Reading, Pa. (May 8, 2008) – The Alvernia College Department of Athletics and Recreation honored its 2007-08 award winners at the 20th annual awards banquet Wednesday evening hosted by The Sheraton, Reading. Seniors
Dale Curry (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge),
Tom Novak (Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove), and
Amy Sikorski (Topton, Pa./Brandywine Heights) were named the Outstanding Senior Athletes.
Curry, a senior catcher on the baseball team, was a preseason All-American. He posted a .424 batting average through 41 games. He led the team with 20 doubles, nine homeruns and 61 RBIs. He was named the PAC Player of the Week (March 17th), and recently named the PAC Player of the Year, First Team All-PAC. Curry is the Crusaders’ seventh PAC player of the year in the last eight years.
Novak, a senior attacker on the men’s lacrosse team, led Alvernia with 34 goals and 15 assists. He was the first played in program history to reach 100 career points. He was named to All-PAC Second Team this season.
Sikorski is a four-year outside hitter on the volleyball team. She earned back-to-back First Team All-PAC honors. She led the PAC in kills per game at 4.18 during her senior year racking up 272 kills to become just the third player in Alvernia history to surpass 1,000 career kills.
Alvernia recognized 73 student-athletes who earned All-PAC Academic honors over the last year including seniors
Lynsey Treadwell (Farmingdale, N.J./Howell) and
Doug McConnell (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) who received the Scholar Athlete Awards for being the female and male senior athletes with the highest cumulative grade point average.
Alvernia College strength and conditioning coach
Jason Mensinger handed out four Iron Crusaders awards to the student-athletes who have shown the most dedication to training and fitness over the past year. Those award winners were
Colleen Foley (Turnersville, N.J./Gloucester Catholic),
Rachel Koerner (Bel Air, Md./Harford Tech),
Terrence Shawell (Pottstown, Pa./Pottstown), and
Rob Guth (Newton, N.J./Newton).
The Alvernia College Sportsmanship Awards went to baseball senior
Corey Berghardt (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) and sophomore cross country runner
Bridget Burger (Lansdale, Pa./Lansdale Catholic).
Special recognition was paid to field hockey head coach
Laura Gingrich, who collected her 100th career win during an undefeated PAC season, and women’s basketball head coach
Kevin Calabria, who earned career win number 350 overall and his 200th PAC win the same game, a victory over Gwynedd-Mercy College on the road.
2007-08 Alvernia College Athletic Award Winners
Men’s Cross Country
MVP – Junior from Reading, Eric Garcia - Best individual finish was a 20th place finish at Penn State-Berks. Led the team in six of eight races.
Women’s Cross Country
MVP – Sophomore from Lansdale, Pa., Bridget Burger - Paced team at all eight races. Saved her best for last with a personal best time of 25:28 at the NCAA Eastern Regional hosted by Muhlenberg College.
Field Hockey (16-6, 10-0 PAC)
Offensive MVP – Sophomore from Macungie, Pa. Janelle Lynch. PAC Player of the Year. Fourth consecutive Alvernia player to win the award. Featured in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd. Led the team in goals (17) and points (42). Had four game-winning goals. Scored the game-tying goal with 90 seconds to play in the PAC Championship.
Defensive MVP – Senior from Ephrata, Pa. Amber Landis. Three time All-PAC Player including First Team honors this year. Four year starter and team leader. Totaled six goals and four assists this season. One of 10 players to have 10 or more points. Second on the team with three defensive saves.
Men’s Soccer (5-12-3, 3-3-2 PAC)
Chris Schlager Heart & Soul Award – Junior from Reading. Richard Kessler. Two-time All-PAC including First Team honors this fall. Started all 20 games with a 2.03 goals against average and a knack for making saves that can only be referred as ridiculous.
MVP – Junior from Exeter, Pa. Chad Quinter. Two-time First Team All-PAC. Defensive team leader. Member of the All-PAC Academic team.
Women’s Soccer (6-9-3, 3-6-1 PAC)
Offensive MVP – Senior from Myerstown, Pa. Brandi Light. Two-time All-PAC honoree. Second in the conference in goals with 19, almost double her previous best total.
MVP – Freshman from Philadelphia. Felicia Sippel. One of just two players on the roster to start all 18 games. Controlled the midfield for the Crusaders and earned the respect of conference coaches earning second team All-PAC honors.
Volleyball (10-14, 6-5 PAC)
Coach’s Award – Junior from Nazareth, Pa. Lauren Crimi. Led the team with 50 service aces and 318 digs surpassing 750 career digs.
MVP – Senior from Topton, Pa. Amy Sikorski. Earned back-to-back First Team All-PAC honors. Named PAC Player of the Week with 41 kills and 17 digs in two matches in late October.
Women’s Tennis (6-8, 4-6 PAC)
Coach’s Award – Junior from Lancaster, Pa. Breana Martzall. Missed the season with an injury, but was present at practices and matches supporting the team.
MVP – Sophomore from Red Hill, Pa. Janine Horning. Finished the season with eight wins at #3 singles and seven wins at #2 doubles.
Men’s Basketball (16-11, 13-3 PAC)
MVP – Junior from Pottstown, Pa Terrence Shawell. Scored in double figures in all 27 games this season and scored over 20 points in 16 of the 27 games. Shawell was named the ECAC south region player of the week and a member of the D3hoops.com Team of the week (1/23/08). Named PAC player of the year and to the All PAC First Team. Named PAC player of the week 3 times this season (1/28/08, 2/18/08, and 2/25/08). Shawell was the first Crusader to be named to 1st team All-Region and was also named to the ECAC Division III South All-Star First Team. And was honored by D3Hoops.com as a Fourth Team All-American.
Coach’s Award – Junior from Chester, PA Tyrone Bradley. Named All-PAC Honorable Mention and All-PAC Sportsmanship Team...Started every game for the Maroon and Gold...averaged 8.6 points and 7.4 rebounds...pulled down 15 rebounds (9 offensive) against Williamson (1/2)...scored a career high 17 points versus Immaculata (2/14)...had 5 double-doubles on the season.
Women’s Basketball (14-13, 12-4 PAC)
Samuel J. Calabria Coach’s Award (Coach Calabria’s late father who introduced him to the game of basketball) – Senior from Quarryville, Pa. Jill Rosolie. D3hoops.com Women’s Basketball Mid-Atlantic All-Region Third Team, All-Conference second team, second on the team in scoring at 11.9 points per game and third in rebounding at 4.6 boards per game. She scored double figures in 13 of the last 16 games of the season and totaled a season-high 14 rebounds in a game against Messiah
Joseph M. Calabria MVP (Coach Calabria’s late uncle and coaching mentor. The first coach of basketball at Reading Central Catholic High School.) – Freshman from Orwigsburg, Pa. Kelli McIntyre. All-PAC Second Team - heart and soul of the Crusaders this year with the team losing all four games she missed during a stretch in the middle of the season and rebounding to win nine straight games once she returned. McIntyre led the Crusaders in scoring (14.3 per game) and steals (40). She finished the season on a streak of 12 straight games scoring in double figures, eight of which were 20-plus, including her career-high 25 which she reached twice, both in home wins over Centenary. McIntyre shot 45 percent from the 3-point arc and pulled down 3.7 rebounds per game.
Cheerleading
Coach’s Award – Seniors Alina Dominguez, Laura Ritter
Ice Hockey (20-4, 10-1 MDCHA)
Offensive MVP – A freshman from Glenolden, Pa. Anthony Froio. Team leader in goals with 26 and points with 45. Scored eight power play goals and was a team-best plus-51.
MVP – A Freshman from Aston, PA Eric Ryan. Played 22 games at center, had 14 goals including three game-winners and 18 assists.
Baseball (31-11, 15-3)
MVP – A senior from Philadelphia, PA, catcher Dale Curry. Posted a .424 batting average through 41 games. Led the team with 20 doubles, nine homeruns and 61 RBIs. PAC Player of the Week (March 17th). Recently named the PAC Player of the Year, First Team All-PAC. Seventh POTW in the last eight years.
MVPitcher – A freshman from Boyertown, PA Chuck Nicholas. Nicholas led the pitching staff with a 1.07 ERA and an 8-0 record. Pitched a team-high 50 innings with 33 strike-outs and just 12 walks. Opponents batted only .215 against him. Named PAC Rookie of the Year, First Team All-PAC.
Golf
MVP – A junior from Bernville, PA Derek Stewart. Finished second overall at the PAC Championships shooting 79-76. First Team All-PAC. Had a team best 77.2 stroke average.
Coach’s Award – A senior from Lebanon, Pa Ryan Weaber. Served as team captain. Finished the year with an 82.6 stroke average. Shot a season low 78 at the F&M Invitational hosted by Bent Creek.
Men’s Lacrosse (1-14, 1-6 PAC)
MVP (Offense) – A senior from Pottstown, PA Tom Novak. Led Alvernia with 34 goals and 15 assists. First player in program history to reach 100 career points. Named to All-PAC Second Team.
MVP (Defense) – A senior from Reading, PA Josh Pokrywa. Played in all 15 games for Alvernia picked up 27 ground balls.
Women’s Lacrosse (2-13, 2-8 PAC)
MVP (offense) – A senior from Delran , NJ McKenna Shafer. Started all 15 games for Alvernia, First Team All-PAC, led the team in both goals and assists with 54 and nine. Career leader in goals (159) and points (188). Second in career assists (29).
MVP (defense) – A senior from Boothwyn, PA Katie O’Brien. Started all 15 games, third in scoring with 28 points, picked up a team-high 51 ground balls.
Softball (31-11, 16-4 PAC)
MVP – A senior from Dillsburg, PA Jackie Rhoads. Led the team with seven homeruns, batted .354 on the season with seven doubles and 30 RBIs. Committed only three errors for a .961 fielding percentage
Coach’s Award – A freshman from Whitehall, PA Rhiannon Sorrentino. Not only excelled on the field (PAC Rookie of The Year) but consistently was the first one at practice, worked hard, inspired others, always offered to help with anything.
Men’s Tennis (6-8, 4-3 PAC)
MVP – A sophomore from Reading, PA Zach Lockwood. 6-6 at #1 singles, 6-5 at #1 doubles with Phil Snyder.
Coach’s Award – A senior from Pottstown, PA David Schaeffer. 6-7 overall record in singles.