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Valley athletes commit to area colleges
By Greg Gulas
Six Mahoning Valley high school athletes inked national letters-of-intent on Wednesday for college scholarships.
Signing were McKenna Shives of Struthers (basketball), Lauren Hawley of Brookfield (softball), Jason McQuown of Poland (golf), Pat Carlozzi of Poland (baseball), Rachel Williamson of Austintown Fitch (golf) and Tradazia Merchant of Fitch (track).
Shives, a four-year letterwinner who helped lead the Wildcats to a 19-6 record, played on teams that compiled a 77-22 record.
A part of three sectional and district championship squads, she will attend Gannon University in the fall but is undecided on a major.
“It wasn’t until our district game with Streetsboro that Gannon came into the recruiting picture,” Shives said. “I was considering Baldwin-Wallace, Mount Union and Alderson-Broaddus College.
“When I took my visit, I was impressed with the coaching staff and really loved the location of the campus.”
A three-time league first-team pick, Shives finished with 1,148 career points.
Hawley, a catcher who also plays shortstop for the Warriors, will head to Slippery Rock University as a study biology/pre-veterinary medicine.
A career .505 hitter with five home runs, she has 88 hits, 55 runs batted in and 52 runs scored. She has earned eight letters overall, including four in basketball.
“I wasn’t really considering Slippery Rock but when I visited, the coaching staff and team members made me feel like I was already a part of the team. I’m very excited and wish that I was there right now,” she stated.
McQuown, a three-year letterwinner for the Bulldogs’ golf team, is a two-time All-American Conference selection. He will attend Youngstown State University.
His 36.5 average as a senior was his career best. He helped Poland win the AAC championship as a junior.
He will study accounting.
“I think the world of Coach [Tony] Joy,” McQuown said. “Having Dom Carano of Canfield, someone I competed against in high school already on the team made my decision that much easier.”
Williamson will attend Notre Dame College of Ohio where she will study biology in pursuing a career as a pediatric speech pathologist.
A four-year letterwinner, she set the Fitch all-time record for low score (35) and low average (41.0).
“I applied to 15 schools, made seven visits and felt that Notre Dame College was my best fit,” Williamson said. Merchant will attend the University of Akron where she will major in business administration.
In 2013, she qualified for state in the shot put and was a regional qualifier in the shot put and discus.
“I selected the University of Akron because it’s not just about athletics, it’s about academics first,” Merchant said. ”They actually have an academic boot camp that helps prepare incoming freshman for what to expect their first year.”
Carlozzi will attend Ashland University and major in business administration.
“I’m excited to play at the next level for Ashland,” Carlozzi said. “Ashland has a great baseball Program and history. I was also impressed with their campus and business school and felt that they would both be a good fit for me.”