Payton Wilson: As the opening day of the National Football League draws closer, Payton Wilson is preparing for his third season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. On Thursday night, the Steelers will face the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in its third preseason game. Wilson had a tackle in Pittsburgh’s 28-9 win over the Green Pay Packers at Acrisure Stadium on August 13. Last Friday, the New York Jets defeated Pittsburgh 17-0. Wilson made two tackles.
Bryse Wilson: The Milwaukee Brewers maintain the best record in Major League Baseball: On Sunday, Wilson threw one inning and allowed one hit with one strikeout as Atlanta defeated the Brewers 4-2. Last Wednesday, Wilson threw two shutout innings and surrendered just two hits with two strikeouts as the Seattle Mariners defeated Milwaukee 7-5 at American Family Field. As of Tuesday night, Milwaukee is 81-51. They lead the Chicago Cubs by six games in the National League Central.
In the last edition of Alumni Update, we looked at local Division I and II volleyball players who will start its season this weekend. Here are the Division III players that will start its season next Tuesday.
Julie Altieri: Entering her senior season at Salisbury University in Maryland, Altieri is 4th in school history with 2,792 assists. Last season, she had 1,025 assists, the ninth-highest single-season total in school history. Altieri has been first-team All-Coast-to-Coast Conference the past two years. Last season, she was second in the Coast-to-Coast Conference in assists, 2nd in assists per set and 5th in digs. She registered 17 double-doubles and has 49 in her career. The Sea Gulls went 29-7 last year. They reached the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. Salisbury defeated Colorado College 3-2 in the opening round. Trinity College (Texas) swept Salisbury in the second round. Salisbury will face Stockton on Tuesday at the Maggs Physical Activities Center in Salisbury on Tuesday.
Melissa Benkowitz: Another member of Cedar Ridge’s 2021 3A State Championship team, Benkowitz led Franklin & Marshall with 322 kills, averaging 3.22 kills per set. She was Honorable Mention All-Centennial Conference and was the Centennial Conference Player of the Week for the week ending September 16, 2025. Benkowitz recorded 370 points, which led the Diplomats. Franklin & Marshall will open against Rowan College in Glassboro, NJ on Tuesday.
Grace Young: Now in her third season with Greensboro College, Young played 31 matches for the Pride last year, starting 23. She finished with 264 digs and 48 aces. Young, who was the libero for the Red Wolves State Championship team in her junior season, was named to the USA South All-Sportsmanship team. She started her career at UNC Asheville. Young will actually face a former Cedar Ridge teammate in Greensboro season-opener next Tuesday. The Pride will open against Washington & Lee at Hanes Gymnasium in Greensboro.
Claire Hargett: The all-time kills leader in Cedar Ridge history, Hargett will start her career with Washington & Lee next week. Hargett was named to the 5A All-State team in her senior season with Cedar Ridge. She had over 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs with the Red Wolves. In 2025, she was the Big 7 Conference Most Valuable Player. Hargett was a three-time All-Conference performer.
Abby Silinski: The former Orange High libero is starting her second season at Franklin & Marshall. Last year, Slinkski played in 29 matches as a freshman. She recorded 245 digs and 18 aces. She had ten matches with double-digit digs.
Sydnee Tapper: The Division II Barton College volleyball team will start its season against Elizabeth City State in the Bulldog Invitational inside Wilson Gymnasium at Wilson on Friday. The Bulldogs will also face Newberry in the second end of a doubleheader. Tapper was the libero for the Red Wolves’ Big 7 Conference championship team last year. She averaged 4.4 digs per set and was named All-Big 7 Conference. Tapper had 517 digs for her junior season. Last year, Tapper finished with 412 digs and 47 aces in her second varsity season.
