Peters Township wrestler named W&J captain
Daniel Florentino of McMurray has been named co-captain of the Washington & Jefferson College wrestling team.
Florentino will serve as captain this season along with Alex Donahue and Manny Dovshek.
“Dan, Alex and Manny have been incredible leaders since the day they stepped foot on campus,” said head coach Tommy Prairie. “They have achieved success on the mat, but more importantly have dedicated time to helping those around them. They have set extremely high standards for themselves and the rest of the program.”
A Peters Township High School product, Florentino finished his junior season at W&J with a 17-11 overall record at 141 pounds. The team’s lone senior finished with six wins by fall and six wins by decision a season ago. Florentino was an NWCA Scholar All-American in 2017-18 and a PAC Wrestler of the Week in 2020.
The Presidents open the 2021 season Feb. 12 with matches against Thiel and Waynesburg. The PAC championships are set for Feb. 27 in Washington.
Women’s swim team
Isabella Manzari of Venetia and Taylor Weyrich of McMurray are members of the W&J women’s swim team.
As a freshman, Manzari earned Presidents’ Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week honors as well as placement on the league’s spring academic honor roll in 2020.
Additionally, she accounted for 17 points at last year’s PAC championships after making three appearances in B finals. She won her race in the 200-yard freestyle with a personal-record of 2:03.50. She added another lifetime best in the 100 free prelims (56.90) and later placed 12th in the finals. She clocked a 36.21 and posted 14th in the 50 free.
Manzari is a Peters Township High School graduate.
A decorated gymnast, Weyrich transformed into a champion diver while attending Seton LaSalle. She was the Observer-Reporter and The Almanac MVP in 2020 for diving.
Last spring, Weyrich broke her own record (238.67), producing a new score of 245.70 points. During the WPIAL Class AA finals, she secured second place with a 399.05 score for 11 dives. She advanced to the PIAA championships but the state meet was postponed because of COVID-19.
As a junior, Weyrich became the first SLS diver to compete in the WPIAL finals, where she finished fourth. She earned All-State honors with a seventh-place showing at the state finals in 2019.
The daughter of Dr. Timothy and Carolyn Weyrich, she is majoring in early education at W&J.
The Presidents host Grove City College Feb. 12. W&J opened its season with meets against Franciscan University Feb. 2 and Bethany College Feb. 5. The Presidents are scheduled to compete in the PAC championships March 2-5 at Grove City.