Checking In: Alumni Update (4-24-11)

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Eric Kammler (Pennridge) delivered a bases-clearing triple in the eighth inning to spark La Salle to a 9-7 sweep-clinching win over George Washington on Saturday afternoon. The Explorers trailed 7-5 in the eighth inning when Kammler collected his three-run triple. Jon Gyles (Central Bucks West) contributed an RBI double in the second inning. In Friday’s 5-2 win over George Washington, Gyles hit a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to break a 2-2 tie. Kammler delivered an RBI in a fifth inning that saw the Explorers take a 2-0 lead. Kevin Christy (North Penn) pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his fourth victory of the season out of the bullpen.

Junior Chris Edgar (North Penn) was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored in No. 17 Millersville’s 10-7 win over No. 24 Wilmington in game two of a twinbill between the No. 1 ranked team in the NCAA Atlantic Region and the No. 1 team in the NCAA East Region on Thursday. In Millersville’s 5-3 win in game one, Edgar contributed a hit and scored a run. On Friday, Edgar was 1-for-3 with an RBI in Millersville’s 18-1 win over Philadelphia University. Millersville earned the top spot in the Atlantic Region in the first NCAA Division II Baseball Poll that was released on Wednesday.

Freshman midfielder Shawn Caven (Pennsbury) was credited with one assist and five groundballs in Ursinus College’s 6-3 win over Muhlenberg on Saturday. The win vaulted the men’s team into the Centennial Conference playoffs for the first time in school history. In Wednesday’s 11-10 loss to Haverford, Caven had one goal and 11 groundballs. He also was 17-for-22 on face-offs.

Rachel Coyle (Souderton) scored three goals and assisted on two others while teammate Rachel Dirksen (Abington) had one goal and one assist in #14 Messiah College’s 19-1 win over Lebanon Valley on Thursday. Coyle also had one groundball and two draw controls while Dirksen was credited with four draw controls. In Tuesday’s 23-9 win over Eastern, Dirksen had three goals and two assists while Coyle had one goal and one assist. Coyle also was credited with two groundballs and four draw controls while Dirksen had one groundball and five draw controls.

Jenna D’Arcy (Hatboro-Horsham) scored a pair of goals and also contributed three groundballs and four draw controls in Gwynedd-Mercy’s 16-10 loss to Centenary on Wednesday. Teammate Kirsten Walther (Souderton) contributed two goals and one assist as well as two groundballs and two draw controls. On Tuesday, Colleen Dellostretto (Upper Moreland) contributed four goals in Gwynedd’s 17-12 loss to Goucher. D’Arcy had one goal and one assist while Walther had one goal and six draw controls.  Erin Gorenflo (Plymouth Whitemarsh) had two groundballs.

Senior Karen Schnurr (Central Bucks South) capped off her collegiate career by contributing the hat trick in Shippensburg’s 15-9 win over Millersville on Thursday. For Millersville, Kelsey Schmoltze (Upper Moreland) contributed three goals and one assist while teammate Morgan Mangiaruga (North Penn) was credited with an assist, two groundballs and three draw controls. Courtney Haggerty (Hatboro-Horsham) turned away eight shots in goal for the Marauders.

Prior to Saturday’s season finale against Georgian Court, Kutztown senior Justine Simonsen (Upper Moreland) was honored during a special ceremony. She is the only remaining player from KU’s initial women’s lacrosse team in 2008. The senior captain finished her career with 86 groundball pick-ups. To read an article about Simonsen that includes a Q&A, click on the following link: http://www.kubears.com/news/2011/4/21/WLAX_0421113831.aspx.  The Golden Bears fell to Georgian Court 14-4. Leann Pica (Neshaminy) and Jen Dunne (Central Bucks South) both contributed goals. On Thursday, Pica had a pair of goals and three groundballs in Kutztown’s 20-7 loss to West Chester.

Senior Erin Holloway (Souderton) struck out eight and earned the win on the mound in IUP’s 3-1 win over Shippensburg on Friday to advance to the PSAC championships on Friday. The Crimson Hawks broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning, taking advantage of a Shippensburg error to score twice. Dee Eppinger (North Penn) drove home the first run with a sacrifice fly. Holloway allowed just one unearned run on two hits and walked two. In three tournament wins, Holloway did not allow an earned run and struck out 27, giving her 928 strikeouts for her career, good for third in PSAC history. IUP will travel to Kutztown for the championship round and will open play on Friday against West Chester at 11 a.m. and then will play Kutztown at either 1 or 3 p.m. The Crimson Hawks, ranked No. 24 in the nation by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, are seeking the first PSAC softball title in school history. IIUP also moved closer to the opportunity to host one of the two four-team NCAA Atlantic Region Tournaments May 13-15. That would also represent a first in the history of the IUP softball program. With Friday’s win, the Crimson Hawks ran their record to 30-6, reaching the 30-win plateau for the fourth time in school history including last season’s 38-12 mark, which set a school record for most victories. On Thursday, Holloway tossed a one-hitter to earn an 8-0 win over Shippensburg in an opening round game. She recorded 13 of 15 outs via strikeout and improved her record to 18-3 on the season. She struck out the side in four of the five innings and did not allow a hit until a one-out double in the final inning. Eppinger belted a lead-off homerun in the win. In IUP’s 11-0 win over Mercyhurst, Holloway allowed three hits and struck out six to earn the five-inning win. Eppinger was 1-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI while teammate Mary Ward (North Penn) was 1-for-2.

Stephanie Farrar (North Penn) and Tegan Wendell (Abington) both contributed a pair of hits in Gwynedd-Mercy College’s 12-0 win over Rosemont on Thursday. Farrar, who scored three runs, had a triple and drove in a pair. Wendell scored a pair of runs. In Gwynedd’s 8-0 win over Rosemont in game two of the twinbill, Wendell was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored while teammate Renee Stiteler (Plymouth Whitemarsh) had a pair of hits and scored two runs. On Monday, Farrar went 3-for-4 with four runs scored, three RBIs, a pair of home runs and four stolen bases to help Gwynedd-Mercy sweep a CSAC doubleheader against Philadelphia Biblical. In game one – a 9-1 win, Farrar homered twice and also stole two bases. She hit a solo shot as part of a three-run first. Her second was a two-run inside-the-park homerun in the second as the Griffins jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Wendell tossed a three-hitter on the mound, allowing an unearned run while fanning four and walking just one. Stiteler scored twice and drove in two runs. In game two, an 11-1 Gwynedd win, Wendell had the second inside-the-park homer of the day in the second to put the Griffins on top 6-0.

Beth Everist (North Penn) delivered a two-run home run in the seventh inning of Mount St. Mary’s 7-6 loss to first-place Bryant on Monday afternoon. With the home run, Everist tied the Mount’s all-time home run record with 18 home runs. Courtney Zingle (Hatboro-Horsham) went 2-for-4 in the game to pace the Mount offense. The Mount won game one 1-0.

Heather Hannum (Hatboro-Horsham) blasted a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to give Kutztown a 9-6 win over West Chester in the second game of a doubleheader last Sunday. On Friday, Kutztown swept a pair from defending conference tournament champion Bloomsburg to advance to the final round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Championships on Friday. Kutztown won both games by identical 1-0 scores with Hannum delivering a hit in the first game. Kutztown, now the tournament’s number one seed, will host the championships and will face the loser of the 11 a.m. contest pitting IUP against West Chester in a 1 p.m. game on Friday. The Golden Bears were ranked sixth in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional rankings.

Senior Erin Koch (Pennridge) has made a major impact in two varsity sports at American University. On the soccer field, Koch was a two-time captain and earned team MVP honors as a senior. On the track, she currently holds a pair of school records and edged two indoor All-Americans to place 12^th in the Olympic Division Elite heat of the Mt. SAC Relays last week with a time of 4:22.56. The time was nearly two seconds faster than her previous record in the event of 4:24.04 and stands as the fastest time in the Patriot League this season by five full seconds. For her accomplishments, Koch was named the Patriot League Female Track Athlete of the Week. Koch had previously set the school record in the 1,500 meter earlier this month at the Colonial Relays. The senior also stands in second place in the school record books in the 400-meter dash, 800-meter run and 3,000-meter run and is also the school record holder in the indoor mile.

Between the two sports, Koch is a four-time all-conference selection. Koch joined the track and cross country program as a graduate student after four years of soccer at American. She started every game on the defensive line as a sophomore and was named team captain during her junior and senior years. She helped guide the Eagles to the Patriot League championship game in 2009, but a double-overtime loss ended her soccer career. Koch played in 77 career games, the most in program history at the time. After her soccer career ended, she began competing with the track team, initially as a relay runner simply filling in to help out. After registering a top-five finish at the Maryland Invitational, she recorded the fourth fastest 1,000-meter time in program history at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational. Two weeks later, she broke the tape at the Patriot League Championships and brought home the team’s only individual conference championship. That fall, Koch enrolled as a graduate student at American and began competing with the cross country team. This spring, Koch ran a personal best 4:24.04 in the 1,500-meter at the Colonial Relays, breaking three-time All-American Keira Carlstrom’s school record by a full second. Then she traveled to Mt. SAC and broke her own record by almost two seconds. To read a complete feature about Koch on American University’s web site, click on the following link: http://www.aueagles.com/sports/c-track/2010-11/releases/20110418a

*Photo courtesy of American University.