NEWTOWN, Pa. (Conference News) – The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) has announced its conference weekly award recipients for the week ending April 28, 2024. A total of 20 student-athletes were recognized for performances from April 22, 2024 to April 28, 2024.
MEN’S LACROSSE (#MAClax)
MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Week
Gavin Gossen (Stevenson / Fy., A / Newport Beach, Calif.) is coming off of a 12-point week following the Mustangs’ two MAC victories. On Wednesday at Albright, Gossen scored twice and added three assists as well as two ground balls. On Saturday against Widener, Gossen scored a career-high five goals and added two assists for seven points, adding a career-high six ground balls and a caused turnover. Gossen boasts 41 points (23 G, 18 A) in his rookie campaign.
MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week
Vinny Facciponti (York / Gr., FO / Annapolis, Md.) had a pair of superb performances at the faceoff X including a record-setting effort as he helped lead York to a pair of Commonwealth victores to clinch the regular season conference title. Facciponti started the week with a 4-for-8 night in the win at Hood before closing out the week with a remarkable 33-for-39 performance with 27 ground balls in York’s regular season finale victory over Messiah. Facciponti’s 33 faceoff wins established a new program record and his 27 ground balls matched the program record. For the week, Facciponti won 78.7% of his faceoffs with 28 ground balls and two goals.
MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Week
Matthew Pergola (Stevens / So., A / Nutley, N.J.) totaled 11 points in a 2-0 week for nationally-ranked Stevens as the Ducks wrapped up a regular season title. The second-year attack scored a combined seven goals and dished out four assists in wins over Delaware Valley and Lebanon Valley, while also picking up four ground balls and causing one turnover.
MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Week
TJ Lowe (DeSales / Sr., GK / Port Washington, N.Y.) was outstanding in goal last week helping DSU post a 2-0 record and clinch the #2 seed in the MAC Freedom Postseason Tournament. He had 26 total saves in the two games and allowed just 13 total goals. On Wednesday he had 14 saves and allowed just six goals and on Saturday he had 12 saves and allowed just seven goals for the week. Lowe posted a 6.50 GAA and had a .667 save percentage on the week. He added 11 ground balls in the two games.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE (#MAClax)
MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Week
Haleigh Lackner (Alvernia / Sr., M / Harrisburg, Pa.) capped off her impressive collegiate career by finishing the week with eight goals, three assists, 10 draw controls, six ground balls, and three caused turnovers. In a setback to Messiah on Wednesday, Lackner had five ground balls, five draw controls, two caused turnovers and two points off of a goal and an assist. With one game left in her career, Lackner needed six more goals to reach 200 on her career. Lackner came through and added one for good measure in a seven goal performance in a 17-12 win over Albright. Lackner also had two assists and five draw controls in Alvernia’s first win over Albright in over a decade.
MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week
Sarah Christensen (York / Gr., D / East Lyme, Conn.) led the Spartans with 16 draw controls to go along with a team-high two caused turnovers in a pair of Commonwealth victories over Hood and Messiah which clinched the regular season Commonwealth crown for York. In the win over Hood, she led York with six draw controls and moved into the team lead on the season. On Saturday, Christensen led all players with 10 draw controls as Spartans held Messiah to a season-low seven draw controls and limited the Falcons to their lowest goal total in conference play (6).
MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Week
Michelle Torzilli (Misericordia / Sr., M / E. Northport, N.Y.) had 16 goals and three assists in a 2-0 week. Had six goals and an assist in an 18-12 win at DeSales. Set a school record with 12 points in a win over FDU-Florham and tied the school record with 10 goals.
MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Week
Emily Griffith (Arcadia / Sr., GK / Easton, Md.) totaled 12 saves, 2 ground balls and 1 caused turnover on the Knights 2-0 week. She made 3 saves in Arcadia’s 18-5 win over King’s and stopped 9 in their MAC Freedom Tournament clinching win over DeSales.
BASEBALL (#MACbaseball)
MAC Commonwealth Pitcher of the Week
Dutch DeProspero (Hood / Jr., P / Leesburg, Va.) struck out eight batters and allowed one earned run off just two hits through his seven innings pitched to get the win in the 6-1 conference showdown against Albright.
MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week
Joshua Ammons (Messiah / Sr., 1B / Williamsburg, Va.) led the Falcons offense going 10-15 from plate, with two doubles, four RBIs, and five runs scored. In the Falcons opening game of the week against Eastern Mennonite, Ammons tallied a hit, walked three times, and scored a run to lead the Falcons to a 4-3 win. In the game against Widener on Friday, Ammons went 2-5 with two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored. In the doubleheader sweep of Widener on Saturday, Ammons went 7-9 at the plate, with three RBIs and three runs scored. Ammons is currently riding a 24-game hitting streak that started on March 16.
MAC Freedom Pitcher of the Week
Will Conroy (Arcadia / Sr., P / Raven Run, Pa.) tossed six shutout innings in the series opener with Lebanon Valley. He only allowed five hits while striking out seven as he improved his record to 4-0 on the mound this season.
MAC Freedom Player of the Week
JT Anderosky (DeSales / So., OF / Warrington, Pa.) had an amazing week at the plate helping DSU post a 2-3 record and clinch the #4 seed in the MAC Freedom Postseason Tournament. He batted .462 with 12 hits, six runs scored, eight RBIs, two doubles, and a triple in the five games. On Saturday with DSU needing to sweep King's to earn the #4 seed, Anderosky went 7-for-10 (.700) with three runs scored and six RBIs in the DH.
SOFTBALL (#MACsb)
MAC Commonwealth Pitcher of the Week
Lydia Collison (Messiah / Sr., RHP / Madisonburg, Pa.) led the Falcons in the circle on the week with two impressive performances. In her first start, Collison pitched a complete game against Penn St. Harrisburg, allowing three earned runs, on six hits and struck out four batters in the Falcons win. In her second start, Collison dominated the Pride in the run rule shortened game. Collison threw five innings, allowing only one hit and struck out six Pride batters.
MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week
Emma Wade (York / Jr., 1B / Hagerstown, Md.) had another big week to lead the Green and White to three wins including a game two victory over Alvernia which clinched the third seed in the upcoming MAC Commonwealth tournament. For the week, Wade hit .438 (7-for-16) with six runs scored, four home runs, 12 RBI and three walks. She had an on-base percentage of .526 and a slugging percentage of 1.188. She began the week with a 1-for-3 with a run and three RBI with a home run in the opening game against Susquehanna. She added a hit, a run scored and an RBI in game two against the River Hawks. In the doubleheader against Gettysburg, Wade was a combined 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, two walks and a home run. After being held hitless in the opener against Alvernia, Wade was 2-for-2 with two runs scored, two home runs and a walk in the 6-5 win over the Golden Wolves. She had a two run blast in the first and a three-run homer in the third. She was walked in her third at bat of the game. For the year, Wade is hitting .452 with 13 doubles, 13 home runs, and a Division III leading 69 RBI while she has also scored 31 runs. In conference play, Wade is hitting .513 with 14 runs scored, four doubles, eight home runs and 39 RBI. She owns a .569 on-base percentage and a 1.231 slugging percentage in her 14 league games.
MAC Freedom Pitcher of the Week
Rachel Lowry (DeSales / Jr., P / Lansdale, Pa.) was incredible last week posting a 2-0 record with 1.00 ERA in two starts. She tossed her first career no-hitter blanking Eastern University on Wednesday, striking out four and allowing just two walks in a 1-0 win. On Saturday Lowry earned her 15th win of the year with a complete game effort in the 4-3 win over King's allowing just two runs and striking out eight. She had 12 K's on the week.
MAC Freedom Player of the Week
Megan Heard (Lebanon Valley / So., SS / North Abington Twsp., Pa.) had another strong week with a .545 batting average to lead the Dutchmen to a 3-1 record and the top seed in the MAC Freedom Championship this week. The sophomore had a .615 on-base percentage and a .636 slugging percentage with six hits in 11 at-bats including a double. The shortstop began the week with a single and a double in a 7-5 victory at Scranton. Heard scored a run in the fourth and then knocked in a run with a sacrifice bunt in the fifth. In Saturday's 11-3 victory over Arcadia to clinch the regular season title, Heard went 3-3 at the plate with a walk while scoring a run. In the field, Heard made 14 assists and two putouts during the week on 17 chances.
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD (#MACtf)
MAC Track Athlete of the Week
Zachary Reed (Lebanon Valley / Gr. / Manheim, Pa.) had another strong meet to close out the regular season with a second place finish in the 110 hurdles at Shippensburg's Paul Kaiser Classic. The graduate student ran a time of 15.13 seconds in the preliminaries and then 14.88 seconds in the final only finishing second to a hurdler from Division II Shippensburg. His final time is his second-fastest this year and is faster than anyone else in the conference this season. Reed also ran the 200 meters where he finished 11th in 22.93 seconds.
MAC Field Athlete of the Week
Andrew Mott (York / Sr. / Dillsburg, Pa.) nabbed a pair of first-place performances in the shot put and the discus throw at the Paul Kaiser Classic hosted by Shippensburg University on Saturday. Mott surpassed his own school record in the shot put with a new overall PR throw of 17.45m which is the fourth-best mark in the nation this season.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD (#MACtf)
MAC Track Athlete of the Week
Laura Mathews (Stevens / Gr. / Denville, N.J.) posted the fifth-fastest 100-meter hurdles time in the country Friday at the Penn Relays, finishing 17th overall with a season-best time of 13.92 seconds. Mathews finished ahead of runners from Rutgers, Syracuse, Pitt, South Florida and Columbia among others.
MAC Field Athlete of the Week
Rachel Snavely (Lebanon Valley / Sr. / Williamsport, Md.) had the top Division III height and was third overall in the pole vault at the Paul Kaiser Classic on Saturday. She cleared a season-best 3.30 meters (10'10") which is the third-best height in the conference this year heading into the MAC Championships. Her height is tied for seventh in the Mid-Atlantic Region and qualified her for the AARTFC Championships where she is ranked tied for 23rd.