Michael Love stories, Page 116
Roberta Groner running virtual Pittsburgh Marathon for good cause
Pittsburgh area native Roberta Groner worked as a nurse for more than a decade at UPMC Presbyterian, and the mission of those in emergency care facilities throughout the county in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic is a cause close to her heart. The 42-year-old Groner, a Seneca Valley graduate...
Senior Spotlight: WPIAL singles champion hoped to build on success
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Zach Palko wasn’t satisfied. The Indiana senior had the 2019 WPIAL Class AA boys singles title and a trip to the PIAA semifinals in his growing portfolio, but he...
Plum native Peyton Kondis puts swimming career behind her
When the NCAA Division I swimming championships were canceled March 12 because of the coronavirus, Plum resident Peyton Kondis began to turn her attention and preparation to wrapping up her competition career in late June at the U.S. Olympic swim trials in Omaha, Neb. But for the Oakland Catholic graduate...
Senior Spotlight: Artistry expands beyond the volleyball court for Ambridge’s Liam Buck
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Liam Buck fashioned himself an on-court artist for the Ambridge boys volleyball team as the outside hitter turned his talents into a trio of Class AA all-section and All-WPIAL...
Pine-Richland grad selected for USRowing national selection camp
Gabrielle Krieger made her mark the past four years with the women’s rowing team at the University of Alabama. USRowing took notice of the Pine-Richland graduate’s talents and accomplishments, and the sport’s governing body recognized the multi-time conference medalist this week with an invitation to a national camp with international...
Burrell grad selected to attend international athletic forum
Burrell graduate Nicole Kristof is making her mark on the water as a member of the Robert Morris University rowing team. But her athletic influence and passion extends beyond the sphere of competition, and that dedication has been recognized and honored with selection to the International University Sports Federation Forum...
Monroeville’s Ahmad Matour hopes for shot at Mr. Olympia title
Ahmad Matour hopes to compete in the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding competition in September. The 26-year-old Monroeville resident and native of Jordan punched his ticket to the prestigious annual competition in Las Vegas with a strong showing last month at the Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio. But as the coronavirus pandemic...
Big 26 Baseball Classic canceled
The Big 26 Baseball Classic, the annual summer all-star competition between rising high school juniors and seniors from Pennsylvania and Maryland, will not take place this year in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Hershey Harrisburg Sports & Events Authority made the announcement Thursday morning. The event, which includes...
Carnegie Mellon’s Jason Li earns first-team golf All-American honors
The Golf Coaches Association of America on Wednesday announced its NCAA Division III PING All-American teams, and Carnegie Mellon junior Jason Li, a Sewickley Academy graduate, picked up first-team honors for the second year in a row. Last season, Li became the first CMU golfer to be tabbed first-team All-American....
Senior Spotlight: Valley tennis standout Odrey knocking off the rust
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Michael Odrey enjoyed getting out in the sun and fresh air a couple of days ago as he hit a few tennis balls with his father. “It was the...
Penn Hills’ Collins preparing for a 2-sport college career
AJ Collins is seeing with double vision as he will join both the men’s soccer and baseball teams at Penn State New Kensington. Baseball always has been the first love for the Penn Hills senior as he started to play the sport at a young age. Soccer came later —...
St. Joseph baseball looks to build off breakout 2019 season
The St. Joseph baseball team is coming off a breakout season as it qualified for the WPIAL playoffs for the first time since 2000 and scored an upset victory in the opening round. The Spartans advanced to the Class A quarterfinals with a 10-1 win over No. 6 Monessen and...
St. Joseph softball brings back plenty of experience
The St. Joseph softball program enjoyed a two-year run to the WPIAL playoffs in 2017 and ‘18, the first two such seasons in its history. The Spartans played a pair of postseason games both times, winning in the first round each time and finishing the two years with a combined...
Alle-Kiski Valley Campus Clippings: Seasons’ premature ends follow bright beginnings
College athletes throughout the country saw their spring seasons come to a sudden end and winter championships halted before completion as the NCAA and NAIA, within a couple of days, canceled all athletic activities amid the widening range of safety measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic. But before the...
Armstrong County Sports Hall of Fame banquet canceled
The Armstrong County Sports Hall of Fame’s 48th annual induction banquet, scheduled for April 26 at Laube Hall in Freeport, has been canceled, the organization’s secretary, Dennis Wolfe, confirmed Tuesday. The decision came in a unanimous telephone vote of the board of governors Monday evening in conjunction with the continuing...
The Meadows to suspend racing activities
The Meadows in Washington County announced Monday that it is suspending all operations, including racing, in accordance with a mandate issued by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board as part of the ongoing safety measures taken to combat the spread of the coronavirus that causes covid-19. The suspension will go into...
PIAA finalizes Class AAA swimming and diving team standings, second-day champions and medalists
The PIAA has finalized the Class AAA swimming and diving team standings reflecting the results from Thursday’s second-day swims. Amid all of the safety measures being taken in response to the coronavirus that causes covid-19, the PIAA cancelled the Class AAA swimming consolation and championship finals scheduled for Thursday evening....
Class AA swimmers in limbo as coronavirus concerns put state finals on hiatus
Braden Zukowski and his Knoch swimming and diving teammates were eating breakfast about 10 minutes away from Bucknell on Thursday when they got the news the PIAA had postponed Friday and Saturday’s Class AA championship for two weeks because of the ongoing safety response to the coronavirus pandemic. “We finished...
Gateway’s Livingston caps decorated career with pair of PIAA medals
It is often said all good things must come to an end. Olivia Livingston hoped that wasn’t the case with the 50-yard freestyle at last week’s PIAA Class AAA swimming championships at Bucknell. The Gateway senior attempted to win her fourth state title in the event, but a trio of...
PA State Bowling Championships postponed because of coronavirus
In a joint statement, Pennsylvania regional and state bowling tournament directors Dana W. Brown and Shawn Pilyih have announced the PA State Bowling Championships, set for Friday and Saturday at North Versailles Bowl, have been postponed indefinitely as part of the safety response to the coronavirus outbreak. “It’s impossible to...
North Allegheny duo earns medals at PIAA Class AAA girls diving championships
North Allegheny junior Maya Ennis placed 19th two years ago in her first trip to the PIAA Class AAA diving championship at Bucknell. She improved six spots last year and qualified for the finals. On Thursday, Ennis, the WPIAL runner-up to Tigers teammate Christina Shi, made another big jump in...
WPIAL swimmers leave shortened PIAA Class AAA championships with mixed emotions
A range of emotions, from sadness to frustration, enveloped the faces of Class AAA swimmers and coaches, as well as family members and other spectators, when the PIAA announced Thursday that consolation and championship finals would not take place due to coronavirus concerns. “I made the decision after speaking to...
Swimmers from North Allegheny, Fox Chapel claim Class AAA state gold
A trio of WPIAL swimmers took home PIAA Class AAA championships Wednesday on the first day of competition at Bucknell. North Allegheny senior Rick Mihm regained his title in the boys 200-yard individual medley, Fox Chapel freshman Sophie Shao struck gold in the girls 100 butterfly, and North Allegheny senior...
Fast, focused Fox Chapel freshman swims to PIAA gold
Sophie Shao said she was calm, cool and collected in the minutes before her PIAA championship finals swim in the girls Class AAA 100-yard butterfly Wednesday evening at Bucknell. Seeded first after the preliminaries, the Fox Chapel freshman added state gold to the top prize she won in the event...
Norwin’s Tulenko picks up pair of medals at PIAA swim meet
Ethan Tulenko turned a double play Wednesday at the PIAA Class AAA swimming and diving championships at Bucknell. The Norwin senior swam in the finals of both the 50-yard freestyle and the 200 free, and he brought home third- and fifth-place medals. “I was really happy with both swims, getting...
