College notebook: Hondru gets sweet internship
After graduating with a degree in sports management, University of Delaware softball player Kate Hondru is off to New Orleans to begin an internship with the Sugar Bowl.
Hondru, a McMurray native and Peters Township graduate, was a four-year member of the Delaware softball team and helped the Blue Hens to a 29-20 record this spring as a utility player.
While interning with the Sugar Bowl, Hondru expects to be exposed to a wide range of business areas and gain experience in operations, event planning, promotions and corporate partnerships.
“My sport management education and work experiences in operations, marketing promotions, fan engagement and fundraising have provided me with a strong business foundation, while the qualities and skills I gained through playing sports have prepared me for the fast-paced and team-focused culture at the Sugar Bowl,” Hondru said.
My dad (Scott) always taught me the importance of hard work, perseverance and staying true to my goals. It wasn’t always easy being a student-athlete at UD, but it was always worth it.”
In softball
Abbey Girman of Gannon was named first team All-PSAC West.
The sophomore outfielder and South Fayette graduate was Gannon’s leading hitter with a .372 batting average, 12 doubles and 12 home runs. Her 35 runs and 42 RBI also led the Golden Knights.
Girman had three five-RBI games against Indiana, Pitt-Johnstown and California.
Kaitlyn Rizor ended her senior season at West Virginia Wesleyan with a .227 batting average, seven doubles and three home runs in 56 games for the Bobcats, who finished with a 45-17 record. The former West Greene standout had a season-high four RBI against Concord and three games in which she drove in three runs.
In baseball
Gannon senior first baseman Ian Hess was named first team All-PSAC West.
Hess, a Canonsburg native and Canon-McMillan graduate, batted a team-leading .340 with 10 doubles and six home runs, both team highs. His 34 runs led the Golden Knights and Hess was second on the team with 26 RBI.
Former Peters Township standout Wes Parker had a productive freshman season for Toledo. Parker batted .267 with three home runs in 26 games (15 starts).
Parker’s best game was a 3-for-4 day with three runs, a double, triple and three RBI against Northern Illinois.
N Two former Peters Township standouts, Jack Kail and Sam Miller, were impact players as freshmen in the Ivy League for Columbia.
Kail started 38 games for the Lions and batted .241 with four doubles, two triples and three home runs. He had one more walk than strikeouts. Kail went 2-for-2 and drove in four runs against Tulane and hit a grand slam in a 15-1 win over Cornell.
Miller played in 28 games and batted .308 with three doubles, one triple and three home runs. He had a 3-for-5 game and drove in four runs against Army. Miller also made seven pitching appearances.
In track and field
Duquesne sophomore Amy Allen, a former standout runner at South Fayette, placed fourth in the 400 meters at the ECAC Outdoor Championships in Fairfax, Va.
Allen ran a personal-best time of 55.71.
Allen’s teammate, sophomore Mara Whalen, a Hickory resident and Fort Cherry graduate, was part of the Dukes’ 4×800-meter relay team that placed fourth at the ECAC meet in 8:56.53. It was two seconds faster than their bronze medal run in the Atlantic 10 Championships and the fourth-fastest time in Duquesne history.
In tennis
Dayton senior Connor Bruce was named first team All-Atlantic 10 for the third consecutive season.
A Peters Township graduate, Bruce won 18 matches this season playing as Dayton’s top singles player and added 12 victories playing doubles. Bruce reached the 100-career win mark during the spring season with a victory over St. Bonaventure.
Bruce also was named to the All-Academic team, reserved for student-athletes with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. It is the second such honor for Bruce.