West Chester

The Widener men's track and field team has won three consecutive Middle Atlantic Conference indoor titles and will go for its fourth in a row Saturday at Lehigh. The Pride can become the first team to win four straight since Elizabethtown captured five consecutive crowns beginning in 2004. Sophomore Michael Ciavarelli (Monsignor Bonner) is the reigning champion in the 400-meter dash, as is senior Ryan Gallagher (Neshaminy) in the 5,000-meter run. The men's 4x200-meter relay team has won three straight titles.

PENGUINS DON'T RUN fast. Or so Nik Toocheck has heard. The 9-year-old West Chester boy will see for himself this weekend when he arrives in King George Island, off the Antarctic Peninsula, where he'll run his second full-distance marathon amid the glaciers, icebergs and wildlife of the South Pole in the first White Continent Marathon. Next Monday's race is the second step in Nik's mission to run marathons on seven continents. He would be the youngest person to accomplish that feat and, based on available data, the youngest person to run a marathon in Antarctica.

Strath Haven center Kevin Sherry scored only four points on Friday night, but his last bucket just might have been the biggest of his career. With the score tied and a little less than 10 seconds to play in overtime, Sherry grabbed a rebound and scored on a putback to give the host Panthers a 47-45 victory over West Chester Henderson in the first round of the PIAA District 1 Class AAA boys' basketball tournament. "I was just happy to be able to get a chance to put it back," Sherry said.

Olivia Bradford (Christopher Dock) had 16 points and was one of six Griffins in double figures as the host Gwynedd-Mercy women's basketball team (15-8, 11-3 CSAC) posted a 97-25 win over Notre Dame of Maryland. Millersville 76, West Chester 58 - The Rams got 6 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks from Alexandra Lennon (Shipley School), but it was not enough to overcome the host Marauders in a PSAC East game. West Chester (13-8, 10-7) was led by Ambreelinne Ortman's 16 points while Millersville (15-6, 12-5)

Two Chester City men have been arrested and charged in the Jan. 25 slaying of Jamal Ahmed Scott, 24, of West Chester, while he was in a car on Union Street near Matlack Street, West Chester police reported. Sergio Jose Droz, 20, of the 700 block of East Ninth Street, was arrested Monday and arraigned before District Judge Gwenn Knapp. Anthony James Brightwell, Jr., 24, of the 2100 block of Edgemont Avenue, was arrested in Upper Darby on Tuesday, and arraigned Wednesday. They were charged with murder, criminal homicide, robbery, and other crimes.

A West Chester University student died Wednesday night after contracting bacterial meningitis, officials announced Thursday. Sean Casey, 20, a third-year music major and a member of the honors program, began experiencing flulike symptoms Monday, and doctors confirmed Tuesday that he had meningitis. He died surrounded by family and friends from Phi Alpha Mu, the music fraternity, of which he was treasurer. Friends described Casey as a larger-than-life personality, unfailingly fun-loving.

A West Chester University student died Wednesday night after contracting bacterial meningitis, officials announced Thursday. Sean Casey, 20, a third-year music major and a member of the honors program, began experiencing flulike symptoms Monday, and doctors confirmed Tuesday that he had meningitis. He died surrounded by family and friends from Phi Alpha Mu, the music fraternity, of which he was treasurer. Friends described Casey as a larger-than-life personality, unfailingly fun-loving.

Jeff Stein walked up amiably to a group of college-age men carrying a pizza and laughing uproariously as they made their way Friday night down West Chester's South Walnut Street. "Hey, guys - try to keep it down, all right?" he said. The men nodded, chastened. "Thanks for the warning, officer," one young man said, smiling. Stein isn't a police officer, but for residents of downtown West Chester, he's the next best thing. The owner of local private security firm ELPS Detective Agency, Stein has been contracted by the borough to provide additional security on weekend nights along its busiest streets - in other words, the route between the bars and the campus of West Chester University.

Jamal Ahmed Scott, 24, of West Chester, became Chester County's first homicide victim of 2013 when he was shot late Friday night. Police said Scott was shot while sitting in a car on East Union Street and apparently drove himself to Chester County Hospital, police said. He was flown to Paoli Memorial Hospital, where he died. No arrests had been made as of late Sunday afternoon. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 610-696-2700. -Jonathan Lai

Here are the fall-season athletes who excelled on the playing field and as students, as selected by the Philadelphia Area Sports Information Directors Association: Player of the year Temple senior running back Montel Harris was the Owls' leading rusher this season and also led the Big East in rushing with 1,054 yards and 12 touchdowns. He became just the eighth Temple player to run for more than 1,000 yards in a season, and he averaged 105.4 yards per game while starting nine of the 10 contests in which he played.