After a standout high school throwing career, Dino Nadarevic made the transition throughout the summer and fall to new opportunities at the college level at Duquesne.
The Gateway graduate got his feet wet in competition at the Youngstown State University Icebreaker on Dec. 5 at the Watson and Tressel Training Site. While he didn’t have the performance he hoped for — he took 18th in the shot put with a top attempt of 13.92 meters (45.7 feet) — he used the experience to return to training for his next competition set for Jan. 16 back at YSU.
Nadarevic faced a mix of Division I and II competition at the Icebreaker with Slippery Rock senior Seaton Wozniak winning the competition with a throw of 17.96 meters (58 feet, 11 inches).
While Duquesne doesn’t have an official indoor season, Nadarevic is representing Duquesne as an independent competitor this winter as he prepares for the Dukes’ outdoor season which begins in March.
Nadarevic exploded onto the WPIAL scene as a Gateway sophomore. His success increased through his three seasons to where he swept the shot put and discus at both the 2025 WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A track and field championships.
He also is in the record book at Gateway as he set the all-time boys discus record multiple times with a top throw of 187 feet achieved at the WPIAL finals last May.
Marina Grado
Gateway grad Marina Grado is a consistent starting presence for the Washington & Jefferson women’s basketball team, which began the new year 7-4 overall and 2-0 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.
The 5-foot-5 junior guard averaged 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds. She also produced 34 assists and 23 steals.
Grado scored seven points and tallied a season-best five assists in the final game of December, a 60-51 loss to nationally ranked Ohio Wesleyan.
She hopes to lead W&J back to the NCAA Tournament.
Grado scored a season-best 14 points twice in early season action. She hit for 14 in the season opener at Penn State Behrend and again at Marietta on Nov. 21. Both games were double-digit victories.
Grado was named to the all-tournament team after helping the Presidents secure wins over Ohio Northern and Mt. Union on their home court.
Lexi Margolis
Lexi Margolis started the first 13 games for the Pitt-Johnstown women’s basketball team and averaged 6 points a contest for the Mountain Cats, who stood at 5-8 overall and 2-4 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference through a 63-57 victory over conference foe Shepherd on Jan. 3.
It was the team’s second win in a row after a three-game skid in conference play.
Margolis, a Gateway grad, was one of two players to finish in double figures for UPJ against Shepherd. She went 4 of 7 from the field, hitting both of her 3-point attempts. She also was 3 of 4 from the free-throw line and added a pair of rebounds, an assist and two steals.
The double-digit scoring effort was her third of the year following 12 points a day earlier in a win over Millersville and 13 on Dec. 13 in an 85-68 home victory over Shippensburg.
Will Kromka
Will Kromka, a 6-foot-3 senior guard from Gateway, is a seasoned fixture in the starting lineup for UPJ men’s basketball in its efforts to rise up the ladder in the PSAC standings.
The Mountain Cats lost a close conference matchup to Shepherd, 66-62, on Jan. 3 that put them at 9-5 overall and 3-3 in conference play.
He hit for a season-best 18 points to go along with seven rebounds in an 87-79 nonconference loss to Ashland on Nov. 23 at IUP’s Thanksgiving Classic.
He scored 11 in a win over D’Youville at IUP one day earlier and tallied 16 in a victory over Bloomsburg on Dec. 16.
Kromka has appeared in 88 career games for UPJ with 47 starts. He owns an all-time scoring average of 5.4 a game.
Ethan Whiteside
Gateway alum Ethan Whiteside, a graduate student at Penn State Behrend after several winning seasons at Thiel, is hoping to wrap up his collegiate wrestling career in style.
He started out this season strong at 14-3 overall with seven pins and a pair of tech falls at 125 pounds.
Whiteside opened with a runner-up finish at the Lycoming Invitational. He then took third at the W&J Invitational and won both of his matches — one by a pin in 40 seconds and the other by tech fall — at the Behrend Duals on Nov. 15.
He started December with a podium finish at the RIT Tournament in Rochester, N.Y., as he racked up four pins in a loaded bracket.
Whiteside was a three-time Presidents’ Athletic Conference champion and a regional place winner during his days at Thiel.
J.T. Taylor
A senior lineman at Edinboro, J.T. Taylor made the most of his 2025 season with the Fighting Scots football team and was selected to the PSAC West first team following the conclusion of the regular season.
The Gateway grad started all 11 games on the defensive line. He made 29 total tackles with 18 of them solo stops.
He notched 5.5 tackles for a loss and recorded a sack.
Taylor also had a fumble recovery and a blocked kick for an Edinboro team which finished its season 7-4 overall and 5-1 in conference play. The Fighting Scots closed the season with four straight wins.
Taylor played his second season at Edinboro after transferring from Notre Dame College. He also played in all 11 games for the Fighting Scots in 2024 making 30 tackles, including 12 for a loss.