NEWTOWN, Pa. (Conference News) – The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) has announced its conference weekly award recipients for the week ending December 3, 2023. A total of 15 student-athletes were recognized for performances from Nov. 27, 2023 to Dec. 4, 2023.
MEN’S SWIMMING (#MACswim)
MAC Swimmer of the Week
Edward Platonov (Stevens / Jr. / Milford, Conn.) won both the 100- and 200-yard freestyle swims at TCNJ's Invitational. In the 100, Platonov touched the wall in 46.90 to set a new personal best. In the 200, the third-year swimmer won with a season-best time of 1:45.36.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING (#MACswim)
MAC Swimmer of the Week
Kai Wong (Stevens / Jr. / Irvine, Calif.) won two individual races and was a part of two winning relays for the Ducks, who took second place at the TCNJ Invitational. Individually, Wong touched the wall first in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle races. In the 50, she set a new personal best in the preliminary heat (24.95 seconds) and then set what would have been a season best in the final (24.96). In the 100, Wong set a new personal best, winning the race in 54.46 seconds. She also posted the fastest prelim time in both events. Wong was also a part of winning 200- and 400-yard medley relays.
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY (#MAChky)
MAC Offensive Player of the Week
Ethan Hersant (King’s / Jr., F / Victoria, British Columbia) was a crucial player with four points between the Monarch's dominant 4-1 and 6-1 wins over Arcadia this weekend. In King's 4-1 win on Friday (12/1) evening, Hersant tallied two goals and a block. He added a powerplay goal, an assist and four blocks in the Monarch's 6-1 win on Saturday (12/2). Hersant also led the Monarchs with 15 faceoff wins on Saturday and attempted eight shots total between both games.
MAC Defensive Player of the Week
Ty Outen (Stevenson / Jr., G / Tampa, Fla.) added his fifth and sixth wins of the season this weekend at Nazareth. In Friday’s 2-1 win, Outen made 36 saves, including 16 second period stops. In Saturday’s four-goal win, Outen recorded his second shutout of the season, making 39 total saves with 14 stops in the first period and 20 in the third to keep the Mustangs ahead. After Outen's 75-save effort in Rochester, he boasts 336 saves, a 1.59 goals against average, and a .955 save percentage on the season.
WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY (#MAChky)
MAC Offensive Player of the Week
Karahkwenhawe White (Arcadia / Jr., F / Akwesasne, N.Y.) had a hat trick, including the game winning goal in overtime in Arcadia's 4-3 win over Manhattanville. She also had an assist in Friday night's game to complete a four point weekend.
MAC Defensive Player of the Week
Julia Beaven (Alvernia / Gr., G / Seaforth, Ontario) finished a 2-0 weekend in goal for Alvernia with 44 saves and two goals allowed. In a 3-0 shutout win on Friday night, Beaven recorded 19 saves for her third shutout of the season. She then made 25 saves in a 4-2 win over Stevenson on Saturday.
WRESTLING (#MACwrestle)
Wrestler of the Week
Matthew Lackman (Alvernia / Sr. / Wernersville, Pa.) was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the Messiah University Petrofes Invitational after picking up his 100th career win and a first place finish at 165 lbs. Lackman recorded two technical falls and two falls en route to the first place match where he went against Messiah’s Zach Needles. Lackman defeated needles by a 15-2 major decision for the 165 lb title and his 100th win.
MEN’S BASKETBALL (#MAChoops)
MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week
Kai Cipalla (York / Jr., F / Lititz, Pa.) had another big week in leading the Spartans to a pair of wins over MAC Freedom teams including preseason favorite Arcadia. In the win over the Knights on Wednesday, Cipalla tallied his second straight double-double with 16 points and a career-high tying 13 rebounds. He was 4-for-5 from the field and 8-for-11 from the stripe. He added three blocked shots and two assists in just 23 minutes of work. On Saturday in the win over Delaware Valley, Cipalla led all scorers with 24 points and six rebounds. He was a very efficient 12-for-16 from the floor while he also had two blocked shots and one steal. For the week, Cipalla averaged 20.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocked shots per game in the two victories. He was 16-for-21 (76.1%) from the floor, and 8-for-11 (72.7%) from the stripe. Cipalla is the MAC Commonwealth's leading scorer while he is fifth in rebounding. He is fourth in field goal percentage with the most made field goals (51) in the league. Cipalla is also fourth in the league in blocked shots.
MAC Freedom Player of the Week
Jack Spellman (Stevens / Jr., F / Westfield, N.J.) averaged 11 points and nine rebounds across a pair of Stevens victories. Against St. Joseph's (L.I.), the Westfield, New Jersey native notched his second career triple-double with 12 points, 10 boards and 11 blocks in just 17 minutes. Then against Hood, Spellman had 10 points on a perfect 5 for 5 shooting, while snagging four rebounds. All totaled, Spellman had 22 points on 8 of 9 shooting, with 18 rebounds, 11 blocks and three assists. He also made all six of his free throws.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (#MAChoops)
MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week
Morgan Adams (Messiah / Sr., F / New Oxford, Pa.) had a dominant weekend in the Falcons two wins over Misericordia University and Salisbury University with two 20 point games. Adams totaled 20 points on 53.3% percent shooting and totaled nine rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal in the Falcons 57-42 win over Misericordia University on Thursday night. On Friday, Adams continued to dominate with 20 points on 58.8% from the field, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in the Falcons 65-46 win over Salisbury University.
MAC Freedom Player of the Week
Hanna Rhoades (Arcadia / So., G / Huntington Valley, Pa.) led Knights to a 2-0 week with the best start in program history at 6-0. Rhoades set a new career-high with 31 points in a win over Widener on Saturday and broke a career-high of 29 set on Wednesday at Immaculata. She set a new program-record for threes in a game on Wednesday, hitting 9-of-11 three pointers. Rhoades leads the nation in three-pointers made per-game, is third in nation in three-pointers made, 22nd in nation in ppg, and 23rd in nation for three-point percentage.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD (#MACtf)
MAC Track Athlete of the Week
Sam Knowles (Widener / Jr. / Ephrata, Pa.) opened his indoor season at the Fast Track Opener in Staten Island, N.Y. on Friday afternoon. Knowles competed and took first in the 800-meter with a final time of 1:54.88. His time would mark in the top five in Widener history in the indoor season and qualify him for the AARTFC meet later on this season.
MAC Field Athlete of the Week
Xavier Phoenix (DeSales / Sr. / New Castle, Del.) finished in first place in both the long and triple jump at the Lehigh University season opener over the weekend. He had a mark of 6.97 meters in the long jump to take first and jumped 14.35m in the triple jump to qualify for the AARTFC Regional Championships in both events.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD (#MACtf)
MAC Track Athlete of the Week
Cera Gaston (Alvernia / Gr. / Lehighton, Pa.) set a new university record in the 5,000m to take first place at the Fasttrack Season Opener on Friday night at Ocean Breeze. Gaston ran an 18:41.23 to break the previous Alvernia record by over 30 seconds.
MAC Field Athlete of the Week
Victoria Zultevicz (King’s / Jr. / Shickshinny, Pa.) placed fifth in the pole vault at Army West Point’s Crowell Open as she cleared a new indoor program-record height of 3.05 meters, topping her previous mark of 2.75 meters at the 2023 Susquehanna Tune Up meet.