College notebook: Mitchell clearing the way for unbeaten Liberty
One of the best stories in college football this season has been undefeated Liberty (13-0), which will play Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day.
The Flames, who won the Conference USA championship game by defeating New Mexico State 49-35, average 40.8 points and 302.0 rushing yards per game.
One of the key players on the high-powered offense is starting left tackle Chase Mitchell. A Washington graduate, Mitchell (6-4, 320), is in his first season as Liberty’s left tackle. He showed his versatility by working at right tackle during spring practice this year.
Mitchell has been in the starting lineup all season for Liberty, which leads the nation in rushing offense and is third in total offense (514.9 yards per game). He protects the blind side for quarterback Kaidon Salter (3,814 total yards and 43 total touchdowns), who is one of the most dynamic players in the country.
In basketball
Over his last six games, Michael Dunn has made a big impact for Shippensburg.
The Washington native and Trinity graduate has scored 72 points in those games, a stretch that began against Chestnut Hill the Monday before Thanksgiving, when he tossed in a career-high 12 points that included three three-point field goals during a two-minute stretch.
Dunn then doubled his career high with a 24-point performance against IUP. He made eight of 12 shots, including six of nine from three-point range.
Dunn also had an 11-point outing against Seton Hill and 13 against California.
For the season, Dunn is averaging 9.3 points per game and is shooting 40 percent from the field and 47.2 percent from three-point range.
* Trinity graduate Alyssa Clutter is the second-leading scorer for the North Alabama women’s team.
Clutter, a sophomore guard, is averaging 11.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and leads the Lions in steals. She has a season-high of 18 points against Fisk, and followed that with consecutive 15-point performances against Chattanooga and Arkansas State.
Clutter is shooting 58 percent from the field and 71 percent from the free-throw line.
In swimming
Wheeling junior Jade Miller, a Washington native and Trinity graduate, picked up two first-place finishes at the Malone Invitational. Her first win came in the first event of the day, in the 200-yard individual medley. It was a big showing for the junior as she swam a time of 2:14.55, beating the rest of the field by a full three seconds and dropped her time by 2.75 seconds from her preliminary.
Miller was just getting started as her second win came in the 200-yard backstroke. She beat the rest of the field by a full four seconds, swimming 2:11.13. For Miller, she picked up two first-place finishes and a second-place finish in individual events, as well as a first place and fifth-place finish in relay events.
In football
Washington & Jefferson senior offensive lineman Angelo Fratini was named All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference first team for the fourth time in his career and was recently voted All-ECAC first team.
Fratini, a Burgettstown graduate, started 47 games during his five-year run with the program. The guard helped lead the way for the PAC’s top scoring offense this past fall.
* Gannon redshirt junior offensive lineman Riley Noble was named All-PSAC West second team.
The Canonsburg native and Canon-McMillan graduate was part of an offensive line that helped Gannon rank ninth in the PSAC in rushing offense (147.5) and finish with four games with 200 or more yards on the ground. Noble started all 11 games at right tackle and has started 34 career games.
* Grove city junior defensive end Bryce Spolnik, a South Fyaette graduate, was named All-Presidents Athletic Conference first team.
Spolnik helped lead Grove City’s three-man defensive line this year by recording five sacks, 11 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles in 10 regular-season outings. His play helped Grove City to the PAC championship, the NCAA Division II playoffs and a final ranking of No. 10 in the nation.
* IUP’s Cole Weightman was second team All-PSAC West as a defensive lineman.
A Belle Vernon graduate, Weightman became a starter in 2023 after making some impact plays in the stretch run of 2022. He made 46 tackles with more than 30 percent of his stops coming behind the line of scrimmage. Weightman is a relentless pass rusher with a team-high 7.5 sacks and four QB hurries, ranking fourth in the league in sacks per game.
Weightman was named the PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 18.
* Carnegie Mellon senior defensive back Adrian Williams, a Venetia native and Peters Township graduate, was named first team All-PAC.
Williams led the Tartans for the second consecutive season in passes defended with 16, which ranked 10th nationally and first in the PAC. The senior recorded 30 solo tackles and had three interceptions. He was the Tartans’ fifth leading tackler.
In wrestling
Former Waynesburg standout Rocco Welsh has an undefeated record for fifth-ranked Ohio State.
Welsh, a freshman, has been competing at 174 pounds and has a 9-0 record.
He had the match-clinching victory in a 21-20 win over second-ranked North Carolina State on Dec. 19, giving the Buckeyes the championship at the Collegiate Duals. Welsh won a 9-6 decision over N.C. State’s Alex Faison, who was ranked No. 23 in the country.
* It continues to be a good season for Waynesburg teammates Colby Morris and Jessie Orbin.
Morris, a senior, was named the PAC Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 11 after winning all four of his bouts. A Waynesburg Central graduate, Morris began the week with a pin against Penn State Behrend, and the following day won all three of his bouts at the Averett Cougar Duals, including two wins via technical fall and one by pin.
Orbin, a Chartiers-Houston graduate, was named the PAC Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 11 after winning five of six bouts over a two-day period. One of the freshman’s wins came by way of a pin, one was a technical fall and another was a major decision.