Mizia caps career as 3-time All-American
Mercyhurst senior Francis Mizia wrapped up an outstanding wrestling career by placing third at 165 pounds in the NCAA Division II Championships held March 10-11 in Birmingham, Ala.
A Bentleyville native, Bentworth graduate and one of three Mizia brothers to wrestle for Mercyhurst, Mizia won the third-place bout in convincing fashion, a 9-1 decision over Calvin Ochs of Nebraska-Kearney. Mizia scored 16½ team points to help Mercyhurst to a 10th-place finish in the team standings.
Against Ochs, Mizia scored a takedown along with four points to cement his lead in the first period. In the second period, Mizia earned a takedown off a foot sweep to pad his lead before giving up an escape, leading 6-1 going into the third period. Mizia earned a takedown and a riding time point to end the match.
To reach the consolation finals, Mizia dropped his semifinals bout by fall to Brock Wingbermue of McKendree. Mizia went on to defeat Alonzo Turner of Findlay in the consolation finals by a 7-3 decision.
Mizia wraps up his career as the seventh three-time All-American in Mercyhurst history, with a final season record of 39-3 and 123-34 for his career.
Shippensburg junior Alec Rideout of Canonsburg was named the PSAC Field Athlete of the Year for the indoor track season.
Rideout won the men’s shot put title at the PSAC Championships while setting site and meet records with a throw of 57-11 1/4. The Canon-McMillan graduate finished eighth in the weight throw with a mark of 51-4. Rideout earned second-team All-America recognition in the shot put at the NCAA Division II Championships by finishing in 10th place with a throw of 56-9½ on his second attempt.
Rideout began the outdoor season with a strong performance at the Fred Hardy Invitational hosted by the University of Richmond. He set an outdoor personal record in the shot put with a second-place mark of 56-8.
Sycamore native Rebecca Phillips had a strong start for Saint Francis (Pa.) in the season-opening Jim Taylor Invitational at Susquehanna.
Phillips, a junior with the Red Flash, placed third in the 10,000-meter run. A West Greene graduate, Phillips crossed the finish line 42:00.43.
The Weiss sisters had a big week at Bethany as the McGuffey graduates garnered two Presidents’ Athletic Conference weekly awards for March 13-19.
Sammie Weiss, a freshman shortstop, was named PAC Rookie of the Week while Cassie Weiss was the PAC Pitcher of the Week.
Sammie Weiss batted .480 (12-for-25) and had a hit in seven of the Bison’s eight games. She compiled a .535 on-base percentage with two RBI and three runs. Weiss went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs in Bethany’s 9-8 win over Salve Regina.
For the season, Sammie Weiss is batting .321.
Cassie Weiss had two wins and a 2.25 ERA in five games to earn the conference’s pitching award. Weiss’ week included three complete games with 41 strikeouts and only eight walks. She struck out a career-high 19 and yielded one unearned run on two hits with no walks in Bethany’s 1-0 eight-inning loss to Hood.
Cassie Weiss leads the PAC in strikeouts (76) and is second in innings pitched (70 1/3).
The Pitt-Penn State game played Wednesday at the Vartabedian Field in the Petersen Sports Complex featured three local players.
Junior catcher Giorgiana Zeremenko of Canonsburg and sophomore third baseman Olivia Gray of Washington, helped Pitt to a 7-1 victory over Penn State, which included freshman catcher Delaney Elling, who was a high school teammate of Gray’s at Trinity.
Zeremenko, who was Pitt’s designated player, went 2-for-2, scored a run and was on base four times as she drew two walks. Grey was the Panthers’ leadoff hitter, drawing a walk and scoring a run.
Elling started and was Penn State’s designated player. She went 1-for-3.
For the season, Gray is batting .286 and leads the Panthers with nine doubles and 16 walks. She also has three home runs and is 5-for-5 in stolen-base attempts.
Zeremenko leads Pitt with five home runs and 20 RBI and is second on the team with seven doubles. She has a .282 batting average.
Elling has started all 30 games as a freshman for Penn State and is second on the team with two home runs and 15 walks.
Lauren Waller, a sophomore at Penn State and Canon-McMillan graduate, finished in sixth place to help the Nittany Lions win the team title at the River Landing Class in Wilmington, N.C.
Waller had four birdies during a final round of 75 as she ended the tournament with a score of 220. Penn State edged East Tennessee State by seven strokes to win the team title.
Thiel senior pitcher Kevin Forrester is on quite a roll. The right-hander from Canonsburg has thrown 13 consecutive scoreless innings for the Tomcats.
A Canon-McMillan graduate, Forrester threw six shutout innings and struck out eight in the Tomcats’ 7-0 victory over Mount Aloysius March 21. He followed that with a seven-inning complete-game shutout at Geneva during a doubleheader Wednesday.
Against Mount Aloysius, Forrester gave up only three hits and two walks. Against Geneva, he allowed two hits, did not issue a walk and struck out eight more batters for his second victory of the season and 14th of his career. Forrester had a 7-3 record and 4.54 ERA for the Tomcats last season.
Sophomore pitcher Phil Mary has been a big reason why Mount Union is off to a 13-4 start.
A Venetia native and Peters Township graduate, Mary has a 4-0 record in five games (four starts) and leads the Purple Raiders with a 0.90 ERA. In his most recent outing, Mary pitched Mount Union to an 8-3 road win over NCAA Division III power Marietta. He allowed three hits and one run over seven innings and struck out six to help the Purple Raiders remain in first place in the Ohio Athletic Conference.
Mary also has wins over Nebraska Wesleyan, Baldwin Wallace and Wittenburg. Against BW, Mary gave up one unearned run over eight innings and did not issue a walk as Mount Union won 4-1.
Logan Linder, a senior from Burgettstown, has been a key player for Point Park, which is off to a 19-7 start.
Linder is one of 12 Pioneers who have a batting average of .300 or better. In 21 games (10 starts), Linder has a .342 batting average and .457 on-base percentage. Linder is a two-way player as he has pitched in seven games, all in relief, and has one save and a 2.61 ERA in 10 1/3 innings. He has struck out 13.
Connor Pike of Peters Township is the third-leading scorer for John Carroll. Through seven games, Pike has scored 13 goals and assisted on five others for 18 points. Pike has put 17 of his 19 shots on goal.
Pike has a goal in six of John Carroll’s seven games. He scored three times in the Blue Streaks’ 11-5 victory over Wooster and had a five-point game in a season-opening 19-6 victory over Oberlin.
Pike was an honorable mention All-Ohio Athletic Conference selection last season when he scored 22 goals and had 15 assists.