Sports News: Spring 2004

Monday, April 26, 2004

SIX HONORED AS MORAVIAN STUDENT-ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

BETHLEHEM, PA --- Junior Heather Bortz (Allentown, PA/Parkland HS) and sophomore Meagan Hennessy (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Township HS) of the softball team, sophomore Jess Cordani (Point Pleasant, NJ/Point Pleasant Boro HS) from the women’s lacrosse squad, freshman Brain Bergstol (Mt. Bethel, PA/Bangor HS) of the golf team, senior Jason Toedter (Easton, PA/Easton HS) from the men’s tennis squad and junior Steve Tomaszewski (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) of the baseball team have been named the Moravian College Student-Athletes of the Week for their performances last week.

Bortz, a shortstop, helped Moravian post a 4-0 record in Commonwealth Conference action last week to clinch the program’s first-ever undefeated conference season at 14-0. The Greyhounds were 4-2 overall last week, having their 29-game winning streak snapped in a doubleheader loss to William Paterson (NJ) University. Bortz hit .667 last week with 14 hits in 21 at-bats. She hit safely in all six games after having her NCAA all-division record consecutive game hitting streak stopped at 44 games in the final contest of the prior week. Her final hit of the week was the 180th of her career, tying the Moravian career record. Bortz was on base in 17 of 24 plate appearances (.708 percentage). She added ten runs scores, four RBIs, four stolen bases, three walks and two doubles. In the field, Bortz had 11 putouts, seven assists and two errors.

Hennessy, a pitcher, won a pair of Commonwealth Conference games and added a save in conference action last week around her first loss of the season, a 4-0 defeat to William Paterson. Hennessy earned a victory in the first game of a twinbill with Lebanon Valley, and then earned the save in the second game, her third of the season. Hennessy had her scoreless inning streak stopped at 32 innings in the loss to William Paterson. She finished off the week with a school record 15-strikeout performance in a win at Widener. Hennessy posted a 2-1 record with a save and 25 strikeouts in 23 innings of action last week. She had a 1.22 ERA and made two putouts and five assists in the field. Moravian, the top ranked team in the country, is 31-3 overall and clinched the top seed in the Commonwealth Conference Tournament with a perfect 14-0 conference record during the regular season. Moravian is slated to return to action on Friday, April 30th in the Commonwealth Conference Tournament at Lebanon Valley when the Greyhounds will play fourth seeded Juniata at 11:00 a.m. The winner of the conference tournament receives an automatic berth into the 2004 NCAA Division III Tournament.

Cordani, a midfielder, led Moravian in scoring last week with seven goals in three matches including a pair of Middle Atlantic Conference contests. Cordani had two goals versus Widener University and Haverford College, and she finished the 2004 season with three goals at Elizabethtown College. Cordani, who leads the nation in caused turnovers, had 26 caused turnovers last week to go along with 15 ground balls. Moravian completed the 2004 season with a 2-12 record and a 1-9 slate in MAC action.

Bergstol was the runner-up at the 2004 Middle Atlantic Conference Championships at Shawnee Country Club with a 45-hole total of 186 on the par-72 course. Bergstol earned All-Conference honors with the top ten finish. Moravian was second of 14 teams at the MAC Championships. Bergstol also had rounds of 82 at the Bent Creek Country Club in the Franklin & Marshall College Invitational, which Moravian won, and 74 on the Weyhill Course at Saucon Valley Country Club in the Lehigh Valley Tournament as the Greyhounds placed third last week.

Toedter became the first male player in Moravian history to win the Middle Atlantic Conference Individual Singles Championship with a pair of three-set victories in the semifinals and finals on Sunday. He won a total of four matches in the tournament as the second seed, and Toedter also won a singles match in Moravian’s final dual match of the year last week. Toedter completed the season with a 17-4 singles mark including a 12-2 record as the Greyhounds’ top singles player. Toedter also finished his career with a 54-18 singles record, breaking the Moravian record for most singles wins in a career, previously 50 set by David Kurvink in 2003. Moravian completed its 2004 season with a 9-5 overall record and a 3-4 record in Commonwealth Conference action.

Tomaszewski earned a pair of complete game victories in his only two starts of the week. He tossed a five-hit shutout of Albright College, 2-0, allowing five walks while striking out nine batters. Tomaszewski also allowed just three hits and eight walks while striking out seven batters in a 14-1 win versus Susquehanna University. Tomaszewski played in the outfield in the games he didn’t pitch, collecting two hits in seven at-bats with three RBIs, two runs scored and a double. He also had three putouts and five assists. Moravian is 11-17 overall and tied for the final playoff spot in the Commonwealth Conference with a 10-8 conference mark. The Greyhounds have three conference games remaining. Moravian is slated to return to action on Thursday, April 29th in a non-conference game at Haverford College beginning at 3:30 p.m.