AK Valley campus clippings: Fox Chapel's Borkovich earns award for SRU softball

Slippery Rock sophomore pitcher Mackenzie Borkovich, a Fox Chapel graduate, was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday for her work against Shippensburg and Shepherd in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference doubleheaders over the previous two days.

She was in the circle as a reliever for 11 2/3 innings over Slippery Rock’s four games and produced a 0.00 ERA.

She threw 80 of her 190 total pitches in the second game against Shippensburg on Sunday.

She worked 4 1/3 innings and surrendered two hits and no earned runs with a pair of strikeouts to help SRU rally for a 9-6 extra-inning victory over the Raiders.

Borkovich has given up just one earned run in 16 1/3 innings (0.43 ERA) and has struck out 13 over her six total relief appearances this season.

Softball

Gannon: Katie Armstrong (Burrell) won her first collegiate start Feb. 16 in the Golden Knights’ 3-2 win over Tiffin as part of the Music City Festival in Smyrna, Tenn. Armstrong teamed with battery mate, Armstrong graduate and Gannon freshman Bella Atherton to help rally her team past the Dragons. She scattered eight hits and struck out 11 with no walks in the complete-game victory.

Westminster: Leah Taliani (Valley) drew a walk and doubled in her first collegiate start as the Lady Titans edged Gordon College, 2-1, in Game 2 of a doubleheader Tuesday in Clermont, Fla. The freshman outfielder walked again and scored a run in her second start, an 8-5 win over Emmanuel on Thursday.

Men’s wrestling

Thiel: Jared Curcio (Kiski Area) defended his 184-pound Presidents’ Athletic Conference title Feb. 16 at Washington & Jefferson with a sudden victory takedown (4-1) over Waynesburg’s Jessie Orbin in the championship match. Curcio reached the finals by defeating W&J’s Jaden Fields, 12-7, in the semifinals.

Seton Hill: Niko Ferra (Burrell) went 2-3 and placed sixth overall at 149 pounds March 2 at the NCAA Division II Super Regional at Kutztown. Ferra, a freshman, won by decision in the championship first round and in the consolation semifinals. Ferra wrapped up his season 14-20 overall.

Baseball

Chatham: Angelo DeLeonardis (Knoch) singled twice and caught five Cougars pitchers in a 5-3 victory over Thomas College on Thursday in Davenport, Fla. On March 3, he singled, drove in a run, stole a base and scored twice in Chatham’s 4-2 win over Russell Sage in the first game of a doubleheader. In Game 2, DeLeonardis singled and stole another base. In seven games this season, he is batting .304 (7 for 23) with a double, four RBI and five runs scored.

Clarion: Logan Schlegel (Plum) tossed 2 1/3 innings of one-run relief in a 9-1 loss to Goldey-Beacom in nonconference play Feb. 25 in Cary, N.C. He came on in the second and surrendered three hits and the one earned run while striking out one and walking one.

Women’s wrestling

Lock Haven: Bella DeVito (Kiski Area) placed fifth in the 130-pound bracket with a 4-2 record at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships (NCWWC) Region I Tournament on Feb. 24 at Lock Haven. The Eagles freshman maintained her No. 5 seed and scored three pins and a decision among her four victories. DeVito lost a close championship quarterfinal bout 4-3 to send her to the consolation bracket. She finished her first season with Lock Haven 12-9 overall with seven pins and a technical fall.

Women’s swimming

Edinboro: Alexis Schrecongost (Freeport) competed at the PSAC swimming championships for the first time Feb. 14-17 in Carlisle, and she picked up four top-eight finishes. On Day 2, the transfer from Toledo helped the 400-yard freestyle relay take eighth in a time of 3 minutes, 56.59 seconds. The next day, Schrecongost swam with the 200 medley relay that took fifth (1:46.65) and earned eighth in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.81). On the meet’s final day, she helped the 400 free relay place fifth (3:32.03).

IUP: Rachel Blackburn (Highlands) placed 10th overall in the 100 breaststroke at the PSAC championships Feb. 16. She qualified for the B final and touched the wall second in the heat with a time of 1:05.46, more than a second faster than her preliminary time of 1:06.82.

Men’s indoor track

Westminster: Jake Mull (Apollo-Ridge) placed eighth in the men’s long jump with a top leap of 20 feet, 5 3/4 inches (6.2 meters) at the PAC Championships on Feb. 22 in Youngstown, Ohio. Two days earlier, the Titans freshman earned PAC Newcomer of the Week recognition after taking fifth in the long jump with a career-best 20-6.25 (6.25) at the University of Akron’s Al Campbell Invitational. He also added a ninth in the prelims of the 60-meter hurdles (9.21).

Women’s indoor track

Duquesne: Angela Valotta (Plum), a senior, helped the Dukes women’s 3,200-meter relay team place sixth at the Atlantic 10 Championships on Feb. 24. The team ran to a time of 9:08.70 to earn three points toward the Duquesne women’s fifth-place team finish.