Sept. 12, 2011

Center Valley, Pa. -- The Patriot League announced its weekly awards for Sept. 5-11 in field hockey, men and women's soccer, volleyball and cross country Tuesday.

In field hockey, two Patriot League coaches earned their first win at their school the hard way last week, as Holy Cross gave Zowie Tucker her first victory with a 1-0 win in overtime against Siena on Wednesday and Lehigh sent Stacey Blue to her first win in Bethlehem, Pa., with a 4-3 victory in extra time against La Salle on Sunday. Bucknell and Lafayette also recorded their first victories of the year, with the Bison beating Central Michigan 2-1 in overtime on Saturday and the Leopards taking down Temple 4-2 on Friday.

Student-athletes from all three of the overtime winners were honored with weekly awards from the Patriot League on Monday, with Abby Tilton and Sierra Segear both selected from Lehigh.

In women's soccer, Army, Lafayette and Navy continued their strong play last week, with each picking up at least one victory over the weekend. Navy had the best week of all, going 2-0-0 to capture the title at its own Navy Invitational in Annapolis, Md. The Mids picked up one of the weekly awards, with freshman Rachel Hunter being named BRINE Rookie of the Week. She assisted on Navy's second goal in Friday's 5-2 win over Bryant, and scored the golden goal nearly five minutes into overtime as the Mids downed Davidson 1-0 on Sunday to capture the title at their own Navy Invitational. She was named Tournament Most Valuable Player.

Colgate moved to 4-4-0 overall after a 2-1 week. The Raiders receive offense from a pair of freshmen, as Jenna Raepple and Caroline Brawner both scored against Cornell and Albany. Both of Brawner's tallies stood up as the game-winners, while Raepple garnered the BRINE Offensive Player of the Week award for her efforts.

Army went 1-0-1 at the Army Soccer Classic last weekend, with the Black Knights posting two more of their typically stingy defensive performances. They did not allow a shot on goal in Friday's 3-0 victory over VMI before yielding six to Sacred Heart in a double-overtime scoreless draw on Sunday. Sophomore Molly McGuigan was once again stellar for Army in being named BRINE Defensive Player of the Week.

The record might not bear it out, but Holy Cross freshman keeper Carly McCabe stood on her head in a pair of matches over the weekend for the Crusaders, including a 10-save performance in Friday's 2-0 victory over Central Connecticut that doubled as both her first career win and first career shutout. She was named BRINE Goalkeeper of the Week.

League teams are idle until Wednesday, when a pair of clubs will return to the pitch. Holy Cross comes home to host Bryant while Bucknell continues its road trip at Mount St. Mary's. Both matches are slated for 7 p.m. A total of 11 matches await the teams this weekend beginning Friday in a slightly less hectic stretch than last weekend.

In men's soccer, Colgate still remains the only undefeated team left in the Patriot League, as the Raiders captured a pair of victories in tournament action in Burlington, Vt., against host Vermont and neighboring New Hampshire. The Raiders moved to 4-0-1 on the season and will most likely improve their standing not only in the NSCAA/Continental Tire Mid-Atlantic rankings, but perhaps in the national Top 25 as well. Steven Miller, who was named a top-100 pro prospect before the season, picked up the BRINE Offensive Player of the Week nod.

Lafayette, which delivered head coach Dennis Bohn the 100th victory of his career a week ago, is not resting on its laurels. The Leopards went 2-0-1 on the week, settling for a 1-1 draw at Cornell before posting consecutive 1-0 wins over visiting Mount St. Mary's and La Salle over the weekend at the Lafayette Puma Soccer Classic. Lafayette's Julian Plummer was named BRINE Rookie of the Week for his contributions to the Leopards' successful week.

Lehigh had a successful trip out West, tying No. 22 California 1-1 Friday before shutting out Stanford 1-0 on Sunday. Both results were impressive, with Sunday's win coming two days after the Cardinal had posted a 3-1 victory against No. 15 Kentucky. The Mountain Hawks boast a pair of weekly winners in BRINE Defensive Player of the Week Kevin Strunk and BRINE Goalkeeper of the Week Ciaran Nugent.

Two-time defending champion Bucknell played a pair of nationally-ranked opponents tough before falling in both contests by one goal. Junior Brendan Burgdorf scored in each match, but the Bison suffered a 3-2 loss to No. 10 Indiana and a 2-1 defeat at the hands of 17th-ranked Notre Dame on Sunday.

Army tries to rebound from two straight losses when it starts the League schedule for the week Tuesday with a 7 p.m. match against Saint Joseph's. Three matches are set for Wednesday, with Holy Cross visiting Providence at 3 p.m., Lafayette on the road at Drexel at 7 p.m. and Navy hosting Delaware at 7 p.m. There are 11 matches set for Friday-Sunday during the final weekend before League play opens Sept. 24.

In women's volleyball, after dropping two out of three out West last weekend, Army dusted itself off and took three of four at its own West Point Challenge to improve to 7-3 on the season. Mary Vaccaro was named Molten Rookie of the Week for the second time in three weeks after averaging more than 12 assists and three digs per set and earning All-Tournament accolades. Junior outside hitter Ariana Mankus was strong for the Black Knights as well, as she led her team in both kills (4.07 per set) and digs (4.14) in the four contests.

Another team that has stayed hot is Lafayette. The Leopards enter the week riding another three-match win streak after completing a perfect weekend at the Friar Classic hosted by Providence. Lafayette capped off the weekend with a 3-0 sweep of the hosts to capture the title. Kaitlynn Zoller earned Tournament MVP honors after posting a pair of double-doubles, while senior libero Christy Mebust pitched in a strong week with 4.65 digs per set and six aces in 17 sets while also grabbing a spot on the All-Tournament Team at the Friar Classic.

Things are looking up for Navy, which won three of four matches to win the Hartford/Quinnipiac Invitational over the weekend. Molten Player of the Week Carolyn Ewert continued her impressive performances after missing nearly two years due to a knee injury. Ewert was named Tournament MVP and Holly Berger was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 4.88 digs per set over the four matches, including a career-high 32 digs against Quinnipiac, the highest amount for a Mid since the rally scoring era began in 2001 and the second-highest in program history since 1994.

League teams will pick up the schedule Tuesday with three matches and again on Wednesday with another match, and the final weekend before the start of League play begins Friday. Lafayette looks to make it four wins in a row when it hosts Manhattan, Lehigh tries to snap a two-match skid at Rutgers and Holy Cross welcomes Dartmouth to Worcester, Mass. All three are set for 7 p.m. American plays its postponed match against George Mason from the D.C. Volleyball Challenge Wednesday at 7 p.m.

In cross country, there wasn't a great deal of action over the weekend with only three Patriot League teams competing, but Navy still shined against challenging competition.

The Navy men's team finished second at the Fordham Fiasco Invitational with the Mid-Atlantic Region's top team, Princeton, finishing first. The Mids' Cody Rome placed third behind two Princeton runners and ahead of two more Tigers who finished in the top 10. Rome's time of 25:44 in the 8K helped the Mids edge out Penn, ranked sixth in the Mid-Atlantic heading into the weekend, and Yale, ranked 12th in the Northeast. For his performance, Rome was named the Patriot League Male Runner of the Week for the first time in his career.

Navy's Jess Palacio earned her second Female Runner of the Week and fourth overall this week after her first-place finish at the JMU Open Invitational. She finished the 5.2K in 19:06.4, helping the Mids place first.

Navy capped its sweep of the weekly awards with freshman Annie-Norah Beveridge being named the Female Rookie of the Week. She placed fourth at the JMU Open Invitational with a time of 19:27.8 in the 5.2K.

All eight schools will be in action this weekend with several events, including the IONA Meet of Champions and the Salty Dog Invitational.


Patriot League Field Hockey Weekly Awards

Offensive Player of the Week
ABBY TILTON, LEHIGH Sr., F, Franklin, N.J.
Lehigh picked up its first win of the year on Sunday, and Tilton was the main reason why as the senior tallied two goals including the game-winner in overtime as the Mountain Hawks beat La Salle 4-3. Tilton also had an assist in the game for a career-high five points as Lehigh beat La Salle for the first time since 2007. Tilton recorded an assist in Lehigh's 4-1 loss to Monmouth on Friday to finish with two goals and two assists in a pair of games last week. Tilton earns Lehigh's first Offensive Player of the Week award since 2009, and the first in her career.

Defensive Player of the Week
AMIE PRITCHARD, BUCKNELL Fr., M, Rumson, N.J.
With the score even at 1-1 late in regulation, Pritchard came through with a defensive save and Bucknell went on to beat Central Michigan 2-1 in overtime for its first victory of the season on Saturday. It was the first career defensive save for the freshman, who also started in the midfield and helped the Bison limit Central Michigan to only four shots on goal. Pritchard earns her first honor from the Patriot League, and becomes the first Bison to claim the Defensive Player of the Week award since 2009.

Goalkeeper of the Week
SIERRA SEGEAR, LEHIGH So., GK, Wilkes Barre, Pa.
Segear had a busy weekend for the Mountain Hawks with 30 saves in two contests as Lehigh lost to Monmouth 4-1 on Friday and beat La Salle 4-3 in overtime on Sunday. After stopping 16 of 20 shots in the loss to the Hawks, Segear stepped up to push Lehigh to its first win of the season by making 14 saves on 17 shots in the overtime win versus the Explorers. She made 11 stops in the second half alone to help force overtime. The 30 saves on 37 shots gave Segear an .811 save percentage for the week in her first collegiate action. She becomes Lehigh's first Goalkeeper of the Week since 2008.

Rookie of the Week
MACKENZIE PEET, HOLY CROSS Fr., M, Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Peet netted a goal in all three of the Crusaders' games last week, including the game-winner in overtime as Holy Cross beat Siena 1-0 on Wednesday for its first win since 2009. She also tallied a goal in a 4-2 loss to Georgetown on Saturday and 5-4 overtime defeat versus Sacred Heart on Sunday. Peet led the team with 11 shots in the three contests, and her three goals and six points for the season also pace the Crusaders. Peet becomes the first Holy Cross freshman to win the Rookie of the Week honors since 2007, and first Crusader to take any Patriot League weekly award since 2009.

Honorable Mention
RACHEL MISKO, BUCKNELL So., F, Morristown, N.J.
Misko scored the game-winner as Bucknell beat Central Michigan 2-1 in overtime Saturday for its first victory of the year.

KAT MATCHETT, HOLY CROSS Fr., GK, Maple Glen, Pa.
Matchett made 17 saves in Holy Cross' contests against Georgetown and Sacred Heart over the weekend.

Patriot League Men's Soccer Weekly Awards

BRINE Offensive Player of the Week
STEVEN MILLER, COLGATE Sr., F, Ivyland, Pa.
Miller scored two goals last week, including Colgate's game-winner in the 89th minute of Friday's 1-0 victory at Vermont, and the team's first marker in Sunday's eventual 2-1 win against New Hampshire. His goal against the Wildcats came in the 19th minute off a one-timer after a feed from Shane Conlin. With two goals and four points on the week, Miller jumped into a three-way tie for first in the League standings with three goals and a tie for second with six points.

BRINE Defensive Player of the Week
KEVIN STRUNK, LEHIGH Sr., D, Downingtown, Pa.
Once again showing why he was last year's Defensive Player of the Year and garnered the preseason honor before the year, Strunk was instrumental from the center back position as Lehigh fought for a 1-1 tie at No. 22 California Friday and blanked Stanford 1-0 Sunday. The Cardinal had come off a 3-1 upset Friday against No. 15 Kentucky. Strunk led the Mountain Hawks' defense that did not allow a goal over the final 170:16 of the CAL Legacy Classic. As a team, Lehigh has surrendered only two goals in five matches this season while posting three shutouts.

BRINE Goalkeeper of the Week
CIARAN NUGENT, LEHIGH So., GK, Canton, Mass.
Nugent earned his second Goalkeeper of the Week nod after making 12 saves and allowing one goal as Lehigh tied No. 22 California 1-1 on Friday before it shut out Stanford 1-0 on Sunday at the CAL Legacy Classic. His eight saves against the Bears Friday set a career high, while Sunday's blanking of the Cardinal came two days after Stanford had upset No. 15 Kentucky 3-1. Nugent improved his League-leading goals-against average to 0.36, just ahead of Colgate's Grant Reed (0.37), while upping his save percentage on the year to a League-best .929.

BRINE Rookie of the Week
JULIAN PLUMMER, LAFAYETTE Fr., D, Kendall Park, N.J.
Plummer showed wisdom beyond his years on the pitch last week, as Lafayette went 2-0-1 and allowed just one goal in the three matches. Playing center back for all 290 minutes in the three contests, he helped the defense post back-to-back shutouts in the Lafayette Puma Soccer Classic with a pair of 1-0 wins over Mount St. Mary's and La Salle. He was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Honorable Mentions
BLAKE FINK, LAFAYETTE Jr., M, Westampton, N.J.
Fink scored twice last week, including the game-winner Sunday in the Leopards' 1-0 victory over La Salle at the Lafayette Puma Soccer Classic to earn All-Tournament honors. He is tied for first in the Patriot League in goals (three) and game-winners (two).

GRANT REED, COLGATE Jr., GK, Petoskey, Mich.
Reed earned both wins in net for Colgate last week, and picked up his third shutout of the season in the 1-0 win over Vermont. He totaled six saves on the week for a .857 save percentage and has recorded each of the decisions in the Raiders' 4-0-1 start.

BRENDAN BURGDORF, BUCKNELL Jr., F, Westfield, N.J.
Burgdorf scored a pair of goals against No. 10 Indiana and No. 17 Notre Dame in action in South Bend, Ind. He found the back of the net in the second half against the Hoosiers to rally the Bison back to 2-2 after being down 2-0. He also scored in the second half of Bucknell's 2-1 loss to the Fighting Irish.

GRAHAM HEYDT, LAFAYETTE Sr., GK, Northbrook, Ill.
Heydt went 1-0-1 in goal for the Leopards last week, drawing with Cornell and shutting out Mount St. Mary's to open the Lafayette Puma Soccer Classic. His clean sheet against the Mountaineers was his first of the season and third of his career.


Patriot League Women's Soccer Weekly Awards

BRINE Offensive Player of the Week
JENNA RAEPPLE, COLGATE Fr., F, Buffalo, N.Y.
Raepple totaled two goals for four points in three road matches last week for the Raiders, helping them go 2-1-0 during the stretch. She scored in the 71st minute at Cornell to ice the 3-0 victory for Colgate, and tallied the first goal of the match Friday when she found the back of the net in the 15th minute in the Raiders' 4-1 win over Albany. She jumped into a tie atop the League standings with Army's Kim An in goals (four) and points (nine).

BRINE Defensive Player of the Week
MOLLY McGUIGAN, ARMY So., D, Boulder, Colo.
McGuigan once again anchored Army's smothering defense as the Black Knights went 1-0-1 in a pair of matches as the Army Soccer Classic over the weekend. She led the Black Knights backline as it did not allow a single shot on goal in Friday's 3-0 win over VMI in the first-ever meeting between Army and the Keydets. She played her usual aggressive defensive role in Sunday's match as Army and Sacred Heart settled for a scoreless double-overtime draw. Her efforts on defense enabled senior goalkeeper Monica Lee to earn her fourth and fifth shutouts of the season. McGuigan was named to the All-Tournament Team.

BRINE Goalkeeper of the Week
CARLY McCABE, HOLY CROSS Fr., GK, Barrington, R.I.
McCade tallied 10 saves in Friday's 2-0 victory over Central Connecticut, the first victory and shutout of her young career, and stopped 11 more as the Crusaders fell in a hard-luck 1-0 loss to Fairfield on Sunday. For the week, McCabe logged a .913 save percentage while making 21 saves and allowing a pair of goals for a 0.67 goals-against average. Her biggest save of the week came in the second half of Friday's match against the Blue Devils. With Holy Cross leading 1-0, she made a save on a penalty kick opportunity to preserve the lead and the shutout in the eventual victory.

BRINE Rookie of the Week
RACHEL HUNTER, NAVY Fr., M, Raleigh, N.C.
Hunter picked a great time to notch her first career marker. The freshman from Raleigh, N.C., logged the game-winner in the 95th minute as Navy edged Davidson 1-0 in overtime Sunday in the final match of the Navy Invitational. It was her first career goal and helped her garner the invitational's Most Valuable Player nod along with a spot on the All-Tournament Team. It capped off a three-point week for Hunter, who logged her first career assist in Friday's 5-2 win over Bryant.

Honorable Mentions
CAROLINE BRAWNER, COLGATE Fr., M/F, Mill Creek, Wash.
Brawner scored twice on the week, with both goals standing up as the game-winners in Colgate's victories over Cornell (3-0) and Albany (4-1).

BRITTANY FRUIN, NAVY Jr., F, McLean, Va.
Fruin posted a goal and an assist for a three-point effort as Navy took down Bryant 5-2 in Friday's opener of the Navy Invitational. She scored to give the Mids a 4-1 lead and assisted on her team's final goal. It is her third career three-point match.

SANDITA McDERMOTT, BUCKNELL Jr., GK, Rhinebeck, N.J.
McDermott played possibly her finest match in net in her Bison career so far, making seven saves and coming up with numerous other smothers and punchouts in her team';s 1-0 shutout victory at Cornell.

ALEXES LOPEZ-SHAW, NAVY So., GK, Bothell, Wash.
Lopez-Shaw picked up two more victories last week at the Navy Invitational, totaling six saves in nearly 172 minutes of action. She finished with a .857 save percentage and a 0.52 goals-against average after yielding just one goal. She left Friday's match against Bryant with a 4-1 lead.


Patriot League Women's Volleyball Weekly Awards

Molten Player of the Week
CAROLYN EWERT, NAVY Jr., OH, Bakersfield, Calif.
Ewert continued her stellar play since a two-year layoff because of injury. The junior was named Most Valuable Player of the Hartford/Quinnipiac Invitational after averaging 3.80 kills and 2.00 digs per set while hitting .250. She led the Mids to a 3-1 record over the weekend and the overall invitational title, the program's first since 2008. She logged a career-high 19 kills in a five-set win over Hartford, then eclipsed it with 20 kills in the five-set triumph against Quinnipiac. Her 15 digs against the Bobcats set another career best.

Molten Rookie of the Week
MARY VACCARO, ARMY Fr., S, Orinda, Calif.
Vaccaro was named to the West Point Challenge All-Tournament Team after tallying 178 assists in four matches as Army went 3-1 on the weekend. She opened the tournament Friday with 46 dishes, seven digs and one block as the Black Knights defeated NJIT in four sets. She helped Army bounce back from a 3-0 loss to Arkansas with 50 assists and 15 digs in a four-set victory against Dartmouth before posting another double-double with 48 assists and 14 digs in a sweep against Marist. She averaged 12.71 assists and 3.14 digs per set while tallying eight total blocks in 14 frames. Nearly 39 percent of her sets led to successful kills for the Black Knights.

Honorable Mention
ARIANA MANKUS, ARMY Jr., OH, Lisle, Ill.
Mankus was named to the West Point Challenge All-Tournament Team after hitting .299 while leading the Black Knights in kills (4.07 per set) and digs (4.14) during a 3-1 weekend. She logged 22 kills in the four-set win against Dartmouth and tallied 22 digs in the 3-1 victory versus NJIT.

KAITLYNN ZOLLER, LAFAYETTE Jr., OH, Solon, Ohio
Zoller hit .269 while averaging 3.06 kills and 1.82 digs per set en route to being named Most Valuable Player of the Friar Classic. The Leopards won the event, going 3-0 with victories against St. Francis (N.Y.) (3-1), Coppin State (3-2) and host Providence (3-0). The Leopards are 6-2 overall and one victory shy of matching last year's total.

LINDSAY YOUNG, COLGATE So, MB, Tampa, Fla.
Young averaged 4.60 kills and 3.50 digs per set and hit .233 as Colgate battled Villanova, TCU and Loyola (Md.) in tournament action hosted by the Wildcats in Villanova, Pa. She logged career-highs of 18 kills and 15 digs in the four-set loss to the Horned Frogs.

KEBAH EDOHO, BUCKNELL Jr., MH, Odenton, Md.
Edoho hit .382 while averaging 2.00 kills per set and was named to the Blue Devil Invitational All-Tournament Team. She logged 11 kills as Bucknell defeated St. Peter's in five sets to close the weekend.

MEGAN LYNCH, HOLY CROSS Jr., OH, Mendham, N.J.
Lynch averaged 3.92 kills and 3.17 digs per set in four matches for the Crusaders last week, including a sweep of Maryland-Eastern Shore at the Bryant Invitational.

Patriot League Cross Country Weekly Awards

Male Runner of the Week
CODY ROME, NAVY Sr., Eagle, Idaho
Rome finished third of out 214 at the Fordham Fiasco Invitational, helping the Mids place second out of 16 teams. The field included the Mid-Atlantic's top team, Princeton, and the then-No. 6 team, Penn. Also included in the field was the Northeast Region's No. 12 team, Yale. Rome ran the 8K in 25:44.

Female Runner of the Week
JESS PALACIO, NAVY Sr., Sun Valley, Nev.
Palacio placed first out of 63 runners at the JMU Open Invitational, finishing the 5.2K in 19:06.4. The senior helped Navy finish first over five teams, including James Madison, ranked fifth in Southeast Region. Palacio has won weekly awards four times in her career. This is the second straight season she has opened with back-to-back weekly awards.

Male Rookie of the Week
No Nomination

Female Rookie of the Week
ANNIE-NORAH BEVERIDGE, NAVY Fr., Ann Arbor, Mich.
Beveridge finished fourth out of 63 runners in a time of 19:27.8 at the JMU Open Invitational.

Honorable Mentions
BARRETT LeHARDY, ARMY Sr., Roanoke, Va.
LeHardy placed third out of 48 runners at a tri-meet with Cornell and Binghamton, finishing the 5-mile course in 26:27.5. Army placed second at the meet.