PAC Notebook: Bison, Barons Fall in Baseball Tourney
The elimination of both Bethany and Franciscan from tournament play in baseball signaled the end of the 2020-21 conference athletic season for the local PAC teams. Bethany had an opportunity to officially reach the tournament, competing with Saint Vincent for a play-in game to be the No. 4 seed. The Bison received another strong performance from reigning PAC Pitcher of the Week Mark Lavezza, who struck out four while allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits in seven innings. The Bison actually outhit Saint Vincent (6-5) but couldn’t push a run across. Bethany left a number of runners in scoring position, including loading the bases in the top of the seventh, only to see a ground-out to second base end the threat. The Bearcats' two runs came as a result of a wild pitch and a throwing error. Franciscan earned the No. 3 seed and first faced No. 2 Grove City in the opening round. But the Barons didn’t fair much better. With the score knotted a 3-3, the Wolverines scored four runs in the seventh, tacking on two more in the eighth for the 9-3 win. After top-seed W&J hammered Saint Vincent in the opener, the Bearcats then faced the Barons in an elimination game on Friday. Saint Vincent came away with a 13-4 win. The Bearcats put way any hopes of a win early, totaling nine runs by the end of the second inning. SV followed that up by eliminating Grove City 5-3, setting up today’s championship round matchup with the top-ranked Presidents. In three previous meetings this season, W&J has outscored Saint Vincent 17-5,
Barons Fall at NCAA Championships
Franciscan’s women’s tennis team fell in its first-round matchup at the Division III NCAA tennis championships. The reigning PAC team champions faced tournament host Washington & Lee in the first round, losing 5-0. The Barons return the entire squad, save for No. 1 singles player Ana Victoria Haddad. She, along with freshman and No. 1 singles player Maria Herrera, both individually and as part of their No. 1 doubles tandem, were named first-team all-PAC. Teammates Zoey Singleton (No. 3 singles), Caroline Picard (No. 5 singles), and the No. 2 doubles team of Haley Davinsizer and Zoey Stapleton were named second team. Bethany’s Wesley Crockett and Franciscan’s Susan Schuberg were honorable mention. Brooke product Sarah Moore of Bethany was named to the all Sportsmanship Team. Westminster’s Amanda Barrett was named PAC Player and Newcomer of the Year, while her coach, Dave Hayden, took Coach of the Year honors. Franciscan junior Gary Pierre was first team on the men’s side.
Soccer Awards Handed Out
Bethany’s Modou Faye, along with Franciscan’s Sebastian Koehler and Nick Miller were named first team all-PAC in men’s soccer. The Bison’s Jahzinho O’Garro and Mikey Irvin of Franciscan earned second team honors. Irvin, a junior forward, is a graduate of Steubenville Catholic Central. The Bison also placed freshmen Rokeba Cordice and Ilays Elalama on the honorable mention list. All four of Bethany’s honorees were freshmen. Meanwhile, on the women’s side, Bethany’s Riley Meyers and Franciscan’s Juliana Rubino were named first team all-PAC. The Barons placed two on second team in Marykate Bateman and Claire Dawyot, along with Sarah Cocozza as honorable mention. Bethany sophomore Cierra Turner, a Big Red product, was named to the sportsmanship team.
Track Athletes Waiting
The NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships are scheduled to run May 27-29 in Greensboro, N.C. Teams are scrambling to squeeze in last chance meets for another shot at improving PRs and top performance list rankings. No easy feat. Franciscan distance ace Allison Bryant turned in a PR of 4:47.60 in the 1,500 this week at New Wilmington, a mark that established a new record at Franciscan. But that won’t crack the top 50 nationally. However, Bryant does own the No. 15 3,000 steeplechase mark at 11:03.88, along with the 24th best time in the 5,000 meters at 17:29.92. Bethany’s best hope for a women’s qualifying comes from Riley Meyers, who was also named all-PAC in soccer. Myers has the 13th best time in her specialty, the 400 hurdles, at 1:03.79. Meanwhile, her 100 hurdles time of 14.81 comes in at no. 31. For the men, neither Bethany nor Franciscan athletes hold any times ranked in the Top 50. Only Barons' distance ace Liam Galligan, who owns the No. 52 time in the 1,500 at 3:55.12, has cracked the Top 100.
Weekly Conference Honors
The following athletes were honored last week by the PAC as the top performer and rookie in their respective sports: Players of the WeekRookies of the WeekBaseball Hitter/Pitcher: Anthony Tambellini, Grove City; Mark Lavezza, BethanyBaseball: Nick Guidas, Grove City Note: The PAC Notebook is a weekly rundown of some of the top news and notes from around the Presidents' Athletic Conference. Read the full article