Westmoreland County campus clippings: Norwin grad makes Pan Am wrestling team
Norwin alum Kurtis Phipps qualified to wrestle in the U23 Pan American Championships on June 21-22 in Rionegro, Colombia.
The Bucknell senior qualified in Geneva, Ohio, by reaching the 61kg finals of the U23 Freestyle Nationals.
Phipps went 5-0 and advanced to the best-of-three finals before losing twice to Ohio State’s Nic Bouzakis.
He defeated Iowa’s Drake Ayala, the NCAA runner-up at 125 pounds, and Penn State All-American Aaron Nagao (injury default).
Softball
Robert Morris: Bailee Bertani (Norwin) is leaving the program with two years of eligibility remaining. Bertani, a redshirt sophomore catcher, has played in 52 career games. She has 10 hits (all in 2022) with 15 runs and seven RBIs.
Baseball
Cal (Pa.): Sophomore relief pitcher Jake Kramer (Hempfield) was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-Region First Team. A closer, Kramer broke a 41-year-old record with 10 saves this season. He was 4-1 in 302⁄3 innings. He has 16 career saves for the Vulcans. Kramer is Cal’s first all-region first-team reliever since Randy Sturgill in 2010.
IUP: Sophomore Elijah Dunn (Norwin) went 2 for 4 with a two-run homer and two-run double to lead the Crimson Hawks past Angelo State, 10-8, in the NCAA Division II World Series in Cary, N.C. It was the third straight elimination game won by the Crimson Hawks, who moved to 41-17. IUP made the World Series for the first time.
Women’s track & field
Seton Hill: Grad student Natasha Bernett was named the United States Track and Field & Cross Country Coaches Association Atlantic Region Athlete of the Year, and the Griffins’ Jamal Johnson was tabbed the region’s coach of the year.
Bernett had an All-American season as she took fourth in the heptathlon and 100-meter hurdles at the NCAA Division II Championships. Both are all-time marks in the PSAC. A PSAC champion in three events, she was an All-Atlantic Region competitor in the 100-meter hurdles, 400 hurdles and heptathlon.
Johnson guided the Griffins to a fourth-place finish at the PSAC Championships.
Women’s golf
Westmoreland County Community College: Sophomore Kylie Kadas finished 15th at the NJCAA National Championships to earn All-America recognition.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
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