College notebook: Point Park names Scarborough women's hoops coach

Dave Scarborough is coming home to coach the Point Park women’s basketball team.

A Fox Chapel and Cal (Pa.) graduate, Scarborough was announced Friday as the Pioneers’ next coach.

He has been an NCAA Division I women’s assistant for the past nine years — and 13 of the last 14 seasons.

Scarborough replaces Tony Grenek, who resigned after 11 seasons and 206 wins with the Pioneers.

Scarborough was an assistant at Mount St. Mary’s this season and helped the team win the Northeast Conference and reach the NCAA Tournament. For five years prior to his one season at Mount St. Mary’s, he was an assistant at Sacred Heart (2018-21), serving as associate head coach for three seasons.

“I’m extremely grateful to be coming home to Pittsburgh and having the privilege to coach, mentor and develop women’s student-athletes as the head coach at Point Park University,” Scarborough said. “After meeting and working out with the current roster, I’m excited for our program’s potential for this upcoming season. My staff and I will continue to work on player development throughout the spring and summer and will be looking to add key recruits.”

Scarborough also was on the staff at St. Peter’s for three years, two as associate head coach.

A former director of basketball operations for the women’s team at Pitt (2011-13) and the Robert Morris men (2009-11), he began as a men’s assistant at La Roche in 2008.

On top of the world

Former North Allegheny track star Ayden Owens is now the college record-holder in the decathlon.

The redshirt junior, who attended Michigan and USC before settling in with the Razorbacks, broke the NCAA mark with 8,528 points Thursday at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif.

The mark also ranks No. 1 in the world.

The previous collegiate record was 8,484 points set by Georgia’s Karel Tilga in 2021. Owens also broke his Puerto Rican record of 8,238 points from the 2021 Big Ten Championships.

700 for Spano

Longtime Mercyhurst baseball coach Joe Spano collected his 700th career victory Friday when the Lakers toppled Cal (Pa.), 10-3.

He joins Slippery Rock’s Jeff Messer as the only coaches from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference to reach the 700-win milestone.

Spano, in his 23rd season, is just the 25th active coach with more than 700 victories.

He came to Mercyhurst in 1998 when then-coach Joe Jordano left to coach at Pitt.

Win No. 701 followed as Mercyhurst swept the PSAC doubleheader with a 4-3 win in Game 2 in eight innings.

King K

Mansfield, a PSAC East Division baseball team, has a new strikeout king. Senior pitcher Hunter DePrimo reached 263 career strikeouts to break Steve Micknich’s program record of 262 set in 1994.

DePrimo fanned eight Lock Haven hitters Friday in a 12-11 victory.

Pitching Judy

Pitcher Deven Judy (Belle Vernon) is rewriting the record book at Gannon. The redshirt senior right-hander now has program career records for shutouts (six), innings pitched (232) and strikeouts (289). He needs one win for the career mark (20).