ANNVILLE, Pa. (Conference News) – The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) has announced its conference weekly award recipients for the week ending March 5, 2023. A total of 25 student-athletes were recognized for performances from Feb. 27 to March 6, 2023.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD (#MACtf)
MAC Track Athlete of the Week
Samuel Knowles (Widener / So. / Ephrata, Pa.) earns his third weekly award of the indoor season. Knowles broke the MAC 400-meter dash record time of 48.51 seconds set in 2005-06 by DeSales’ Lou Corominas over the weekend at the AARTFC Championships with a time of 47.90 seconds. The time also positioned him with the sixth-best time in Division III and qualified him for the NCAA Championships in Alabama this weekend.
MAC Field Athlete of the Week
Alden Littlefield (Widener / Gr. / Millstone, N.J.) earns his second conference weekly award of the indoor season. Littlefield won the shot put at AARTFC Championships with a mark of 16.36 meters. The junior is heading to the NCAA Championships this weekend with the fifth-best mark in the shot put.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD (#MACtf)
MAC Track Athlete of the Week
Laura Mathews (Stevens / Jr. / Denville, N.J.) earns her fourth conference weekly award of the indoor season. Mathews rebroke her own MAC 60-meter hurdle record time of 8.60 seconds with a time of 8.56 seconds to win the event at the AARTFC Championship. The junior also took fourth in the 200-meter dash (25.30). The junior is heading to the NCAA Championships to compete in both events in Alabama.
MAC Field Athlete of the Week
Shinelle Felix (Alvernia / Jr. / Reading, Pa.) earns her third conference weekly award of the indoor season. Felix broke the MAC triple jump record of 12.12 meters set by Messiah’s Kristen Bates in 2009-10 with a jump of 12.15 meters at the AARTFC Championship to win the event. Felix is heading to the NCAA Championships with the second-best mark in Division III.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL (#MACvb)
MAC Offensive Player of the Week
Koby Sherman (Stevens / So., OH-Opp. / Sunnyvale, Calif.) led the No. 1 Ducks to a 2-0 week while recording 22 kills over five sets (4.4 kps) while hitting .474 and adding four aces. In a sweep over Wilkes, Sherman recorded 12 kills with no errors in just two sets of action. The sophomore followed that up with 10 kills and two aces in a sweep of Lasell.
MAC Defensive Player of the Week
Gannon DeFrain (Misericordia / So., S / Allentown, Pa.) led the Cougars to a 2-1 week with 30 digs and two blocks. The setter, who also had 110 assists for the week (10.0 aps), recorded 15, eight and seven digs over the three matches.
BASEBALL (#MACbaseball)
MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week
Brandon Smith (Alvernia / Sr., INF / Howell, N.J.) batted .636 (7-for-11) over four games played in a 3-1 week for Alvernia. Smith had seven hits, seven runs scored, five RBIs and home run and three walks. He went 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs and a home run in a 12-1 win over Stockton. To kick off Alvernia's spring training trip in Florida, Smith had two hits against Rockford and two hits against Haverford. He also added four putouts and five assists in the field.
MAC Commonwealth Pitcher of the Week
Jake Umans (Alvernia / So., P / Holmdel, N.J.) picked up a 20-1 win over Haverford where he scattered three hits, walked none and struck out nine batters over six innings of work. Umans held Haverford to a .136 batting average in the game.
MAC Freedom Player of the Week
Brady Madden (Misericordia / Gr., INF / Enola, Pa.) led the Cougars to a 3-0 week while batting 5-for-11 (.455) and slugging 1.273 with three home runs. Madden finished the week with five RBIs, four runs scored and a walk. He hit 2-for-3 with two home runs, four RBIs, and three runs scored in an extra-inning win over Baldwin Wallace.
MAC Freedom Pitcher of the Week
Erik Sibbach (Stevens / Fy., P / Boxford, Mass.) earns his second conference weekly award of the season. Sibbach struck out eight batters while scattering three hits in five innings of work in a win over Lehman. Sibbach did not surrender a walk and held Lehman to a .167 batting average.
SOFTBALL (#MACsb)
MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week
Sydney Ostolaza (Eastern / Fy., C-3B / Landing, N.J.) went 11-for-19 with a walk in her first 20 at bats of the season. Ostolaza finished the first week with seven RBIs and seven runs scored to lead the Eagles to a 5-2 opening week. The first-year player went 3-for-3 with three runs scored against Houghton and 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored against Neumann to highlight the week.
MAC Commonwealth Pitcher of the Week
Erin Sinatra (Lebanon Valley / Jr., P / Colonia, N.J.) threw a five-inning complete-game, no-hitter (shutout) in the season opener on Sunday. The junior struck out six while allowing no hits as the Dutchmen defeated Mount Mary 8-0 in their first game of the season. Sinatra had four assists and one putout in the field.
MAC Freedom Player of the Week
Jessica Guerrero (Stevens / Jr., INF / Arcadia, Calif.) led the Ducks to a 5-1 week with eight hits, seven RBIs, four runs scored, two doubles, two walks and a stolen base. Guerrero was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and one run scored against Hunter. She was 2-for-5 with two RBIs, two runs scored and a double against William Paterson, and the junior finished the week going 2-for-4 against NYU.
MAC Freedom Pitcher of the Week
Riley Long (DeSales / Fy., P / Philadelphia, Pa.) pitched a five-inning complete-game, no-hitter (shutout), striking out seven in the 16-0 win over PSU-Hazleton on Sunday. She allowed just two baserunners on a walk and hit batter in her first career start.
MEN’S LACROSSE (#MAClax)
MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Week
Trey Ralston (Lebanon Valley / So., A / Abingdon, Md.) had 11 points to lead the Dutchmen to a 1-1 week. The sophomore scored eight goals and added three assists on 12 shots on goal. He began the week with four goals and three assists in a setback against Mary Washington. Ralston then scored three of his four goals in the second quarter of a 15-7 victory at Goucher. The Dutchmen outscored the Gophers 7-0 in the second quarter to turn a 3-1 lead into a 10-1 advantage.
MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week
Justin Scorese (Stevenson / Sr., GK / Bridgewater, N.J.) notched a .645 save percentage on the week for the Mustangs. Against Catholic, Scorese made 17 saves in the team’s 14-3 win over the Cardinals. In the team's tight match up against No. 3 Gettysburg, he made 11 saves while also handing out an assist. On the week, he made 28 saves, picked up three ground balls, and notched an assist.
MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Week
Justin Chinici (Arcadia / Gr., A / Cherry Hill, N.J.) tallied a total of 10 points in the Knights 1-1 week. In Arcadia's 17-5 win over Gwynedd Mercy, Chinici found the back of the net six times and added three assists. Against Ursinus, he scored another goal. Chinici grabbed two ground balls and a caused turnover on the week as well.
MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Week
Quinten Lyons (DeSales / Jr., GK / York, Pa.) was impressive in goal this week despite two losses to two nationally ranked teams. Lyons made 34 saves while facing 102 shots. The junior made 16 saves against No. 18 Muhlenberg, and then made 18 saves against No. 19 Ursinus. He finished the week with a .576 save percentage.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE (#MAClax)
MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Week
Jamie DeHaven (Widener / Jr., M / Williamstown, N.J.) finished the week with eight goals and one assist on 10 shots on goal. DeHaven also had seven draws and six ground balls. DeHaven scored six goals on six shots in a 12-11 win over Moravian. The junior had two goals and one assist in a one-goal setback to Haverford.
MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week
Katelyn Rosini (Widener / Jr., GK / Wallingford, Pa.) led the Pride to a 1-1 week with 21 saves while facing 63 shots. The junior made 11 saves and picked up three ground balls in a one-goal setback to Haverford. Rosini then made 10 saves with two ground balls in a win over Moravian.
MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Week
Julieann Murphy (Stevens / Sr., A / Raritan, N.J.) totaled four goals and 10 assists in a 3-0 week for the Ducks. Against Kean, Murphy had a career day with three goals and eight assists. Then she added an assist in a narrow win at Rowan, before closing her week with a one-goal, four-assist performance in a win over John Carroll.
MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Week
Sidney Bush (King’s / Jr., GK / Clarks Summit, Pa.) was instrumental as King's picked up their first win of the season. On Saturday, Bush came on in relief midway through the second quarter with King's trailing 6-4, and helped turn the tide in the contest. King's ended the game on a 14-1 run, to collect the 18-7 victory over Keystone. In the opener on Wednesday, the junior picked up a no-decision, playing the first half, exiting the game with the Monarchs on top 4-3, finishing with three saves. Bush finished the week with a .637 save percentage and seven saves.
MEN’S TENNIS (#MACtennis)
MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week
Brandon Byler (Lebanon Valley / Sr. / Palmyra, Pa.) earns his second conference weekly award of the season, first of the spring. Byler was a winner in singles and doubles to lead the Dutchmen to a 6-3 victory over Drew in the spring opener in Hilton Head, S.C. on Sunday. The senior teamed with Jeffrey Bauer to pick up LVC's lone doubles win by an 8-5 score at number three. He then won his number six singles match 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) to improve to 7-0 in singles play this year.
MAC Freedom Player of the Week
Patrick Pech (King’s / So. / Litinov, Czechia) teamed up with Aidan Temple to post an 8-1 win at No. 2 doubles before dominating No. 3 singles with wins of 6-1 and 6-0 over Immaculata.
WOMEN’S TENNIS (#MACtennis)
MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week
Madison Poladian (Lebanon Valley / Sr. / Enola, Pa.) won her number five singles match 4-6, 6-1, 10-3 to give the Dutchmen their only point in an 8-1 defeat to Drew on Sunday in the team's spring opener in Hilton Head, S.C. The senior dropped a close 8-5 match in doubles.