North Catholic standout finds right fit at Akron

Clapping. High fives. Hugs. Kisses.

Dacia Lewandowski and her family were doing a lot of that after a recent phone call with her future coach, a conversation that included Lewandowski making a verbal commitment to Akron.

What Lewandowski did next speaks volumes of her commitment to improving her game.

“Then we went to the gym and worked out,” she recalled. “There’s no better way to celebrate.”

Lewandowski, one of the top junior girls basketball players in the WPIAL, will change zip codes next year when she becomes a Zip. A 5-foot-11 guard and three-year starter, Lewandowski chose Akron over offers from about a dozen other Division I schools, among them Toledo, Marshall and Navy.

Akron, led by fourth-year coach Melissa Jackson, was one of the first schools to offer Lewandowski the summer before her sophomore year.

“All of the places that offered me were tremendous, but overall I felt that I fit best at Akron,” Lewandowski said. “I loved the campus and the coaching staff is amazing.”

As a junior, Lewandowski averaged 15.8 points per game for a North Catholic team that won the WPIAL Class 3A title and advanced to the PIAA semifinals. She was an all-section selection and a Post-Gazette all-Class 3A pick for the second year in a row.

Lewandowski comes from a basketball family. Her sister, Kylee, is a former North Catholic star who just finished her sophomore season at Richmond. Their dad, Joe, is a longtime coach who has spent a decade with USA Basketball and was formerly the men’s coach at Point Park.

A Butler resident, Lewandowski made her college commitment just before AAU season, which is often a very important one for players going into their senior years. Lewandowski plays for the Western Pa. Bruins.

“My older sister went through [the recruiting process], and she told me ‘You’ll know it’s time when you find the right school,’” Dacia said. “I felt it was the time. I felt ready and told my parents, ‘I’m ready to be a Zip.’”

A former WPIAL standout currently plays at Akron. North Allegheny graduate Rachel Martindale played in all 29 games this past season, her third with Zips. Martindale averaged six points a game and helped the Zips to a 17-12 record and WNIT appearance.

Fab 22 pick chooses a school

All of the seniors on last year’s Fabulous 22 team have now picked a college, this after Moon standout Ben Bladel committed to Grove City last Thursday.

The commitment ended what at times was a frustrating recruitment for Bladel, a defensive end/​tight end and four-year starter who helped Moon reach the WPIAL title game for the first time in 23 years last fall. But despite his production (47½ career sacks), Bladel was lightly recruited, which he has said has to do with his size (6 feet, 230 pounds).

“I’m just really excited to finally get this over with because this involved a lot of thinking and I just wanted it to be done with,” said Bladel, who also blocked 15 kicks in his Moon career.

For Bladel, picking Grove City had more to do with academics than football, although Grove City’s recent success on the field didn’t hurt. Guided by head coach Andrew DiDonato, a South Fayette graduate, the Wolverines went 8-3 last season.

“Their engineering program. That’s the biggest reason why,” Bladel said. “And I really like what Coach D is building there.”

Big one for Edwards

Two weeks after helping his team beat New Castle for the PIAA Class 5A basketball title, Imhotep Charter’s Justin Edwards received an offer from national champion Kansas over the weekend. Edwards is a 6-7 guard-forward and five-star recruit ranked by Rivals as the No. 8 junior in the country. His list of offers includes Villanova, Miami and Pitt. Edwards scored a game-high 20 points in Imhotep Charter’s win against New Castle.

Basketball commitments

Norwin’s Michael Fleming (Saint Vincent); Penn-Trafford’s Maura Suman (Edinboro).

Cross country commitment

Butler’s Raine Gratzmiller (Washington & Jefferson).

Football commitment

Greensburg Central Catholic’s Tyler Shafer (Geneva).

Soccer commitment

Montour’s Eliana Davin (George Mason).

Track commitment

South Fayette’s Dea Monz (Robert Morris).

Brad Everett: beverett@post- gazette.com and Twitter: @BREAL412.