ANNVILLE, Pa. (Conference News) – The Middle Atlantic Conferences (MAC) has announced its conference weekly award recipients for the week ending Nov. 4, 2018. A total of 17 student-athletes were recognized for performances from Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2018.
 
 
FIELD HOCKEY (#MACfh)
 
MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week
Kezia Loht (Messiah / Sr., F / McClure, Pa.) was named the MAC Commonwealth Championship Most Valuable Player after leading top-seeded Messiah to the 2018 MAC Commonwealth title with a 6-0 win over third-seeded Arcadia. In the title game, Loht assisted on game’s second goal. In a 7-0 win over fourth-seeded Lebanon Valley in the semifinal round, Loht scored the game’s second goal.
 
MAC Freedom Player of the Week
Makayla Pak (FDU-Florham / Sr., D / Freehold, N.J.) earns her fourth conference weekly award of the season. Pak was named the MAC Freedom Championship Most Valuable Player (MVP) after leading top-seeded FDU-Florham to the 2018 MAC Freedom title with a 1-0 win over second-seeded DeSales on Saturday. In the title game, Pak assists on the game’s only goal in the 53^rd minute of play to secure the victory. The senior also anchored a defense that held DeSales to just four shots, one on goal. In a 4-0 win over fourth-seeded Eastern in the semifinal round, Pak scored the game’s second goal. She also helped hold Eastern to just three shots on goal.
 
 
MEN’S GOLF (#MACgolf)
 
MAC Commonwealth Golfer of the Week
Kyle Millard (Alvernia / Sr. / Barto, Pa.) was the low MAC Commonwealth finisher at the Arcadia Invitational last week. Millard shot an 83 to finished tied for 11^th out of 54 golfers. Millard, a senior who graduates in December, was the top finisher for the Golden Wolves in the final match of his career.
 
 
WOMEN’S GOLF (#MACgolf)
 
MAC Golfer of the Week
Yupha Muzyka (Alvernia / Fr. / Sinking Spring, Pa.) earns her third MAC Golfer of the Week award this fall. Muzyka won low-medalist honors at the Arcadia Invitational, shooting an 81 to finished first out of 34 golfers. The freshman led Alvernia to a second-place team finish just six strokes behind Division II Jefferson.
 
 
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY (#MAChky)
 
MAC Offensive Player of the Week
Carl Lyden (Stevenson / So., F / Karlstad, Sweden) netted a pair of goals and dished out an assist in the Mustang’s 5-4 overtime victory against Chatham. Trailing 3-0, Lyden netted the then game-tying goal. After falling behind, 4-3, the sophomore assisted on the game-tying power-play goal. Lyden then scored the game-winning goal on the power play just 1:05 into overtime.
 
MAC Defensive Player of the Week
Matt Forslund (Lebanon Valley / Fr., G / Apex, N.C.) made 27 saves on 29 shots to earn the 7-2 win in the MAC opener at King’s in his collegiate debut. The freshman made 13 saves in the second period, and nine in the third. Forslund carried the shutout into the final minute of the second period.
 
 
WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY (#MAChky)
 
MAC Offensive Player of the Week
Amanda Sabia (Manhattanville / Jr., F / Freehold, N.J.) led the Valiants to a 1-0-1 week in conference play in pair of games against Stevenson. Sabia opened the week with three goals in a 6-2 win over the Mustangs. It was the first hat trick of her career. The junior followed that performance with another multi-point game in a 3-3 tie against Stevenson with a goal and an assist.
 
MAC Defensive Player of the Week
Zoey Pellowitz (Manhattanville / Jr., D / Arlington, Va.) led Manhattanville’s defense while contributing on the scoreboard in a 1-0-1 week to open MAC play against Stevenson. The Valiants recorded a 6-2 win and a 3-3 tie with the Mustangs over the weekend. Pellowitz finished the weekend as a plus-2. The Valiants totaled 12 blocked shots on the week, with Pellowitz recording three of them. The junior tallied one goal after forcing a turnover and scoring unassisted while being on the penalty-kill. Pellowitz finished the week with six assists to go along with her shorthanded goal.
 
 
MEN’S SOCCER (#MACsoc)
 
MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week
Connor Bell (Messiah / Sr., GK / High Point, N.C.) was named the MAC Commonwealth Championship Most Valuable Player (MVP) after leading the top-seeded Falcons to the 2018 MAC Commonwealth title with a 4-1 in advantage in penalty kicks over a 0-0 (2OT) draw with second-seeded Lycoming. In the title game, Bell only had to make one save in regulation and in both overtimes. In penalty kicks, Bell made a key save to secure the title. In a 1-0 win over fourth-seeded Stevenson in the semifinal round, Bell made a crucial save to keep the Mustangs off the board.
 
MAC Freedom Player of the Week
Jacob Myers (Eastern / Sr., D / Westminster, Md.) was named the MAC Freedom Championship Most Valuable Player (MVP) after leading the top-seeded Eagles to the 2018 MAC Freedom title with a 3-0 win over second-seeded King’s. The senior defender had a goal and an assist in the 3-0 title-game victory. Myers assisted on the game’s first goal (eventual game-winner) just 58 seconds into the match, and then scored the second goal of the game at the 31^st minute. On defense, he helped hold the Monarchs to just five shots on goal. The Eagles defeated fourth-seeded Misericordia, 5-2, in the semifinal round. Misericordia had just seven shots on goal.
 
 
WOMEN’S SOCCER (#MACsoc)
 
MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week
Kayla Herr (Messiah / Fr., M / Lititz, Pa.) was named the MAC Commonwealth Championship Most Valuable Player (MVP) after leading the top-seeded Falcons the 2018 MAC Commonwealth title with a 1-0 (2OT) win over second-seeded Arcadia on Saturday. The defensive-minded midfielder led Messiah to a pair of shutouts in the conference tournament, allowing just nine shots (three on goal) through 196 minutes of action. In a 3-0 win over fifth-seeded Lebanon Valley in the semifinal round, Herr helped shut down the Dutchmen by allowing just 2 shots (one on goal). In a 1-0 double-overtime thriller in the title game, Arcadia registered seven shots and just two on goal. Herr registered five shots (two on goal) herself in the victory.
 
MAC Freedom Player of the Week
Kristen Ritter (Misericordia / Sr., D / Hauppauge, N.Y.) earns her second conference weekly award of the season. Ritter was named the MAC Freedom Championship Most Valuable Player (MVP) after leading the top-seeded Cougars to the 2018 MAC Freedom title with a 2-1 win over second-seeded Wilkes on Saturday. The senior defender led Cougars to a pair of 2-1 wins over fourth-seeded FDU-Florham in the semifinal round and Wilkes in the title game. FDU-Florham had just six shots (four on goal) in the semifinal game, while Wilkes had just eight shots (four on goal).
 
 
SWIMMING (#MACswim)
 
MAC Men’s Swimmer of the Week
Bryce Schaffer (Albright / So. / Reading, Pa.) capture three individual victories with top conference times in two of the three events in a 150.5-111.5 win over Arcadia. The sophomore won the 100-yard butterfly (53.05 seconds), 200-yard butterfly (1:56.21) and 200-yard backstroke (2:02.65). Both of Schaffer’s fly times are the best in the MAC, while is 200-backstroke is currently second.  
 
MAC Women’s Swimmer of the Week
Jill Bujanowski (Widener / So. / Edgewater, N.J.) earns her second conference swimmer of the week award this season. Bujanowski led the Pride against Messiah and Hood in a tri-meter on Saturday with wins in the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly events. Bujanowski did so with a pair of top-MAC times in both events. She touched the wall in a time of 58.99 seconds in the 100-fly, while finishing the 200-fly in a time of 2:14.49.
 
 
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL (#MACvb)
 
MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week
Chelsea Ireland (Stevenson / Sr., MH / Huntingtown, Md.) was named the MAC Commonwealth Championship Most Valuable Player (MVP) after leading the top-seeded Mustangs to the 2018 MAC Commonwealth title with a 3-1 win over second-seeded Arcadia on Saturday. In the title game, Ireland finished with eight kills while hitting .429 and added five blocks. In a 3-0 win over fourth-seeded Messiah in the semifinal round, the senior had five kills, five blocks and two digs.
 
MAC Freedom Player of the Week
Michelle Paulsen (Eastern / Sr., MH / Clifton Park, N.Y.) was named the MAC Freedom Championship Most Valuable Player (MVP) after leading the second-seeded Eagles to the 2018 MAC Freedom title with a 3-1 win over top-seeded DeSales on Saturday. In the title game, Paulsen had 12 kills while hitting .545 and added three blocks. In a 3-0 win over third-seeded Misericordia in the semifinal round. Paulsen had four kills, four aces and six blocks.
 
 
WRESTLING (#MACwrestle)
 
MAC Wrestler of the Week
Nicholas Racanelli (Wilkes / Sr., 165 lbs. / West Creek, N.J.) opened the 2018-19 season by placing runner-up in the 165-lbs. weight class at the Ned McGinley Invitational hosted by King’s College. The senior won his first four matches of the day to advance to the title match. He picked up a fall (2:33) over Muhlenberg’s Nick Cope before recording an 11-3 major decision over NYU’s Izaake Zuckerman. Racanelli then defeated Stevens’ Stephen Friedman, 10-4, in the quarterfinal match. In the semifinals, the senior recorded a 5-4 win over NYU’s James Murdoch. Racanelli finished runner-up to Roger Williams’ Taylor Shay (4-1 decision).