Jul 12, 2024 By Jonathan Guth 3 min read

With the heat wave that has impacted Southwestern Pennsylvania this summer, Natalie Wetzel won’t have to get used to the heat when she heads to the University of Miami (Fla.) where she will continue her academic and basketball careers.

Wetzel, an incoming senior at Peters Township, announced her commitment to play for the Hurricanes this week via social media.

“It has always been a goal of mine to play for a Power 5 school in basketball,” Wetzel said. “I started playing in second grade, and even though I played softball and volleyball in middle school, basketball has been my main sport.”

The campus is located in Coral Gables, which means Wetzel will not be “taking her talents to South Beach,” but she can certainly visit.

“I loved everything about the University of Miami when I visited, from the staff, to the facilities, the location and it’s a great school,” Wetzel said. “I want to thank my family, teammates, coaches from my high school and AAU team and my trainers for helping and supporting me.”

Wetzel had narrowed her choices between Richmond and Miami before choosing to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

She also had offers from Pitt, Robert Morris, Georgetown, Columbia, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Eastern Michigan, Monmouth, Toledo, Princeton, Murray State, Ball State, Penn, Harvard, St. Joseph’s, Belmont, Boston College, Dayton, Arizona State, Buffalo, Tulsa, George Mason, Davidson and Kent State.

Wetzel, who plays on the wing but can also post up, will likely play in the front court for the Hurricanes.

“I am going to have to get stronger for college,” Wetzel said. “It will be a big transition from high school, but that is something I must do to have success in college.”

Wetzel hasn’t decided on a major, but has an interest in law.

She has played for the Western PA Bruins in AAU the past two years, which helped her stock rise when it came to recruiting due to the exposure.

Wetzel has selected her college of choice, but she is eager for her senior season with the Indians, who won the Class 6A Section 2 title and advanced to the semifinals of the WPIAL playoffs and the second round of the state tournament.

“I am really looking forward to our season,” Wetzel said. “We have a great group of girls coming back, and I think we can do even better than last year.”

The 6-3 forward averaged 17.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game last season. She scored her 1,000th-career point during her junior campaign, and sits at 1,136. She was the Observer-Reporter Girls Basketball Co-Player of the Year last season.