Sports
Mark Patton
Overview:
Dylan Axelrod, the 927th player chosen in the 2007 MLB Draft, pitched in Major League Baseball for both the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds
Little Dylan Axelrod had wished for a miracle.
He got one on Sept. 7, 2011, when he made his very improbable pitching debut in Major League Baseball.
But it wasn’t the miracle he’d requested.
His biggest wish was that his mother, Joni, would win her battle against breast cancer.
She died on his 10th birthday in 1995.
Sixteen years later, Dylan kept her close when he took the pitcher’s mound for the first time for the Chicago White Sox.
He scratched the letter “J” into the red-brick dirt behind the pitching rubber before holding the Minnesota Twins scoreless during two innings of relief.
“She knew how much I loved baseball,” Axelrod said at the time. “She knew this was my dream.
“I’m absolutely sure she did.”
He pitched in the big leagues for five seasons — three with the White Sox and two more with the Cincinnati Reds — and remains in the game as the pitching performance and integration coordinator for the Detroit Tigers.
Few outside his tight-knit, devoted family would have predicted a big-league life for little Dylan.
His father, Dennis Axelrod, nurtured his love for the sport. Grandma Lula Axelrod kept the faith and the scorebook for all his games until her death at age 90.
“I am where I am because of my dad,” Dylan said. “He raised me to be a hard worker, and his love of baseball and time spent coaching me laid my foundation.”
Axelrod grew up on the PONY League diamonds of MacKenzie Park, Santa Barbara High School’s Eddie Mathews Field, and Santa Barbara City College’s Pershing Park.
SBCC will honor Axelrod on May 31, when it inducts him into the Vaqueros Hall of Fame. The ceremony will begin with a noon reception at the Campus Center, 721 Cliff Drive.
The other Vaquero inductees are former NBA star Ron Anderson, beach volleyball Olympian Dax Holdren, women’s basketball star Carrie LaBudde-Cotter, multi-sport athlete and coach Chuck Melendez, long-time coach and administrator Ellen O’Connor, and golf team booster Diane Wootton.
Click here to purchase tickets online.
Thin Chance
Joni Axelrod made the most of her 10 years with Dylan. She homeschooled him during the last four.
“When Joni was diagnosed, and her prognosis wasn’t good, she wanted to maximize the time she had left with Dylan,” Dennis said. “She started homeschooling him as the way to do that.”
After her death, Dylan would “go behind the mound every inning to connect with Joni’s spirit, because her spirit was so incredibly strong.”
Axelrod began playing baseball a year before her death. His pitching career went much longer than any scout would have dared predict.
“Fred Warrecker liked to tell the story that when Dylan came out for his team as a sophomore at Santa Barbara High, he weighed about 120 pounds and threw maybe 75 mph,” Dennis Axelrod said. “I think that’s pretty close to the truth.
“Even by the time he graduated, he was probably only throwing in the low 80s.”
Axelrod was only the No. 3 pitcher for the Dons as a junior.
His future didn’t look more promising during the offseason when he severely dislocated his knee in a game of pickup basketball.
“He was out for five months,” his father said. “He couldn’t pitch for that long, but it just made him so determined to get back for his senior year. He worked so hard to do that.
“It might’ve been the key event to happen to him during his baseball career.”
Axelrod’s comeback was so meteoric — 10 wins in 11 decisions for the 2003 Channel League champion Dons — that he was voted as the conference’s Pitcher of the Year.
“I was probably 5-foot-9 back then, and something like 160 pounds,” Axelrod said. “And not a good 160, either. Kind of a fat 160.
“You know, limited strength. I was topping out at 80 mph back then.
“I learned how to get hitters out just by determination.”
That resolve helped him pack his growing frame with more muscle during his two years at SBCC.
He worked out religiously at Dr. Marcus Elliott’s Peak Performance Project (P3) to transform himself into a 6-foot and 195-pound pitching ace.
Axelrod also adopted a long-toss program he saw on the internet. His regimen included throwing a baseball from one football goalpost through the other — a distance of 120 yards — at SBCC’s La Playa Stadium.
“Sometimes I’d get kicked out of there by security guards,” he said, “but I’d always find a way back.”
Ace of the Vaqueros
Axelrod set the school record of 117 strikeouts while leading the 2005 Vaqueros to their first Southern California Regional berth since 1978.
They tied the school record for victories with a mark of 24-15— a record that was broken four years later.
“Teddy Warrecker was the coach,” he said, referring to the son of his high school coach. “And we had a great pitching coach, too, in Matt Hobbs.
“He was super-instrumental in my career.”
Hobbs was selected by D1 Baseball as last year’s NCAA Assistant Coach of the Year after helping the University of Arkansas win the Southeastern Conference’s Western Division.
Axelrod was the front man for Hobbs’ three-man starting rotation at SBCC that included Justin Aspegren and Tyler Davis.
“We called ourselves ‘The Big Three,’” Axelrod said. “We each threw 100 innings.
“I had the highest ERA of all of them and it was about 2.2.
“It was just fun, turning the program around, and winning was something to be proud of.”
Hobbs was also Axelrod’s pitching coach on the Santa Barbara Foresters’ summer collegiate team of 2006 that won the first of the club’s 11 National Baseball Congress championships.
“I have great memories from there,” he said. “I have some lifelong buddies from that team.”
Axelrod’s greatest memory in baseball came the following spring when he helped put UC Irvine into its first College World Series.
The last of his three NCAA tournament pitching victories came in Omaha, Nebraska, when he held Orange County rival Cal State Fullerton to just one hit in 4⅔ innings of relief.
“The path it took to get there and the guys I played with were just incredible,” he said. “We had two walk-off wins, and we were so close.
“The excitement was hard to describe, and so was the heartbreak of the loss (in the semifinals to eventual national champion Oregon State).
“We were in tears. It was like someone had died. We had to leave each other, and it was like brothers having to leave each other.”
Feeling the Draft
Axelrod became more of a baseball nomad after the San Diego Padres selected him in the 30th round of the 2007 MLB draft. He was the 927th pick overall.
He pitched in 14 different minor-league cities, returning for a second time in half of them. He had three different stints with the Charlotte Knights, the Triple-A farm club of the White Sox.
He experienced success at nearly every stop, posting a win-loss record of 27-14 and 2.80 earned-run average during his five seasons in the minors.
Axelrod’s first stint in Charlotte didn’t come until two years after his release by the Padres in 2009.
He kept his career on life support by joining the unaffiliated Windy City ThunderBolts in Crestwood, Illinois.
“It wasn’t the typical route,” he conceded. “I just had to work so hard to get there.”
The long odds he faced in advancing from an independent league to the major leagues actually took some of the weight off Axelrod’s shoulders.
“I changed how I thought about baseball,” he explained. “Before, I was feeling that pressure to stay in the Padres system and move up.
“After that was taken away, I had to play for myself, and play for fun.”
Two years later, he became the first Windy City player to ever make it to the Major Leagues.
“It felt so good to me because of the people who were behind me, like my dad and my friends, and everybody who’d helped me out along the way,” Axelrod said. “I got that call and I was like shaking, pretty much … ‘Is this for real?’
“I told my dad first, and then a couple of my closest friends. I hopped onto a plane and pitched the next day.
“I know I pitched two scoreless innings, but I don’t really know how or even what happened. It was kind of a blur, you know?”
Coach Class
Axelrod’s teammates encouraged him to think about a coaching career down the line.
“People would come to me to talk about pitching, and even about the physical part of it,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of knowledge about a lot of different things that can go into sport.”
Much of that came from P3, the local center that applies sports science to its training. He even served an internship at the facility.
“They had a huge role in my career,” Axelrod said. “I can’t say enough about that.”
He passed up an offer to serve as a pitching coach in minor league rookie ball after his last season in the Miami Marlins organization in 2016.
Axelrod returned to Santa Barbara instead and accepted an offer from Foresters’ manager Bill Pintard to become his pitching coach.
“I just didn’t have the desire to be in professional baseball anymore,” he said at the time. “You kind of have your hands tied.
“You can’t create a culture on your own. You have a lot of bosses and organizational structure.”
He gave it a shot in 2020, however, when the Los Angeles Angels asked him to become their pitching coordinator.
Axelrod was among several coaches purged from the club three years later after former Angels ace Troy Percival paid a visit to their minor league instructional camp.
Percival, who managed a record of only 111-177 during his six seasons as the head coach at UC Riverside, made some condescending remarks about the coaches’ use of technology in player development.
“I’m not one who’s big on using the iPads,” he said. “I understand it. I had to understand it through college coaching.
“I just feel like we need to have coaches with eyes who can see things and put their hands on people and fix them.”
Several others in the Angels’ organization considered Percival’s observation to be way off base.
One said anonymously that Axelrod was “the best source for any player or coach to go to of anyone players had access to in the org.”
The Angels’ loss became Detroit’s gain when the American League club promptly snatched him up. Two years later its current team ERA of 3.35 ranks seventh out of the 30 MLB teams.
The Angels? They rank 27th at 5.01.
Ironically, a game 14 years ago against first-place Detroit assured Axelrod that he belonged in the big leagues.
He rewarded the White Sox for his first pitching start by striking out eight Tigers, handing Chicago a 5-2 lead when he was relieved in the seventh inning.
“It validated the journey,” Axelrod said. “All the trials, time and hard work along the way coming together to achieve what I devoted my life to.”
Fans might have thought that the “J” he scratched on the mound that day stood for “joy.”
Those closest to Dylan Axelrod knew it went much deeper.
FLORENCE, Ala. (September 9, 2025) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team claimed a 3-0 home victory Tuesday night over the Samford Bulldogs in CB&S Bank Arena.
North Alabama (4-4) rung in the home opener in style with a three-set triumph over the in-state foes. The Lions fended off the competitive first set with Samford to take the opening point. Samford (2-3) came back in the second to seize the momentum, yet a late run gave UNA the two-set advantage. The third frame found North Alabama down by as many as seven points, but a comeback ensued and UNA downed the Bulldogs, 26-24.
The victory also marked UNA’s first win over Samford in the Division I era and the first since 1997.
Junior Kendall Barnes led UNA with 10 kills and a career-high three service aces. Junior Nicole Sargent and sophomore Dylann Garner added seven kills apiece. Kinslee McGowan, the reigning Atlantic Sun Conference Setter of the Week, tallied 30 assists.
Defensively, junior Ava Martindale posted a match-high 20 digs, and ASUN Freshman of the Week Jenna Kolosta contributed three blocks.
Samford and North Alabama opened the frame with a competitive affair. UNA took the lead after being down 2-0, going on a 6-2 run for the 6-4 advantage. The Lions held strong toward the halfway mark, but used a run midway to all but claim the opening frame. North Alabama led 15-12 and used a 5-0 run to open the score to a 20-12 UNA advantage. Two of Barnes’ three service aces came in the run, fueling the Lions to a 25-19 win in set one.
The Lions faced more competition in set two with the frame decided towards the end. Neither team lead by more than three points, but UNA used defense and the service line to take a 2-0 lead. North Alabama outscored the Bulldogs, 5-1, with UNA trailing 20-21 towards the end of the set. Sargent’s kill tied the set on the next point, with Sargent following with sophomore Reese Ricketts on a block. A second-straight block from Kolosta and Garner put the Lions up 23-22, and a service ace from Garner helped win set two, 25-22.
The Bulldogs responded from the first two sets with a strong opening third frame. An even start led to a 10-7 Samford lead and expanded to 14-8 midway through. The Bulldogs built a 17-10 advantage, but the Lions came alive with a 9-2 run to tie the set at 19. Garner was the catalyst in the comeback, contributing three kills and a block with additional kills from Barnes, Kolosta and Sargent. Samford quelled the run by outscoring North Alabama, 4-1, and took a 23-20 lead. The Bulldogs needed one point to send the match to a fourth, but UNA went on a 5-0 run to send the set to a win-by-two situation. The winning point came on a bad set from Samford, but a kill each from Barnes and Ricketts helped secure the Lions’ triumph in set three, 26-24.
UP NEXT
UNA continues its homestand Friday, Sept. 12, against Western Carolina. First serve is set for 6 p.m. in CB&S Bank Arena.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – For the first time since 2016, volleyball swept a ranked opponent at home as the Tar Heels shut down No. 11 Florida (25-23, 25-18, 25-21). Tonight’s victory gives Carolina the first win against the Gators since 1985 and the highest ranked victory in the Mike Schall era of volleyball. The sweep marks the first 5-0 start since 2021 when the team started 10-0.
The last time the Tar Heels beat a top 15 team at home was 2020 against No. 14 Duke 3-1 on Oct. 9. The last top 15 non-conference win was beating No. 2 Wisconsin in 2016. The 2016 team advanced to the sweet sixteen.
“That had nothing to do with them at all,” Safi Hampton said. “That was the first time that we played our game. We did the scout — everyone on the team did their job. That’s about us.”
The most anticipated home matchup of the last decade lived up to the hype as the two ranked foes went back and forth in the first set, which featured four lead changes and eight ties. Carolina came out on top, 25-23, giving them the first set victory against the Gators since 1999. Florida tied the match 23-23, but back-to-back kills from Safi Hampton sealed the first set win.
The momentum carried over as Carolina took the second set 25-18.The Tar Heels came out swinging as they jumped out to a 14-5 lead off an 11-2 run. The Tar Heels scored the first point of the second set and never gave up the lead. The Gators tied the set twice but the Tar Heels responded both times.
“We practice more than we play, and if our team is deep, then we’re playing against a really good team every day,” head coach Mike Schall said. “We have great players who didn’t get opportunities tonight, and they’ll get them in the future, but they’re going to keep working on it and they’ll get those opportunities. They’re gonna be ready when they do, and I’m confident in that.”
The final set mirrored the first set with four lead changes and eight ties. Florida looked to be in the driver’s seat at the start of the set as they held the lead before the Tar Heels went on a 5-0 run to tie the match 13-13. before Carolina pulled away for good, closing out the match on 4-2 run giving Carolina its first win against Florida in four decades.
Hampton has led the team in kills in every single match that she played in all of the sets and tonight’s victory was the same.
“She is one of the most creative attackers that I’ve ever had the opportunity to coach, and she’s such a good problem solver,” Schall. It never looks exactly the same, but she figures out ways to get kills and we’re fortunate to have her.”
The undefeated Tar Heels will head on the road to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks for the second straight season on Friday, Sept. 12, at 6:00 p.m. on SECN+.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Two former West Virginia University track and field standouts will compete on the international stage next week at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
Sarah Tait and Amy Cashin are both set to compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. While the championships open on Saturday, Sept. 13, their event begins with preliminaries on Monday, Sept. 15, at 8:15 p.m. ET/9:15 a.m. JST. The finals are scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 8:57 a.m./21:57 p.m. JST.
While at WVU, Tait became one of the most decorated distance runners in program history. She was a two-time First Team All-American and currently holds both the West Virginia University and Scottish national records in the steeplechase.
Cashin ranks third all-time in WVU steeplechase history and earned two Second Team and one Third Team All-America honors during her career. She has represented Australia at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 2025 championships will be her third consecutive World Athletics Championships appearance.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUXCTF on X, Facebook and Instagram.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Over 5,000 fans filled the McLeod Center on Tuesday night as the UNI volleyball team scored a key 3-1 win over the Iowa State Cyclones as part of non-conference play.
In a match led by a career-high 23-kill double-double performance by Cassidy Hartman, the Panthers evened their record on the season at 3-3, handing the Cyclones their first loss of the season, including their two set losses of the year.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers overcame back-to-back Cyclone service errors on the first two points of the match and carried a lead from there on out in a strong offensive set against one of the nation’s top offensive units. Five kills and five digs from Hartman, along with four terminations from Lily Dykstra and a pair of blocks from Maryn Bixby helped fuel an opening set where the Panthers notched a .571 hitting clip with 16 team kills and zero attack errors. Keeping Iowa State’s at bay, UNI prevailed with a 25-20 first set victory.
Northern Iowa faced another stiff challenge from the Cyclones in the second stanza, but found continued success on offense off the ISU block. Led by seven kills from Hartman and a .310 hitting percentage, UNI was able to force bonus ball after Iowa State rallied for set point, but came up short as the Cyclones evened the match at one set a piece with a 28-26 win.
UNI bounced back with a strong performance in the third set with Reese Booth dishing out an ace and the Panthers leading wire to wire. Calia Clubb and Dykstra continued to grow their kill totals as the Panther defense notched 20 team digs in the frame to build an 18-10 advantage. Tallying 17 team kills on .350 hitting, UNI withstood a late ISU push to take the third set by a score of 25-19, and a two-to-one set lead in the match.
The Panthers surged across the finish line in the fourth set, notching 19 team stops on .444 hitting with 18 assists. After scoring the first three points of the set and taking an 8-5 lead, UNI withstood a 3-0 Iowa State run that tied the set at 11-11 before the Panthers took the lead for good by strong sets from Hartman, Dykstra, Bixby and Isabelle Elliott that helped seal the match with a 25-19 set win.
Hartman finished the match with a career-high 23 kills, plus 11 digs for a double-double, while Dykstra tallied 15 kills, as well as a career-best three aces in the win. Clubb posted a season-high 12 kills, with Lindsay Oldendorf recording nine terminations, Elliott five kills and Bixby four kills and a team-high four blocks. Booth registered a season-best 28 assists along with two aces, while Kate Shafer also posted 28 assists, a new career-high. Jadyn Petersen finished with 17 digs in the Panther victory.
“What an amazing environment to play in front of,” said UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen after the win. “”Offensively we hit really well against a team that is really good at defense. On the other side I think our defense did a nice job of pushing them out of system.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 36-32 all-time against Iowa State, including 10-13 under head coach Bobbi Petersen. Tuesday’s win also marks the first time the Panthers have beaten the Cyclones in consecutive meetings since the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
- Tuesday night’s crowd of 5,170 fans was the sixth-largest volleyball attendance in McLeod Center history, and the most attended UNI volleyball match since the Panthers hosted Iowa State last in 2021.
- Tuesday was Bobbi Petersen‘s 17th career win against a Big 12 Conference opponent. Northern Iowa has now beaten one Big 12 opponent in each of the last four seasons, including four of its last five (Iowa State in 2022, 2025 / TCU in 2023 / West Virginia in 2024).
- Cassidy Hartman recorded her 500th career kill on Tuesday, as well as her fourth career match of 20+ terminations. She also notched her ninth career double-double and second of the 2025 season.
- Lily Dykstra has now recorded nine or more kills in all six matches this year, including seven straight outings dating back to last season. Tuesday was also Dykstra’s tenth career match with double-digit kill numbers.
- Dykstra also surpassed 300 career kills in the Panther win, while Calia Clubb notched her 200th career kill. Lindsay Oldendorf is one termination shy of 300 for her career.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action beginning Friday afternoon at the Bluejay Invitational in Omaha, Nebraska, opening up against Rice at 4:30 p.m. CT. UNI will also take on No. 4 Louisville in a 2024 NCAA Tournament rematch on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT, as well as No. 18 Creighton on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. CT.
Friday and Saturday’s matches will be livestreamed on YouTube, while Sunday’s will be broadcast on ESPN+. Live radio coverage of all three matches can be found on the Panther Sports Radio Network (106.5 FM Corn Country / 93.5 HD-2).
UNI volleyball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Volleyball), X (@UNIVolleyball) and on Instagram (@univolleyball). The full 2025 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Seven Shippensburg University alumni were among the individuals announced on Wednesday to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC)’s “75 Greatest Female Athletes” list.
The list recognizes former female student-athletes who had exceptional athletic careers during or after their participation in the PSAC.
The PSAC is celebrating its 75th anniversary season in 2025-26 and will honor 300 of its most prominent contributors throughout the month of September.
“While the path for women in college athletics was not always paved equally, the women of the PSAC have more than made their mark,” said Steve Murray, PSAC Commissioner. “They’ve redefined what’s possible. From the early trailblazers to today’s champions, these 75 greatest female athletes represent courage, excellence, and the relentless pursuit of opportunity. Their achievements speak not only to talent, but to the progress Title IX helped make possible and the power of sport to transform lives.”
The PSAC was founded on March 11, 1951, and comprised 14 institutions as the Pennsylvania State Teachers College Athletic Conference (PSTCAC). Since then, it has grown into one of the largest conferences in the NCAA across all three divisions.
Shippensburg University student-athletes selected to PSAC list:
Lauren Beckley – Basketball, 2006-10
2-time All-American, 3-time PSAC Player of the Year, 4-time All-PSAC First Team; PSAC’s 2nd All-Time Leading Scorer (2,407 points) and No. 10 All-Time Leading Rebounder (1,151)…7th in PSAC history in career 3-pointers (263) and career free throws (532)…59 career double-doubles…first player in league history to reach 1,000 career points as a sophomore
Dee Fichter Cross – Field Hockey, Basketball, Lacrosse, 1977-81
1979 AIAW Division III National Field Hockey Player of the Year; tri-captain of SU’s 1979 AIAW Division III National Championship Field Hockey Team, graduated as SU’s all-time field hockey goals leader (49), basketball points leader (826) and lacrosse assists leader; 9-year member of U.S. National Lacrosse Team (1980-89), 1999 inductee to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame
Ariel Jones – Basketball, Track & Field, 2017-23
3-time All-American; 2-time PSAC Player of the Year; 4-time All-PSAC First Team; PSAC’s all-time leading scorer (2,806 points; fourth-most in D2 history); NCAA Division II’s all-time leader in free throws (850); PSAC single-game scoring record (51) and single-season scoring record (795), 3-time PSAC place-winner in outdoor track & field as a jumper
Hannah Marsteller – Softball, 2018-22
3-time All-American; 3-time PSAC Athlete of the Year; 2-time Ron Lenz Division II Player of the Year; 2021-22 Pete Nevins PSAC Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year; PSAC’s all-time leader in RBIs (249); 2nd in PSAC history in home runs (62) and slugging percentage (.857), 3rd in doubles (62), extra-base hits (134) and total bases (550)
Jazmin Petrantonio Kuhn – Field Hockey, 2017-21
2021-22 Division II Honda Athlete of the Year; 2-time NFHCA Division II Player of the Year (2018, 2021); 3-time NFHCA Regional Player of the Year; 4-time All-American; 106 career goals (3rd in NCAA D-II history), all-time leading scorer in the history of the NCAA D-II Field Hockey Championships (10 goals in eight games)
Neely Spence Gracey – Cross Country, Track & Field, 2008-12
8-time NCAA National Champion, 11-time NCAA All-American, 2-time USTFCCCA National Cross Country Athlete of the Year, 2-time PSAC Pete Nevins Scholar-Athlete of the Year, named PSAC Athlete of the Year after all 10 of her competitive seasons, 21-time PSAC Champion spanning XC and T&F, 2010 NCAA Division II Women’s Sportsmanship Award
Kelley Tiesi Key – Softball, 2003-06
3-time All-American; 2006 PSAC Pitcher of the Year; 2004 PSAC Player of the Year; 4-time All-PSAC First Team; 2004 NCAA Division II Player of the Year; 2nd in PSAC history in career strikeouts (1,095), 3rd in shutouts (51); 5th in PSAC history in wins (99) and complete games (91)…set NCAA D-II record with 83.2 consecutive scoreless innings in 2004
PSAC Announcement | PSAC 75th Anniversary Homepage
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Slippery Rock University landed five former student-athletes and one current coach on the “75 Greatest Female Athletes” list released by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Wednesday in celebration of its 75th anniversary.
The PSAC will release lists of 75 honorees each Wednesday in the month of September as a kickoff to celebrating the 75th year of the conference. The first list, announced last week, was the “Made in the PSAC” list, which celebrated 75 former student-athletes that went on to influential careers.
This week’s list is the “75 Greatest Female Athletes,” which highlights 75 student-athletes that achieved greatness in competition during their time in the PSAC.
Future lists will include the “75 Greatest Male Athletes” being released Sept. 17 and “75 Distinguished Keystones” being released on Sept. 24. The Keystones list will recognize individuals who have been historically influential in the PSAC, whether it be staff, administrators or coaches.
The Rock are represented on the Greatest Female Athletes list by four alumni, one student-athlete that began her career at SRU and one current assistant coach that competed at another PSAC institution.
The alumni group includes track & field athletes Karyn McCready and Andi Rose, women’s soccer athlete Meghan McGrath and gymnastics national champion Julie Morrow Caito.
Former basketball player Becky Siembak, who was the PSAC Freshman of the Year at SRU before transferring to California (Pa.) and current track & field assistant coach Tabitha Bemis, who competed at Edinboro, are also on the list.
Brief bios for each of The Rock’s honorees can be found below.
KARYN McCREADY
• Sport: Track & Field
• Years at SRU: 2000-04
• Accomplishments: McCready was a three-time All-American in the javelin and recorded the highlight of her career when she won the 2004 NCAA Division II national title in the event. Her performance was so strong at the collegiate level that she qualified for and competed at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. She won three PSAC titles in the javelin and closed her career as a two-time Academic All-American. McCready was inducted into the Rock Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.
MEGHAN McGRATH
• Sport: Soccer
• Years at SRU: 2003-07
• Accomplishments: McGrath was a four-time first team All-PSAC honoree and a four-time All-Region honoree during a storied career leading The Rock women’s soccer program. She earned a pair of All-America honors and was named the PSAC Rookie of the Year. McGrath led The Rock to an overall record of 57-20-7 (.720) with four PSAC tournament appearances, two conference titles and three trips to the NCAA Tournament. She ranks third all-time at SRU in points (101), goals (38) and assists (25) and is still the all-time record holder for game-winning goals (13). McGrath was inducted into the Rock Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.
JULIE MORROW CAITO
• Sport: Gymnastics
• Years at SRU: 1981-85
• Accomplishments: Caito was Slippery Rock’s only NCAA national champion in women’s gymnastics when she won the balance beam title during her senior season in 1985. She was also the national runner-up in the all-around competition in 1985. Caito finished her career as a five-time All-American and a three-time Academic All-American. She was inducted into the Rock Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996.
ANDI ROSE
• Sports: Track & Field
• Years at SRU: 2003-07
• Accomplishments: Rose was the best hurdler in Slippery Rock history and closed her career as a six-time All-American and a 14-time PSAC champion. She won 11 PSAC outdoor titles during her career, including three 100-meter hurdle titles and three 400-meter hurdle titles. She also claimed three PSAC indoor titles. Rose was named the MVP of the PSAC championships five times during her career, winning both the indoor and outdoor track and overall MVP awards in 2007. She still owns the SRU indoor 55-meter and 60-meter hurdle records. Rose was inducted into the Rock Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.
BECKY SIEMBAK
• Sport: Basketball
• Year at SRU: 1999-00 (transferred to Cal after freshman year)
• Accomplishments: Siembak began her college career at Slippery Rock, where she helped The Rock win 23 games and a regional title as a freshman in 1999-00. She was named to first team All-PSAC honors and was the PSAC West Rookie of the Year. She transferred to California (Pa.) to follow former SRU head coach Darcie Vincent after her freshman year and helped lead the Vulcans to a national title in her senior season.
TABITHA BEMIS
• Sport: Track & Field at Edinboro
• Coach at Slippery Rock: 2015-17, 2021-Present
• Accomplishments: Bemis was a graduate assistant at Slippery Rock from 2015-17 and has been a full-time assistant coach at The Rock since 2021. Before coming to SRU, she was a standout track & field athlete at Edinboro, where she was a six-time All-American and a 15-time PSAC champion. She qualified for the National Championships in 14 events during her career. Bemis owns the PSAC record for the most PSAC Top 10 honors (six) in a career and was named the PSAC Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year in her senior year.
To stay up to date with all that happens at The Rock, follow our official athletic communication accounts on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter,@Rock_Athletics), Facebook (RockAthletics) and Instagram (RockAthletics).
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