Checking In: Alumni Update 12-13-09

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MEN’S BASKETBALL
Senior Brian Oleksiak (Abington) had eight points, eight rebounds, one block, one steal and a season-high six assists in Shippensburg’s 74-58 loss to Virginia Union in the Mercyhurst College Invitational on Sunday. In Shippensburg’s 74-57 win over Shepherd on Tuesday, Oleksiak scored a career-high 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting, and he also had seven rebounds and a game-high five assists.
Junior Chris McDevitt (Central Bucks West) scored 12 points in Widener’s 79-71 loss to Gettysburg on Saturday. On Wednesday, he had 10 points in Widener’s 75-69 win over Gwynedd-Mercy College.
Senior point guard Robby Pines (Souderton) scored a career-high 14 points and added nine assists in East Stroudsburg’s 105-54 win over Penn State-Wilkes on Wednesday night. ESU improved to 7-0 for the first time since 1991-92.
Pines was named to the Lehigh Valley Small College Basketball Unsung Hero Team at the organization’s first media luncheon of the 2009-10 season on Tuesday. Pines leads ESU in minutes played in his first season as the starting point guard. He was sixth in Division II in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.0) last season and has a 4.5 ratio this year with 36 assists and just eight turnovers. Pines is averaging 8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.5 steals and had two standout games in the Pocono Classic with eight points, seven rebounds and 10 assists vs. Queens and a then career-high 13 points against UDC.
Lavoy Allen (Pennsbury) had eight points and 12 rebounds in Temple’s 45-42 win over Penn State on Dec. 5. In Temple’s 64-42 win over Miami on Dec. 8, Allen had 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Allen leads Temple and ranks fifth in the Atlantic 10 Conference in rebounding with a 9.8 average.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Ashley Gale (Cheltenham) had eight points, six rebounds, two steals and a career-high five assists in LaSalle’s 54-46 loss to Delaware on Sunday. The Explorers held Delaware star Elena Delle Donne to 17 points, seven points below her average.
Corrine Geiger (Pennridge) had six points and five rebounds in Arcadia’s 70-47 loss to The College of New Jersey on Tuesday.
Ashley Rosario (Harry S. Truman) had four points and five rebounds in Goldey-Beamcom College’s 60-54 loss to Chestnut Hill College on Wednesday.
Sophomore Casey Pritz (Abington) scored a career-high 26 points in Widener’s 55-48 win over Swarthmore on Thursday. Widener rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit for the win. Pritz shot 12-of-19 from the floor in 27 minutes of action, besting her previous high of 24 points set against Albright on Jan. 7, 2009. Kathryn Stockbower (Upper Dublin) had 11 points and 13 rebounds for Swarthmore.
FIELD HOCKEY
University of Maryland junior Katie O’Donnell (Wissahickon) won this year’s Honda Sports Award it was announced on Thursday. The award is given to the nation’s top field hockey player, and O’Donnell won the award for her outstanding performance in the 2009 season. Voted on by over 1,000 NCAA member schools across the nation, the award automatically nominates her for the Honda Broderick Cup, an award given to the nation’s top female collegiate player. Click on the following link for the complete listing of O’Donnell’s accomplishments: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/content/former-wissahickon-star-receives-honda-sports-award
FOOTBALL
SOL alums Dan Shirey (Neshaminy) and Ronnie Akins (North Penn) will be playing in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) national championship game in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Friday night when their Villanova football team will take on undefeated and top-ranked Montana. Villanova edged William & Mary 14-13 in Friday's semifinal game while Montana earned a 24-17 come-from-behind win over Appalachian State. Friday's game will be televised on ESPN with the opening kickoff at 8 p.m.
East Stroudsburg outside linebacker Matt Freed (Souderton) has been named to the Daktronics Division II Football All-America first team for the second straight year. A redshirt junior, Freed tied North Alabama’s Mike Johnson for the most votes received by the four linebackers selected to the first team. The Daktronics Division II Super Region One Defensive Player of the Year, Freed finished the 2009 season with 132 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks after compiling 126 tackles, 10 TFL, four sacks and four interceptions as a redshirt sophomore. He also earned ESPN The Magazine All-America first team honors this fall with a 3.70 grade point average as a history major and was named Academic All-District in each of the last two seasons. Freed spearheaded a defense that led the PSAC and was ranked fourth in the nation in red zone defense. He has at least 10 tackles in 16 of his 23 starts, including a career-high 20 tackles with four tackles for a loss and two sacks vs. Slippery Rock in the final game of the regular season. His 14 solo tackles at Kutztown were tied for the most in Division II in 2009. The Daktronics All-America team is selected by the sports information directors of Division II football institutions with the first team members from each of the four regions moving forward to the national ballot. Freed also was the most recent recipient of East Stroudsburg’s Championship Award Guys Athlete of the Week.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK
Senior Nick Bendas (Central Bucks East) and senior Sean Hall (Central Bucks East) were part of the winning 4x200 relay team for Ursinus College in Friday’s Ursinus College Quad meet, finishing with a time of 1:36.32. Junior Jeff Centafont (William Tennent) was part of the winning 4x800 relay which finished with a time of 8:43.93. The Ursinus men finished second with 141 points.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK
Freshman Rebecca Hollenbach (Quakertown) and freshman Gina Brienza (Central Bucks East) were part of the winning 4x800 relay team for Ursinus College in Friday’s Ursinus College Quad Meet, finishing with a time of 12:25.26. Junior Deb Yanessa (Hatboro-Horsham) and freshman Jackie Kimmel (Hatboro-Horsham) were part of the distance medley relay that finished with a time of 14:27.13. Sophomore Amy Schafer (Central Buck South) won the pole vault, clearing a height of 9-6.25 feet. The women’s team won the meet with 194 points.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Bloomsburg senior midfielder Kelly Modes (Neshaminy) has been named to the second team of the 2009 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Women’s NCAA Division II All-Atlantic Region teams. Modes led the Huskies in scoring with seven goals and three assists in 19 games this season. The senior midfielder was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division Athlete of the year in addition to earning first team All-PSAC honors for the fourth straight season. She finished her career at Bloomsburg in 10th place all-time in school history in goals with 21.
MEN’S SWIMMING
Junior Jesse Bergman (Springfield) notched a pair of wins in Widener’s 112-68 win over Washington (Md.) on Saturday. He captured the 50 free in a time of 22.10 seconds and the 100 free in 48.06 seconds.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING
Senior Tyla Conicello (Upper Merion) was part of the winning 200 free relay with a time of 1:46.40 in Widener’s 119-81 loss to Washington (Md.) on Saturday.
WRESTLING
Drexel’s Jack Callender (Council North North) won a 6-4 decision over East Stroudsburg’s Ed Ebewo in the 197-pound weight class at Sunday’s tri-meet at East Stroudsburg University. Drexel defeated ESU 33-6 but lost to Buffalo (27-15). ESU’s Jesse Dunn (Harry S. Truman) and David Luthy (Plymouth Whitemarsh) suffered losses in their respective weight classes (149 and 125).
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