Hagy sets mark
Despite Cornell’s 20-7 loss to Bucknell, Luke Hagy entered the record books. With 59 rushing yards and three receptions for 24 yards, the Mt. Lebanon High School graduate became the first Cornell player in school history to surpass 1,000 career yards both rushing and receiving.
“I see this more as a team accomplishment because you can’t do it alone,” said the son of Scott and Karen Hagy. “You need 11 guys to do their job right every play to have great plays, and I’ve been lucky to have great quarterbacks that made great passes and an offensive line, fullbacks and wide receivers making great blocks. It’s an honor because there is so much tradition and history in Cornell football and to be a part of something like that is amazing.”
Amazing have been many of the achievements of the 6-foot, 196-pound junior running back throughout his athletic career.
So far this season, he has rushed for 183 yards on 46 carries. He also has five receptions for 31 yards and one touchdown, which he scored in Cornell’s 51-13 loss last week to Yale.
As sophomore last season, he earned All-Ivy League honorable mention honors by leading all running backs in receptions (55), receiving yards (652) and receiving touchdowns (five). He also led the Big Red in rushing with 340 yards in 2013.
Hagy was one of 20 finalists for the Jerry Rice Award, given annually to the national freshman of the year in the Football Championship Subdivision. In his rookie year in 2012, he led Cornell in rushing (528 yards, seven touchdowns), he ranked seventh in the Ivy League in that category. Hagy was one of two Big Red freshmen named to the College Sports Journal 2012 FCS All-Freshman Team. The two-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week ranked second in the Ancient Eight in both scoring and all-purpose yardage in conference games only. He finished the year ranked in the top 10 in the Ivy in rushing, receptions, all-purpose yards and scoring. The conference’s top receiving back, he finished fourth on the squad in receptions (48) and receiving yards (513) with two touchdowns. Hagy established a Cornell freshman record with his 1,054 all-purpose yards.
While at Mt. Lebanon, Hagy was a three-sport standout. He captained his basketball team to the state finals and set career assist and steals records in the process. He is the school’s all-time leading rusher and totaled 2,125 all-purpose yards his senior season while also posting 81 tackles and three interceptions on defense. The Almanac’s 2012 Athlete of the Year helped his baseball team reach the state semifinals his senior season. He batted .451 his junior year.
Hagy, who has an older sister, Angela, and a grandfather, Anthony Cugini, who played football at Penn, is enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell.
Hoffman stars
Brittany Hoffman of McMurray surpassed the 500-save threshold for her career during New Jersey City University’s 1-0 loss to Rutgers University-Camden. In the New Jersey Athletic Conference contest, Hoffmann made nine saves, including one on a penalty kick.
Though the Gothic Knights held a 27-2 advantage on shots, Rutgers scored in the 20th minute for victory.
Hoffman’s seventh save at the 35:39 mark in the first half proved to be her milestone 500th stop, a block of a shot by Camden’s lone goal scorer, Catherine Fiore. Hoffman made three more stops in the second half to finish with 503 saves.
For the second consecutive game, included in her save total was a 62nd minute penalty kick save as she smothered an attempt by Kelly Barbone, diving towards the right post. It was the third consecutive penalty kick she has stopped and the fourth of her career.
“Brit was amazing again,” said head coach Michael Vivino. “When we saw her in warm-ups, we knew she was going to be at her best. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do anything to help her on the offensive side of the ball.”
The Peters Township High School graduate has upped her career save total to 523 on the season. The three-time All-New Jersey Athletic Conference goalkeeper is a Dean’s List student, who is majoring in fire science.
Kiernan starts at SFU
Troye Kiernan of Upper St. Clair has played 10 games and started seven for the St. Francis University men’s soccer team, which is off to a 6-4-1 start. The 6-1, 177-pound freshman plays in the midfield for the Red Flash, who will begin NEC conference action Oct. 10 against Farleigh Dickinson.
In an exhibition game against Pitt, Kiernan, who is studying physical therapy, assisted on a goal in the Red Flash’s 2-0 victory.
The son of Joseph and Donna Kiernan was a NSCAA scholastic All-American and a two-time All-State performer at Upper St. Clair High School. He led the Panthers to three state finals and two PIAA championships. The 2013 Almanac MVP was also a two-year ODP Region 1 team member. He played on four PA West championship clubs.
Coughlin excels at W&J
Pete Coughlin of Upper St. Clair tied a school record with six touchdown passes in Washington & Jefferson College’s 51-28 victory against Thomas More in Presidents’ Athletic Conference action. The sophomore signal caller also threw for 383 yards, the highest passing total in the PAC this season.
In four games this season, all victories, Coughlin has completed 93 of 133 passes for 1,177 yards and 13 touchdowns. He ranks as the team’s second-leading rusher with 151 yards and one touchdown on 50 carries.
Also in the victory, Jared Pratt from Bethel Park picked off a pass and Alec Schram from Canonsburg recorded sixth tackles, all solo, for the Presidents.
Boxheimer on the run
Hillary Boxheimer of Bethel Park posted a personal best time of 17:08.3 and led the University of Pittsburgh women’s cross country team to a fourth-place finish in the Notre Dame Gold Races. The junior harrier finished eight overall among the runners from 20 different colleges.
Boxheimer is a two-time ECAC qualifier, finishing as high as third in the 5K race with a time of 18:20. Her other top performances have been 18:13.8 in the 2014 UB Invite and 21:27 in the 6K at the 2013 NCAA Regionals.
Prior to her arrival at Pitt, Boxheimer excelled in cross country and track at Bethel Park High School. She was a four-time PIAA state qualifier in cross country. She was a WPIAL runner-up in the 3,200-meter run and she holds the school record for the team event in the 4-by-800 race.
The 21-year-old daughter of Neal and Connie Boxheimer is a speech pathology major.