College notebook: Kotchman puts name in MEC record book
Sierra Kotchman put up some impressive numbers this season for the Fairmont State women’s basketball team.
Kotchman, a Trinity graduate, reached a pair of milestones in the Falcons’ 97-53 win over Frostburg State on Feb. 27, which was the Falcons’ Senior Day.
A senior guard, Kotchman scored 26 points to become the all-time leading scorer in the Mountain East Conference. Kotchman also became the first player in MEC history and third player in Fairmont State history to score 2,000 career points.
At the conclusion of the season, Kotchman was named first team All-Mountain East for the third consecutive season.
Kotchman was one of two players that repeated as a first team All-MEC. In 17 games, Kotchman averaged 23.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Kotchman had 11 20-point scoring performances and also scored 30+ in a pair of games.
Kotchman has scored 2,032 career points. Kotchman holds the Fairmont State and conference record for made 3-point field goals with 318. This season, she shot 39% from three-point range and 87% from the free-throw line.
In football
Duquesne kicker Brian Bruzdewicz of McMurray was named the Northeast Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his performance in the Dukes’ 30-27 victory over Sacred Heart last Saturday.
A Peters Township graduate, Bruzdewicz finished with 12 points in the win, going 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts and was 3-for-3 on PATs.
The sophomore put the Dukes ahead 17-6 late in the second quarter with his first career field goal from 20 yards out. He extended Duquesne’s lead to 20-12 in the third quarter with a 33-yarder before recording the Dukes’ final points of the day on a 31-yard field goal with just under seven minutes to go in the fourth period.
Bruzdewicz is the first Duquesne kicker to earn NEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors since 2016. His 12 points were the most by a Dukes kicker since 2018.
Bruzdewicz is in his first season with the Duquesne football team after competing for the Dukes’ soccer team as a freshman in 2019. He appeared in 12 games with three starts on the pitch.
In basketball
Youngstown State’s Mary Dunn was voted to the All-Horizon League Second Team, capping a successful comeback campaign for the redshirt senior forward.
Dunn, a Washington resident and Trinity graduate, was a first-team Horizon League honoree as a junior in 2018-19. After missing almost all of last year because of a knee injury, Dunn averaged a team-leading and career-high 16.4 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per contest and shot a sterling 52% from the field, which ranked second in the conference. Her 77.8 free-throw percentage ranked fourth in the league.
“Mary has continued to be a dominant force for us in the post,” said YSU coach John Barnes. “The offense flows through her, and that puts a lot of pressure on her to be good night in and night out. She has taken that responsibility and run with it each year, and the success the team has had this year has a lot to do with her being solid for us.”
Dunn had 26 points, on 12-for-21 shooting, and 10 rebounds in YSU’s 62-59 win over Purdue-Fort Wayne in the first round of the Horizon League tournament. She tossed in 20 points against Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the quarterfinals. YSU has a 10-8 record.
Alex Williamson has had a fine season for Temple.
A junior forward from Houston, Williamson is averaging 12.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. She is third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding.
A former all-state player at Chartiers-Houston, Williamson had a season-high 21 points in a 69-53 win over Cincinnati on Feb. 3. She grabbed 13 rebounds against Houston.
In rifle
The area has produced many standouts in the sports of rifle and the latest is Akron freshman Kayla Andreoli, who will culminate her rookie campaign on the biggest stage as she garnered an at-large selection to compete in air rifle at the NCAA Championships this weekend in Columbus, Ohio.
Andreoli is a Washington graduate.
“Getting invited to the NCAAs could not have happened to a better or more deserving member of our team,” Akron head coach Newt Engle said. “Kayla is truly a team player, who is always looking for what is best for the team. This includes helping others as much as it includes being one of the best athletes we have. Last year at this time, Kayla was on our recruit list teetering on getting an invite to join the Zips’ squad. Both Coach Connor O’Mara and I saw something in Kayla leading us to believe she may not have had the scores we wanted, but she definitely had the drive and commitment to working hard.
“Being a dedicated athlete is something it is hard to teach someone. It seems they either have it or they don’t, and we thought Kayla had what was needed to succeed. Thus, from the beginning of the season, Kayla has been getting better and better with nearly every match. Her skills peaking at the right time to earn her this coveted individual invite.”
Andreoli has registered 583.41 average for the season in air rifle, while posting a 576.31 average in the smallbore rifle. Collectively, she maintains a 1159.63 aggregate average in the combined disciplines.
In track & field
Wheeling University senior Brian Vandussen, a Monongahela resident and Ringgold graduate, was named the Mountain East Conference Men’s Track & Field Athlete of the Week for Feb. 15-21.
Vandusan won the long jump at the Hillsdale Tune-Up. He won the event with a mark of 6.79 meters (22 feet, 3.5 inches).
Last season, Vandusan placed fifth at the Mountain East Indoor Championships in the long jump.
In softball
Freshman shortstop Kaci Alderson hit a pair of home runs as well as double Monday to lead Mercyhurst to a pair of wins over Clarion, 8-0 and 8-3, in a season-opening PSAC doubleheader.
Alderson, a Chartiers-Houston graduate, homered in each game and drove in four runs and scored twice. She hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning of the opening game and a solo shot in the second inning of the second game.