RIFLERY
Shooting leagues begin in Jerome
The Jerome Sportsmen’s indoor shooting season begins at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The first shoot will be a four-week, .22 rifle bench league. Additional leagues will follow and will be held at the same time each Saturday evening through the winter at the club’s NSCTA indoor range on Jerome Hill Road and are open to the public. Youth are encouraged to participate, but must be accompanied by an adult.
For more information, contact Dave Strayer at 479-2689.
BASKETBALL
UPJ among ranking leaders
The Basketball Times magazine put Pitt-Johnstown’s men’s team at No. 15 in the preseason rankings for Division II teams.
UPJ returns seven lettermen, including four starters, from last season’s 23-8 team that reached the East Region semifinals. Coach Bob Rukavina’s Mountain Cats also claimed the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title with a 17-3 league mark.
The Mountain Cats will be led this year by the trio of graduates in Marcus Tullis, William Sharpe and Quinton Davis. Tullis and Sharpe are Greater Johnstown graduates.
Cats to play intersquad game
The Pitt-Johnstown men’s team will kickoff the season with the annual Blue-Gold intersquad game at 6 tonight at the Sports Center.
The public is welcome.
SOCCER
Title games postponed
Two district championship girls soccer games originally scheduled for Wednesday were postponed by snow and wet field conditions.
The title games will be played tonight.
In District 6 Class AAA girls action, Somerset will play State College at Bald Eagle Area at 5:30 p.m.
In a District 5 Class A girls championship game, North Star will play Conemaugh Township at Berlin at 4:30 p.m.
Mountain Cats prevail at Cal
Pitt-Johnstown freshman midfielder Joshua Wentz broke a scoreless tie with his tally in the 61st minute to lift the Mountain Cats past California (Pa.).
UPJ goalkeeper Michael LoPresti earned the shutout in his first action of the season. LoPresti made 12 saves.
The Mountain Cats improved to 9-8-1 and will open play in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament on Tuesday.
Women’s game suspended
The Pitt-Johnstown women’s soccer game today against Wheeling Jesuit was postponed due to poor weather conditions. The game is expected to be rescheduled, but no make-up date has been announced.
WRESTLING
Penn State starts season
The Penn State wrestling team will hold its wrestle-offs on Sunday at Rec Hall at 1 p.m. The nation’s No. 7 team, the Nittany Lions will have nearly 40 wrestlers take part in the double-elimination, intersquad tournament.
Forest Hills graduate Jake Strayer, ranked No. 7 at 133 pounds, will wrestle at 141 pounds for the team tournament.
Strayer, a senior, was also named one of the team’s captains for this season. Strayer was a 2007 All-American at 133 pounds, but wrestled up at 141 pounds last season, compiling an 11-5 record.
He returns to 133 pounds this season, and has a career record of 64-19.
