Mairan Haggerty helped lead Neshannock to the top of the mountain in Pennsylvania high school girls basketball last season.
Haggerty now has a Hill in her future.
One of the top players in the WPIAL has found a college home. Haggerty, a 6-foot-1 guard and two-time first-team all-state pick, committed to Seton Hill last Monday.
“I said to myself, ‘I think I’m just going to do it. I’m ready,’” Haggerty recalled. “I called [Seton Hill coach Mark Katarski] right in my room. I told my parents that I think I’m going to do it, and then I did it.”
Seton Hill is sure happy she did. Haggerty poured in a team-high 17.2 points per game last season when she helped Neshannock go 29-3 and win WPIAL and PIAA Class 2A titles. The WPIAL championship was the second in a row for the Lancers, and the PIAA title was the first in school history. Haggerty scored a game-high 23 points in the state championship win against Southern Columbia.
Haggerty, who has scored 925 career points, said she also had an offer from Slippery Rock, while IUP and Mercyhurst were showing interest. Seton Hill began recruiting Haggerty not long after the PIAA title win, Haggerty said. She then visited not long after that and then received an offer from the school in August. Not only did Seton Hill coaches attend Haggerty’s AAU basketball games (she played for Drill For Skill) but also one of her volleyball games. Haggerty was named all-WPIAL in that sport.
“When I visited, I thought it was amazing,” Haggerty said. “They kept in touch with me throughout the summer. It was really good to see how much they cared.”
Seton Hill is off to a 4-2 start this season. A season ago, the Griffins qualified for the PSAC playoffs for the eighth consecutive season and finished with 21 wins, their most since the 2010-11 season. Seton Hill currently has 11 former WPIAL players on its roster: Central Valley’s Christiane Frye, Chartiers Valley’s Helene and Hallie Cowan, Brownsville’s Alie Seto, Montour’s Courtney Tomas, Franklin Regional’s Maria Brush, North Allegheny’s Emma Fischer, Apollo-Ridge’s Maddy Moore, Serra Catholic’s Nicole Pawlowski, Woodland Hills’ Joi Burleigh and Greensburg Salem’s Abby Mankins.
Neshannock tips off the season Friday against Wilmington in the Karns City tournament. With three starters returning, Neshannock appears to have the talent in place to make a run at repeating as PIAA champs. However, should the Lancers accomplish that, it will take place in a new class. They were bumped up to Class 3A this season, yet still enter the season as the team to beat in the WPIAL.
“That would be the best thing ever,” Haggerty said of closing her high school career with a second state title. “That’s what we’ve been working towards. Hopefully we’re able to do it.”
Three’s company
When Norwin senior hurdler Bella Brozeski signed her letter of intent with IUP last week, she continued what has become a family tradition — Brozeski sisters competing in track and field in college. Brozeski will join sisters Emily and Aleks as college athletes. Emily is a junior at Duquesne and Aleks a sophomore at Slippery Rock. Emily won the heptathlon at the Atlantic 10 Championships in May, while Aleks earned all-PSAC honors in the triple jump. Bella placed fifth in the 300-meter hurdles at the WPIAL Class 3A championships. Their father, Dave, was Norwin’s football coach for nine seasons before stepping down last month.
Another for O’Hara
North Catholic sophomore football player Brady O’Hara picked up his first Power Five offer from Pitt in September. Over the weekend, O’Hara received his second. Wisconsin threw its name in the running for O’Hara, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound tight end-defensive end who earned all-conference recognition on defense. O’Hara announced the offer after attending Wisconsin’s game Saturday, a day before reports circulated that Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell will be named Wisconsin’s next coach. Paul Chryst was fired midseason and Jim Leonhard has been serving as interim coach. Wisconsin has landed a WPIAL player in each of the past two recruiting classes — Penn-Trafford’s Cade Yacamelli and Thomas Jefferson’s Jordan Mayer.
Baseball commitment
Bethel Park’s Nathan Vargo (Charleston).
Basketball commitments
Indiana’s Katie Kovalchick (Washington & Jefferson); North Catholic’s Andrew Maddalon (Roanoke); West Mifflin’s Shannon Conley (Washington & Jefferson).
Football commitments
Montour’s Kevin Tate (Waynesburg); West Allegheny’s Nodin Tracy (Fordham).
Wrestling commitment
Hempfield’s Ethan Lebin (Bucknell).
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.