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Wednesday, May 28, 2003

By Phil Axelrod, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Slippery Rock pitcher Steve Norris, center fielder Joe Neidrick and second baseman Alan Reichl (Montour High School) have been named Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association third-team NCAA Division II All-Americans.

The previous time the Rock had three players on the All-America team was 1989, with Craig White, Kurt Scurpa and Matt Deinert.

The Rock set a school record for victories with a 48-13 record this season, was ranked No. 6 and reached the Division II World Series. Slippery Rock was eliminated in the double-elimination event with losses to Franklin Pierce, 2-1, and Grand Valley State, 9-8.

Norris finished 10-1 to tie the school record for wins in a season and had a 1.81 earned run average.

Neidrick set school season records with 91 hits and 66 runs scored. He hit .391 with 37 RBIs and led the team in stolen bases (25) and hit by pitches (16).

Reichl tied the school record for doubles (21) and hit .356 with team highs of nine home runs and 59 RBIs.

Division II track and field

Edinboro senior Aaron Rowe became a two-time All-American by finishing second in the 10,000-meters and third in the 5,000-meters at the NCAA Division II men's and women's track and field championships at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in Edwardsville, Ill.

Edinboro's Cassandra Leopold was fifth in the javelin and Kelly Richards was seventh in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

The top eight finishers in each event earn All-American honors.

Seven other athletes from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference were All-Americans:

IUP junior Becky Bullard won the 800 meters in the final event of the competition to vault from 13th to seventh place in the women's heptathalon. She broke her own school record with 4,900 points that included personal bests in the 100-meter hurdles (15.49 seconds) and 200 meters (26.45).

IUP's Mindy Sawtelle, a 30-year-old freshman, was fourth in the 10,000-meters.

Slippery Rock's Linsey Westerman, a senior from Freeport High School, became a two-time All-American with a fifth in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles.

Slippery Rock's Karyn McCready was third in the javelin to earn All-America honors for the second consecutive year.

Slippery Rock's Tony Carr, a freshman from Woodland Hills, was eighth in the javelin.

Clarion's Julie Evenoski (Neshannock High School) was eighth in the javelin.

Clarion's Melissa Terwilliger was fifth in the 10,000-meter run.

Division III track and field

Grove City junior Rory Phillips was seventh in the javelin at the NCAA Division III championships at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y.

From tee to green

Clarion sophomore Matt Guyton birdied the final three holes to finish in a seventh-place tie at the NCAA Division II golf championships at Crosswater Golf Club in Sunriver, Ore. Guyton had rounds of 72, 73, 71 and 72 for a par 288 to earn first-team All-American honors. Clarion's previous first-team All-America was Joe Boros (current pro at Treesdale) in 1983.

Guyton, the PSAC Player of the Year, was the medalist at the Division II East regional.

Gannon freshman Dave Patronik tied for 44th at the NCAA Division II championships with an 11-over 299. He was 13th after opening with a 72, then added rounds of 77, 75 and 75.

Shippensburg's No. 1

Shippensburg won the men's track, baseball and softball championships this spring to earn enough points to capture the 2002-03 Dixon Trophy as the PSAC's most successful combination of men's and women's programs. IUP was second. Shippensburg became the trophy's first three-time winner. The Red Raiders also won it in 1997-98 and 1998-99.

CCAC-South hires Dunmire

CCAC-South hired longtime Steel Valley High School Coach Rick Dunmire to coach the men's basketball team that competes in National Junior College Athletic Association Division II.

Dunmire, coach of the boys' team at Steel Valley the past 16 years, takes over for Lance Maha, who returned to his previous coaching job at West Mifflin High School after taking the job at CCAC-South at the end of the regular season. Maha had replaced Rod Brookin, who was fired for violating school policy.

The honor roll

Gannon senior attacker Carrie DiBasio and Mercyhurst senior attacker Jennifer Meyers were named to the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association/U.S. Lacrosse All-American second team. DiBasio is a four-time All-American.

Mercyhurst men's lacrosse coach Chris Ryan was named Division II coach of the year by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association.

Mercyhurst finished 11-3, its best season in the seven-year history of the program, and reached the Division II final four.