18 minute read
Sports Briefs
Postseason Tournament Runs Give Seton Hill an Historic Spring Season
Seton Hill was one of only four colleges and universities in NCAA Division II that had their softball, baseball, and men's and women's lacrosse teams all play in the NCAA Tournament for their respective sports, joining the University of Tampa, Adelphi University and Wingate University. Additionally, track athlete Samuel Hartman made a return trip to the NCAA Division II National Championship after earning titles in the 110 meter and 400 meter hurdles in 2021.
It was a record-setting year for the Seton Hill University softball team as they made their first trips to both the NCAA Super Regional and the Division II Softball Championship. After being eliminated from the PSAC tournament, the Griffins fought their way through the NCAA Atlantic Regional and Super Regional, arriving at the Division II Softball Championship in Denver, Colorado on May 26 with five straight postseason wins. An initial 0-4 loss to Auburn University Montgomery led to an exciting 8-1 win over Adelphi, but the Griffins were unable to come away with a second win in Denver. The team was eliminated from play in their third game after a 9-6 loss to Cal State Dominguez Hills. In the NCAA Atlantic Regional, a 3-0 win over seventhseeded Claflin University and a 3-2 win over six seed Shippensburg University in 10 innings sent the Griffins to the regional final. They defeated Claflin definitively with an 11-0 victory, breaking the game open in the seventh inning of the second game with seven runs. In their first trip to the NCAA Atlantic Super Regionals May 19, the women earned their first win over Kutztown 7-0. They took an early 4-0 lead in the first inning of their second game against the Golden Bears, with a 9-5 victory clearing the Griffinsʼ path to Denver. SHU ended the season with a 42-12 record. The Griffins were ranked seventh overall in the final National FastPitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll, the first time they have broken into the top 10. Griffin graduate student outfielder Jenna Osikowicz became the first Seton Hill softball player to be named an All American by the NFCA, earning second team honors. She was also one of 50 players named to the 2022 Schutt Sports/ NFCA Division II National Player and Pitcher of the Year Award List. Osikowicz was also named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year for the second straight season. Graduate student Morgan Ryan was the D2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year.
Softball Wins First Atlantic Super Regional Title; Plays in National Championship
Jenna Osikowicz on left and Morgan Ryan on right
While Seton Hillʼs baseball team set back-to-back season high records in their first two victories of the NCAA Division II Regionals, lightning unfortunately did not strike a third time for the Griffins. After a weather delay pushed game two from Friday afternoon to Saturday, May 21, the West Chester Rams won the next two games, ending the Griffins bid to head to the Atlantic Super Regionals. After earning an at-large bid as fifth seed in the Atlantic Region, the Griffins finished the season with their 11th NCAA Regional appearance and a record of 33-19-1. On day one of the tournament, the men set season highs with 18 runs and 21 hits to defeat top-seeded West Chester 18-7. Seton Hill opened play in the Atlantic Region with a redemption victory over Slippery Rock 10-9 after losing to the team during the PSAC West regular season. The Griffin bats set a seasonhigh 19 hits, with nine of the 10 runs scoring with two outs in an inning. All nine starters had at least one hit in the wins over West Chester and Slippery Rock. Senior reliever Nash Bryan and junior third baseman Jack Oberdorf were named to the D2CCA All Atlantic Region Team.
Jack Oberdorf on left and Nash Bryan on right
Womenʼs Lacrosse Earns Second Straight PSAC West Title
Seton Hill earned its second straight PSAC Western Division title on the road at Edinboro April 27. The Griffins scored early and often in the 20-0 win over the Fighting Scots with four goals in the first 1:09 of the contest and eleven players scoring in the match. The womenʼs lacrosse program made their seventh trip to the PSAC postseason out of their eight full seasons in the league, hosting the PSAC Womenʼs Lacrosse Final Four in Greensburg for the first time on May 6. In their semifinal match against West Chester, the winner of the Eastern Division quarterfinal, the women were eliminated in the driving rain with a 17-8 loss to the Rams. The two teams faced off again less than a week later in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the fourth consecutive trip for the program. Seton Hill’s 19-10 loss ended their tournament run. SHU finished the season 14-5 overall with a 10-2 record in PSAC West play. Seton Hill junior defender Makayla Kintner earned All American honors from the Intercollegiate Womenʼs Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA), repeating as a third team selection for the second consecutive year. Kintner joins assistant coach Emma Simmers as the only two Griffins to earn IWLCA All American honors twice in their careers. Graduate student attack Jaclyn Frank was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year, Kintner received PSAC West Defender of the Year, and freshman midfielder Megan Bunker earned Freshman of the Year. The three Griffins also earned first team All Region honors from the Intercollegiate Womenʼs Lacrosse Coaches Association and first team All PSAC West honors, along with freshman Skylar Orlowski.
Top to bottom: Megan Bunker, Mikayla Kintner and Jaclyn Frank
Menʼs Lacrosse wins G-MAC Championship, Advances to Final Eight in NCAA Tournament
While Commencement ceremonies were taking place on campus May 7, Seton Hillʼs menʼs lacrosse team was celebrating a crowning achievement of their own – taking home the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championship. The men led from start to finish with a final score of 14-10 over Mercyhurst. This was Seton Hillʼs third G-MAC championship, adding to their titles in 2017 and 2018, and their fifth consecutive matchup against Mercyhurst in the championship game. With a fresh title, the team earned the fifth seed in the North Region of the NCAA Division II Menʼs Lacrosse Tournament – and their second matchup against Mercyhurst, the regionʼs fourth seed, in five days. This was the fourth straight season and fifth time in school history the menʼs lacrosse team has earned an NCAA bid. The Griffins traveled back to Saxon Stadium in Erie, Pa., to defeat Mercyhurst yet again with a score of 8-7. This win advanced them to the quarterfinals, where their tournament run ended against top-seeded Mercy College May 15 with an 11-10 loss at SUNY Purchase in Purchase, N.Y. The Griffins finished their season with a record of 13-7.
Samuel Hartman Repeats as PSAC Champion in Hurdles
Seton Hill senior Samuel Hartman qualified for both the 110 and 400 meter hurdles for his second straight trip to the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which were held May 26 and 27. Hartman finished 14th in the preliminaries of both events with a time of 52.19 in the 400 meter hurdles and 14.69 in the 110 meter hurdles. He won the PSAC Championship in both events – repeating his feat from the 2021 season. Hartman was the reigning National Champion in both events. Hartman was named the 2022 PSAC Men's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year for the second straight season. He and Mallory Sanner ʼ15, the only two National Champions in Seton Hill history, are also the only two Seton Hill track and field athletes to win a major award from the PSAC. Hartman, a Computer Science major, also earned a second PSAC Spring Top 10 Award Winner, an award which goes to studentathletes who distinguish themselves in the classroom, as well as in the arena of competition.
Track Athletes Break School Records, Receive National Academic Awards
Postseason Success Propels Griffins into Top 100 in NCAA Division II
Four school records were broken during the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic in April. Freshman Gabriel McConville set a new record in the 1500m for the men with a time of 3:54, while senior Sydney Wolf set a new record for the women with a time of 4:37. Wolf and teammates junior Darby Roth and seniors Allison Pittman and Alexis Cunningham set a new school record of 9:38.38 with a first place finish in the 4x800 relay. Freshman Hannah Smrcka set a new school record in the 5000m Invite race with a time of 17:12.06. Wolf was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Womenʼs Cross Country/ Track & Field Team, and Samuel Hartman was voted onto the menʼs team.
After a very successful spring season where all four of the Griffin teams made the NCAA Tournament, the Seton Hill Athletic Department finished 81st in the 2022 NCAA Division II Learfield Director's Cup standings for the 2021-22 school year. This is the fourth top 100 finish for the Griffin Athletic Department since joining the NCAA and the second best ranking in school history.
Sydney Wolf set two new school records.
Winter Sports Wrap-Up
Women’s basketball guard Christiane Frye earned the PSAC West Rookie of the Year title and was also named to the All PSAC West second team. Frye, a sophomore, has the second most steals as a Griffin since Seton Hill joined the NCAA. "To earn both All-Conference and Rookie of the Year speaks to the impact Christiane had on our team,” said head coach Mark Katarski. “She so richly deserves both honors for her efforts this season."
Griffin Wrestlers Second in Nation for Academics
The Griffin wrestling team finished second in the country in the 2021-22 National Wrestling Coaches Association Division II Top 20 Scholar All America Teams with an overall GPA of 3.505. Drury University was first with a 3.542 GPA. Eight members of the team were named NWCA Division II Scholar All Americans: seniors Tyler Alberts, Frank Bonura, Joel Cawoski, Sawyer Daugherty, Luke Ewing, Logan McKoy; sophomore Riley O'Mara; and freshman Bryce Wilkes. The Griffin wrestling team sent ten wrestlers to the NCAA Super Region I Championship in Johnstown, finishing in sixth place. Cawoski competed in the 2022 NCAA Division II National Championships in Saint Louis and was eliminated after dropping both of his two matches.
Griffins in Prime-Time
McDermott Tops ESPN Plays
Griffins outfielder Neal McDermott received national attention in April for a running, diving catch on the warning track that robbed Clarionʼs Tim Irons of a hit. McDermottʼs catch was named the No. 1 play on ESPN SportsCenterʼs Top Plays April 8. McDermott is the second Griffin baseball player to make the Top 10. Derek Orndorff ’21 made the list last season with a spectacular grab against IUP.
Seton Hill makes Prime-Time Episode of Jeopardy!
Seton Hill made national television during a prime-time Jeopardy! College Championship episode in February. The “answer” appearing on screen read: “Foes of Seton Hill University have to face-off with these mythical bird-lion hybrids.” To which, Brandeis University student Joey Korman provided the correct question, “What are Griffins?” Of course, Seton Hill alumni across the country knew the right “question” too!
James Delaney ʼ13 Wins NCAA Lacrosse Championship as Head Coach
New Coaches Named For Soccer and Basketball
James Delaney ʼ13, a 2018 Seton Hill Universityʼs Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, led the University of Indianapolis womenʼs lacrosse team to its first NCAA Division II championship in 2022. The third seed Greyhounds won over top seed East Stroudsburg University, 11-9. Delaney became the programʼs head coach in 2018 after a year as the teamʼs offensive coordinator. In his first year as head coach, Delaney helped the women earn their first NCAA playoff berth. He has been with the team for six of their seven seasons. As his biography for the Hall of Fame induction mentioned, Delaney was “one of the most successful members of the Seton Hill menʼs lacrosse program.”
• Dilveer Chaggar ’14, MBA ’17 will Head Men's Soccer
Dilveer Chaggar knows Seton Hill’s men’s soccer program as a player, graduate assistant, volunteer coach and assistant coach. Now he’ll be calling the shots as the Griffins new Head Men’s Soccer Coach. He succeeds Dan McCarty who left after 21 years with Seton Hill.
• Adrian Blewitt to Lead Women’s Soccer
Adrian Blewitt was named the Griffins Head Women’s Soccer Coach. He most recently was the head women's soccer coach at Army West Point and has coached men’s and women’s soccer teams at Division I, II, and III institutions.
• Ben Wilkins Takes Over Men’s Basketball
Westmoreland County native Ben Wilkins has been tapped to lead the Seton Hill Men’s Basketball program. Wilkins comes to Seton Hill from the
United States Military Academy at West Point where he spent the past six seasons as an assistant coach. In his first four seasons at Army, Wilkins and head coach Jimmy Allen produced the most wins in their first four seasons at Army since Mike Krzyzewski.
Shane Simpson, who was named to Team Hearthstone, poses with the Griffin in the temporary Esports arena. Brian Lewis and Brad Messner interview Nathaniel Huff (Team Overwatch) during the roster announcement stream.
Griffin Esports Announces Inaugural Roster
With Griff the Griffin and other technology-minded members of the Seton Hill community in attendance, Brad Messner and Brian Lewis – members of the Esports steering committee – went live on the video game streaming platform Twitch to announce the teamʼs inaugural roster. The announcement came from the temporary Esports facility and featured an unboxing of the teamʼs new PCs as well as interviews with two of the team members. Seton Hillʼs Esports players will be competing in video gaming tournaments against other college players from across the country as a member of the National Association of College Esports (NACE).
Team members include:
Team Hearthstone: Shane Simpson
Team Fifa: Jared Parsons
Team Rocket League: Jack Wagner, Anthony Panko, Nicky Stumme
Team Overwatch: Nathaniel Huff, Theo Tsatsos, Nicky Stumme, Jacob Burkey, Logan Leonard
Team League of Legends: Austin Choi, Logan Leonard, Quan Hoang Minh Truong, Logan Lindenmuth While several computer science majors are part of the team, students overall represent a variety of majors on campus. Similar to NCAA sports, team members are eligible for scholarships and must maintain a minimum GPA to remain on the team. Four of the team members, Nathaniel Huff and Anthony Panko (Soccer) and Jacob Burkey and Logan Lindenmuth (Track and Field) are also members of traditional sports. A new 875-square foot arena is currently under construction in Canevin Hall. Set to open later in the fall, the arena will be the permanent home of Esports at Seton Hill.
SETON HILL UNIVERSITY ESPORTS JERSEY MOCKUPS
FRONT BACK
Seton Hill students selected the design for the new Esports team jerseys in a vote during the Spring. The jersey was designed by Breanna Salvio ʼ16, Graphic Designer in the Office of Institutional Advancement.
SETON HILL
ESPORTS
GAMERTAG
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A COLLECTION OF LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAMS
Alumni College Offers Lifelong Learning Opportunities
Missing your days of learning on the Hill? Stay in touch and learn something new along with fellow Setonians by participating in the Alumni College. This collection of lifelong learning programs for Setonians officially launched in March and presently includes three types of events, in addition to featured lectures throughout the year:
The alumni office hosted four events in the spring, in addition to offering live streaming opportunities for the Farrell and Sister Mary Schmidt lectures: • "A New Horizon for Business" Chalk Talk by Jen Jones, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Department Coordinator, Marketing and Communications, School of Business
SETON HILL UNIVERSITY ALUMNI
Lunch & Learn - a one-hour program featuring subject matter experts offering a bite-sized presentation and Q&A on a variety of topics
SETON HILL UNIVERSITY ALUMNI
Alumni Book Club - a virtual opportunity for Setonians to connect, enjoy reading and take part in thought-provoking discussion
Chalk Talks - interactive lectures offering alumni an exclusive opportunity to engage in dialogue, ask questions, and explore points of interest with Seton Hill faculty
• "Veterans Benefits" Lunch & Learn with Matt Zamosky ʼ10,
Westmoreland County Director of Veterans Affairs
• "Creative Giving in Challenging Times" Lunch & Learn by
Jim Sismour, longtime planned giving specialist
• "A Way Back to Health: 12 Lessons from a Cancer Survivor"
Lunch & Learn with Kelley Murray Skoloda ʼ86 featuring a discussion on her book of the same title Upcoming events for the fall include Book Club sessions and a Lunch & Learn on cybersecurity with Anthony Krance, Information Security Officer at Seton Hill.
To suggest a topic or speaker, contact the Alumni Relations office at
alumnirelations@setonhill.edu. For more information and to register, visit the Alumni College website: shualumni.setonhill.edu/alumnicollege/
Matt Zamosky '10 (top), Jim Sismour and Kelley Murray Skoloda ʼ86 shared their knowledge in Alumni College webinars.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2021–2022
Bishop Larry J. Kulick, J.C.L.
Honorary Chair Karen Farmer White
Chair
Mary Norbert Long, SC ʼ67
Vice Chair Rebecca Cost Snyder
Chair Elect Louise Grundish, SC
Secretary
Carmen Rivera Bauza ʼ83 Robin Heffernan Beck ʼ64 Rachel Blais, SC Todd D. Brice Robert A. DeMichiei Margaret DiVirgilio ʼ80 Barbara Einloth, SC ʼ71 Christine Delegram Farrell ʼ79 Mary C. Finger, ex officio Linda Fiorelli ʼ74 Matthew J. Galando ʼ04 +Ruth OʼBlock Grant ʼ54 Grace Hartzog, SC ʼ71 Donna Marie Leiden, SC ʼ66 Moshood B. Martins M.S. ʼ14 Elizabeth Boyle McDonald Miriam Arroyo Murray ʼ84 Mary Jo Mutschler, SC ʼ69 Patricia OʼDonoghue Kathleen Sarniak-Tanzola ʼ78 Mary Elizabeth Schrei, SC ʼ65 Frank P. Simpkins James C. Stalder Kym K. Stout Bridget Widdowson ʼ82 Jessica Ybanez-Morano ʼ84 Jean Augustine, SC ʼ63 James Breisinger Laurie Ann Carroll ʼ81 Mary Lou OʼNeil Costello ʼ55 Sara Gill Cutting ʼ62 Rosemary Donley, SC John R. Echement Gertrude Foley, SC ʼ59 Brigid Marie Grandey, SC ʼ63 Maureen Halloran, SC Donald M. Henderson Richard Hendricks Mary Ellen Lawrie Cooney Higgins ʼ64 Patrice Hughes, SC ʼ62 A. Richard Kacin Arthur H. Meehan Donald I. Moritz Barbara Nakles ʼ76 Maureen OʼBrien, SC ʼ67 Maureen Sheedy OʼBrien M. Ellenita OʼConnor, SC ʼ58 Paul M. Pohl Michele Moore Ridge ʼ69 Marc B. Robertshaw Arthur J. Rooney, Jr. Ralph A. Scalise Anita Schulte, SC ʼ57
TRUSTEES EMERITI
UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION
Mary C. Finger, Ed.D.
President Melissa Alsing, M.B.A.
Chief Information Officer Rosalie Carpenter, Ed.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs Imogene L. Cathey, J.D.
Vice President and General Counsel Brett Freshour
Vice President for Enrollment Management Maureen OʼBrien, SC, M.A.
Vice President for Mission and Identity Brent M. Jackson
Interim Vice President for Finance and Administration, CFO Molly Robb Shimko, M.B.A.
Vice President for Institutional Advancement Susan Yochum, SC, Ph.D.
Provost Molly Robb Shimko Vice President for Institutional Advancement 724.830.4620 shimko@setonhill.edu Lisa Carino Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement 724.838.2409 carino@setonhill.edu Mira Funari Associate Vice President for Advancement and Executive Director for the Campaign 724.830.1993 mfunari@setonhill.edu Erica Adams Advancement Services Manager 724.830.1137 eadams@setonhill.edu Callista Arida Assistant Director of Alumni Relations 724.552.1310 carida@setonhill.edu Jessica Delio Development and Communications Associate 724.552.4329 jdelio@setonhill.edu Sarah Dudik Senior Writer for Advancement 724.838.4200 sdudik@setonhill.edu Cynthia Ferrari Title III Coordinator 724.830.4639 ferrari@setonhill.edu Amy Lankey Donor Stewardship Manager 724.552.4303 alankey@setonhill.edu Linda Morlacci Director of Foundation, Government and Corporate Relations 724.838.4232 lmorlacci@setonhill.edu Jimmy Pirlo Major Gifts Officer 724.552.4371 jpirlo@setonhill.edu Jennifer Reeger Director of Communications and Media Relations 724.830.1069 jreeger@setonhill.edu Breanna Salvio Graphic Designer 724.552.4397 bsalvio@setonhill.edu Lisa Seremet Administrative Assistant 724.552.4366 lseremet@setonhill.edu Brett Smith Major Gifts Officer 724.838.4244 bmsmith@setonhill.edu Annie Urban Executive Director of Principal Gifts and Community Engagement 724.552.4323 aurban@setonhill.edu Ashley Zwierzelewski Director of Alumni Relations 724.830.1005 akunkle@setonhill.edu
FORWARD & CLASS NEWS DESIGNS: Breanna Salvio WRITING: Sarah Dudik, Jennifer Reeger and Gloria Ruane PHOTOGRAPHY: Ken Reabe, Barry Reeger, and SHU staff and students PRINTER: Laurel Valley Graphics
The Forward magazine is published by Seton Hill University, Greensburg, PA 15601, setonhill.edu, (724-830-1005), for the alumni and friends of the University. Postage paid at Greensburg, PA. Seton Hill University, as a matter of tradition and principle does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, gender, age disability, or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other universityadministered programs. Seton Hill University adheres to the non-discrimination legislation of both the federal government and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, including, but not necessarily limited to, the Civil Rights Act or 1964, Title VI, Title IX, 1972 Handicap Provision, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
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Class of 2022 graduate Kayla McCargo gets a congratulatory kiss following the May 7 Commencement ceremony.
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