MOUNT ALOYSIUS TEAMS JOIN NATIONAL DAY OF SERVICE
5/15/13

The National Volunteer Day of Service was actively celebrated on April 27 by volunteers from the Mount Aloysius College men's tennis, women's soccer and men's soccer teams.  The students worked at the Allegheny Portage National Historic Site with the National Park Service. Breaking up into two groups, one worked to eradicate the non-native invasive plant species garlic mustard, collecting 15 garbage bags full and clearing approximately 200 acres of ground. The second group worked at the APRR Headquarters to remove other invasive weeds from the grounds.

MOUNT ALOYSIUS' KOVACH, BEHREND'S JACOBS EARN TOP HONORS ON BASEBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
5/14/13

Mount Aloysius College senior third baseman Aaron Kovach (left) and Penn State Behrend senior pitcher Ryan Jacobs (right) lead the list of honorees on the AMCC 2013 baseball all-conference team.  Kovach was voted Player of the Year after leading the league in batting (.424), slugging percentage (.640), RBI (42) and doubles (15).  Jacobs was the Lions' ace all season, posting a 1.19 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a meager .200 BA.  He posted seven wins in nine starts.

Joining Jacobs were freshman outfielder John Hlavinka, the Newcomer of the Year award winner, and Lions' skipper Paul Benim as Coach of the Year, guiding his squad to their fifth AMCC title after a 15-1 conference schedule and three straight wins in the championship tournament.

Click here for the complete all-conference team.

BEHREND GOLF, BASEBALL TEAMS HEADING INTO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY;
LA ROCHE BASEBALL EARNS TOP SEED IN ECAC SOUTH TOURNAMENT
5/13/13

As recipients of the AMCC automatic bids to the NCAA Division III championship tournaments, the Penn State Behrend men's golf and baseball teams will take their shots against national competition starting this week.

The Lions' golfers will compete at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Destin, Florida.

Methodist will be hosting the 72-hole championship from May 14-17. The competition begins at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday. After 36 holes of competition, the field will be cut to the top 15 teams and top six individuals not on one of those teams.  The Lions are making their second straight trip to the NCAA tournament after winning their second consecutive AMCC title this past fall. Dante Vetica was the individual medalist at the conference championship with a two-day score of 146.

Meanwhile, the Behrend baseball team, their fifth AMCC crown barely out of the box, is headed to the Mideast Regional, hosted by Rose Hulman to play two-time defending national champion Marietta (29-12) in their opening game at 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Lions will be making their first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2010. Behrend holds a 2-6 all-time record in the tournament with both wins coming in 2010. The Lions will be guaranteed at least two games. The winner of the Behrend/Marietta game will face the winner of the Wooster/Thomas More contest on Thursday at 7:45 p.m. The losers of those two games will face each other at 1:15 p.m. on Thursday.

The La Roche College baseball team remains active in the post-season as well.  The Redhawks will be the #1 seed in the ECAC South Region Tournament, where they will host #4 seed Waynesburg on Wednesday.  La Roche was the runner-up to Behrend in the AMCC championship.
 
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:  WEEK OF MAY 13
5/13/13
 

BASEBALL TITLE, NCAA AUTOMATIC BID GOES TO PENN STATE BEHREND
5/11/13

After they split in the regular season and finished one-two in the AMCC standings, it was only fitting that  Penn St. Behrend and La Roche College met in the championship round of the conference tournament.  After spotting the defending champion Redhawks a 3-0 lead, the Lions roared back with seven runs of their own, and closed out their fifth title with a 9-4 victory.  Sophomore Tylor Williams pitched his way out of trouble to earn with the win, while junior Chad Zurat got credit for the save. In addition to several spectacular defensive plays in centerfield, senior Ryan Kragnes went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored,

Behrend's next stop will be the NCAA Division III tournament.  Pairings and regional host site will be announced Monday.

LA ROCHE WOMEN, PENN ST. BEHREND MEN HEAD TO SPAIN, ITALY FOR SOCCER
5/9/13

A pair of AMCC soccer squads are off to Europe for some athletic competition as well as cultural immersion. The La Roche College women's team will spend three days in Barcelona, Spain before moving on to Italy for seven days.  Meanwhile, the Penn State Behrend men's team will be spending a full nine days just in Spain, with stops in Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid.  It will be the fifth European tour for the program since 1998, with expeditions to England, Germany, Italy and Brazil.

MEDAILLE'S BONGIOVANNI, PITT-BRADFORD'S MOSBY HEAD SOFTBALL ALL-STARS
5/8/13

Boasting a .445 batting average and 25 RBI, Medaille College junior outfielder Mary Kate Bongiovanni (left) is the AMCC 2013 Softball Player of the Year.  Pitcher of the Year  honors go to Pitt-Bradford junior Sydney Mosby (right), who led the league with 15 wins and ranked second with a 2.05 ERA.  D'Youville shortstop Mackenzie Kehlenbeck landed Newcomer of the Year honors, after a freshman campaign that resulted in a .429 batting average with 20 extra base hits.  Pitt-Bradford's Tina Phillips earned Coach of the Year honors for the second time in her AMCC career, after guiding the Panthers to a 13-5 conference record and the championship game of the league tournament.

Click here for the complete all-conference team.

PENN STATE ALTOONA HEADING TO NCAA SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT AS AMCC CHAMPION, HEADING TO VIRGINIA FOR NCAA REGIONAL
5/5/13

Winning the AMCC softball tournament brought two prizes for the price of one to Penn State Altoona:  the conference title and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.  The Lions accomplished that feat by defeating Pitt-Bradford, 8-1, in the championship game of the AMCC tournament.  It is the Lions' first softball title.
Senior pitcher Jackie Smith got the win, striking out 3 Panthers for her11th victory of the season.  Sophomore Kelly Chambers led the Lions at the plate with a triple and 3 RBI to break the game open, while juniors Brittany Smith and Lauren Bove went 2 for 3 on the day.

With the conference's NCAA automatic bid in hand, the Lions will travel to the Salem, VA regional where they will face Salisbury University on Thursday at 10am.

FRANCISCAN'S JARZYNKA HEADLINES MEN'S TENNIS ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
5/1/13

Capping a stellar junior campaign which saw him go undefeated at both #1 singles and #1 doubles in conference competition and lead his team to the league title, Franciscan University junior Paul Jarzynka has been named the AMCC Men's Tennis Player of the Year.  Joining Jarzynka in the spotlight is freshman teammate Zack Quiza, who was named Newcomer of the Year.  Quiza earned first team all-conference honors at both #4 singles and #2 doubles.  The Barons' head coach Jeremy Ellis received the Coach of the Year nod, after guiding his squad to a 6-0 league record and winning the AMCC tournament to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the first in any sport in Franciscan history.  Click here for the complete all-conference team.

PITT-BRADFORD WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM GOES TO THE DOGS
4/24/13

The Pitt-Bradford women’s basketball team recently spent time at the McKean County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).  The Panthers spent more than two hours at the facility walking dogs, socializing with cats by holding, petting and playing with them, and interacting with the staff.
“The SPCA is always looking for volunteers to help with the playing and socializing of the animals in the shelter,” said head coach Patrick Daniel. “So on such a beautiful day that we have not seen in a long time, I am very happy and grateful several of my players took the time to interact and have fun with the animals.”

The women’s basketball team is one of several Pitt-Bradford squads that have spent time at the SPCA this year. In all, Pitt-Bradford athletics has volunteered more than 1,300 hours this school year while raising approximately $1,600 for various charities and organizations.