ANNVILLE, Pa. (Conference News) – The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) has announced its conference weekly award recipients for the week ending Jan. 26, 2020. A total of 20 student-athletes were recognized for performances from Jan. 20-26, 2020.
MEN’S BASKETBALL (#MAChoops)
MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Week
Mason Wang (Hood / Jr., G / Williamsburg, Va.) earns his second conference weekly award of the season. Wang averaged 28.5 points per game to lead the Blazers to a 2-0 week, shooting 64 percent from 3-point range (14-for-22). In a 111-62 win over Stevenson, Wang poured in a game-high 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including a red-hot 8-for-9 from 3-point range. He added five assists and four steals. In a 94-83 win over Albright, Wang scored a game-high 27 points. The junior shot 6-of-13 from 3-point range, grabbed seven rebounds and led Hood with six assists.
MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week
Dyson Harward (Lycoming / Fr., C / Danville, Pa.) earns his third conference weekly award of the season. He had four blocks in 91-79 win over Widener, becoming the fourth player in program history to block 50 shots in a season. Harward also added six defensive rebounds in the win against the league leaders. The freshman has more than double the total number of blocks than any other player in the MAC Commonwealth and with 52 blocks this season, more rejections than six teams in the league.
MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Week
Andrew Hudak (King’s / Sr., F / Bethlehem, Pa.) had a standout week, totaling 40 points (20.0 ppg), 18 rebounds (9.0 rpg), and six assists (3.0 apg) on 18-for-22 shooting (82%) from the field. In a 75-72 win against cross-town rival Wilkes, the senior totaled a career-high 27 points on a perfect 12-of-12 shooting, nine rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Then, in a home win, 74-58, over Delaware Valley, the forward added 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting with nine rebounds and four assists.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (#MAChoops)
MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Week
Eleana Eckley (Messiah / So., G / Lewistown, Pa.) went for a career-high on Wednesday against Lebanon Valley with 22 points before upping her career-best mark once against on Saturday against Alvernia with a 27-point performance. Eckley helped Messiah to a 2-0 week while shooting 17-26 from the field and an impressive 12-17 from beyond the arc. The sophomore also had seven assists, four rebounds and three steals for the week.
MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week
Gabby Boggs (Albright / So., F / Northfield, N.J.) led the Lions' defense to allow only 76 points over two games, behind an average shooting percentage of 21.9 percent from both opponents. The sophomore recorded four blocks, two steals, and 11 defensive rebounds in a 74-37 win over Alvernia on Wednesday. She Also tallied one block, three steals, and 10 defensive rebounds on Saturday in a 74-39 victory against Hood.
MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Week
Averi Jordan (DeSales / So., F / North Schuylkill, Pa.) averaged 18.5 points and eight rebounds last week leading DeSales to two wins. She had 19 points and eight boards in the road win over Stevens. Jordan added 18 points and eight rebounds in the big win over Misericordia on Saturday to give the Cougars their first conference loss.
MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Week
Gabby Smicherko (Wilkes / Jr., F / Edwardsville, Pa.) recorded nine defensive rebounds on the week, four at home against King's in a loss and five on the road in a win at FDU-Florham. She also recorded two blocks, two steals, and also had 11 points against the Devils.
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY (#MAChky)
MAC Offensive Player of the Week
Nick Fea (Wilkes / So., F / Oak Ridge, N.J.) had a power play goal and a pair of assists on the week. He assisted on the fourth of five goals in the Colonels 5-1 road victory at Lebanon Valley. He then scored a power play goal late at Elmira after assisting on the first goal as well in a 3-2 loss. He also recorded seven shots on goal, a season high.
MAC Defensive Player of the Week
Tyler Sayger (King’s / Fr., G / Cheektowaga, N.Y.) earns his second conference weekly award of the season. Sayger made 37 saves in helping the Monarchs earn their first-ever points on home ice this weekend with a 2-2 tie against Lebanon Valley. The freshman stopped all eight shots he saw in the first period, 16 in the second, 12 in the third, and then the only shot he faced in the overtime period. Both of LVC's goal came with an extra attacker on the ice.
WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY (#MAChky)
MAC Offensive Player of the Week
Trinity Barcless (Stevenson / Jr., F / Trenton, N.J.) finished the weekend with seven points on four goals and three assists in a 2-0 weekend for the Mustangs. Against Wilkes, Barcless had a hand in all three goals, netting one goal and dishing out two assists. In a 5-1 victory over King's, Barcless netted her first career hat trick, including one power play goal, and dished out one assist. She finished the weekend with nine shots and a plus-8 rating.
MAC Defensive Player of the Week
Allyson Joly (Wilkes / So., G / Lincoln, R.I.) earned her first-career shutout in the Colonels’ 3-0 victory over Alvernia Saturday. It was the first road win in program history for Wilkes. Joly stopped all 21 shots she faced on the day. A day earlier the sophomore made 39 saves in a 3-1 loss at Stevenson to finish the week with a .952 save percentage.
MEN’S SWIMMING (#MACswim)
MAC Swimmer of the Week
Bryce Schaffer (Albright / Jr. / Reading, Pa.) repeats as the conference swimmer of the week for his third of the season. Schaffer broke two Albright pool records in a 160.5-94.5 victory against Elizabethtown on Saturday. The junior clocked a 1:51.80 in the 200 butterfly to break his own pool record of 1:55.68 from 2018. His new time sits at the top of the MAC by over three seconds. His 100 butterfly time of 51.00 seconds set a new Albright pool record as well, and ranks second in the MAC. Schaffer's two individual races were both wins in the meet.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING (#MACswim)
MAC Swimmer of the Week
Grace Nikolski (Misericordia / Sr. / Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) earns her third conference weekly award of the season. Nikolski won four individual events and two relays in a 2-0 week, including a pool record in her home finale. She won the 200 breaststroke (2:31.68) and 200 medley relay (1:54.76) at Marywood. Then the senior added wins in the 100 breaststroke (1:08.28), 200 breaststroke (2:30.8) and 200 IM (2:18.71) against King’s. She was part of pool record in 400 medley relay (4:08.19) versus King’s.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD (#MACtf)
MAC Track Athlete of the Week
Nicholas DiMaria (Stevens / Sr. / Spotswood, N.J.) finished first in the 200, 400 and the 4x200-meter runs at the Conference Challenge Cup. His times in the 200 (22.76 seconds) and 400 (49.92 seconds) both qualified the senior for the All-Atlantic Region Track & Field Championships and his quartets in the 4x200 (1:32.78) set a facility record. All three times are the best in the MAC so far this season, while his 400 time ranks No. 13 in Division III and his 200 time ranks No. 42.
MAC Field Athlete of the Week
Jackie Ni (King’s / Jr. / Walnutport, Pa.) threw a career best weight throw mark of 16.79 meters (55'1") on his second attempt to finish third in the field of 29 at the Upstate Challenge on Saturday against mostly Division I competition. The junior's mark is 26th in the nation this year, second in the region and tops in the MAC.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD (#MACtf)
MAC Track Athlete of the Week
Esther Seeland (Messiah / So. / State College, Pa.) won the 400 meter in a time of 59.56 seconds, while also helping Messiah's 4x400 meter relay to the 10th-best mark in the country with a new program record time of 4:02.61. Seeland’s 400 time ranks 20th in Division III.
MAC Field Athlete of the Week
Danika Ani (Stevenson / Sr. / Westminster, Md.) earns her third conference weekly award of the season. Ani shattered her own school and MAC record with a weight throw toss of 17.83 meters at Franklin and Marshall's Coach I Open on Saturday. Her throw is currently No. 5 in Division III. Ani’s previous conference record mark of 16.75 meters was set earlier this season. She also placed third in the shot put with a 12.51 meter effort.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL (#MACvb)
MAC Offensive Player of the Week
Ryan Byrne (Stevens / Jr., OH / Mastic N.Y.) led Stevens to a 3-0 week featuring wins over MIT, No. 14 UC Santa Cruz and Johnson & Wales. Byrne started the weekend with 13 kills and five digs while hitting .458 in the win over MIT. He then followed it up by setting season-highs in both kills (16) and digs with .389 attack percentage against Santa Cruz. Byrne closed the weekend with eight kills on just nine swings (.889 attack percentage) while playing in just two sets in the win over JWU. The junior from Mastic, N.Y. finished the week averaging 3.36 kills/set and a .477 overall attack percentage.
MAC Defensive Player of the Week
Cole Hefner (Wilkes / Sr., MH / East Greenville, Pa.) helped Wilkes to a 2-2 record to open the 2020 season. The senior totaled 17 blocks over four matches and 1.31 blocks-per-set. He added 24 kills (1.85 per-set) and 44.5 points (3.42 per-set). Hefner had six blocks against Purchase and CCNY each.
WRESTLING (#MACwrestle)
MAC Wrestler of the Week
Dylan Van Sickell (Stevens / Sr., 157 lbs. / Little Silver, N.J.) picked up two wins at the Stevens quad, including a key 9-2 decision over No. 7/8 Da'Mani Burns that helped No. 24 Stevens defeat No. 6 Johnson & Wales. He also pinned Manchester’s Joel Arney (2:06) in a 47-6 team victory.