WPIAL rules North Catholic soccer transfer Jayden Sharpless eligible

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, September 5, 2019 | 8:02 PM

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A WPIAL hearing panel overturned an earlier decision and ruled North Catholic soccer star Jayden Sharpless eligible Thursday by a narrow vote.

The sophomore was declared ineligible last month following her transfer from Freedom, but the WPIAL reversed that decision after a lengthy hearing at the league office in Green Tree.

The panel voted 6-5 in Sharpless’ favor.

“It was a tough decision. It was a split vote,” WPIAL executive director Tim O’Malley said. “But the board at the end felt that the motivation for the transfer — albeit somewhat related to athletics — wasn’t fully.”

The hearing was closed to the media at North Catholic’s request.

Sharpless transferred to North Catholic after leading the WPIAL in goals last season. Freedom’s administration flagged her move as potentially motivated by athletics.

As a freshman, Sharpless was the TribLive HSSN Girls Player of the Year last season. She scored 64 goals and led Freedom to the WPIAL Class A title and a runner-up finish in the state tournament.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: North Catholic