South Fayette pair pick colleges
Two South Fayette girls basketball players made oral commitments to continue their careers at the college of their choice.
Ryan Oldaker committed to Marist University, a Division I school in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The Red Foxes (16-15) compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Oldaker also had offers from Mercyhurst, Campbell, Albany and Rider.
Oldaker will join fellow South Hills standout Kate Robbins on the Marist roster. An Upper St. Clair graduate, Robbins is a rising junior forward for the Red Foxes. She was a 1,000-point scorer at USC.
Juliette Leroux recently committed to Florida Atlantic University, which is located in Boca Raton.
Colgate, Brown, Cornell, Boston, Eastern Michigan, Iona, LaFayette, William and Mary, Massachusetts, Delaware, Cleveland State and St. Bonaventure were among the many other collegiate programs offering Leroux scholarships.
A rising senior, she maintains a 4.1 GPA and is a dual-sport athlete, also excelling in volleyball.
Both Oldaker and Leroux gained second-team all-state recognition on the Class 5A squad for leading the Lady Lions to their first-ever state championship, a WPIAL runner-up trophy and a 29-2 overall record. Both were all-section and all-WPIAL performers.
During the PIAA final, a 45-37 win over four-time reigning champion Archbishop Wood, Leroux led the Lions with 15 points and seven rebounds. Oldaker provided 10 tallies and dished up two assists.
During the seasons, Leroux averaged 12.1 points and 4.5 rebounds a game while Oldaker provided 12.4 points per game to go along with 2.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds.
According to Lions head coach Bryan Bennett, Leroux and Oldaker were “impact” players on both ends of the floor and “played a key role” in the team’s success.
Oldaker and Leroux are the first of SF’s returning starters to announce their college intentions. Rising senior Haylie Lamonde has multiple Division I offers as do junior Lailah Wright and sophomore Ella Vierra.