Annie Roshak, Karlee Pireu, Hayley Smith lead Ashland women's basketball; Andrew White, Connor McClure make mark in ACC

Bill Arsenault / Special to The Canton Repository
·6 min read
Ashland University's Karlee Pireu (25) brings the ball down court against Malone University during college women's basketball action Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021 at Kates Gymnasium. TOM E. PUSKAR/TIMES-GAZETTE.COM
Ashland University's Karlee Pireu (25) brings the ball down court against Malone University during college women's basketball action Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021 at Kates Gymnasium. TOM E. PUSKAR/TIMES-GAZETTE.COM
Ashland University's Hayley Smith (33) takes the ball around the defense of Lake Erie’s Breanna Bauer (32) basketball action at Ashland University Sat. Dec. 11, 2021. LIZ A. HOSFELD/FOR TIMES-GAZETTE.COM
Ashland University's Hayley Smith (33) takes the ball around the defense of Lake Erie’s Breanna Bauer (32) basketball action at Ashland University Sat. Dec. 11, 2021. LIZ A. HOSFELD/FOR TIMES-GAZETTE.COM

The Ashland University women’s basketball team is having another big season and a trio of former Stark County high school standouts are key performers — junior Annie Roshak, senior Karlee Pireu and freshman Hayley Smith.

The Eagles are ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. They are 15-1 overall and 10-0 in the Great Mideast Athletic Conference after a 69-47 league win over Cedarville on Monday.

Roshak (Hoover) leads the team in scoring (17.9), rebounding (6.1) and blocked shots (15). She has scored in double figures in all 15 games she has played in and has three double-doubles. The 6-foot-1 forward has scored 1,077 points in her career.

Ashland University's Annie Roshak (42) shoots as Cedarville University's Lexi Moore (44) defends during college women's basketball action Monday, Jan. 24, 2022 at Kates Gym. TOM E. PUSKAR/TIMES-GAZETTE.COM
Ashland University's Annie Roshak (42) shoots as Cedarville University's Lexi Moore (44) defends during college women's basketball action Monday, Jan. 24, 2022 at Kates Gym. TOM E. PUSKAR/TIMES-GAZETTE.COM

Pireu (Perry) is averaging 11.3 points and 5.1 rebounds and is second on the team in assists with 34 and has 19 steals. The 6-1 forward has three double-doubles and had a season-high 26 points in an 87-84 victory over Walsh on Dec. 31. She currently has scored 1,395 points in 134 career games.

Smith (St. Thomas Aquinas) is averaging 8.0 points and 4.5 rebounds. She had a college career-high 20 points in a 90-34 victory over Lake Erie on Dec. 11 and had 15 points and 11 rebounds in a 72-53 win over Ohio Dominican on Jan. 20, and 11 points and 12 rebounds in the Cedarville victory.

Chris O’Connor (Hoover) The sophomore is a key performer for the talent-laden Texas men’s swim team, the Longhorns 4-0 in dual meets and ranked No. 1 in Division I NCAA after a 189-100 victory over TCU in a home meet last weekend in Austin. O’Connor won the 200 backstroke in 1:44.30 and was second in the 100 backstroke in 47.55. His top times this season are 46.79 in the 100 back and 1:42.46 in the 200 back. He didn’t compete as a freshman.

Andrew White (GlenOak) The senior is off to a big start with the Wake Forest men’s indoor track team. He opened the season by winning the weight throw at the Mondo College Indoor meet on Jan. 15 in Winston-Salem, N.C. Last Saturday, White finished second in the weight throw at the Hokie Invitational. He posted a personal record toss of 66 feet, 11.25 inches. That mark currently ranks fifth on the Atlantic Coast Conference performance list.

Morgan Cole (Louisville) The Youngstown State junior posted personal bests in the two meets she has competed in this month for the Penguins’ indoor track team. She opened the season by finishing second in the 3,000 meters in 9:54.69 at the Nittany Lion Challenge on Jan. 15. Last Friday, Cole finished third in the mile in 4:58.28 at the YSU College Indoor Invitational. She won the 5K and took fourth in the 10K at the Horizon League Outdoor Championship last May.

William Schneider (Hoover) The junior had a big effort to help the Merchant Marine Academy (N.Y.) indoor track team easily capture its fifth straight Skyline Conference title last Sunday. Schneider won the 100 butterfly in 52.84 and was a member of the winning 200 medley relay (1:36.11) and 400 freestyle relay (3:16.33). He also took second in the 50 free (22.32), third in the 100 backstroke (55.20) and third in the 100 free (49.20).

Connor McClure (Green) The freshman is the top pole vaulter for the Virginia Tech indoor track team. He finished second with a season-best height of 17-0.75 at school's own Hokie Invitational last weekend. That mark is currently tied for first on the ACC performance list. McClure kicked of the season by finishing fourth at the Virginia Tech Invitational on Jan. 14-15, clearing 15-11.

Peyton Howell (GlenOak) The Ohio Wesleyan junior won the high jump at the Larry Cole Invitational last Friday in Ada with a height of 5-4.5. It was the 14th victory in that event in her career with the Battling Scots. Howell also won at the Ron Althoff Relays on Jan. 14 when she cleared 5-7. Her career-best mark in the event, 5-8.5, came in a dual meet against Denison last February. It was the top height in Division III last season.

Kaylee Pierce (Massillon) The 5-9 junior has played in all 16 games with four starts for the Glenville State (W.Va.) women’s basketball team — the No. 1-ranked team in NCAA Division II by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association at 16-0 overall, 11-0 in the Mountain East Conference. Pierce is averaging 5.3 points and 2.4 rebounds with 19 assists and 10 steals. She has made 16 of 49 3-pointers (32.7%). Her twin sister, Makayla, has played in 10 games off the bench.

Marissa Berlin (Green) The 6-3 sophomore forward continues her outstanding play with the 4-12 Davis & Elkins (W.VA.) women’s basketball team. Berlin is second on the team in scoring with a 12.6 average and leads the team in rebounding at 10.7 a game and in blocked shots with 20. She has six double-doubles, with four coming in January. Berlin has scored in double figures in six of the last seven games highlighted by a season-high 23-point effort in 61-58 triumph over Bluefield State on Dec. 18.

Connor Wright (Minerva) The 6-1 senior guard has started five of the last six games for the Lake Erie men’s basketball team (8-8 overall, 2-7 G-MAC). He had a season-high 13 points and four rebounds in a 79-67 non-league victory over Oberlin on Jan. 11 and came back with 11 points and seven rebounds in a 72-56 league win over Trevecca Nazarene on Jan. 13. Wright is averaging 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds with 13 assists and 14 steals on the season.

Sarah Benedict (Perry) The sophomore recorded the first 300 game in her career to help the Notre Dame College women’s bowling team win the Raider Open on Nov. 13-14 in Dayton. She also had a 233 game and averaged 223 in five games. That earned her a spot on the all-tournament team. It was her second all-tourney selection of the season. She earned the first at the Ohio Bowling Conference Tournament on Oct. 23 when she averaged 233 to finish fifth out of 109 bowlers in the field.

Olivia Hurtt (Jackson) The senior for the John Carroll women’s indoor track team won the weight throw (51-11) at the Otterbein Invite last Saturday. She also finished fifth in the shot put (36-10.5).

Claire Eberhardt (Central Catholic) The John Carroll sophomore also came up big at the Otterbein Invite, winning the 1,000 meters by two-hundredths of a second with a personal-best 3:07.03.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Big Stark County influence on Ashland women's basketball success