Garber, Semple to nationals

Waynesburg University had two junior wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Division III championships over the weekend. Nick Garber won the 133-pound title and Corbin Semple was first at 184 pounds.
The national tournament will be held March 5-6 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Garber and Semple qualified for the Division III national championships last season but each came up one match short of All-American status.
Garber avenged an earlier loss to Thiel’s Corey Brown in the 133-pound final with a 6-0 decision. Brown beat Garber, 3-2, at this year’s Presidents’ Athletic Conference championships. Semple, the top seed at 184 pounds, beat Trine’s Nicholas Kraus 10-5 in this year’s finals. Semple won the 197-pound title in 2009.
Garber pinned Charles Holmquest of Manchester in 10 seconds to advance to the semifinals. He decisioned Olivet’s Adam Wilson 9-4 to set up the rematch with Brown.
Semple pinned Case Western’s Peter Heggs is 58 seconds in the first round and decisioned Patrick Morris of Thiel 10-5 in the semis.

Shot of the Year

Best shot of the college basketball season had to be this one from last week. Murray State freshman Isaiah Canaan (No. 3) makes a three-pointer from his knees, nearly from mid-court, as the shot clock runs down.

Click here.

Waynesburg wins PAC wrestling title

The Waynesburg Yellow Jackets captured their first-ever PAC wrestling title by edging perennial PAC power Thiel in the 2010 PAC Wrestling Championship, hosted by the Tomcats at the Rissell-Beeghly Gym in Greenville.
The championship came down to the final match at heavyweight with Waynesburg holding a half-point lead. Yellow Jacket senior Melvin Warrick then clinched the victory with a 6-2 win. With the victory, the Yellow Jackets snapped Thiel’s 10-year hold (2000-09) on the conference title and earned the first conference crown for Waynesburg in any sport in five years.
Following the meet, Waynesburg swept both major individual awards, as freshman 125-pounder Alex Crown was voted PAC Most Outstanding Wrestler, while second-year Yellow Jacket mentor Ron Headlee garnered PAC Coach of the Year laurels.

So you want to be a sports broadcaster?

Think you might be the next Vin Scully? Or Keith Jackson? Or Joe Buck? Well, if you're a high school student, then here's your chance to learn some tricks of the sports broadcasting trade from three of Pittsburgh most-experienced broadcasters.

Waynesburg University will host a sports announcing camp June 27 through July 1.
Hosted by Lanny Frattare, assistant professor of communication, the camp will afford 32 high school students the opportunity to train with well-known professionals.
Students will learn the ins and outs of announcing from Bill Hillgrove, voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pitt basketball and football; Paul Steigerwald, voice of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Frattare, the long-time broadcaster of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“If you have the desire and dedication, you can become an accomplished sports announcer, but first you need to understand the philosophy and practicality of the business,” Frattare said.

The camp will provide participants a number of hands-on activities, including the play-by-play announcing of a Washington Wild Things game at Consol Energy Park in Washington. Camp events and activities include general sports announcing techniques, radio and TV sports reporting, sports talk, radio and TV play-by-play, sports interviewing and practical announcing exercises.

Frattare, Hillgrove and Steigerwald will also offer individual sessions related to their respective areas of expertise.

The registration fee is $500 and includes meals, housing and camp materials. The registration deadline is May 7. Space is limited and campers will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, contact the Waynesburg University office of admissions at 800-225-7393.

To register, visit www.waynesburg.edu/sportsannouncingcamp.

Waynesburg hires coach

Waynesburg University today announced the hiring of Sean McCarthy, pictured, as the Yellow Jackets' head men’s and women’s soccer coach. He replaces former men’s coach Carl DeiCas and women’s coach Jim Rue.

McCarthy comes to Waynesburg from SUNY Old Westbury, where he was working in his second stint as the first assistant coach with the Panthers' men's team. McCarthy's first stint at Old Westbury ran from 2005 to 2008. In 2007, McCarthy helped lead the Panthers to the Skyline Conference title and the school’s first berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.

McCarthy also spent one year as an assistant at Xavier University.

“We did a wide search for a new soccer coach,” Waynesburg athletic director Rudy Marisa said. “We believe we have chosen the right person to make progress with our men’s and women’s teams.”

McCarthy will be one of three coaches in the Presidents' Athletic Conference who handle both the men's and women's programs. The other two-team coaches are at Thomas More and Westminster.

McCarthy certainly has his work cut out for him. Like the majority of teams at Waynesburg, the Yellow Jackets' men's and women's soccer programs have struggled for many years. Victories have been few. The Waynesburg men have an 11-44-4 record over the last three seasons, including a 2-14-2 mark in the PAC. The Waynesburg women have been slightly better, going 20-30-4 overall and 6-14-1 in the PAC.