Sept. 7, 2010

 

Center Valley, Pa. — The Patriot League announced its weekly awards for Aug. 30-Sept. 6 in field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball and cross country Tuesday.

American women’s volleyball went 4-0 last week and Magdalena Tekiel played a major role and won her second straight Player of the Week award. Navy’s Erin Fortner was the Rookie of the Week.

In field hockey, American and Lafayette each had standout performances against nationally ranked teams. Lafayette’s DeAnna DiCroce was named the Offensive Player of the Week, and American’s Tatum Dyer (Defensive) and Lott Van de Mierop (Rookie) were honored as well. Colgate’s Kirsten Lalli was named the Goalkeeper of the Week.

Two Navy men’s soccer players were honored as Dave Arnold was named the Offensive Player of the Week and Patrick Sopko was named the Rookie of the Week. Bucknell’s Ross Liberati was named the Defensive Player of the Week and Lafayette’s Andrew Pianko was selected as the Goalkeeper of the Week. 

In women’s soccer, Army’s Molly McGuigan was named the Defensive Player of the Week and teammate Kim An was named the Rookie of the Week. Lafayette’s Lauren Smedley was selected as the Goalkeeper of the Week and Lehigh Liz Carlos was named the Offensive Player of the Week. 

Navy swept the women’s awards in cross country with Jess Palacio being selected as the Female Runner of the Week and Rachael Honrath being named the Rookie of the Week. Lehigh’s Evan Flach was selected as the Male Runner of the Week, and Bucknell’s Chris Sacks was named the Male Rookie of the Week. 

Patriot League Field Hockey Weekly Awards

Offensive Player of the Week

DeANNA DiCROCE, LAFAYETTE So., F, Doylestown, Pa.

DiCroce had an outstanding opener as the Leopards fell just short in a 3-2 loss at No. 6 Wake Forest. She assisted on the first goal of the game to give Lafayette an early lead and scored the Leopards’ second tally. DiCroce earns her third career Offensive Player of the Week honor after receiving the award twice along with three Rookie of the Week awards as a freshman in 2009.

Defensive Player of the Week

TATUM DYER, AMERICAN So., D, Windham, N.H.

Dyer earns her second career Defensive Player of the Week award after leading a strong effort in No. 15 American’s 2-1 loss to No. 13 Louisville on Sunday. She anchored an Eagle defense that surrendered just eight shots and four penalty corners in the game, and only one shot in the second half against a Louisville team that was averaging five goals per game.

Goalkeeper of the Week

KIRSTEN LALLI, COLGATE Sr., GK, Pound Ridge, N.Y.

Lalli earns her second straight Goalkeeper of the Week honor after making an astounding 64 saves in Colgate’s three games last week. The bulk of her action came in losses to Northwestern Monday and Rider Saturday. She stopped 20 of 24 shots in a 4-1 loss to the Wildcats, then saved 21-of-26 in a 5-0 loss to the Broncos. Lalli capped her week with seven saves on 12 shots in a 5-1 loss to Monmouth on Sunday, giving her a .774 save percentage in the three games. Lalli becomes the first Colgate player to win multiple Goalkeeper of the Week awards.

Rookie of the Week

LOTTE VAN DE MIEROP, AMERICAN Fr., F, Hove, Belgium

Van de Mierop scored her first collegiate goal for No. 15 American’s only tally in a 2-1 loss to No. 13 Louisville Sunday. The goal came on her only shot of the match as she made a diving play on a ball put into the circle and beat the goalkeeper. Van de Mierop wins her first Rookie of the Week award.

Honorable Mentions

KELSEY ANDERSEN, LAFAYETTE Sr., GK

Andersen stopped nine of 12 shots she faced in a 3-2 loss at No. 6 Wake Forest Saturday, and made four saves in a 3-0 loss to Davidson Sunday

MEGHAN CICCHI, LAFAYETTE Sr., D

Cicchi scored a goal in Lafayette’s 3-2 loss at No. 6 Wake Forest Saturday. 

Patriot League Women’s Soccer Weekly Award 

BRINE Offensive Player of the Week

LIZ CARLOS, LEHIGH Sr., F, Southbury, Conn.

Carlos netted the hat trick to stake the Mountain Hawks to a 3-0 lead in their eventual 3-2 win over Quinnipiac on Friday. She scored twice in the first half and tallied her third goal of the game on a second-half penalty kick. Carlos is the first Mountain Hawk to score a hat trick since Gina Lewandowski did it in 2004, also against the Bobcats. She is tied for fourth all-time at Lehigh with 14 career goals and is fifth with 38 career points. 

BRINE Defensive Player of the Week

MOLLY McGUIGAN, ARMY Fr., D, Boulder, Colo.

McGuigan played steady defense in a 2-0 week for the Black Knights, as the team blanked Quinnipiac and Manhattan. Army surrendered 10 shots to the Bobcats and eight to the Jaspers, with three and two, respectively, being put on goal. McGuigan is one of two freshmen to start all five of Army’s games to this point. The Black Knights are 4-1 and have not surrendered a goal in 393 minutes. 

BRINE Goalkeeper of the Week

LAUREN SMEDLEY, LAFAYETTE So., GK, Hamilton, N.J.

Smedley started off the week by posting a 12-save performance in a 2-0 shutout of La Salle before stopping seven and five shots, respectively, in close losses to St. Francis (Pa.) and Drexel. She gave up two goals and made 24 saves for the week for a 0.67 goals-against average and a save percentage of .923. 

BRINE Rookie of the Week

KIM AN, ARMY Fr., M, Oak Ridge, N.J.

An scored twice and pitched in an assist in Army’s 3-0 shutout of Quinnipiac, then followed it with the only goal of the match as the Black Knights blanked Manhattan 1-0. She netted both game-winning goals on the week for Army, while posting a game- and season-high five shots against the Bobcats. An’s three-goal, seven-point week puts her in the team lead in those categories, while her six shots on goal are also a team best. She is the first Army freshman to score twice in a game since 2002. 

Honorable Mentions

SHELBY STAND, HOLY CROSS Sr., F, Douglas, Mass.

Stand posted two goals and an assist for five points for the Crusaders, with her points coming against Central Connecticut and Wagner. 

Patriot League Men’s Soccer Weekly Awards

BRINE Offensive Player of the Week

DAVE ARNOLD, NAVY Fr., F, Baltimore, Md.

Arnold made his collegiate debut by notching the game-winning goal in Navy’s season-opening 3-1 win over Wofford, then scored twice as the Mids shut out VMI, 5-0. His four-point effort against VMI tied a Glenn Warner Soccer Facility record, which was also met by teammate Patrick Sopko in the same contest. In just two matches, he has already surpassed the number of goals scored by last year’s Navy team leader. 

BRINE Defensive Player of the Week

ROSS LIBERATI, BUCKNELL Sr., D, Warwick, Md.

Liberati scored twice and added an assist in Bucknell’s 3-1 win over La Salle, with all five of his points coming in a span of 14 minutes in the second half. It was a career-best performance for the senior defender, who was a First-Team All-Patriot League selection a year ago. 

BRINE Goalkeeper of the Week

ANDREW PIANKO, LAFAYETTE Sr., GK, Indianapolis, Ind.

Pianko played all 270 minutes of Lafayette’s three victories last week, including posting a 1-0 shutout of Temple at the Leopards’ own Puma Classic. He started the season with a six-save performance in a 2-1 win at Rider, then stopped eight shots in the 3-1 victory over Stony Brook. He made five saves in the shutout over the Owls. For the week, he stopped 19 shots and posted a .905 save percentage and an 0.67 goals-against average. 

BRINE Rookie of the Week

PATRICK SOPKO, NAVY Fr., M, Gloucester, Va.

Sopko tied a Glenn Warner Soccer Facility record with a four-point outing (1g, 2a) in Navy’s 5-0 shutout of VMI. In addition, he added an assist in the Mids’ season-opening 3-1 victory over Wofford. With three helpers on the season, he is just one shy of last year’s team leader, who notched four assists. 

Honorable Mentions

TOMMY McCABE, BUCKNELL Sr., M, Sarasota, Fla.

McCabe’s three-assist performance was one shy of the Bison record in a 3-1 victory over La Salle in Philadelphia. All three goals were scored in the second half after Bucknell had been trailing 1-0. It was the first three-assist showing by a Bison player since Jonathan Hemmert against NJIT in 2004. 

JOE PULEO, LEHIGH Jr., F., Preston, Pa.

Puleo scored twice, including the game-winner, in Lehigh’s 3-0 victory over Rutgers in the team’s first game of the season. The two goals match his total from all of last season. 

ALEX TILATTI, AMERICAN Jr., D, Thornhill, Ontario

Tilatti was named to the D.C. College Cup All-Tournament team for his defensive effort in the Eagles’ two games. He pitched in on American’s 3-0 shutout of Howard and posted a defensive save in the 60th minute of the Eagles’ 1-0 loss to George Mason. 

Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Weekly Awards

Player of the Week

MAGDALENA TEKIEL, AMERICAN Sr., OH, Warsaw, Poland

Tekiel captured her second Tournament MVP award in as many weeks, securing the honors at the Colonial Challenge at William & Mary. She posted a double-double with 20 kills and 12 digs while connecting with a .447 hitting percentage in American’s 3-2 win over Campbell during the tournament. For the week, she posted a hitting percentage of .365 while averaging 4.00 kills and 2.23 digs per set. The Eagles are now 6-1, which is their best start since 2000. 

Rookie of the Week

ERIN FORTNER, NAVY Fr., S/RSH, Villa Hills, Ky.

Fortner played well at all ends of the floor in a 2-1 week for the Mids. She led the team in kills, attack percentage, assists and aces for the week. In 11 sets, she averaged 2.73 kills, 5.27 assists and 1.82 digs per frame. Her best effort of the week was a 17-kill, 21-assist, 3-ace performance in a 3-1 win over Delaware State in which she connected on a .452 hitting percentage. Those 17 kills versus Delaware State were the most by a Navy freshman in five years. 

Honorable Mentions

JULIE CRUM, AMERICAN Fr., OH, Hacienda Heights, Calif.

Crum contributed mightily to the Eagles’ 4-0 week, including posting the first double-double of her career with 11 kills and 13 digs in American’s 3-2 victory over Campbell. She averaged 2.29 kills and 2.50 digs per set during the week, while compiling a .315 hitting percentage. She earned a spot on the Colonial Challenge All-Tournament Team for her efforts. 

KAYLY ELMER, LAFAYETTE Sr., OH, Wilmette, Ill.

Elmer led the Leopards in kills in four of the team’s five matches this week, averaging 3.74 kills and 2.11 digs per set as Lafayette went 2-3 to start 2010. She posted a .246 hitting percentage for the week. 

MEGAN LYNCH, HOLY CROSS So., OH, Mendham, N.J.

Despite a 1-3 week for the Crusaders, Lynch averaged a double-double of 13.5 kills and 13.75 digs per match over the seven days. After posting seven double-doubles in 2009, the sophomore has five in seven matches so far this season. 

Patriot League Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Weeky Awards 

Male Runner of the Week

EVAN FLACH, LEHIGH Jr., Airmont, N.Y.

Flach finished first out of 99 runners at the Lehigh Invitational, helping the Mountain Hawks finish first out of eight teams, including Lafayette and Rider, Saturday. He won by nine seconds over Rider’s Christian Gonzalez, who was 27th in the region in 2009. Flach also beat his 2009 Lehigh Invitational time by 22 seconds, finishing the 6K in 18:36.0. 

Female Runner of the Week

JESS PALACIO, NAVY Jr., Sun Valley, Nev.

Palacio led the Mids to a first-place finish at the Lehigh Invitational with the individual championship. She led the entire race of 104 runners and finished with a time of 21:35.8. 

Male Rookie of the Week

CHRIS SACKS, BUCKNELL Fr., Pound Ridge, N.Y.

Sacks won the individual championship in his first collegiate race, finishing the Bucknell Open’s three-mile course in 14:56. 

Female Rookie of the Week

RACHAEL HONRATH, NAVY Fr., Manasquan, N.J.

Honrath finished eighth out of 104 runners at the Lehigh Invitational, helping Navy place first. She was the Mids top freshman with a time of 22:50.1. 

Honorable Mentions

ED SHERIDAN, COLGATE Sr., Phillipsburg, N.J.

Sheridan won the individual title at the Harry Lang Invitational, shaving 27 seconds off his 2009 time. He helped Colgate finish first and claim seven of the top 10 spots. 

BRYCE LIVINGSTON, ARMY Sr., Tucson, Ariz.

Livingston finished first out of 75 runners at the Army Open, finishing the 5K course in 15:35.20. He was one of three Army runners to finish in less than 16 minutes. 

ELISE DeROO, COLGATE Jr., Newton, Conn.

DeRoo took the individual championship at the Harry Lang Invitational for the second straight year, shaving 1:01 off of Stacey Marion’s 2007 performance. She ran the race in 15:08 to help the Raiders finish first. 

PAIGE SUTHERLAND, HOLY CROSS Jr., Groveland, Mass.

Sutherland took the individual championship at the Bryant Invitational to be the Crusaders top finisher for the 14th time in their last 15 events. It was her second season-opening win. 

STEPHANIE FULMER, BUCKNELL Jr., Pottstown, Pa.

Fulmer placed first at the Bucknell Open, finishing the three-mile course in 17:13.

CRAIG BROWN, AMERICAN Jr., Manchester, N.H.

Brown finished first at the Mount St. Mary’s 5K Duals, setting a new personal record with a time of 15:33.89.