Oct. 24, 2011

Center Valley, Pa. -- The Patriot League announced its weekly awards for Oct. 17-23 in field hockey, men and women's soccer, volleyball and swimming and diving Monday.

The field hockey campaign enters its final weekend of the regular season, with both the top seed and final berth in the Patriot League Tournament at stake in head-to-head matchups on Saturday. Bucknell will visit Colgate with the fourth and final spot to the League tourney on the line, while American heads to Lafayette with the top seed and right to host the tournament up for grabs. Bucknell defeated American for the first time since 2001 with a 3-1 triumph on Saturday, while Lafayette beat Lehigh 4-0 to claim at least a share of the regular-season crown for the first time since 2002. Lehigh made it into the Patriot League Tournament despite the loss. After their victories, a pair of student-athletes from both Bucknell and Lafayette were honored with weekly awards from the Patriot League on Monday.

Three of the four Patriot League Tournament bids were wrapped up this weekend in women's soccer, with Colgate, Lafayette and Army sewing up berths. The Raiders and Black Knights are no strangers to the postseason, but the Leopards are in for the first time since 2001 and just the fourth overall. The final weekend of regular-season League play begins Saturday with three matches. Navy visits Bucknell at noon with the final berth to the League Tournament on the line. Each team is in with a win, while a draw puts the Mids into the League postseason for the fifth time in the last six years. Bucknell is aiming for its seventh straight League Tournament appearance.

The League standings have tightened considerably in men's soccer. Navy's postseason hopes have a pulse as the Mids scored a 2-1 win over previous League-unbeaten American Saturday night in Annapolis, Md. Coupled with Lafayette's double-overtime loss to Colgate, Navy is now in a fourth-place tie with the Leopards at seven points with two League matches to go. Sitting just one point back are Bucknell and Army, who are tied for sixth after the Black Knights' 2-1 win over the Bison at West Point, N.Y. Colgate and Lehigh are tied for second at 10 points and trail American by two.

In volleyball, American and Army kept pace with one another atop the League standings and took one step closer to clinching berths to the Patriot League Tournament. Each needs just one more victory to punch their postseason tickets. The Eagles went 2-0 with road wins at Colgate and Bucknell, while Army defeated Lafayette and Lehigh at home. Colgate and Lehigh remain tied for third at 6-3, while Holy Cross and Bucknell both went 1-1, remain tied for fifth at 3-6 and were unable to pick up any ground in the standings.

In swimming and diving, Navy posted an impressive sweep over UMBC, the preseason favorite for both the men and women's titles in the America East this season. Like Navy, Bucknell posted a sweep with both the men and women securing victories over George Washington. Lehigh split with West Chester, with the men taking the win. Likewise, it was Army taking one of two with Massachusetts, with the men taking the win. Holy Cross competing over the weekend at the New England Catholic Invitational.


Patriot League Field Hockey Weekly Awards

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
KATIE DURKIN, BUCKNELL Jr., F, New Canaan, Conn.
Durkin came up huge in a monumental win for the Bison with a pair of second-half goals to lift Bucknell past American 3-1 on Saturday. She scored the game-winning goal on a rebound early in the second half and tallied the insurance goal later in the period for her first multi-goal contest. Durkin has scored in each of the last two games and ranks second on the Bison with four goals this season. Bucknell earned its first win over American since 2001. Durkin claims the Offensive Player of the Week award for the first time.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
CAROLYN CABREY, LAFAYETTE Sr., M/D, North Wales, Pa.
Cabrey continues her fine season with a third Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week award for her performance in the Leopards' 4-0 win over Lehigh on Saturday. She scored a goal to push Lafayette's lead to 3-0 at halftime and led a defense that gave up just two shots to the Mountain Hawks, both in the second half. The goal was Cabrey's fifth of the season.

GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
ERICA PERRINE, BUCKNELL So., GK, Bridgewater, N.J.
Perrine held up exceptionally well under a barrage of shots to lead Bucknell to a historic 3-1 win over American on Saturday. It was Bucknell's first win over the Eagles since 2001, snapped an 11-game skid against American and gave the Bison their 300th all-time victory. Perrine made a career-high 11 saves and tallied a .917 save percentage while giving up just one first-half goal. She kept Bucknell in the game in the first half with seven saves as the score was tied 1-1 at intermission, and made four saves in the second half as Bucknell took a 2-1 lead early in the period and held the one-goal advantage for over 26 minutes. Perrine recorded a career-high in saves for the second straight game after making nine stops against Towson last Sunday. She claims the Goalkeeper of the Week award for the first time.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
BRITTANY BLASS, LAFAYETTE Fr., D, Mountain Top, Pa.
Blass takes home her second straight Patriot League Rookie of the Week award after another strong game for the Leopards. She assisted on two goals and was part of a defense that allowed just two shots in a 4-0 win over rival Lehigh on Saturday. The assists came on the first two goals of the game as Lafayette took an early lead. Blass has registered a point in three straight games, all wins for the Leopards.

HONORABLE MENTION
DEANNA DiCROCE, LAFAYETTE Jr., F, Doylestown, Pa.
DiCroce netted a goal and an assist in Lafayette's 4-0 win over Lehigh on Saturday as the Leopards improved to 8-0 this season when she tallies a goal.

ADRIANNA LIBUTTI, COLGATE Jr., D, South Windsor, Conn.
Libutti totaled a goal and an assist in Colgate's crucial 3-1 win at Holy Cross on Saturday, and added an assist in a 3-2 overtime loss at Harvard on Sunday.

VICKIE RESH, BUCKNELL So., M, Hamburg, Pa.
Resh played a key role in holding American to one goal in Bucknell's 3-1 victory on Saturday. She made a number of steals in the circle and 1-on-1 situations to help keep the Eagles off the board.

ALEX McMACKIN, AMERICAN So., F, Blue Bell, Pa.
McMackin scored a pair of goals in the Eagles' 3-0 win over Georgetown on Sunday, giving her eight for the season.


Patriot League Men's Soccer Weekly Awards

BRINE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DAVID JACKSON, NAVY Jr., F, Forest, Va.
Jackson had a hand in both Navy goals as the Mids secured an incredibly important 2-1 victory against American Saturday night in Annapolis, Md. Jackson provided the assist on Navy's first goal of the game in the fourth minute, and added what stood as the game-winning goal five minutes later to get the Mids out to the early 2-0 lead. After the three-point week, Jackson took over the team lead with 11 points, while his five goals are the most for a Mid since McKenzie Plank's eight markers in 2006.

BRINE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
PATRICK LETOURNEAU, COLGATE Jr., D, Bethlehem, Pa.
Letourneau was instrumental in Colgate's defense pitching a shutout for nearly 110 minutes and enabling the Raiders to escape from Easton, Pa., with a 1-0 double-overtime win against Lafayette Saturday night. The junior helped Colgate hold Lafayette to eight shots in the contest, including five on goal. He also tallied a goal earlier in the week as the Raiders settled for a 1-1 draw with Binghamton in non-League action.

BRINE GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
WINSTON BOLDT, ARMY Fr., GK, St. Louis, Mo.
Boldt made his collegiate debut against a tough crowd but performed well, making five saves in Wednesday's 2-1 overtime loss to No. 19 Iona on the road. Boldt added his second collegiate start Saturday and this time was on the right side of a 2-1 decision against two-time defending League champion Bucknell. He made eight saves in the win to garner his first career win. He stopped 13 shots for the week and posted a save percentage of .812 during the 1-1-0 stretch. Army moved into a tie for sixth in the League standings with the Bison and is very much alive for a bid to the Patriot League Tournament.

BRINE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
BRIAN SUCHOSKI, LEHIGH Fr., F, Bear Creek Township, Pa.
Suchoski had the best week of his young career, recording goals in both Lehigh victories against Albany and Holy Cross. He netted the insurance tally in Tuesday's 2-0 victory against the Great Danes in non-League play, and recorded his first career game-winner in the 42nd minute of Saturday's 4-1 triumph over the Crusaders in Worcester, Mass. His goal was critical for Lehigh, as it made it 2-0 before Holy Cross cut it to 2-1 at halftime.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
SHANE CONLIN, COLGATE Jr., F, Randolph, N.J.
Conlin netted the double-overtime game-winner in the final minute as Colgate edged Lafayette 1-0 in Easton, Pa. It 's Conlin's third game-winner of the season and lifted the Raiders to 3-1-1 in League play.

KEVIN STRUNK, LEHIGH Sr., D, Downingtown, Pa.
Known for his defense, Strunk was instrumental offensively as Lehigh put together a pair of wins last week. He scored what stood as the game-winner in Tuesday's 2-0 shutout of Albany before adding the first goal of the game in Saturday's 4-1 win at Holy Cross in League play.

NEAL MELCHIONNI, LEHIGH Sr., M, Marmora, N.J.
Melchionni scored twice in Saturday's 4-1 win at Holy Cross, giving him five career markers against the Crusaders. He netted both goals against Holy Cross in a 2-0 win a year ago and also found the back of the net once in 2009.


Patriot League Women's Soccer Weekly Awards

BRINE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
MORGAN DANKANICH, NAVY Fr., F, Glenmoore, Pa.
Navy went 3-0 last week, and Dankanich scored all three game-winning goals, including each in a pair of critical League victories over the weekend to put the Mids in position for a bid to the League Tournament. After scoring her team's first goal in Monday's 5-0 whitewash of South Carolina State, she tallied the game-winner in the 88th minute of Navy's 3-2 come-from-behind victory over rival Army Friday night. She closed out the weekend by tallying the Mids' first goal and igniting the offense to a 3-0 win over Holy Cross Sunday afternoon. Dankanich has jumped into a tie for the team lead with four goals.

BRINE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DANIELLE WESSLER, COLGATE Sr., D/F, Port Republic, N.J.
A senior co-captain, Wessler anchored Colgate's defensive effort during a 2-0-0 weekend that saw the Raiders extend their unbeaten streak to nine (7-0-2). She was part of the Raider back line that held first-place Lafayette to just one shot on goal in a 2-0 victory Friday night, before posting a 2-1 win over defending League champion Lehigh Sunday afternoon. It was nearly a 2-0 shutout before the Mountain Hawks scored in the 89th minute. Colgate jumped into first place with 14 points (4-0-2) after the two victories and needs a win or tie against visiting American Saturday to host the Patriot League Tournament for the second time in the last three years.

BRINE GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
SANDITA McDERMOTT, BUCKNELL Jr., GK, Rhinebeck, N.Y.
McDermott put together her best weekend of the year and perhaps her career, stopping eight shots in Friday's 1-0 shutout of defending League champion Lehigh and blocking nine in Sunday's 2-1 overtime win over Lafayette. Four of her eight saves against the Mountain Hawks were diving stops to help lift the Bison to the crucial victory. In Sunday's matchup with the Leopards, McDermott made eight stops in the first half and allowed just one goal to keep her team in the game. Bucknell tied the match 20 seconds into the second half and eventually won in the 95th minute.

BRINE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
RACHEL HUNTER, NAVY Fr., M, Raleigh, N.C.
Hunter contributed to Navy's offensive explosion last week, scoring three times and adding an assist for a seven-point effort over three matches. She recorded a career-high two goals in Monday's 5-0 shutout of South Carolina State, then started Navy's rally Friday against rival Army by scoring in the 50th minute to cut the deficit to 2-1. Hunter, who garners her second Rookie of the Week award of the season, now leads the Mids with 10 points.

HONORABLE MENTION
JILLIAN KINTER, COLGATE Jr., F, Newburyport, Mass.
Kinter totaled four points in matches against Lafayette and Lehigh and netted what stood as the game-winner in Friday's 2-0 victory over the Leopards. She also assisted on her team's game-winner Sunday against the Mountain Hawks.

KIM AN, ARMY So., F, Oak Ridge, N.J.
An scored twice over the weekend for the Black Knights, including the first marker after halftime in Sunday's 3-0 victory over American that put Army into the Patriot League Tournament. An has nine goals on the season, matching her offensive output from a year ago.

MEGAN DeGENNARO, BUCKNELL Sr., M, Westlake Village, Calif.
DeGennaro scored the Golden Goal in Sunday's 2-1 overtime victory over Lafayette to lift the Bison into a final-weekend showdown with Navy for the last berth to the League Tournament. She had a three-point week as she tallied an assist on Evelyn Nicinski's marker in Friday's 1-0 victory against Lehigh.


Patriot League Women's Volleyball Weekly Awards

MOLTEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JULIANA CRUM, AMERICAN So., OH, Hacienda Heights, Calif.
Crum was stellar during a 3-0 week for the Eagles, including two more League wins to stay on top of the standings. After recording 14 kills with only one error and hitting .565 against Howard in a 3-0 win, she had 17 kills on 30 swings with just one error in a four-set win at Colgate and added 10 kills and hit .444 in a sweep at Bucknell. She averaged 4.10 kills and 2.60 digs per set and hit .521 for the week with just four errors on 71 attempts. Crum added eight aces for the week and picked up a double-double with 17 kills and 11 digs in the Colgate win.

MOLTEN ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
MARY VACCARO, ARMY Fr., S, Orinda, Calif.
Vaccaro sets the record with her seventh Rookie of the Week nod of the season after averaging 10.88 assists and 3.62 digs per set during another 2-0 weekend for the Black Knights, who remain tied with American at the top of the League standings with five matches remaining. She collected a pair of double-doubles, with 40 assists and 13 digs in Friday's four-set win over Lafayette and 47 assists and 16 digs in Saturday's 3-1 victory over Lehigh. Vaccaro added a career-high six service aces Friday against the Leopards, with three coming in the second set.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
KAYLEE DOUGHERTY, COLGATE Sr., MB, Landisville, Pa.
Dougherty tied a career-high with 15 kills in Friday's match against American and added 11 more in Saturday's win over Navy to keep the Raiders in a third-place tie with Lehigh. She averaged 3.00 kills per set and hit .312 for the week.

KYLEIGH McAHREN, BUCKNELL Sr., RSH, Napa, Calif.
McAhren tied her season best with 15 kills as Bucknell posted a 3-1 win Friday over Navy to avenge a five-set loss in Annapolis, Md., earlier this year. She hit .277 for the week and averaged 3.10 kills per set. Her four blocks and two aces against the Mids were also season highs.

HANNAH GRACE STOKES, HOLY CROSS Fr., S, Atlanta, Ga.
Stokes averaged 8.17 assists and 4.00 digs per set as the Crusaders went 1-1 in League play last week. She posted two double-doubles, including 29 assists and 14 digs in a 3-0 win over Lafayette.


Patriot League Swimming and Diving Weekly Awards

MALE SWIMMER OF THE WEEK
MIKE NICHOLSON, BUCKNELL So., Chappaqua, N.Y.
Nicholson was the only Bison with three victories in Bucknell's 168-89 defeat of George Washington. It marked the second time in three outings this season that the sophomore was a three-time winner. He took the victory in the 1,000 free by 11.55 seconds with a clocking of 9:40.35, putting him fifth on the school's all-time list in the event. He won the 100 fly in 51.61 and captured the 200 fly in 1:52.56. Nicholson now owns top-10 times in five events at Bucknell.

FEMALE SWIMMER OF THE WEEK
ALYSSA TRAN, ARMY Jr., Yorba Linda, Calif.
Tran won three individual events in Army's meet Friday against visiting Massachusetts. She brought in first-place points for the Black Knights with wins in the 50 free (24.15), 100 breast (1:06.86) and 100 fly (56.36). The latter two times were both under two seconds shy of NCAA B-cut qualifications for the junior.

MALE DIVER OF THE WEEK
BEN FREEDMAN, NAVY So., Kennewick, Wash.
Freedman won the three-meter dive against UMBC by 28 points, taking first with 312.45 points, lifting his personal mark this season in the event to 3-0. He captured second from the one-meter board with 282.23 points, giving him his third top-two finish in the event this season.

FEMALE DIVER OF THE WEEK
COURTNEY VANDAMENT, NAVY Sr., Coppell, Texas
Vandament swept both diving events as Navy edged America East favorite UMBC, 150-144. She posted a 235.20 in the three-meter event to win by 25 points, and added a first-place showing from the one-meter board with 227.32 points to win by 4.6. Vandament has combined for four wins in six tries this season, and joined Kellie Darmody and Laura Gorinski as two-time winners versus the Retrievers.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
ANGE SAWICK, NAVY Fr., Abingdon, Pa.
Sawick captured the 200 and 500 freestyle events in Navy's six-point win over UMBC. She also contributed to Navy's second-place 400 free relay showing.

WILL VIANA, ARMY Fr., Stuttgart, Germany
Viana helped Army to its fourth straight meet victory with first-place performances in the 200 and 500 free along with a runner-up showing in the 200 back.

JUSTIN VAGTS, NAVY Jr., Crofton, Md.
Vagts clocked a 9:40.37 in the 1,000 free to finish 3.01 seconds ahead of teammate Will Norton for the win, and posted a 4:42.65 to win the 500 free against UMBC.

STEPHANIE KOZIOL, BUCKNELL Fr., Summit, N.J.
Koziol won the 200 IM and 200 back while finishing second in the 200 free in Bucknell's win over George Washington.