Last week, three Penn State University spring sports teams got a taste of the top. Two teams (men's golf and women's softball) competed in the NCAA Division III national and regional tournaments, respectively, and three teams (archery) competed in the outdoor national championships. The 2023-24 sports season has come to an end.
golf
As United East champions, Penn College entered a national championship tournament field of 43 teams and 221 players in hopes of bettering the previous year's 37th place finish.
Despite not making the 18 team after Tuesday's second round, the Wildcats finished 29th after Montoursville's Peyton Mussina posted the best consecutive rounds of his collegiate career, 69-68-137. Bainbridge's Gavin Bear tied for second place. Mifflintown's Will Orwig shot 76-82—158 to tie for 125th place, and Lansdale's Trevor Keaton shot 82-80—162 to tie for 191st place. Gunner Redmond shot 81-87. —168, tied for 205th place.
As a result of his start, Mussina became the first Wildcat to cut 36 holes and advanced to the final two rounds on the sport's biggest stage, scoring a 286 with rounds of 75 and 74 to tie for 17th place. Country.
“It was physically and mentally painful there. Bounder Creek was a good course. It was hot. But that was the situation he wanted,” said coach Rob Lytle. “After 39 holes, he was in the individual lead. But the course was tough, and it only took a few balls to put him in a tough position.
“Peyton loves that stage. He wants to compete on that stage and that's going to give him even more motivation to try harder next year.”
Mussina in daily end-of-day numbers:
69 — Bogey-free 3-under round at Boulder Creek on Tuesday, tied for 14th, four strokes behind the lead.
68 — Wednesday at Legacy Golf Club, 4 under, 1 bogey, total 137, tied for second place, one stroke behind the leader.
75 — Thursday at Boulder Creek, 3 over, 212, 212 total, tied for 10th, five strokes behind the leader.
74 — Friday at Boulder Creek, 2 over, total 286, tied for 17th, 10 strokes behind the leader.
Also last week, the American Golf Coaches Association named Mussina to the PING Division III All-Region 3 team, making him the first Wildcat to earn that honor. This season, the junior has recorded four first-place finishes and four second-place finishes.
Lytle said the national experience was “great. This is what we wanted to do. We wanted to win the conference. We wanted to get back here (to the NCAA Championships). Great. It's an opportunity. When you look at the teams we're finishing first, it's really great.”
These teams include St. John Fisher, Penn State Altoona, Luther College, Roger Williams University, Tufts University, Otterbein University, Eastern Connecticut State Scranton, Mississippi Women's University, Wisconsin-Superior, Stevens Institute of Technology, Spring Field College and Marymount College were included. and the University of New England.
“We're going to start again and reopen right away in the fall,” Lytle added.
soft ball
NCAA Division III regional play begins Thursday, with fourth-seeded Penn College battling top-seeded Moravian College until seven innings, with the score tied at 1-all before Moravian College hits a single, steals base, and sacrifices a bunt. , scored using a fielder's choice. The deciding score in the bottom of the 8th inning.
After Moravian scored in the second inning early in the game, the Wildcats responded in the fourth by scoring on a single by Danville's Madison Herriman and a two-out single to right-center field by Montoursville's Mackenzie Weaver. Weaver gave his all on the mound, giving up four hits and allowing only five hits, but finished 2-1, dropping his season record to 16-9.
In an elimination game against second-seeded Roanoke College on Friday afternoon, the Wildcats were limited to two singles and suffered a season-ending, 8-0, five-inning loss. Roanoke scored two runs in the first inning and six runs in the fourth to take the win. Likens' Faith Anderson was lost on the mound, finishing the season with a 13-3 record.
“I was proud of getting on the field (in the opener) and treating it like any other game of the season. I was proud of Mackenzie Weaver and her performance in keeping hitters off balance throughout the game. “She did a great job,” coach Angela Stackhouse said.
“My bat blew out (in the second game). It was just unlucky timing and they took advantage of one or two critical mistakes we made and the game was quickly in our hands. We couldn't beat it,'' Stackhouse said, adding that Roanoke beat Moravian to move from second to third in the district. He seeded Muskingum after the game “as needed.”
“It was a great experience for us to be asked to perform on that stage. It's a completely different atmosphere. The protocols are strict. We're looking forward to the future so that returners can get back there and be a little more relaxed next time. It will build even more of a foundation,” the fourth-year coach continued.
“I was proud of our junior class, Weaver, Harriman, and Haley DeBrody of Kogan Station, all three of whom have grown tremendously. So, I look forward to their leadership next year as seniors. ” Stackhouse said.
Also, on May 14, seven players earned spots on the UE Volt Division All-Conference Team. The first team included senior Maggie Mangene of Boalsburg and sophomore Lexi Snyder of Hagins. The second team included senior Ivy Moder of Mechanicsburg, juniors Weaver and Herriman, sophomore Jesse Brumbaugh of McClure and freshman Grace Larson of Jersey Shore. Award winners were selected by position by the opposing team's coaches, and seven of them were the most in Coach Stackhouse's program, which surpassed 100 career wins this season.
Mangene, a third baseman, earned his first all-conference selection. She was third on the team with a .356 batting average and was one of four players to reach her 100th career hit this season.
Snyder batted .336, earning him his first postseason honor as a first-team first baseman, and also split time behind the plate.
Mulder, a catcher, recorded a batting average of .314 and was selected as a second-team selection for the third time, also joining the parade of 100 career hits.
Herriman was one of two Wildcats to hit over .400 during the season, hitting .403 while starting every game in left field and earning his first all-conference berth. He recorded 52 hits, the most on the team.
Weaver joined the second team as a pitcher and earned his third all-conference berth. She was 16-8 in 25 games, leading the league with a 1.69 ERA in 145.1 innings pitched, and set NCAA-era program records with 300 career strikeouts and 400 strikeouts. He also joined the 100 career hit club.
Brumbaugh batted .270 between designated player and first base and earned his first appearance on the all-conference team.
Lawson started all games in center field and was fourth on the team with a batting average of .339.
Also on May 17, Harriman and Mangene were named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III All-Region IV second team (the highest in Penn College history), and Lawson was named to the third team.
Schedule and Results
Final overall score: 30 wins, 12 losses
NCAA D-III Bethlehem Moravia Region
Thursday, May 17 — Penn College vs. Moravian College, L, 2-1.
Friday, May 16 — Penn College vs. Roanoke College, L, 8-0 (5 innings)
archery
University of Pennsylvania archers found themselves in a tough situation at the USA Archery Collegiate Target Nationals in Statesboro, Ga. Matthew Burns of Manahawkin, N.J., in the men's compound with a team individual qualifying score ( 690 points) and achieved the highest ranking (14th place). He recorded one win in the elimination round before being expelled.
The boys combined team of Burns, Alex Edwards (Kutztown) and Emery Gunsalas (Millhall) qualified seventh out of 12 with 1,992 points, but were eliminated in the first round. The men's fixed pin team consists of Newmanstown's Aidan McClain, Selinsgrove's Ben Malehorn and Utley Cooper. The Coatesville team qualified ninth out of 11 teams with 1,865 points, but also lost in the first elimination round.
“It was a long day. Delay after delay (due to the storm) really took a toll on the shooters' mental game. It was a struggle all day for them to get into the game and get going,” Coach Dustin said.・Bartron said, noting that the start of the team game was postponed until after 8 p.m. Saturday night.
“While shooting under light was a great experience, it proved difficult for the shooters. We were not prepared for low light and needed We didn’t have any equipment,” Bartron said.
Other East US winners
baseball
Williamsport's Dallas Gries was named the UE Bolts' Rookie of the Year and was named to the All-Conference First Team on May 15. Wildcats named to the second team were Sayre's Quinn Hanafin and Bloomsburg's Sam Staib.
Griess, a sophomore, led the team in almost every statistical category at the plate. He batted .389, ranking 12th in the conference, with a .655 slugging percentage and a .457 on-base percentage. Griese had 44 hits, seven doubles, four triples, five home runs, and 38 RBIs in his first season.
Hanafin, a sophomore designated hitter, batted .317, was second on the team with 39 hits and two home runs, tied for the team lead with seven doubles and led the Wildcats with 27 RBIs.
Steive, a rookie relief pitcher, appeared in 17 games. He posted a 2.39 ERA and earned three wins in 26.1 innings pitched. Steib had 20 strikeouts, allowed 17 hits and seven earned runs, and held opposing batters to a .179 batting average.
men's lacrosse
Six Wildcats earned All-Conference honors on May 7, with three named to the first team and three to the second team. Gilbertsville freshman attacker Aidan McFalls, a member of the first team, was also named UE's Rookie of the Year.
McFalls led the team, ranking third in the conference with 48 goals and fifth in the league with 27 assists. He averaged 4.41 points per game, scooped up 25 ground balls and caused nine turnovers.
The first team with McFalls included sophomore midfielder Harrison Szlachta of Collegeville and junior defender Mason Nester of Schwenksville.
The second team included sophomore AJ Dotson of Wilmington, Delaware, freshman midfielder Will Ehret of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, and junior long-stick midfielder Austin Callahan of Beaver Dams, New York.
Szlachta had 41 points, 31 goals and 10 assists. He also collected 21 ground balls and caused two turnovers.
Nester led the defense with 40 ground balls and 19 turnovers, earning him his third all-conference berth.
Dotson was fourth in the league with 43 goals and second with 32 assists. He finished the season with 75 points, tied with McFalls for the most points in the conference.
Ehret scored 27 points on 13 goals and 14 assists, scooped up seven ground balls and caused two turnovers.
Callahan forced 11 turnovers and scooped 22 ground balls.
men's tennis
South Williamsport sophomore Logan Ogden was named to UE's second team on May 10. Ogden finished the season with 3 wins and 1 loss in both No. 3 and No. 4 singles for a total of 6 wins and 2 losses, with five matches played. Their record against UE competitions is 5 wins and 1 loss, with consecutive wins. He also won two doubles matches.
For more information about United East, visit the conference website.
For more information, please visit the Wildcats Athletics website.
