PSAC Releases Fall Top 10 Honorees
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is pleased to announce its Fall 2017 Top 10 Award recipients, chosen and voted on by the league’s sports information directors. The PSAC Top 10 Awards are designed to recognize student-athletes who excel in both the classroom and in athletic competition.
Initiated in the 1997-98 academic year, the Top 10 is given to five males and five females in each athletic season; fall, winter and spring.
The Fall 2017 awards winners are East Stroudsburg’s Devon Ackerman, Shippensburg's Alex Balla, IUP’s Natalie Cignetti, West Chester's Kaitlin Hatch, Slippery Rock's Tess Keeley, Slippery Rock’s Marcus Martin, East Stroudsburg's Sydney McCarthy, California's Taylor Nikithser, Mansfield's Brittany Ryan and Shippensburg's Ryan Zapoticky.
Ackerman earns the honor for the third consecutive year while Ryan is MU's first recipient since the 2013-14 season. Cignetti lands on the list for the second consecutive year.
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Devon Ackerman (Hanover, Pa. / South Western), East Stroudsburg
Football - Redshirt Senior
Major: Chemistry and Chemical Biotechnology
Cumulative GPA: 4.0
3-time 1st team Academic All-America selection, the first in any sport in school history … NFF Campbell Trophy national semifinalist … 2-time PSAC Fall Top 10 … started all 44 career games on OL - first 2 years at left guard, and last 2 years at center … 5th ESU player to start every game in the last 15 years … recipient of ESU’s Michele Droney Turner ’87 Chemistry Award and Sigma Xi Biochemistry Award … passed ASBMB (American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) national certification exam in August 2017 … member of ESU Chemistry Club and ESU Honors Program … teacher’s assistant for four courses - General Chemistry II, Organic Chemistry I and II, and Embryology .. presented research on microbiology in conjunction with Lafayette at St. Joseph’s University … shared research at ACS Lehigh Valley’s chapter undergraduate research symposium … plans on attending medical school … 4.0 GPA in 127 credits ... Started all 11 games at center, and started all 44 career games … blocked for 1st team All-PSAC East RB Jaymar Anderson (1,046 yards, 7 TD). |
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Alex Balla (Quakertown, Pa. / Quakertown), Shippensburg
Cross Country - Senior
Major: Marketing and Entrepreneurship
Cumulative GPA: 3.77
2016-17 Academic All-District honoree...13th MXC All-American in school history…3x MXC All-Region (2015-17)…3x MXC All-PSAC First Team (2015-17)…three straight Top 5 finishes at regionals and three straight Top 7 finishes at PSACs…USTFCCCA All-Academic Team…T&F: 2017 second-place finisher in the 10K and fifth-place finisher in the 5K at the 2017 PSAC Outdoor Championships…2017 fourth-place finisher in the 5K and eighth-place finisher in the 3K at the 2017 PSAC Indoor Championships...2017 NCAA All-American (37th place)…the only PSAC runner to earn All-America honors…2017 PSAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year, the first SU runner to earn the honor in 27 years…3rd at NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships…2nd at PSAC Championships…scoring runner in all seven SU meets…served as No. 1 runner at PSACs and NCAAs and No. 2 runner at regionals. (Academic All-District/All-America voting conducted in April/May)
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Natalie Cignetti (Indiana, Pa. / Indiana), IUP
Volleyball - Senior
Major: Natural Science, Pre-Med
Cumulative GPA: 4.0
2017 CoSIDA Academic All-America … Two-time Academic All-District … 2016 PSAC Fall Top 10 selection … Three-time All-PSAC selection … Two-time All-Atlantic Region … 2017 NCAA Division II Atlantic Region All-Tournament Team … Fourth in IUP history with 1,267 career kills … Second at IUP with 3.67 kills per set average for career ... AVCA All-American … PSAC Athlete of the Year … First team All-Atlantic Region by AVCA and CCA … All-PSAC selection or third straight season … Led PSAC and finished 16th in Division II with 4.28 kills per set … 488 kills also led conference, tied for 18th in the nation, and are sixth most in IUP single season history … Led PSAC with 546.5 total points and 4.79 points per set … Best offensive season by IUP player since All-American Laura Hall in 2002 … 41 service aces and 0.36 aces per set
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Kaitlin Hatch (Sewell, N.J. / Washington Twp.), West Chester
Field Hockey - Junior
Major: Marketing
Cumulative GPA: 3.89
1st team NFHCA All-American … 2017 Philly-SIDA Academic All-Area … 1st team All-PSAC … 1st team All-ECAC … led PSAC in three offensive categories: shots (119), points (45) and points per game (2.14) … ranked second in PSAC in goals scored (18) … helped WCU to the PSAC Championship ... Appeared in and started all 21 games ... led West Chester in all major scoring categories: goals (18), assists (9) and points (45) … posted three game-winning goals.
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Tess Keeley (Pottsville, Australia / Kingscliff), Slippery Rock
Women's Soccer - Senior
Major: Tourism, Resort, Recreationg and Hospitality Management
Cumulative GPA: 4.0
2017 CoSIDA Academic All-American...2017 CoSIDA Academic All-District...2016 CoSIDA Academic All-District...A three-time PSAC Scholar Athlete...2017 Third Team USC All-Region...2014 Second Team Daktronics All-Region...2017 Second Team All-PSAC...2016 Second Team All-PSAC...2015 Third Team All-PSAC...Ranks Eighth in SRU history in assists (18)...Ranks 18th in SRU history in points (48)...One of six SRU players to start in all 18 games ... A CoSIDA Academic All-American … A third team United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region honoree and a second team All-PSAC selection … Totaled 10 points on two goals and six assists ... Ranked second on the team in assists ... Was third on the team in total shots (31) and second in shots on goal (19) ... Recorded two goals in The Rock's 7-0 victory at Mansfield ... Assisted on the final goal of the 2017 season for SRU in its 2-1 loss at East Stroudsburg in the PSAC Tournament.
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Marcus Martin (West Mifflin, Pa. / West Mifflin), Slippery Rock
Football - Senior
Major: Safety Management (Minor: Business Administration)
Cumulative GPA: 3.56
First player in PSAC history to win four straight major postseason awards after being named Rookie of the Year in 2014 and Defensive Player of the Year in 2015, 2016 and 2017 ... Just the eighth player in PSAC history to earn four straight first team All-PSAC honors ... The only player in the country to be a two-time national finalist for the Gene Upshaw Lineman of the Year Award … NCAA all-time record holder in career sacks among all players at any level with 56.0… NCAA Division II record holder in sacks (56.0) and tackles for loss (92.5) … the next highest totals in Division II history are 46.5 sacks and 77.0 tackles for loss … Four-time Super Region One Player of the Year (Rookie of the Year in 2014, Defensive Player of the Year in 2015, 2016 and 2017 ... consensus All-American in each of the last two seasons … 18 career All-America honors and counting … Three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, earning the honor in each year of eligibility … SRU record holder in single-season sacks (ranks first, second and third in that category) … SRU record holder in single-game sacks and TFL and career sacks and TFL … PSAC and Super Region One record holder in both categories … never missed a start, starting in 48 straight games over his career… Four-time finalist for Cliff Harris Award … national runner-up and top Division II vote getter for Cliff Harris Award as a senior … named one of 13 national finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy this year … he is the only Division II finalist and one of only two non-Division I finalists for the award … Martin earns an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and will be honored alongside the College Football Hall of Fame induction class in New York City Dec. 5 ... Martin finished the season ranked first in the nation in total sacks (15.5), total tackles for loss (26.5), sacks per game (1.4) and tackles for loss per game (2.4) on his way to setting the all-time Division II career records in both sacks and tackles for loss and the NCAA all-division record for sacks ... he broke SRU records for single-game sacks (4.5) and single-game tackles for loss (6.5) ... finished the year ranked second on the team in total tackles with 82 ... forced two fumbles, recovered three fumbles, including one that was returned 74-yards for a touchdown ... His 26.5 TFL went for a total loss of 117 yards.
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Sydney McCarthy (Reading, Pa. / Muhlenberg), East Stroudsburg
Field Hockey - Senior
Major: Exercise Science
Cumulative GPA: 4.0
Honda Broderick Award (2nd straight ESU athlete selected) … NCAA DII Elite 90 recipient in 2015 and 2017 … PSAC Champion Scholar in 2016 … started 64 career games, including all 22 games as a sophomore on ESU’s 2015 PSAC and NCAA DII championship team … Warriors went 51-13 in her 64 starts (56 goals allowed) … 17 career goals, 18 assists … midfielder first 3 years before moving to center back, vacated by Emily Howell (2016 Honda Broderick; 1st team All-America; Synapse Sports Defensive POY) … starter on 3 straight NCAA Tournament teams … 4.0 GPA in 110 credit ... NFHCA All-America 1st team and Synapse Sports DII Defensive Player of the Year … PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Year … 1st team All-PSAC back (2nd team midfielder as junior) … 10 goals, 11 assists for team-high 31 points … helped Warriors NCAA DII Tournament and national semifinal appearance … PSAC runner-up … helped ESU to 66-23 goal differential … anchored defense that held 15 of 22 opponents to one goal or less, including 10 shutouts. |
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Taylor Nikithser (Wexford, Pa. / North Allegheny), California
Football - Graduate Student
Major: Business Management and Busniess Administration (Master's)
Cumulative GPA: 3.79 (UG), 3.91 (G)
William V. Campbell Trophy Semifinalist … 2016 CoSIDA Second-Team Academic All-American … 2x CoSIDA Academic All-District First-Team (2016-17) … 2016 PSAC Champion Scholar … 3x All-PSAC West selection (Second Team 2015, First Team 2016-17) … 2x D2CCA All-Region (Second Team 2016, First Team 2017) … Two-year team captain … Three-year starter with 37 career starts, including 35-consecutive … Helped lead program to PSAC Championship in 2016 and back-to-back appearances in NCAA Playoffs (2016-17) ... NCAA Division II Rimington Award recipient for top center in the country … AFCA Second-Team All-American (only center among 10 honorees) … D2Football.com All-America Honorable Mention … D2CCA First-Team All-Region … All-PSAC West First-Team … Team captain … Started all 12 games on offensive line (11 at center, 1 at left tackle) … Helped program make appearance in NCAA Playoffs with all three losses to nationally-ranked teams
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Brittany Ryan (Burnt Hills, N.Y. / Burnt Hills), Mansfield
Field Hockey - Sophomore
Major: Environmental Biology
Cumulative GPA: 3.86
1st Team NFHCA All-American goal keeper 2017 … 2017 ECAC Defensive Player of the Year … 1st Team All-ECAC selection in 2017 … 2nd Team All-PSAC in 2017 … NFHCA Defensive Player of the Week (9/27/17) … two-time ECAC Defensive Player of the Week (9/27/17, 10/11/17) … MFHCA Scholar of Distinction 2016 … NFHCA National Academic Squad 2016 … PSAC Scholar-Athlete … led the nation in save percentage across Divisions I, II, and III at .874 … ranked first in the PSAC and fourth in DII in total saves with 173. … ranked fifth in the conference and 11th in the nation in goals against average at 1.38 … played in every minute of all 18 games for the posting eight wins and ranking fourth in the PSAC in shutouts with five … two of her shutouts came against nationally-ranked programs with a 1-0 overtime win at No. 7 Bloomsburg and a 4-0 rout of No. 5 Slippery Rock … the win over Bloomsburg was just the third in program history (1978, 2012, 2017) … topped the PSAC in saves per game at 9.56 with the next highest keeper recording 5.29 saves an outing … she recorded double-figure saves in seven games including a season-best 24 against West Chester. |
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Ryan Zapoticky (Dallas, Pa. / Dallas), Shippensburg
Football - Senior
Major: Biology/Pre-Med
Cumulative GPA: 3.69
Semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy… completed his dental school exam with a 99.9 percent test score…finished his career with a 23-7 record as a starter…ranks second all-time at Shippensburg in career passing yards (7,102) and career total offense (8,361)…is SU's all-time leader for rushing yards as a quarterback (1,259), a total that ranks seventh in PSAC history... 2017 Academic All-America Second Team…All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East First Team QB…ranked second in the league in yards per completion (14.12), third in points responsible for (192), and fourth in passing yards (2,952) and passing touchdowns (25)…all of those totals rank among the Top 25 players nationally…rushed for 396 yards and a career-high seven touchdowns.
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To be a candidate for the PSAC Top 10 Awards, a student-athlete must have achieved a minimum of a 3.50 cumulative grade point average and must be a starter or key reserve with legitimate athletic credentials for their respective team. The fall sports eligible for consideration for the Fall Top 10 Awards are men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s Soccer, and women’s volleyball.
At the conclusion of the academic year, all Top 10 Award winners from each season are eligible for the PSAC Pete Nevins Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards, given to one male and one female candidate.