Oct. 31, 2011

Center Valley, Pa. -- The Patriot League announced its weekly awards for Oct. 24-31 in field hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball and swimming and diving Monday.

The Patriot League Field Hockey Tournament takes place this weekend, and the teams facing off in the first semifinal enter with plenty of momentum. American earned the top seed in the field with a 3-1 win at Lafayette on Sunday, which gave the Eagles the right to host the postseason tourney as well as a share of their ninth-consecutive regular-season title. The Eagles will face Bucknell in the opening matchup on Friday at 11 a.m. The Bison beat American on Oct. 22, and made the Patriot League Tournament in dramatic fashion with a 1-0 double-overtime win at Colgate on Saturday. The Bison claimed the No. 4 seed, as Lehigh took the No. 3 spot with a 3-1 win at Holy Cross on Saturday. The Mountain Hawks will face rival Lafayette, the No. 2 seed, in the second semifinal at 2 p.m. on Friday with the winners facing off for the Patriot League Championship on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Weather wreaked havoc on the women's soccer schedule, moving the pivotal Navy-Bucknell match from Saturday to Sunday and shifting the site to Susquehanna University. Navy secured a 1-0 victory over the Bison, lifting the Mids to final bid in the Patriot League Tournament. The scoreless draw Sunday between Lafayette and Army secured the top seed and hosting duties for Colgate, while the Leopards locked up the No. 2 seed and the Black Knights settled for the fourth seed. The tournament gets underway Friday with both semifinals in Hamilton, N.Y.

American wrapped up the first of the four bids to the Patriot League Tournament in men's soccer with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Lehigh in the final minute of regulation in rainy and snowy conditions at Reeves Field in Washington, D.C. Colgate defeated Bucknell 2-1 Saturday afternoon, and the Raiders officially clinched the second berth to the four-team playoff when Lafayette and Army played to a scoreless tie at West Point Sunday. Meanwhile, Navy scored a 2-1 overtime win over Holy Cross to stay alive for its first League Tournament in 10 years. The final weekend of the regular season is coming up with Army, Lafayette, Lehigh and Navy all alive for the last two tournament bids.

In women's volleyball, American and Army became the first two teams to qualify for the Patriot League Tournament with victories over the weekend. The Eagles won in straight sets over Navy, while the Black Knights posted a sweep of Holy Cross. Both teams improved to 9-1 in the standings. Colgate and Lehigh also picked up a win apiece during weekend play, putting both on the brink of the League Tournament. The Raiders and Mountain Hawks both need just one more win in their next four matches to clinch postseason bids.

In swimming and diving, the Navy men captured the most impressive win of the week, taking a 159-139 victory over Virginia, a team that placed eighth at the 2011 NCAA Championship and has won four straight ACC titles. It was part of a split with the Cavaliers Friday, as the women fell 159-124. Colgate entered the pool for the first time this season Saturday when it earned a split with League rival Lehigh. The Raiders captured the women's competition while the Mountain Hawks took the men's meet. The Raider women then faced off with Yale Sunday. Lafayette also had its first competition of the season in action at Loyola (Md.), while Holy Cross faced off with Springfield over the weekend.


Patriot League Field Hockey Weekly Awards

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
MALLORY SMITH, BUCKNELL Sr., F, Schnecksville, Pa.
Smith sent the Bison into the Patriot League Tournament by scoring the game-winning goal in double overtime for a 1-0 win at Colgate on Saturday. It was her second overtime game-winner this month and gave the Bison a victory in a winner-take-all matchup for the last spot in the League tourney. Smith leads the Bison with six goals and 18 points this season. She wins the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week award for the first time.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
TATUM DYER, AMERICAN Sr., D, Windham, N.H.
Dyer capped an outstanding regular season with another fine performance as the Eagles earned the top seed in the Patriot League Tournament and a share of the regular-season title with a 3-1 win at Lafayette on Sunday. She helped the defense hold a solid Lafayette attack to just five total shots as the Eagles won a ninth-consecutive regular-season crown. Dyer played the entire way for the 13th time in 16 games this season. Dyer earns her fourth Defensive Player of the Week award of the season, and finishes her career tied for second in Patriot League history with seven total honors.

GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
ERICA PERRINE, BUCKNELL So., GK, Bridgewater, N.J.
Perrine claims her second consecutive Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week award after playing three outstanding games for the Bison, including a 1-0 double-overtime shutout of Colgate that sent Bucknell into the Patriot League Tournament. She stopped all five shots she faced in the win over the Raiders for her second-career shutout. Before and after the matchup with Colgate, Perrine played outstanding games against teams ranked in the top 10 nationally. She made 10 saves in a 3-1 loss to No. 8 Penn State on Tuesday, then came through with a career-high 16 stops in a 3-1 defeat at No. 5 Syracuse on Sunday. Perrine had 31 saves and a .838 save percentage in the three games last week.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
AMANDA DiDOMIZIO, COLGATE Fr., GK, Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.
DiDomizio concluded her freshman season with a strong outing in Colgate's 1-0 double overtime loss against Bucknell on Saturday. She made eight saves to keep the Raiders tied throughout, including a pair from close range toward the end of regulation. DiDomizio earns the Rookie of the Week award for the second time this season, and also took home two Goalkeeper of the Week honors in her freshman campaign.

HONORABLE MENTION
MELISSA CASALE, AMERICAN Sr., F, Lawrenceville, N.J.
Casale scored the game-winning goal late in the second half as American earned the top seed in the Patriot League Tournament with a 3-1 win at Lafayette on Saturday.

CAITLIN DONNELLY, LEHIGH Sr., F, Bethlehem, Pa.
Donnelly had a goal and an assist in Lehigh's 3-1 win at Holy Cross on Saturday.

TAYLER SIEGRIST, BUCKNELL Jr., D, Madison, N.J.
Siegrist helped the Bison keep Colgate off the board in a 1-0 double-overtime win on Saturday, and also led a defense that allowed only six combined goals against No. 8 Penn State and No. 5 Syracuse.


Patriot League Men's Soccer Weekly Awards

BRINE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
STEVEN MILLER, COLGATE Sr., F, Ivyland, Pa.
Miller posted a three-point afternoon Saturday, lifting Colgate to a 2-1 victory over visiting Bucknell. The Raiders' win, coupled with the scoreless tie between Lafayette and Army Sunday, clinched them a bid to the Patriot League Tournament for the 15th time overall and sixth in the last seven years. Miller assisted on Matt Schuber's goal in the 42nd minute and added his own tally at the 62:43 mark to give Colgate a 2-0 lead. His goal stood up as the eventual game-winner in the 2-1 win. Miller now leads the League in goals (eight) and points (17).

BRINE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
CRISTOBAL SOTO, AMERICAN So., D/M, Santiago, Chile
Soto's defensive save in the 55th minute preserved a scoreless tie, one that was eventually broken by teammate Jack Scott in the 90th minute as American eked out a 1-0 victory over Lehigh Saturday in Washington, D.C., to clinch a berth in the Patriot League Tournament. Soto's stop came after Lehigh's Daniel Odenwelder fired a shot after a scramble for a loose ball in front of the Eagle net.


BRINE GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
GRANT REED, COLGATE Jr., GK, Petoskey, Mich.
Reed stopped six shots and earned the victory in Colgate's 2-1 triumph over Bucknell Saturday in Hamilton, N.Y. The win helped elevate the Raiders to the Patriot League Tournament for the sixth time in the last seven years. Reed came up with four saves in the first half and three more in the second as the Bison upped the offensive pressure, especially in the final 26 minutes of the game after Colgate jumped ahead 2-0.

BRINE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
JOSEPH GREENSPAN, NAVY Fr., F, Westfield, N.J.
Greenspan scored the game-winner early in the second half of Navy's 3-0 victory over Howard Tuesday. Greenspan's marker opened up a three-goal outburst for the Mids, was his fourth tally of the season and first career game-winner. His four goals rank seventh by a freshman in Navy history.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
JACK SCOTT, AMERICAN Sr., F, York, United Kingdom
Scott's goal in the 90th minute lifted American to a thrilling 1-0 win over Lehigh Saturday at Reeves Field. The victory put the Eagles into the Patriot League Tournament for the fourth year in a row and eighth time overall.

PATRICK SOPKO, NAVY So., F, Gloucester, Va.
Sopko scored the game-winner in the 94th minute to lift Navy to a 2-1 win over visiting Holy Cross Sunday in Annapolis, Md. With the win, the Mids moved into a third-place tie in the standings with one week left in the regular season.

MAX RENALDO, NAVY Jr., GK, Tampa, Fla.
Renaldo went 2-0-0 on the week, including making four saves as Navy outlasted Holy Cross 2-1 in overtime Sunday. Renaldo picked up credit for Tuesday's 3-0 win over Howard before being relieved in the second half.

MIKE REESE, COLGATE Sr., D, Wallingford, Pa.
Reese came up with a defensive save in the 58th minute to aid in Colgate's 2-1 victory over Bucknell in a huge League matchup Saturday. His play came when the Raiders were nursing a 1-0 lead.

KYLE SCHARFENBERG, LAFAYETTE Jr., M, Sylvania, Ohio
Scharfenberg scored a goal and added an assist in Lafayette's 3-1 win over NJIT Tuesday.


Patriot League Women's Soccer Weekly Awards

BRINE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
ASHLYNN SOELLNER, NAVY So., M, Holidaysburg, Pa.
Soellner scored her fifth goal of the season in the most critical of situations, finding the back of the net in the 11th minute and the defense made it stand to lift the Mids to a 1-0 victory over Bucknell Sunday in a match that was moved to Selinsgrove, Pa. Soellner's team-best fifth goal of the season punched Navy's ticket to the Patriot League Tournament for the 14th time overall and first since 2009. It was Soellner's fourth goal in League play.

BRINE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DANIELLE BEARD, AMERICAN Fr., D, Crofton, Md.
Beard's huge defensive save on the goal line with 1:22 left preserved American's 1-0 victory at first-place Colgate Saturday in Hamilton, N.Y. She denied Alyssa Manoogian from in close, solidifying the Eagles' win, which happened to be the first League loss of the season for the Raiders. It was American's fifth clean sheet of the season. Colgate is the League's highest scoring offense.

BRINE GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
LAUREN SMEDLEY, LAFAYETTE Jr., GK, Hamilton, N.J.
Smedley backstopped the Leopards to the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Tournament with 10 saves in Sunday's scoreless tie at Army. It was Smedley's eighth clean sheet of the season, tying the Lafayette record she set one year ago. It's her 20th career blanking, moving her into a tie for eighth on the League's all-time list.

BRINE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
MADISON OLIVER, ARMY Fr., D, Flower Mound, Texas
Oliver's consistent defensive play was crucial in Sunday's scoreless tie with Lafayette at West Point, N.Y. She helped pitch Army's 13th shutout of the season by anchoring a back line that limited the Leopards to five total shots and three on goal, while breaking up several of Lafayette's other offensive opportunities. A freshman, Oliver has been in the starting lineup since Sept. 16, with the Black Knights going 6-2-3 during that span.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
KATE HERREN, NAVY Sr., D, Auburn, Wash.
Herren anchored Navy's defense that held Bucknell to six shots and only a pair on goal in Sunday's 1-0 win that lifted the Mids into the Patriot League Tournament.

MICHELLE MONTILIO, AMERICAN Jr., M, Hanover, Mass.
Montilio netted the only goal of the game in the 62nd minute of American's 1-0 upending of Colgate Saturday in Hamilton, N.Y. It was her third goal of the season.

MOLLY McGUIGAN, ARMY So., D, Boulder, Colo.
McGuigan held Lafayette's top shooter in Alyssa Finella without a chance and limited Jill Dozier to just two in Sunday's scoreless tie with the Leopards at West Point, N.Y.



Patriot League Women's Volleyball Weekly Awards

MOLTEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
ARIANA MANKUS, ARMY Jr., OH, Lisle, Ill.
Mankus averaged 5.33 kills and 2.50 digs per set during a 2-0 week for Army, including a 3-0 win over Holy Cross Sunday that clinched a bid to the Patriot League Tournament for the Black Knights for the 13th year in a row. She started the week with 16 kills on 38 attempts with just two errors in a 3-0 win at Manhattan before posting another 16 kills on 35 swings with a pair of errors against the Crusaders. She hit .384 for the week and narrowly missed a double-double with nine digs against the Jaspers. Mankus recorded a pair of blocks against Manhattan and added two aces against Holy Cross.

MOLTEN ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
MARY VACCARO, ARMY Fr., S, Orinda, Calif.
Vaccaro extends her own record set last week with her eighth Rookie of the Week nod after averaging 12.67 assists and 3.67 digs in six sets in Army's 3-0 victories last week over Manhattan and Holy Cross, the latter of which clinched a spot in the League Tournament for the Black Knights. She notched a double-double with 45 dishes, 14 digs and three blocks against the Jaspers, before contributing 31 assists, three kills, eight digs and a block in the win over the Crusaders.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
REBECCA HEATH, AMERICAN Sr., OH, Naperville, Ill.
Heath logged 11 kills on 20 attempts with just one error to hit .500 in American's sweep of Navy. With the win, the Eagles clinched a bid to the Patriot League Tournament for the 11th year in a row.

MAUREEN COLLIGAN, COLGATE Sr., OH, Odessa, Fla.
Colligan logged nine kills on 18 attempts with two errors to hit .389 in the Raiders' 3-0 win over Bucknell.

SARA RISHELL, AMERICAN Fr., OH/MB, Hagerstown, Md.
Rishell hit .571 in Friday's 3-0 win over Navy, logging nine kills with one error on 14 tries. She added three digs and a block in the win, which elevated the Eagles to the League Tournament for the 11th straight year.

DIANE SEELY, COLGATE Fr., MB, Menlo Park, Calif.
Seely hit .500 with eight kills and one error on 14 attempts in Colgate's 3-0 win at Bucknell Saturday. She added one dig and a pair of blocks in the win, which put the Raiders just one win shy of the League Tournament.


Patriot League Swimming and Diving Weekly Awards

MALE SWIMMER OF THE WEEK
MAC ANTHONY, NAVY Sr., Allentown, Pa.
Anthony earned three top-three finishes, including two individual victories, and was part of Navy's winning 400-meter freestyle relay in the Mids' landmark 159-139 victory over Virginia Friday in Annapolis, Md. The Cavaliers are a perennial ACC power, having won four straight conference titles and finished eighth at the 2011 NCAA Championship. Anthony won the 200-meter free in 1:50.07 and the 200 back in 2:02.81, while his 3:57.33 in the 400 free was good for third. He also swam the fastest anchor leg in the 400 free relay win, with his 50.45 clocking nearly two seconds better than the next-fastest swimmer.

FEMALE SWIMMER OF THE WEEK
LAURA GORINSKI, NAVY Jr., Greensburg, Pa.
Gorinski earned second-place finishes in the 100- and 200-meter breast events Friday in Navy's 159-124 loss to Virginia. She finished the 100 in 1:13.13 and clocked a 2:35.81 in the 200. Gorinski finished runner-up in both races to Christine Olson, a 2010 Honorable Mention All-American in the 200 breast. Gorinski added a fifth-place finish in the 200 IM in 2:23.56 and was part of her team's third-place foursome in the 200 medley relay. Virginia finished 13th in last season's NCAA Championship.

MALE DIVER OF THE WEEK
BEN FREEDMAN, NAVY So., Kennewick, Wash.
Freedman captured his third diving award in the last four weeks with a pair of top-three finishes in Navy's 20-point victory against Virginia. He finished in second place with 314.02 points from the 1-meter board, and added a third-place showing in the 3-meter competition with 301.72 points. He was 17.56 points out of second from that board.

FEMALE DIVER OF THE WEEK
JORDYN NICHOLL, NAVY Jr., Acworth, Ga.
Nicholl won the 1-meter competition by 1.35 points, posting a 231.52 to garner first-place points for the Mids in their competition against Virginia at Lejeune Hall in Annapolis, Md. It was Nicholl's first victory of the season. The junior also placed fifth from the 3-meter board with 188.17 points.