Penn State Scranton Student-Athletes Earn PSUAC Fall Honors
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) announced their All-Conference teams for the Fall 2019 sports including golf, men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball. More than 100 student-athletes from 14 campuses earned recognition during the fall sports season. Penn State Scranton was represented in the count with 13 student-athletes receiving Fall 2019 honors.
With the addition of golf into the PSU Scranton varsity lineup this year, the team, coached by Jonathan Kulas, made great strides early on in their inaugural year. Placing top 5 in their first matches, it was clear that freshman Tommy Gaudette would be an important asset to their success. He placed in the top 5 in three matches in the season, earning medals at PSU Fayette and Penn State Wilkes Barre, helping the team earn invitational champion status at the latter. It came as no surprise at the end of the season, Gaudette earned 1st team PSUAC All-Conference nod following a stellar stand-out year for the freshman golfer. Each match Gaudette consistently scored mid 70's to low 80's placing towards the top of the leaderboard averaging a score of 79 on the season, paving the way for strong team scoring for Scranton.
Underdogs, Lady Lions Women's Soccer, had a rough start to their program since its inception in 2015. However, gaining momentum this fall, PSU Scranton put their name on the map in the PSUAC and earned a slot in post-season play for the first time. Key players on the offensive and defensive sides alike earned the team four mentions in the Fall 2019 All-Conference line-up. Sophomore midfielder Lucy Adams placed herself among PSUAC champs after she landed a 1st team All-Conference award for her stellar performance this season. Adams, who racked up seven goals, including a game winner in OT against Penn State Beaver, was integral in sending the team to their playoff appearance. Adams was joined by teammates Rachel Lewis and Abby Mecca, who both earned Honorable Mentions for forward and defender, respectively. Lewis, who netted six goals on the season, earned her award after scoring her first career hat-trick in a must-win game against Penn State Schuylkill sending them to post-season play. Junior defender Abby Mecca kept Scranton in contention making crucial stops that were key to victories in the regular and post-season.
Penn State Scranton men's soccer also improved their stock the season with crucial victories over PSU York, Greater Allegheny and Wilkes Barre. Junior forward Michael Foder found the back of the net six times and added four assists on the season, earning himself a nod for Honorable Mention All-Conference among offensive leaders. Newcomer, Matthew Fisher, a powerful addition to the Scranton defense, also earned an Honorable Mention spot after proving himself a forceful stopper protecting the Scranton goal.
For women's cross country, newcomer Lisa Grab placed 5th at the PSU Invitational at Norlo Park on October 26, 2019. Grab, an ultramarathon runner, steadily shaved her time as the season progressed, finishing top ten among PSUAC runners in every race. Lisa trimmed her time by 3 minutes and 55 seconds in one month between two invitationals hosted by Penn State Mont Alto at Norlo Park in Fayetteville, PA, clocking in at 28 minutes flat during the PSUAC match up last week.
Rounding out the fall awards in the PSUAC are the campuses John Fritz Sportsmanship Award recipients. The award, named for former PSUAC Commissioner John Fritz, is given to one student-athlete on each sports team that best displays good sportsmanship and demonstrates ethical, appropriate, polite and fair behavior while participating in athletic events and as a member of their team. The honorees exemplify the Penn State University Values of integrity, responsibility, excellence, respect, discovery and community. The following Penn State Scranton student-athletes earned this year's honor.
Women's Volleyball – Mari Saba
Women's Cross Country – Caitlyn Powell
Women's Soccer – Kelly Velehoski
Men's Soccer – Deyniel Desarden Ruperto
Men's Cross Country – Robert Murphy
Men's Golf – Andrew Faist
PSUAC All-Conference award winners are nominated by their respective campus and voted on by the league's coaches and administrators. A list of all winners can be found by visiting psuacsports.com.
