1999 MAC Spring Sports All-Academic Teams
17 Crusader Spring Sports Athletes Earn MAC Academic Honors,
11 Make Conference Executive Director's Teams
SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) – Seventeen student-athletes from Susquehanna University spring sports teams have earned honors from the Middle Atlantic Conference for their academic excellence.
Of that group, senior tri-captains Kim Aurand (Lewistown/Lewistown H.S.) and Tonya Wolfe (Turbotville/Warrior Run H.S.) joined with junior Karyn Kern (Brodheadsville/Pleasant Valley H.S.) on the Women's Outdoor Track and Field Executive Director's All-Academic Team – giving Susquehanna a maximum three selections to that team. Among the other Crusader women's programs, senior outfielder Tennille Shenk (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley H.S.) and junior pitcher/designated hitter Katy Alwine (Bethel Park/Bethel Park H.S.) made the Softball Executive Director's All-Academic Team, while a pair of seniors earned women's lacrosse executive director's academic honors in co-captain and third man Brandy Crum (Harrisburg/Central Dauphin H.S.) and first home Thora Westock (West Paterson, N.J./Montclair Kimberly Academy). On the men's side, junior shortstop/pitcher Andy Berwager (Hanover/South Western H.S.) and sophomore first baseman Lyle Hosler (Lititz/Manheim Township H.S.) are on the Baseball Executive Director's All-Academic Team, while senior co-captains Joe Rossi (Horsham/Hatboro-Horsham H.S.) and Corey Troxell (Clearfield/Clearfield Area H.S.) earn executive director's all-academic honors in golf.
The remaining six Crusader student-athletes made the Academic Honor Rolls in their respective sports.
To be nominated for either the MAC Executive Director's All-Academic Team, or the Academic Honor Roll, student-athletes have to be at least sophomores with cumulative grade point averages of 3.20 or better (out of a possible 4.0) and starters or significant reserves on their respective teams.The Executive Director's Teams are voted on by the conference sports information directors and represent the top vote-getters in each sport. The number of student-athletes on that team corresponds to the numbers of starters in that particular sport.
In addition to trio of executive director's honorees, the Crusader women's outdoor track and field team had sophomore Emily Dugan (Athens/Athens H.S.) make the MAC Academic Honor Roll in that sport.
The Crusader men's track and field team also had three athletes on its Academic Honor Roll in juniors Jerry Evangelista (Sheppton/Hazleton Area H.S.) and Ryan Neumyer (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley H.S.), and sophomore Garrett Thompson (Harrisburg/Central Dauphin East H.S.).
Senior pitcher Brian Papson (Downingtown/Downingtown H.S.) made the Baseball Academic Honor Roll, giving that team three academic honorees.
Men's tennis sophomore Don Eckert (Conklin, N.Y./Susquehanna Valley H.S.) rounds out Susquehanna's conference academic honorees as the lone member of the Academic Honor Roll from that team.
At MAC Championships, Aurand ran a leg on both Susquehanna's winning 1,600-meter relay team, which set a school record with its time of 4:06.64, and the fifth-place 400-meter relay (:51.89). She also qualified for the conference meet in the triple jump, placing seventh (33-2½). She was fourth in the triple jump (32-11¼) two weeks before at the Mason-Dixon Invitational at Gettysburg College.
Aurand will finish her Susquehanna career as one of the few athletes to earn 12 varsity letters – earning four in field hockey in the fall, four more in indoor track and field during the winter and four in outdoor track during the spring. She was a two-time MAC Commonwealth League field hockey All-Star as a wing, and has been on the various MAC All-Academic Teams nine times as a biology major. She is the daughter of Steven and Teresa Aurand.
Wolfe also ran on both the winning and record-setting 1,600-meter relay (4:06.64) and fifth-place 400-meter relay (:51.89) at MACs. Individually, she finished second in the 400-meter dash (1:00.54) and broke the school record while finishing fourth in the 800-meter run (2:22.65).
She has now earned MAC Academic honors six times – making the debut Executive Director's teams during both the indoor and outdoor seasons this year. She is an elementary-education major and the daughter of John and Tammy Wolfe.
Kern won the MAC outdoor triple jump championship for the third-straight year with the team's season best jump at 35-9. She also finished second in the long jump for the second time in her career, coming within the final jumper of repeating as champion with a season best leap of 16-7 1/2. She also finished third at MACs in the high jump with the team's season best leap at 5-1.
A three-time MAC Commonwealth League Basketball All-Star who has now earned conference academic honors four times as a psychology major, she is the daughter of Carol and Peter Kern.
Dugan also was on both Susquehanna's winning 1,600-meter relay team (4:06.64) and the fifth-place 400-meter relay (:51.89) at MACs. She also finished third at the conference meet in the 400-meter hurdles (1:07.59) and was fifth in the 100 hurdles (:17.05). Her finals' time in the 400 hurdles was the team's season best time, while her :16.69 in the trials of the 100 hurdles was the team's best time this season.
Dugan also made the MAC Executive Director's All-Academic Team during the indoor season and is an elementary-education major. She is the daughter of John and Bonnie Dugan of Athens.
That group helped the Crusader women's track and field team place third out of 10 teams at the recent MAC Outdoor Championships. The squad also won the 10-team Franklin & Marshall Invitational on March 20 and finished in the top half of all four scored meets during its first year under head coach Karen Brandt.
Crum was s first-team MAC All-Star this season as the defensive leader on a Crusader women's lacrosse team which finished second in the conference and 12th in Division III in team defense (8.06 goals per game). She led the team in interceptions with 17, finishing fifth in ground balls with 50. She also scored seven goals and had an assist for eight points (0.50 ppg) this season. Despite playing lacrosse for the first time three seasons ago, Crum played 49 career games at Susquehanna and had 15 goals and six assists for 21 points (0.43 ppg).
She has now earned academic honors in both lacrosse and field hockey, making the MAC Commonwealth League All-Stars in field hockey twice. Crum is a biology major and the daughter of Jean and Edward Crum, Jr.
Westock transferred to Susquehanna from Division I Lafayette College three seasons ago and went on to start for most of those three seasons. She battled back from a serious ligament knee injury at the end of her junior season to finish with 14 goals and an assists for 15 points in 14 games (1.07 ppg) this year. She was also sixth on the squad in ground balls with 47. Westock played in 41 games and had 41 goals and five assists for 46 points (1.12 ppg) for her career at Susquehanna.
She earns MAC All-Academic honors for the first time as a history major and is the daughter of Carlese and Jon Westock.
Crum and Westock helped the Crusader women's lacrosse team record the best season in its 10-year varsity history, finishing 13-3 while breaking the school record for wins in a season and advancing to the MAC Championship Game for the second time in as many years under head coach Gina Lucido.
Shenk was a first-team MAC Commonwealth League All-Star outfielder this season after being a second-team catcher in 1998 and was one of five players to play all 35 games. She broke the softball program's records for career hits (150), at-bats (424) and putouts (396) this season while leading the team offensively for a second-straight year. She batted .330 (36 for 109) with six doubles, a triple and 17 runs batted in, also topping the squad in sacrifice bunts (8) and ranking second in runs (24). In addition to her records, Shenk ranked second all-time at the school in career RBI with 75 (Record: 83, Meg Sorber, 1986-89), and was third in runs (91), chances accepted (434) and fielding percentage (.968).
A three-time MAC All-Academic Team pick and selection to the 1999 GTE District II College Division Academic All-District Softball Team as a finance major, she is the daughter of David and Carol Shenk.
Alwine led the MAC in earned run average this season, compiling a 0.75 ERA and 5-3 record despite battling a back injury all season. Her ERA was second-lowest in a season at Susquehanna (Record: 0.73, Judy Sholtis, 1986). She appeared in 17 games as a pitcher, starting 13 – throwing four complete games and 65 innings. She gave up just seven earned runs with 48 strikeouts and 25 walks – finishing seventh in MAC strikeouts per seven innings (5.25). A MAC Commonwealth League All-Star pitcher in each of her first two seasons, Alwine ranks second in program history in both career ERA (1.45) and winning percentage (.711, 27-11), ranking this in wins, strikeouts (182) and strikeouts per seven innings (5.38).
She was also one of five players to play in all 35 games this season, also starting as either a designated hitter or outfielder. She led the team in runs batted in with 25, batting .250 (25 of 100) with three doubles and the team's only two home runs this season. Alwine is second in school history in career homers (6), third in RBI (65).
A two-time MAC Academic honoree as a public relations major, she is the daughter of James and Diane Alwine.
Shenk and Alwine helped the Crusader softball team record its third-straight 20-win season and made the MAC Championship Tournament for the second-straight year. The Crusaders finished at 20-15 overall, 10-4 and in second-place in the MAC Commonwealth League for fifth-year head coach Vince Anselmo.
Berwager repeated as a second-team Commonwealth League All-Star shortstop this season as he was second on the team this season in both batting and on-base percentage, hitting .330 (31 of 94) with a .447 on-base clip. The 6-0, 190-pound lead-off hitter had a team best 19 walks and tied for the team lead in doubles with six. He also was second in stolen bases with 12 of 15, tying for sixth in the MAC (0.43 per game), and was second in runs with 19. Defensively, he also led the team with 72 assists while sporting an improved .903 fielding percentage, primarily at short. Also one of the team's top starting pitchers, he led the team and finished fourth in the MAC in earned run average at 1.91, compiling a 3-3 record while striking out a team high 30 batters and walking just 15 in 47 innings.
Berwager is a career .344 hitter (67 of 195) at Susquehanna and ranks ninth all-time in on-base percentage at .446.
Also the starting quarterback on the Crusader football team, he has made both the MAC Executive Director's All-Academic Football and Baseball Teams this year a finance major. He is the son of Timothy and Sheri Berwager.
Hosler was also a second-team league All-Star this season and one of just two players to start all 29 games, leading the team defensively for a second-straight year with a .992 fielding percentage which included just two errors in 247 attempts. He went his first 321 collegiate fielding chances without an error and presently has the best career fielding percentage in program history at .994. Hosler recorded the third most putouts in a season at Susquehanna this year with 227. Offensively, he was fourth among the regulars with a .391 on-base percentage and .264 (24 of 91) batting average while hitting in the middle of the lineup. Hosler tied for the team lead in runs with 22, also recording four doubles and 12 RBI.
He is a business major with an information systems and mathematics/secondary-education minor, and the son of David and Jean Hosler.
Berwager and Hosler helped the Susquehanna program make a dramatic turnaround — finishing 16-13 overall, 8-6 and tied for third in the Commonwealth League under rookie coach Tim Briggs after a 9-22 record and eighth-place league finish a year ago.
Rossi was this season's MAC individual champion while shooting a 54-hole total of 21-over-par 237. The recipient of the team's Low Stroke Average Award as both a sophomore and a junior, he presently leads the team this season with an average of 79.6 for 20 rounds – including fall rounds. That total also includes a 237 (77-81-79) for three of four rounds at the NCAA Division III Golf Championships.
Rossi earns MAC Academic honors for the first time as a macroeconomics/business major. He is the son of Carl and Mariana Rossi of Horsham.
Troxell tied for 20th this season at MACs with a 257. The medalist in a dual match win vs. Lebanon Valley on April 5 where he shot a five-over-par 75 at the Susquehanna Valley Country Club, Troxell has averaged 81.6 for his 21 rounds this season. He presently has a 252 (83-87-82) through three of four rounds at the NCAA Division III Championships.
He has earned MAC academic honors a maximum three times as a biology major, and has already been accepted to dental school. He is the son of Richard and Judy Troxell of Clearfield.
Rossi and Troxell have been four-year starters for the Crusader golf team, which has won five-straight MAC titles and made the NCAA Tournament in three of the last four years. Under 10th-year head coach Don Harnum. the Crusader golfers were ranked 20th nationally entering the NCAA event, and are presently 16th going into the final round.
Evangelista qualified for the MAC Outdoor Championships in the 100-meter dash, but did not make the finals in the event – finishing fifth in his heat with a time of :11.90. He made the finals in the 100 at two meets prior to MACs, finishing sixth in the event at both the Messiah (:11.60) and Mason-Dixon (:11.31) Invitationals on April 10 and 17 respectively.
A member of his track & field all-academic teams the maximum four times thus far (two winter, two spring), he is a mathematics major and the son of Gerald and Roseann Evangelista.
Neumyer qualified for the conference championship meet in the 10,000-meter run but did not score any points – placing 12th with a time of 37:04.15. His had the team's season best time in the event at the Washington and Lee Invitational on March 13, running a time of 35:54.32.
He also earned MAC academic honors in cross country and indoor track as a political science major. He is the son of William and Suszanne Neumyer.
Thompson had the bulk of his season cut short by a serious hamstring pull he suffered at the Susquehanna Invitational on March 27. Prior to that injury, he won the 200-meter dash (:22.49) at the Washington & Lee Invitational on March 13, placing second in the 100 (11.25) while running on both the team's winning relays.
A communications and theatre arts major and starting swingman on the Crusader men's basketball team where he also made that MAC Academic Honor Roll, Thompson is the son of Dr. Sterling and Barbara Thompson of Harrisburg.
The Crusader thinclads place second out of 10 teams at the conference outdoor meet, and went undefeated in the other four scored meets during the outdoor season for 21st-year head coach Jim Taylor.
Eckert played in all 12 varsity matches this season — winning twice while playing between second and fourth singles. He also teamed up with three different partners to go 9-3 in doubles — primarily playing at number two.
He played singles at the MAC Individual Championship Tournament at Elizabethtown, bowing out in the first round. An information systems major, he is the son of Doris and Richard Eckert of Conklin, N.Y.
1999 MAC Spring Sports All-Academic Teams
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