During a week in which the weather was most cooperative, all six Pennsylvania College of Technology spring sports teams saw action and four posted wins, including a program-first in men’s lacrosse.
After being idled by the pandemic last spring and fall, Pennsylvania College of Technology golf and men’s and women’s tennis teams are more than ready to get going again.
The golf season is scheduled to start Wednesday when Lycoming College and Susquehanna University square off with the Wildcats at Williamsport Country Club while the tennis season begins Saturday at Lancaster Bible College. And one thing athletes in both sports face is getting back into a competitive-play mode after their long layoffs in a very short time as North Eastern Athletic Conference playoffs will be held in just three weeks.
Over this past weekend, the college’s men’s lacrosse and women’s softball teams both saw action while the scheduled baseball games were postponed.
Four virtual workshops in April, continuing Penn College’s series of free community presentations, will provide expert advice on topics as richly varied as the institution’s curriculum portfolio.
More than a year after their last competitive NCAA Division III games, it would be an understatement to say that the Pennsylvania College of Technology baseball and softball teams are eager to get back into action.
Both squads are scheduled to open at home Saturday – baseball hosting Penn State Harrisburg in a 1 p.m. twin bill at Bowman Field and softball entertaining Morrisville State College at 1 p.m. in a doubleheader at Elm Park. For the baseball team, it will have been 379 days since it last played while the softball team has been idled for 378 days – both due to the COVID-19 pandemic that prematurely ended all spring sports a year ago.
And playing an all-North Eastern Athletic Conference schedule that includes 10 doubleheaders, the importance of every game can’t be overlooked.
A total of 3,546 meals were provided to 484 Penn College students in COVID-related isolation or quarantine so far this academic year, according to Dining Services statistics shared Thursday with the administration.
Figures through February break down into: dinner, 1,258; lunch, 877; breakfast, 817; and brunch, 243. In addition, 351 bagged items (muffins, noodle bowls, sandwiches, snacks, etc.) were given to students who began the testing/isolation process after Dining Services made its deliveries for the day.
The highest number of total meals was 915 in September; November was second with 800. Wildcat Athletics coaches helped make some of the meal dropoffs, it was noted, indicative of the institution’s collaborative approach to serving students affected by the pandemic.
Penn College’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee delivered almost 700 books to a local childcare facility on Monday, an astounding number of donations over a matter of mere days. In conjunction with Read Across America (March 2), which in non-pandemic years has featured Wildcat student-athletes reading at nearby schools, the committee invited employees and students to donate new and gently used books for children aged 6 weeks to 10 years. “The campuswide support for this initiative was absolutely incredible, and we are extremely grateful for the support of the college community,” said Christa Matlack, head coach of the Wildcat women’s soccer team, who spearheaded SAAC’s March 1-5 collection. “Yesterday, we delivered 681 books to Blessed Beginnings Preschool and Childcare in South Williamsport. The staff was thrilled to receive the books for their classrooms.” Photo provided
They were the one-word reactions expressed by Pennsylvania College of Technology coaches after it was announced Feb. 26 that spring sports competition would resume for their teams.
Members of the Penn College esports team compete last weekend in the Wildcat Den on the second floor of Madigan Library.
The third annual PA Cup esports championships took place Saturday, when Penn College teams competed against 17 counterparts from 11 schools in Pennsylvania. “Our teams battled to see who was the best in the state in League of Legends and Overwatch for a $3,000 prize pool,” said Joshua D. Young, coach of the college’s esports program. In group play (decided by a best of three), the Overwatch team went against the Temple Owls (2-0), Arcadia University Knights (2-0) and Saint Francis Red Flash (2-0) to advance to the finals as the No. 2 seed. The Messiah Falcons got the better of the Penn College team in the semi-finals, and the Wildcats finished third. Messiah would be rematched against the Harrisburg University Storm in the finals, which were professionally cast by the Nerd Street Gamers; Harrisburg won for the third year in a row. Saturday’s matches, along with other recent competitions, are available on Penn College esports’ Twitch TV stream. Information and photo provided by Young, also a learning systems administrator at the college
Pennsylvania College of Technology will return to formal competition for spring sports in 2021 in coordination with a unanimous decision by the North Eastern Athletic Conference Presidents’ Council and Board of Athletic Directors, it was announced Friday.
The decision affects baseball, softball, men’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s golf at Penn College.
Eighteen students, including members of the Wildcat men’s soccer team, women’s basketball team and Theta Phi Alpha sorority, volunteered their time and wrote heartfelt and cheerful messages on Valentine’s Day cards for residents of the nearby Manor Care nursing facility, totaling more than 750 cards. After Saturday’s event, Shannon L. Skaluba, student organization and information center specialist, delivered the cards to Manor Care to be distributed on Valentine’s Day. (community) Service Saturday events provide opportunities for Penn College students to volunteer within the Greater Williamsport area. Held the second Saturday of the month, each event is a different volunteer opportunity. Contact the Office of Student Engagement to be added to the (community) Service Saturday interest list!
The latest edition of Wildcat Weekly, the recap of sports news shared with more than 100 news outlets and student-athletes’ hometown newspapers throughout each semester, amplifies the previously announced development for Pennsylvania College of Technology’s baseball and softball teams.
Pennsylvania College of Technology will soon have a new home for its Wildcat baseball and softball teams, thanks to a partnership with the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber, through its subsidiary, Williamsport Ballpark Inc., is constructing a synthetic turf field complex adjacent to Penn College’s main campus on a 28-acre tract north of Interstate 180, between Maynard and Rose streets. Once construction is completed, the complex will feature six youth baseball/softball fields – one of which can be converted to a collegiate baseball practice field – and one collegiate baseball game field, as well as batting cages.
Construction is scheduled to begin this spring, with Penn College expected to play its first games at the site in Spring 2022.
The loss of the fall and more recently winter sports seasons to the coronavirus pandemic allows time for reflection on some past achievements of student-athletes at Pennsylvania College of Technology and its forerunner, Williamsport Area Community College.
The loss of the fall and more recently winter sports seasons to the coronavirus pandemic allows time for reflection on some past achievements of student-athletes at Pennsylvania College of Technology and its forerunner, Williamsport Area Community College.
