PSAC Releases Fall 2018 Top 10 Honorees
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is pleased to announce its Fall 2018 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 2018 awards winners are Bloomsburg’s Allie Barber, California’s Alicia Belko, West Chester’s Marissa Elizardo, Seton Hill’s Viktoria Farian, Lock Haven’s Marah Foltz, Slippery Rock’s Steve Gaviglia, West Chester’s Kyle Hoops, Shippensburg’s Patrick Luebben, Bloomsburg’s Nick McGuire and Gannon’s Joseph Westrick.
Foltz is the first LHU representative to earn the award in the fall since 2006 (Chris Robson, Cross Country).
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Allie Barber (Pittston Township, Pa. / Pittston Area), Bloomsburg
Women's Soccer - Sr.
Major: Audiology/Speech Pathology
Cumulative GPA: 3.90
United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American … United Soccer Coaches First Team Scholar All-American … United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region … D2CCA First Team All-Region … All-PSAC First Team … 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-District® First Team … finished second on team with six goals and four assists for 16 points … had career-high four game-winning goals … scored pair of goals during Bloomsburg’s 4-1 win over Slippery Rock in PSAC Quarterfinals … helped lead Huskies to first PSAC Championship since 2002 and top seed in the Atlantic Region in NCAA Tournament (program’s first trip since 2010) … Huskies won Atlantic Regional championship with wins over East Stroudsburg and West Virginia Wesleyan before bowing to eventual National Champion, Bridgeport, in Elite Eight ... All-PSAC First Team (2017) … United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-Region (2017) … United Soccer Coaches Women’s Scholar All-East Region Team (2017) … D2 ADA Scholar-Athlete (2017) … PSAC Scholar-Athlete (2017) … D2 ADA Scholar-Athlete (2016) … PSAC Scholar-Athlete (2016) … All-PSAC Second Team (2016) … NSCAA All-Atlantic Region Third Team (2016) … PSAC Scholar-Athlete (2015) … All-PSAC Third Team (2015) … finished career with 19 goals and 20 assists for 58 points … eight of her 19 goals were game-winners … 20 assists tied for fourth on school’s all-time list … 59 consecutive starts to close out career … did not miss a match in four seasons |
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Alicia Belko (Hainesport, N.J. / Rancocas Valley Regional), California
Women's Cross Country - Gr.
Major: Exercise Science (UG: Pre-Physical Therapy)
Cumulative GPA: 4.00 (UG: 3.87)
NCAA All-American … USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Athlete of the Year … PSAC Athlete of the Year … placed 25th overall at NCAA National Championships, top finish among all Atlantic Region entries … won individual title at both the PSAC Championships and NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships … posted four individual victories, plus placed second (Oberlin behind D-I runner) and third (Buffalo behind two D-I runners) overall in two additional races … helped program match best-ever finish at PSAC Championships (1980) … aided program in securing a team qualifier for NCAA Nationals as team placed second with best-ever score at NCAA Regionals ... 3x NCAA All-American (2017 3K Steeple, 2017 XC at Stockton) … Completed her master’s degree from Cal U in December 2018 … 2017 CoSIDA Third-Team Academic All-American … Three-sport student-athlete at Stockton, as she played three seasons of field hockey … Captured six track & field titles at NJAC Championships and set five school records … served as GA for Cal U track & field team in 2018, will be volunteer assistant in 2019 |
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Marissa Elizardo (North Wales, Pa. / North Penn), West Chester
Field Hockey - Sr.
Major: Education - Middle Grades
Cumulative GPA: 3.98
Led the PSAC in both total shutouts (8) and shutouts per game (.400). Wrapped up her senior year sitting fourth in the conference with a .990 goals against average and a .783 save percentage. Longstreth/NFHCA First Team All-American … 2018 PSAC Champion Scholar … All-PSAC First Team … Philly-SIDA Academic All-Area ….First Team All-ECAC … ECAC Defensive Athlete of the Month (September & October). |
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Viktoria Farian (Richfield, Ohio / Revere), Seton Hill
Volleyball - So.
Major: Osteopathic Medicine - Biology
Cumulative GPA: 3.64
Started and played in all 35 matches ... 453 kills, .249 hitting pct, 43 aces, 525 digs, 58 blocks ... finished the season with 27 double doubles of kills and digs ... led PSAC with 526 points, second with 453 kills ... Three-time PSAC SW Division Athlete of the Week ... 2018: PSAC Athlete of the Year ... D2CCA & AVCA All American Honorable Mention ... D2CCA & AVCA First Team All Atlantic Region selection ... First Team All PSAC selection ... Google Cloud Academic All District Selection (only player from PSAC to be named to team) ... led team to first ever PSAC Volleyball Championship ... team was Atlantic Region runner up, losing in five sets to Wheeling Jesuit ... 2017: Third Team All PSAC selection |
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Marah Foltz (Mountville, Pa. / Hempfield), Lock Haven
Women's Soccer - Jr.
Major: Accelerated Sports Administration
Cumulative GPA: 3.76
All-American … 2018 PSAC & Atlantic Region Player of the Year … Led LHU to a historic season … Scored 17 goals (tied for most in the PSAC) … Five assists … 39 total points (No. 2 in PSAC) … On the season, Foltz had five game-winning goals and she registered seven multiple-goal games … ALL-AMERICAN: She earned a spot on the 2018 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II All-America Second Team at forward and Foltz grabbed a spot on the 2018 Division II Conference Commissioners Association Third Team … PLAYER OF THE YEAR/ALL-REGION: D2CCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year and the PSAC) Player of the Year … She earned All-PSAC First Team honors and D2CCA All-Atlantic Region First Team honors as well … She became first LHU women's soccer student-athlete to ever win the D2CCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year award … Foltz became the first Bald Eagle to be named PSAC Player of the Year since Brooke Rangie in 2002 and it was just the third time since 1994 where a Lock Haven player was named Player of the Year by the PSAC … 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-District Team selection … 2018 Academic All-American … Without question, Foltz's play was a big reason behind the 2018 success for the LHU women's soccer team … Lock Haven finished the season at 11-5-1 after advancing to the PSAC Tournament for the first time in 12 years and the 11 wins on the season marked the most for the Bald Eagles since 2004 ... Her 17 goals this past season tied the single-season school record … Her 39 points also tied single-season school record … Only played in four games last season (2017) because of injury … Scored six goals in rookie season (2016) … Named to All-Region team following true-freshman season in 2016 … 23 career goals (No. 9 all-time at LHU) … 55 career points (11thall-time at LHU). |
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Steve Gaviglia (Cranberry Township, Pa. / Seneca Valley), Slippery Rock
Football - Sr.
Major: Exercise Science
Cumulative GPA: 3.59
Started all 14 games and was top offensive lineman (right tackle) for No.12 Slippery Rock, which won PSAC West with 7-0 record and reached NCAA quarterfinals as one of final eight teams in playoffs … graded out at an incredible 91% for the year, the highest graded SRU offensive lineman since NFL Draft pick Brandon Fusco in 2010 … had four perfect 100 percent grades on the year … led an SRU offensive line that blocked for Wes Hills to shatter the SRU single-season rushing record and finish third in the nation in total rushing yards (1,714 yards) despite playing in only 11 full games … SRU’s offense ranked fourth in the nation in first downs (322), 18thin total offense (458.4 yards per game) and 20thin scoring offense (37.2 points per game) … The Rock ran for more than 200 yards against three teams that were ranked in the top 10 in the nation against the run at the time of the game … SRU rushed for 202.7 yards per game and scored a PSAC-high 30 rushing TD on the year ... Only football player in the PSAC to be named to CoSIDA Academic All-District team AND be named to an All-America team in 2018 … Named to Associated Press (AP) All-America, American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-America and D2 Conference Commissioner’s Association All-America teams following the season … first team All-PSAC to mark his third consecutive appearance on the All-PSAC team … first team All-Region … one of only six football players from the PSAC to be named an AP All-American … first team CoSIDA Academic All-District … Four-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete … finished fall semester with 138 total credits in rigorous exercise science program … started 35 games over his four-year career, including every game of the last two seasons at right tackle. |
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Kyle Hoops (Phoenixville, Pa. / Great Valley), West Chester
Men's Soccer - Sr.
Major: Accounting & Finance
Cumulative GPA: 3.86
Led a WCU defensive unit that averaged 0.67 goals per game and 9.8 shots per game … within the PSAC, West Chester's defense held the top spot for goals-against average and scoring margin … added four goals and eight total points … notched three game-winning goals, including the GW in the PSAC Tournament against East Stroudsburg to propel the Golden Rams to the championship game ... Division II First-Team Scholar All-American - United Soccer Coaches (first in program history) … Philly-SIDA Academic All-Area Performer of the Year … Second Team All-American by DIICCA … Third Team All-American by United Soccer Coaches … First-Team All-PSAC … PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Year …All-ECAC First Team … ECAC Defensive Player of the Year … First-Team DII CCA All-Atlantic Region … NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team. |
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Patrick Luebben (Ladenbach, Germany / Europaschule Gladenbach), Shippensburg
Men's Soccer - Sr.
Major: Marketing & Management (Dual)
Cumulative GPA: 3.92
2018 CoSIDA Google Cloud Academic All-District…2018 All-PSAC First Team…2018 D2CCA All-Region First Team…2018 USC All-Region Second Team…5 goals, 3 assists, 13 points…started and appeared in all but one match, ranking second on the squad in goals and points…tied for second on team in assists…among his five goals this season were the first two game-winners of his career – decisive strikes against Lock Haven and Bloomsburg…SU reached the PSAC Quarterfinals and hosted a playoff game for the first time in eight years…SU totaled eight shutouts and yielded just 14 goals…its best single-season outputs in each category since 1987...53 career games, 48 career starts…15 career goals…5 career assists…35 career points. |
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Nick McGuire (Mountain Top, Pa. / Crestwood), Bloomsburg
Men's Cross Country - Sr.
Major: Political Science
Cumulative GPA: 3.86
USTFCCCA All-Region First Team … All-PSAC First Team … qualified for National Championships as an at-large selection after sixth-place finish at NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships … best finish by Bloomsburg male at regionals since 2006 … first Bloomsburg male to qualify for National Championships since 2006 … placed third overall at PSAC Championships … best finish by Bloomsburg male runner at conference meet since 2005 … finished second overall at Bill Lennox Invitational (Slippery Rock), 22nd at Lock Haven Invitational, and 46th at Pre-Nationals … was Huskies’ best finisher in final six events of the season ... USTFCCCA All-Region First Team (2018) … All-PSAC First Team (2018) … All-PSAC Second Team (2017) … qualified for 2018 National Championships as an at-large selection after sixth-place finish at NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships … best finish by Bloomsburg male at regionals since 2006 … first Bloomsburg male to qualify for National Championships since 2006 … placed third overall at 2018 PSAC Championships … best finish by Bloomsburg male runner at conference meet since 2005 … finished 20that 2017 PSAC Championships … three-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete … two-time D2 ADA Scholar-Athlete … Vice-President of Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) … Treasurer of Political Science Student Association … member of the following honor societies: Phi Sigma Iota, Pi Sigma Alpha, and Phi Kappa Phi. |
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Joseph Westrick (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Chartiers Valley), Gannon
Men's Cross Country - Jr.
Major: Environmental Engineering
Cumulative GPA: 4.00
Top PSAC finisher at the 2018 NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country Championships, finishing 81st out of 261 runners … Finished fifth at Atlantic Regional, becoming Gannon’s first individual NCAA qualifier and first two-time all-region finisher … Placed fourth at PSAC Championships, the highest finish for a Gannon runner since joining the conference … Finished top-three at every regular season race outside of the nationals preview, where he finished 19th out of 305 runners … Two-time All-PSAC … Two-time All-Atlantic Region … Two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic |
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.