Penn College Athletes Have Huge Week

In one of the most action-packed weeks in recent memory, the spotlight is shining on Pennsylvania College of Technology athletes in multiple sports.

Over the past week:

• The men’s tennis season ended with two North Eastern Athletic Conference individual champions, three second-place finishes, one third and two fourths. Plus, the team's second-year coach was named the conference’s co-coach of the year.


• The men’s golf season ended with a third-place team finish in the NEAC Championships and four all-conference selections.


• The softball team qualified for the NEAC postseason and steps into play on Thursday.


• The archery squad hosted the East Region Outdoor Collegiate Championships and claimed 10 Top 3 finishes in individual and team competition and nine of its archers earned All-East Team honors.


• Six individuals were honored with three yearly awards at the college’s second annual athletics banquet.

And this week:

• The baseball team has two key games that will determine its NEAC postseason playoff position.

Men's Tennis
The team’s season ended on Friday with a 5-1 loss to Penn State Abington in the NEAC/NAC West Division semifinals. Stephen Helminiak, of Williamsport, picked up the lone Penn College win at No. 6 singles. Penn State Berks, a 5-0 semifinal winner over Lancaster Bible College, went on to capture its second straight championship on Saturday with a 5-1 win over Abington.

On Sunday, however, the season culminated with an outstanding finish in the individual portion of the conference tournament with three champions, two second-place finishes, one third and two fourths. Plus, second-year coach John Machak was named the conference’s co-coach of the year.

Taking titles for the Wildcats were Garrett Benner, of Selinsgrove, at No. 3 singles; Helminiak at No. 6 singles; and Helminiak and Ethan Rosler, of Bloomsburg, at No. 3 doubles. Will DeMarco, of Glen Mills, placed second at No. 4 singles and teamed with Benner to end second at No. 2 doubles; and Luke Whitenight, of Berwick, and Blake Whitmire, of Shickshinny, placed third at No. 1 doubles. Whitmire, at No. 2 singles, and Joe Morrin, of Morrisville, at No. 4 singles, ended fourth.

Awarded All-NEAC First Team honors were Benner, at No. 3 singles, and Helminiak, at No. 6 singles, and Helminiak and Rosler at No. 3 doubles. DeMarco was named to the Second Team at No. 4 singles and with Benner at No. 2 doubles. Whitenight and Whitmire were named to the Third Team at No. 1 doubles.

“Across the board, the guys just played so well. The other coaches, the other players were saying how great of a team we have and I’m just excited that I’ve got most of these guys for two more years. We’re going to be so good next year and even better the year after that. This is just the start,” Machak said.

Citing the hard work his players put into practice as the key, Machak said of his own award, “I’m just honored to even be in that category to be mentioned like that. … It’s awesome. And to be where we are as a team, it’s awesome.”

Women's Tennis
Junior Emily Bell, of Jersey Shore, went 1-1 and finished third, earning Third Team honors, at No. 4 singles during the individual portion of the NEAC Women’s Tennis Championships at Birchwood Tennis Club in Clarks Summit on Thursday and Friday. Amber Janelli, of Denver, went 0-2 at No. 3 singles and Bell and Hanna Williams, of Marion, New York, ended 0-2 at No. 2 doubles.

Men's Golf
After Saturday’s first round of the NEAC Championships at the Williamsport Country Club, Penn College was in third place with a 316, seven strokes behind leading Penn State Berks (309) and five behind defending champion Rutgers University-Camden (311). Behind them were SUNY Cobleskill (327), Penn State Abington (337), Keuka College (345), Morrisville State College (348), Bryn Athyn College (393) and Wilson College (441). In individual competition, Penn College golfers held the Nos. 3 and 4 positions as Brian Whelan, of Cresco, shot a five-over 76 and Ned Baumbach, of Elizabethtown, fired a 77. Andrew Cornish, of Penn State Berks, led with a 70 and Richard Stolz, of Rutgers-Camden, was second with a 72. Also for Penn College, Austin Moscariello, of New Columbia, was tied for seventh with a 79; Ben Fails, of Hummelstown, was tied for 20th with a 79; and Eli Dyer, of Wallingford, Connecticut, was 29th with an 88.

Wrapping up the tournament and season on Sunday, Penn College recorded the second-best team score of the day (322, to champion Penn State Berks’s 321) for a two-day total of 638, the same as Rutgers University-Camden, but Rutgers-Camden won the tiebreaker for second overall behind Penn State Berks’s 630. Rounding out the field were SUNY Cobleskill 654, Morrisville State College 692, Penn State Abington 696, Keuka College 698, Bryn Athyn College 786 and Wilson College 428.

Individually for Penn College on Sunday, Moscariello shot a 79, for a two-day 158 total and tied Baumbach, who shot an 81 Sunday, for fifth place overall. Berks’s Cornish medaled during the championship in a field of 42 with a 148 after shooting a 78 on the second day. Also for Penn College, Fails and Whelan tied for 14th as they finished with 165s and Dyer tied for 20th with a 169 total. Moscariello was awarded All-NEAC First Team honors, Baumbach Second Team honors, and Fails and Whelan Third Team honors.

“I’m extremely proud of how we played. … Overall, when we look back, they played great. … We have a lot to take from this year and move forward with our program,” coach Matt Haile said.

“This is the first time that we got a taste of being that close to the lead. These guys haven’t been used to that and it takes some time to put yourself in those situations and get over that hurdle and become that championship team. But, certainly, things are moving in the right direction. With the recruiting that I’m doing, I’ve got some guys on paper who look pretty good for next year, and being a rather young team, I’m looking forward to next season,” said the coach, in his ninth year.

Softball
On Thursday in nonconference action against crosstown rival Lycoming College, the Wildcats lost twice, by scores of 7-2 and 3-2. In the first game, Penn College was limited to five hits and both of its runs were unearned. Taylor Krow, of Mechanicsburg, had two hits, including a double. In the second game, the Wildcats were held to three singles. Krow added another hit and scored a run.

Scheduled play on Saturday at SUNY Poly was postponed due to bad weather, but Penn College returned to action at home on Sunday against Wells College and completed its regular season with a sweep by scores of 8-0 and 2-1. In the first game, Kassie Winters, of Sayre, threw a no-hitter, striking out three while Kylie Shreiner, of East Petersburg; Alyssa Gentile, of Fairport, New York; and Chelsea Gray, of Marysville, each had RBI doubles. In the second game, Morgan Heritage, of New Castle, Delaware, limited Wells to three hits, fanning 13. Gray drove in the first Penn College run with a single in the first inning and added two hits. The eventual game-winning run was scored in the fifth frame on a Wells passed ball.

The Wildcats (13-19 overall and 7-7 NEAC) are seeded third in the North Division and now face second-seeded SUNY Poly (10-12, 8-4) at Poly on Thursday in a single NEAC quarterfinal game that will determine which teams make the championship playoffs. The other North Division playoff game will pit top-seeded Keuka College against fourth-seeded Cazenovia College. After Thursday’s games, teams will be reseeded with those from the South Division for a two-day double-elimination tourney Friday and Saturday.

“Once the regular season hit, I think there was inconsistency because of the inconsistency of the schedule. This was, by far, one of the worst ‘springs’ that I’ve gone through. … In order for a team to really get in a groove you need to play more than a doubleheader a week, and at least for a good portion of our season in April that’s what we were doing,” coach Jackie Klahold said.

One of those postponements came on Saturday when the Wildcats were scheduled to play at SUNY Poly.

“The big thing we have been talking about all year is, we have left (a lot) of runners in scoring position. We have had ample opportunities every game we have been in to at least push one, possible multiple runs across the plate. Even pushing one run could swing momentum, especially in a highly contested game. … That’s what we need to do,” Klahold said.

“The light at the end of the tunnel has always been (that) this team is not only good enough to make playoffs but really compete in playoffs. When they start putting it together, they really start having that little spark,” the third-year coach continued.

"We’re looking forward to seeing what we can do, especially in a single game like Thursday, you leave it all out there on the field. You’re playing every game as if it’s your last of the season. As a coach, you’re trying to make those strategies, those game changes that can put your team in a position to win, and you’re hoping that the girls are going to respond to that,” Klahold said.

In North Eastern Athletic Conference action this week: At SUNY Poly (10-12 overall, 8-4 NEAC through Sunday), Thursday, TBA

Last meeting vs. SUNY Poly: Won 3-1 and 5-2 on April 29, 2017.

Statistically speaking: Hermitage is second in the NEAC with 106 strikeouts. Gentile is seventh in the NEAC with a .384 batting average.

NEAC North Division standings through Sunday: Keuka College 12-0, SUNY Poly 6-2, Penn College 6-3, Cazenovia College 5-5, SUNY Cobleskill 3-5, Wells College 2-9, Morrisville State College 1-11.

NEAC South Division standings through Sunday: Penn State Berks 8-0, Wilson College 8-2, St. Elizabeth College 6-2, Penn State Abington 4-6,Gallaudet University 2-8, Lancaster Bible College 0-10.

Baseball
In a nonconference slugfest on Monday at Mt. Aloysius College, the Wildcats lost, 16-13, as the two teams combined for 33 hits. For Penn College, Ben Flicker, of Topton; Cody Cline, of Waynesboro; and Alex Zelger, of Red Lion, each had three hits and drove in two runs. Penn College built an 11-0 lead after four innings, but the bottom fell out in the last of the fifth as the home team tied the score with the help of four Penn College errors, two passed balls and a wild pitch. Mt. Aloysius added five runs in the sixth, aided by another Penn College error and wild pitch. In all, seven Mt. Aloysius runs were unearned and the Wildcats stranded 13 base runners.

Stepping up against NCAA Division II Mansfield University on Tuesday, Penn College ended five straight years of frustration that included nine consecutive losses during which it was outscored 84-24 when it beat the Mountaineers for the first time in school history by scores of 5-2 and 11-6 at Bowman Field. In the opener, starting pitcher Devon Sanders went six innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs, to improve to 3-0 on the season. On offense for the Wildcats, Zelger had two hits and drove in two runs. In the nightcap, Penn College battled back from a 6-1 deficit with a 10-run fifth inning and held on for the rain-shortened win. Deric Ellerman, of Landisburg; Cody Cline, of Waynesboro; and Brittan Kittle, of Millville, each drove in two runs during the rally. Kittle and Ellerman finished the game with three RBIs each. Four Penn College pitchers combined on a six-hitter with Andrew Gilbert, of Yardley, getting the win and improving to 3-0.

Weekend road doubleheaders were postponed, leaving the Wildcats with a 17-11 overall and 9-1 NEAC record entering this coming weekend when they will host two of the conference’s top three teams — Penn State Berks on Saturday and Penn State Abington on Sunday — at Bowman Field.

In North Eastern Athletic Conference action this week: Host Penn State Berks (19-9 overall, 14-0 NEAC through Sunday) at Bowman Field, 1 p.m.Saturday; host Penn State Abington (22-9 overall, 11-2 NEAC through Sunday) at Bowman Field, noon Sunday.

Last meeting vs. Penn State Berks: Lost 7-4 on May 14 in NEAC Championship.

Last meeting vs. Penn State Abington: Won 10-9 on May 13 in NEAC Semifinal.

Statistically speaking: Pitcher Max Bair, of Centre Hall, is fifth in the NEC with a 2.87 earned run average. Colton Riley, of Danville, is third in the NEAC with eight home runs. Cline is ninth in the NEAC with a .400 batting average. Riley is tied for ninth in the NEAC with 27 runs batted in.

NEAC standings through Sunday: Penn State Berks 14-0, Penn College 9-1, Penn State Abington 11-2, Keuka College 8-3, Lancaster Bible College6-5, SUNY Poly 4-5, Gallaudet University 3-11, Wells College 2-12, Cazenovia College 2-12, SUNY Cobleskill 1-9.

Archery
Scoring firsts for the Wildcats on April 21-22 were Tim Lamont, of Eldred, in men’s compound; the mixed compound team of Tyler Schoonover, of Bradford, and Chelsea Douglass, of East Greenville; the men’s compound team of Markus Weber, of La Plata, Maryland; Tim Lamont, of Eldred; and Schoonover; and the men’s bowhunter team of Justin Rinehimer, of Mountain Top; Nate Hafeka, of Wyalusing; and John Kleinfelter, of Lebanon.

Coming in second were Schoonover in men’s compound; Hafeka, in men’s bowhunter; the mixed bowhunter team of Rinehimer and Rylee Butler, of Bellefonte; the mixed recurve team of Tanner Huff, of Altoona, and Kaylee Burk, of Hermitage; and the women’s compound team of Douglass; Sabrina Toplovich, of Spring Creek; and Sapphire Naugle, of Jersey Shore.

Rinehimer also placed third in the men’s bowhunter division.

“Our teams performed excellent during the competition here at Penn College. (Assistant coach) Dustin Bartron and I were very pleased with the outcome of the event and look forward to our next event at nationals,” coach Chad Karstetter said.

Awarded All-East honors as a result of their indoor regional and outdoor qualifying scores were Douglass, Weber, Lamont, Schoonover, Gause, Butler, Rinehimer, Haefka and Kleinfelter.

“Hopefully this is a good sign for the number of All-Americans we may have this year. They are shooting very well and hopefully this is a sign of them peaking at the right time with nationals only a few weeks away,” Karstetter said.

Also for Penn College, Burk tied for fifth in women’s recurve; Huff and Josh Maring, of Brookville, tied for fifth in men’s recurve; Douglass was fifth in women’s recurve; Gause was fifth in women’s bowhunter; Toplovich was sixth in women’s compound; Weber was sixth in men’s compound; Butler was sixth in women’s bowhunter; Aaron Cummings, of Mountville, was seventh in men’s compound; Kleinfelter was seventh in men’s bowhunter; David Fox, of Coburn, was ninth in men’s compound; and Naugle was 10th in women’s compound.

In all, 17 teams and 97 individuals competed in the two-day event.

Next up for the Wildcats will be the season-ending outdoor nationals, May 17-20 at the Easton Newberry Archery Center in Newberry, Florida.

“Hopefully, the weather stays nice like it did last weekend and we can get some good quality practices in before the end of the semester. I am very excited to see how nationals turn out with the team we have,” Karstetter said.

Six Student-Athletes Honored
Penn College honored six student-athletes with three awards at its second annual athletics banquet Monday evening.

The event featured season recaps from each coach about their respective programs and finished with announcements of the Athlete of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, and Scholar-Athlete of the Year for both men and women.

Junior Taylor Krow, of Mechanicsburg, softball, and senior Malcolm Kane, of Ardsley, men’s soccer, were named Athletes of the Year, in a field of nominees that included freshman Ashley Donat, of Lenhartsville, women’s soccer; sophomore Brittan Kittle, of Millville, baseball; and sophomore Josh Velez, of Lewistown, men’s cross-country. Krow is two-time All-NEAC selection, including a First-Team nod last year. She is a member of SAAC and collected her 100th career hit this season. Kane capped off a four-year career by being named All-NEAC First Team and helped his team to a NEAC semifinal appearance.

Women’s cross-country runner Sydney Trunzo, of Williamsport, and wrestler Jared Mooney, of Palmerton, were named Newcomers of the Year in a category that included Donat; Colton Riley, of Danville, baseball; and Matt Leiby, of Danville, men’s cross-country. All are freshmen. Trunzo was a two-time NEAC Runner of the Week and was an All-NEAC First Team selection. Mooney was second in the team in wins (19-15) and bonus points wins (nine) and became the first wrestler in school history to place in NCAA Regionals, where he was fourth.

Junior Thomas Runner, of Elkridge, Maryland, men’s cross-country, and senior Hanna Williams, of Marion, New York, women’s soccer and tennis, were named Scholar-Athletes of the Year, which also included sophomore nominee Dylan Otis, a wrestler from Towanda. Runner has above a 3.8 GPA and serves on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. Williams, a two-time winner, is involved in numerous clubs and organizations, carries a very high GPA, is the SAAC president and a soccer team captain.

Penn College Faculty Athletic Representative Tom Zimmerman recognized 70 student-athletes who maintain at least a 3.5 GPA, including 24 who are well above.

SCHEDULE/RECORDS/RESULTS
Baseball
Overall: 17-11
NEAC: 9-1
Monday, April 23 – at Mt. Aloysius College, L, 16-13
Tuesday, April 24 – host Mansfield University at Bowman Field (2), W, 5-2; W, 11-6 in 6 innings (rain)
Saturday, April 28 – at SUNY Cobleskill (NEAC, 2), ppd.
Sunday, April 29 – at SUNY Poly (NEAC, 2), ppd.
Wednesday, May 2 – at Elmira College, 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 5 – host Penn State Berks at Bowman Field (NEAC, 2), 1 p.m.
Sunday, May 6 – host Penn State Abington at Bowman Field (NEAC, 2), noon
Friday-Sunday, May 11-13 – NEAC Championships, TBA
(End of regular season)

Softball
Overall: 13-19
NEAC: 7-7
Wednesday, April 25 – host Wells College at Elm Park (NEAC, 2), ppd. to April 29
Thursday, April 26 – at Lycoming College (2), L, 7-2; L, 3-2
Saturday, April 28 – at SUNY Poly (NEAC, 2), ppd.
Sunday, April 29 – at Wilson College (NEAC, 2), canceled
Sunday, April 29 – host Wells College at Elm Park (NEAC, 2), W, 8-0 in 5 innings; W, 2-1
Thursday, May 3 – NEAC quarterfinal at SUNY Poly, TBA
Friday-Saturday, May 4-5 – NEAC Championships, TBA
(End of regular season)

Men’s Golf
Overall: 2-0
Saturday-Sunday, April 28-29 – host NEAC Championship at Williamsport Country Club, finished third in a nine-team field
(End of regular season)

Men’s Tennis
Final overall: 7-6 (1-5 fall)
Final NEAC: 4-2 (4-1 regular season)
Friday, April 27 – vs. Penn State Abington in NEAC/NEC West Division semifinals at Birchwood Tennis Club, Clarks Summit, L, 5-1
(End of season)

Women’s Tennis
Final overall: 1-12 (0-7 fall)
Final NEAC: 1-4
(End of season)

Archery
May 17-20 – Collegiate Outdoor Nationals at Easton Newberry Archery Center, Newberry, Fla.
(End of season)

For more information, visit the Wildcat Athletics website.

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