Mercyhurst will open its first season as an NCAA Division I football program Thursday at Wheeling.

The Lakers are not short on local talent.

Eight players from Westmoreland County will suit up in green and white for the team’s D-I debut season.

Several are part of the Lakers’ deep linebacker room.

Locals include grad students Dillon Ferretti (Hempfield), a linebacker, and offensive lineman Aaron Bowen (Norwin); senior tight end Russell Pytlak (Yough); senior defensive lineman Max Malis (Derry); senior linebacker Jonas King (Mt. Pleasant); junior linebacker Danny Dlugos (Greensburg Central Catholic); sophomore linebacker Eli Binakonsky (Hempfield); freshman linebacker Peyton Molter (Jeannette); freshman defensive back Brennan Moore (Kiski Area); and freshman wide receiver Isaiah Gonzalez (Kiski Area).

Ferretti played in nine games last season and made 34 tackles, with a sack and two pass breakups.

Malis saw time in 10 games and had 14 stops.

King, Pytlak and Binakonsky are looking for increased time after playing in a half-dozen games.

Women’s soccer

Coastal Carolina: Freshman goalkeeper Aris Lamanna (Franklin Regional) saw the first action of her college career as the Chanticleers lost to Auburn, 3-0.

Lamanna, the 2023 TribLive Westmoreland Player of the Year, played 45 minutes in net, collecting four saves while allowing one goal in relief of senior Vivienne Carr.

James Madison: Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Sofia DeCerb (Latrobe) made six saves as JMU tied La Salle, 3-3, to move to 1-1-1 on the season.

Pitt-Greensburg: Junior forward Maya Wertelet was named the preseason offensive player of the year in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.

Wertelet led the conference in goals (19) and points (40) last season.

UPG was voted as the second-best team by AMCC coaches behind Penn State Behrend.

The Bobcats, who shared the conference title last year, return five all-conference performers. They are seeking a fifth straight trip to the AMCC championship.

The season opens Friday at home against Lycoming.

Robert Morris: Junior forward Paloma Swankler (Norwin) scored her second goal of the season as the Colonials tied Southern Indiana, 2-2.

Tennis

Pitt-Greensburg: Josiah Fernczy was promoted as the head coach of the men’s and women’s teams. He was an assistant for the past three years.

UPG has won AMCC regular-season and playoff titles the past three seasons, with accompanying trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament each time.

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