PSAC Spring/Winter Top 12 Honorees Announced
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is pleased to announce its 2020-21 Spring/Winter Top 12 Award recipients, chosen and voted on by the league’s sports information directors. This year, the league’s awards committee chose to recognize student-athletes who excel in the classroom and in athletic competition for both the winter and spring semesters.
With competition being halted in Fall 2020, and limited in the 2020-21 Winter season, the awards committee chose to call this year’s award the “PSAC Spring/Winter Top 12”, adding one honoree for both men and women and for the extra season.
Typically, the accolade is announced at the end of each athletic season (Fall, Winter, Spring) as the PSAC Top 10. The PSAC Top 10 was initiated in the 1998-98 academic year, given to men and women who excel in both the classroom and in athletic competition.
The Spring/Winter award winners are Mercyhurst’s Unai Amilleta Gonzalez, Slippery Rock’s Danielle Collier, West Chester’s Bri Garber, Slippery Rock’s Jason Goodman, Seton Hill’s Samuel Hartman, Gannon’s Abe Holmes, Shippensburg’s Hannah Marsteller, Indiana’s Paige Mikesell, Lock Haven’s Laurel Moyer, Edinboro’s Stefanie Parsons, Seton Hill’s Tommy Pellis, and Mansfield’s Rob Robbins.
Unai Amilleta Gonzalez
School: Mercyhurst
Hometown: Urnieta, Spain
Sport: Men’s Tennis
Major: Biochemistry
Cumulative GPA: 3.67
Gonzalez was undefeated in singles play this year (12-0) and was 11-2 in doubles play. He was 8-0 while playing number one singles and dropped just one set all season. He finished the year as PSAC Player of the Year and First Team All-PSAC Singles, Second Team All-PSAC in doubles, was named ITA Atlantic Region Senior Player of the Year and ITAA Atlantic Region Most Improved Senior. Finished the year ranked 50th singles player in DII by ITA.
Danielle Collier
School: Slippery Rock
Hometown: Sharpsville, Pa.
Sport: Women’s Track & Field
Major: Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
Cumulative GPA: 4.00 / 3.75 Undergrad
Collier won the NCAA DII national title in the javelin by more than 17 feet with a throw of 53.18 meters (174’ 6”) at the national championships She had the five farthest throws in the competition at the national meet and was never really challenged for the title. She shattered the SRU and all-time PSAC records in the javelin and broke the all-time PSAC record in the javelin by eight feet. Her mark of 53.18 meters is also the eighth-best throw ever recorded by a Division II woman and she qualified for and represented Slippery Rock as the only PSAC athlete to reach the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in track and field. She placed 18th at the U.S. Olympic Trials at the University of Oregon June 25, competing as the only Division II female thrower to qualify in any event for the U.S. Olympic Trials. She won the 2021 PSAC title was First Team All American, First Team All-Region and was voted by PSAC coaches as the 2021 PSAC Female Field Athlete of the Year.
Bri Garber
School: West Chester
Hometown: Willow Street, Pa.
Sport: Softball
Major: Accounting/Finance
Cumulative GPA: 3.88
Bri Garber concluded her West Chester career with several career records and accolades, and put together an impressive final season, statistically. She hit .402, with a 1.012 OPS, had 52 hits, a .440 on-base percentage and was 21-of-23 in stolen base attempts. She aided WCU to a 34-26 record, a PSAC Title, an NCAA Atlantic Region Title and an outstanding run deep into the NCAA National Championships. Garber was First-Team All-PSAC East, First-Team All-Region D2CCA and NFCA All-Atlantic Region and was a D2CCAA All-American Honorable Mention. Garber holds six career records at WCU and is now the PSAC’s All-Time Hits leader.
Jason Goodman
School: Slippery Rock
Hometown: Allison Park, Pa.
Sport: Men’s Track & Field
Major: Exercise Science
Cumulative GPA: 3.95
Goodman competed in the Men’s Decathlon for Slippery Rock and was a force to be reckoned with. He was the PSAC individual champion in the decathlon at PSAC championships with NCAA provisional score of 6,325 points. Goodman was an All-Region honoree in the decathlon with the second-best score in the Atlantic Region and finished the season ranked first in the PSAC in the decathlon, seventh in the league in the 110-meter hurdles, eighth in the high jump, eighth in the long jump and 16th in the pole vault. He also ranked in the top 10 in the PSAC in more events than any other male track and field athlete in the league in 2021.
Samuel Hartman
School: Seton Hill
Hometown: South Park, Pa.
Sport: Men’s Track & Field
Major: Computer Science
Cumulative GPA: 3.80
Hartman put together one of the best seasons in PSAC history in track & field and broke all sorts of Seton Hill records in the Hurdles in the process. He won not one, but two NCAA DII National Championships in the 110H and the 400H at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships. He ran 13.88 to win the 110H and a 50.50 to win the 400H. Prior to the National Championships, Hartman was also the PSAC Champion in both events, and won the 2021 PSAC Track Athlete of the Year, the 2021 USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Track Athlete of the Year and was named the 2021 PSAC Track Championships Most Outstanding Athlete.
Abe Holmes
School: Gannon
Hometown: Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Sport: Men’s Golf
Major: Business
Cumulative GPA: 3.86
Holmes played in over 20 rounds this season for the Golden Knights and averaged a team-best 74.3. He recorded seven top 10 finishes including four in the top five and claimed two Medalist honors. He aided Gannon in its first NCAA Regional Championship in program history with a 19th place finish and guided them to their first appearance as a team at the NCAA Championships with a team-best tied for seventh finish, the highest finish by a Gannon men’s golfer since 1990. Homes was named 2021 PSAC Athlete of the Year, First-Team All-PSAC and 2021 PING All-Region.
Hannah Marsteller
School: Shippensburg
Hometown: Fredericksburg, Va.
Sport: Softball
Major: Biology (Pre-Veterinary)
Cumulative GPA: 3.67
Marsteller was the 2021 Ron Lenz D2CCA National Player of the Year, 2021 consensus All-America First Team (NFCA, D2CCA), 2021 D2CCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year, 2021 PSAC Eastern Division Athlete of the Year, nominated for CoSIDA Academic All-District (teams announced after PSAC Top 12 deadline, led nation in slugging percentage (1.103) and finished the season ranked among the nation’s Top 10 in nine major statistical categories. She ranked fourth in nation in HR/game (0.45), RBIs (64) and RBIs/game (1.6), eighth in the nation in OBP (.571), 10th in the nation in total bases (128) and became the seventh player in PSAC history to hit .500 in a season. Marsteller led the PSAC in batting average (.500), OBP (.571), RBIs and slugging percentage, ranked second in the PSAC in home runs (18), total bases and sacrifice flies (5) and had 32 of her 58 hits go for extra bases. She began the season on an 18-game hit streak to extend a school record and struck out just five times in 116 at-bats. She hit .605 w/8 HRs, 29 RBIs, 14 BB, 1 K over the final four weeks of the season.
Mikesell was a National champion in the 200 freestyle (1:48.36) smashing an IUP Record. She was also an NCAA DII All-American in seven events and broke five IUP records at the NCAA Championships in March. She finished second in two events at NCAAs – 100 fly and 200 fly and her other All-American finishes were 12th in 100 free, eighth in 200 free relay, 10th in 400 free relay, 11th in 200 medley relay scoring 71 points. She led the team to 13th place finish – best for IUP since 2000. Mikesell was later named PSAC Women’s Swimming Athlete of the Year, PSAC Most Outstanding Women’s Swimmer at conference championship meet for second straight year and led IUP to first conference title since 1999. She totaled 176 points and won all seven events she competed in at the PSAC meet, including 100 fly, 200 fly, 100 free, 200 IM, 400 medley relay, 400 free relay, and 800 free relay. She was named IUP Women’s Athlete of the Year and IUP Student-Athlete of the Month for March.
Laurel Moyer
School: Lock Haven
Hometown: Lock Haven, Pa.
Sport: Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country
Major: Dual major in Geography and GIS, Water and Environment
Cumulative GPA: 3.66
Moyer finished the 2021 season as an Outdoor Track & Field All-American and a Two-Time PSAC Outdoor Track & Field Individual Champion. She was also presented with Lock Haven’s top senior female student athlete award, the Charlotte E. Smith Award. Moyer finished fourth in the DII National Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. This was following winning the 10K and Steeplechase at PSAC Championships, where she also finished second in the 5,000m. Moyer also had an outstanding cross country season claiming second overall at PSAC XC Championships and that helped LHU Finish second as a team, their best finish in program history.
Stefanie Parsons
School: Edinboro
Hometown: Action, Ontario, Canada
Sport: Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country
Major: Exercise Science
Cumulative GPA: 3.76
Parsons continued an already stellar career with an outstanding 2021 campaign in both women’s track & field and cross country. She finished the year claiming All-American honors at the NCAA DII National Championships in the 1,500m. Parsons was also the PSAC Champion in the 1,500m, 5,000m, and 800m. Her 800m time was also the top time in the Atlantic Region. In cross country, she took home the top mark, winning the PSAC title with a time of 17:31.8.
Tommy Pellis
School: Seton Hill
Hometown: Greensburg, Pa.
Sport: Baseball
Major: Business Admin (Undergrad), MBA (Graduate)
Cumulative GPA: 3.86 (Undergrad), 3.78 (Graduate)
Pellis was the top player in the region in PSAC baseball. He finished the year being named an NCBWA DII All-American, both the ABCA, D2CCA and NCBWA Atlantic Region Player of the year and First-Team All-Atlantic Region, the PSAC Athlete of the Year in the West and a First-Team All-PSAC honor. He also earned CoSIDA Academic All-District recognition. He helped Seton Hill to the NCAA DII College World Series after hitting .361 with 14 HR and 43 RBIs, while adding 55 runs scored and 11 stolen bases.
Rob Robbins
School: Mansfield
Hometown: Athens, Pa.
Sport: Men’s Track & Field
Major: Education
Cumulative GPA: 3.67
Robbins finished the year as the top javelin thrower in the region. He was named PSAC Field Athlete of the Year after earning the PSAC Championship. He was an All-American in javelin at the DII National Championships and also was an All-Region honoree. He won PSAC Field Athlete of the Week in back-to-back weeks and broke all-time javelin marks for Mansfield at the LHU qualifier and again at the PSAC Championships.
The criteria did not change for this year’s Top 12 honor. To be a candidate, a student-athlete must have achieved a minimum of a 3.50 cumulative grade point average and must be a starter or a key reserve with legitimate athletic credentials for their respective program. The sports eligible for this year’s award were M/W Cross Country, M/W Swimming, M/W Outdoor Track & Field, M/W Tennis, Softball, Women’s Lacrosse, Baseball, M/W Golf.
The Top 12 winners are now eligible for the PSAC Pete Nevins Scholar-Athlete of the Year award given to one male and one female candidate. The Pete Nevins Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards will be announced Thursday, July 15.
ABOUT THE PSAC
Headquartered in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is an NCAA Division II Conference comprised of 18 institutions in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The member institutions are Bloomsburg University, California University of Pennsylvania, Clarion University, East Stroudsburg University, Edinboro University, Gannon University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown University, Lock Haven University, Mansfield University, Mercyhurst University, Millersville University, The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Seton Hill University, Shepherd University, Shippensburg University, Slippery Rock University and West Chester University.