Checking In: Alumni Update (5-8-11)

To include your favorite SOL alum in our regular updates, simply send the links directly to the web site or ask the college to add SOS.com to its media contact list by sending updates to SuburbanOneSports@comcast.net.

Chestnut Hill junior leftfielder Alex Latchum (Central Bucks South) earned the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Player of the Week award for the week ending May 2. Latchum recorded two triples in a 4-for-6 performance in the opener against Nyack College on April 26. He totaled three RBIs in the contest to help the Griffins grab a 12-9 comeback win and finished the doubleheader 5-for-9 (.556) at the plate. Latchum was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI in the non-conference win at the University of the Sciences before he turned in a 4-for-11 effort in the sweep of Post University on April 30. Latchum raised his average to .291 (37-for-127). In the leadoff role, he has drawn 23 walks to lead the Griffins in on-base percentage (.423) while also recording 31 runs, 12 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.

Senior first baseman Mike Knipe (Pennridge) connected for two home runs and four RBIs in Chestnut Hill’s 10-6 win over Philadelphia University in the second game of a doubleheader on Tuesday. Knipe hit a three-run home run in the second inning to put Chestnut Hill on top 6-0. After Philadelphia University cut that lead to 7-3, Knipe contributed a home run in a three-run uprising by the Griffins to make it a 10-3 game. In Chestnut Hill’s 4-3 loss in game one of the twinbill, freshman leftfielder Ray Puskar (Pennridge) contributed an RBI double in the fourth.

Junior Ryan Brown (Souderton) was 2-for-3 with a triple, scored two runs and drove in a pair while teammate Drew Frankenfield (Wissahickon) contributed an RBI double and scored two runs in Messiah College’s 11-5 win over Elizabethtown on Saturday to earn Messiah’s fourth Commonwealth Conference Championship in program history. As a result of its win, Messiah has earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament. One day earlier, in Messiah’s 4-3 win over Elizabethtown, Frankenfield had a pair of hits, including a triple, and scored a run.  In Thursday’s tournament opener, Brown contributed a pair of hits in Messiah’s 5-3 win over Widener. In Monday’s 5-2 win over York College, Brown contributed a three-run home run.

Adam Kammler (Pennridge) was 2-for-3 with his first career home run, two runs scored and an RBI in La Salle’s 4-1 win over Marist in the second game of a twinbill on Saturday. Teammate Eric Kammler (Pennridge) also contributed an RBI. La Salle dropped the opener 2-1.

La Salle freshman Michael Johnson (Hatboro-Horsham), who had the best showing by an Explorer at the Atlantic 10 Golf Championship in six years, was named the GoExplorers.com Athlete of the Week. Johnson shot a 77-77-76=230 (+14) to tie for 19^th in the 54-hole event held last weekend at the Mission Inn Resort outside Orlando. The 19^th place showing was the best by an Explorer at A-10s since Phil Arouca placed seventh in the weather-shortened 2005 event. The Hatboro alum was four shots out of the top 10. He carded nothing higher than a bogey for all 54 holes. Johnson led the team with a 76.3 stroke average in 2010-11, with a low of 70.

Johnny Casey (Abington) assisted on a pair of goals and also had two ground balls in Widener’s 11-6 win over Messiah College in Saturday’s Middle Atlantic Conference title game. Teammate Craig Hunsberger (Pennridge) was credited with two ground balls. For Messiah, Heath Kupecky (Upper Merion) contributed a goal. Widener will face Cabrini in an opening round NCAA Tournament game on Wednesday.

Sophomore midfielder Joe Hughes (Plymouth Whitemarsh) was named to the All-Colonial States Athletic Conference first team at specialty player. Hughes contributed seven points (three goals/four assists) and 32 ground balls.

East Stroudsburg senior Michelle Mangiaruga (North Penn) was named to the All-PSAC second team. It is her third straight all-conference honor. The senior attack player was first team All-PSAC East the last two seasons before the conference returned to a one-division format this year. She had 46 goals, led the team and ranks eighth in the conference with 27 assists, and is tied with teammate Molly O’Hara for third in school history with 73 points. She also had 33 ground balls, 21 draw controls and 15 caused turnovers and was the PSAC Player of the Week on April 12 with 10 goals and seven assists in wins over Shippensburg and Millersville. In her career, Mangiaruga ranks third at ESU with 148 goals and 210 points and is tied for fourth with 62 assists despite missing the final 11 games of her freshman season and three more games over the last two years. She is the second player in school history with three 40-goal seasons, with 47 as a sophomore, 40 as a junior and 46 as a senior, and she scored 15 goals in her first seven career games as a freshman. She was one of six senior starters for the Warriors this season and won a program-record 39 games over the last four years.

Colleen Dellostretto (Upper Moreland) was named MVP of the CSAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship after the Griffins defeated Marywood 16-14 on Saturday to capture the school’s first ever title. The senior attack led all scorers with eight points on seven goals and an assist. Sophomore Kirsten Walther (Souderton) added three goals. Jenna D’Arcy (Hatboro-Horsham) had a pair of ground balls. As a result of the win, the Griffins captured the CSAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The win also avenged a 17-10 regular season loss to Marywood on April 16. On Wednesday, Dellostretto and Walther both contributed two goals and an assist in Gwynedd-Mercy’s 14-12 win over Cabrini in a CSAC semifinal contest. Erin Gorenflo (Plymouth Whitemarsh) had a pair of ground balls while D’Arcy contributed one assist, one ground ball and four draw controls.

IUP senior Erin Holloway (Souderton) was named PSAC Central Pitcher of the Year. The hard-throwing right hander is a four-time all-conference selection, including berths on the first team the last two years after earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2008. Over the course of her career, Holloway has rewritten the IUP record books. She holds the records for appearances (128), starts (110), complete games (98), innings pitched (755.2), wins (73), shutouts (30), saves (5) and strikeouts (208). This season Holloway has a record of 22-3, pitching 166.1 innings with an ERA of just 1.35. She has held opponents to a .158 batting average and struck out 201 batters while walking just 44. She is tied for 15^th in the nation with nine shutouts and is 25^th in strikeouts and 32^nd in ERA. Holloway was named the MVP of the PSAC Tournament when the Crimson Hawks won the conference title for the first time in school history. In six playoff games, she allowed only 16 hits and three earned runs while fanning 57 batters.

Freshman Stephanie Farrar (North Penn) was 2-for-3 – which included a triple - with an RBI and run scored in Gwynedd-Mercy’s 11-6 loss to Immaculata in the second game of a twinbill last Saturday. The Griffins, who dropped the opener 2-0, closed out the season with an 8-14 record in league play (10-21 overall). Farrar was selected to the Colonial States Athletic Conference all-conference first team. She led the team and was among the league leaders in many offensive categories as the rookie batted .424 with 22 runs scored, 18 RBIs, three doubles, three triples and five home runs. She also stole 12 bases.

Temple junior Samantha Schoell (North Penn) was named to the Capital One Academic All-District II University Division First Team it was announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Schoell, who boasts a 3.97 GPA in mechanical engineering, was one of 11 players named to the squad which honors the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performance on the field and in the classroom. The honor is the first of Schoell’s career, and her spot on the first team now makes her eligible for the national ballot. In addition, Schoell was named to the Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference team in voting conducted among the conference’s sports information directors. It is the third straight conference academic nod for the outfielder. Schoell has played in and started all 42 games for Temple this season. The rightfielder is having her best offensive year to date with a career-best .237 average to go along with career highs in double (5), triples (1) and home runs (2). The North Penn alum continues to get it done in the classroom, sporting the top grade point average among Temple student-athletes and earning her second straight appearance on Temple’s Trustee Ten list, given to the top 10 student-athletes at Temple based on GPA. She is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, the University’s Dean’s List and the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Temple is 21-21 overall and 12-6 in A-10 play. The team will travel to Charlotte, N.C., next week to compete in the conference championship beginning on May 11 at UNC-Charlotte.

WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD