Pine-Richland grad Doctor earns volleyball honors
Pine-Richland grad and freshman Kaili Doctor was named the Colonial Athletic Association Freshman of the Week for North Carolina A&T women’s volleyball last week.
Doctor contributed 13 kills and recorded just one attacking error, posting a .500 hitting percentage to help North Carolina A&T to a 2-0 weekend.
On Sept. 23, Doctor tallied seven kills without an error, hitting .500, and finished second on the team in kills.
She followed the performance with six kills and one block, hitting .500 for the second straight match and third time this season.
“Kaili is having more confidence, and it’s starting to show,” North Carolina A&T coach Hal Clifton said in a release.
Steel Valley grad earns soccer honors
Sophomore midfielder Kelsey Salopek, a Steel Valley grad, was named the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Week for Kent State women’s soccer last week.
Salopek was instrumental in the Golden Flashes’ 2-0 start to conference play, playing 171 minutes on defense.
She was instrumental in Kent State’s shutout win against Ohio on Sept. 21, not allowing a shot on goal until the 86th minute. On Sunday, Salopek came through in the clutch and netted the gamewinner in the rivalry match against Akron, scoring from nearly 30 yards out to give the Flashes the 2-1 edge in the 88th minute. Salopek also played the full 90 minutes against the Zips.
Freedom Area grad earns cross country honors
After his performance at the Covered Bridge Open on Sept. 15, UNC Asheville men’s cross country junior Adam Hessler ( Freedom Area) was named the Big South men’s Runner of the Week.
Hessler finished second out of 129 runners at that meet. He recorded a personal-best time of 24:20.84 in the 8,000-meter race. It was the second-fastest 8K time in program history, and he led the Bulldogs to a third-place finish. This is Hessler’s second weekly award of his career, earning his first weekly honor last season (Oct. 19, 2022).
Canon-McMillian grad named to honor roll
Canon-McMillian grad Katie Weston was named to the Patriot League women’s volleyball honor roll earlier last week. The Lafayette senior libero recorded a season-high 27 digs in the 3-1 rivalry win against Lehigh on Sunday. She added 19 digs in a four-set loss against Bucknell.
North Huntingdon native announces transfer
Former Bowling Green hockey forward Austen Swankler, a North Huntingdon native and former Norwin student, announced his
commitment to Michigan Tech on Sept. 25, a week after it was revealed he had entered the transfer portal.
Earlier that week, Swankler revealed on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he entered the portal.
Last season, Swankler led the Falcons with 19 goals, 25 assists and 44 points. He paced the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) in assists and points, earned first-team All-CCHA honors and was named a Hobey Baker Memorial Award nominee.