Littlestown alum Brett Stoops will begin the season listed as Shippensburg University's No. 1 right-halfback.

The redshirt-junior appeared in seven games last season and carried the ball three times for an impressive 29 yards, although 22 of those were on one carry against Lock Haven.

The 5-foot-10, 178-pound Stoops also caught one pass for five yards. He also returned one kickoff for 19 yards and was involved in two tackles on Red Raiders special teams.

Posted in College Spotlight Steve Navaroli

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South Western grad Emily Colburn, a solid lacrosse player at Millersville University, was named to the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Division II Academic Honor Roll.

Colburn, who will be a senior when classes resume is a graphic arts major. She started 14 of the Marauders 15 games this season and fielded 35 ground balls and caused 13 turnovers.

To be considered for the IWLCA list a player must be at least a junior and maintain a minimum of a 3.2 grade point average.

Posted in College Spotlight Steve Navaroli

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The college spotlight is preparing for another academic year and the first update to come across the mess that is my desk is from Hartford, Conn.

It is there that York Suburban graduate Alison "Ali" Schmidt completed her senior season this past spring on the Trinity College rowing team.

Schmidt was also named to the 2008 New England Small College Athletic Conference spring all-academic team.

It is am impressive accomplishment as to be on the NESCAC list an athlete must be a starter or key reserve for a varsity team while maintaining a 3.35 or better grade-point average.

Congratulations Ali.

Posted in College Spotlight Steve Navaroli

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Michele King, a junior at the University of Tennessee and a native of York, tied for first place in the 50-meter freestyle at the recent U.S. Open swim meet in Minneapolis.

King and Madison Kennedy each posted a time of 25.22 seconds to share the title. The tie for first place earned King an automatic berth to the 2009 World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia.

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York College is bringing home one of its own with the hiring of Jamie Swartz as its field hockey coach replacing recently-departed head coach Megan Eckenrode.

Swartz, a 1999 alum, was a four-year starter for the Spartans and helped lead the team to 48 wins over her career, including a 15-4 record her senior season when she was named as the team MVP.

She was a four-time all-Capital Athletic Conference selection and was also a NFHCA all-regional all-star twice in her playing career.

Posted in College Spotlight Steve Navaroli

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The YAIAA had a contingent of alumni that posted season-best marks on the Millersville University track and field teams during the Marauders' outdoor season.

York Suburban grad Derrick Bass, shown carrying the ball for the Trojan football team, had a terrific spring for the Millersville track and field team.

Posted in College Spotlight Steve Navaroli

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Well another college year has come and gone, yet once again it is time to salute York College women's basketball coach Betsy Witman for the outstanding job she does on and off the court.

Witman's team closed the 2007-08 hoops campaign with a school record 19 wins, but the Spartans' accomplishments far from stop there.

For the fourth time in five years the York College women finished in the top 10 nationally academically -- an amazing and under-appreciated achievement.

Posted in College Spotlight Steve Navaroli

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(UPDATE: You can now read the Daily Record's version of this compelling story here.)

Zach McLain, a 2005 Dallastown High School graduate who was a two-time Daily Record/Sunday News all-star diver while competing for the Wildcats, is the subject of a lengthy new article on ESPN.com.

Normally, that would seem like a pretty sweet accolade for an athlete.

In McLain's case, however, it was a hellish -- and ultimately inspirational -- journey that led the national media to focus on his story.

McLain broke four vertebrae in his neck and suffered a huge gash in his head while diving at a swimming hole near his grandparents' cabin in Wellsboro, Tioga County, in July 2007. But, amazingly, just six months after the accident, McLain returned to competition for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point's diving team.

"It's a story of victory in the sense of an individual who was dealt a challenge of life," Army diving coach Ron Kontura told reporter Adam Rittenberg for the 1,600-word story.

McLain's tale was also told by The NCAA News in February.

Posted in College Spotlight Local sports Sports Editor's Realm

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Back in the end of May I got a chance to get caught up with a classy local athlete I had the privilege of getting to know fairly well during his senior year.

West York grad Tyler Real just completed his freshman year at Shippensburg University, where he was a member of the indoor and outdoor track and field teams.

Real was the 2007 YAIAA Division B boys' track Athlete of the Year after winning the District 3 championship and placing third in the state in the 110 hurdles as a senior at West York, where he was also was a standout on the football team.

The former Bulldog was on hand at the PIAA championships hosted by the university, where he was lending a hand in the starting blocks as shown in the photo.

Posted in College Spotlight Steve Navaroli

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This spring, a pair of YAIAA alumni completed standout seasons for the Shippensburg University baseball team.

Biglerville grad Ashton Taughinbaugh and Kody Kibler of New Oxford were became solid contributors on the Raider team that finished wiht a 39-26 record.

Taughinbaugh hit .337 in 33 games and drove in a respectable 21 runs. He also picked up seven walks and struck out just 10 times during his sophomore season.

Kibler made eight appearances on the mound as a freshman this season, including two starts. He posted a solid 3.46 earned run average and went 1-0. He struck out 10 batters in 13 innings and was a part of three combined shutouts.

Also on the Raiders was South Western grad Jesse Smith, a freshman who played in 13 games. Smith hit .133 (2-for-15) and drove in three runs. The former Mustang will likely see his average jump with more playing time.

Posted in College Spotlight Steve Navaroli

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