Notre Dame-Green Pond alumnus Lauray reaching the heights at Pitt
University of Pittsburgh’s Greg Lauray is the top seed in the high jump heading into the Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Track Championship starting Thursday in Clemson, S.C. And the senior from Nazareth and a Notre Dame-Green Pond graduate, earned the honor.
Lauray has competed in three meets this winter and has three victories, winning twice and being the top collegiate finisher in the third — the latter coming last weekend in the Virginia Tech Challenge in Blacksburg, Va. His height cleared was 7 feet, 1 ½ inches and that effort is what moved him to the top spot on the ACC leaderboard.
In his first two meets, he finished first (7 feet, ¼ inch) at the Doc Hale Virginia Tech Elite meet on Feb. 6 in Blacksburg and topped the field (7 feet, 1 inch) in the Tiger Paw Invite on Feb. 13 at Clemson.
Lauray finished second (7-feet, ¼ inch) at the ACC Indoor Championship last season after finishing first as a sophomore (7-feet-2 ¼ inches). And he was runner-up in the event (7-feet, 2 ¼ inches) outdoors last May. His careerbest (7-feet, 3 ¾ inches) came in the Mayo Invite last February in Notre Dame, Ind.
“Over the past season, it has been great to see the changes in Greg and how he has grown into the young man and athlete you see today,” Pitt assistant coach Alonzo Webb III said. “His biggest improvements have come in his mindset and preparation. For every practice and action has the intention to get better and be ready for the championship meet.”
The coach feels that Lauray has been a consistent performer this season.
“Being unbeaten brings confidence going into the end of the season,” Webb said. “He has had less opportunities to compete than we had planned, but I expect a big performance heading into the championship. I always say that consistency breeds breakthroughs and that is what he is setting up for.”
Mikey Labriola — Nebraska wrestling (Bethlehem Catholic): The junior wrapped up the regular season with a 20-5 major decision at 174 pounds as the No. 2-ranked Cornhuskers topped No. 11 Illinois 25-9 last Sunday in Champaign, Ill. It was the fourth major decision for Labriola, who is ranked No. 2 in the country in his weight class and is 8-0 in dual meets heading into the Big Ten Conference Championship on March 5-7 in State College. He is the top seed and finished fourth as a redshirt freshman and was sixth as a sophomore. Labriola competed in his first NCAA Championship in 2019 and finished sixth with a 4-3 record.
Morgan Scott — Alabama women’s swimming (Pennridge): The junior earned three gold medals at the Southeast Conference Championship last weekend in Athens, Ga., and all three victories came on school records. Scott captured the 100 freestyle in a time of 47.50 and swam legs on the winning 400 freestyle relay in 3:10.28 and the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:34.68. She also finished 10th in the 50 freestyle with a personal best time of 22.07. Her effort helped the Crimson Tide finish fourth in the team standings with 943 points, the team’s best finish since 2003.
Talitha Diggs — Florida women’s track (Saucon Valley): The freshman has kick-started her career with the Gators. She opened the season by finishing second in the 200 meter dash (23.14) and running a leg on the 4x400 relay (3:36.70) that finished second at the Carolina Challenge on Jan. 23 in Columbia, S.C. The team returned to Columbia for the South Carolina Invite and Diggs won the 400 meter dash (52.34) and helped the 4x400 relay finish second (3:35.91). At the Tyson Invitational on Feb. 13 in Fayetteville, Ark, she finished third in the 200 (22.94), third with the 4x400 (3:34.02) and stretched out to help the DMR finish fifth (11:09.82).
Sammy Sasso — Ohio State wrestling (Nazareth): The sophomore, ranked second in Division I at 149 pounds, will take an 9-0 dual meet record into the Big Ten Conference Championships on March 5-7 in State College. Sasso wrapped up the regular season with a 5-3 victory as the Buckeyes came out on the short end of a 28-12 decision against No. 3-ranked Penn State last Friday in Columbus. As a redshirt freshman, Sasso finished 24-3, was runner-up in the Big Ten tourney and seeded third in the NCAA Championship, which was canceled because of the pandemic.
Tyrese Martin — Connecticut men’s basketball (Allen): The 6-foot-6 junior guard continues to be a solid performer for the Huskies, 10-6 overall and 7-6 in the Big East Conference after a 68-60 league loss to Villanova last Saturday. Martin just missed a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds in the game. The versatile performer is second on the team in scoring (12.3), first in rebounding (7.6) and second in steals (19). He also has 17 assists and five blocked shots.
Mackenzie Roth — Temple women’s lacrosse (Parkland): The sophomore started the season in fine style for the Owls. She had a game-high four goals and two assists in a 17-10 victory over Delaware last Saturday in Newark, Del. She took just four shots in the game. In nine games last season, Roth had an assist. Freshman Camryn Zavacky (Saucon Valley) chipped in with a goal while senior Jen Rodzewich (Pennridge) and freshman Taylor Moncman (Southern Lehigh) also saw action for the Owls.
Andrew Cerniglia — Navy wrestling (Notre Dame-Green Pond): With a victory on the line, the freshman took a 14-3 major decision at 157 pounds in the final match of the day as the Midshipmen topped Army 20-13 in the annual Star match on Feb. 12 in West Point, N.Y. Cerniglia had not competed for two weeks due to an injury. It was Navy’s first victory over Army since 2016 and the first at West Point since 2013. He will take a 5-0 record into the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championship Friday in Manheim. He is seeded fourth.
Bryce Diehl — Lebanon Valley basketball (Emmaus): The 6-foot-5 sophomore is doing a solid job coming off the bench for the Dutchmen, who are 3-0 after a 68-61 victory over Delaware Valley last Friday in Annville. Diehl had five points, six rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocked shots in 21 minutes of action. He had 12 points and four rebounds playing 22 minutes in a 91-71 triumph over Messiah on Feb. 12. Diehl is averaging 7.7 points and 5.7 rebounds a game.
Zoe Sheridan — Rhode Island swimming (Parkland): The junior and fellow junior Grace Kennedy (Parkland) helped the Rams kick off their season with a 165-108 victory over rival Providence last Saturday in Kingston, R.I. Sheridan captured the 200 freestyle in 2:00.24 and the 100 IM in 1:03.62. Kennedy swam a leg on the winning 200 medley relay in 1:51.14, finished second in the 50 backstroke in 29.33 and was second in the 100 freestyle in 55.40. The team hosts another Rhode Island rival when they face Bryant this Saturday in Kingston.
Richie Markulics — Edinboro wrestling (Notre DameGreen Pond): The sophomore is listed at 125 pounds on the roster, but he has moved up a weight and has been competing at 133 pounds. In an all-day match against Appalachian State on Feb. 14 in Edinboro, Markulics wrestled three times and finished 3-0. He won his matches 10-5, 5-3 in two overtimes and 15-4 and is 4-2 on the season. Markulics posted a 2-8 record for the Fighting Scots as a freshman, both victories coming in matches against Kent State.