Westmoreland high school notebook: WCCA cross country meets set for Wednesday

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, October 8, 2023 | 4:19 PM

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The next events on the Westmoreland County Coaches Association fall calendar are the cross country championships.

The meets will be Wednesday at Westmoreland County Community College.

The boys race will get the day started at 3 p.m., followed by the girls at 3:40.

Junior varsity races follow at 4:20.

Last year, Kiski Area had a title sweep in the individual competition, with Samuel Plazio and Eliza Miller finishing first.

Miller is seeking a third straight title. Plazio also returns to defend his title.

Defending team champions are the Norwin girls (3A), Derry girls (2A), Hempfield boys (3A), and Kiski Area boys (2A).

Annie Czajkowski of Norwin, Amelia Barilla of Penn-Trafford, Emerson Skatell of Latrobe and Jane Huss of Derry are among the top runners in the girls race.

Other boys to watch include Jake McGhee of Penn-Trafford, Noah Wilson and Tom Gaydos of Norwin, Ryan Ewing of Hempfield and Justin Gross of Kiski Area.

Team golf

The Greensburg Central Catholic girls are favored to bring home a ninth consecutive WPIAL team golf championship.

The Centurions will tee it up Thursday in the Class 2A tournament at Cedarbrook Golf Course (Red) in Rostraver. They will go against Central Valley, Mt. Pleasant, Seton LaSalle and Shady Side Academy beginning at 10 a.m.

Senior Izzy Aigner has rejoined the team after playing with Rocco Mediate in the PGA Tour Champions’ Pure Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach.

Upper St. Clair has the record for most titles in a row, winning 12 straight from 1994-2005.

Franklin Regional (14-0) is a strong contender in the Class 3A final, which also includes Penn-Trafford.

Diamond ranks

Two returning all-state softball players in the county are ranked nationally.

Extra Inning Softball lists Toryn Fulton of Franklin Regional and Riley Miller of Hempfield among its top 100 in the Class of 2025.

Fulton, who has more than two dozen Division I programs recruiting her, is No. 58. The all-state 6-footer is considered a five-tool talent. She has played outfield and middle infield for the Panthers. Fulton hit .552 with eight homers and 32 RBIs last spring.

Miller, meantime, is ranked No. 94. The pitcher was the Tribune-Review Westmoreland Player of the Year last season after leading Hempfield to a WPIAL 6A title and a runner-up finish in the PIAA.

Miller finished 19-4 with a 1.25 ERA and 175 strikeouts in 140 innings. She walked 27 and gave up 25 earned runs.

Norwin XC ranked

The Norwin girls cross country team is ranked No. 3 in the state by PennTrackXC.

The poll includes all classifications.

Norwin’s 30-point win at the Blue Devil Invitational in Sharpsville made the state media take notice.

North Allegheny is the No. 1 team and the favorite to win WPIAL and PIAA 3A titles.

Bass to Frazier

Jonathan Bass, the former Jeannette girls basketball coach, was named coach of the Frazier girls team.

Bass has worked as a boys freshman coach at Serra Catholic and a girls varsity assistant at Albert Gallatin.

Hoffer joins hoops staff

Yough football coach Ben Hoffer is always at a school athletic event, whether he is working it or there simply to support the Cougars. This winter, he will be on the bench with the girls basketball team.

Hoffer will be an assistant to Brian Znavor, who recently was named coach of the girls team. Hoffer also is a baseball assistant coach.

Recruiting

Bucknell is the latest Division I women’s basketball program to offer a playing opportunity to sophomore Erica Gribble of Greensburg Central Catholic. Her other Division I offers include Villanova, Quinnipiac, Navy and Buffalo. St. Joseph’s offered her when she was an eighth grader.

• Hempfield baseball player Carson Shuglie will continue his playing career at Seton Hill. Shuglie, a senior infielder, hit .339 last season and led the Spartans with seven home runs and 24 RBIs.

• Norwin senior basketball standout Lauren Palangio picked up an offer from Holy Family, a Division II program in Philadelphia.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Hempfield, Jeannette, Kiski Area, Latrobe, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Yough