Wednesday, March 19, 2008

25 MORAVIAN STUDENT-ATHLETES NAMED TO LANDMARK CONFERENCE WINTER ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL

MADISON, N.J. --- The Landmark Conference has recognized 258 student-athletes including 25 from Moravian College by selecting them for the 2008 Winter Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll. The honorees were selected from all eight Landmark Conference institutions.

The Landmark Academic Honor Roll recognizes all winter student athletes of sophomore standing or older with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. The student-athletes must complete the winter season in good standing with their team. All eight Landmark Conference institutions placed at least 17 athletes on the Academic Honor Roll and all six winter Landmark sports were represented on the team.

The Landmark Winter All-Academic Team, which features two male and two female student-athletes from each Landmark institution will be released later this winter.

The Landmark Conference is in its first season of competition and includes eight like-minded institutions covering the Mid-Atlantic region. The Landmark has crowned 12 team champions thus far in its inaugural season, and sent 15 programs to either the NCAA or ECAC postseason.

Moravian had student-athletes selected from all four of its winter teams that compete in the conference with the men’s track and field team leading the way with ten honorees.  The women’s track and field program had nine student-athletes earn Landmark Conference Fall Academic Honor Roll accolades while the men’s and women’s basketball teams each had three selections.

Senior Nathaniel Tussey (Perkiomenville, PA/Boyertown Area HS) and junior Robert Shaffer (Pottsville, PA/Pottsville HS) lead the honorees for the Men’s Track and Field team, with both competing in the 2008 ECAC Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships. Sophomore Michael Blenk (Inwood, NY/Lawrence HS) and senior Alan Fatzinger (Catasauqua, PA/Catasauqua HS) also competed in the ECAC Championships for the Greyhounds this year. The men’s track and field team was able to send athletes to both the 2008 ECAC Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships, where the Greyhounds were second, and to the 2008 NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships, where Moravian finished sixth.

Also making the Landmark Conference Winter Academic Honor Roll were seniors Timothy Pagano (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West HS), Vince Pagano (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin East HS) and Khizer Tariq (Bethlehem, PA/Saucon Valley HS), juniors Jared Henrie (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley HS) and John McCullough (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley HS) and sophomore Timothy Betz (Havertown, PA/Haverford HS).

Leading the honorees for the women’s track and field team are sophomores Jessica Posimo (Philadelphia, PA/St. Basil Academy HS), Rachel Riggs (Gettysburg, PA/Gettysburg HS), Flora Robertson (Hawley, PA/East Stroudsburg North HS) and Rachel Beck (Churchville, PA/Council Rock South HS) who all competed in the 2008 ECAC Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships.  Posimo won the ECAC title in the indoor pentathlon.

Also making the Honor Roll were senior Katie Pulizzano (Allentown, PA/William Allen HS), juniors Stephanie Miller (Easton, PA/Easton HS), Kelly Williams (Tafton, PA/Wallenpaupack HS) and Kayla Teeling (Milford, NJ/Phillipsburg HS) and sophomore Katelyn Chando (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS). The women’s track and field team won the 2008 ECAC Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships and finished tied for 38th at the 2008 NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships.

Senior forward Mark Franzyshen (Somerset, NJ/Immaculata HS), who was named to the Landmark All-Conference Second team, leads the honorees for the men’s basketball team.  Sophomore forwards Eric Weaver (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury HS) and Joseph Munley (Macungie, PA/Emmaus HS) were also named to the Winter Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll. The Greyhounds ended their season with a first round berth into the NCCA Division III Tournament losing to John-Jay College for an 18-9 overall season record. Moravian was in the postseason for the first time in five years and the NCAA tournament for just the second time in 25 seasons.

Making the 2008 Winter Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll for the women’s basketball team were senior guard Megan Kocon (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) and sophomore guards Amanda Brown (Schuylkill Haven, PA/Schuylkill Haven HS) and Jessica Foran (Annandale, NJ/Rutgers Prep HS). The women’s basketball team ended their 16-11 season with a loss in a quarterfinal game to Washington & Jefferson College at the ECAC Division III Southern Championships. It marked Moravian's seventh straight postseason appearance.