Jeff Zidek is the track announcer at The Hollywood Casino at The Meadows race track in Washington.
He knows which horse to bet on come the college bowling postseason.
Zidek also is the head women’s bowling coach at Saint Vincent College, and after a second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, he has received national notoriety.
Zidek, the Bearcats’ ninth-year coach, was named the National Tenpin Coaches Association National Division III Coach of the Year.
He is the first SVC coach to earn national coach of the year honors.
SVC is 45-4 with one event remaining on the schedule, the U.S Bowling Congress Intercollegiate Team Championships April 15-18 in Green Bay, Wisc.
Only 16 teams were selected to compete in the event.
The Bearcats have the best winning percentage among all divisions of the NCAA, at 91.8.
SVC repeated as AMCC Tournament champions and posted six first-place finishes. It lost to Belmont Abbey, 2-1, in the NCAA regional in Pittsburgh.
Zidek, a four-time AMCC Coach of the Year, helped start the SVC program in 2017.
Softball
Cal (Pa.): Sophomore Amarah McCutcheon (Southmoreland) tied a single-game program record with three home runs in 14-13 loss to Edinboro. She finished with a career-high seven RBIs. McCutcheon, who hit two homers in a game against Edinboro last season, also homered in the first game of this year’s doubleheader and finished the two games 4 for 8 with four homers and 10 RBIs.
Lock Haven: Sophomore ace Talia Ross (Belle Vernon) moved to 14-4 on the season as she struck out 12 over two games in a doubleheader sweep of West Chester, 10-2 and 8-7. She struck out eight in the first game, which was shortened to six innings.
Penn State New Kensington: Sophomore Brookelyn Kotch (Norwin) was named the PSUAC Pitcher of the Week. Kotch had two complete-game performances, went 2-1 and earned her third save of the season, striking out 10 and walking four.
Pitt-Johnstown: Senior Mia Smith (Penn-Trafford) became the first pitcher in program history to reach 400 career strikeouts, fanning eight and scattering seven hits in an 8-3 win over Seton Hill. She also drove in two runs.
Junior Isabella DePalma (Derry) went 2 for 3 with a double, two RBIs and two runs for the Mountain Cats. She added two RBIs in a 12-4 win over the Griffins in the second game of the doubleheader.
Smith is now 28-42 in her career with a 5.31 ERA and 407 Ks.
Robert Morris: Redshirt senior Courtney Poulich (Mt. Pleasant) broke her own program record for home runs in a season with her 17th, which came in a 18-3 victory over Northern Kentucky in Highlands Heights, Ky. She already holds single-season marks for runs (49) and is closing in on her RBI record of 53. Poulich, a D1Softball Preseason Mid-Major Top 100 pick (No. 80), has over 100 hits, runs and RBIs in her college career.
Saint Vincent: The Bearcats put together a doubleheader sweep as they defeated Franciscan, 21-2 (five innings) and 15-4 (six innings).
In the opener, freshman Samantha Farrell hit a grand slam and scored twice, freshman Emily Dudenhoeffer doubled and had four RBIs, sophomore Josey Michalski (Norwin) had three RBIs and sophomore Macie McHugh (Latrobe) scored four times.
The second game saw junior Alyssa Henderson, Dudenhoffer and Michalski collect three hits apiece. Henderson had two doubles and Michalski and Dudenhoffer, who both homered, each drove in four. McHugh tripled for SVC. Junior Mackenzie Favero (Kiski Area) picked up her 100th career hit.
SVC went on to sweep two games from Carlow, 12-6 and 9-1, at West Mifflin. The Bearcats had 21 hits in the opening game, with Duddenhoeffer going 4 for 4 with two runs and two RBIs, and Favero finishing 3 for 4 with two runs. Henderson also had three hits and two RBI, and McHugh doubled, tripled and knocked in a pair.
In the nightcap, which was shortended to five innings by the run rule, Favero went 3 for 3 with three runs, Duddenhoeffer had two hits, two runs and two RBIs, and Henderson added two hits and two RBIs for SVC (15-13, 7-7), which has won six in a row.
Duddenhoeffer was named the PAC Player of the Week.
Waynesburg: Freshman pitcher Morgan Walt (Hempfield) moved to 3-0 with a complete-game win, allowing four hits and three walks as the Yellow Jackets downed Franciscan, 6-1. Walt, who added two more wins to go to 5-0 (2.01 ERA), was named the PAC Newcomer of the Week. She only pitched at the junior varsity level in high school.
Junior Brynn Charnesky (Southmoreland) had an RBI hit in the win. Charnesky went 2 for 2 with two RBIs in the second game of the doubleheader, a 10-1 win in five innings.
Waynesburg is coached by Hempfield alum and former Mt. Pleasant softball coach Chris Brunson.
Westminster: Sophomore Kylie Anthony (Penn-Trafford) went 2 for 4 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored in an 11-1 win over Pitt-Bradford.
Sophomore pitcher Cheyenne Piper (Westminster) tossed a one-hitter with seven strikeouts to lead the Titans to an 8-0 win over Washington & Jefferson. It was her third shutout of the season and she moved to 10-3.
Baseball
Cal (Pa.): Redshirt freshman Ethan Minerva (Hempfield) is hitting .286 with a .730 OPS in 10 games for the Vulcans. He had a hit when the team fell to Point Park, 7-2, at PNC Park.
Eastern Michigan: Senior Ty Stecko (Norwin) is hitting .261 with 29 hits, five home runs, 21 RBIs and 22 runs. He has started 30 of 31 games.
Grove City: Junior left fielder Dan Luko (Franklin Regional) went 3 for 5 with a double in a 5-4 victory over Hiram in PAC action. Luko added a pinch-hit solo home run in a 13-11, 11-inning win over Allegheny.
Mercyhurst: Grad first baseman Jayden Walker (Norwin) doubled and drove in a run as the Lakers defeated Le Moyne, 7-5. Walker proceeded to go 3 for 3 with a double and three runs scored in an 11-10 loss to Le Moyne.
In the second game, Walker’s teammate, Riley Adams, made a highlight catch in center field, robbing Jack Cannon of a home run.
ARE. YOU. SERIOUS? ????#RollLakers☘️ pic.twitter.com/jotHP1d78I
— Mercyhurst Baseball (@HurstBaseball) April 12, 2026
Penn State Behrend: Senior catcher Thomas Nicely (Franklin Regional) went 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored as the Lions defeated Pitt-Bradford, 9-2, in the second game of a doubleheader.
Nicely also had a hand in the first game, 1-0 victory. He caught junior pitcher Colin Bolla’s no-hitter.
Pitt-Greensburg: Senior first baseman Colin Solinski was named the AMCC Athlete of the Week. He hit .550 (11 for 20) with three home runs, nine RBIs and seven runs scored over five games. He had three home runs.
Saint Vincent: Sophomore Traynor Janosko had two hits and three RBIs, sophomore Chuck Fontana (Penn-Trafford) went 3 for 5 with a double and two RBIs, and junior Gavin Roebuck (Yough) doubled as the Bearcats beat Waynesburg, 7-2.
Seton Hill: Sophomore right-hander Sean Williams was named the PSAC West Pitcher of the Week after he delivered the second no-hitter in program history this weekend in a 7-0 victory over Pitt-Johnstown. Williams struck out nine and walked three while helping veteran coach Marc Marizzaldi post career win No. 800.
Washington & Jefferson: Sophomore Keegan Carr (Norwin) went 4 for 5 with a double and an RBI to help W&J to an 11-5 win over Hiram.
Westmoreland County Community College: Sophomore Erik Streussnig pitched a complete-game four-hitter with seven strikeouts and one walk, and freshman Jake Sincak (Norwin) had two hits as the Wolfpack blanked CCAC, 4-0, before edging the Wildcats, 9-8, in the second game of a doubleheader.
Sophomore Jake Gedekoh (Belle Vernon) went 2 for 2 with a double, a home run and three RBIs, and freshman Jake Domkowski also drove in three in the second game. Domkowski finished 3 for 3 with three runs scored.
WCCC (19-9) took the third game of the series, 12-4, for its fourth straight win as freshman Jacob Kitz (Mt. Pleasant) pitched a nine-inning complete game with no walks, freshman Darren DeRiggi went 3 for 4 with four runs, and freshman Sean Franzi had two hits and five RBIs.
Franzi was named the NJCAA Region 20 Division II Player of the Month. He had 19 hits and 24 RBIs, while slugging 1.000 with 11 extra-base hits, including four home runs, in 15 games.
Men’s track & field
Mercyhurst: Freshman Thomas Gaydos (Norwin) won his heat in the 5,000-meter race at the Ashville Bulldog Invitational (N.C.). He broke the 15-minute mark for the first time, clocking in at 14:50.42.
Women’s track & field
Duquesne: Freshman Brandi Brozeski (Norwin) finished second in the orange division of the heptathlon with 4,642 points at the Susquehanna Outdoor River Hawk Multi meet in Selinsgrove. She won the high jump (1.58 meters) and the 100-meter hurdles (14.45 seconds).
At the Bucknell Bison Classic, freshman Melani Schmidt (Norwin) moved into the No. 4 spot all-time in the program in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, finishing fifth (12.21) and seventh (24.53). Schmidt also ran a leg of the winning 1,600-meter relay that finished in 3:48.
Westminster: Sophomore Grace Iwig (Hempfield) finished second in the high jump with a mark of 1.62 meters, and she was sixth in the pole vault (3.41) at the Westminster Invitational.
Men’s volleyball
Chatham: Junior Tim McCabe (Norwin) had 16 kills and hit .406 but the Cougars fell to Thiel, 3-1, in the PAC Championship. Senior Tyler Hussey (Norwin) scored the final point for Thiel to secure the Tomcats’ second straight conference title.
Men’s golf
Grove City: Sophomore Seth Hartman (Penn-Trafford) shot 79 to finish fifth individually at the Bethany College Spring Invitational. Grove City won the tournament with a score of 319 at Ogelbay Resort in Wheeling, W. Va. Senior Michael Astrab (Norwin) played unattached and tied for 24th (94).
Women’s golf
Bethel: Sophomore Izzy Aigner (Greensburg Central Catholic) shot 85-78 and finished 87th at the Lady Roadrunner Spring Invite in Cohutta, Ga.
Grove City: Sophomore Gabrielle Kinneer (Mt. Pleasant) finished 35th at the Susquehanna Invitational at Susquehanna Valley Country Club in Hummels Wharf. She carded a 100. Grove City finished third in the team standings.
Westminster: Senior Olivia Kana (Greensburg Central Catholic) finished 20th (100) at the Westminster Spring Invitational.
Men’s lacrosse
Seton Hill: Junior Carter Li scored five goals and senior Kaden Granberg and freshman Dexter Hannigan had four apiece to power the Griffins (11-2. 8-0 GMAC) past Northwood, 22-12.
Junior Cullen Green was named the GMAC Defensive Athlete of the Week. He had six caused turnovers and nine ground balls in two games.
Westminster: Freshman Jeromie Murray (Norwin) had four ground balls to help the Titans defeat Franciscan, 17-9, in a PAC game.
Women’s lacrosse
Grove City: Junior attacker Gwen Shilling (Franklin Regional) had a goal and an assist as the Wolverines (11-3, 7-0 PAC) made it 11 straight wins by trouncing Hiram, 23-0.
Seton Hill: The Griffins defeated IUP, 14-12, to move to 8-4 overall and 5-1 in the PSAC West. Senior Elena Traficante and junior Carley O’Mara had three goals each.
Washington & Jefferson: Junior goalkeeper Megan Brackney (Latrobe) played 30 minutes and made a save in a 23-3 win over Geneva.
Men’s basketball
Westmoreland County Community College: Sophomore Julian Thompson (Greensburg Salem) was named an NJCAA Region 20 honorable mention. Thompson, 32, led all junior college rebounders in the nation with his 12.8 average. He led the Wolfpack in scoring at 17.9 points per game while shooting 56.6% from the field.
Women’s basketball
Seton Hill: Junior forward Mia Kalich was named a winter season PSAC Top 10 Winner. The Top 10s recognize student-athletes who stand out in sports and in the classroom.
Kalich averaged 14 points and 12.1 rebounds and had 22 double-doubles this season for the Griffins, who finished 22-9 and made their second straight NCAA Division II Tournament appearance.
Kalich, who led the PSAC in steals — third in Division II — and was second in rebounding, was the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year for the second straight time.
Westmoreland County Community College: Freshman guard Madison Marinchak (Ligonier Valley) earned NJCAA Region 20 honorable mention honors. She led WCCC in scoring with an 8-point average.