A-K Valley Campus Clips: Freeport grad named volleyball All-American as freshman

Freeport graduate Josie Russo enjoyed a stellar high school volleyball career with all-state honors while leading the powerful Yellowjackets to PIAA gold.

She made the transition to the college game this fall at Butler County Community College, and her production didn’t wane.

Russo was one of just four freshmen from the 87 schools in Division III of the National Junior College Athletic Association to earn first-team All-American honors.

The middle hitter helped BCCC record its second undefeated regular season since 2021 with a 21-0 mark and reach the national tournament for the fourth time in program history.

The Pioneers went 4-2 in postseason play, which concluded with four games at nationals. They began the postseason Oct. 26 with a 3-0 victory over the Community College of Allegheny County in the Region 20 championship game.

BCCC, the No. 6 seed, traveled to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the national tournament. Despite a loss in the first round, the Pioneers bounced back to defeat Monroe University (3-0) and Bunker Hill Community College (3-0).

A 3-1 win over Rochester Community and Technical College wrapped up ninth place overall.

Russo had a standout first month of the season delivering kills and blocks as the Pioneers finished 15-0 in September. For her efforts, she was selected September’s NJCAA Region 20 Division III Player of the Month.

In 79 sets over 24 matches played, Russo delivered a team-best 235 kills – 2.97 per set – with 453 total attacks. Her .444 hitting percentage also was tops on the team.

Women’s basketball

Grove City: Reese Hasley (Deer Lakes) again is making her mark for the Wolverines. The junior guard, who comes off the bench and averages 22.8 minutes a game, is third on the team in scoring at 8.5 points while also contributing 3.1 assists. She has reached double figures in points four times this season with a season-best 21 against Waynesburg as part of a three-game stretch in mid-November in which she averaged 14.3 points. She was selected the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 25.

Shippensburg: Freshman forward Abbie Johns (Kiski Area) is averaging 3.7 points and 14 minutes through nine contests. She made her collegiate debut against Fayetteville State on Nov. 8 and scored 14 points. She tallied seven points in a season-best 23 minutes in Shippensburg’s 74-59 victory over Pitt-Johnstown on Dec. 6.

Frostburg State: Freshman forward Julie Spinelli (St. Joseph) scored a season-best 19 points to lift the Bobcats to a 72-64 victory over District of Columbia on Monday. She was 7 of 17 from the field and hit 4 of 8 from 3-point range to go along with eight rebounds and two assists. Spinelli, who has started all 12 games, is second on the team in scoring at 9.9 points a game and is averaging 5.6 rebounds.

Penn State-Behrend: Maddie Boyer (Knoch) is third on the Lions in scoring at 11.0 points through 10 games, all starts. She is shooting 41% from the field and 80.8% (21 of 26) from the free-throw line while also averaging 5.9 rebounds. She hit for a season-best 18 points in a tough loss to Chatham on Nov. 16 and has reached double figures six times.

Wrestling

Gannon: Eli Reese (Knoch) has emerged as a starter and is 2-2. He suffered a pair of tough decision losses over the weekend at the Midwest Classic in Indianapolis. But he had a stellar performance with a 10-2 major decision win in Gannon’s 42-5 triumph over Shippensburg on Dec. 8. Reese also rolled to an 11-1 major triumph Nov. 23 in a 23-17 win over Lake Erie College. Reese owns an all-time collegiate record of 36-19.

Women’s soccer

Gannon: Jamie Seneca (Plum) helped the Knights reach the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional championship game against No. 1 Shepherd (W.Va.) on Dec. 1. Despite the season-ending 1-0 loss, Gannon finished 16-2-4 overall and 10-0-4 in PSAC regular-season play. Seneca started all 22 games in the midfield and scored two goals and added two assists. Both goals came in the postseason. The first was the lone goal in a 2-1 loss to Kutztown in the PSAC quarterfinals Nov. 15 and the second in a 4-1 triumph over Frostburg State in the NCAA Tournament first round.

Grove City: Karly Keller (Kiski Area) was named to the United Soccer Coaches Association All-Region VII fourth team in a vote of the region’s head coaches. The junior defender, a three-year starter at outside back, started all 20 matches and formed a solid core that gave up just 36 goals in 20 games (1.80 average) and led Grove City to a 13-4-3 overall record, a PAC championship and a trip to the NCAA Division III tournament.

Women’s wrestling

Lock Haven: Bella DeVito (Kiski Area) is 8-7 at 131 pounds through 15 matches of her sophomore season. DeVito is 4-3 in dual matches. Of her eight wins, seven have been by pin. The other is a technical fall. She went 4-2 in Lock Haven’s six matches at the Warrior Duals on Nov. 23 at East Stroudsburg. DeVito owns a career mark of 20-16.