NEWTOWN, Pa. (Conference News) – The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) has announced its conference weekly award recipients for the week ending November 5, 2023. A total of 14 student-athletes were recognized for performances from Oct. 30, 2023 to Nov. 5, 2023.
FOOTBALL (#MACfb)
MAC Offensive Player of the Week
Russell Minor-Shaw (King’s / Sr., QB / Radnor, Pa.) led the Monarchs to a 16-8 win with the team's 440 yards of total offense to give King's their first win in Owings Mills since 2013. Minor-Shaw totaled 392 yards of offense, completing 19 of 31 passes (61.2%) for 223 yards and no interceptions while rushing 32 times for 169 yards and two touchdowns.
MAC Defensive Player of the Week
Ryan Wilson (Widener / Fr., DB / Schwenksville, Pa.) and the Pride cruised to a 41-10 win over the Eastern Eagles on Saturday afternoon. Wilson would have a standout game on defense as he tied the Widener All-Time Record for Single Game Interceptions with three. From the three interceptions he totaled 25 return yards. Wilson would grab two in the first quarter and the last in the fourth. Throughout the game he also registered eight total tackles.
MAC Special Teams Player of the Week
Jeremy Bours Jr. (Lebanon Valley / Sr., P / Cleona, Pa.) only punted three times in Saturday's tough 28-21 defeat to FDU-Florham but the senior averaged 38.3 yards and placed two of his punts inside the 20. Bours had a long of 47 as he pinned the Devils' offense back with only one punt being returned for two yards. The senior was also the holder for all three made extra point attempts and for a 37-yard missed field goal attempt that went wide left with plenty of distance.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL (#MACvb)
MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Week
Rileigh Kimball (Stevenson / Sr., OH / Baldwinsville, N.Y.) had 11 kills in the win over Hood and 22 in the rally over Susquehanna. Went 11-0-19 in the match against Hood (.579) and 22-7-42 (.357) against Susquehanna. 22 kills was a season-high and had 14 digs in the win over SU.
MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week
Grace Casagrande (Eastern / Sr., L / Coatesville, Pa.) had 67 digs in 12 sets to help the Eagles to four wins away from home against teams with winning records. The senior libero led a serve-receive unit that allowed just 16 aces on the week. She was successful on 40 of 42 reception chances. The Eagles picked up three-set wins at Alvernia, Elizabethtown, and Stockton and a neutral-site sweep over Neumann.
MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Week
Taylor McInerney (Lebanon Valley / Sr., OH / Annville, Pa.) had a huge match with 27 kills and three service aces as LVC defeated Misericordia 3-1 to clinch the second seed in the MAC Freedom Championships. The senior had a hitting percentage of .276 while adding four digs and two block assists against the Cougars in the team's only match of the week. It marks the ninth time this year she has recorded at least 25 kills in a match. After recording just three kills in the first set, the senior unloaded with nine kills in the second, nine kills in the third, and finished with six kills in the fourth set. All three of her serving aces came in the fourth set.
MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Week
Morgan Williams (King’s / So., L / Colonia, N.J.) totaled 67 digs across three games this past week. The sophomore libero averaged 6.7 digs a set and 22.33 digs a game. Williams accumulated 28 digs against conference opponent FDU-Florham.
MEN’S SWIMMING (#MACswim)
MAC Swimmer of the Week
Hazen Stowell (Hood / Gr. / West Jordan, Utah) was a key piece of the Blazers' 163-23 victory over Lycoming, and kept Hood in the fight in their 141-112 loss to Misericordia at the Super Duper Double Duel on Saturday, November 4th. The freestyle swimmer placed first in the 200-yard freestyle, 200-yard butterfly, and 400-yard IM races, and was a part of the 400-yard freestyle relay team that finished in first place.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING (#MACswim)
MAC Swimmer of the Week
Julia Stephens (Arcadia / Sr. / North Wales, Pa.) earned herself three individual wins against the reigning MAC Championship Messiah Team in the 50-yd freestyle (25.66) 100-yd freestyle (56.16), and the 200-yd freestyle (2:02.95). Her 100 free time is the best in the conference so far and has been for two weeks straight. She also was a member of the 2nd place 200-yd medley relay squad. After this week, she has won all 7 of the individual races she has swam this season so far.
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY (#MAChky)
MAC Offensive Player of the Week
Casey Gerstein (King’s / Jr., F / Toronto, Ontario) scored two goals and had three assists off eight shots while going 16-28 in the face off circle. He assisted on three of the Monarchs five goals in a 5-2 win over Chatham on Friday, adding one shot and winning 8 of 15 face offs. The junior then scored both goals in a 4-2 setback on Saturday with seven shots and going 8-for-13 in the face off circle.
MAC Defensive Player of the Week
Chris Branch (Lebanon Valley / So., G / Yonkers, N.Y.) earned his second win of the year with a career-high 45 saves as LVC rallied for a 3-2 overtime victory at Nazareth on Friday in the conference opener. The sophomore stopped 16 shots in the first period and allowed a late power-play goal. He then stopped 16 of 17 shots in the second period. Branch made 10 saves in the third period and three more saves in overtime
WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY (#MAChky)
MAC Offensive Player of the Week
Khenzie Connick (Alvernia / Fr., F / Anchorage, Alaska) scored three goals and added an assist in a 2-0 week for Alvernia as the Golden Wolves swept King’s. In a 6-0 win over King’s on Friday night, Connick scored her first and second goals of her career. She then followed that up with a goal and an assist in a 5-1 win at King’s on Saturday.
MAC Defensive Player of the Week
Juliana Rodgers (Alvernia / So., G / Roswell, Ga.) picked up two wins for Alvernia, including her second shutout performance of the season. Rodgers finished the weekend with 19 saves, a .950 save percentage and a .500 goals against average. Rodgers picked up a 6-0 shutout win in net on Friday night with nine saves in net. Rodgers then made ten saves in a 5-1 win on Saturday.
WRESTLING (#MACwrestle)
Wrestler of the Week
Avery Leonard (Alvernia / So. / Maryland, N.Y.) recorded a first place finish in the 141 pound bracket of the Alvernia Tonee Ellis Memorial Tournament on Saturday with a 17-4 major decision over Taylor Weaver of Delaware Valley. Leonard started his day with a 16-1 tech fall over Del Val's Artem Reichert and then followed that up with another tech fall over Stansbury. Leonard then tallied a pin over Hammonds of Shippensburg in 1:03 into the first period and then received a medical forfeit to advance to the final where he defeated Weaver. Leonard was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament for his performance.