Westmont Hilltop celebrates seven college commitments

Mar. 31—Seven Westmont Hilltop High School student-athletes announced their college intentions during a ceremony on Wednesday afternoon.

The commitments included representation at the NCAA Division I level through the junior college ranks in sports ranging from basketball, cross country, soccer, softball and tennis.

—Conner Oechslin, Gardner-Webb University, men's soccer: The all-state boys soccer player had a career 54 goals and 38 assists, including 27 goals and 16 assists on a District 6 Class 2A runner-up squad in 2021.

Oechslin will join a NCAA Division I Gardner-Webb program that advanced to the Big South Conference semifinal round in 2021. He intends to major in finance.

"I attended an ID camp, which at first was a group of schools. But then I got invited to their individual ID camp," Oechslin said of his initial connection to Gardner-Webb, a college in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. "Later on, I called the coach to follow up and he said they really liked me. We talked more. They ended up giving me an offer. I'm very fortunate to get it and I'm excited for the next semester."

Oechslin was a two-time captain of a Hilltoppers team that won a district title and was runner-up after an overtime loss to Richland in 2021. Westmont Hilltop went 20-1 this past season.

"The players, the coaches at Westmont, it is definitely a winning environment as the results have shown," Oechslin said. "I was put in a position to succeed when I got here as a 10th grader. I've had great players around me.

"A lot of the players, I have chemistry not only on the field, but off the field, they're good friends of mine."

The son of Brian Oechslin also plays for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Academy program.

"They've accelerated my career to places that I haven't even thought I could reach," he said. "I absolutely love being there. It's a bit of a drive, but it's definitely worth it."

—Alyssa Kush, Frostburg State University, tennis: Whether competing in tennis, golf or swimming, Kush enjoyed success at Westmont Hilltop and hopes to continue that trend on the tennis courts at NCAA Division II Frostburg State University in the Mountain East Conference.

In tennis, Kush won the District 6 singles title four times (2018 through 2021) and helped the Hilltoppers earn the district team title three times (2018, 2019, 2021). In golf, a sport she only recently began to play competitively, Kush was twice the District 6 runner-up (2020, 2021) and led the Hilltoppers to District 6 team championships twice.

She was a runner-up in the district 200-yard freestyle swimming relay twice.

Kush also was a four-time state qualifier in tennis, a two-time state qualifier in her only two seasons as a golfer and a three-time state qualifier on the team tennis squad.

"I originally thought I wanted to go down South, so I focused on a lot of schools in South Carolina," Kush said. "I was really debating if I wanted to play golf or tennis because obviously I love both sports. Either one would be a great opportunity for me.

"Frostburg State's coach reached out to me and I toured it and really liked it a lot.

"They had the major I wanted. The coach is really nice."

The daughter of Michael and Michelle Kush, Alyssa intends to major in materials engineering, with hopes of one day perhaps having a role in designing sporting goods such as tennis racquets or tennis balls.

"I really like tennis and that's where I'm going to go," Kush said. "I'm still going to play golf for fun, but tennis is where I have always wanted to go for college, so I'm really happy with the decision I made.

"It's super close to home, which is an advantage for my family. They can come and see me a lot. It's a homey feeling and I like the smaller school environment."

—Julia Dill, Robert Morris University, cross country/track: Dill will join the NCAA Division I Robert Morris University program in the Horizon League.

At Westmont Hilltop in cross country, Dill qualified for the state meet four times and earned two PIAA medals (15th in 2020 and 22nd in 2021). She earned four District 6 medals including two individual silvers and a 2019 team gold, and was a four-time Central Western Coaches All-Area Team selection.

In swimming, she was a three-time District 6 qualifier.

In track and field, Dill was a District 6 fourth-place finisher in the 3200 meters, a 3200 relay District 6 silver medalist and state qualifier in 2021.

"I visited Robert Morris for the first time ever this past summer," Dill said. "I really liked the campus and felt at home there.

"They have a smaller cross country program. They're kind of rebuilding. I thought it would be cool to be a part of something that's making a name for itself and progressively getting better."

The daughter of Matthew and Joan Dill intends to major in mechanical engineering. She said her time at Westmont Hilltop prepared her for the next step.

"I think seeing a lot of my teammates move on to the next level really helped," she said. "Seeing what they could do pushed me to do better."

—Linnea Johansson, Washington & Jefferson College, women's soccer: A four-year letterwinner and starter on the Hilltoppers girls soccer team, Johansson served as a captain during her senior season.

She will head to NCAA Division III Washington & Jefferson in the Presidents' Athletic Conference.

"I liked the engineering program. They had a good pre-engineering program so I could transfer into Pitt and finish my degree there," said Linnea, the daughter of Ola and Shelley Johansson.

"The coach said she intends to use me as an outside back on defense," Johansson said.

"I really like the program. The coach was very straightforward about playing time and all of that type of stuff.

"Playing at Westmont prepared me a lot. I ended up starting as a freshman and I had no clue that I would end up liking soccer that much. It led me to making the decision that I did."

—Olivia Berg, Juniata College, women's basketball: A three-year letterwinner and an All-Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference player at Westmont Hilltop, Berg will play at Juniata College, a NCAA Division III program in the Landmark Conference.

"The campus was really nice, beautiful. There is a lot of scenery," Berg said. "I like how it is smaller and it will help me focus on my schooling more. Playing basketball also will keep me focused on school."

The daughter of Jason and Tammy Berg intends to major in human resources.

Berg credited her time at Westmont Hilltop for preparing her to move onto the college level.

"In basketball, it taught me a lot about being a leader, overcoming things and learning when I need to do what," Berg said. "The basketball helped me in decision-making and management."

Austin Svencer, Penn Highlands Community College, men's basketball: Svencer finished his career ranked ninth all-time at Westmont Hilltop with 555 rebounds. A physical presence, the 6-foot-3 forward took a HUDL-verified 34 charges as a senior and 18 during his junior season for 52 charges in two years.

Svencer will play for coach Quan Britt at Penn Highlands Community College, which reached the semifinal round of the NJCAA Region 20 Tournament after winning the championship of the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference.

"I like the coach a lot. I used to play for him," Svencer said. "He always had a great connection with me and my family. I knew this was the place for me to be."

The son of Mark Svencer and Kristen and Bill Stenger, Svencer embraced a leadership role as a senior with the Hilltoppers.

"I just like to do everything and being a leader is the main thing I love to do, and doing everything I can to help the team win," said Svencer, who intends to major in athletic training.

"With Coach (Dave) Roman, he always guided me in the right direction to do whatever I needed to do."

A three-year letterwinner on the Hilltoppers softball team, Oswalt will play for Thiel in the NCAA Division III Presidents' Athletic Conference.

"I really like Thiel because of the small campus environment," Oswalt said. "The coaches were just amazing. They were super-down to earth, super-nice, super-kind. I just liked how small the school was and they were one of the few schools that had the major I wanted."

The daughter of Todd and Amanda Oswalt intends to major in conservation biology.

"My end goal is to eventually work in Disney's Animal Kingdom conservation program," Oswalt said.

Her time on the field with the Hilltoppers has provided a foundation, Oswalt said.

"We work almost every single day, two hours a day," she said. "We're constantly preparing and I think that prepared me for college ball."