Aiden Burford has helped the Point Park men’s wrestling team navigate its inaugural season, and the freshman 141-pounder from Highlands has enjoyed success in his first taste of collegiate competition.
He went 4-2 and placed seventh in his debut at the Mt. Union Invitational followed by a 5-1 fifth-place finish at the Bob Del Rosa Ohio Open in Cleveland.
More recently, Burford was a part of the Pioneers’ first trip to the Mountain East Conference Championships on Jan. 31. He compiled a 16-12 record en route to earning a spot in the 141-pound bracket.
Burford opened against the top seed and battled before falling 11-3.
He picked up MEC Wrestler of the Week honors Jan. 26 after going 4-2 and placing fourth at 141 at the Jamestown Jayhawk Open two days earlier in Jamestown, N.Y. He scored two major decisions and a pin among his four victories.
Men’s cross country
IUP: Mike Formica (Knoch) received the 2025 Fall Top 10 award from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference for excellence in both academics and athletics. The group was nominated and voted on by the conference’s sports information and athletic communication professionals. Formica, a psychology major with a 3.51 GPA, captured the PSAC men’s cross country individual championship this past fall. He did not finish outside of the top five in any of his races. His best 8K time was 24 minutes, 12.7 seconds, and his best 10K time was 30:25.7
Men’s basketball
Allegheny: Ryan Lang (Knoch) averaged 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists in leading the Gators to a pair of victories. He tallied 14 points in a 75-68 win Feb. 4 at Westminster and put up 19 points as Allegheny edged Chatham, 69-66, on Feb. 7. The totals helped him climb to fifth on the all-time program scoring list with 1,358 points and seventh with 170 made 3-pointers.
Northern Iowa Community College: Cam Reigard (Highlands) is averaging 8.5 points, has made 31 3-pointers and is shooting 74.5% (35 of 47) from the free-throw line in 25 games (17 starts) for the Trojans, who are 14-12 overall in the National Junior College Athletic Association. The sophomore guard owns eight double-digit scoring efforts this season.
Carlow: Jimmy Giannetta (St. Joseph) leads the Celtics in scoring through 22 games at 15 points per contest. He shoots 43.6% from the field, made 21 3-point field goals and has drained 82 of 101 foul shots (81.2 percent). The junior guard has scored 20 or more points eight times with a season-best 30 coming in an 80-70 loss to Waynesburg on Dec. 20.
Women’s basketball
Grove City: Senior guard Reese Hasley (Deer Lakes) moved into seventh place on the program’s all-time assists list with 250. She had 19 points and four assists in a 94-66 win over Geneva and 11 points, six assists and three steals in an 81-71 loss to Bethany. Most recently, Hasley tallied a season-high with 22 points and added three steals in Wednesday’s 64-54 win over Allegheny.
Pitt-Greensburg: Jocelyn Bielak (Highlands) leads a Bobcats (1-21) team that continues to battle despite having just six players available for games because of several season-ending injuries. The sophomore guard/forward fronts the team’s scoring efforts at 13.8 points per game and averages 5.7 rebounds. She hit for a season-high 26 points against Muskingum on Dec. 30 and tallied 21 in a loss to La Roche on Wednesday.
Swimming
Virginia: Zoe Skirboll (Fox Chapel) continues to have a strong season with the Cavaliers. She swam to victory in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 58.89 seconds Feb. 6 at the Virginia Cavalier Invitational. Her time was top 20 in the NCAA this season and also ranks 10th on the UVA all-time list. Skirboll and the rest of the Virginia swimmers will take to the pool for the ACC championships Feb. 17-21 in Atlanta.
Men’s indoor track and field
Westminster: Jake Crider (Kiski Area) finished third in the shot put (45 feet, 3 inches) and sixth in the weight throw (45-8) at the Susquehanna River Hawk Friday Night Showdown on Feb. 6. Jake Mull (Apollo-Ridge) took fourth in the 60-meter hurdles with a personal-best of 8.40 seconds, fifth in the 200 (23.44) and second as part of the 1,600 relay (season best 3:30.76).
Women’s wrestling
Lock Haven: Bella DeVito (Kiski Area) scored a pin in 2:45 to help the Eagles defeat York College, 42-5, as part of the team’s season-ending tri-meet Feb. 8. The victory upped her season record to 19-14. DeVito owns seven dual-meet victories. Her win total includes eight pins and four tech falls. DeVito will be a part of the NCAA Region 2 Championships on Feb. 20-21 at West Liberty (W.Va.) University.
Men’s volleyball
Chatham: Ben Shelestak (Fox Chapel) was honored Monday by the PAC with selection to the Offensive Honor Roll for matches the week of Feb. 2-8. The junior outside hitter recorded a match-high 19 kills along with 11 digs and two aces in a 3-2 victory over Penn State-Altoona on Feb. 3. It was the Cougars’ fifth win in their first six matches.