May 21, 2014 3 min read

Track & field

Friend set to compete

California University of Pa. freshman Julie Friend is one of three Vulcans set to compete in the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships beginning on Friday in Allendale, Mich.

Friend, a Uniontown graduate, will run in the 3,000-meter steeplechase preliminaries on Friday at 7:10 p.m. with the finals at 7:25 p.m. on Saturday. Friend owns the school record in the event with her best time of 10:51.43 coming in the PSAC Championships.

Sanner ready to defend title

Seton Hill junior Mallory Sanner is set to defend her national title in the javelin this Saturday afternoon at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships hosted by Grand Valley State University in Michigan.

The Uniontown graduate automatically qualified the national championship with her throw of 47.61 meters at the Slippery Rock Open in mid-April, the seventh-best in Division II this season. Sanner finished second in the PSAC Championships this season with a throw of 43.35 meters.

Kalsey in D-III finals

Westminster sophomore Marissa Kalsey seeks her fourth All-America honor today when the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships get underway at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio.

The Waynesburg Central grad finished fifth in last year’s outdoors championships and has earned All-America honors indoors twice. Kalsey is third with a school-record height of 13-1¾ (4.01 meters).

Coach Bradi Rhoades, also a Waynesburg grad, has three vaulters in the national championships. Freshman Brooke Mancuso, a North Allegheny graduate, is fourth with a vault of 13-¼ (3.97 meters) and fellow freshman Cassidy Shepherd, a Greensburg Salem grad, is fifth (12-7½, 3.85 meters).

All three vaulters earned indoor All-America status earlier this year.

Softball

Wideman honored

California (Pa.) senior catcher Natalie Wideman was selected a Capital One First-Team All-America by CoSIDA, the third Vulcan softball player to be so honored.

Wideman led the PSAC with a .454 batting average (59-for-130), 49 runs scored and a .535 on-base percentage. She had a .692 slugging percentage that included a career-high six home runs.

Wideman was also named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year and PSAC Tournament MVP. She is only one of 11 Vulcans to finish with over 200 hits.

Academically, Wideman has maintained a 3.92 cumulative GPA while completing her degree in sport management with an emphasis in wellness and fitness.

Athletics

PAC announces awards

The Waynesburg University softball team was honored by the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) as one of the 2014 Spring Team Sportsmanship Award winners.

The PAC Team Sportsmanship Award program was started during the 2008-09 academic year and is an ongoing effort to both recognize and encourage positive sportsmanship among conference teams.

Baseball

Seton Hill in World Series

Seton Hill University earned its first-ever berth into the NCAA Division II Baseball Championships after defeating Millersville, 3-0, last Sunday to win the Atlantic Regional.

Geibel Catholic graduate Brendan Costantino started at shortstop for the Griffins in the regional title game, going 0-of-3. The redshirt senior has started 54 games with a .326 batting average (61-for-187). Costantino has driven in 34 runs and scored 39. An infielder, Costantino has a fielding average of .961 with eight errors in 204 chances.