NEWTOWN, Pa. (Conference News) – The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) has announced its conference weekly award recipients for the week ending April 14, 2024. A total of 20 student-athletes were recognized for performances from April 8, 2024 to April 14, 2024.
MEN’S LACROSSE (#MAClax)
MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Week
Chad Teresky (Messiah / Jr., A / Derry, N.H.) led the Falcons attack in the two wins over Eastern and Albright this week. In the 15-12 win over Eastern on Wednesday, Teresky totaled six points on three goals and three assists. In the 21-10 win over Albright on Saturday, Teresky led the Falcons with nine points on four goals and five assists. Teresky also added two caused turnovers.
MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week
Conor Halpin (Stevenson / Sr., FO / Cranford, N.J.) collected a team-high 13 ground balls this past week in the MAC wins over Hood and Alvernia. He won nine of 11 face-offs at Hood before going 14-19 at home against the Golden Wolves. He also notched one goal in each contest. So far this season, Halpin boasts a team-high 122 ground balls and a .643 face-off percentage (189-298).
MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Week
Pat Schuett (DeSales / Sr., A / Holbrook, N.Y.) led the Bulldogs to a pair of MAC Freedom wins over FDU-Florham and King's College totaling 10 goals and four assists in the two games. He had three goals and an assist in the win over FDU-Florham and had seven goals and three assists vs. King's, the fifth most points in a game in team history.
MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Week
Kellen Markley (Lebanon Valley / So., GK / North Bend, Wash.) made 25 saves and had a 54.3 save percentage in a 1-1 week for the Dutchmen. The sophomore started the week with 22 saves in a 17-11 defeat at Arcadia where he had three ground balls and one caused turnover. The sophomore then made three saves in just over 40 minutes of work in a 21-6 victory over Delaware Valley on Sunday.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE (#MAClax)
MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Week
Kara Yarusso (Stevenson / Sr., M / West Deptford, N.J.) had eight goals in the win over Alvernia and added six goals and one assist in the win over Hood.
MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week
Sarah Christensen (York / Gr., D / East Lyme, Conn.) led the Spartans with four caused turnovers and 19 draw controls in a pair of Commonwealth victories over Alvernia and Eastern last week. Christensen anchored a defense that surrendered just six goals and 24 total shots in two games and helped record the program’s sixth shutout in a 19-0 win at Eastern. Christensen put together a banner day in the win over Alvernia as she collected a career-best 14 draw controls which is tied for the second-most in program history.
MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Week
Maddie Hogan (Stevens / So., A / Montgomery, N.J.) totaled 13 points in a 2-1 week for No. 13 Stevens, finishing with nine goals and four assists. She scored on both of her free-position shots, caused three turnovers and picked up three ground balls.
MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Week
Michaela Regan (DeSales / Jr., GK / Mount Olive, N.J.) was stellar in goal last week helping the Bulldogs record two wins over FDU-Florham and King's College. She had nine saves and allowed just 10 goals in the win over FDU-Florham on Wednesday and added one more save and allowed just one goal in the win over King's.
BASEBALL (#MACbaseball)
MAC Commonwealth Pitcher of the Week
Evan Hughes (York / Fy., P / Northampton, Pa.) twirled a two-hit shutout in the Spartans' 7-0 win over first-place Messiah in game one of the series on Saturday. This is the first time Messiah has been shut out this season. Hughes allowed a second inning single and that runner was erased on a double play later in the inning. The Falcons got a runner on via error and also allowed a base hit in the fourth but got a second double play to keep Messiah off the board. Hughes hit a batter in the fifth and walked one runner in the seventh but neither got past second base. The shutout is the first of Hughes' career and marks the first time that Messiah has been shutout this season. The freshman is 4-1 with a 3.12 ERA in 34.2 innings of work. He has allowed 27 hits, 18 runs, 12 earned with 28 strikeouts and 10 walks. Opponents are hitting just .213 against him.
MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week
Mike Ramundo (Alvernia / Sr., IF / Lincoln Park, N.J.) batted .550 with 11 hits - including seven extra base hits, five RBIs, 10 runs scored, and four walks. He also had 13 putouts and five assists in the field. Ramundo’s week was capped off on Sunday with a performance that saw him hit for the cycle in a 28-5 win over Stevenson. Ramundo also had three hits and two runs scored in a win over TCNJ, and added another two hits and two runs scored in a setback to Arcadia on Wednesday. Ramundo went 2-for-3 in the first game of the Sunday doubleheader with a run and an RBI before hitting for the cycle and scoring five runs in game two.
MAC Freedom Pitcher of the Week
Connor Maryniak (Misericordia / Jr., P / Reading, Pa.) was 2-0 with 0.74 era and 15 strikeouts in a 2-0 week. He struck out six and allowed just one run in 5.1 innings in a 9-3 win over Lebanon Valley. He also had nine strikeouts in seven shutout innings of a 7-4 win over FDU-Florham.
MAC Freedom Player of the Week
Anthony Bruno (Arcadia / Jr., OF / Horsham, Pa.) was 8-for-15 (.533) with 11 RBI, 11 runs scored, two home runs and a double in a 3-1 week for Arcadia. His week was highlighted by a 4-for-5 outing against Delaware Valley where he had two homers, seven RBI and five runs scored. In the other win against Delaware Valley, Bruno was 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored.
SOFTBALL (#MACsb)
MAC Commonwealth Pitcher of the Week
Fallon Feaser (Messiah / Fy., RHP / Newville, Pa.) had a dominant week in the circle for the Falcons. In Thursday's 7-0 win over Dickinson, Feaser pitched six scoreless innings, allowing seven hits and striking out three batters. In the second game against York, Feaser built off her first start of the week and threw a no-hitter against York. Feaser pitched all seven innings, allowing no hits, walking two batters, and struck out nine.
MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week
Gretchen Barstad (York / So., 1B / Joppa, Md.) had another big week for the Spartans in a seven-game week for the Green and White. Barstad finished the week hitting .571 (12-for-21) with nine runs scored, six RBI, one triple, one home run, four walks and two stolen bases. She started the week by going 4-for-6 with five runs scored and three RBIs in the doubleheader sweep of Widener. Against Gettysburg, Barstad was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs and a hit by pitch. She also pitched 5.2 innings in relief as she allowed one earned run with three strikeouts and two walks. In the twin bill against Messiah, Barstad was a combined 2-for-5 with a walk and a stolen base. Barstad closed out her week at #2 Salisbury as she was a combined 3-for-6 with a run scored, an RBI, a walk and a stolen base. She also came on in relief in both games. She tossed 5.2 innings in the first game against the Gulls; she allowed one earned run with two strikeouts and a walk. In game two, she threw one inning, allowing a pair of earned runs on three hits. For the year, Barstad is hitting .500 with 41 runs scored, 11 doubles, three triples and four home runs. She has posted 25 RBI and 72 total bases. Barstad owns a .837 slugging percentage and a .590 on-base percentage to go along with a 1.427 OPS.
MAC Freedom Pitcher of the Week
Jordan Walter (Lebanon Valley / Sr., P / Lebanon, Pa.) was 2-0 with one save in 14 innings of work during a 4-0 week for the Dutchmen. The senior struck out 12 and didn't allow a run in three appearances. Walter started the week with a three-inning save in a 5-1 victory over Franklin & Marshall in which she struck out one and held the Diplomats off the scoreboard. She then pitched in relief in game two and got the win with three innings of work where she struck out five and just allowed one hit. The senior finished up the week by earning a complete game shutout win at King's in a 1-0 eight-inning victory. Walter recorded six strikeouts including the 300th of her career and scattered seven hits while shutting down the Monarch offense.
MAC Freedom Player of the Week
Lindsey McCurdy (Lebanon Valley / Sr., OF / New Bloomfield, Pa.) led the Dutchmen to a 4-0 week by hitting .636 with two home runs and seven RBI. The senior was 7-11 at the plate with one triple and scored four runs. She had an on-base percentage of .615 and a slugging percentage of 1.364. She started the week with three hits in a doubleheader sweep of Franklin & Marshall. In game one, she was 2-2 with a home run and two runs scored in a 5-1 victory. She then knocked in three runs with a bases-clearing triple to give LVC a 4-0 lead in the third inning of an 8-4 game two victory. The outfielder was 4-6 at the plate in a doubleheader sweep at King's on Sunday with her big game coming in a 9-1 game two win. She was 3-3 at the plate with two runs scored and three RBI including a two-run third inning homer. McCurdy had a hit in game one's 1-0 eight-inning victory.
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD (#MACtf)
MAC Track Athlete of the Week
Fabrice Saint Hillen (Stevenson / So. / Columbia, Md.) had a fantastic first Stevenson Invitational. He took first in the 200 with a time of 22.32. Saint Hillen also finished second in the 100 with a time of 10.68. Saint Hillen capped off the day as part of the 4x400 relay team who took first overall with a combined time of 3.31.73.
MAC Field Athlete of the Week
Nathan Williams (Stevenson / Sr. / Mechanicsville, Md.) led the way in the first ever Stevenson Invitational. Williams won three events taking first in the shot put (15.54m), discus (48.86m) and hammer (58.01m). Williams also finished seventh in the javelin with a top toss of 31.03m.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD (#MACtf)
MAC Track Athlete of the Week
Gabby Nye (Widener / Sr. / Shippensburg, Pa.) had a record breaking weekend at the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic. Nye would compete in the 5000-meter run and place 31st out of 65 athletes in the invitational race. Nye would clock in at 17:32.52 to record a new personal best by nearly 20 seconds and set a new Widener record by over 30 seconds. Nye would also move into just outside the top 50 in the nation and take over the top time in the conference by 24 seconds.
MAC Field Athlete of the Week
Brandy Varner (King’s / So. / Plymouth, Pa.) had a record-breaking weekend as she competed in both the River Hawk Multi and Invitational and the Bison Outdoor Classic. The sophomore took fifth overall in the discus throw behind four Division I competitors at Bucknell with a new program record mark of 44.72 meters on her second attempt, surpassing her previous record of 40.16 meters set last weekend at the Misericordia Twilight meet. The throw is also the top-ranked mark in the MAC and the Mid-Atlantic region and eighth best in all of NCAA Division III. She also won the shot put at Susquehanna with a throw of 11.80 meters on her third attempt which ranks second in the MAC this outdoor season. Additionally, she placed eighth with a mark of 40.56 meters in the hammer throw at Susquehanna.