Taryn Ashby’s successful freshman season as a javelin thrower at Villanova University included winning the conference championship in the event as part of the Wildcats’ team title at the Big East Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Ashby’s throw of 45.28 meters (more than 148 ½ feet) won the title on the opening day of the three-day meet in Geneva, Ohio.
The conference championship was just one of the accomplishments for Ashby, whose season concluded at the NCAA Division I East Regional qualifier where she fell short of making it to nationals. She was one of 10 Villanova track and field athletes to advance to regionals.
Ashby, a four-sport standout at Pittston Area, won the javelin in three of seven meets and received Big East Women’s Field Athlete of the Week honors twice during April.
The second weekly award for Ashby came after she finished first among 28 entries in the women’s collegiate division of the Penn Relays with a throw of 46.16 meters (151-5 ½).
Among the other Greater Pittston athletes who recently completed college seasons:
MORE WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
Vanessa Shedlock, a Slippery Rock University freshman from Wyoming Area, was part of the second-place, 1600-meter relay team at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships.
Shedlock finished her first season as a four-event finalist, two-time, all-star and one-time champion between the combined outdoor and indoor seasons. She was part of the PSAC champion 1600 relay team in indoor season. She was also seventh in the conference in the 400-meter dash and ninth in the triple jump.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
Haley Norwillo started every game at Chestnut Hill, a Division II school that went 12-7 this spring.
The sophomore attacker from Pittston Area scored 13 goals and was fourth on the team with nine assists.
Caity Butchko became the first Wyoming Area graduate to play the sport collegiately and appeared in all 18 games at King’s College, starting half of them. She finished her freshman season as an attacker/midfielder with eight goals and nine assists.
BASEBALL
Kyle O’Fier, a freshman starting infielder from Pittston Area, and Jeremy Zezza, a sophomore relief pitcher from Wyoming Area, were part of the Bloomsburg University team that wrapped up its season in the NCAA Division II National Tournament.
The Huskies finished 31-20.
O’Fier appeared in all but one game and started all but two. He tied for second on the team with six homers while batting .281 and driving in 33 runs.
Zezza struck out 11 in 10 innings. He was 0-1 with a 13.50 earned run average in 11 relief appearances.
Pittston Area graduate Tyler Jackson went 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA in 13 appearances, all but one of them in relief, as a freshman at Penn State-Harrisburg.
Jackson struck out 19 in 29 1/3 innings.
