Jeff Vella

MacKenzie Leeder isn’t acting her age. And that’s a great thing for the Duquesne women’s soccer team. Leeder, a freshman defender from Mt. Pleasant, has started four of five games for the Dukes (2-2-1) and has played all 90 minutes in the past two matches. “She’s earned every minute she’s

Declan O’Brien is hungry for more. The Norwin graduate has emerged as one of Allegheny’s top receivers as a sophomore, and he credited some of his success to a bulkier frame. After being listed at 138 pounds as a high school junior, he entered college at 150. Now, he said

Declan O’Brien is hungry for more. The Norwin graduate has emerged as one of Allegheny’s top receivers as a sophomore, and he credited some of his success to a bulkier frame. After being listed at 138 pounds as a high school junior, he entered college at 150. Now, he said

Dominating intramurals at Clarion wasn’t enough for Kaison Branch. So when the opportunity to walk on to the basketball team presented itself, the Highlands graduate took it. Three years later, the player nicknamed “Sensei Kaison” is starting at point guard. “It’s like having a coach on the court every time

Sam Wexell probably seemed machine-like to opponents in high school, as she recorded 53 shutouts at Norwin and led the Knights to the 2017 state soccer title. But upon arriving at Division I Ohio University in 2018, she became, well, human. She suffered a concussion during the first week of

Not too many kids grow up wanting to be triple jumpers. But when Kiski Area graduate Jalen Cloud got a taste of the event as an eighth grader, he was hooked. “I like the fact that a lot of people can’t do it, that it’s an unorthodox movement,” said Cloud,

Penn-Trafford graduate Mackenzie Powell didn’t want to choose between basketball and soccer when she was looking at colleges. So she found a school where she could play both, and Powell is making an impact as a two-sport athlete during her freshman year at Division III Westminster. “I lo…

Katie Nolan and her Seton Hill women’s basketball teammates are not fans of the 60s. And it has nothing to do with bell-bottoms or hippies. The Griffins’ goal is to hold every opponent below 60 points, and that defensive focus has played a major role during their rise to the

Latrobe basketball practices were flush with elite talent during the late 2010s. Those Wildcats teams produced future Division I players Austin Butler (Holy Cross, Charlotte) and Reed Fenton (Lehigh). Sean Graytok averaged 19.9 points as a senior in 2015-16 and went on to play at Coast Guard. And Bryce Butler,

Ashleigh Schmidt could have returned to Penn State Behrend next season, taking advantage of the NCAA allowing athletes an extra year of eligibility because of the covid pandemic. But the Freeport graduate has a job waiting for her as a nurse at Children’s Hospital. Plus, it’d be hard to top