Wednesday, December 11, 2002

45 MORAVIAN FALL-STUDENT-ATHLETES NAMED TO MIDDLE ATLANTIC CONFERENCE ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM

ANNVILLE, PA --- The Moravian College fall athletic teams had 45 members named to the 2002 Middle Atlantic Conference Fall-All-Academic Team with at least one member from seven of Moravian’s eight fall sports and led by 11 honorees from the women’s cross country team.

To be eligible for the MAC All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must be a starter or significant reserve, a sophomore, junior or senior and maintain a 3.2 grade-point average.

In addition to the 11 selections from the women’s cross country team, the football team had nine honorees while the women’s soccer team had seven athletes honored. The women’s volleyball team also had seven student-athletes selected while the women’s tennis team had five honorees. The field hockey squad placed four members on the MAC All-Academic Team while the men’s cross country team had two student-athletes honored.

Leading the women’s cross country honorees was sophomore Heather McGarvie (Medford, NJ/Shawnee HS), who was the lone Greyhound to compete at the 2002 NCAA Division III National Championships where she placed 69th. McGarvie helped the Greyhounds to their tenth straight MAC title with a third place finish in the conference championship race for All-Conference First Team honors and she placed sixth at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional to garner All-Region honors and help the squad to a fifth place finish.

Joining McGarvie from the women’s cross country team were senior Jennifer Wagner (Riegelsville, PA/Wilson HS), who was on the All-MAC First Team, and junior Angie Morgan (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS), an All-MAC Second Team selection. Also on the MAC All-Academic Team were junior Jennifer Brief (Clark, NJ/Arthur L. Johnson HS) and sophomores Holly Bofinger (Warminster, PA/William Tennent HS), Kim Bushner (Allentown, PA/Dieruff HS), Chelsea Mullins (Jim Thorpe, PA/Jim Thorpe HS), Kellie Smith (Perkasie, PA/Pennridge HS), Alison Stoyko (Reading, PA/Governor Mifflin HS), Eileen Weber (Emmaus, PA/Emmaus HS) and Megan Wise (North Wales, PA/North Penn HS).

Leading the selections from the football team, which posted a 7-4 record and played in the 2002 Eastern College Athletic Conference Southeast Championship, were seniors Tom Blackledge (Sellersville, PA/Perkasie HS) and Josh Zagorski (Morris Plains, NJ/Parsippany Hills HS). Blackledge, a defensive lineman, anchored the Greyhound defensive front and made a team leading 28 tackles for loss and five and a half sacks. Blackledge, who was also on the All-MAC Second Team, added 65 tackles this fall while Zagorski, an All-MAC First Team selection, anchored the Greyhound offensive line that led the way for 288.8 yards per game this season including 150.6 yards per contest on the ground. Senior fullback Eric Gustafson (Collingswood, NJ/Collingswood HS) contributed 325 yards on 80 attempts and he also caught four passes for 14 yards.

Also earning spots on the MAC All-Academic Team from the football squad were seniors defensive lineman Brian Cascioli (Center Valley, PA/Southern Lehigh HS), who had 14 tackles and a sack, linebacker Braden Hendershot (Bangor, PA/Bangor HS), who had six tackles, tight end Tom Lonergan (Schuylkill Haven, PA/Nativity B.V.M. HS) and wide receiver Chris McGinnis (Brick, NJ/Brick HS) and sophomores offensive lineman Christopher Moonen (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley HS) and defensive lineman Daniel Rundle (Kutztown, PA/Kutztown HS).

The Moravian women’s soccer team posted a 10-6-2 overall mark this season and a 3-3-1 slate in the Commonwealth Conference. Senior defender Allison Kranchalk (Point Pleasant, NJ/Point Pleasant Boro HS) led the Moravian defensive unit and helped the Greyhounds allow just 1.03 goals per game while posting eight shutouts. Junior defender Justina Bria (Warminster, PA/William Tennent HS), who was named to the All-Commonwealth Conference Second Team, had two goals and two assists this season while sophomore midfielder Kelly Haymaker (Hellertown, PA/Saucon Valley HS) added an assist. The Greyhounds other MAC All-Academic selections were juniors midfielder Rachel Davy (Oaklyn, NJ/Haddon Township HS), who had a goal and an assist, forward Rori Franges (Bethlehem, PA/Saucon Valley HS), who had a goal and an assist, defender Lauren Roller (Doylestown, PA/Central Bucks East HS) and goalie Kelly Wakeman (Easton, PA/Home-schooled).

The Greyhound volleyball team posted its seventh straight 20-plus win season with a 26-10 mark this past fall and the squad competed in the conference championship match for the seventh consecutive year. Moravian also played for the ECAC South title for the second straight season and was led on the court by All-Commonwealth Conference First Team honorees juniors setter Amy Lawrence (Gettysburg, PA/Delone Catholic HS) and outside hitter Kim Zipf (Wyomissing, PA/Holy Name HS). The duo was also named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Mid-Atlantic Region Team. Lawrence broke her own school record this fall with 1,423 assists and she added 364 digs, 124 kills, 57 service aces, 29 blocks and a .309 hitting percentage while Zipf led the Greyhounds with 446 kills and 382 digs. Zipf, who became the fourth Greyhound to reach 1,000 kills in a career, also had 22 service aces, 19 blocks and a .303 hitting percentage.

Joining Lawrence and Zipf were juniors defensive specialist Andrea Frankenfield (Emmaus, PA/Emmaus HS), who added 210 digs and 46 service aces, right-side hitter Sara Hollenbacher (Reading, PA/Reading Central Catholic HS), who contributed 82 kills, and middle hitter Shannon McNeil (Reading, PA/Reading Central Catholic HS), who was a All-Commonwealth Conference Second Team selection with 262 kills, 100 digs, 61 blocks and a .312 hitting percentage, and sophomore outside hitter Christina Wallace (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS), who contributed 173 kills and 155 digs. Junior right side hitter Mary Kate Cordisco (Bethlehem, PA/Notre Dame HS) also earned a spot on the MAC All-Academic Team, and she had 105 kills46 digs, 22 assists, 19 blocks and 11 service aces this fall.

The Moravian women’s tennis team captured its third straight MAC title and sixth in the last seven years this fall with the squad’s second consecutive undefeated season. This fall’s 15-0 record increased Moravian winning streak to 38 consecutive matches. Leading the Greyhounds on the MAC All-Academic Team is senior Jennifer Genevese (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall HS). Genevese had a 15-5 singles record this fall to finish her career with a 53-13 record and she posted a 14-2 record in doubles action with partner sophomore Becky Deringer (Allentown, PA/Dieruff HS), who was also on the MAC All-Academic Team. The duo also represented the Greyhounds on the All-MAC Commonwealth Conference Team. Moravian’s other women’s tennis players on the MAC All-Academic team were juniors Lauren Castagna (Mt. Bethel, PA/Bangor HS), who had a 16-2 singles record, and Petia Damianova (Haskovo, Bulgaria/ISM HS), who was 7-2 in singles action, and sophomore Julie Anderson (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS).

The Greyhound field hockey team’s MAC All-Academic honorees were led by junior forward Rebecca Kipp (Bethlehem, PA/Saucon Valley HS). Kipp led the Moravian squad, which did not have a senior on the team, to a 4-14 record this fall. Kipp had three goals and an assist during the year. Joining Kipp on the MAC All-Academic Team were junior forward Rachel Crocker (Bethlehem, PA/Northampton HS), who had a goal and an assist, and sophomore midfielder Kelly Boone (Reading, PA/Muhlenberg HS), who scored one goal, and Alana Speicher (Fleetwood, PA/Brandywine Heights HS).

Rounding out the Moravian Fall MAC All-Academic selections were senior Wes Zimmerman (Boyertown, PA/Boyertown HS) and sophomore Anthony Bisti (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddon Heights HS) from the men’s cross country team. The Greyhounds were seventh at the MAC Championships this fall and Zimmerman placed 63rd at the MAC meet while Bisti was 113th.