Westmoreland campus clippings: Belle Vernon grad Zach Hartman climbing national rankings

Senior Zach Hartman is gearing up for the NCAA Division I wrestling championships with a great strategy. He’s taking down nationally ranked opponents.

The 165-pounder from Bucknell, who graduated from Belle Vernon, is ranked No. 18 in the country in his weight class.

In a matchup of top-25 competitors who both are two-time All-Americans, Hartman blanked Oklahoma State’s Travis Wittlake, 5-0, when the Bison fell to No. 12 Oklahoma State, 32-6. Wittlake came into the match ranked No. 8.

Hartman has now defeated 17 nationally ranked opponents and moved to 15-1 in duals.

Wittlake won the 2020 Big 12 title.

Wrestling

Pitt: Redshirt senior Micky Phillippi (Derry) pinned his opponent with a cradle late in the second period as the Panthers won an ACC match at Duke, 29-12.

Men’s volleyball

Saint Vincent: Junior Matt Minkin had 22 kills and freshman Andrew Cassidy added 16 kills and two aces as the Bearcats earned their first win of the season, 3-2, over Hilbert.

The win also was the first for new Bearcats’ coach Kate McCauley.

Thiel: Sophomore Austin Siko (Derry) had nine digs in a 3-0 win over Mt. Aloysius.

Baseball

Rutgers: Grad pitcher Jared Kollar (Latrobe) struck out six in four innings during his first start of the season as Rutgers (2-0) defeated Houston Baptist, 18-3.

Kollar enrolled for a fifth year at Rutgers after completing his career at Seton Hill.

Last year, he appeared in nine games with eight starts and had a 5-0 record with a 1.19 ERA.

Seton Hill: With 17 hits, No. 9 Seton Hill welcomed a new season and won its opener, 10-5, over Limestone in Gaffney, S.C.

Senior Braden Durham went 4 for 5 with two doubles and two RBIs, senior Vincenzo Russo added three hits, including a double, home run and four RBIs, and freshman Drew Garth had also homered for one of his three hits.

In a wild second game of the three-game series, Garth and junior Owen Sabol (Norwin) had four hits and six RBIs apiece as the Griffins won 16-12. Rauso, Garth, Sabol and junior Jack Oberdorf (Greensburg Salem) all homered in the win.

The Griffins homered seven times in the three-game series against Limestone.

Garth was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Week.

Softball

Pitt: Freshman Haylie Brunson (Mt. Pleasant) was hitting .360 through her first seven games for the Panthers, with a team-best nine hits and four doubles.

Brunson was named to the Northern Lights Invitational All-Tournament Team for her efforts at the season-opening event in Leesburg, Fla.

She had eight hits, three RBIs, three runs, and 11 total bases in the five-game tournament. Brunson had three hits in a 7-1 win over Eastern Kentucky.

Men’s indoor track and field

Allegheny: At the Edinboro Last Chance Meet, junior Jacob King (Latrobe) took third place in the weight throw with a toss of 14.01 meters.

Duquesne: Freshman Matt O’Neill (Norwin) took 10th in the 5,000-meter run in 15:40.76 at Kent State’s Jud Logan Memorial Tune-up.

Grove City: Sophomore Gabe Dunlap (Penn-Trafford) finished fifth in the triple jump with a mark of 40 feet, 1.25 inches at the PAC Championships.

John Carroll: Junior Carson Shipley (Norwin) finished 12th at in the 5,000-meter run (15:58.40) at the Jud Logan Memorial Tune-up at Kent State.

Women’s indoor track and field

Arizona: Sophomore Mackenna Orie (Hempfield) won the shot put with a mark of 15.98 meters, tying her personal best in the event, at the NAU Tune-Up in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Clarion: Sophomore Courtney Kosavonic (Norwin) placed third in the 3,000-meter run at the PAC Championships at Edinboro.

Teammate Jenna Uncapher (Hempfield) was fourth in the 60-meter hurdles and sixth in the long jump.

Men’s lacrosse

Seton Hill: Grad attacker McGarity Harper and senior goalkeeper Josh Miller were named Great Midwest Athletic Conference Athletes of the Week.

Harper had four goals and added two assists, while Miller made 11 saves in a 12-5 win over Chestnut Hill.

Grad student Thomas Hanulak added four goals in the win.

McGarity also won the award last week, along with teammate and senior faceoff specialist Logan Gray.

Harper had six points, including four goals, while Gray won 14 of 16 faceoffs and had 11 ground balls in an 18-5 win over Molloy.

Women’s lacrosse

Saint Vincent: Sophomore Bridget Doyle had six goals and senior Joey Smith added five to pace the Bearcats to a 26-5 win over La Roche in the season opener.

Men’s tennis

Pitt-Greensburg: Junior Turner Price (Penn-Trafford) broke school records for singles wins in a career (27) and overall wins (46) as the Bobcats fell to Penn State Altoona, 8-1.

Price defeated Joey Toth at No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-2, to top Tyler Fox’s program marks.

Price is 27-3 in singles and has not lost in 23 straight matches.

Women’s tennis

Cincinnati: Redshirt junior Maria Santilli (Norwin) picked up a win at No. 4 singles as the Bearcats defeated Cleveland State, 6-1.

Hockey

Saint Vincent: Junior goaltender Shane Stone posted his first shutout, making 14 saves, as the Polar Bearcats closed the regular season with a 3-0 win over Robert Morris.