Women’s tennis reaches new high

Published 04.14.2024

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Although three Pennsylvania College of Technology sports teams’ winning streaks ended over the past week, the women’s tennis team started a new streak and also made program history.

WOMEN’S TENNIS
Penn College scored a 9-0 nonconference win over Clarks Summit University on Saturday. The victory was its first of the spring season after two wins in the fall.

Winning in both singles and doubles for the Wildcats were Ellen Buckley of Binghamton, New York, Lauren Peck of South Williamsport, Faith Murray of Dillsburg, Georgia Macensky of Wellsboro, Kayla Weinzierl of Summerhill and Cici Miller of Dover.

On Sunday against Penn State Berks, the Wildcats, under first-year coach David Straub, scored their second win in as many days, 8-1, notched their first of the year in conference play and became the first women’s team in program history to achieve a four-win season since the sport went from coed to separate women’s and men’s teams in the fall of 2013.

Double winners for Penn College were Buckley, Peck, Murray, Macensky and Weinzierl.

UE Volt Division standings through Sunday: Penn State Harrisburg 3-0, St. Mary’s (Md.) College 3-0, Penn State Abington 1-1, Penn College 1-2, Penn State Berks 0-2, Lancaster Bible College 0-2.

Schedule/Results/Record/Series History
(Home matches at Central PA Tennis Center)
Overall record: 4-6
UE record: 1-2
Saturday, April 13 — host Clarks Summit University, W, 9-0
Sunday, April 14 — host Penn State Berks (UE), W, 8-1
Thursday, April 18 — at Penn State Abington (UE), 2 p.m. (Abington leads 7-1)
Friday, April 19 — at Lancaster Bible College (UE), 3 p.m. (LBC leads 8-1)
Sunday, April 21 — at Cairn University (UE), noon (first-time opponent)

MEN’S TENNIS
The Wildcats defeated Clarks Summit University 8-1 in UE play on Saturday for their first win of the season.

Kyle Shuler of Williamsport, Matt Williams of Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, and Jaydon Manbeck of Bernville won in both singles and doubles.

Against Penn State Berks on Sunday, Penn College lost 5-4 with Williams the lone double winner in both singles and teaming with Will Long of Virginia Beach, Virginia, in doubles.

UE standings through Sunday: St. Mary’s (Md.) College 5-0, Penn State Harrisburg 3-0, Penn State Abington 3-1, Penn State Berks 2-2, Cairn University 1-2, Penn College 1-3, Lancaster Bible College 0-3, Clarks Summit University 0-4.

Schedule/Results/Record/Series History
(Home matches at Central PA Tennis Center)
Overall record: 1-7
UE record: 1-3
Saturday, April 13 — host Clarks Summit University (UE), W, 8-1
Sunday, April 14 — host Penn State Berks (UE), L, 5-4
Thursday, April 18 — at Penn State Abington (UE), 2 p.m. (Abington leads 7-2)
Friday, April 19 — at Lancaster Bible College (UE), 3 p.m. (LBC leads 6-2)
Sunday, April 21 — at Cairn University (UE), noon (first-time opponent)

GOLF
Peyton Mussina of Montoursville finished second individually in a 69-player field and the Wildcats placed sixth in a 13-team field when play concluded Tuesday in the two-day 54-hole Northeast Shootout at the DuPont Country Club.

Mussina opened play on Monday morning with a first-round and college career-low score of 67 over 18 holes on the par 71, 6,584-yard DuPont Blue Course. He followed that with an afternoon round of 74 and ended the first day one of two golfers with a sub-par total. The junior closed his tournament Tuesday, shooting even par 71 for a 212 total.

Swarthmore College 295-292-284—871 took first place in the team race. The Wildcats shot 306-312-306—924.

On Friday in the Penn State Altoona Invitational at Sinking Valley Country Club, battling rain and wind in 40-degree temperatures, Penn College recorded a 303 to finish third in a 17-team field.

Gavin Baer of Bainbridge led the Wildcats with a 3-over 75 on the 6,454-yard course and tied for eighth.

Penn State Altoona “A” took team honors with a 295.

Schedule
Monday, April 8 — Northeast Shootout Day 1 at DuPont Country Club, 5 of 13
Tuesday, April 9 — Northeast Shootout Day 2 at DuPont Country Club, 6 of 13
Friday, April 12 — Penn State Altoona Spring Invitational at Sinking Valley Country Club, 3 of 17
Saturday-Sunday, April 20-21 — Gettysburg Spring Shootout at Penn National Golf Club, 10:30 a.m.

BASEBALL
The Wildcats extended their win streak to six when they won the first game of a Wednesday nonconference doubleheader against Penn State Altoona, 8-6. Jaydon Goebel of Honey Brook doubled and drove in two runs in the second inning and Dallas Griess of Williamsport plated two more with a home run in the sixth.

The team’s longest win streak since 2018, when it won seven straight, ended in the second game of the twin bill, 3-1, as the Wildcats were limited to three singles.

On Saturday, in the first of a three-game home UE series against Penn State Abington, Penn College fell 10-2 as Matt Munoz of Tobyhanna had three hits and drove in one run with a triple.

Completing the series on Sunday, the Wildcats won 6-2 and lost 9-8.

In the opener, Quinn Hanafin of Sayre had two hits, including a double, and drove in three runs, two of them in a four-run fourth inning. Starting pitcher Griffin Vollman of Williamsport went five innings and improved to 3-1.

In the second game, the Wildcats fell behind 8-2 after the first inning but used a five-run third highlighted by a two-run double from Brandon Shane of Boyertown to tie the game before Abington scored what proved to be the eventual winning run in the fifth. Griess and Jaiden Augustine of Dillsburg both went 3 for 4 as Penn College outhit Abington 14-6.

UE Volt Division standings through Sunday: Penn State Harrisburg 9-0, Penn State Abington 8-4, Lancaster Bible College 7-7-1, Penn College 4-5, St. Mary’s (Md.) College 2-7, Penn State Berks 2-9-1.

Schedule/Record/Series History
Overall: 13-14
UE Volt Division: 4-5
(Home games at Bowman Field)
Wednesday, April 10 — host Penn State Altoona (2), W, 8-6; L, 3-1
Saturday, April 13 — host Penn State Abington (UE), L, 10-2
Sunday, April 14 — host Penn State Abington (UE, 2), W, 6-2; L, 9-8
Wednesday, April 17 — host Alfred University (2), 1 p.m. (first-time opponent)
Friday, April 19 — at St. Mary’s (Md.) College (UE), 3 p.m. (Penn College leads 4-1)
Saturday, April 20 — at St. Mary’s (Md.) College (UE, 2), noon
Monday, April 22 — at Mt. Aloysius, 3 p.m. (Mt. Aloysius leads 5-3)

SOFTBALL
Penn College split in a UE twin bill at Penn State Berks on Wednesday, dropping the first game 2-0 to end its seven-game win streak and winning 9-4.

In the first game, the Wildcats had seven hits but couldn’t push any across the plate. In the nightcap, three Penn College players had two hits, with Lexi Snyder of Hegins plating three runs and Madison Herriman of Danville scoring three times.

On Sunday at Penn State Harrisburg, Penn College lost 5-1 and 3-1. The doubleheader sweep was the first ever for PS Harrisburg against the Wildcats, dating to 2015, and it evened their season series record at 2-2.

In the opener, Margaret Mangene of Boalsburg was 3 for 3 at the plate and scored the lone run on a single by Madison Shaffer of Trout Run.

Mangene knocked in the Wildcats’ lone run in the sixth inning of the second game after Harrisburg scored all of its runs in the fourth.

Also, the league office announced on Monday that Mackenzie Weaver of Montoursville was named the United East Volt Division Pitcher of the Week (March 31-April 7) for the second week in a row, marking her sixth career Pitcher of the Week honor.

The Wildcat junior remained dominant from the circle to claim her eighth victory of the season as she tossed a one-hit complete-game in an 8-0 shutout over Gallaudet on April 6. Weaver struck out 10 Bison and walked one to earn her fourth shutout of the season.

UE Volt Division standings through Sunday: Penn College 7-3, Penn State Berks 8-4, Penn State Harrisburg 8-4, Penn State Abington 7-5, Lancaster Bible College 4-6, Gallaudet University 0-12.

Schedule/Record/Series History
Overall: 15-7
UE Volt Division: 7-3
(Home games at Elm Park)
Wednesday, April 10 — at Penn State Berks (UE, 2), L, 2-0, W, 9-4
Sunday, April 14 — at Penn State Harrisburg (UE, 2), L, 5-1; L, 3-1
Monday, April 15 — at Elmira College (2), 3 p.m. (Elmira leads 4-2)
Thursday, April 18 — host Penn State Abington (UE, 2), 3 p.m. (Penn College leads 16-4)
Saturday, April 20 — host Penn State Berks (UE, 2), 4 p.m. (Berks leads 16-9)
Monday, April 22 — host Lancaster Bible College (UE, 2), 3 p.m. (Penn College leads 12-0)

MEN’S LACROSSE
Harrison Schlachta of Collegeville scored three goals and had one assist to lead Penn College in its 17-9 nonconference loss to Kean University on Wednesday, snapping a five-game win streak.

Hosting perennial power and two-time UE defending champion St. Mary’s (Md.) College on Saturday, the Wildcats lost 18-3, with Aidan McFalls of Gilbertsville picking up two assists. St. Mary’s led in shots on goal 28-10.

Also, defenseman Connor Gentile of Oxford was named the UE Defensive Player of the Week for March 31-April 7 on Monday.

The freshman was part of a defense that allowed just eight combined goals in two victories at Marywood and Rosemont. Gentile finished with a season-high three ground balls and a caused turnover in a 10-4 win against the Pacers on April 3 and added a ground ball and a caused turnover in an 18-4 victory over the Ravens on April 6.

UE standings through Sunday: St. Mary’s (Md.) College 4-0, Keystone College 3-0, Penn College 2-1, Cairn University 1-3, Bryn Athyn 0-3, Rosemont 0-3.

Schedule/Record/Series History
Overall record: 7-7
UE record: 2-1
Wednesday, April 10 — host Kean University, L, 17-9
Saturday, April 13 — host St. Mary’s (Md.) College (UE), L, 18-3
Saturday, April 20 — at Bryn Athyn (UE), 1 p.m. (Penn College leads 1-0)
Wednesday, April 24 — host Lycoming College, 7 p.m. (first-time opponent)

ARCHERY
Penn College will have seven archers competing on two teams in its second outing of the season at the USA Archery East Region Outdoor Championship and Adam Wheatcroft Memorial in Harrisonburg, Va., on Saturday and Sunday.

Matthew Byrnes of Manahawkin, New Jersey, Jonathon Vought of Athens, and Alex Edwards of Kutztown will participate in the male compound event.

Atley Cooper of Coatesville, Ben Malehorn of Selinsgrove, Logan Shepard of New Bloomfield and Aydan McLain of Newmanstown will participate in male fixed pins.

“We have been stuck inside and not able to get much practice at distance. We are fundamentally ready,” coach Dustin Bartron said, adding, “I expect we will secure a couple of spots on the All-East team. We should place well in the region because the team has the talent and ability.”

Schedule
Saturday-Sunday, April 20-21 — USA Archery East Region Outdoor Championship and Adam Wheatcroft Memorial at Harrisonburg, Va.

ACADEMICS
Penn College Wrestling earned the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Team Academic Peak Performance award, recognizing the team with the highest collective cumulative GPA in each sport. Eighteen Wildcat student-athletes earned a selection on the AMCC Academic All-Conference Team for maintaining a 3.2 GPA or higher for the Fall 2023 semester, with 17 earning individual peak performer recognition as they had above a 3.5 GPA.

Penn College finished with the 13th-highest team GPA out of the 20 sports teams the conference offers.

Individuals honored were seniors Gabriel Kennedy-Citeroni of Blairsville, Logan Ledebohm of Mechanicsburg and Andy Muzika of Chalfont; juniors Anton Esterbrook of Wyomissing, Noah Hunt of Muncy and CJ Trimber of Moon Township; sophomores Mason Boltz of Hegins, Isaac Cory of Montoursville, Liam Goodrich of Cogan Station, Mason Leshock of Shamokin, Zach Miller of Lock Haven and Brett Patton of West Chester; and freshmen Daniel Clark of North Potomac, Maryland, Kayden Frame of Montoursville, Travis Green of Manchester, Maryland, Cavin Napoletano of Killingworth, Connecticut, Ayden Sprague of Millerton and Ryan Trimber of Moon Township.

Also, Hunt and Green earned 2023-24 National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Scholar All-America honors, while the team earned a national top-25 finish.

Hunt became the first four-time Scholar All-American in program history.

As a team, the Wildcats finished at No. 23 with a 3.53 GPA for their first-ever appearance in the national academic honors list.

ESPORTS
(All events at Wildcat Den)
Schedule/Results
Overwatch 2
Overall record: 7-1 (playoffs 1-0)
Tuesday, April 9 — Semifinal vs. DePaul, W, 3-0 (2-1, 2-1, 3-0)
Tuesday, April 16 — Championship vs. Concordia (Minn.) College, 7 p.m.

Rocket League Varsity
Final overall record: 6-3 (playoffs 1-1)
Monday, April 8 — Semifinal vs. Lindenwood University, L, 4-0 (6-3, 3-1, 2-0, 2-1)

Valorant
Final overall record: 5-3 (playoffs 0-1)
Wednesday, April 10 — Semifinal vs. Texas A&M-San Antonio, L, 3-0

iRacing
CIL Cup Series
Monday, April 8 — Homestead, 21st
Monday, April 15 — Kansas Speedway, 8 p.m.

CIL Formula World Championship
Wednesday, April 17 — Brazil-Interlagos, 8 p.m.

For more about the United East, visit the conference website.
For additional information, visit the Wildcats Athletics website.