Conemaugh Valley standouts Chase, Davison announce college intentions

Feb. 28—Reagan Chase made her mark swimming as an independent competitor over the past four years. Delanie Davison has been a key part of a reigning District 6 championship softball squad.

The Conemaugh Valley High School student-athletes took different paths to district-level success, but they celebrated together on Monday, announcing their college intentions.

A standout in the 100-meter freestyle and 200-meter freestyle events, Chase will swim at Frostburg State University, a NCAA Division II program in the Mountain East Conference. She will major in marketing and graphic design.

Davison is projected as a middle infielder as she heads to Clarion University, a NCAA Division II program in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

She will major in elementary education.

Both still have work ahead, as Chase will compete in the District 6 swimming and diving championships on Friday and Saturday at Penn State University, and Davison will help the Blue Jays begin defense of their district crown in a few weeks.

"The campus there is beautiful and I really liked the swim team there," Chase said of Frostburg State. "They're very welcoming."

The daughter of Dawn and Garth Chase, Reagan will join a Frostburg State University program that just swept the Mountain East Conference men's and women's swimming titles under coach Matt Brinton.

The Conemaugh Valley standout participated in the Greater Johnstown YMCA program for years. When she reached the high school level, Chase approached then-Conemaugh Valley Athletic Director Paula McCleester about the possibility of competing on the high school level even though the Blue Jays don't have a swimming program.

"I swim at the YMCA on the GJY (Mavericks) team," Chase said. "My coach is Glenn Giles. When I came up in ninth grade, I really wanted to swim for high school, so I asked Mrs. McCleester if it would be possible if I could swim as an independent."

Chase established herself quickly, posting a 58.51 in the 100-meter freestyle and a 2:06.48 in the 200-meter freestyle events as a freshman. Those still are career bests that she hopes to shatter this weekend.

So far this season, Chase has a 59.39 in the 100 freestyle and a 2:10.57 in the 200 free.

"She's very dedicated. She swims every day," said Dawn Chase, a volunteer coach of her daughter at the high school level. "She's just focused. She's at the pool all the time and really works hard. I'm proud of her."

Davison and her teammates missed her freshman softball season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, she's made up for lost time.

Last season, Davison was the winning pitcher as Conemaugh Valley edged Glendale 2-0 at St. Francis University to capture the District 6 Class 1A championship.

Overall, Davison went 9-1 with one save last season, striking out 56 batters in 58 innings pitched. At the plate, the shortstop batted .590 with 49 hits, 51 runs, 57 RBIs, 13 doubles, three triples and eight home runs.

"I definitely couldn't have done it without my teammates and my coaches," Davison said. "The whole season last year was great and winning District 6 was a really special moment."

Clarion University is led this spring by first-year head coach Marissa Pullo.

"I got to practice with the team and I really liked everyone on the team, and the coaches and the campus," said Davison, who is projected as a middle infielder at the college level. "It was a really good fit."

The daughter of Mandy and Jim Davison, Delanie had been a part of the Blue Jays program since her youth, according to softball coach McCleester, who led the team to a state runner-up finish in 2015.

"She was around, playing in girls softball youth league, when her cousin was on our state runner-up team," McCleester said of Conemaugh Valley graduate Lexi Novak. "She's been around this for years and years and years. She was always that little one that was always at those games and wanting to be a player like her cousin. She even wears her cousin's No. 26."

Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.