Kyw Newsradio's 1-on-1 With Matt Leon

The NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships are going on in Eugene, Oregon this week. Many local athletes are taking part and that includes La Salle senior Liz Mancini, who has qualified to run in the NCAA Final of the 5,000 meter. Liz is one of four Mancini sisters who have starred on the track at La Salle, including her twin El. In fact, in qualifying for the NCAA Final, Liz broke her older sister Grace’s program record in the event. Matt Leon sat down with Liz Mancini, a Cardinal O’Hara product, to talk about her upcoming race, how much fun it has been running with her sisters, and much more.

The West Chester University baseball team is one of eight teams headed to the NCAA Division II Baseball National Championships in Cary, N.C. The 34-13 Golden Rams are champs of the Atlantic Regional and Atlantic Super Regional and they will open the National Championships on Sunday evening, taking on top seed North Greenville University. The Golden Rams were facing elimination in both the regional and super regional, but in both cases won two straight games to advance. Matt Leon caught up with Golden Rams head coach Mike LaRosa to talk about his squad’s success and the challenge now in front of them. The national championships are double elimination games, and West Chester’s first game with North Greenville University is set for a 6pm first pitch on Sunday.

Scott Fitzkee was a standout wide receiver at Penn State University who was drafted by the Eagles in the 5th round in 1979. He was a member of the 1980 Eagles team that went on to the Super Bowl and then starred for the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars. In Episode #134 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with Fitzkee about his career in football. They talk about playing for Joe Paterno and Dick Vermeil, what life was like in the USFL and much, much more. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

Diane Richardson is the new head women’s basketball coach at Temple University. She takes over the Owls after an impressive five-year run at the helm of the program at Towson University, where she led the Tigers to their first-ever NCAA Tournament in 2019. In Episode #133 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with Richardson about why the Temple job was right for her. They also discuss Richardson’s unique path to coaching and her success as an athlete, which included a spot on an Olympic team. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

Kyle Neptune is preparing for his first season as the head coach of the Villanova University men’s basketball team. He spent several years as an assistant to the now–retired Jay Wright before taking over Fordham’s program last year and leading the Rams to a 16-16 record – a 14-win improvement from the year before. In Episode #132 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt talks with Neptune about taking over one of the country’s elite college basketball programs. They discuss what he learned over the years from Jay Wright, the work he did to turn Fordham around and much more. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

The Saint Joseph’s University women’s lacrosse team is flying high these days. The Hawks are the champions of the Atlantic 10 for the first time in program history and headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The Hawks are being led by senior Lauren Figura, who has enjoyed an incredible season. The Mount Laurel, New Jersey native has scored 71 goals, shattering the program single season record. The 71 goals are also good for 5th in the country. Matt Leon caught up with Figura to talk about her achievement and the Hawks success.

Herb Magee is one of the greatest coaches in the history of college basketball. He retired following this past season, his 54th as head coach at his alma mater, Thomas Jefferson University. He finished his career with 1,144 wins, second only in men’s NCAA history to now-retired Duke head coach, Mike Krzyzewski. In Episode #131 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt talks with Magee and they look back at his remarkable career. They talk about Magee’s playing days, how he first met his college coach, Walter “Bucky” Harris, the keys to shooting the basketball the correct way and much, much more. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

The Division III Penn State Abington baseball team is having an incredible season. They have a 31-9 record under first year head coach David Miller heading into the United East Conference Tournament, and the Nittany Lions have scored more runs than any Division III team in the country. They're averaging an absurd 12.7 runs per game. This lineup is loaded, but leading the way is senior Ryan McCarty. The Pennsbury High School product is putting up video game numbers. He leads the nation with a .552 batting average, 27 home runs, and 85 runs batted in... in 40 games. Last week he hit four homers in one game, a win over Gallaudet. An infielder who also pitches, McCarty was recently named the United East Conference Player of the Year. Matt Leon caught up with him to talk about a truly incredible season.

Val Walker is one of the greatest basketball players in the history of Cheyney University. She was a star on teams coached by Hall of Famer C. Vivian Stringer and helped the Wolves advance to the first-ever NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball National Championship Game in 1982. In Episode #130 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with Walker about her basketball career. They look back on her time with the Wolves, talk about what it was like to play for Coach Stringer, and appreciate how impressive Cheyney’s 1982 run was. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

The Penn Relays are this weekend at Franklin Field. Included on the roster of participants is Dr. Joshua Buch, he turns 85 this week, and on Saturday he will run in the masters 100 meter dash. Dr. Buch has spent more than half a century teaching finance at La Salle University. Matt Leon caught up with Dr. Buch about why he decided to start running in the relays a few years ago, and what his training schedule looks like. 

Steve DePasquale has been the only head coach in the history of the varsity softball program since it began in 1995 at Rowan College of South Jersey’s Gloucester campus. He led the Roadrunners to the 2011 and 2012 NJCAA Division III National Championships and earlier this season picked up his 800th career win. In Episode #129 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with DePasquale to talk about his career and incredible success with the Roadrunners. They talk about that 800th win, look back at those national championship years and much more. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

Gina McLaughlin has been the head women’s hockey coach at Neumann University in Aston since 2014. She has led the Knights to four United College Hockey Conference playoff berths and recently was chosen for enshrinement into the Delaware County Athletes Hall of Fame. In Episode #128 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with McLaughlin about her career on the ice. They look back at her time as a player, where she captained the team at Interboro High School (as the only girl on the roster) and starred at Boston University. They also talk about her coaching career which took her to Penn State as an assistant before she took over the program at Neumann. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

Barbara Cordova is the head women’s gymnastics coach at Division II West Chester University. In her 14 seasons at the helm of the program at her alma mater, the Golden Rams have consistently been one of the top squads in the region. In Episode #127 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with Cordova about her life in gymnastics. They talk about how she got introduced to the sport, her career as a gymnast, what she loves about coaching and much more. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

Matt Langel has been the head men’s basketball coach at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York since 2011. He has turned the Raiders into a dominant Patriot League program, winning three of the last four league titles, appearing in the last three NCAA Tournaments. A Moorestown, NJ, native, Langel played his college basketball at the University of Pennsylvania where he starred for then head coach Fran Dunphy. In Episode #126 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt talks with Langel about his success with the Raiders and his life in coaching. They also look back to his days with the Quakers and talk about what it was like to play in the Palestra.  "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

Cindy Ikeler has been the head men’s and women’s swimming coach at Division III Cabrini University in Radnor for a decade. On her watch, the Cavaliers have emerged as premier programs in the Atlantic East Conference. In Episode #125 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with Ikeler about her life in swimming. They talk about her days as an elite competitive swimmer in college, how she got into coaching, how she built the programs at Cabrini and much more. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

The Drexel University women's basketball team is still alive in the WNIT. The Dragons have advanced to the Sweet 16, and on Thursday night they will visit Seton Hall. Drexel advanced by beating Bucknell in a crazy second round matchup, 61-58. Drexel trailed by 17 points in the fourth quarter before storming back to win in a comeback for the ages. Drexel is now 28 and 5 on the season, and the 28 wins tie the program record. Matt Leon spoke with Drexel head coach Amy Mallon about the bonkers win over Bucknell, and what she expects against Seton Hall. 

John White has been the head men’s and women’s squash coach at Drexel University since 2011. He is the only head coach the varsity programs have ever known. In 2022, the women’s team at Drexel finished its season as national runners up and the #2 team in the country. White’s resume as a squash player is incredibly impressive as he has traveled the globe playing the sport, and at one point he was the #1-ranked player in the world. In Episode #124 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with White about his life in squash. They talk about Drexel’s impressive run this season, focus on his career as a player and much, much more. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

The University of Delaware women’s basketball team is headed to the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Hens won the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament title to earn an automatic bid and in the first round on Friday they will play Maryland in College Park. The Blue Hens are the #13-seed in the Spokane Region, Maryland is the #4-seed. Matt Leon caught up with Delaware head coach Natasha Adair to talk about her 24-7 squad before the game with Maryland at 5pm on Friday. 

There is a new home run king on Hawk Hill. Saint Joseph’s University senior catcher Andrew Cossetti, a La Salle College High School product, recently hit his 31st career home run to set the program’s all-time record, breaking the mark set by John Brue in 2016. Cossetti hit three home runs in a double header sweep of Radford this past Friday with the first homer in the first game tying the mark and then a two-run shot in the 1st inning of the second game giving him the record. Matt Leon caught up with Cossetti to talk about the record breaking swing and his career with the Hawks.

The Villanova women’s basketball team is headed to the NCAA Tournament. The 23-8 Wildcats earned an at large berth out of the Big East. They are the #11-seed in the Wichita region and in the first round they will play the #6-seed BYU on Saturday afternoon at 1pm in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Matt Leon spoke with Villanova head coach Denise Dillon about the excitement of getting into the field and the matchup with BYU.