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News and Notes -- March 1, 2009
Plenty of local athletes are doing well at the collegiate level. Here is a look at what they have been up to:
> Former Sharpsville standout Kasey Gardner put together a fine sophomore season as a member of the Shippensburg University women's basketball team. Gardner played in all 27 games and made 26 starts for the Red Raiders (12-15 overall, 6-8 PSAC East). She finished second on the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game. Gardner fired in 50 three-point goals and led the team with 77 assists and 30 steals. She also averaged 34 minutes per game this year.
Gardner capped her season with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a 74-60 win over Cheyney Saturday afternoon. She has scored 702 points over her first two seasons at the collegiate level.
> Two former Mercer County aces helped the Slippery Rock University women come within a whisker of advancing to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division playoffs this season. Junior Julie Molloy (Grove City) fired in a team-high 49 three-point goals and averaged 10.4 points per game for SRU (11-16, 6-8) this year. Meanwhile, senior Chere' Marshall (Hickory) made 17 appearances this year for Slippery Rock and averaged 6.5 points per game.
Slippery Rock finished tied for fourth in the PSAC West with Clarion at 6-8. Clarion earned the fourth seed based upon having more wins against NCAA Division II teams with .500 or better records. That's the third tie-breaker, behind head-to-head and matching wins within the division. SRU and Clarion had the same record against the other six teams in the West.
> Former Kennedy Catholic standout Gary Satterwhite has played in 23 games for the Slippery Rock University men's basketball team. Satterwhite is shooting 49 percent from the field and has 15 blocked shots. He is averaging 11 minutes per game. Satterwhite is a junior who previously spent the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons at the University of North Florida.
> Sharpsville grad Emily Montone emerged as one of the top reserves for the Westminster women's basketball team this winter. Montone, a freshman, played in all 25 games and averaged 14.5 minutes per game. Montone averaged 1.0 point per game for the Titans, who went 8-17 overall this year.
> Hallie Arena (Kennedy) put together a strong senior season for the Chatham University basketball team. Arena played in 20 games overall and made eight starts for head coach Mark Katarski. Arena averaged 18 minutes per game, along with four points per night. Arena hit eight three-point goals this year for Chatham, which went 11-15 overall and 3-11 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference. She played 15 minutes and had three rebounds February 24 in Chatham's 60-44 setback against top-seeded Thomas More in the PAC quarterfinals.
> Kennedy grad Brandon Mirizio recently completed his senior season as a member of the Thiel College men's basketball team. Mirizio made 18 starts this season and averaged 8.6 points per game. He fired in 32 three-point goals, second-best on the team. Mirizio also recorded 24 steals during the season.
> Ryan King (Grove City HS) earned his first collegiate letter as a member of the Grove City College men's basketball team this season. King, a first-year junior, played in all 24 games for the Wolverines (12-12, 6-6 PAC). He made one start and averaged 3.7 points per game this year. King also made six three-point goals this year.
> Former Grove City High ace Jordan Fee is a freshman member of the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team. Fee has played in 23 games this year for UDM, which is 7-22 overall and 2-16 in the Horizon League. Fee is averaging 9.3 minutes per game. He has 19 assists and just 16 turnovers this year. Fee has also scored 18 total points for the year. Detroit opens the Horizon League tournament Tuesday night at No. 3 seed Cleveland State at 7 p.m.
> The Washington & Jefferson women's basketball team is 24-4 this year and Kennedy Catholic grad Ashley Kirkpatrick has made significant contributions to the Presidents' success this year. Kirkpatrick, a 5-11 freshman, has played in 25 games this year for W&J. She is averaging 3.8 points per game and shooting 45 percent from the field.
> Former Farrell standout Chloe' Stewart helped the La Roche College women's basketball team to a 15-13 overall record and a berth in the championship game of the Allegheny Mountain College Conference Tournament. A freshman, Stewart averaged 10.2 points and 3.1 assists per game for the Redhawks this year. She played in all 28 games and made 27 starts. Stewart led La Roche with 34 three-point goals this year.
> Shaina Smith (Reynolds) helped the Clarion University women's basketball earn a berth in the PSAC playoffs by averaging 5.3 points per game this year. Smith played in 23 games and made 21 starts in the regular season. Clarion will play California (Pa.) in the opening round of the PSAC Tournament Tuesday night.
> Sheena Aden (Lakeview) put together a fine sophomore season for the Pitt-Johnstown women's basketball team. Aden averaged 14.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game this season for the Lady Cats, who finished the season 16-11 overall and 14-6 in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Aden is the only UPJ player to start all 27 games this year. She led the team in minutes played (33.3 per game) and also in field goal percentage (52.5 percent). Aden also had a team-high 56 steals.
For her efforts, Aden earned Second Team All-WVIAC honors from the league's coaches.
> The Thiel College wrestling program features several former local standouts on its 2008-09 roster. Sophomore Robbie Miller (Reynolds and Grove City HS) owns a 24-5 record this year for the Matcats while competing at 125 pounds. Miller took second at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships in Angola, Ind. recently.
Freshman Alec Miller (Grove City HS) owns a 19-6 record at 149 pounds this year. He won the Presidents' Athletic Conference title at 149 with an 8-2 win over W&J's Shawn Yackey. Meanwhile, freshman 133-pounder Corey Brown (Reynolds) earned PAC Most Outstanding Wrestler honors for his outing at the conference championships. For the season, Brown is 22-5.
Sophomore Mason Stewart (Reynolds) is 10-6 at 141 pounds, including a conference title at that weight class. Freshman Shaun Ferguson (Greenville) is 1-3 at 165 pounds while freshman Nick Kouch (West Middlesex) is 0-2 at 157.
> Sharon grad Dominic Ross is a senior at 165 pounds for Clarion University. Ross is in his second year as a starter at 165 and owns a 10-16 record this year.
> Grove City High product Beau Fisher is a junior at 157 and 165 for the University of Virginia wrestling team this season. Fisher owns a 6-8 record this season for the Cavaliers. For his career, Fisher now has a 22-26 career record.
> The Penn State men's basketball team has its first 20-win regular season in 13 years. Kennedy Catholic grad David Jackson is a major part of the Nittany Lions' success this year. Jackson has played in all 29 games for the Lions (20-9, 9-7 Big Ten) and has made 17 starts. He is averaging 3.8 points per game while playing 20 minutes per game.
> Hickory grad Kim Stitt helped the Thiel women's basketball team advance to the PAC Tournament semifinals this season. A 5-11 sophomore, Stitt started 25 games this year and averaged 5.9 points per game, along with 5.4 rebounds. Stitt also finished second on the team with 25 blocked shots this season.
> Questions? Comments? Something in between? Send a note to ryanbriggs@zoominternet.net
