Penn College teams make positive strides

The men’s cross-country team at Pennsylvania College of Technology closed out its season with its highest finish ever at an NCAA event over the weekend, while the men’s and women’s basketball and wrestling teams posted victories, and several soccer players received postseason honors.

MEN’S/WOMEN’S CROSS-COUNTRY
“Ten runners, 10 personal records. Running conditions were near-perfect – cool and dry with a slight breeze,” second-year coach Tom Leeser said after Saturday’s races in the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Championships at Lock Haven University’s West Branch Course.

Penn College’s men’s team, paced by Mitchell Campbell, of Riegelsville, placed 20th in a 31-team field, while Elaina Brady, of Big Cove Tannery, paced the Wildcat women, who didn’t have enough runners to field a team.

“(Our) men finished 20th, which was a significant improvement,” Leeser said. “Everyone who ran was rewarded for the effort that was invested throughout the season.”

Campbell finished 90th in a field of 211 runners with a time of 26:43 over the 8K course. Also for the Wildcats, Alec Rees, of Centerport, New York, was 115th in 27:17; Matthew Woolcock, of Oil City, was 120th in 27:28; Holden Furey, of Williamsport, was 155th in 28:51; Jacob Parker, of Weatherly, was 159th in 28:56; Dillon Betts, of Manchester, New Jersey, was 160th in 29:00; and Noah Bowers, of Burnham, was 181st in 29:46.

Penn College’s finish bettered last year’s previous regional best of 25.

Carnegie Mellon won the men’s team title with 19 points; followed by Johns Hopkins, 66; Marywood, 80; Dickinson, 157; Misericordia, 209; Messiah, 218; St. Vincent, 234; Elizabethtown, 275; Salisbury, 279; Washington & Jefferson, 324; Lebanon Valley, 336; Scranton, 340; York, 343; Geneva, 358; Grove City, 407; Franklin & Marshall, 436; Susquehanna, 447; Waynesburg, 552; McDaniel, 572; Penn College, 624; King’s College, 633; Lancaster Bible College, 673; Alvernia, 680; Gettysburg, 686; Juniata, 707; St. Mary’s (Md.), 724; PSU-Berks, 736; Thiel, 776; Lycoming College, 871; Chatham, 900; and Clarks Summit, 970.

For the Penn College women, Brady was 163rd in a field of 204 over a 6K course in 26:30, while Skyelar Splain, of Liverpool, was 180th in 27:33 and Natalie Greiner, of Mount Joy, was 200th in 30:51.

“I am pleased with our progress from both the men and the women. The goal is to keep putting in good work and to build on our recent successes. I’m very proud of each member of our team,” Leeser said.

Schedule/Results
Saturday, Nov. 11 – NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Championships, men, 20 of 31. (No women’s team).
End of season

WRESTLING
At the SUNY Brockport Quad on Saturday, Penn College, tied with two other teams for 23rd in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Oct. 31 Tournament Team Preseason Poll, went 3-0 in its dual-meet season opener with wins over No. 19 SUNY Oswego, 30-19, Niagara County Community College, 46-11, and SUNY Brockport, 39-12.

On the day, eight Wildcats ended the day unbeaten in regulation matches including Kaden Ware, of Brooklyn, Connecticut, at 133 pounds (2-0); CJ Trimber, of Moon Township, at 133 (1-0); Noah Hunt, of Muncy, at 141 (3-0); TJ Martin, of Honesdale, at 149 (2-0); Cavin Napoletano, of Killingworth, Connecticut, at 157 (2-0); Travis Green, of Manchester, Maryland, at 165 (3-0); Mason Leshock, of Shamokin, at 174 (1-0); and Nicholai Brotzman, of Marietta, at 285 (3-0).

Also last week, Isaac Cory, of Montoursville, was named Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Wrestler of the Week for Oct. 30-Nov.5 after he finished 4-0 at the Ithaca Bomber Invitational to win at 184.

Schedule/Results
Overall dual record: 3-0
Saturday, Nov. 11 – at SUNY Brockport Quad vs. Niagara County Community College, W, 46-11;
vs. SUNY Brockport, W, 39-12; vs. SUNY Oswego, W, 30-19
Saturday, Nov. 18 – Doug Parker Invitational at Springfield, Mass., 10 a.m.

MEN’S BASKETBALL
Hosting Centenary (N.J.) College in their season opener on Wednesday, the Wildcats got double-digit scoring from four players and used a 14-point second-half advantage for a 74-64 victory.

DJ Smith, of Dallastown, led the way with 16 points while Gavin Barrett, of Roselle, New Jersey, added 14 points; Livingston Cross, of Union, New Jersey, scored 12; and Max Jackowsky, of Garnet Valley, added 11.

In the Crosstown Challenge on Friday and Saturday, Penn College improved to 2-0 with an 84-78 win over Penn State Mont Alto on Friday before suffering its first loss on Saturday, 89-87, against Montclair State.

Against PS Mont Alto, Cross scored a team- and game-high 22 points and pulled down a team- and game-high 11 rebounds as the Wildcats bolted to a 40-33 halftime lead and held on at the end – after Mont Alto pulled to within two at 73-71 – for the win.

After a first half that ended tied at 46, Montclair State led by as many as 17 at 79-62 midway through the second half before Penn College rallied with a 25-8 run to tie the score at 87 with nine ticks left on a trey by Ahmir Elzzy, of Williamsport, and Montclair State pulled out its win with a buzzer-beating layup. Cross again led the Wildcats in scoring and rebounds with 21 and 13, respectively, to earn all-tournament team honors.

Schedule/Results/Series History
Overall record: 2-1
UE record: 0-0
Wednesday, Nov. 8 – host Centenary (N.J.) University, W, 74-64
Friday, Nov. 10 – Crosstown Challenge host Penn State Mont Alto, W, 84-78
Saturday, Nov. 11 – Crosstown Challenge host Montclair State, L, 89-87
Wednesday, Nov. 15 – at William Paterson University (first-time opponent), 5 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 18 – Bridgewater Carlyle Whitelow Invitational vs. Bridgewater College (first-time opponent), 6 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 19 – Bridgewater Carlyle Whitelow Invitational vs. Eastern Mennonite University (first-time opponent), 1 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 21 – host Mount Aloysius College, 7 p.m. (Mount Aloysius leads 1-0)

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
In its season-opener on Wednesday, Penn College saw an 11-point (54-43) lead slip away over the final 4:51 against Penn State Altoona – and with it, a chance for its first-ever win against the Lions as they closed with a 15-3 run to eke out a 58-57 win.

Lexi Troup, of Huntingdon, and Emily Pardee, of Williamsport, each scored 16 points for the Wildcats as they dropped to 0-4 lifetime against PS Altoona.

At the Elmira Tip-Off Tournament, the Wildcats lost to Curry College on Saturday, 75-38, and finished third with a 71-23 consolation win over SUNY Delhi on Sunday.

Against Curry, Maddie Adams, of Montoursville, came off the bench to lead Penn College with 11 points and eight rebounds.

Against SUNY Delhi, the Wildcats bolted to a 33-5 halftime lead and coasted from there. Keeley Baker, of Lewisburg, led a dozen Penn College scorers with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Kayleigh Miller, of Sayre, added 11 points.

Schedule/Results/Series History
Overall record: 1-2
UE record: 0-0
Wednesday, Nov. 8 – host Penn State Altoona, L, 58-57
Saturday, Nov. 11 – at Elmira College Tip-Off Tournament vs. Curry College, L, 75-38
Sunday, Nov. 12 – at Elmira College Tip-Off Tournament consolation vs. SUNY Delhi, W, 71-23
Saturday, Nov. 18 – at Susquehanna University Tournament vs. Susquehanna (Susquehanna leads 1-0), 6 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 19 – at Susquehanna University Tournament with DeSales (first-time opponent) and St. Elizabeth (St. Elizabeth leads 8-1)
Tuesday, Nov. 21 – host Lycoming College (Lycoming leads 7-0), 5 p.m.

MEN’S SOCCER
On Wednesday, Tommy DeGeyter, of Long Valley, New Jersey, was named to the United East Volt Division second team for the second year in a row.

DeGeyter, who earned Offensive Player of the Week recognition on Sept. 25, logged over 1,200 minutes this season, scoring five goals and helping the Wildcats earn their first postseason berth since 2018 as they finished 7-7-1 overall and 2-4-1 in all UE matches. The junior defensive midfielder helped the team to six shutouts and a fifth seed in the United East Volt Division playoffs.

“Tommy is a lockdown one-versus-one defender who helps anchor our backline. Tommy is a dynamic player who can also get forward into the attack. He is very deserving of this recognition as he has solidified himself as one of the top defenders in the United East Conference,” coach Tyler Mensch said.

WOMEN’S SOCCER
Five Penn College women were awarded All-United East Volt Division honors on Thursday as senior forward Kaelynn Sheetz, of Elizabethtown, and junior midfielder Sara Darlington, of West Chester, were named to the first team and junior goalkeeper Nicole Lichtinger, of Erie; junior defender BillieGean Hennessy, of Holtsville, New York; and freshman defender Makayla Bucks, of Lebanon, were named to the second team.

Sheetz collected her second career all-conference first-team honor after breaking the program record for career goals (49) and points (113) as she finished her final season with 24 goals, six assists and 54 total points. Her seven game-winning goals led the United East, where she finished second in goals and points. Sheetz also was a two-time Volt Division Offensive Player of the Week this season.

Darlington also earned a repeat selection to the first team after she tallied eight goals and dished out six assists, helping the Wildcats to an 11-2-7 record and a 4-2-2 mark in all United East action.

Lichtinger was credited with six shutout efforts while collecting 72 saves. She ranked third in the UE in saves, fourth in save percentage (0.733) and fifth in shutouts per game (0.400). Lichtinger was named Volt Division Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 25.

Hennessy is a repeat selection to the second team after she scored five goals and an assist while contributing to the Wildcats’ nine shutouts and a Volt Division semifinal playoff berth.  

Bucks was on the field for more than 1,400 minutes in her first campaign while playing the full 90 minutes in six contests.

“All five of these ladies are deserving of this recognition,” coach Ian Scheller said. “Sheetz was a central figure to what we have done in these past two seasons (20-11-8 overall record) and she has been rewarded again.

“Sara is a major asset to the program and a player that we know we can rely on.

“Billie’s ability and leadership are two qualities that set her apart from many of the players in our conference.

“Makayla’s performances were pivotal to the success of our team and a backline that was one of the best in the United East, and Nicole is as sure-handed as it comes and was a major reason for the improved defensive record this season, with some big moments in important games.”

ESPORTS
Record/Schedule/Results
(All events at Wildcat Den)
iRacing
Tuesday, Nov. 7 – ENASCAR: Dover Motor Speedway, 26 and 33
Wednesday, Nov. 8 – Formula World Championship: Italy-Imola, 10 and 16
Wednesday, Nov. 15 – CIL Formula: Spain-Barcelona Historic, 9 p.m.
Rocket League
Overall: 4-3
Monday, Nov. 6 – vs. Fanshawe College, L, 3-0 (3-2, 3-2, 4-2)
Tuesday, Nov. 7 – vs. Missouri Western State, L, 3-0 (2-1, 4-3, 6-4)
Monday, Nov. 13 – vs. Arkansas, 7 p.m.
Overwatch 2
Overall: 2-5
Tuesday, Nov. 7 – vs. RIT, L, 3-1 (0-2, 3-1, 3-0, 1-0)
Tuesday, Nov. 14 – vs. Keiser University-Flagship, 7 p.m.
League of Legends
Final overall: 3-4
Valorant
Overall: 3-4
Wednesday, Nov. 8 – Transylvania University, L, 2-0 (13-2, 13-9)
Wednesday, Nov. 15 – vs. Transylvania University, 7 p.m.
CS:GO
Overall: 1-5
Wednesday, Nov. 8 – vs. Kennesaw State, L, 2-0 (13-7, 13-6)
Friday, Nov. 10 – vs. SUNY Farmingdale, W, forfeit

For more about the United East, visit the conference website .
For additional information, visit the Wildcats Athletics website .

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