College

Hagerstown Communtiy College sophomore Grant Smith won a national title in the shot put on Friday at the NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at Texas Tech University. Smith - who has been ranked No. 1 in the nation in the shot put all season - threw the shot 56 feet, 10 3/4 inches to win the title by more than a foot. Coffeyville's Deondra Canaday finished second in 55-10 1/4. “I really didn't know what to do. I was at a loss for words,” said Smith. “The coaches were congratulating me and I was in total shock.

The Hagerstown Community College softball team opens its 2013 season today looking to improve on a 20-21 record and third-place finish in the Region XX Tournament last season. “I think we're going to be successful and finish in the top four in the conference,” said coach Thomas Burge, who will begin his first season at the helm for the Hawks. “I am looking forward to opening the season. I believe the fall season and spring pre-season have put together a strong foundation for the upcoming season.” The Hawks return four sophomores from last year, led by catcher and shortstop Kayla Ewing of Williamsport.

As Nick Snyder said, “It's an exciting time to be at HCC.” Right now, Snyder couldn't be more excited to be at Texas Tech University. The Hagerstown Community College second-year coach will have several male athletes competing there Friday at the NJCAA National Indoor Track & Field Championships. Grant Smith is the No. 1 seed in the shot put at 56 feet for the Hawks, while Brandon Horning is seeded eighth in the 1,000-meter run (2:35.01), Stephen Starliper is seeded 32nd in the 1,000 (2:39.35)

Hagerstown Community College is willing to delay some capital improvement projects for a period of years in exchange for getting a Public Safety Training Center back into the proposed 10-year capital improvement plan, President Guy Altieri told the Washington County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday. The county Capital Improvement Committee had recommended pushing phase one of the center from 2016-19 to begin in 2024, while phase two would be moved back from 2019-20 to begin in 2028, Director of Budget and Finance Debra Murray said.

Michaela Brewer, 18, a senior at South Hagerstown High School, was awarded a scholarship to attend Bridgewater (Va.) College. She is the daughter of Dane and Jaclyn Brewer of Hagerstown. Brewer was awarded a McKinney ACE Scholarship worth $21,500. It is an academic scholarship. She was also awarded an additional $2,000 in grant money, Bridgewater officials said in an email. Brewer is president of the Washington County Student Council, president of her class at South High and president of the South High National Honor Society.

Tears rolled down Maria Edmonds face as she read her original poem titled “After,” written as an outlet to her experiences as a victim of domestic abuse. The emotion on Edmonds' face, in her voice as she read - even in her breaths between words as she collected herself - was palpable. “I started writing out of desperation to heal,” said Edmonds, president of the National Organization for Women (NOW) Club at Hagerstown Community College. “And I just felt like writing poetry was an appropriate vehicle to express emotions that I really have a hard time containing sometimes.” As a way to raise awareness about the topic, a group of about 30 people - including men and women of all ages - gathered inside HCC's student center Thursday night to celebrate V-Day, a global movement to end violence against women.

The following area students were named to the dean's list for the fall semester at Juniata College: Lisa Mae Bean of Greencastle, Pa., is the daughter of Andrew and Michelle Bean and a 2010 graduate of Greencastle-Antrim High School. J ordan Elizabeth Bohrer of Needmore, Pa., is the daughter of William Bohrer and Vicki Ott and a 2009 graduate of McConnellsburg (Pa.) High School. John Evis Coda of Shady Grove, Pa., is the son of Dr. Louis Coda and Martha Coda and a 2011 graduate of Greencastle-Antrim High School.

The Hagerstown Community College men's basketball team proved you can't lose a game in the first half. And you can survive a setback at the end of regulation. But in overtime, it has to be winning time. And for the Hawks on Wednesday, it wasn't. Baltimore's Sean Farr drove the lane for an acrobatic, highly contested layup with 3 seconds remaining in the extra period to defeat HCC 81-79 in the men's half of a basketball doubleheader at the HCC athletic center. HCC's women defeated Baltimore 65-52 in the opener.

Wilson College will host the 5th annual “Energy and You” - a day-long workshop for home and business owners who want to learn how to reduce energy consumption and costs - on Saturday, Feb. 9. This year's theme is “Invest in the Future: Your Energy Options.” The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Brooks Science Complex, with walk-in registration starting at 8 a.m.  John Hanger, who served as Pennsylvania Secretary of...

It was likely known to almost all at Hagerstown Community College's Kepler Theater on Monday that this year's official observance of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday also happened to coincide with the second inauguration of President Obama. “It's amazing just how far we have come as a society,” said Gloria Murray, who was attending the Martin Luther King Jr. Diversity Celebration with her husband Nickey and children Matthew, Marqus, Nicole and Michael. “It's exciting because my kids have an opportunity to see this,” she said.