Three from the WPIAL land in SEC
Verbal commits will compete in women’s soccer
It is not often that one WPIAL girls soccer player commits to a college team in the Southeastern Conference. It is unheard of for three WPIAL players to choose SEC schools.
But that’s exactly what has happened in soccer recruitingsince August. Three WPIAL players — two seniors and one junior — recently made verbal commitments to SEC schools.
• Avonworth junior Fiona Mahan committed to the University of Alabama two weeks ago.
• North Allegheny senior Abigail Stager committed to Kentucky in August.
• Shaler senior Alexis Tylenda also committed to Kentucky in August.
To show how unusual it is for three WPIAL players to choose SEC schools in the matter of a month, consider that the current 14 SEC schools that have women’s soccer have a total of three players from the state of Pennsylvania on their rosters this year. Only one player is from the WPIAL — Gianna Kass, a freshman from Pine-Richland who plays at Kentucky.
And how’s this for a triangle of SEC-type talent? The threehigh schools of Mahan, Stager and Tylenda are no more than nine miles apart.
Maybe Kentucky landing Tylenda and Stager shouldn’t be a complete surprise because the Wildcats do have the one WPIAL player already. In Stager, Kentucky gets one of the leading goal scorers in the WPIAL who has 19 in the first 10 games.
Mahan, meanwhile, said playing in the Elite Clubs National League this summer and other national events helped her get noticed by college teams from Power Five conferences. Alabama made the NCAA Final Four last season.
“I think everybody knows about Alabama,” Mahan said. “Coaches were allowed to start contacting June 15, and that’s when I started talking to Alabama.”
Mahan made a visit to Alabama this summer.
“Itwas amazing,” she said. “Just the program coach [Wes Hart] has built there, his approach to the game and the way the team bonds meant a lot. He understands me as a player, and my style fits in how they play.”
Hayes decision Monday
In early August, Aliquippa star junior running back Tikey Hayes told the Post-Gazette he would narrow down his college list some time during the season and then make a decision after the season. He was one for two on those pledges.
Hayes, ranked the No. 20 junior running back in the country by Rivals.com, did narrow his list of colleges to eight on Sept. 5. But then he put on his Twitter page Tuesday that he will announce his decision at Aliquippa on Mondayafternoon.
His eight finalists are Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Ohio State, Michigan, Maryland and Michigan State. With Hayes deciding to make his choice this early in his junior year, it’s hard to believe his choice won’t be a local school, Pitt or Penn State.
WVU offers Latrobe LB
It has been 20 years since Latrobe had a football player sign with a Power Five college. It looks like Alex Tatsch might end the drought.
Tatsch, a 6-foot-3, 211pound junior linebacker, was offered a scholarship by WestVirginia last week. The last Latrobe player to go to a Power Five school was linebacker Tyler Altman, who signed with Indiana of the Big Ten in 2003.
Steele to BG
West Mifflin offensive lineman Rico Steele (6-foot-4, 300 pounds) committed to Bowling Green. Steele is the son of West Mifflin coach Rod Steele and is the second WPIAL senior to commit to Bowling Green. The other is Gateway defensive back Steven Jenkins.
Elsewhere in football recruiting, Penn Hills lineman Kelsey Hundley (6-foot-4, 265 pounds) committed to Richmond.
Murray to Kent State
Hampton’s Meghan Murray, one of the top senior point guards in WPIAL girls basketball, will play in college in the Mid-American Conference. Murray committed to Kent State earlier this week. Murray was an all-section pick the past two seasons and made the PostGazette all-WPIAL Class 5A team last season after averaging 20.1 points per game.