional contract practices start on Monday, and the first date for a scrimmage is Saturday. Optional Week Zero games will take place on Aug. 23. Boys and girls soccer, boys and girls cross country, and girls volleyball will also follow the same schedule. Girls tennis also starts practice this week, but the first play date is Aug. 19. Meanwhile, boys and girls golf began practices last Monday, with the first play date just three days later.

Griffins football tabbed fifth in PSAC West

After a strong finish to the 2023 campaign, Seton Hill University football is expected to finish fifth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Division this season. The Griffins were tabbed ahead of two other PSAC West teams in the Preseason Coaches Poll, which was released last Thursday. Slippery Rock University topped the West Division poll, while Kutztown was selected as the favorite in the PSAC East. The Griffins went 6-5 overall last year, including 4-3 in PSAC action. The Griffins open the 2024 ledger in a nonconference tilt at Fairmont State on Aug. 29.

SVC gridders ranked eighth in PAC poll

The Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Preseason Poll was released last Tuesday, and Saint Vincent College football was ranked eighth. The Bearcats, who went 3-7 in the conference last season, garnered 154 points in the poll. Grove City, which went 11-1 in 2023, topped the preseason prognostication with 444 points. Saint Vincent opens its season with a road tilt at Washington & Jefferson College on Sept. 7.