College notebook: Local duo led Westminster golf to nationals
The Westminster College men’s golf team had one of its best seasons ever as the Titans advanced all the way to the NCAA Division III Team Championships.
Two key members of the team are Washington County natives, Michael Bell and Brendan Shaughnessy. Bell is a junior and a Peters Township graduate. Shaughnessy is a Canonsburg resident and a Bishop Canevin graduate.
Bell shot a four-day total of 299 at nationals and tied for 29th place overall. He had the low round for any Westminster player, shooting 69 on the second day of the event. Shaughnessy, who is a graduate transfer from Saint Vincent, was two shots behind his teammate at 301 and tied for 34th place.
Westminster finished ninth out of 37 teams at the national championships that were held over a four-day period in Wheeling, W.Va., on the Speidel Jones Course.
The Titans won the Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship for the first time in 16 years. The PAC tournament also was held on the Speidel Jones Course. Westminster shot 599 over the two days, besting runner-up Washington & Jefferson by 22 shots.
Bell was the PAC individual runner-up for the second consecutive season as he shot 148 (69, 79). Shaughnessy finished in third place by shooting 149 (79, 70) and became a four-time All-PAC honoree.
In baseball
Jax Banco, a 2020 Trinity graduate, was the top selection for the Florida Collegiate Summer League Division II all-star team. He will be representing his summer team, the DeLand Hammers, at the all-star game that will be played today at Stetson University in DeLand. Going into the all-star break, Banco is second overall in the league with a .579 batting average and leads the league in RBI with 10.
Banco is a rising sophomore and a catcher at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. He is majoring in Aeronautical Science/Professional Flight.
Banco is still considered to have freshman athletic eligibility because Embry-Riddle did not play its 2021 season because of COVID-19 restrictions. He also was one of four senior baseball players at Trinity who lost their senior seasons when spring sports were canceled because of the pandemic.
Banco is the son of Steve and Wendy (Malisky) Banco.
Tristen Tinney, a senior lefthanded pitcher at La Roche, was named to the All-Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference second team.
A South Fayette graduate, Tinney had a 5-1 record in seven starts. He allowed 30 hits in 39 2/3 innings and struck out 48. He walked only 15 batters.
Tinney had a 9-4 career record at La Roche.
In golf
Rider men’s golf graduate student Nathan Bazant, a Trinity graduate, had a successful spring season highlighted by his individual title in the Wildcat Spring Shootout that was hosted by Villanova University and held at Radnor Valley Country Club.
Bazant shot one-under 69 to win the title. The 69 Bazant shot in the opening round was followed by a 70 as he finished one-under for both the round and the tournament, a stroke better than Temple’s Conor McGrath and Jack Simon of St. John’s. As a team, the Broncs finished seventh.
Bazant carded four birdies during the second round to take his first individual title at Rider. After opening the day with pars on the first five holes, he made his move on the sixth hole, making birdie on consecutive holes. In spite of a bogey on eighth, Bazant continued to play well with birdies on the 10th and 12th and pars on Nos. 9, 11 and 13. He finished the round with four par’s and two bogeys and remained in contention for the overall title. Meanwhile, the leader after 18 holes was tied with Bazant through 17 holes but bogeyed the 18th to move Bazant alone into the leader position.
Bazant finished 32nd at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships held at Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
In softball
Sisters Madison and McKenna Lampe of Carlow received postseason honors from the United States Collegiate Athletic Association.
Madison Lampe had a standout sophomore season for the Celtics after her freshman campaign was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She led the team with 22 stolen bases and had a .354 batting average, .438 slugging percentage and 22 RBI. She played 39 games at third base.
Sophomore outfielder McKenna Lampe was named to the USCAA’s all-tournament team. She was second on Carlow’s team with a .372 batting average on the season and .496 slugging percentage. She hit two home runs, drove in 18 runs and stole 22 bases.
The Lampe sisters were key players on four WPIAL championship teams at West Greene.
In football
California University assistant coach Chad Salisbury was recently to the Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame.
Salisbury, who is the Vulcans’ offensive coordinator, was a standout quarterback at Frazier High School, New Mexico State University and the University of Buffalo before playing professionally in the Arena Football League from 2000 to 2007.
At Frazier, the 6-6 Salisbury was a three-sport athlete, playing football, basketball and baseball. In his first year as starting quarterback as a junior in 1993, Salisbury completed 154 of 293 passes for 2,346 yards and 26 touchdowns as the Commodores went 8-3 and made the WPIAL. Frazier was 5-5 his senior season when he threw for 2,095 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Salisbury also posted eye-opening numbers in basketball, scoring 1,534 points and grabbing 1,500 rebounds while helping Frazier make three straight WPIAL playoff appearances.
Salisbury became New Mexico State’s quarterback in his sophomore year in 1996 and passed for 2,291 yards and 11 touchdowns. He transferred to Buffralo, where he threw for 4,947 yards and 31 touchdowns in two years with the Bulls.