Spring Sports Seasons Continue for Penn College

Pennsylvania College of Technology baseball and softball teams went 1-3 for the week, while several basketball players received postseason honors.

Baseball Facing NCAA Division III Penn State Harrisburg on the road Wednesday, Penn College lost the first game of a doubleheader, 12-1, and won the second, 13-7, to improve to 5-4 overall. In the opener, the Wildcats were held to just three hits. In the nightcap, however, Jared Johnson, of Wyalusing, went 3 for 4 at the plate with three runs batted in; Zachary Weil, of Kutztown, went 2 for 4 with three RBI; and Skyler Gingrich, of Lititz, went 2 for 3 with three RBI. Harrison Myers, of Lebanon, was the winning pitcher.

SoftballPenn College dropped both games of a twin bill Saturday at home against NCAA Division III Penn State Harrisburg by 7-3 scores, but saw some good things, too, as Emily Yoder, of Catawissa, went 3 for 7 at the plate with two runs batted in and Stephanie Koleno, of Moshannon, went 3 for 6 with an RBI. The Wildcats now are 1-7 overall.

Archery At the U.S. East Region Indoor Championships last weekend (March 10-11), the Penn College archery team dominated competition and had one individual champ.

In two-day competition at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., the Wildcats took seven of the nine team competitions and freshman Nicole Lapinski, of Bloomsburg, placed first in the women's compound event.

"I'm happy with how everyone shot," coach Brian Parker said. "We've got a long season to go, but, if we keep shooting like this, we should be a strong contender at nationals."

Penn College won the team competition for men's recurve, compound and bowhunter and women's bowhunter. The team also took first in mixed recurve and compound action.

Individually, the Wildcats had nine top three finishers. In women's bowhunter, freshman Brianna Batykefer, of Butler, took second and freshman Kendel Baier, of Jersey Shore, was third; on the men's side, sophomore Kelvin Dewalt, of Easton, took second and Joseph Dowdrick, of Lebanon, was third. In men's compound, freshmen Andrew Everett, of New Market, Md., and Justus Leimbach, of Westminster, Md., were second and third, respectively. Also, senior Glen Thomas, of Mercer, placed second and sophomore Brandon Allison, of Roaring Spring, was third in men's recurve.

Freshman Rebecca Boyer, of Palmerton, was 11th in the women's compound competition and had a Robin Hood (split an arrow) in her second round.

Basketball Postseason honors have been awarded several Penn College basketball players for excellence on the court and in the classroom.

Freshman Adam Smith, of Duncannon, and junior Kierstin Steer, of South Williamsport, were named to the Unites States Collegiate Athletic Association All-Academic Team in men's and women's basketball, respectively. The team is comprised of student-athletes with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. The honor is the first in basketball for both athletes. Smith was named to the team in the fall as a member of the tennis team.

Also, Steer was named to the Penn State University Athletic Conference All-Conference First Team and freshman Bryanna Valentine, of Mifflinburg, was an honorable mention choice on the women's squad, while freshman Scott Fenton, of Dickson City, was an honorable mention for the men's team. Teams are voted on by all conference coaches and are based on athletic performance throughout the season. It was Steer's second year as a selection to the team. For the season, Steer led the Wildcats in scoring with a 15-point per game average. Valentine, a late addition to the team, led the squad with 9.5 rebounds per game and averaged 11.4 points. In his rookie season, Fenton topped men's team with a 14.9 scoring average and 357 points.

Schedule/Results/Records Archery Saturday, March 24-25 Adam Wheatcroft Memorial Invitational at Harrisonburg, Va., noon

Baseball Overall record: 5-4Wednesday, March 14 at Penn State Harrisburg, L, 12-1; W, 13-7 Tuesday, March 20 at Wilkes University, 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 24 host Baptist Bible at Bowman Field (2), noon Sunday, March 25 at Lehigh Carbon (2), noon Tuesday, March 27 host King's College at Bowman Field, 4 p.m.

Softball Overall record: 1-7Saturday, March 17 vs. Penn State Harrisburg at Elm Park, L, 7-3; L, 7-3 Friday, March 23 host Alfred, N.Y., University at Elm Park (2), 3 p.m. Saturday, March 24 at Elmira, N.Y., College (2), 1 p.m. Thursday, March 29 at Penn State Mont Alto (2), 2 p.m.

Vol. 10, No. 31