NEWTOWN, Pa. (Conference News) – The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) has announced its conference weekly award recipients for the week ending October 29, 2023. A total of 25 student-athletes were recognized for performances from Oct. 23, 2023 to Oct. 29, 2023.
FIELD HOCKEY (#MACfh)
MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Week
Carrie Bair (Messiah / Jr., F / New Oxford, Pa.) was the leader for the Falcons offense on the week with three goals in the Falcons two wins. Bair scored two goals in the 9-0 win at Hood on Wednesday. Bair's presence on the offensive end was felt throughout the game with eight shots and six shots on goal in the game. In the win over No. 9 York, the Falcons offense struggled early to break through the York defense. In the second quarter, Bair made an impressive steal and move past the York goalkeeper on a breakaway to give the Falcons an early lead in the 2-0 win to earn the top seed in the MAC Commonwealth Conference Tournament.
MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week
Jordan Vradenburgh (Stevenson / Fr., GK / Fairless Hills, Pa.) led the Mustangs with five saves this past week, combining with goalkeeping partner Eve Vickery for seven saves and two shutouts in Stevenson's undefeated week. She now has 38 saves on the season for a 1.66 goals against average.
MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Week
Lily Metress (Misericordia / Jr., F. / Burke, Va.) scored four goals as the team closed with two shutout wins. Mattress scored a hat trick in a 5-0 win over King's and added a goal in a 2-0 win over FDU-Florham. She tallied the game-winner in both games.
MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Week
Lily Wierzbicki (Stevens / So., GK / Davis, Calif.) stopped seven shots and posted a pair of victories as Stevens went 2-0 during the review period to clinch the MAC Freedom regular season title. Against FDU-Florham, Wierzbicki allowed a goal on five shots, while making one save in an 8-1 win. With the top seed in the conference postseason on the line, Wierzbicki made six saves to post her third shutout of the season in a 3-0 win over DeSales. The performance lowered Wierzbicki's goals-against average to a MAC Freedom and NCAA-leading 0.29.
FOOTBALL (#MACfb)
MAC Offensive Player of the Week
Louie Barrios IV (Delaware Valley / Jr., QB / Egg Harbor City, N.J.) accounted for 349 yards of offense to lead Delaware Valley to a thrilling 21-14 win at home over Stevenson on Saturday. The junior signal-caller threw for 227 yards, ran for 88 yards, and caught two passes for 34 yards. He threw for two touchdowns and even caught a touchdown when the Aggies ran a trick-play near the goal line to take a 14-7 lead. His biggest play came with less than a minute left and the game tied at 14-14 as he dropped back and found Luan Avdijaj over the middle of the field for a 71-yard game winning touchdown.
MAC Defensive Player of the Week
Lamontae Wilson (Misericordia / So., CB / Chesapeake, Va.) had two interceptions, including a pick-six, in a 38-9 win over Albright. He had a 35-yard INT return for a score on the game's first play from scrimmage and added an interception in the third quarter.
MAC Special Teams Player of the Week
Jeremy Bours Jr. (Lebanon Valley / Sr., P / Cleona, Pa.) averaged 40.3 yards on three punts and blocked a punt to help LVC to a 34-26 victory over Alvernia on Saturday. The senior had a long of 44 and put two of his punts inside the 20 and added a touchback. Bours Jr. gave the Dutchmen momentum at the beginning of the game as he blocked Alvernia's punt on the
opening drive giving LVC possession inside the 20 at the Alvernia 17. The Dutchmen used four plays to score the first touchdown of the game. He was also the holder on both field goal attempts and all four extra point attempts made by Tim Kissinger.
MEN’S SOCCER (#MACsoc)
MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Week
Martin Ramsay (Albright / So., F / Womelsdorf, Pa.) scored two goals including the game winning goal against Eastern to propel the Lions to a 4-3 victory on Saturday (Oct. 28). Ramsay scored the first goal of the game in the 11th minute by chipping the Eastern goalie from 25+ yards out. His second goal of the game was the eventual game winner coming in the 85th minute of play to give Albright a 4-3 victory over Eastern. The two goal game was the third such game for Ramsay this season. Ramsay finished the regular season with nine goals good for fourth in the MAC Commonwealth.
MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week
Evan Solley (Alvernia / Jr., GK / Reading, Pa.) had a shutout week in goal for Alvernia. In a 2-0 win over Hood on Wednesday, Solley made two saves to blank the Blazers. He then had a spectacular six save performance over Widener on Saturday to pick up his tenth win and sixth shutout of the season.
MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Week
Shane Serio (King’s / Jr., M / Cherry Hill, N.J.) scored both goals for the Monarchs against DeSales on Saturday while totaling six shots with five on goal in the week. After tallying three shots with two on target in a 1-1 draw at FDU-Florham, Serio scored two second-half goals on his three shots in a 2-2 draw with DeSales.
MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Week
Dalton Fitterling (Lebanon Valley / Sr., GK / Womelsdorf, Pa.) posted two clean sheets and made seven saves as LVC clinched the top seed in the MAC Freedom Championship with a win and a tie on the road. The senior made two saves and faced nine shots in a 2-0 victory at Arcadia earlier in the week. He then finished the week with five saves and 16 shots faced in a 0-0 tie at Stevens to earn a share of the regular season title and clinch the top seed in the postseason tournament. Fitterling made three saves in the first half and two saves in the second half of a physical defensive battle with the Ducks.
WOMEN’S SOCCER (#MACsoc)
MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Week
Meg Kalthof (York / Fr., F / Bel Air, Md.) had a career night in the victory over Albright on Wednesday night. Kalthof tallied a career-high six points on two goals and two assists. Kalthof assisted on York's first goal off a corner kick. She assisted York's third goal and then scored a pair of second half goals for the Spartans. For the season, Kalthof has 23 points on nine goals
and five assists with two game-winning goals. In conference play, Kalthof has 18 points on eight goals and two assists with two game-winners. Her nine goals lead the MAC while her five assists are second in the league. Kalthof leads the league in points with 23.
MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week
Courtney Wysokowski (Stevenson / Sr., GK / Lebanon, Pa.) stood in-between the pipes for a strongly competitive week for the Mustangs. Despite the loss to No. 5 Messiah, the senior goalkeeper put up 12 saves in the contest. Against Hood, Wysokowski posted 10 saves in the afternoon to hold the Mustangs to a tie to end the regular season.
MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Week
Elsa Bley (Stevens / Sr., M / Puyallup, Wash.) totaled a pair of goals and two assists for the Ducks, who defeated Delaware Valley and Lebanon Valley. Against the Aggies, Bley posted her first career multi-goal game in a 7-1 win and then against the Dutchmen, Bley dished out a pair of assists for her first career multi-assist game.
MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Week
Erica Blackburn (FDU / Gr., GK / Marlboro, N.J.) notched two wins in goal and totaled 12 saves on a 2-0 week for FDU-Florham. She notched six saves during a 3-2 win against King's and then matched her six saves during a 3-2 win against Delaware Valley.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL (#MACvb)
MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Week
Gianna Krinock (York / Gr., OH / York, Pa.) led York with 43 kills and a 3.91 kills/set average last week, while posting three double-double performances with kills and digs. Krinock put together one her best hitting performances of the season in a big 3-0 win over Widener which clinched a Commonwealth playoff spot for the Spartans. She racked up 12 kills to just one error
on a .407 attack average to go along with 10 digs against the Pride. Krinock led the Spartans with 31 more kills with a 3.88 kills/set average to go along with 31 digs as York went 1-1 against Drew and Kean in their final tri-match of the season.
MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week
Grace Casagrande (Eastern / Sr., L / Coatesville, Pa.) finished a 4-0 week with a team-best 67 digs. The Senior libero led the Eagles to three-set wins over Hood, Eastern Mennonite, and Shenandoah before recording 32 digs in a five-set win at Washington & Lee. The senior libero had just two errors in serve receive in over 50 attempts.
MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Week
Taylor McInerney (Lebanon Valley / Sr., OH / Annville, Pa.) had a huge week with 67 in three matches. She recorded 6.70 kills per set and had a .407 hitting percentage in a 2-1 week for the Dutchmen. The outside hitter began the week with 16 kills on 23 attacks for a .609 hitting percentage in a 3-0 win at FDU-Florham to clinch a postseason berth for the second consecutive year. She added a serving ace and four digs in the match. McInerney then had 27 kills, an assist, and nine digs in a 3-0 victory over Gwynedd Mercy on Saturday while hitting .561. The senior ended the week with 24 kills and eight digs in a tough 3-1 defeat at Neumann.
MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Week
Grace Wilson (Delaware Valley / Jr., DS / Quakertown, Pa.) Recorded 65 digs in a 1-2 week for the Aggies including a team-high 29 in the 3-1 win over Gwynedd Mercy.
MEN’S SWIMMING (#MACswim)
MAC Swimmer of the Week
Dan Jackson (Widener / So. / Warwick, N.Y.) competed in three individual events and the 400-yard medley relay. Jackson would first help the Pride earn a win in the medley relay with a 59.37 breaststroke split. He would then go on to pick up his first individual win and top time in the conference in the 200-yard freestyle with a 1:48.44. Jackson's 200 breaststroke swim would
earn another first place with a 2:13.45. His final event was the 200 individual medley where he picked up the third win in a 2:02.02 which would win the event by four seconds.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING (#MACswim)
MAC Swimmer of the Week
Lauren Kalsbeek (Widener / Jr. / Redding, Calif.) opened her racing in the 1000-yard free where she picked up a 30 second win with a time of 11:10.72. Kalsbeek's time puts her first in conference times by just over eight seconds. She would go on to take first in the 100-yard free right after the break with a 56.36. Kalsbeek would then capture her final win in the 200 individual medley with a 2:19.23. The win against Hood (187-66) and a loss against Messiah (95-65) puts the Pride at 2-1 this season.
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY (#MAChky)
MAC Offensive Player of the Week
Matthew Davies (Alvernia / So., D / Lancaster, Mass.) finished the opening weekend with three goals, an assist, and a block. Davies recorded the second hat-trick in program history with a three goal performance in a 4-3 win over Rivier on Friday night. With the Golden Wolves trailing 3-1 five minutes into the second period, Davies scored Alvernia’s final three goals of the
game to lead Alvernia to comeback win. In a 2-2 tie on Saturday, Davies assisted on the game-tying goal in the third period.
MAC Defensive Player of the Week
Ty Outen (Stevenson / Jr., G / Tampa, Fla.) had an impressive start to his NCAA career this past weekend at Canton. In game one's 5-0 win, Outen stopped all 34 shots faced. In game two, Outen made another 30 saves for a 2-1 win. He leaves his debut weekend with a .985 save percentage and a .50 goals against average.
WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY (#MAChky)
MAC Offensive Player of the Week
Julia Franklin (Alvernia / Jr., F / Harrisburg, Pa.) finished with three goals, an assist, and 21 faceoff wins in a 2-0 weekend for the Golden Wolves. In a 5-0 win over Anna Maria on Saturday, Franklin scored Alvernia’s sixth hat-trick in program history with a three goal performance. Franklin scored Alvernia’s second, fourth, and fifth goals of the game. She was also 6-for-10 on the faceoff on Saturday. In a 2-0 win on Friday, Franklin assisted on Alvernia’s second goal of the night and was 15-for-21 on the faceoff.
MAC Defensive Player of the Week
Juliana Rodgers (Alvernia / So., G / Roswell, Ga.) picked up a shutout win in a 5-0 win over Anna Maria on Saturday. Rodgers finished with 28 saves in the full 60 minutes of action in the win. Rodgers also came in for the final five minutes of a 2-0 win over the Amcats on Friday night. Rodgers made two saves to preserve the team shutout.