Spotlight on Sports: Softball, golf, archery conclude seasons on national stages

Last week in review: Three teams competing in national events. What could be better?
SOFTBALL: Seeded third in the four-team Division III Mount Union Region in Alliance, Ohio, first-year coach Amber Savage’s squad earned the program’s first win ever in an NCAA tournament and finished third.
GOLF: The Wildcats of coach Rob Lytle finished 39th of 43 teams at the NCAA Division III Men’s Championship at the Mission Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida.
ARCHERY: Two archers finished sixth for coach Dustin Bartron’s team in the USA Archery Collegiate Target Nationals at East Lansing, Michigan.

SOFTBALL

Last week’s highlights: In its regional-opening game against Christopher Newport on Thursday, Penn College led 1-0 in the top of the first and 2-1 in the top of the sixth before two CNU home runs in the bottom of the sixth gave the Captains the win. Sofia Mileto, of Loyalsock Township, led the Wildcats with two hits, while Taylor Brown, of Bellefonte, and Harley Kunes, of Mill Hall, drove in their runs. Pitcher Mackenzi Tice, of Mansfield, walked six and fanned five in falling to 22-5. In seven NCAA regional games over four appearances, it marked the third time Penn College has lost by one run, and the third time it has totaled at least seven hits.

Friday afternoon in an elimination game, Tice pitched a four-hit shutout, striking out 10, and Payton Crawford, of Bloomsburg; Astyn Calaman, of Elizabethtown; Arista Fine, of Langhorne; and Brown all drove in runs, with Brown drilling a homer. Also, Mileto was 4 for 4 at the plate and scored once. The team’s 11 hits were a new regional high for the Wildcats, who snapped a seven-game regional losing streak over four seasons.

Going up against regional host and top-seed Mount Union later Friday afternoon in another elimination game, Penn College took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third frame, before 11th-ranked Mount Union erupted for 11 runs in the bottom half of the inning and scored two more in the fourth. Brown got her second home run of the day in the fifth to end the scoring, and Tice completed a 23-6 season that included 206 strikeouts, 82 walks, 177.2 innings pitched, 2,460 pitches thrown and a 2.05 ERA. In the regional, she also threw the lone shutout. In two seasons, Tice has recorded 369 strikeouts.

Regional reflections: “I think what stands out most is how special it was to see our group step onto the regional stage and compete like we belonged there. Making program history wasn’t just about the wins; it was about watching our players rise to the moment, trust their preparation, and carry themselves with pride,” Savage said.

The coach continued, “Regionals showed me the ceiling for this program is much higher than people realize. The experience, the atmosphere, the level of play – it all validated the direction we’re heading. I’m grateful for the opportunity, proud of our group, and excited for what’s next.

“Being part of this moment for the program was special. It felt like the start of something, not the peak. And I’m grateful to be surrounded by people who believe in building it the right way and athletes who love the game as much as I do.”

Earlier in the week, six Wildcats received United East All-Conference honors, and sophomore Tice was named the Pitcher of the Year. On the first team with Tice were sophomore catcher Crawford; freshman first baseman Brown; sophomore third baseman Ryleigh Rinker, of Poway, California; freshman outfielder Mileto; and Tice. Named to the third team was sophomore designated player Calaman.

Additionally, Tice, Rinker and Crawford were awarded second-team all-Region IV honors by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

SCHEDULE/RECORDS
Final overall: 34-9
Final NCAA Regional: 1-2
NCAA Division III Mount Union Regional
Thursday, May 14 – No. 3 Penn College vs. No. 2 Christopher Newport University, CNU won, 3-2
Thursday, May 14 – No. 1 Mount Union vs. No. 4 Lebanon Valley College, Mount Union won, 7-2
Friday, May 15 – vs. No. 3 Penn College vs. No. 4 Lebanon Valley, W, 4-0
Friday, May 15 – No. 1 Mount Union vs. No. 2 Christopher Newport, CNU won, 8-5
Friday, May 15 – No. 3 Penn College vs. No. 1 Mount Union, L, 13-2 (5 innings)
Saturday, May 16 – No. 1 Mount Union vs. No. 2 CNU, Mount Union won, 9-1
Saturday, May 16 – No. 1 Mount Union vs. No. 2 CNU, Mount Union won, 6-1

GOLF

Last week’s highlights: Chase Dillman, of Boyertown, led the team with a 13-over 156 total (73-83), to finish tied at 155. Following were Brady Handy, of Huntingdon, at 15-over 158 (75-83), tied at 171; Gunner Redmond, of Lock Haven, (79-80) and Logan Gawlinski, of Kittanning, (81-78), both 16-over 159 and tied at 177; and Brett Keenan, of Plymouth Meeting, 32-over 175 (83-92), at 220. Only the low four scores count toward the team total.

SCHEDULE
Tuesday-Friday, May 12-15 – NCAA Division III Championship at the Mission Resort and Club at Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, 39 of 43

ARCHERY

Last week’s highlights: Eli Bartron, of South Williamsport, in men’s compound, and Liz Gruodis, of Milford, in women’s barebow, reached the quarterfinal round of head-to-head eliminations, as did the men’s fixed pins team of Josiah Hinojos, of Groton, Connecticut; Tayton Roys, of Port Allegany; and Anthony Olenchak, of Valhalla, New Jersey; with Bartron and Gruodis awarded sixth place.

Three archers, Hinojos, Bartron and Gruodis, narrowly missed gaining All-American recognition, which is awarded to the top 10 in each discipline based on their indoor and outdoor national scores. Hinojos was 12th in men’s fixed pins with 19.031 points, 0.072 out of 10th; Bartron was 13th with 19.309 points, 0.066 out of 10th; and Gruodis was 15th with 13.642 points, 0.656 out of 10th.

Coach speak: “We had a good season with a young team. We have seen a lot of growth in talent. The competition at this level was phenomenal, what you would expect to see at a national championship. I look forward to seeing what this group does next season, with us only losing three to graduation,” Dustin Bartron said.

SCHEDULE
Thursday-Sunday, May 14-17 – USA Archery Collegiate Target Nationals at East Lansing, Mich.

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