Weekend College Top 10: W&J football rolls into playoffs
Every Monday, the Tribune-Review will highlight 10 top area college performances from the weekend:
1. W&J runs to PAC title, playoff spot
Andrew Wolf broke the conference’s single-season receiving touchdown record, and No. 17 Washington & Jefferson rushed for 359 yards in a 33-14 victory over Waynesburg on Saturday. The Presidents (9-1, 8-1) earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs and visit No. 24 Centre (9-1) at noon Saturday in Danville, Ky. Wolf caught six passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 21 this season. EJ Thompson ran for a career-best 186 yards and a touchdown, and Jordan West (Washington) totaled 138 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
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2. Duquesne football hands Sacred Heart first league loss
A.J. Hines ran 31 times for 213 yards and a touchdown as the Dukes moved into a three-way tie for first place in the Northeast Conference with a 28-24 triumph over Sacred Heart on Saturday. Duquesne (7-3, 4-1) can clinch a berth in the FCS playoffs with a victory at Central Connecticut State (6-4, 4-1) next week. Hines eclipsed 200 scrimmage yards for the fourth straight week and went over 1,000 yards for the season. The Dukes’ Kellon Taylor had five receptions for a career-high 86 yards and a touchdown. Sacred Heart dropped to 6-4, 4-1.
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3. Seton Hill volleyball wins 1st PSAC title
Tournament MVP Brynn Fleury had 19 assists and 10 digs, leading the Griffins past No. 21 Gannon, 17-25, 25-19, 15-25, 25-21, 15-13, in the conference championship Saturday in Erie. Viktoria Farian recorded a team-best 11 kills and 20 digs, and Leah Bisignani (Greensburg Central Catholic) totaled 11 blocks. Seton Hill (24-8) earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament and received the third seed in the Atlantic Regional. The Griffins open against sixth-seeded Cal (Pa.) (20-12) on Thursday at regional host Wheeling Jesuit. Other first-round matchups are: second-seeded Gannon (30-2) against seventh-seeded Shepherd (23-1); fourth-seeded Shippensburg (25-7) against fifth-seeded Clarion (21-11); and top-seeded Wheeling Jesuit (34-3) against eighth-seeded Shaw (23-8).
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4. Carnegie Mellon claims Academic Bowl in OT
Chris Haas ran 35 times for 210 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown in overtime, as Carnegie Mellon topped No. 19 Case Western Reserve, 29-23, on Saturday. The victory, which counted as a Presidents’ Athletic Conference and University Athletic Conference game, gave the Tartans (5-4) the UAA title. On Case Western’s first possession of overtime, CMU’s Anthony Kennon intercepted a pass in the end zone, setting the stage for Haas’ touchdown. Karl Kumm had five catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Case Western finished the season 8-2.
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5. No. 8 IUP men nip No. 16 Virginia State
Malik Miller scored a career-high 24 points, and Jacobo Diaz added 20 points to help the Crimson Hawks prevail 69-67 on Saturday in the IRMC/Hilton Garden Inn Classic. IUP (2-0) trailed 43-36 early in the second half before going on a 17-2 run. Willem Brandwijk contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
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6. Cal (Pa.)’s Barrett goes off in season opener
Seairra Barrett (Central Valley) scored a career-high 41 points on 19-for-36 shooting to lift the Vulcans past West Liberty, 84-68, on Saturday. Barrett hadn’t played since March 13, 2017, because of an injury. She added seven rebounds and five steals. Cal then beat Charleston, 70-53, on Sunday behind 34 points from Barrett.
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7. Gannon’s Jones breaks record in final game
Marcus Jones ran for a career-best 410 yards — the most in school history — along with seven touchdowns in the Golden Knights’ 50-48 loss to Lock Haven on Saturday. The seven touchdowns are the most across all divisions this season and one short of tying the Division II record. His 410 yards were the third-highest in D-II history. Gannon finished the season 2-9 overall and 2-5 in the PSAC West.
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8. CMU cross country wins Mid-East regionals; W&J runner takes 1st
No. 7 Carnegie Mellon placed six runners in the top 35 en route to victory Saturday, clinching a spot in the NCAA championships. Aadi Mhatre took eighth, and Michael Obroin came in 10th. The individual winner was W&J’s Harley Moyer, who beat a field of 356 runners to help the Presidents place 10th as a team. The championships are Saturday in Winneconne, Wis. On the women’s side, Chatham’s Rebecca Pennington (Karns City) finished seventh among 341 runners to qualify for NCAAs. She’ll be joined by the Carnegie Mellon trio of Kathryn Reilly (ninth), Parvathi Meyyappan (11th) and Abigail Levine (14th), who helped the Tartans to third place at regionals.
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9. Grove City women’s soccer pulls upset in NCAAs before falling
Maggie Williams (Mars) scored in the 86th minute, lifting the Wolverines past No. 22 Chicago, 2-1, in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Saturday. Chicago lost in the national championship last season. Ruby Mattson also scored for Grove City, and goalie Columbia Harkrader made 13 saves. On Sunday, however, the Wolverines lost 1-0 to No. 4 Centre. Grove City (17-3-1) tied the program record for most wins in a season.
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10. Penn State men’s hockey sweeps RMU
Nikita Pavlychev scored two goals in each game, leading the No. 8 Nittany Lions past the Colonials by scores of 11-6 on Saturday and 7-2 on Friday. The 11-goal outburst was the highest single-game total in Penn State history and the most allowed in Robert Morris history. Kris Myllari contributed two goals and one assist for Penn State (8-1) on Saturday, and Cole Hults and Liam Folkes had a goal and two assists apiece. Robert Morris dropped to 3-6-1.
Jeff Vella is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at jvella@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JeffVella_Trib.
