April 9, 2012

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. -- The Patriot League announced its weekly awards for April 2-8 in men's and women's lacrosse, softball, baseball and outdoor track and field on Monday.

Army continued to cruise in baseball improving to 8-0 in Patriot League play with a sweep of Lehigh. Holy Cross split its series with Lafayette to move to 5-3 and remain in second place, while the Leopards are 4-4 after a pair of series splits to start the season. Bucknell is in fourth at 3-5 after splitting its series with Navy.

It was exactly the type of weekend you expect out of men's lacrosse, with two League contests going to overtime. There's a three-way tie atop the standings between Bucknell, Colgate and Lehigh, setting up a frantic and exciting final two weekends of play. Army hosts Navy Saturday at noon on CBS Sports Network in the annual rivalry tilt that has the added bonus of carrying significant Patriot League Tournament implications. The day continues with Lafayette visiting Colgate Saturday at 1 p.m., with the Raiders needing a win to clinch a postseason berth while the Leopards must win to keep their tournament hopes alive. Lehigh hosts Bucknell at 7 p.m. with the winner wrapping up a tournament slot and gaining an edge to host the four-team playoff.

Navy took control of the women's lacrosse race on Saturday, with an 8-6 win at Colgate; putting the Mids into the Patriot League Tournament and just one win away from hosting in the postseason. Holy Cross topped Bucknell 20-5 and Lafayette beat American 13-12 in other action, creating a logjam in the standings where five teams all sit with two losses as they contend for League Tournament bids. All three winners in League play had a student-athlete honored with a weekly award on Monday, with both Sara Hennessey and Laura Ryan selected from Holy Cross.

Lehigh (8-0) and Colgate (7-1) have taken command early in Patriot League softball. The Mountain Hawks posted their second straight four-game sweep by taking out Bucknell over the weekend, while the Raiders won three of four in a pivotal series against Army. Both teams had student-athletes selected for weekly awards on Monday, including Lehigh senior Jen Colquhoun tying a single-season record with her third Patriot League Player of the Week honor.

It was rivalry week in outdoor track and field as Navy swept Army and Lehigh swept Lafayette in dual meets. Despite the sweep, Lafayette's Jerome Rudolph continued his IC4A-qualifying streak and won his third straight weekly award. Navy and Bucknell each won a pair of weekly awards and Lehigh won the other.


Patriot League Baseball Weekly Awards

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
KEVIN MCKAGUE, ARMY Sr., INF, Fayetteville, N.C.
McKague batted 13-for-20 (.650) with 11 RBIs, five runs scored, six doubles, a homer and two walks in five games last week, including a four-game sweep of Lehigh. McKague drove in four runs in a loss to Manhattan, and three runs in each game of Sunday's doubleheader against Lehigh. He had a hit in all five games, upping his season average to .402, which ranks second in the Patriot League. This is his second weekly award of the season and fifth of his career.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK
CHRIS ROWLEY, ARMY Jr., P, Duluth, Ga.
Rowley pitched his second straight complete-game shutout in Patriot League play with a seven-inning blanking of Lehigh on Saturday. He struck out seven, limiting the Mountain Hawks to just three hits. Rowley leads the League with a 7-0 record and a 1.20 ERA in 52.2 innings. Rowley, who has 42 strikeouts, has won the weekly award five times in his career, including four times in 2012.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
ALEX JENSEN, ARMY Fr., INF, Charlotte, N.C.
Jensen batted 7-for-20 (.350) with six RBIs, three runs scored, a double and a triple. He went 3-for-4 with four RBIs in the Black Knights' 11-6 win over Lehigh Sunday.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
PATRICK PUENTES, HOLY CROSS Jr., OF, East Greenbush, N.Y.
Puentes batted 9-for-22 (.409) with four RBIs, five runs scored, five walks and a stolen base, helping the Crusaders go 4-2 during the week.

NATE KONESKI, HOLY CROSS Sr., P, North Dighton, Mass.
Koneski pitched six strong innings, striking out 10 batters and limiting Lafayette to one hit and two walks in a 8-0 Holy Cross win. Koneski lowered his ERA to 2.95, which ranks sixth in the Patriot League.

BOBBY FARGNOLI, LAFAYETTE Sr., LF, Bethpage, N.Y.
Fargnoli batted 7-for-24 (.292) with nine RBIs, two runs scored, a double and a walk in six games last week. He drove in five runs in the Leopards' extra-inning win over Holy Cross Sunday.

BRENDAN McGAHERAN, LEHIGH Sr., SS, Nazareth, Pa.
McGaheran batted 10-for-24 (.417) with four RBIs, seven runs scored, two doubles, a homer, a walk and four stolen bases. He had four multi-hit games for Lehigh, and he stole two bases in each of the Mountain Hawks' wins over Temple and Delaware State.


Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Weekly Awards

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JEFF LEDWICK, COLGATE Sr., M, Weston, Conn.
Ledwick scored the game-tying goal with 1:43 to go in regulation and netted the game-winner at the 2:07 mark of overtime to lift Colgate to an 11-10 victory against then-No. 7 Lehigh Saturday afternoon in Hamilton, N.Y. The senior from Weston, Conn., finished the game with three goals and four points. He opened the scoring just 1:23 into the game to give the Raiders the early 1-0 lead and assisted on Matt Baker's goal in the second quarter that tied the contest at 4-all. Ledwick has 20 goals and 28 points on the season, both career-bests for the nation's top-scoring offense.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
BRENDAN BUCKLEY, ARMY Jr., D, Massapequa, N.Y.
Buckley posted five caused turnovers and picked up one ground ball in perhaps Army's biggest and most important defensive effort of the season in a 6-5 double-overtime victory at No. 15/13 Bucknell Saturday afternoon. He led all players in caused turnovers and held Bucknell's Billy Eisenreich to just a goal and two points. Eisenreich was ranked second in the country in assists and third in points in last week's NCAA statistics release.

GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
ZACH PALMIERI, ARMY Sr., GK, Syracuse, N.Y.
Palmieri made 10 saves, none bigger than the two he made in the final 23 seconds of regulation in a game Army eventually won 6-5 on Devin Lynch's game-winner in double overtime. Palmieri faced 34 Bucknell shots and recorded a .667 save percentage. He also accounted for four ground balls and one caused turnover.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
BRIAN BOCK, LAFAYETTE Fr., A, Collegeville, Pa.
Bock extended his point-scoring streak to 11 games last week, picking up points in both contests. His biggest showing came Saturday with two goals and two assists for four points, lifting the Leopards to a critical 8-4 victory at Holy Cross. That win keeps Lafayette's hopes alive for a Patriot League Tournament berth, though they'll need victories against Colgate and Lehigh in the next two weeks to stay in the hunt. Bock totaled three goals and five points for the week, including a marker in Tuesday's overtime loss to Marist.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
ROB GRABHER, COLGATE Jr., FOS, Glen Head, N.Y.
Grabher won 20-of-25 at the face-off `X' and picked up 11 ground balls in Colgate's 11-10 overtime victory against Lehigh. Grabher went 15-of-17 head-to-head against Ryan Snyder, an All-League performer from a year ago and a 2012 Tewaaraton Trophy candidate.

KYLE FEENEY, BUCKNELL Jr., GK, Greenwich, Conn.
Feeney made 13 saves and logged a .684 save percentage in Saturday's 6-5 double-overtime loss to Army. He was superb in goal, and made two huge saves late in regulation and another on a point-blank opportunity in the first overtime from Tim Henderson.

LUKAS MIKELINICH, LEHIGH So., D, Dix Hills, N.Y.
Mikelinich marked Colgate's Peter Baum, who entered the weekend as the nation's leading goal scorer, and held him to just one goal and two points.

JACKSON PLACE, BUCKNELL So., D, Wayne, Pa.
Place led Bucknell's defense effort with six ground balls and four caused turnovers in the Bison's tough 6-5 double-overtime loss to Army. He collected the takeaway with 2:03 to go in regulation that set up the game-tying goal that forced overtime.

JAKE HYATT, LAFAYETTE So., GK, Ridgefield, Conn.
Hyatt averaged 12.5 saves across two games, and stopped 10 shots in Lafayette's 8-4 win Saturday at Holy Cross, helping to keep the Leopards alive in the race for a Patriot League Tournament berth.


Patriot League Women's Lacrosse Weekly Awards

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
SARA HENNESSEY, HOLY CROSS So., M, Winchester, Mass.
Hennessey exploded for a career-high seven goals, the most by a Crusader in nearly 10 years, to lead Holy Cross to a 20-5 win over Bucknell on Saturday. She also added two ground balls, two draw controls and a caused turnover in the game. The seven goals were the most for a Holy Cross player since Katie Britt also notched seven against Vermont on April 23, 2002. Hennessey notched her fourth hat trick of the season and the sixth of her career. She helped lead Holy Cross to its highest single-game goal total since 1999. Hennessey earns her first Offensive Player of the Week award after being named Midfield Player of the Week earlier in the year. She is the first student-athlete this season to capture both awards.

MIDFIELD PLAYER OF THE WEEK
ANA WHITE, LAFAYETTE So., M, Swarthmore, Pa.
White is named Patriot League Midfield Player of the Week for the fourth time this season and sixth in her career after playing an outstanding all-around game to lead Lafayette to a crucial 13-12 win at American on Saturday. White recorded four goals and an assist with five ground balls, seven draw controls and four caused turnovers as the Leopards earned the victory to even their Patriot League mark at 2-2. The four goals matched a season high. White leads the Patriot League with 90 draw controls, just 12 off the single-season record.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
MICHELLE VERBEECK, NAVY Jr., G, Wading River, N.Y.
Verbeeck played brilliantly in the first start of her career, making seven saves on 13 shots to lead the Mids to an 8-6 win at Colgate on Saturday. The victory sealed Navy's fifth consecutive Patriot League Tournament berth and put the Mids within one win of claiming the top seed and right to host in the postseason. Verbeeck improved to 4-0 against Colgate and 3-0 for the season, and leads the Patriot League with a 7.72 goals against average and .505 save percentage. She has played roughly 40 percent of Navy's goalie minutes for the season, and went the full 60 against the Raiders. Verbeeck is named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week for the first time.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
LAURA RYAN, HOLY CROSS Fr., M, Stirling, N.J.
Ryan scored a season-high six goals to contribute to Holy Cross' outburst in a 20-5 win over Bucknell on Saturday. She also added three ground balls, four draw controls and two caused turnovers in the game. It was her fourth-straight effort of three goals or more, and she has scored 19 goals over the last four games. Ryan leads the Crusaders with 31 goals and is tied with 36 points, both the most for a Crusader freshman since 2007. She earns her first Rookie of the Week award, becoming the first Crusader to claim the honor since 2010.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
ADDIE GODFREY, LAFAYETTE Jr., A, Princeton, N.J.
Godfrey scored the game-winner with 1:30 left and had four goals overall in Lafayette's 13-12 win at American Saturday.

LEIGH ANN TORCIVIA, LEHIGH Sr., M, Rumson, N.J.
Torcivia had a goal, four assists, three ground balls, four draw controls and two caused turnovers as Lehigh pulled out an 11-8 win over New Hampshire on Saturday.

EMILY STANKIEWICZ, AMERICAN Sr., M, Longmeadow, Mass.
Stankiewicz had three goals, four ground balls, six draw controls and three caused turnovers in a 13-12 loss to Lafayette on Saturday.

JENNIE BERGLIN, COLGATE Fr., G, Glen Head, N.Y.
Berglin made eight saves and helped hold Navy seven goals below its average in an 8-6 loss to the Mids on Saturday.


Patriot League Softball Weekly Awards

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JEN COLQUHOUN, LEHIGH Sr., SS, Oak Park, Calif.
Colquhoun had another huge week to lead the Mountain Hawks to their second consecutive four-game Patriot League sweep. She batted .500 with three home runs, 10 RBIs and eight runs scored in a 5-1 week for Lehigh, and went 6-of-10 with two home runs, nine RBIs and six runs scored as Lehigh outscored Bucknell 34-0 in four games over the weekend. She hit a three-run and two-run home run in consecutive at-bats in the series finale. Colquhoun is batting .591 with five home runs and 20 RBIs in League action as the Mountain Hawks are off to an 8-0 start. Her 12 home runs are sixth on the Patriot League single-season leaderboard and one off the Lehigh record. Colquhoun is up to 21 career home runs, just two shy of the Lehigh record and in the Patriot League top 10. Colquhoun is named Patriot League Player of the Week for the third time this year, tying six other players for the most in a single season in League history.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK
RACHEL LeCOQ, COLGATE So. P, Gonzales, La.
LeCoq hurled a pair of gems to help Colgate win three of four games against Army and take over second place at 7-1 in the Patriot League. She tossed a pair of complete games, allowing just one run on three hits with seven strikeouts in a 4-1 win on Saturday before pitching a shutout with six hits and seven strikeouts in a 7-0 triumph on Sunday. LeCoq pitched 17.1 innings in four games for the Raiders last week, allowing only two runs while striking out 15 and posting a 2-0 record in her action. The victory over Army on Sunday gave LeCoq a 4-0 mark in Patriot League play. She is named Patriot League Pitcher of the Week for the first time this season and fourth in her career.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
EMILY BAUSHER, LEHIGH Fr., P/UT, New Egypt, N.J.
Bausher continues her run of Patriot League Rookie of the Week awards, receiving the honor for the fourth straight time and fifth this season. She was outstanding in two Patriot League starts, pitching eight scoreless innings against Bucknell while allowing three hits and striking out seven to pick up a pair of victories. Bausher went 2-1 with a 2.00 ERA in three appearances for the week and finished with 11 strikeouts while not issuing any walks. She has not allowed a run in 19 innings during Patriot League games, with just seven hits allowed and 25 strikeouts in that span. Bausher also contributed with her bat by going 4-for-7 with three RBIs at the plate last week.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
STEPHANIE HARTQUIST, COLGATE Sr., 3B, Homer, N.Y.
Hartquist had three home runs, six RBIs and four runs scored as Colgate won three of four games against Army over the weekend.

REBECCA BLISS, LEHIGH Jr., P, Escondido, Calif.
Bliss allowed just one earned run in 16 innings on the mound last week, going 3-0 with a win over Rider and two victories with nine shutout innings against Bucknell.

GWEN TURNER, LAFAYETTE Sr., OF, Danville, Va./Dan River
Turner batted .583 (14-of-24) with six runs scored and four RBIs in a 4-3 week for the Leopards.

MELISSA ROBINSON, LAFAYETTE So., P, Philadelphia, Pa./St. Hubert
Robinson started six of Lafayette's seven games last week, going 4-2 with a 2.05 ERA. She won the final three games against Holy Cross, allowing just three runs in 22 innings combined in that span.


Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Weekly Awards

MALE TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
JEROME RUDOLPH, LAFAYETTE Sr., Lithonia, Ga.
Rudolph wins his third straight weekly award in outdoor track with three IC4A-qualifying marks at the Lafayette-Lehigh Dual Meet Saturday. He placed first in all three events, winning the 100 dash (10.42), 200 dash (21.22) and 400 relay (41.19).

FEMALE TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
JESS PALACIO, NAVY Sr., Sun Valley, Nev.
Palacio finished first in a pair of events, leading Navy past Army in the Star Meet. She won the 800 (2:13.98) and the 1,500 (4:31.15), narrowly missing ECAC standards in each. Palacio, who was an All-American in the mile in the indoor season, wins her sixth career outdoor weekly award.

MALE FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
ZACK DUNCAVAGE, NAVY So., League City, Texas
Duncavage finished first in the discus with an IC4A distance of 181-6, leading the Mids past the Black Knights at the Star Meet. He also placed fifth in the shot put (47-4.25). This is his first Field Athlete of the Week award in outdoor track. He won a pair of Rookie of the Week awards last year.

FEMALE FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
E'LANA LEMON, LEHIGH Jr., West Orange, N.J.
Lemon placed first in the hammer throw at the Lafayette-Lehigh Dual Meet, posting an ECAC distance of 177-6, helping the Mountain Hawks defeat the Leopards. This is her first Field Athlete of the Week award in outdoor track.

MALE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
MICHAEL MCGOWAN, BUCKNELL Fr., Ardmore, Pa.
McGowan finished second in the 10,000 at the Colonial Relays, posting at IC4A time of 30:22.55. This is his first outdoor weekly award.

FEMALE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
KIM NAGOTKO, BUCKNELL Fr., Mahwah, N.J.
Nagotko finished third in a pair of relays and 14th in the 200, just missing the ECAC standard with her time of 25.69 seconds. Her team completed the 800 relay in 1:41.40 and the distance medley relay in 11:45.88. This is her first outdoor weekly award.

ABBY MONAGHAN, BUCKNELL Jr., La Plata, Md.
Monaghan finished first in the discus at the Colonial Relays with an ECAC distance of 146-9. She also finished eighth in the hammer (143-4).

ROBERT ARENT, BUCKNELL Sr., New Providence, N.J.
Arent finished second overall and first among collegians in the 110 hurdles (14.31) at the Colonial Relays. It was one of two IC4A times he posted as he helped the 1,600 relay team finish in 3:16.95. He also placed third in the 400 hurdles (52.82) and second in the sprint medley relay (3:26.16).

LEONARD JOSEPH, BUCKNELL Jr., Whitesboro, N.Y.
Joseph finished second in the hammer at the Colonial Relays, posting an IC4A distance of 194-2.

DEVIN MONROE, LEHIGH Jr., Savern, Md.
Monroe posted a pair of IC4A times at the Lafayette-Lehigh Dual Meet, finishing second in the 400 relay (42.12) and third in the 200 dash (21.76).

CHRIS JOHNSON, COLGATE Jr., Murray, N.J.
Johnson finished first in the 5,000 (14:05.33) at the Sam Howell Invitational, qualifying for the IC4A Championships.

KRISTIN SMITH, NAVY Jr., Harleysville, Pa.
Smith finished first in three events at the Star Meet, and it included an ECAC height of 5-8.75 in the high jump. She also won the 400 hurdles (1:04.23) and the 400 relay (48.24).

MARK VETERE, NAVY Fr., Andover, Md.
Vetere placed first in the pole vault at the Star Meet with an IC4A distance of 15-9.