Thought for the Day — Happy New Year! As we seek prosperity and success in the new year, recall the words of Benjamin Franklin from Poor Richard’s Almanac: “Industry, perseverance and frugality, make fortune yield.”
HEY Awards
Holiday breaks have slowed the collegiate action somewhat, but not enough to keep a Mansfield University hoopster from Pine Grove from earning a Higher Education Yahoo Award today.
Freshman guard Becky Evans picked up two collegiate awards for the week of Dec. 22. First, Evans was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week, then garnered ECAC Division II Co-Freshman of the Week honors.
Evans earned the awards by averaging 12.0 points per game, connecting on 55.9 percent of her shots and racking up 12 assists and 10 steals over a four-game span. Evans scored points 14 against 25th-ranked Indiana (Pa.) and a career-best 16 points against Lincoln.
For the season, Evans is tied for second on the team in scoring, averaging 8.8 ppg. Her 24 steals (2.2 per game) leads the team and she is second in assists with 2.5 per game.
• Also earning another HEY this week is Lebanon Valley College football left tackle senior Tyler Dean of North Schuylkill. Dean was named to the
ECAC Division III South All-Star second team, the latest in a string of post-season honors for the Dutchmen’s co-captain. Dean started 39 games over his collegiate career, had no sacks recorded against him individually this season in pass protection and helped the Dutchmen average 4.1 yards-per-carry on the ground.
• North Schuylkill grad Ed Pavalko capped his collegiate football career with a pair of awards.
The senior fullback at Colgate was named last week to the ECAC’s Division I FCS All-Star Team. A team captain, Pavalko picked up his third All-Patriot League first-team honor a few weeks ago.
Pavalko, a four-year starter who returned this season from a knee injury, played in all 12 games this season and helped the Raiders lead the conference in rushing at 181 yards per game.
In the season finale, Pavalko caught a 4-yard touchdown pass in Colgate’s 21-6 victory over Bucknell, then had three carries for 14 yards in the fourth quarter to help ice the win.
Mat Mentions
It’s been a good season so far for Edinboro redshirt freshman wrestler Ty Schoffstall of Minersville, who did his high school wrestling with Tri-Valley through a co-op program.
Schoffstall has a 14-6 overall record at 157 pounds for the 4-1 Fighting Scots, with two falls, two technical falls and three major decisions. He placed third at both the Mat Town Open and the Clarion Open and seventh at the Eastern Michigan Open.
• Oklahoma State senior Josh Kindig of Blue Mountain is 4-0 this season, wrestling at 149 pounds.
• Elizabethtown freshman Chris Kummerer of Hamburg is 10-8 overall and 2-2 in dual meets, grappling at 141/149 for the Blue Jays. Senior teammate Chris Pauzer of Shamokin also wrestles at the same weights for E-town.
• Bloomsburg freshman Auston Hummel (174) of North Schuylkill is redshirting this season, but is wrestling in open tournaments. He is 5-8 with two pins.
• Junior Travis Moyer of Blue Mountain is wrestling at 174 for Lock Haven. He’s 6-8 overall, with a pin and a major decision, and finished fourth at the Brockport/Oklahoma Invitational.
• Kutztown senior Jackson Stabile of Hamburg is 3-2 at 157 pounds.
• King’s freshman Jack Hower of Schuylkill Haven is 1-3 at 184 pounds.
• Lehigh junior Cody Kievman of Blue Mountain is 5-3 at 125 pounds.
Hardcourt Highlights
Tara Nahodil, a 6-foot-4 sophomore center at Virginia Tech, has played in 11 games and started three for the Hokies (8-4). She’s averaging 2.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, and has six blocks and four steals.
• Pitt-Bradford (4-3) senior forward Alicia Kimmel of Pine Grove recorded her first double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds in the Panthers’ 77-68 win over Buffalo State.
• Alvernia freshman guard Olivia Andrefski of Nativity has made two starts and played in seven games for Alvernia (4-4). She’s averaging 7.6 ppg and 3.7 rebounds.
• Former Nativity and Alvernia (Class of 2012) standout Angela Altemose is an assistant women’s basketball coach at her collegiate alma mater.
• Lebanon Valley junior guard/forward Kyler Burke of Pine Grove had a nice overall game in the Dutchmen’s 74-66 win over Marywood, which improved LVC’s record to 7-3. Burke had 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting and four steals. On the season he’s averaging 3.9 ppg, 3.7 rebounds-per-game and has 12 steals.
• California (PA) junior forward Josh Dombrosky of Shenandoah Valley has started two games and played in 10 for the Vulcans (8-4). He’s averaging 2.9 ppg, 1.8 rebounds and has two blocks and two steals.
• Wilkes is home to a sizable contingent of local hoopsters. On the men’s squad, junior center Lee Strause of Nativity has played in six games and freshman forward Alden Whah of Marian in two.
The women’s team is loaded with locals at the guard position. Seeing time are senior Kate Thomas of Blue Mountain (2.1 ppg), freshman Emily Sofranko of Marian (1.9 ppg, 3.3 assists-per-game) and starting sophomore Chelsea Smelas of Jim Thorpe (6.5 ppg, 4.1 rebounds). Also on the roster and just returning from injury is sophomore Brittany Martin of North Schuylkill. Still another sophomore guard, Makenna Rushannon of Pottsville, is not playing this year due to injury.
In the Pool
Millersville sophomore Marina Barrineau of Blue Mountain helped the Marauders’ 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay teams pick up victories in a 139-54 dual meet win over Juniata. Against Lock Haven, Barrineau was part of the winning 400 medley and 400 free relay teams. Individually, Barrineau has the school’s second-fastest time in the 500 free and the third-fastest times in both the 100 free and 50 breaststroke.
• Kutztown senior swimmer Rachael Burke of Mahanoy Area has the school’s third-best times of the season in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly and fourth best in the 200 fly.
• At Albright, senior Drew Leahy of Pottsville swims for the men’s team, while senior Lauren Cormier of Panther Valley swims for the women.
Leahy has the team’s second-best time of the year in the 50 butterfly and third in the 100 and 200 fly events. He also swims on several relay teams.
Cormier has Albright’s best time in the 100 breaststroke and won the event against Ursinus. She also won the 200 breaststroke against Lycoming and was second in the 100 free, while helping the 400 medley relay team to victory over the Warriors. Cormier also has the second-best time in the 200 breaststroke and the third best in the 200 IM.
(MacLaughlin’s college column appears biweekly. To make contributions, email Sports Editor Leroy Boyer at Lboyer@republicanherald.com)