College notebook: Robinson making giant leaps at West Liberty
The school record in the triple jump had stood for four decades at West Liberty University. Then Isaiah Robinson, a sophomore from Washington, broke the record twice in a week.
Robinson, a Washington graduate, first broke the record when he won the triple jump March 23 at the West Virginia Open at West Virginia University’s new track complex with a leap of 47-3. That leap eclipsed the Hilltoppers record of 47-1 that was set by James Coleman in the spring of 1977.
Robinson’s jump was less than a foot shy of NCAA Division II provisional qualifying status and ranked as the 15th-best triple jump in the nation this spring. It also led to Robinson being named the Mountain East Conference Male Track Athlete of the Week.
Seven days after his leap at WVU, Robinson broke his own record with a leap of 47-4 ½ to help West Liberty win the men’s team title at the Bethany Invitational. Robinson won the triple and placed third in the 400 meters with a time of 50.57.
Robinson is a dual-sport athlete as he is a wide receiver on the West Liberty football team.
In baseball
Bobby Finn, a senior first baseman, became Saint Vincent’s all-time home run leader when he belted his 19th career round-tripper in the opening game of the Bearcats’ doubleheader April 6 against Geneva. In the second game of the doubleheader, Finn belted another home run, giving him 10 on the season.
A Venetia native and Peters Township graduate, Finn is batting .366 for the season and leads the Presidents’ Athletic Conference in both home runs and RBI (37). He also has seven doubles, two triples, three stolen bases and a team-high 14 walks for Saint Vincent, which is 9-5 in the PAC and 16-10 overall.
Finn’s best game this season was March 24 against Chatham when he went 4-for-5 with four runs, six RBI and three home runs in a 20-3 victory.
Senior outfielder Jonathan Spina is the second-leading hitter for La Roche.
Spina, a Washington native and Wash High graduate, has a .368 batting average for the Red Hawks. He has eight doubles, which also ranks second on the team, and two triples and 20 RBI. He is tied for the team lead with eight stolen bases in nine attempts.
Spina went 4-for-5 Wednesday in the second game of a doubleheader against Penn State Altoona and finished the twinbill 6-for-9 with three doubles.
Former Canon-McMillan teammates Ian Hess and Jared Beach, along with Belle Vernon product Deven Judy, are off to strong starts at Gannon.
Beach, a senior outfielder, is batting .299 and his 10 home runs leads the PSAC. Beach is tops on the Golden Knights with 24 RBI. He hit two home runs in a March 15 game against Ashland.
Hess, a freshman first baseman, is batting .301 with seven home runs and 22 RBI. He has had a pair of four-RBI games.
On the mound, Judy, who is a sophomore right-hander, has a 4-0 record, two complete games and a 2.65 ERA. Judy has 46 strikeouts in only 37 1/3 innings and opponents are batting only .230 against him. Judy threw a three-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts against Wheeling Jesuit and allowed only one run over seven innings against Clarion.
Beach, Hess and Judy are big reasons why Gannon is off to a 9-3 start in the PSAC’s West Division.
In lacrosse
Westminster freshman goalkeeper Emma Bradley, a South Fayette graduate, was named the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.
Bradley made 16 saves to help Westminster to a 2-0 week. She had a .421 save percentage in wins over Ursuline and Thiel. Bradley also had eight ground balls in the 15-11 victory over Ursuline. For the season, Bradley has a 7-2 record.
In track and field
Pitt junior Nick Wolk had a strong showing in the 10,000 meters at the Raleigh Relays hosted by North Carolina State.
Running in the 10,000 for the first time for Pitt, Wolk, a McMurray resident and Peters Township graduate, ran a personal-best time of 29:33.4, which was the second-fastest time in school history.
Hannah Falcione, a junior at Miami of Ohio, picked up where she left off in the indoor season when she opened the outdoor campaign by winning the triple jump at the Miami Blizzard Buster on March 23.
Falcione, a Venetia native and Peters Township graduate, won with a leap of 38-3 ¾. She also placed third in the long jump. Falcione then set a personal record when she finished third in the triple jump last weekend at the Nikoloff Invitational hosted by the University of Cincinnati. Falcione had a leap of 38-10 ½.
Wheeling Jesuit redshirt sophomore Liz Fleming was named the Mountain East Conference Track & Field Athlete of the Week March 26 after winning both the shot put and hammer throw at the West Virginia Open.
Fleming, a Washington resident and a Trinity graduate, won the shot put with a toss of 39-9. Her winning effort in the hammer throw was 150-5. She also placed second in the discus at 119-5.
Fleming’s distance in the hammer throws is a personal record and the top mark this season in the MEC.
In tennis
Washington & Jefferson sophomore Nate Wang, a Venetia native and Peters Township graduate, was named the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Player of the Week on Monday.
It was the fourth time in Wang’s career that he has garnered PAC weekly honors.
Wang had a 4-0 record last week, posting straight-set singles wins against Geneva and Saint Vincent. He teamed with classmates Sam Bellini for 8-1 victories at first doubles against the Golden Torandoes and the Bearcats.
In softball
Kayla Alderson is the leading hitter for Marietta.
A sophomore outfielder and Chartiers-Houston graduate, Alderson is batting .365 and is second on the team with 13 RBI. Her two home runs share the team lead.
Alderson hit safely in each of Marietta’s first six games of the season.
This season has not gone as planned for Pitt, but that hasn’t stopped Olivia Gray from having another stellar season.
Gray, a senior shortstop from Washington and a Trinity graduate, is batting .327, which ranks second among all Panthers who have started at least 11 games.
Gray also ranks second on the tam with five doubles and has three home runs.
Compiled by Chris Dugan