College notebook: Rush on Player of the Year Watch List
USA Softball has named Drexel senior shortstop Linda Rush to the 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List. The list includes 50 players from Division I programs across the nation.
Entering the spring season, Rush, a Canon-McMillan graduate and a member of the Big Macs’ 2013 state championship team, holds the Drexel records for career home runs (53), doubles (50), RBI (194), hits (212), runs (160) and batting average (.412).
Rush also holds many single-season individual records, including batting average (.423), runs (71), hits (80), doubles (19), home runs (22), RBI (80) and slugging percentage (.873).
Rush will be considered for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top-25 Finalists, which will be released April 21. Drexel has not yet released its 2021 schedule.
In basketball
Fairmont State senior guard Sierra Kotchman, a Washington native and Trinity graduate, had quite an impressive stretch of games last week when she averaged 28.3 points in a 2-1 week for the Falcons.
Kotchman began the week by scoring a game-high 28 points in a 100-60 thumping of Davis & Elkins on Monday, Jan. 25. Kotchman shot 10-for-16 from the field and 5-of-9 from three-point range. She also had six assists.
Two nights later, Kotchman helped Fairmont State rally from a 17-point deficit to defeat Concord, 90-85, in overtime. Kotchman again finished with 28 points. She scored 14 of her points either in the fourth quarter or overtime and was 10-for-10 from the free-throw line in the game as the Falcons made an amazing 35 of 38 free-throw attempts.
On Saturday, Kotchman scored 29 points in a 103-75 loss to Glenville State. She made 13 of 20 shots, including five of nine from three-point range, and had five rebounds and two steals.
Kotchman has scored at least 20 points in seven of eight games this season and has more than 1,800 career points. She is averaging 24.9 points per game, is shooting 36 percent from three-point range and has made all 31 of her free-throws attempts.
Fairmont State has a 3-5 record.
Youngstown State women’s team has won six of its last seven games and redshirt senior forward Mary Dunn has played a key role in the Penguins’ surge.
A Washington native and Trinity graduate, Dunn is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game, and is shooting 48 percent from the field and 78 percent from the free-throw line. She also averages 6.9 rebounds.
Dunn’s best game came Saturday in a 71-64 win at Robert Morris. She scored 17 of her game-high 25 points in the second half as Youngstown State rallied from 12 points down in the final 19 minutes. Dunn finished 8-of-16 from the field and 9-for-9 from the free-throw line, and she added 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season.
Youngstown State is 6-4, both overall and in the Horizon League.
The play of sophomore guard Makenna Marisa has helped Penn State inch closer to the .500 mark.
A McMurray native and Peters Township graduate, Marisa is second on the Nittany Lions in scoring, averaging 14.5 points per game. She also leads the team with 58 assists and is shooting 43 percent from the field, 31 percent from three-point range and has made 22 of 29 free throws.
Marisa has scored 20 or more points in two of Penn State’s last three games. She tallied 25 in an 85-76 loss to Minnesota and 24 in an 80-76 win at Illinois.
“Makenna, once she figures out that no one can guard her, she’s going to be very scary going downhill and hitting her pull-up,” said Penn State coach Carolyn Kieger.
Penn State is 6-7 overall and 3-6 in the Big Ten Conference.
In wrestling
Former PIAA champion Gerrit Nijenhuis has cracked the starting lineup as a freshman for Purdue.
Nijenhuis, who won two state titles at Canon-McMillan, is the Boilermakers’ starter at 165 pounds. He has a 3-1 record in dual meets. On Sunday, Nijenhuis suffered his first loss, a 7-3 decision to No. 15-ranked Andrew Sparks of Minnesota, but he also took a 5-0 decision over Andrew Clark of Rutgers that helped Purdue defeat the Scarlet Knights, 18-15.
Michael McAleavey of The Citadel is having a breakout senior season.
Wrestling at heavyweight, McAleavey has an 11-1 record that includes an 8-0 mark in dual meets. His lone loss was a 4-0 decision to 20th-ranked Quinn Miller of Virginia.
McAleavey has six pins on the season and has won four of his last five bouts by fall. McAleavey, a Peters Township graduate, has six pins on the season.
In soccer
Two former Westminster soccer players with local ties, Sarah Nee and Jamie Gross, were recently named to the Titans’ All-Decade (2010-19) teams.
A McMurray native and Peters Township graduate, Nee was selected as first team forward on the women’s team. Gross is a McDonald native and McGuffey graduate who was chosen as a second-team midfielder on the men’s team.
One of the best offensive players in the history of the program, Nee, who played from 2007 to 2010, is one of only three four-time All-PAC selections in the past decade. Nee earned All-PAC first team recognition in her final two seasons. A member of the PAC 60th Anniversary Team (2014), Nee led Westminster in goals and points in each of her final two seasons. Nee was named a NSCAA/Performance Subaru NCAA Division III All-Great Lakes Region third team selection as a senior. Nee finished second all-time in school history with 53 career goals, and her 128 career points rank third.
Nee’s career goals and career points are both tied for ninth-best in PAC history. She had 22 career assists. Nee netted a career-high in goals with 17 twice. As a senior, she ranked third in the PAC in goals per game (0.77) scoring 17 to go with six assists. Her team-best 40 total points that season ranked second in the conference. Nee made an immediate impact in her first year with the Titans as she was second on the team in goals (7), assists (7) and points (21) in addition to helping the Titans to the PAC championship and NCAA Division III tournament.
Gross, a three-year starter, was a two-time All-PAC selection and played 2008-11. During his senior year, Gross finished second on the team with a career-high 10 points on four goals and two assists. Gross provided a spark off the bench for the Titans’ 2008 PAC championship team that advanced to the NCAA tournament. In 2010, Gross was third on the team with three goals and seven points. He finished with 12 career goals and seven assists for 31 points.
Compiled by Chris Dugan