Sports briefs
Cal basketball rescheduled
California University men’s basketball game against PSAC rival Shippensburg that was scheduled for Saturday was postponed and rescheduled for 3 p.m. today at the Convocation Center. It will be the first home game for the Vulcans under new head coach Danny Sancomb.
Cal also rescheduled its nonconference game against Penn State Greater Allegheny that was originally set for Monday. That game has been switched to Jan. 27, also at the Convocation Center.
Vulcans’ Belko wins NCAA regional
California University senior Alicia Belko won the individual title at the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Championships held Saturday morning at Schenley Park. The Cal women’s team placed second overall to advance to the national championships.
Belko became the Vulcans’ second regional champion in as many years. Julie Friend accomplished the feat for the first time in school history last year. Belko won the individual title by nearly 40 seconds after completing the six-kilometer course in 23:25 seconds.
Alyson Pierce gave Cal a 1-2 finish as she crossed the finish line in 24:03 and in the runner-up spot.
The Vulcans scored a program-best 87 points and will be making their third team appearance at the national event. The Bob O’Connor Golf Course at Schenley Park will also be the site of the NCAA Championships.
Moyer gains
All-American status
Senior Harley Moyer became the first men’s All-American in Washington & Jefferson cross country history, finishing 13th at the NCAA Division III Championships.
Moyer completed the 8,000-meter course in 24:44.8, 20.8 off the pace of national champion Dhruvil Patel of North Central (Ill.). Moyer joins Kristen Galligan (2012) as the only All-American cross country runners in W&J history.
Joining Moyer at the national championships was junior Grant McCarthy, who completed the course in 92nd place with a time of 25:33.1. North Central won the team title with four runners in the top 10.
College wrestling
With a 3-2 showing at Muhlenberg’s Scotty Wood Duals, the Washington & Jefferson wrestling team locked up a third-place finish Saturday at the eight-team event.
W&J had a 2-1 record in round-robin action, losing the opener to No. 19-ranked Central (Iowa), 42-11, but rebounding with wins over Keystone (51-6) and Lackawanna Community College (33-22). In the semifinals, W&J lost to Muhlenberg, 24-15, before receiving a forfeit from Camden Community College in the third-place match.
Two Presidents, junior Michael Heinl and junior Hunter Neely, finished their days with 5-0 records. Sophomore Jared Walker went 4-1, as did freshman Manny Dovshek.
Dukes win NEC title
Nehari Crawford pulled in a pass over the middle from Daniel Parr and took it 56 yards for the winning touchdown with less than a half-minute to play Saturday and Duquesne defeated Central Connecticut 38-31 to win its fifth Northeast Conference title and earn the automatic bid to the NCAA FCS playoffs.
The catch on the winning TD gave Crawford 10 receptions on the day for 124 yards and placed him as the all-time leader in career catches for the Dukes (5-1, 8-3).
CCSU (4-2, 6-5) knotted the score at 31 with 5:35 to play when Jacob Dolegala, who had already passed for three touchdowns, ran it in from the 5.
Parr completed 23 of 33 passes for 277 yards and two TDs, while A.J. Hines carried the ball 31 times for 125 yards and two touchdowns.