Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 68

Patrick Kraft, who has held leadership roles at Boston College, Temple, Loyola Chicago and Indiana for the past 15 years, has been named Penn State’s next athletic director. Kraft will assume his new position July 1 and replace Sandy Barbour, who previously announced she will retire this summer. Barbour has...

The Washington Commanders took a long look at former Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson and were not bothered by his relatively slight 5-foot-11, 184-pound frame. So much so that the Commanders made Dotson a first-round choice Friday (No. 16 overall). “I’m a big fan of Jahan Dotson. I think...

Pitt women’s basketball coach Lance White added the second member of his 2022 recruiting class Thursday, signing 6-foot-1 Avery “Ace” Strickland to a national letter of intent. “She is ultra-competitive, has the pedigree of a winner, and is ready to work,” White said Strickland is a two-time all-state choice from...

Pitt isn’t ready to put away its lacrosse sticks. In the first-year program’s debut venture into the ACC Championship, Paulina DiFatta set a tournament record Wednesday with 19 saves to lead the Panthers to 13-10 victory against Louisville at Arlotta Stadium in South Bend, Ind. DiFatta, a second-team All-ACC selection,...

There were 13 Pitt players who worked out for representatives from 31 NFL teams at Pitt’s Pro Day on March 21. The large number of hopefuls isn’t surprising. Most college players dream of playing in the NFL, and putting on a show for the scouts — and in some cases...

Back in college at Cal State Bakersfield, Chase Kreitler had many conversations with his swim coach, Morgan Bailey. Mainly, they talked strokes and how best to take seconds off Kreitler’s times. You know, swimming basics. Then, Bailey changed professions. All of a sudden, he was working for the FBI in...

Sometimes, Jaquan Brisker inserted himself into practice drills at Gateway High School, inching as close to the varsity football team — and his brothers — as a 12-year-old boy could get. Other times, he was quick to provide relief, producing a cold drink of water for the tired and thirsty...

Duquesne added two more bricks to its roster reconstruction Tuesday when Butler High School’s Devin Carney and point guard Tevin Brewer, a transfer from FIU, signed letters of intent and joined the Dukes’ eight-man recruiting class. Carney averaged 26 points at Butler, shot 55% from the field and 90% from...

Pitt’s swim program will move in a new direction for the first time in six seasons, with the hiring of Chase Kreitler as its new coach. The university announced Kreitler’s appointment Tuesday morning. He replaces John Hargis, who had served as swim coach since 2016-17. Kreitler was an assistant at...

The Pittsburgh Pirates concluded the first 16 games of their season with as many victories as defeats (eight) and Bryan Reynolds batting .190. If you had listened to the preseason chatter, both facts might be difficult to believe. It doesn’t matter five weeks before Memorial Day and with 90% of...

Kevin Newman’s bounce-back game wasn’t enough. The bullpen continuing to come up big in the clutch couldn’t carry the Pittsburgh Pirates to victory by itself. Not on this day. What it really took for the Pirates (8-8) to defeat the Chicago Cubs, 4-3, on Sunday was a collective effort from...

The Pittsburgh Pirates added a 15th pitcher to their 28-man roster Sunday before their scheduled series finale against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The team selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Beau Sulser from Triple-A Indianapolis. Sulser, who has no previous major-league experience, was 1-2 with a 2.13 ERA,...

Despite a full stable of talented wide receivers, Pat Narduzzi didn’t believe Pitt had enough at that position. So, he dipped into the NCAA transfer portal and secured another — for now and future seasons. Jerrod “Bub” Means, who played at Louisiana Tech last season, announced on his Instagram page...

Pitt added some desperately needed size and shot-blocking ability Thursday when coach Jeff Capel received a verbal commitment from 6-foot-11, 210-pound Fede Federiko, who previously played at First Love Christian Academy in Washington, Pa. Federiko is a native of Helsinki, Finland, and he played for the Finnish under-19 national team....

Leon Ayers III’s stay at Duquesne turned out to last one season. Ayers, who averaged 10 points per game in 2021-22, has decided to put his name in the NCAA transfer portal. A 6-foot-5 guard, he came to Duquesne last year after attending Mercer and Henry Ford (Mich.) College. He...

Mike Bell was unhappy when the 2021 NCAA Tournament field was revealed, and his Pitt baseball team was not among the chosen 64. Who could blame him? Pitt won 17 games against the top 50 of the RPI and was 18-12 against teams in the NCAA field. The Panthers were...

When Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference universities Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, Mansfield, California, Clarion and Edinboro merge into two schools July 1, athletic programs on each campus will remain intact. The NCAA Division II Membership Committee gave its approval Wednesday for those schools to continue to offer a full complement of programs...

Lucky for Ben Gamel, the right field grass at PNC Park was wet. It made his landing a little softer. Of course, it could have been a rock-strewn outfield, instead of the well-manicured carpet at PNC Park, and Gamel still might have left his feet to track down those two...

Losing players who disappear into the NCAA transfer portal sets up many obstacles for coaches, but Duquesne’s Keith Dambrot went up by one Tuesday. Quincy McGriff, a second-team junior-college All-American guard, said Tuesday night he will enroll this year. He is the fifth player added to the Duquesne roster since...

Duquesne University will add three women’s sports over the next two years — triathlon, golf and acrobatics and tumbling — raising the school’s total sport count to 20 and the number of student-athletes on campus to more than 500. Athletic director Dave Harper said the additions are expected to attract...

Defensive tackle Jahsear Whittington of Imhotep Charter School in Philadelphia has two years of high school football ahead of him, but he made up his mind early and verbally committed to Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi on Monday. 4444% Committed ????????????????????????#H2P pic.twitter.com/13RHyJXolY— 4⭐️ Jahsear whittington (@jahwhitt) April 19, 2022 Only a...

The way the game of baseball is played and managed in 2021, starting pitchers don’t often work beyond the fifth or sixth inning. But all Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton was trying to do Monday night at American Family Field in Milwaukee was get Zach Thompson through the fourth. It...

Jeff Capel added a second piece in his quest to rebuild Pitt’s basketball program Monday when 6-foot-7 forward Blake Hinson made a verbal commitment to the Panthers. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Blake Hinson (@b2_smooth) Hinson, who lives in Deltona, Fla., hasn’t played since the 2019-20...

Duquesne lost another guard Monday when Primo Spears, only the fifth freshman in school history to lead the team in scoring, entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal. Three other guards — Jackie Johnson III, Tyson Acuff and Toby Okani — previously announced plans to transfer. Spears, who came...

Michael Chavis can do so much on a baseball field that he needs to be careful: Sometimes, he ends up trying to do too much. That was his dilemma with the Pittsburgh Pirates in spring training while competing for playing time. He settled down in the final days before the...