NORTHERN CAMBRIA, Pa. – Four Northern Cambria High School seniors announced their plans to continue their academic and athletic careers in college Friday afternoon.
Twin brothers Shane and Shawn Gisler will both play baseball at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Brenna McCracken is slated to join the volleyball team at St. Vincent College, and Riley Olish is bound to play volleyball at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College.
Outfielder Shane Gisler found the Pitt-Greensburg baseball program attractive with its list of positives. A chance to play in the outfield for the Bobcats was enticing.
“Pitt-Greensburg really stood out to me because Coach (Scott) Adams is a super-nice guy,” Shane Gisler said. “He wanted me to come for hitting because they’re trying to rebuild their team, get a lot of hitters. That’s just how they play. A hitter-dominant school – less about pitching and more about hitting.”
Shane Gisler will provide a right-handed bat at the next level. He was limited to three games during the 2024 season because of a hamstring injury that occurred in track and field.
“I’m looking forward to it a lot,” Shane Gisler said of competing his senior year. “We’re really trying to win the Heritage. Then we’re trying to win D-6. I’m trying to help out as much as I can there.”
Shane Gisler will major in business.
He went 3-for-6 with a double in 2024. He stole 13 bases in 2023.
“I really like the campus and the environment,” Shane Gisler said.
The Bobcats went 11-25-1 in 2024.
Pitt-Greensburg competes at the NCAA Division III level within the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, which also includes Mount Aloysius and Penn State Altoona.
A 2024 Pennsylvania State Baseball Coaches Association Class 2A all-state first-team selection, Shawn Gisler was also recruited as an outfielder, but may also pitch if needed. He found a perfect blend between academics and athletics at Pitt-Greensburg.
“I wanted to go to a D-III college so I can worry about academics and baseball,” Shawn Gisler said. “If you go to a D-II or D-I school, it’s all about baseball. I wanted to mix the two together.”
Shawn Gisler, a left-handed batter and thrower, will go in undecided on a major. He hit .571 with a .691 on-base percentage, a .850 slugging percentage, seven doubles, two triples, 25 runs, 13 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in 2024.
“I liked the campus, too,” Shawn Gisler said. “I like the coach there. It’s an overall great environment.”
Playing college baseball was his goal growing up.
“When I was about 5 and started tee-ball, I was all about playing college baseball,” Shawn Gisler said.
The Gislers are the sons of Brian Gisler and Sandra Lockard.
While at Northern Cambria, McCracken helped the volleyball team advance to the 2024 District 6 Class 1A title match and the PIAA tournament.
The 5-foot-7 right-side hitter will look keep St. Vincent, at the NCAA Division III level, near the top of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference at her next stop. The Bearcats went 15-12 overall and advanced to the PAC title match before falling to Allegheny.
“I really liked the community,” McCracken said. “It was really fun. I went to a couple of their games. It was really fun watching them. They’re such a well-connected team. It was a good experience and I wanted to be a part of it.”
McCracken was named to the 2024 Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association Class 1A all-state team. She provided 262 digs, 170 kills, 37 aces and 30 blocks in 2024. McCracken displayed her versatility over her career by compiling 520 digs, 348 kills, 263 assists, 63 blocks and 51 aces over her career. She was a 2023 all-Heritage Conference selection who will likely be a defensive specialist in college.
“It was so exciting to watch them do that and know that I’m going to be a part of that one day,” McCracken said of following St. Vincent’s successful season in 2024. “I’m just so excited to start. I cannot wait to be a part of a group of girls like that. The coach (Susan Hozak) is more than I can ask for. She doesn’t care just for your ability, but she’s also very caring for me as a person.”
Also a member of the track and field team, McCracken will major in psychology and minor in Spanish. She wants to be a state trooper.
McCracken was drawn to the St. Vincent campus
“The campus is beautiful and everyone there is well-knowledged of everything that they do,” McCracken said. “The people walking around were so kind. It just felt like home the second I stepped on campus.”
Watching Northern Cambria graduate Maggie Hogan continue her volleyball career in college gave McCracken the same inspiration to further her’s.
“It was always a goal for me,” McCracken said. “Watching Maggie when she went to St. Francis, I watched her, and it was something I wanted to do one day. I’m just really excited now that I can finally do it.”
McCracken is the daughter of Brennan and Kim McCracken.
Olish had made an earlier decision to attend Pennsylvania Highlands Community College. When the offer of playing volleyball came to her, she could not turn it down.
“I planned on going to Penn Highlands for about six months,” Olish said. “I went on a tour a couple of months ago, and decided I think I should play volleyball. They offered it to me. I think I made the right decision.”
Olish, one of three Colts named to the 2024 PVCA Class 1A all-state team, will play at Penn Highlands under coach Derek Horner. The Black Bears compete at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III level within the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference.
The 5-9 middle hitter tallied 197 kills and 41 blocks in 2024.
She totaled 349 kills and 75 blocks over her career.
She is also a member of the basketball team at Northern Cambria.
She wants to become a game warden in the future.
Olish is eager to make the most of her next opportunity on the volleyball court.
“I always thought of it whenever I was younger,” Olish said. “Senior year, I just decided maybe I should just focus on schooling and decide what I want to do. When the opportunity came, I decided to take up on it. I like how I didn’t really have to come up to them and ask to play volleyball. They came up to me and reached out to me and showed that they wanted me on their team.”
Being a member of a team that returned to the district title match and played in the state tournament meant a lot to Olish.
“I think growing each year from freshman the whole way to senior year, we really showed improvement,” Olish said. “Going out our senior year, going to the district championship and playing in a state tournament game, really showed us that all of our hard work we put in paid off.”
Olish is the daughter of Joe and Donna Olish.
Jake Oswalt is a copy editor for The Tribune-Democrat.
Follow him on Twitter @TheWizOfOz11.
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