Men’s Tennis, Golf Set to Open for Penn College; Archers Excel
Sunday, March 22, 2015
As the result of a slow ground thaw, Pennsylvania College of Technology has had all of its home baseball and softball games postponed through the end of the month, but the college’s men’s tennis and golf teams are expected to open this week as scheduled. And the archery team "put on a good show" as it recently closed out the indoor season.
Men’s Tennis
The men’s tennis opener is set for Tuesday at Baptist Bible College and coach Robert Kemrer, whose squad was 2-2 in the fall, has high hopes.
“I’ve got pretty much my whole team back from the fall. I’ve got a few new players and we’ve got some more depth, so going into the spring we’re hopeful of doing pretty well,” said the coach, in his fourth season.
“We’ve been playing really well. We were able to get some good practice in (last) week,” Kemrer said.
Expected to start for the Wildcats are junior Jordan Rodgers, of Biglerville, at No. 1 singles; freshman Ben Leibig, of Lebanon, at No. 2; junior Chris Morrin, of Morrisville, at No. 3; freshman Seth Strickland, of Morwood, at No. 4; junior Thomas Ryder, of Hughesville, at No. 5 and junior Rommel Cressman, of Lansdale, at No. 6. In doubles, Rodgers and Morrin will open at No. 1 and Liebig and Strickland at No. 2. The third doubles team still is undecided, the coach said.
“We’re extremely excited to move to a (NCAA) Division III conference. With the North Eastern Athletic Conference, we’re looking to be very competitive and hopefully to make the NEAC tournament at the end of the season. We have pretty high expectations,” Kemrer added.
Golf
The golf spring opener is set for Saturday in Chambersburg at the Phoenix Invitational. Wildcat golfers will compete in four invitational events leading up to the NEAC Championship April 18-19 at Pennsauken Country Club in New Jersey.
“I’m not quite sure what to expect. We’ve always had a fall season and the fall is a better season to play in because the players are coming hot off of the summer, getting their stride and playing well,” sixth-year coach Matt Haile said.
“The spring, it’s exciting and scary all at the same time because most of these guys haven’t picked up a club probably since November and, with the long winter that we have had, White Deer has been closed so we haven’t been able to practice,” Haile said. “It’s going to be interesting. … It’s going to be harder for them. I want to see them do well, to have fun, but it’s going to be challenging.”
Key returning players include seniors Corey Teeple, of Lake Ariel, and Nick Krupka, of Allentown; junior Calvin “CJ” Foust, of Palmyra; and sophomore Sam Bubb, of Williamsport.
Freshmen include Graham Speece of Palmyra; Mike Saccoman, of Kingston, New York; Tyler Marks, of Forked River, New Jersey; Jordan Hillegas, of Lancaster; and Travis Hill, of Sarver.
Five golfers will compete in each event with the best four scores being counted toward the team score.
Archery
Competing March 14-15 in their final indoor meet of the season – the U.S. Indoor Nationals at Harrisonburg, Virginia – Penn College archers brought home three firsts, three seconds and two thirds.
Placing first in their respective disciplines were Kendel Baier, of Jersey Shore, in women’s bowhunter; Tyler Schoonover, of Bradford, in men’s bowhunter; and Nicole Lapinski, of Bloomsburg, in women’s compound.
Recording second-place finishes were Chelsea Douglass, of East Greenville, in women’s compound; Justus Leimbach, of Westminster, Maryland, in men’s compound; and Greg Foust, of Murrysville, in men’s recurve.
Courtney Deshong, of McConnellsburg, placed third in women’s bowhunter and Abigail Hricko, of Nicholson, was third in women’s compound.
“We definitely had a good show down at JMU,” coach Chad Karstetter said. “They put on a good show and Penn College came through and put on a good show, too.”
The key, Karstetter said, was getting in a lot of practice since October.
“We hit the range pretty good from October to March and it showed indoors. We had some personal bests at a national event (Greg Foust and Pamela Hartman, of Harrisburg, in women’s recurve) and some of the male bowhunters, they’re all freshmen this year and they shot really strong,” the coach continued.
Now, the outdoor season begins with the first competition April 11-12 back at James Madison.
“It will be a little bit of a switchover, going from a nice, warm environment to out in the cold and the wind, but I’m sure we’ll be ready whenever we get outside.
“I think we’re going to have some really strong teams this year. The women’s bowhunter, I think they’re going to be a tough group of girls to beat at nationals; the men’s bowhunter; Greg Foust has been shooting really strong and he has two teammates who just began shooting in November and are shooting really well, too. I look forward to seeing how they perform outside,” Karstetter said.
Penn College results at U.S. Indoor Nationals:
Women's Bowhunter
1. Kendel Baier 1,159
3. Courtney Deshong 1,083
4. Holly Neely 1,063
Women's Compound
1. Nicole Lapinski 1,139
2. Chelsea Douglass 1,088
3. Abigail Hricko 1,073
Women's Recurve
12. Pamela Hartman 497
Men's Bowhunter
1. Tyler Schoonover 1,151
4. Andrew Rupp 1,099
6. Jason Komar 1,047
7. Cody McCracken 1,017
8. Jeremy Williams 997
Men's Compound
2. Justus Leimbach 1,154
6. Matthew Cummings 1,143
7. Markus Weber 1,139
11. Cody Wolfe 1,107
Men's Recurve
2. Greggory Foust 1,100
10. Ronald Ferreri 875
13. Brandon Lonaberger 803
Baseball
Although the Wildcats didn’t see any action this past week, one Penn College player, senior Zach Weil, of Kutztown, was honored for his play the week before during the team’s trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, as he was named the North Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Week. Weil batted .556 (10 of 18) with no strikeouts through six games. Eight of his 10 hits went for extra bases, as he hit two home runs and six doubles while driving in 11 runs and he scored six times to finish with a 1.222 slugging percentage. He ended the trip with a .625 on-base percentage and had a perfect fielding percentage behind the plate, posting 36 putouts and four assists with no errors in 40 chances.
PENN COLLEGE SCHEDULES
Baseball
Overall record: 1-7
NEAC record: 0-0
Wednesday, March 18 – vs. Wilkes University at Bowman Field, ppd.
Saturday, March 21 – vs. Elmira College at Bowman Field (2), ppd.
Tuesday, March 24 – vs. Alfred State at Bowman Field (2), ppd.
Saturday, March 28 – at Pitt-Bradford (2), 1 and 3 p.m.
Sunday, March 29 – at Marywood University, 1 p.m.
Tuesday, March 31 – at Alfred State (2), 2 and 4 p.m.
Softball
Overall record: 2-8
NEAC record: 0-0
Thursday, March 19 – vs. Lycoming College at Elm Park (2), ppd.
Saturday, March 21 – vs. Elmira College at Elm Park (2), ppd.
Sunday, March 22 – at Misericordia University (2), ppd.
Tuesday, March 24 – at Misericordia University (2), 3 and 5 p.m.
Saturday, March 28 – at SUNY Cobleskill (2), 1 and 3 p.m.
Sunday, March 29 – at SUNY IT (2), noon and 2 p.m.
Tuesday, March 31 – at Alfred State (2), 3:30 and 5:30 p.m.
Men’s Tennis
Tuesday, March 24 – at Baptist Bible College, 4 p.m.
Friday, April 3 – at Bryn Athyn, 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 4 – at Penn State Abington, 11 a.m.
Wednesday, April 8 – host Wilkes University, 4:30 p.m.
Women’s Tennis
Friday, April 3 – at Bryn Athyn, 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 4 – at Penn State Abington, 11 a.m.
Thursday, April 9 – host Wells College, 3 p.m.
Golf
Saturday, March 28 – Phoenix Invitational at Chambersburg Country Club, 11 a.m.
Monday, March 30 – Susquehanna Spring Invitational at Susquehanna Valley Country Club, 12:30 p.m.
Monday, April 6 – Dutchmen Invitational at Lebanon Country Club, 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 15 – Keuka Spring Invitational at Lakeside Country Club, TBA
Saturday-Sunday, April 18-19 – NEAC Championship at Pennsauken, N.J., Country Club, TBA
Men’s Tennis
The men’s tennis opener is set for Tuesday at Baptist Bible College and coach Robert Kemrer, whose squad was 2-2 in the fall, has high hopes.
“I’ve got pretty much my whole team back from the fall. I’ve got a few new players and we’ve got some more depth, so going into the spring we’re hopeful of doing pretty well,” said the coach, in his fourth season.
“We’ve been playing really well. We were able to get some good practice in (last) week,” Kemrer said.
Expected to start for the Wildcats are junior Jordan Rodgers, of Biglerville, at No. 1 singles; freshman Ben Leibig, of Lebanon, at No. 2; junior Chris Morrin, of Morrisville, at No. 3; freshman Seth Strickland, of Morwood, at No. 4; junior Thomas Ryder, of Hughesville, at No. 5 and junior Rommel Cressman, of Lansdale, at No. 6. In doubles, Rodgers and Morrin will open at No. 1 and Liebig and Strickland at No. 2. The third doubles team still is undecided, the coach said.
“We’re extremely excited to move to a (NCAA) Division III conference. With the North Eastern Athletic Conference, we’re looking to be very competitive and hopefully to make the NEAC tournament at the end of the season. We have pretty high expectations,” Kemrer added.
Golf
The golf spring opener is set for Saturday in Chambersburg at the Phoenix Invitational. Wildcat golfers will compete in four invitational events leading up to the NEAC Championship April 18-19 at Pennsauken Country Club in New Jersey.
“I’m not quite sure what to expect. We’ve always had a fall season and the fall is a better season to play in because the players are coming hot off of the summer, getting their stride and playing well,” sixth-year coach Matt Haile said.
“The spring, it’s exciting and scary all at the same time because most of these guys haven’t picked up a club probably since November and, with the long winter that we have had, White Deer has been closed so we haven’t been able to practice,” Haile said. “It’s going to be interesting. … It’s going to be harder for them. I want to see them do well, to have fun, but it’s going to be challenging.”
Key returning players include seniors Corey Teeple, of Lake Ariel, and Nick Krupka, of Allentown; junior Calvin “CJ” Foust, of Palmyra; and sophomore Sam Bubb, of Williamsport.
Freshmen include Graham Speece of Palmyra; Mike Saccoman, of Kingston, New York; Tyler Marks, of Forked River, New Jersey; Jordan Hillegas, of Lancaster; and Travis Hill, of Sarver.
Five golfers will compete in each event with the best four scores being counted toward the team score.
Archery
Competing March 14-15 in their final indoor meet of the season – the U.S. Indoor Nationals at Harrisonburg, Virginia – Penn College archers brought home three firsts, three seconds and two thirds.
Placing first in their respective disciplines were Kendel Baier, of Jersey Shore, in women’s bowhunter; Tyler Schoonover, of Bradford, in men’s bowhunter; and Nicole Lapinski, of Bloomsburg, in women’s compound.
Recording second-place finishes were Chelsea Douglass, of East Greenville, in women’s compound; Justus Leimbach, of Westminster, Maryland, in men’s compound; and Greg Foust, of Murrysville, in men’s recurve.
Courtney Deshong, of McConnellsburg, placed third in women’s bowhunter and Abigail Hricko, of Nicholson, was third in women’s compound.
“We definitely had a good show down at JMU,” coach Chad Karstetter said. “They put on a good show and Penn College came through and put on a good show, too.”
The key, Karstetter said, was getting in a lot of practice since October.
“We hit the range pretty good from October to March and it showed indoors. We had some personal bests at a national event (Greg Foust and Pamela Hartman, of Harrisburg, in women’s recurve) and some of the male bowhunters, they’re all freshmen this year and they shot really strong,” the coach continued.
Now, the outdoor season begins with the first competition April 11-12 back at James Madison.
“It will be a little bit of a switchover, going from a nice, warm environment to out in the cold and the wind, but I’m sure we’ll be ready whenever we get outside.
“I think we’re going to have some really strong teams this year. The women’s bowhunter, I think they’re going to be a tough group of girls to beat at nationals; the men’s bowhunter; Greg Foust has been shooting really strong and he has two teammates who just began shooting in November and are shooting really well, too. I look forward to seeing how they perform outside,” Karstetter said.
Penn College results at U.S. Indoor Nationals:
Women's Bowhunter
1. Kendel Baier 1,159
3. Courtney Deshong 1,083
4. Holly Neely 1,063
Women's Compound
1. Nicole Lapinski 1,139
2. Chelsea Douglass 1,088
3. Abigail Hricko 1,073
Women's Recurve
12. Pamela Hartman 497
Men's Bowhunter
1. Tyler Schoonover 1,151
4. Andrew Rupp 1,099
6. Jason Komar 1,047
7. Cody McCracken 1,017
8. Jeremy Williams 997
Men's Compound
2. Justus Leimbach 1,154
6. Matthew Cummings 1,143
7. Markus Weber 1,139
11. Cody Wolfe 1,107
Men's Recurve
2. Greggory Foust 1,100
10. Ronald Ferreri 875
13. Brandon Lonaberger 803
Baseball
Although the Wildcats didn’t see any action this past week, one Penn College player, senior Zach Weil, of Kutztown, was honored for his play the week before during the team’s trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, as he was named the North Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Week. Weil batted .556 (10 of 18) with no strikeouts through six games. Eight of his 10 hits went for extra bases, as he hit two home runs and six doubles while driving in 11 runs and he scored six times to finish with a 1.222 slugging percentage. He ended the trip with a .625 on-base percentage and had a perfect fielding percentage behind the plate, posting 36 putouts and four assists with no errors in 40 chances.
PENN COLLEGE SCHEDULES
Baseball
Overall record: 1-7
NEAC record: 0-0
Wednesday, March 18 – vs. Wilkes University at Bowman Field, ppd.
Saturday, March 21 – vs. Elmira College at Bowman Field (2), ppd.
Tuesday, March 24 – vs. Alfred State at Bowman Field (2), ppd.
Saturday, March 28 – at Pitt-Bradford (2), 1 and 3 p.m.
Sunday, March 29 – at Marywood University, 1 p.m.
Tuesday, March 31 – at Alfred State (2), 2 and 4 p.m.
Softball
Overall record: 2-8
NEAC record: 0-0
Thursday, March 19 – vs. Lycoming College at Elm Park (2), ppd.
Saturday, March 21 – vs. Elmira College at Elm Park (2), ppd.
Sunday, March 22 – at Misericordia University (2), ppd.
Tuesday, March 24 – at Misericordia University (2), 3 and 5 p.m.
Saturday, March 28 – at SUNY Cobleskill (2), 1 and 3 p.m.
Sunday, March 29 – at SUNY IT (2), noon and 2 p.m.
Tuesday, March 31 – at Alfred State (2), 3:30 and 5:30 p.m.
Men’s Tennis
Tuesday, March 24 – at Baptist Bible College, 4 p.m.
Friday, April 3 – at Bryn Athyn, 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 4 – at Penn State Abington, 11 a.m.
Wednesday, April 8 – host Wilkes University, 4:30 p.m.
Women’s Tennis
Friday, April 3 – at Bryn Athyn, 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 4 – at Penn State Abington, 11 a.m.
Thursday, April 9 – host Wells College, 3 p.m.
Golf
Saturday, March 28 – Phoenix Invitational at Chambersburg Country Club, 11 a.m.
Monday, March 30 – Susquehanna Spring Invitational at Susquehanna Valley Country Club, 12:30 p.m.
Monday, April 6 – Dutchmen Invitational at Lebanon Country Club, 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 15 – Keuka Spring Invitational at Lakeside Country Club, TBA
Saturday-Sunday, April 18-19 – NEAC Championship at Pennsauken, N.J., Country Club, TBA
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