PSAC Athletes of the Week - 7
Golf
Men’s Golf Athlete of the Week
Bloomsburg
Jason Uebelacker
Junior
Rochester, N.Y. / Spencerport
Uebelacker posted a 36 on the front nine, including three-straight birdies on 2 through 4, and recorded on a par on four other holes. He finished the round with a 35 on the back nine, including three birdies and four pars. Uebelacker's 71 is a career-best round for the junior and led the Huskies to a second-place finish by one stroke on Monday. Uebelacker was the individual champion.
Women’s Golf Athlete of the Week
Mercyhurst
Isabella Walter
Junior
Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Allegheny
Walter won last week at the Husky Invitational and helped the Lakers to a team victory by 31 strokes. She took the individual crown firing off an 81 to best the competition. She drained two birdies on the final day to claim her third overall tournament win in her collegiate career.
Field Hockey
Field Hockey Athlete of the Week
Kutztown
Jillian Buchman
Forward
Junior
Drums, Pa. / Hazleton
In two games last week, Jillian Buchman combined for three goals, including two game winners. Buchman netted an overtime winner to defeat Lindenwood and then scored two of Kutztown’s three goals to earn their first PSAC victory of the season over Mansfield. Her two goals against the Mounties came on just two shots.
Field Hockey Defensive Athlete of the Week
Bloomsburg
Abby Shaffer
Goalkeeper
Senior
Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Daulphin
Abby Shaffer posted her fifth shutout of the season with three saves in a win against Mercyhurst on Saturday. Shaffer currently leads the conference in shutouts per game with .500.
Cross Country
Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Gannon
Caleb Mandel
Senior
Harborcreek Township, Pa. / Harbor Creek High School
Caleb Mandel posted a lifetime personal record while finishing first among the college runners -- and third overall -- at Mansfield's Ed Winrow Memorial Invitational. Mandel finished the 8K race in 25:49.9, finishing behind only an unattached runner and a Mansfield alumnus. His performance helped Gannon to a fifth-place finish in the team standings. Mandel is the two-time reigning PSAC Champion Scholar and a three-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete.
Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Mansfield
Carly Daniels
Senior
New Cumberland, Pa. / Cedar Cliff
The All-PSAC honoree Carly Daniels put together a victory at the Ed Winrow Memorial Cross Country Invitational Saturday beating a field of 84 runners in a 6K. She helped Mansfield to a third-place finish placing first with a time of 22:44.6, finishing nearly a minute and a half quicker than the second-place runner.
Men's Soccer
Eastern Division Athlete of the Week
Bloomsburg
Stephen Hollis
Defense
Senior
Holtsville, N.Y. / Sachem East
In Bloomsburg's only contest last week, Stephen Hollis recorded a pair of goals and one assist during a 6-2 victory over East Stroudsburg on Wednesday. The senior defender now has three goals and four assists on the year while also being the anchor in the back line for the Huskies, who now have sole possession of first place in the PSAC East after capturing their fifth consecutive conference win with the victory over the Warriors.
Eastern Division Defensive Athlete of the Week
Lock Haven
Aitor Ruiz De Equilaz
Goalkeeper
Senior
Euskadi, Spain / Koldo Mitxelena
Aitor Ruiz De Equilaz made eight saves to help the Bald Eagles to an undefeated week. On Wednesday, the goalkeeper recorded six saves shut out Millersville in a 1-0 win, and, on Saturday, made two more saves to result in a 2-2 tie with West Chester. Ruiz De Eguilaz currently holds with second-best save percentage in the conference with .800.
Western Division Athlete of the Week
Mercyhurst
Lockie Fay
Midfield
Sophomore
Wellington, New Zealand / Kapiti College
This week, Lockie Fay scored six total points in two wins for the Lakers. Fay made two of his goals on Wednesday against Shepherd, and added the third on Saturday versus division rival Gannon. Mercyhurst remains undefeated and currently sits at the top of the PSAC West.
Western Division Defensive Athlete of the Week
Mercyhurst
Jonathan Gomes
Goalkeeper
Graduate Student
Broward County, Fla. / American Heritage
Jonathan Gomes posted two shutouts and nine saves this week in wins over Shepherd and Gannon. He now leads the conference in save percentage (.963), shutouts per game (.636), and goals against average (.096).
Women's Soccer
Western Division Athlete of the Week
California (Pa.)
Kaylee Elwood
Midfield
Freshman
Apollo, Pa. / Kiski
Kaylee Elwood registered two goals on penalty kicks last week, as the Vulcans earned a pair of victories in PSAC West play to extend their winning streak to three games–their longest since the 2015 season. She tallied the game-tying goal on Wednesday in the 47th minute in a 2-1 victory at IUP. Elwood then posted the game-winning goal in 21st minute on Saturday in a 2-1 win over Pitt-Johnstown.
Western Division Defensive Athlete of the Week
Slippery Rock
Emma Yoder
Goalkeeper
Graduate Student
Marietta, Ga. / Forest Hills Central
Emma Yoder led Slippery Rock to an undefeated week with two 0-0 ties against the top 2 seeds in the PSAC West, Gannon and Mercyhurst. Yoder allowed no goals while making 10 total saves over the week. She earned her eighth shutout of the season while extending The Rock’s shutout streak to five.
Eastern Division Athlete of the Week
Bloomsburg
Nicole Varano
Forward
Graduate Student
Mount Carmel, Pa. / Mount Carmel Area
This week, Nicole Varano scored two goals and assisted on another as she led the Huskies to wins over Mansfield (W, 2-0) Shepherd (W, 3-0) in their two outings. With the two goals, Varano now has eight on the season, which is tied for the most in the PSAC. In addition, her five game-winning goals are the most in the conference.
Eastern Division Defensive Athlete of the Week
Lock Haven
Megan Miller
Goalkeeper
Freshman
Wexford, Pa. / North Allegheny
Megan Miller helped the Bald Eagles defense stay sharp this week as Lock Haven drew a 1-1 tie versus Mansfield and a 0-0 tie at Mansfield. The freshman picks up her fourth shutout of the season after not allowing any goals on the road. The goalkeeper made seven saves on the week while seeing 10 shots from the two teams.
Volleyball
East Athlete of the Week
Kutztown
Adrianna Derstine
Outside Hitter
Freshman
Barto, Pa. / Boyertown
Freshman Adrianna Derstine had her most impressive weekend of her college career last weekend. In two matches, Derstine tallied 46 kills, 25 digs, four aces, four blocks and three service aces. In a victory over West Chester on Saturday, Derstine recorded a season-high 29 kills, 14 digs, two assists, three blocks and three aces. The night prior, Derstine led KU with 17 kills and added 11 digs, two assists and one block. She leads the PSAC with 274 kills.
East Defensive Athlete of the Year
Shippensburg
Erica Lampus
Libero
Freshman
Sarver, Pa. / Freeport
In a 2-1 week, Lampus totaled 70 digs, four assists and averaged 5.00 digs per set this week. Lampus has had 20+ digs in six matches and she is in a three consecutive matches with 20+ digs. It’s the first time that a Raider has recorded 20 or more digs in three straight matches in three years since Megan Forstburg achieved the feat on October 10, 2019. Lampus is ranked 2nd in the league for digs per sets but first in the Eastern League, averaging 3.83 digs per set in 72 sets of plays and 276 digs in total.
West Athlete of the Week
Clarion
London Fuller
Setter
Senior
Baltimore, Md./ Baltimore Polytechnic
London Fuller helped the Golden Eagles improve to 18-1 on the season and 8-0 in PSAC West play with 3-0 sweeps over two of the top teams in the West division, as Clarion defeated Gannon and Edinboro on the road. The senior setter averaged 12.17 assists per set and set the Golden Eagles to a .243 attack percentage, while their opponents mustered only a .133 attack percentage. Fuller also contributed an average of 3.83 digs per set with two assist-dig double-doubles, going for 35-11 against the Golden Knights and 38-12 against the Fighting Scots. Defensively, Fuller totaled 10 blocks in six sets for a 1.67 blocks per set average and contributed five kills. Fuller leads the PSAC with an average of 11.19 assists per set and has set the Golden Eagles to a conference-leading 14.33 kills per set average so far this year. Clarion is thus far the best-hitting team in conference play, with a .288 team attack percentage, and leads the conference in kills in conference play at 14.64 per set.
West Defensive Athlete of the Week
Clarion
Lauren Aichinger
Middle Hitter
Redshirt Senior
Buffalo, N.Y. / Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart
Aichinger was part of a dominant defensive effort for the Golden Eagles over the weekend as Clarion swept two of the top teams in the PSAC West division, beating Gannon and Edinboro on the road. The redshirt senior middle tied for the team lead in blocking with 1.67 blocks per set, including seven stuffs against the Golden Knights on Friday night and another three against the Fighting Scots on Saturday. As such, Clarion held their opponents to just a .133 attack percentage over the course of the weekend. Aichinger also contributed offensively with 11 kills and a .273 attack percentage.
Football
Eastern Division Offensive Athlete of the Week
Millersville
Jaheim Morris
Running Back
Sophomore
Harrisburg, Pa. / Cedar Cliff
Jaheim Morris was the catalyst in Millersville's 20-14 win over East Stroudsburg, rushing for a career-high 156 yards and scoring a touchdown. He tallied a career-high in rushing yards and helped Millersville post 269 yards on the ground--the most by the Marauders since 2008. Morris averaged 7.8 yards per carry and had a long rush of 37--his longest of the season.
Eastern Division Defensive Athlete of the Week
Shippensburg
Tyler Simon
Linebacker
Redshirt Junior
Manheim, Pa. / Manheim Central
Tyler Simon helped Shippensburg to a huge win over West Chester, 20-13, on Saturday. Simon and Matt Feeney combined for 27 tackles in the victory. Simon had 14 tackles and an interception in the game. His 14 tackles were a career-high.
Eastern Division Special Teams Athlete of the Week
Millersville
Zach Banta
Punter
Junior
Millersville, Pa. / Penn Manor
Zach Banta followed up his PSAC East Special Teams Athlete of the Week award with another outstanding performance in which he averaged 45.1 yards per punt on seven punts as Millersville won 20-14 over ESU. Banta landed five of his punts inside the 20 and four of those were downed inside the 5. He also booted a 65-yarder in the first quarter that flipped field position as Millersville had been backed up on its own 19.
Western Division Offensive Athlete of the Week
Gannon
Antonio Wright
Running Back
Redshirt Sophomore
Palm Bay, Fla. / Melbourne
With 1,000-yard rusher Melvin Blanks unable to go in the second half due to an injury the redshirt sophomore stepped up and had a career-best day to lead Gannon to a 35-17 win at Edinboro. Wright carried 21 times for 213 yards and 3 TDs. In the second half, he carried 14 times for 135 yards and two scores while serving as the main back. It was Wright’s second career 100-yard game. He scored on runs of eight, 27 and 47 yards, matching his career total for rushing TDs. Gannon is now 5-1 for the first time since 2003 and is 3-0 in the PSAC West for the first time since joining the conference in 2008.
Western Division Defensive Athlete of the Week
Gannon
Chris Farnsworth
Defensive Back
Redshirt Sophomore
Bristol, Pa. / Milton Hershey
The redshirt sophomore defensive back led another outstanding defensive effort by Gannon. He intercepted a pair of passes as Gannon had four picks, the most since intercepting four passes against Clarion in 2019. His first interception set up Gannon’s second touchdown of the game. The second came late in the first half in GU territory as the Golden Knights halted a late Edinboro drive. Farnsworth also had three passes broken up and finished with six tackles, four of those solo.
Western Division Special Teams Athlete of the Week
Slippery Rock
Jawon Hall
Wide Receiver
Sophomore
Monaca, Pa. / Central Valley
Jawan Hall took the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown just 13 seconds into the game and SRU would never relinquish the lead in a 31-17 win over Mercyhurst. He finished the game with a game-high 154 all-purpose yards with 116 kick return yards, 28 receiving yards and 10 rushing yards ... Hall also caught one TD to finish with two total touchdowns in the game.
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, California (Pa.), Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Gannon, Indiana (Pa.), Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Mercyhurst, Millersville, Pitt-Johnstown, Seton Hill, Shepherd, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester.