Westmoreland campus clippings: Seton Hill off to 2-0 start under new coach

Mt. Pleasant native Ben Wilkins, the new men’s basketball coach at Seton Hill, is already getting positive results out of program that has lacked them in recent years.

The Griffins are 2-0 so far after wins against Notre Dame (Ohio) and Alderson Broaddus.

It is their first 2-0 start since 2013. The team won three games all of last season (3-24).

In a 100-73 win over Notre Dame — Seton Hill hadn’t scored 100 points in a game since 2017 — six players scored in double figures, led by junior Ryan Meis with 17 points.

Senior Drew Green added 16 and junior Sean Dillon had 12. Seton Hill made 17 3-pointers and shot 56% from the field.

When the Griffins took down Alderson Broaddus, 87-51, senior Samuel Tabe had 17 points, junior Caleb Whitaker added 16, and Dillon went for 15 and five assists.

Ten players scored in all for Seton Hill.

Men’s basketball

Carlow: The Celtics snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 65-56 victory over Penn State New Kensington. Sophomore Riley Comforti (Southmoreland) had 12 points in the win.

Freshman forward Brevan Williams (Greensburg Central Catholic) came off the bench and had a career-high 20 points in an 87-74 loss to Mt. Aloysius.

Delaware State: Senior forward Brandon Stone (Southmoreland) scored 15 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds in his debut with the Hornets, who dropped their opener, 95-57, to Virginia Tech.

Pitt-Greensburg: UPG opened the season with a 79-65 victory over Carlow as senior Micah Jones scored 21 points, including 4 of 5 3-pointers. Junior Reggie Priah added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Bobcats, who traveled to Robert Morris to play the Division I Colonials the next night and lost 84-49.

Playing their third games in five days, the Bobcats defeated Grove City, 63-48, with France pumping in 24 points and handing out five assists.

Freshman Matthew Marinchak (Ligonier Valley) has started all three games for UPG.

Saint Vincent: The Bearcats are off to a fast start after winning their first three games of the season.

In coach D.P. Harris’ return to the bench as coach, SVC rolled to an 81-61 victory over Penn State Shenango in the opener as six players scored in double figures, led by junior Tayler McNeal with 17 points. Grad student Shemar Bennett had 11 points and 12 rebounds.

A 73-67 overtime win over Juniata followed as four players made up another balanced attack. Freshman Jaden Gales and McNeal scored 16 apiece, with Gales pulling down 10 rebounds for SVC, which trailed by 18 in the second half.

The Bearcats moved to 3-0 with a 69-56 win over Carlow. Gales scored 22 and grabbed nine rebounds, Junior Tayler McNeal had 17 points and Bennett had 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Accolades followed the team’s hot start: Harris, back at SVC after three years away, was named the HoopDirt.com national coach of the week for Division III. Gales, meantime, picked up PAC Rookie of the Week honors.

West Liberty: Junior Bryce Butler (Latrobe) picked up right where he left off last season, scoring a game-high 30 points and pulling down 10 rebounds, while shooting 14 of 20 from the field, in a 91-68 victory over Shepherd.

In a 94-85 win over Cal (Pa.), he topped that performance with 35 points and nine rebounds, this time making 14 of 21 shots.

Butler was named the Mountain East Conference Player of the Week.

Women’s basketball

Grove City: Senior guard Megan Kallock (Greensburg Salem) erupted for 31 points on 12-of-15 shooting, but the Wolverines fell to Albion, 71-66. Sophomore guard Mara Polczynski (Norwin) added eight points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the loss.

Illinois-Springfield: Freshman Brianna Zajicek (Norwin) started the season opener and had 11 points in a 79-71 loss to Purdue Northwest.

Marian: Junior guard Jayla Wehner (Norwin) is averaging a team-best 30 minutes per game in four starts, and also leads the Knights with 18 assists.

Marietta: Junior guard Olivia Gribble (Norwin) scored 12 points in a 51-38 victory over Saint Vincent in Latrobe.

Pitt-Greensburg: Sophomore guard Melina Maietta (Greensburg Central Catholic) scored 27 points, including four 3-pointers, and senior guard Sidney McCully had 13 points, but UPG fell to Carlow, 65-56, to tip off the season.

Freshman Tiana Moracco (Derry) started the opener for the Bobcats.

Saint Vincent: Junior Emily Cavacini had 15 points and senior Madison Weber chipped in 12 and seven rebounds as the Bearcats won their opening game, 76-58 over Juniata.

Seton Hill: Courtney Tomas and Christiana Frye each tallied 16 points in a 71-57 season-opening victory over Virginia State. The Griffins (1-1) had two players make the all-tournament team at the Atlantic Regional Conference Challenge, which the Griffins hosted over the weekend.

Grad forward Alie Seto and senior guard Courtney Tomas were selected for Seton Hill, which dropped its second game to Wheeling, 70-59.

Slippery Rock: Redshirt sophomore Bella Long (Penn-Trafford) connected on five 3-pointers and scored a career-high 24 points to lead SRU to a 78-74 victory over Davis & Elkins.

Wrestling

Army West Point: Freshman Ethan Berginc (Jeannette) upset another nationally ranked opponent, his second stunner in his first four matches.

The 125-pounder who wrestled at Hempfield knocked off N0. 18 Liam Cronin of Nebraska, 7-5, as West Point fell to the Cornhuskers, 25-9.

“My coaches and teammates have prepared me for this moment,” Berginc (4-0) told Army athletics. “I knew I could compete with the best; we grind every day, and the support system in my corner was unbelievable.”

Buffalo: Freshman Chase Kranitz (Norwin) earned his first win, scoring a first-period pin at 165 pounds as the Bulls defeated Long Island, 28-6, at WrangleMania in Bethlehem. Kranitz was a three-time PIAA qualifier at Norwin.

Pitt: Redshirt senior Micky Phillippi (Derry) and redshirt junior Colton Camacho (Franklin Regional) won their matches by major decision as the Panthers opened the dual season with a 36-0 win over Cleveland State.

Phillippi is a returning All-American.

Women’s cross country

Saint Vincent: Freshman Kristen Prince qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championship Nov. 19 in East Lansing, Mich. Prince finished 11th at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship and later received an at-large bid into the field.

She will join Ivette Mejia (2011) as the only SVC female runners to compete in the NCAA finals.