College notebook: Krutko to join WVU Sports Hall of Fame
Larry Krutko was one of the best two-way football players to come out of Greene County and helped Cumberland Township (now Carmichaels) High School to the 1952 WPIAL Class A championship.
Krutko went on to a successful stint at West Virginia University and was the 20th pick in the 1958 NFL draft. He played three seasons in the NFL.
Krutko was recently selected as a member of the 28th class of honorees in the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame. Inductions will be held this fall.
One of the best fullbacks in Mountaineer football history, Krutko played at WVU from 1955-57 for coach Art “Pappy” Lewis. Krutko finished his three-year career with 297 carries for 1,407 yards, leading WVU in rushing yards in 1956 and 1957 and also playing linebacker on defense. Krutko currently ranks sixth in career rushing yards by a WVU fullback. He helped lead the Mountaineers to two Southern Conference championships and was named to the WVU All-Time Team for 1950-59.
As a sophomore in 1955, Krutko helped the Mountaineers to an 8-2 record with a No. 17 UPI ranking and No. 19 AP ranking. He rushed for 420 yards, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. WVU was No. 6 nationally in rushing yards per game and No. 2 in total offense that season.
In 1956, Krutko earned All-Southern Conference first team honors and led the Mountaineers in rushing with 584 yards. He scored four touchdowns, including the winning TD in WVU’s 7-6 victory at Texas. Krutko also played on West Virginia teams that defeated Penn State three consecutive years.
As a senior in 1957, Krutko helped the Mountaineers to a 7-2-1 record while leading the Mountaineers’ rushing attack with 403 yards and a team-high five touchdowns. The Mountaineers finished the season ranked No. 17 nationally in rushing, averaging 233.9 yards per game.
Krutko played in the Blue-Gray Game in 1957, and the Senior Bowl and College All-Star Game in 1958. He helped lead the Mountaineers to two Southern Conference championships and is a member of the WVU All-Time Team from 1950-59.
In the 1957 NFL draft, Krutko was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round. The Steelers did not have a pick in the first round. He played with Pittsburgh for three seasons, appearing in 25 games. He rushed for 331 yards and scored four touchdowns. He also caught 14 passes. An ankle injury ended his pro career.
Krutko resides in Waynesburg with his wife Betty. They own and operate a wholesale grocery business in Mount Morris with children Mary, Larry Jr., John and Andy.
In softball
California University senior third baseman Carlee Wickstrom, a Peters Township graduate, was named to the PSAC West Division first team.
In her first year with the Cal, Wickstrom led the Vulcans with five homers, 28 RBI and a .509 slugging percentage. She also had a .302 batting average and .458 on-base percentage. Wickstrom started all 37 games this spring for Cal after playing three seasons at Seton Hill. Wickstrom had 10 multi-hit games and proved to be a run-producer, batting .340 with runners in scoring position.
- Linda Rush
- , a sophomore shortop at Drexel and a Canon-McMillan graduate, was named second team All-Colonial Athletic Association.
Rush, a two-time all-league award winner, was second in most offensive categories for Drexel. She finished the season with a .388 batting average, 15 doubles, 13 home runs, 55 RBI and a .727 slugging percentage. She also recorded her 100th career hit this spring in a doubleheader sweep of La Salle and hit two home runs, including a game-winning grand slam, in a comeback against Bethune-Cookman.
Rush holds the Drexel single-season records for batting average (.414), slugging percentage (.850) and broke the record this year for runs with 45.
- Morgan Riley
- , a sophomore first baseman from Charleroi, had a big season for Mount Union. Riley was the third-leading hitter for the Purple Raiders with a .342 batting average, led the team with seven home runs and 30 RBI, and was second with 11 doubles. Riley struck out only eight times in 126 plate appearances.
- Aubree Yates
- and
- Casey Hite
- , two Bentworth graduates, played big roles for Penn State-Fayette and helped the Roaring Lions win the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference’s West Division title.
Yates, a sophomore center fielder from Eighty Four, was named second team all-conference after batting a team-high .424 with five triples, seven doubles and stealing 27 bases in 28 attempts.
Hite, a pitcher and third baseman from Bentleyville, batted .344 with a team-high 15 doubles and two home runs. She also led the team with 21 walks. In the circle, Hite had a 6-6 record and 2.98 ERA.
Penn State-Fayette had a 22-15 record that included a 15-5 mark in conference play.
In lacrosse
Gina Vilsack, a Peters Township graduate, ended her collegiate career as the all-time leader in goals at John Carroll University.
Vilsack scored 240 goals and this spring led the Ohio Athletic Conference in goals for the second straight year with 79. She also finished third in the conference in points with 110. Vilsack finished in the top 10 of NCAA Division III in goals and points.
During her career, Vilsack earned All-OAC honors all four years, was named the OAC Offensive Player of the Week four times and was named to the IWLCA All Great Lakes Region second team in 2017 and 2018. Vilsack earned her Bachelors of Arts Degree with a major in Sports Studies and a minor in Communications.
In golf
California sophomore Nathan Bazant, a Washington native and Trinity graduate, was named All-PSAC second team.
Bazant ranked second on the Vulcans in scoring average at 76.8 strokes per round. He closed the year with four top-10 finishes while playing in nine events. Bazant opened the fall with a career-best 69 in the first round of the Glade Springs Intercollegiate and tied for 10th overall at the league championships in October.
In baseball
Otterbein senior pitcher Steve Yuran, a Peters Township graduate and Venetia native, was named second team All-Ohio Athletic Conference.
Yuran led the Cardinals in ERA (2.47) and innings (62) to go with a 3-3 record. Opponents batted only .239 against the lefty as he started games against NCAA Division III tournament qualifiers Babson, Keystone and Marietta along with other strong competition. Highlighting his spring was a complete-game shutout against Keystone in a game played in Florida, where he allowed only four hits and struck out 11.
- Penn State Behrend’s
- Justin Foreman
- and
- David Boehme
- each were named to the All-Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference second team.
Boehme, a Venetia native and Seton-La Salle graduate, was first in the conference in RBI with 60, which also was ranked ninth in NCAA Division III. He has had 18 multiple-hits games, and led Behrend with his 13 multiple RBI games. In a conference tournament victory over Penn State Altoona, Boehme notched his 150th career RBI. He paced the Lions in RBI (60), doubles (25), and was tied for second with six home runs. He hit four home runs that led the Lions to an AMCC doubleheader sweep against Medaille.
Boehme also was a valuable pitcher and he had three saves.
Foreman, a South Fayette graduate and a third baseman for Behrend, had the third-best slugging percentage on the squad, hitting at a .571 clip and ranked fifth in the AMCC, with seven home runs. Foreman ended his junior season with 43 hits, 36 RBI, 12 doubles and held a .323 batting average.