SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) — The post-season is upon two of the Susquehanna University fall sports teams, while two others are nearing their Middle Atlantic Conference championship events in another week.
The women's tennis team will officially open the post-season as three members of that team will be participating in the Middle Atlantic Conference Individual Championships at Moravian College this Friday and Saturday.
The field hockey team is still ninth in the latest NCAA Division III STX/National Field Hockey Coaches Assocation national poll and has already secured second-place in the MAC Commonwealth Conference and its first conference playoff berth since 1993. Now 13-1 overall and just two wins shy of breaking the school record for wins in a season (Record: 14-5, 1993), the team has two regular season games left at home Thursday vs. Muhlenberg (8-6) and Saturday at York (9-3). The Crusaders finished second in the Commonwealth Conference and will play at Freedom Conference champion Wilkes (10-5 as of Oct. 17) in a MAC semifinal next Wednesday, October 27, at 3 p.m. Susquehanna scored a 2-0 win at Wilkes on October 12. If the Crusaders won their semifinal game, they would have to travel to either Commonwealth Conference champion and third-ranked Lebanon Valley (13-1), or the Freedom Conference team to be determined for the MAC Championship Game on Saturday, October 30.
After getting a look at the courses which will be used for next Saturday's MAC Championship at the Allentown College Invitational Sunday, the Susquehanna men's and women's cross country teams will have the weekend off as they prepare for MACs under new coach Craig Penney. The Crusader women finished 13th out of 30 teams last Sunday at Allentown, but were third among the 11 MAC schools which ran the race. The Susquehanna men's harriers were 17th out of 29 teams, and seventh among MAC schools.
The women's volleyball team of seventh-year head coach Bill Switala is close to a MAC Championship Tournament berth for a second-straight season, but either needs a win in its MAC Commonwealth finale next Tuesday at second-place Moravian, or a loss by Widener to conference leader Juniata. The Crusaders are presently 16-10 overall, 4-2 in the conference, and could still finish as high as second or as low as fifth and out of the playoffs. The top four in each conference make the MAC Championship Tournament, which will begin with first-round matches at the number-two teams in each conference on Wednesday, November 3. Susquehanna will return to action after an 11-day layoff Saturday in a tri-match at Haverford and with Scranton.
While the men's and women's soccer teams of head coach Jim Findlay will not make the MAC post-season, each can still finish at .500 — or higher in the case of the men — as they close their respective seasons over the next week.
A complete capsule of every Crusader fall sports team, with the exception of football, follows.
THE FIELD HOCKEY REPORT
Sophomore goalkeeper Kylie Cook (Huntingdon/Huntingdon Area H.S.) has taken over the MAC Commonwealth Conference lead in both goals-against average (now at 0.57, and save percentage (now at .901). Cook, who was never a goalkeeper before last season, has made 64 saves and surrendered just seven goals this season.
The team's only two senior starters have led the defense in front of Cook. Tri-captain Amanda Reigle (Middleburg/Middleburg H.S.) is a four-year starter who has started all 65 games in her career. Taryn Moser (Lewistown/Lewistown H.S.) has been a starter both seasons since electing to come out for the team last year.
Freshmen Leah Bailor (Richfield/Middleburg H.S.) and Katie McKeever (Worcester/ Methacton H.S.) continue to lead the offense.
A 1998 all-state selection, Bailor has regained the Commonwealth Conference scoring lead – now with 10 goals and seven assists for 27 points (1.93 per game). She also leads the conference in assists per game (now 0.50) and is second in goals (0.71 per game).
McKeever has nine goals and an assist for 19 points and is third in both conference scoring (now 1.36 points per game) and goals per game (now 0.64).
Junior tri-captains Ali Hughes (Reading/Muhlenberg H.S.) and Danielle Wenger (Hamburg/Hamburg Area H.S.) are tied for second both on the team and in the conference in assists with five (now 0.36 per game). They are also both tied for the school record for career assists with 13 apiece. Hughes also has two goals for nine points (0.69 points per game) this season, while Wenger has a goal for seven points (0.54 points per game).
THE MEN'S SOCCER REPORT
The Crusaders have won their last three games to get back to .500 at 7-7 overall, 2-3 in the MAC Commonwealth Conference. They scored a win at Dickinson (2-1) last Thursday, then stopped Widener's seven-game win streak while winning their first conference game (5-0) Saturday, and made it two-straight conference wins (3-2) at Lebanon Valley Wednesday.
Sophomore forward Aaron Littzi (Kingston/Wyoming Valley West H.S.) has been on a scoring spree of late — tallying four goals and two assists for 10 points in the three-straight wins. Littzi continues to lead the team in scoring with eight goals and four assists for 20 points and is now fourth in the Commonwealth Conference in points per game (now 1.43) and fifth in goals per game (now 0.57 per game).
Junior midfielder Sal Saladino (Hughesville/Hughesville H.S.) has also rebounded from early season injuries to score three goals in the last two games, including the first goal at Lebanon Valley Wednesday to tie the score at one. Sophomore midfielder Brad Levine (Mahwah, N.J./Mahwah H.S.) also scored the first two goals of his Susquehanna career in each of the team's first two wins last week, while fellow sophomore midfielder Beau Heeps (Allentown/Parkland H.S.) chipped in with a goal in the Lebanon Valley win. Heeps has two goals and two assists for six points (0.43 points per game) this season..
Senior John Steigerwald (Toms River, N.J./Monsignor Donovan H.S.) was the goalkeeper in all three wins, picking up his third shutout this season vs. Widener while making just two saves. Steigerwald has 2.33 goals-against average and .716 save percentage.
THE CROSS COUNTRY REPORT
Sophomore Mike Lehtonen (Laurens, N.Y./ Morris Central H.S.) was Susquehanna's highest individual finisher Sunday at Allentown, placing 28th out of 208 runners with a career best time of 27:30.06. Freshman Luke Peterson (Huntingdon Valley/Lower Moreland H.S.) continued to be number-two, placing 91st Sunday with a time 29:09.97.
Among the women, freshman Erin Colwell (Belleville/Indian Valley H.S.) finished first among the Crusader runners at Allentown – placing 37th out of 225 with a time of 20:29.99. Senior captain Sarah Costello (Palmyra/Palmyra H.S.) wasn't far off the pace, placing 54th with a time of 20:52.95.
THE WOMEN'S SOCCER REPORT
After winning five-straight games to get to 6-4 on the season, the Crusader women's soccer team has dropped four-straight for Findlay and needs to win its last two to post just the second season above .500 in the program's six-year history.
The Crusaders nearly pulled an upset in their home finale vs. 11-4-1 Wilkes Wednesday, talking a 2-1 into late in the second half before giving up two late goals in the 3-2 loss. Senior midfielder Melissa Ruozzi (Braintree, Mass./Braintree H.S.) was honored with the three other senior players before the start of their final home game, and then went out to score a goal giving her team a 2-1 lead. Ruozzi has a goal and an assist this season, giving her nine goals and five assists for 23 points in her 50 career games (0.46 points per game).
Junior midfielder Lindsay Hayes (Troy, N.Y./Tamarac H.S.) and sophomore Kim Anderson (Orefield/Parkland H.S.) had the two assists Tuesday – keeping them tied for second on the team in scoring with three goals and an assist for seven points (0.50 points per game). Freshman Christy Smith (Wenonah, N.J./Gateway Regional H.S.) scored the first goal of her Susquehanna career to tie the game at one.
Fellow freshman Dorn McMahon (West Caldwell, N.J./James Caldwell H.S.) made four saves in goal. McMahon continues to lead the Commonwealth Conference in save percentage (now .880) and is third in goals-against average (now 1.45). McMahon has 147 saves on the season and needs 20 more to break the school single-season record (Record: 166, Maddy Pennino, 1996).
THE WOMEN'S TENNIS REPORT
After his team finished match play at 4-7 overall, 2-5 in the MAC Commonwealth Conference, sixth-year women's tennis coach Bob Jordan will take three players to MAC Individual Championships this weekend – with all of them having a good shot of faring well.
Senior co-captain Meghan McGinnis (Washington Crossing/Council Rock H.S.) was 6-4 at first singles this year, and is 16-16 at the top of lineup during her Susquehanna career. McGinnis will be the team's singles representative at MACs.
Fellow senior co-captain Sarah Curley (Montrose/Elk Lake H.S.) will team up with freshman Carly Kellett (Binghamton, N.Y./Chenango Valley H.S.) as the squad's doubles representative at MACs. While Curley and Kellett lost both matches they played together this season, Corley was 4-2 in other doubles matches while Kellett was 4-5 with other partners.
THE WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL REPORT
The 11-day layoff between matches mean the Crusader numbers have not changed since last week.
Junior Erin Leslie (Exton/Villa Maria Academy) is the team leader in service aces with 48, ranking second in the conference (0.60 per game). She also leads the team in assists with 497 (6.21 per game).
Senior outside hitter Jen Mitman (Perkasie/Pennridge H.S.) continues to leads the team in kills per game (2.49) and is second among the hitters in percentage (.247), while senior co-captain Missy Kuruzovich (Johnstown/Westmont Hilltop H.S.) continues to lead in digs with 264 (2.87 per game). Now with 982 digs in 392 career games, Kuruzovich is just 18 shy of becoming just the third player in program history to surpass 1,000.
Freshman middle blocker Traci Sariscak (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park H.S.) continues to lead the hitters in percentage at .292, ranking fifth in the conference.
THE FALL GOLF REPORT
Tenth-year head coach Don Harnum decided not to take his team to the Muhlenberg Tournament Monday — its final fall tournament — because of the Fall Break. The Crusaders started a sophomore and four freshmen in the fall, because two starters were studying abroad in London this semester.
The lone sophomore was returning starter Ryan Franks (Huntingdon/Huntingdon H.S.), who had the team's low stroke average this fall at 77.6 for five rounds. Freshman Ryan Reid (Chambersburg/Chambersburg H.S.) was second at 80.4 for his five rounds this fall.
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