May 10, 2000

MORAVIAN HONORS SENIOR STUDENT-ATHLETES
SANDT, STROUP & PFLUGER NAMED SENIOR ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

BETHLEHEM, PA --- Moravian College honored its 2000 senior student-athletes at its annual Senior Awards Banquet Wednesday night. Men’s cross country and track & field standout Tim Pfluger (Slatington/ Northern Lehigh HS) was named the Outstanding Senior Male Athlete while volleyball player Amy Sandt (Allentown/William Allen HS) and softball pitcher Becky Stroup (Palmerton/ Palmerton Area HS) were honored with the Co-Outstanding Senior Female Athlete award. The Blue & Grey Scholar Athletes awards were presented to softball player Zan Azzolino (Lodi, NJ/ Immaculate Heart Academy) and men’s basketball player Rich Whalen (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick HS). The H.T.D. Gillespie Award for outstanding service to Moravian’s athletics program was presented to Professor Betty Smolansky.

Pfluger won four Middle Atlantic Conference individual titles this year. He was the champion in the MAC Cross Country meet and part of the MAC Indoor Champion distance medley relay team for the second straight year. Pfluger also captured his third straight title in the 1,500 meters at the MAC indoor meet and this past weekend, he became what is believed to be the first runner in MAC history to win the same event at the MAC Outdoor Championships four years in a row when he captured first in the 1,500 meters. Back in March, Pfluger qualified and competed in the 2000 NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships in the 1,500 meters.

Sandt, an outside hitter on the volleyball team, led Moravian (26-8) to its third straight NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional appearance this past fall. Sandt was named the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year for her efforts and she was also named to the Commonwealth Conference All-Star First Team for the second time in three years. Sandt, who set the Moravian records for attack attempts (1,184), digs (572) and digs per game (5.02) this season, also garnered American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Mid-Atlantic Region Accolades this fall. Sandt added 425 kills this fall to finish with a school record total of 1,492 kills. Sandt and fellow senior Kaitie Kramer (Bethlehem/Bethlehem Catholic HS) led Moravian to a 102-26 record over the last four years, becoming the first two volleyball players to win over 100 career athletic events at Moravian. The 100-career win plateau has been reached by only eight women’s basketball and 11 softball players, three of them this season, in school history.

Stroup, a Commonwealth Conference First Team All-Star this spring, has led the Greyhound softball team to a 24-10 mark this season and the squad will compete in its third straight NCAA Division III East Regional this weekend at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre. Stroup leads the Moravian pitching staff with a 13-4 record and a 1.55 ERA. She has hurled seven shutouts including four in a row and she has not allowed a run in her last 32 innings of action. On the year, Stroup has pitched 113 innings with 75 strikeouts and 41 walks. Moravian, the 2000 Commonwealth Conference Champions, have posted a 109-54 record with Stroup, Azzolino and Krysten Mack (Canton, CT/Canton HS) on the squad. The team has also won two Commonwealth Conference Championships, played in the MAC Playoffs twice and reached the NCAA Division III Tournament for three consecutive seasons.

Azzolino, the starting shortstop for the Greyhounds the last four seasons, has been on the Commonwealth Conference All-Star First Team the last three years as well as the MAC Academic Honor Roll. This spring, Azzolino leads the Greyhounds with a .385 batting average headed into this weekend’s NCAA Tournament. Azzolino, who holds the school record of career assists with 306, had 37 hits, 22 runs scored, two triples and 13 RBIs. Azzolino is one of the toughest players to strikeout in the country as she has not struck out in 96 at-bats this season and she hasn’t had a strikeout since April 15, 1999, a string of 131 official at-bats.

Whalen helped the Greyhounds come within one game of the MAC playoffs this season as the men’s basketball team posted a 10-14 overall record and a 6-8 slate in the Commonwealth Conference. Whalen, who was named to the MAC Academic Honor Roll for the third straight year this winter, led Moravian with 92 assists and 86 steals. Whalen, who was on the All-Tournament Team at the Scotty Wood Tournament hosted by Muhlenberg College, also contributed 8.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.

Over the years, Smolansky has been very supportive of Moravian College athletics through her work as a professor, interim dean and associate dean. Smolansky has tirelessly worked with the athletic department and student-athletes to insure a positive experience.