Michael Sullivan will continue his professional soccer career in 2026, and he now will do it a little closer to home.
FC Cincinnati 2 has signed the Deer Lakes and Pitt graduate to a Major League Soccer NEXT Pro contract.
Sullivan made his pro debut in 2025, scoring four goals and adding an assist in 24 MLS NEXT Pro appearances — 22 starts — for Toronto FC 2.
He also was added to Toronto’s first-team roster on several occasions, and he made his MLS debut as a substitute in a 3-0 victory over the Portland Timbers on June 28.
Toronto FC selected Sullivan 39th overall in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft after he completed his standout career at Pitt.
The midfielder netted six goals and added two assists in 67 appearances for Pitt over four seasons.
Pitt made the NCAA Tournament in each of his four seasons. As a senior in 2024, he played in 19 games and helped the Panthers win the ACC regular-season championship for the first time in program history.
He also was a three-time All-ACC selection.
Sullivan capped his prep career with Deer Lakes as a two-time Valley News Dispatch Player of the Year.
As a senior, he scored 22 goals, tallied 11 assists, was selected the WPIAL Class 2A Player of the Year and earned all-state honors in leading the Lancers to their first WPIAL title and a trip to the PIAA championship game for the second time in three years.
Ram Slam
The continued rise of girls wrestling in the WPIAL and throughout Western Pennsylvania was celebrated Saturday as 34 teams descended on Pine-Richland for the Ram Slam Tournament.
Burrell, Fox Chapel, Plum and Valley sent competitors to the one-day event, and Plum senior Alaina Claassen and Burrell junior Ella Campbell led the Alle-Kiski Valley contingent by capturing titles.
In Plum’s season debut, Claassen went 4-0 and pinned Peters Township’s Liliana Giulianelli in 55 seconds in the 190-pound final. She pinned all four opponents, recording the three other wins in 16, 24 and 33 seconds.
The defending WPIAL champion and last year’s PIAA runner-up at 190 improved to 73-11 since her freshman season. Of those 73 wins, 60 have been by fall with three additional victories by major decision.
Campbell improved to 10-1 this season and 40-24 for her three-year varsity career with four pinfall victories, including one in 3:37 over Slippery Rock’s Sophie Hensel in the 112-pound final.
Claassen’s senior teammate, Saphia Davis, last year’s WPIAL runner-up, regional bronze medalist and PIAA medalist at 130, went 3-1 and made it to the Ram Slam final at 136. She pinned her way to the final before falling to Laurel’s Maggie Alfera by tech fall (16-0, 5:06).
Plum finished seventh in the team standings with 91 points. Fox Chapel was 14th (61 points), Burrell placed 15th (59 points) and Valley was 19th (52 points).
Diehm rolling at the top
Valley senior Baxter Diehm is off to a strong start in Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Bowling League matches.
He leads all A-K Valley boys bowlers, fronts the East section and is second overall with a 220.17 per-game average through 12 games bowled over four matches.
Only Seneca Valley senior Chance Evans has a better average with a 221.50 through 12 games.
Diehm recorded scores of 233, 192 and 230 in his most recent match for a 655 series.
The Valley boys are third in the East section (2-2) behind Plum (4-0) and Franklin Regional (3-1).
St. Joseph senior Jake Skundrich is 10th in the WPIBL boys rankings with a 213.83 average through 12 games. Spartans junior Martin Stickney is 13th (211.00), and Plum senior Grayson Byass-Rascoe is 14th (210.50).
On the girls side, Plum senior Addison Then is fifth in the girls individual rankings with a 208.17 average in 12 games.
Mustangs bowlers own the top four averages in the East section as Plum is off to a 4-0 start ahead of Franklin Regional (3-1). Junior Callie Schimmer is ninth in the rankings with a 200.58 average through 12 games.
The Plum girls are the defending WPIBL and Western Regional team champion.
Nine girls bowlers own averages of 200 or better in December matches. Shenango junior Cassie Tucker leads the way with a 220.83 average through 12 games.
After a two-week holiday break, the WPIBL schedule resumes Jan. 6.
Sterlitz shines
Kiski Area graduate Parker Sterlitz, a junior distance specialist on the men’s swim team at West Virginia University, is normally found in his lane for the Mountaineers, competing indoors in dual meets and invitationals.
But Dec. 12, he took his talents outside with his WVU teammates at the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America Open Water Championships at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Fla.
Sterlitz led the Mountaineers contingent with a fifth-place finish out of 89 swimmers from multiple NCAA classifications in the 5K event with a time of 53 minutes, 16.10 seconds. He was third among swimmers from Division I schools.
He wasn’t too far off the winning time of 52:54.1 by Efe Guler from Lynn College.
The top three finishing times from each team were calculated and added together to arrive at the team score.
With Sterlitz’s time leading the way, WVU finished second in the team standings with a cumulative time of 2 hours, 44 minutes, 6 seconds.
Division II Grand Valley State won the men’s team title with a total time of 2:40:37.