MAC Weekly Release (1/23/17)

ANNVILLE, Pa. (Conference News) – The Middle Atlantic Conferences (MAC) Weekly Release features the conference’s weekly award recipients, standings, national rankings, recent results and upcoming schedules. Below are this week’s weekly award recipients for the week ending Jan. 22, 2017.
                            
Click here for the Jan. 23, 2017 MAC Weekly Release.
 
 
MEN’S BASKETBALL (#MACmbb)
 
MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week
Sam Smith (Widener / Jr. / G / Wyomissing, Pa.) led Widener to a 2-0 week in conference action while averaging 23 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, and shooting 55 percent (16-of-29) from the field and 50 percent (7-of-14) from behind the arc. Smith recorded 14 points and a career-high nine rebounds, while shooting 60 percent, in a 70-56 win over Arcadia. The junior then led the Pride to an improbable 89-78 overtime win against Albright by recording a career-high 32 points on 10-of-19 shooting, including 6-of-9 from long range. Smith was clutch several times, forcing overtime by hitting a buzzer-beater 3-pointer as time expired. Then trailing in overtime, Smith knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to spark a 10-0 run.
 
MAC Freedom Player of the Week
Andrè Butler (Delaware Valley / So. / G / Upper Marlboro, Md.) averaged 17 points, 7.5 rebounds and three assists while shooting 62 percent from the field in a 2-0 week in conference play for the aggies. Butler opened the week with nine points, four rebounds and two assists in a 66-65 win over Manhattanville before his breakout game. In an 81-63 road win at FDU-Florham, Butler shot 91 percent (10-of-11) from the field with a career-high 25 points, 11 rebounds and four assists for a double-double.
 
 
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (#MACwbb)
 
MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week
Sara Tarbert (Stevenson / Sr. / F / Delta, Pa.) earns her fifth conference weekly award of the season. Tarbert recorded three more double-doubles to extend her streak to 18-straight during a 3-0 week. She averaged 23 points, 13 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.7 steals per game while shooting 58 percent (28-48) from the field. She also went 5-of-8 from behind the arc during the week. Tarbert recorded 14 points with 11 rebounds and four steals in a 70-51 win over Virginia Wesleyan. The senior then scored 33 points with 16 rebounds in a 73-49 win over Hood. She finished the week with 22 points and 12 rebounds in a 67-57 win over Arcadia. Tarbert totaled eight assists, eight steals and four blocked shots during the week.
 
MAC Freedom Player of the Week
Justine Seely (Misericordia / Sr. / F / Benton, Pa.) earns her second conference weekly award of the season. She averaged 23.5 points, 16.5 rebounds, five blocks, 2.5 steals and 1.5 assists per game and had two double-doubles in a 1-1 week for the Cougars. Seely opened the week with 31 points on 13-of-21 (62 %) shooting, 18 rebounds, six blocks, three steals and two assists in a 60-49 win at King’s. She then added 16 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks, two steals and an assist in a 44-41 setback to DeSales.
 
 
SWIMMING (#MACswim)
 
MAC Men’s Swimmer of the Week
Ian Gaynor (Widener / Sr. / Donegal, Ireland) earns his fifth conference weekly award of the season. Gaynor factored into four first-place finishes to lead Widener to a 135-127 come-from-behind victory at Arcadia. With the Pride trailing by one point (123-122) heading into the final event, Gaynor provided heroics by anchoring the 200-yard freestyle relay to a first-place finish in a time of 1:26.81. The second fast conference time behind their own. He also won the 50-yard freestyle (20.72) and the 100-yard freestyle (46.60), which are both top-2 conference times behind his own. Gaynor also anchored the victorious 200-yard medley relay team to victory in a time of 1:38.94. Widener finished the dual season with an 8-0 record, while giving Arcadia just its second loss of the season.
 
MAC Women’s Swimmer of the Week
Megan Hupp (Arcadia / Fr. / Virginia Beach, Va.) earns her third conference weekly award of the season. Hupp won three individual events and earned three pool records in a 145.5-116.5 win over Widener. The Knights remaining undefeated at 8-0 with one dual meet remaining. Hupp won the 200-yard freestyle (1:57.90), the 500-yard freestyle (5:16.81) and the 1,000-yard freestyle (10:49.42). All three times ranking in the top-4 in the conference including second in the 1,000, third in the 500 and fourth in the 200. The freshman also led her 200-yard freestyle relay team to a runner-up spot in a time of 1:43.35.
 
 
WRESTLING (#MACwrestle)
 
MAC Wrestler of the Week
Seth Lansberry (Lycoming / Sr. / Klingerstown, Pa.) earns his second conference weekly award of the season. The senior ran his winning streak to 31-straight matches on Saturday to claim the 149 lbs. title at the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Championship on Saturday. His winning streak is tied for the second-longest in program history. Lansberry recorded a fall, a tech fall and two major decisions on his way to the title. The senior reached the finals with 19-3 technical fall over Messiah’s Adam Peris and then won the title with an 11-3 major decision over Messiah’s Stephen Maloney.
 
 
INDOOR TRACK & FIELD (#MACtf)
 
MAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
Juwan Petties-Jackson (Misericordia / Sr. / Sommerville, N.J.) set the school record in the 60-meter dash for a second-straight week. Petties-Jackson won 60-meter dash at the Orange & Maroon Classic in a time of 6.99 seconds, which ranks tops in the conference and 19^th in Division III. He was also part of the third-place 4x200 meter relay team that finished in a time of 1:34.47, which ranks second in the conference.
 
MAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
Daniel Herbster (Widener / Sr. / Garnett Valley, Pa.) repeats as conference weekly award winner. This past week Herbster won the shot put event at the Collegeville Classic with a distance of 49’ – 5 “ (15.06 meters) to place first by more than three feet among 41 competitors in a field consisting of NCAA Division I, II and III throwers. His mark is best in the conference and tied for 34^th nationally.
 
MAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Kierra Zack (Eastern / So. / Dillsburg, Pa.) earns her second conference weekly award of the season. Zack dropped nine seconds off her personal best mile time, finishing fourth in a predominantly Division I field at the Joe Donahue Games in Boston with a time of 5:03.52. Her time is good enough to rank eighth in Division III and leads the conference by more than 20 seconds.
 
MAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Olivia Jendrzejewski (Lebanon Valley / Sr. / Hanover, Pa.) won the long jump at the Lebanon Valley annual Dutchmen Invitational on Saturday. She won the long jump with a mark of 5.61 meters, which ranks first in the conference and sixth in NCAA Division III.