ANNVILLE, Pa. (Conference News) – The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) has announced its conference weekly award recipients for the week ending March 8, 2020. A total of 23 student-athletes were recognized for performances from March 2-8, 2020.
BASEBALL (#MACbaseball)
MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week
Michael Leri (Lebanon Valley / Sr., UTL / Mountain Top, Pa.) put together an impressive week at the plate to guide Lebanon Valley to a perfect 9-0 spring break trip. Leri's week was highlighted by a game where the senior launched three home runs in an 11-3 win over Kenyon. It was the first time in LVC history that a player hit three homers in one game. He followed it up by hitting another homer against Roger Williams in the Dutchmen's 6-4 win. The senior finished the week with seven hits, five home runs, four walks, seven hit-by-pitches, 10 runs scored and nine RBIs.
MAC Commonwealth Pitcher of the Week
Michael Simmerman (Alvernia / Sr., P / Sinking Spring, Pa.) threw the fourth no-hitter in school history in his first start of the week throwing all seven innings while allowing no runs and striking out 10 and just one walk in a 25-0 win over Finlandia. He threw an inning of relief against St. John’s.
MAC Freedom Player of the Week
Austin Miles (Misericordia / Jr., INF / Livingston, N.J.) hit .500 (15-for-30) with two doubles, one home run, four runs scored and four RBIs in eight games. Miles hit safely in all eight games, including four multi-hit games. He had three-hit games against Mitchell, North Central and Heidelberg.
MAC Freedom Pitcher of the Week
Jacob Lupas (King’s / Jr., P / Laflin, Pa.) went 2-0 on the mound for the Monarchs this week down in Florida shutting down the opposition with 12.2 scoreless innings of work. The junior struck out eight and allowed just 10 hits while holding the opposing hitters to a .213 batting average. He began the week with four strikeouts in 6.2 innings of a 4-0 victory over Milwaukee School of Engineering in the opening game of a doubleheader between the teams. He finished the week with an even better outing on Saturday against Cornell College throwing six scoreless innings in a 12-2 seven inning victory. Lupas struck out four batters and walked four while allowing just three hits on 91 pitches. Only one Ram got past second base during his time on the hill as the lefty got out of a bases loaded jam in the sixth inning with a pair of strikeouts and a grounder to third.
SOFTBALL (#MACsb)
MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week
Carli Benozich (Widener / Sr., SS / Drexel Hill, Pa.) opened the season hitting .467 in six games with a double, two home runs and six RBIs as the Pride went 5-1 at The Spring Games. She had a hit in five of the six games and two-multi hit contests. She also walked three times and was hit by a pitch for a .579 on-base percentage, and scored five times.
MAC Commonwealth Pitcher of the Week
Kait Jaworski (Widener / Jr., P / Rockledge, Pa.) went 3-0 for the Pride at The Spring Games in Clermont, Fla., posting a 0.89 ERA spanning 17.0 innings of work. During the week, she struck out 19 and scattered 14 hits. Jaworski's best outing of the week came against Fontbonne when she whiffed seven and walked none, tossing six shutout innings. She also did not allow an earned run, fanning eight in six innings versus Bluffton on Thursday. She opened the season with seven punchouts in four innings in a run-rule victory against Berea on Monday.
MAC Freedom Player of the Week
Haley Boyd (Wilkes / Jr., UTL / Escalon, Calif.) played a key role in a 6-3 week for the Colonels on Spring Break. She hit .470 (8-for-17) on the week, with seven RBIs, including a triple and a home run. She had a grand slam in a 15-1 victory over Hilbert. She also accounted for seven runs, including the run that gave the Colonels one extra inning to come from behind in a 4-3 victory over Otterbein. She also contributed the first two RBIs in a 5-2 victory over Cedar Crest.
MAC Freedom Pitcher of the Week
Brooke Moyle (Misericordia / Sr., P / Philipsburg, N.J.) earns her second conference weekly award of the season. Moyle went 3-0 with a 1.83 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 23 innings in four appearances. She struck out 11 in a complete-game shutout of John Jay and had eight strikeouts in a 2-1 win over Neumann. She added nine strikeouts in a five-inning shutout of New England College.
MEN’S LACROSSE (#MAClax)
MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Week
Cole Genneken (Albright / So., A / Vernon, N.J.) totaled 10 points for the Lions in two games this past week behind seven goals and three assists. He opened the week by scoring two goals and dishing out two assists against Immaculata on Thursday afternoon. Genneken followed with six points on five goals and one assist in the Lions 11-9 win over Mount Saint Mary on Saturday. Genneken scored the Lions final three goals in the fourth quarter, including the game-winner.
MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week
Connor Graser (Albright / Jr., D / Middletown, Del.) led the Lions defense in the past week with five caused turnovers in two games along with 11 ground balls. He grabbed six ground balls in the Lions contest against Immaculata on Thursday, and caused two turnovers. He followed that with three caused turnovers and picked up five ground balls in the Lions 11-9 win over Mount Saint Mary on Saturday. Graser also scored a goal against the Knights.
MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Week
PJ Rafferty (Delaware Valley / Gr., A / West Grove, Pa.) set a school record with 10 points on four goals and six assists as he led the Aggies to a 16-7 victory at home over Gwynedd Mercy. The six helpers also tied a program record.
MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Week
Jackson Campbell (King’s / Fr., GK / Malvern, Pa.) helped King's to its first 5-0 record in program history this week, as the Monarchs chalked up two wins against Western Connecticut State University and Alfred State. For the week, he posted 24 saves and only nine goals allowed. Wednesday, he posted a career-high 21 saves and only nine goals against in a 13-9 win over WestConn. He followed that up with three saves in only the second-ever King's shutout, playing 39.36 minutes of a 20-0 win over Alfred State.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE (#MAClax)
MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Week
Melanie Bert (Widener / Sr., A / Oceanside, N.Y.) had a huge week for the Pride, scoring 13 times including both game-winners in a 2-0 week for Widener. She netted five goals against Bridgewater (Va.) as the Blue and Gold claimed a 13-8 win. A day later, she led a rally that saw the Pride score nine unanswered goals in a 17-8 victory against Sewanee with Bert scored eight times in the game. Overall for the week, she had eight ground balls, including six for against the Tigers, and scored on three free position attempts.
MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week
Amber Bretz (Widener / So., M / Scotch Plains, N.J.) led the Pride to a pair of wins over Bridgewater (W, 13-8) and Sewanee (W, 17-8). Bretz recorded four caused turnovers, picked up seven ground balls, while also tallying 16 draw controls and three goals for the week.
MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Week
Camryn Devitt (Wilkes / So., A / Northampton, Pa.) led Wilkes during the week with five goals over two games. The sophomore scored three goals against Wesley and two against Maritime. She totaled eight shots on goal on nine total shots during the week.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD (#MACtf)
MAC Track Athlete of the Week
Mitch Forgash (King’s / So. / Swoyersville, Pa.) ran the sixth-fastest 800 meter time in Division III this year to finish third out of 30 runners at the Tufts National Qualifying Meet. His school record time of 1:53.04 qualified him for the NCAA National Championships and was a full second faster than his time of 1:54.37 he ran to win the MAC Championship a week prior.
MAC Field Athlete of the Week
Billy Munson (Alvernia / Fr. / Albrightsville, Pa.) won the ECAC men's shot put with a throw of 15.80m that set a new Alvernia record, moved him up to 33rd in the nation and into the No. 1 spot on the MAC performance list.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD (#MACtf)
MAC Track Athlete of the Week
Gina Dello Russo (Stevens / Sr. / Whippany, N.J.) completed the 400-meter dash in a facility-record time of 57.16 seconds to post her fastest time of the season Saturday at the All-Atlantic Region Indoor Track & Field Championship. The time is currently the fourth-fastest time in Division III this season. In the 200, the Whippany, New Jersey placed fourth with a season-best time of 25.56, which is the 20th-fastest time in the country. Dello Russo is heading to nationals to compete in both events.
MAC Field Athlete of the Week
Nicole Weenink (Eastern / Sr. / Mechanicsburg, Pa.) earns her fifth conference weekly award of the season. Weenink won the triple jump at the AARTFC meet with a new personal-best of 12.11 meters. That mark is one centimeter short of the MAC record. She qualified for Nationals in both the Long and the Triple Jumps. Her new triple jump mark is second in Division III.
MEN’S TENNIS (#MACtennis)
MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week
Andre Sturniolo (Stevenson / Sr. / Rockville, Md.) earns his second conference weekly award of the season, first of the spring. Sturniolo dropped just three sets in going a combined 4-0 in singles and doubles over the weekend. He teamed with Ben Porto for a pair of 8-0 wins at No. 2 doubles against McDaniel and Randolph. Sturniolo was a 6-0, 6-1 winner in singles against the Green Terror, and prevailed 6-2, 6-0 against the Wildcats.
WOMEN’S TENNIS (#MACtennis)
MAC Freedom Player of the Week
Emily Fernandez (King’s / Jr. / Shirley, N.Y.) earns her third conference weekly award of the season, first of the spring. Fernandez had a strong start to the spring campaign for King's, as she posted a 5-1 record in singles play in Florida. She also teamed up with Alexis Zalutko to register four doubles wins. In singles, she dropped just three sets all week and finished on a four-match singles win streak that saw her lose a total of two games.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL (#MACvb)
MAC Offensive Player of the Week
Matt Knab (Messiah / Jr., S / Beaver Falls, Pa.) earns his second conference weekly award of the season. Knab led the Falcons to a 3-0 week. The junior setter picked up a career-high 57 assists against Alvernia while notching 10 service aces on the week. In 10 sets played, Knab collected 10 digs and six total blocks as Messiah moves to a perfect 4-0 in the MAC.
MAC Defensive Player of the Week
Joe Jones Jr. (King’s / So., DS / York, Pa.) led the Monarchs defense with 27 digs (2.25 dps), adding four aces, three kills, and a block. In a 3-0 win over Lesley in game one of the doubleheader, Jones Jr. totaled six digs, three aces, and two kills, and in another 3-0 win over Lesley, he added nine digs. Then against Alvernia, the sophomore recorded six digs, a kill, a block, and an ace before ending the week with setback at Messiah with six digs.