College notebook: Schmidt comes up big for Southeastern
Marlena Schmidt
Olivia Gray
Chris Wastchak
Mitch Kendra
After 31 consecutive wins, Southeastern University’s drive for the NAIA Division II women’s basketball national championship ended in the semifinals with a 78-64 loss to Dakota Wesleyan.
Marlena Schmidt, a 6-6 sophomore center from Eighty Four and a Ringgold graduate, was a key player for Southeastern. In three national tournament games, Schmidt scored 28 points and had 22 rebounds and 15 blocked shots for the Fire.
In Southeastern’s 69-64 overtime victory over Cornerstone in Sioux City, Iowa, Schmidt had 10 points, nine rebounds, six assists and six blocked shots. She also was 8-for-8 at the free-throw line.
Schmidt finished the season averaging 7.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots per game as Southeastern ended with a 31-1 record.
In softball
California’s Carlee Wickstrom was selected the PSAC West Athlete of the Week for March 12-18 after a .474 average and a .789 slugging percentage in six games at the PFX Spring Games in Florida. Wickstrom, a senior third baseman and Peters Township graduate, also had seven RBI and seven runs and finished the week with a .524 on-base percentage.
Wickstrom was 4-for-4 with four RBI and four runs in Cal’s 17-6 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas, then went 2-for-3 with a solo homer, three RBI and two runs in a 13-1 rout of Post.
A two-time all-region selection while at Seton Hill, Wickstrom leads Cal in hits (21), doubles (3), triples (2), home runs (4), RBI (20) and runs (17).
- Point Park has a solid 1-2 punch of local pitchers in junior
- Ashley Iagnemma
- and
- Katie Tarr
- .
Iagnemma is a junior and a graduate of South Fayette. After winning 21 games over her first two seasons with the Pioneers, Iagnemma has a 3-4 record and 3.20 ERA in seven starts this season. She has three complete games.
Tarr is a sophomore from Burgettstown and has a 1-1 record and 3.33 ERA in six appearances (two starts) for Point Park. Tarr has struck out 26 batters in 21 innings and opponents are batting only .235 against her.
- Linda Rush
- is a big reason why Drexel has climbed to one game below .500 overall and even in the Colonial Athletic Association.
Rush, a sophomore shortstop from Canonsburg, has been Drexel’s best hitter through 22 games. She leads the Dragons in batting average (.384), doubles (7), home runs (6), RBI (29) and runs (21). She has produced nine multi-RBI games, including a 2-for-4 game against Bethune-Cookman March 4 when she hit two home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in six runs. Rush’s grand slam capped Drexel’s 9-8 come-from-behind win.
- Shortstop
- Olivia Gray
- was named Pitt’s Female Student-Athlete of the Week for March 5-11.
Gray, a junior from Washington and a Trinity graduate, had a big week for the Panthers, producing a .319 batting average on nine hits in 23 at-bats over seven games in five days. She had five RBI and scored two runs. Her nine hits included a home run and double. She had two hits in four of the seven games.
For the season, Gray is Pitt’s second-leading hitter with a .288 batting average. She is second on the team in hits (30) and sacrifices (5) and third in RBI (16).
In baseball
Chris Wastchak, an outfielder from McMurray and a Peters Township graduate, is working on a big senior season for California.
A four-year starter, Wastchak became only the eighth player in Cal history to hit 20 career homers. He has hit five home runs this year, increasing his career total to 24.
Wastschak was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Week for Feb. 19-25, when he went 6-for-13 with three extra-base hits, including two homers, and three runs, helping the Vulcans win three nonconference games. It was the second time in his career that Wastchak has received the conference’s weekly award.
Wastchak, who drove in a season-high five runs against Davis & Elkins last week, has a .321 batting average and leads the Vulcans in doubles (9), triples (3), home runs (5) and RBI (24).
- Mount Union pitcher
- Phil Mary
- got his season off to a strong start when he was named the Ohio Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week for March 5-11. It was the fourth time in his career that Mary, a junior from Venetia and a Peters Township graduate, has garnered the OAC’s weekly award.
Mary had a 2-0 record that week, with both wins coming in the Purple Raiders’ spring trip. In a 5-1 win over Hanover, Mary had a career-high 12 strikeouts with only one walk. Mary had a stretch in that game during which he struck out six consecutive Panthers.
In Mount Union’s 4-3 win over Thomas More, Mary had 10 more strikeouts with only one walk.
Mary has a 3-2 record and four complete games in six starts this season. His 39 strikeouts rank second in the OAC.
In track and field
Baldwin Wallace senior Zak Dysert of McDonald placed 12th in the weight throw at the NCAA Division III National Championships in Birmingham, Ala.
Dysert, a Fort Cherry graduate, had a throw of 58-8. He had a season-best and career-best throw of 60-2 at the 2018 Ohio Athletic Conference Indoor Championships, which was the 13th-best mark in Division III this season and earned him the trip to nationals. Dysert also earned his second straight United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Great Lakes Region accolade and his first All-OAC honor in the weight throw.
- Duquesne freshman
- Chyna Beck
- , a Canonsburg native and Canon-McMillan graduate, received Atlantic 10 Indoor Track & Field All-Rookie accolades for her performance in the 60-meter hurdles at the conference’s Indoor Championships in Kingston, R.I.
Beck won a bronze medal in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.80. It is the third-fastest time in program history for an indoor meet.
Beck also owns the fifth-best mark in the triple jump in Duquesne history at 38-5.
- Waynesburg senior
- Mitch Kendra
- was named both the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Men’s Field Athlete of the Week and the ECAC Division III South Men’s Field Athlete of the Week for March 12-18.
Kendra, a Trinity graduate, began his final outdoor season at the Muskie Invitational, hosted by Muskingum University, and won the pole vault competition by clearing 13-5 1/4. At the recent Bethany Invitational, Kendra finished second with another vault of 13-5¼.