Briefs
Sites set for teams
Defending Class A state champion West Greene plays Monessen for the WPIAL softball championship at noon, Thursday at Seton Hill University.
In Class 4A title game, Belle Vernon plays Elizabeth Forward at 2:15 p.m., Wednesday, also at Seton Hill.
In baseball, Ringgold plays South Fayette at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday at Wild Things Park. Canon-McMillan takes on North Allegheny in the Class 6A final, at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday at Wild Things Park.
Pony baseball
Josh Arnold drove in three runs to help Donora-Monessen defeat Bentworth 18-9 in the Mon Valley Pony League.
Jack Sacco came in after Bentworth scored 8 runs in the first and struck out 13 in 5 2/3 innings. He did not allow a hit. Jordan Mayer doubled for Donora-Monessen (2-3). Bentworth is 0-3.
Konate returning
to WVU
West Virginia men’s basketball team forward Sagaba Konate has withdrawn from the NBA draft and will return to school for the 2018-19 season.
West Virginia announced Konate’s intentions Thursday, May 24.
Konate entered the draft process last month but didn’t hire an agent. He had until May 30 to decide whether to return to school or remain in the draft.
Konate averaged 10.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocked shots per game as a sophomore. His 116 blocks were second all-time for a season in school history to D’or Fischer’s 124 in 2003-04.
West Virginia forward Esa Ahmad also withdrew his name from the draft earlier this month.
ECAC honors
W&J’s Johnson
Washington & Jefferson junior second baseman Rachel Johnson has earned Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Rookie of the Year honors after a strong season.
Also named to the All-ECAC Division III First Team, Johnson led W&J with a .492 batting average that ranked 14th in Division III as she tallied 61 hits in 124 at-bats. Of her 61 basehits, 22 went for extra bases, including 20 doubles, which was tied for ninth in the nation. Johnson stole 17 bases in 18 attempts this season, the most stolen bases in a single season since Amanda Howard stole 17 in 2008.
W&J’s Moyer
11th at nationals
Washington & Jefferson junior Harley Moyer competed in the 10,000-meter run at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships and placed 11th in the field.
Moyer ran to a time of 31:35:49 in the event after entering the day seeded 20th. It was the third time this season Moyer competed in the event with his time of 31:35.49 being his second fastest time after running to a time of 30:25.24 at the North Carolina State Raleigh Relays on March 30.
Cal’s Friend in final
California University of Pennsylvania senior Julie Friend (Markleysburg, Pa./Uniontown) nearly led her preliminary heat of the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Championships wire-to-wire before qualifying for the finals in the event on Thursday night.
Friend placed third overall in the preliminaries with a time of 10:27.43 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She raced out to the initial lead and stretched her lead to nearly 1.5 seconds in the opening 600 meters of the race. Friend stretched the lead to over 2.5 seconds at the 1,000-meter mark before the field trimmed the gap to nine-tenths of a second at the 1,800-meter mark.
Incognito taken
to mental hospital
Police took veteran NFL guard Richie Incognito to a mental hospital after he allegedly threw weights and tennis balls at gym employees and another patron and told officers the government is spying on him, according to a report released Thursday.
Boca Raton police say a patron at Life Time Athletic, Mark O’Brien, told officers James Brown and Dave Rosenthal he was jogging on the outdoor track when he saw Incognito acting angry.
O’Brien said he tried to calm Incognito, but as he walked away, the former Buffalo Bill threw a tennis ball at his foot, tried to run him over with a weighted pushing sled and then threw two weights – one into the pool and another at him, which missed.
He said Incognito, 34, then cursed at him, telling him to get out of his “playground.”