College notebook: Trinity grad wins NCAA championship

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Henson

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Deegan

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Williamson

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Bewick

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How would you like to start your college career with an undefeated season?

That’s exactly what Eden Williamson did.

Williamson’s freshman season with the New York University women’s basketball team couldn’t have ended any better.

A Washington native and Trinity graduate, Williamson helped NYU win the NCAA Division III national championship last Saturday. The Violets defeated Smith College, 51-41, in the national title game played in Columbus, Ohio.

NYU finished the season with a 31-0 record.

Williamson, a guard, saw her playing time increase as the season progressed and she played 17 minutes in the championship game, scoring two points on 1-for-2 shooting and grabbing three rebounds.

In the national semifinals against Transylvania, Williamson played 25 minutes, went 2-for-2 from three-point range and finished with six points to help NYU to a 57-42 victory.

Williamson averaged 3.5 points per game on the season, shot 52 percent from the field and 45 percent (14-for-31) from three-point range.

In wrestling

Three former Waynesburg central standouts have qualified for the NCAA Championships that will begin Thursday at Kansas City.

Lock Haven sophomore Wyatt Henson (35-2) was a national qualifier last season at Oklahoma. He went 1-2 at the 2023 NCAA tournament, but he’s been on a tear since joining Lock Haven this season. Henson is coming off his first Mid-American Conference title and was named the Co-Outstanding Wrestler at the MAC Championships.

Henson is the No. 12 seed at 141 pounds and will face Missouri’s Josh Edmond in the opening round. Henson’s 19 technical falls has set the Lock Haven single-season record and ranks first in the NCAA this year.

Pitt sophomore Luca Augustine will be making his second appearance at nationals as he competes in the 174-pound weight class. Augustine has a 14-6 record and will compete as the No. 23 seed against No. 10 Nick Incontrera of Penn in the opening round. Augustine qualified for nationals as an at-large.

Ohio State freshman Rocco Welsh (22-5) qualified at 174 pounds. He is the No. 6 seed and will face Navy’s Danny Wask (23-11) in the opening round. Welsh placed third at the recent Big Ten Championships.

In swimming

Alabama’s Ella Menear, a Mapletown graduate and former PIAA champion, has qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 100 backstroke, and also as a member of the Crimson Tide’s 400 medley relay team.

The NCAA Swimming Championships will be held March 20-23 in Athens, Ga.

Menear was unable to hit the “A” cut in her events, but managed to make the “B” cut for a spot in the 100 backstroke. She is seeded 33rd with her time of 52.15 seconds.

In softball

George Mason senior second baseman Marlaina Bozek was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week for Feb. 26-March 3.

A Trinity graduate, Bozek batted .615 (8-for-13) over four games and reached base in 10 of 13 plate appearances. Bozek had eight hits, three runs, a double, two RBI and drew a pair of walks.

Through 26 games, Bozek is batting .300 with four doubles, one triple and four stolen bases.

* Olivia Ulam is the third-leading hitter for St. Francis (Pa.).

A junior first baseman from Canonsburg and a Canon-McMillan graduate, Ulam has a .297 batting average with 11 doubles and two home runs in 27 games. She also has 20 runs and 20 RBI, both team highs. She had a five-RBI game against Penn.

* Freshman shortstop Sami Bewick has hit six home runs in her first 23 games for Miami (Ohio). A McMurray native and Peters Township graduate, Bewick has made an instant impact on the Red Hawks.

Bewick is batting .265 with two doubles and the six home runs. She is third on the team with 24 RBI and she has drawn 10 walks. Bewick has a pair of four-RBI games, against Appalachian State and Western Michigan.

In baseball

Denison head coach Mike Deegan, a Washington native, recently earned his 300th career victory when the Big Red defeated 11th-ranked Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 10-9, in Louisville, Ky., March 3.

A Trinity graduate, Deegan has the coach Denison for 12 seasons has guided his teams to three North Coast Athletic Conference Championships and four NCAC tournament titles. His career record is 308-142.

* California junior first baseman Payton Conte was the PSAC Player of the Week for March 4-10.

Conte, a California High School graduate, posted a .636 batting average (7-for-11) and a 1.435 OPS over three games played in Florida. He went 3-for-4 with two runs and one walk in a 12-6 victory at Barry. Later that day, Conte went 3-for-5 with a triple, two RBI and one stolen base in Cal’s 11-7 win against Assumption. Conte added a single and a run in a 4-2 loss to Bentley.

For the season, Conte has a team-high .541 batting average.

In basketball

Gavin Cote, a redshirt freshman guard from Venetia, had a good first season at Clarion.

A transfer from Pace University, Cote played in 23 games for Clarion, starting six contests. He was the Golden Eagles’ third-leading scorer, averaging 10.7 points per game. The Peters Township graduate shot 44 percent from the field, 45 percent from three-point range and made 81 percent of his free throws.