May 12, 2008
Spring Sports Honor Roll - May 12
Baseball Player of the Week
Zach Zaneski - Rhode Island
Senior, C, 6-2, 205 lbs.
Waterford, Conn./Norwich Free Academy
Zaneski accounted for all three of Rhode Island's runs in its 3-2 win versus Massachusetts on May 11 with a two-run homer and a RBI single...knocked in a pair of runs in the Rams' 3-1 victory over UMass on May 10...hit .417 on the week and scored two runs...threw out two potential base stealers and picked off another...extended his hitting streak to seven games and has 20 multi-hit performances on the year.
Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Matt Mongiardini - Temple
Junior, RHP, 6-3, 190 lbs.
Toms River, N.J./Toms River East HS
Mongiardini allowed just three hits over 7.1 innings to earn his sixth victory of the season on May 10 as Temple edged Dayton, 1-0...walked two and struck out four...named the A-10 Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season.
Baseball Rookies of the Week
Jesse Bosnik - St. Bonaventure
Freshman, SS, 6-2, 200 lbs.
St. Mary's, Pa./Elk Country Catholic HS
Bosnik collected two hits in each of St. Bonaventure's three contests at Saint Joseph's (May 10-11)...drove in a career-high four runs in the Bonnies' 15-11 win on May 11...had six RBI, three runs scored and two steals on the week.
Eric Cantrell - George Washington
Freshman, RHP, 6-4, 195 lbs.
Oakton, Va./Oakton HS
Cantrell allowed one earned run over eight innings while fanning a career-high nine in George Washington's 8-4 win at La Salle...marked his fifth victory of the season...has 60 strikeouts in 63.2 innings pitched.
Softball Player of the Year
Brooke Darreff - Saint Joseph's
Sophomore, Catcher, Hartsville, Pa./Central Bucks South HS
Darreff finished the season with a .462 batting average, good for fourth nationally...also ranked ninth nationally in on-base percentage (.536) and was 39th in the nation in doubles per game (0.31)...reached base safely in 38 of 42 games played and batted .500 with runners in scoring position and .765 with a runner at third and less than two outs.
Softball Pitcher of the Year
Brandice Balschmiter - Massachusetts
Junior, Pitcher, Newark, N.Y./Newark HS
Balschmiter, garnered her third-straight A-10 Pitcher of the Year award, and finished the A-10 Championship with the nation's lowest earned run average at 0.54...appeared in 38 games while tossing 17 shutouts and five no-hitters, including two perfect games...has held opponents to a .141 batting average and has currently recorded 23 wins in a row...named the A-10 Pitcher of the Week a league-record nine times and set a UMass record with 14 strikeouts in a five-inning game against Temple on Apr. 13...just the second player in league history to earn three Pitcher of the Year honors, joining former Massachusetts standout Danielle Henderson (1997-99) as the only players to hold that distinction.
Softball Rookie of the Year
Lindsay Maroney - Massachusetts
Freshman, Designated Player, Bradford, Mass./Phillips Academy
Maroney has had an impressive rookie campaign for the nationally-ranked Minutewomen..ranks second on the squad in both batting average (.374) and slugging percentage (.593)...has two grand slams on the year and is 7-for-9 in stolen base attempts... freshman is hitting .500 with the bases loaded and .500 with two outs.
Softball Coach of the Year
Elaine Sortino - Massachusetts
28th Season
Now in her 28th year at Massachusetts, Sortino has made winning a habit...has earned the A-10 Coach of the Year award an unprecedented nine times, this time for leading her Minutewomen to their 20th A-10 regular season title, a perfect 20-0 record in Conference play and earning her 1,000th career win...became just the 11th coach in NCAA history and eighth in Division I annals to reach the 1,000- win plateau...under her direction, UMass enters the NCAA Championship riding a 29-game winning streak.
Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Year
Allison Furstenburg - Richmond
Junior, Attack, Whitehouse Station, N.J./Hunterdon Central Region HS
Furstenburg leads the top-seeded Spiders in goals scored with 53, which is second in the A-10...also ranks second in the league in points per game (4.65) and goals per game (3.12)..points per game total is seventh in the nation...named A-10 Player of the Week on Mar. 31...boasts 14 multi-goal games in 17 contests and has scored at least one goal in every contest this year.
Lacrosse Midfielder of the Year
Mandy Friend - Richmond
Junior, Midfielder, Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua Academy
Friend earned Co-Offensive Player of the Year honors last season...garners the league's first-ever Midfielder of the Year award...enters the Atlantic 10 Championship with 51 goals and 35 assists for 86 points on the season, ranking her first in the league in total points and second nationally...a three-time A-10 Player of the Week honoree...on the Tewaarton Award watch list...ranks third in the league in goals and second in assists...leads Conference in ground balls per game (3.17)...a two-time All-American...making her third appearance on the A-10 All-Conference first-team.
Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Year
Eboni Preston - St. Bonaventure
Senior, Goalkeeper, New Windsor, Md./Westminster HS
Preston earned All-Conference second-team honors as a junior and is making her first appearance as a first-team honoree...leads the Conference in saves (170), saves per game (12.0) and save percentage (54.1)...leads the nation in saves per game while ranking second nationally in save percentage...had double-digit saves in 11 contests, including six A-10 contests.
Lacrosse Rookie of the Year
Anne Ryan - Richmond
Freshman, Midfield, Darien, Conn./Darien HS
Ryan enjoyed an outstanding rookie season for Richmond and is the second player from Richmond in three years to earn the top rookie honor...two-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week...fifth on her team in goals scored (20) and ground balls (24)...one of Richmond's top one-on-one defenders from her center midfield position...has six multi-goal performances on the season.
Lacrosse Coach of the Year
Bonnie Rosen - Temple
Second Season
Rosen guided Temple to the program's league-leading eighth A-10 regular season title and a No. 2 seed in the upcoming Championship...helped the Owls to their best start since 2002 and finished the regular season with 11 wins, the most victories since 2004...1993 graduate of the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Science degree in education, Rosen was a four-year, two-sport athlete, playing both lacrosse and field hockey for the Cavaliers.
Men's Tennis Most Outstanding Performer
Doug Matthews - Xavier
Junior, Maineville, Ohio/Kings HS
At first singles and doubles, Matthews helped lead the Musketeers to the A-10 title on Apr. 4-6 at Club 4 Life in Monroeville, Pa...Matthews did not lose a singles match throughout the Championship, earning a victory over Felipe Acosta of Saint Louis (6-0, 6-1) before clinching the title against George Washington's Mustafa Gencsoy (6-4, 3-6, 6-4)...teamed with sophomore Chris Herringer to go 3-0 at first doubles, defeating Saint Louis (8-4) and Charlotte (9-7), before securing a crucial doubles point against George Washington (8-6) in the championship match.
Men's Tennis Most Outstanding Rookie
Yan Levinski - George Washington
Freshman, Melbourne, Australia/Brighton Grammar School
Levinksi garnered Most Outstanding Rookie honors after winning all three of his doubles matches paired with teammate Salyer at the A-10 Championship...the duo posted second flight wins against Rhode Island (8-2), St. Bonaventure (8-3) and Xavier (8-6)...in singles, Levinski held a lead in his first two matches against No. 2 opponents from URI and SBU, but did not finish either match.
Men's Tennis Coach of the Year
First Season
Toth was named Coach of the Year after guiding Xavier to its first-ever A-10 men's tennis title and a subsequent automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament...entering the Championship as the second seed, the Musketeers captured three 4-0 victories, starting with Saint Louis, then Charlotte and finally top-seeded George Washington en route to the title..it was Toth's first season as head coach after serving as an assistant at XU for ten years.
Men's Golf Medalist
Rob Chappell - Dayton
Junior, Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller HS
Chappell earned Dayton's first-ever individual medalist honor shooting an 11-under (64-73-68) at the Atlantic 10 Championship on May 2-4... Chappell's 205 total score helped the Flyers secure a second place finish at the Championship, the best in the program's history...second career tournament win...in round three, Chappell bounced back after a bogey on his first hole to net five birdies in the remaining 17 holes...marks the third consecutive time that a player shot a 68 on the final day of play to merit top honors.
Men's Golf Most Outstanding Rookie
Chris Woeste - Dayton
Freshman, Kettering, Ohio/Alter HS
Woeste tied for eighth overall thanks to a final round of 68 at the Atlantic 10 Championship on May 2-4...he carded scores of 70 and 76 in the first two rounds and netted a birdie and an eagle on holes eight and 10...after recording back-to-back bogeys on 11 and 12, Woeste recovered to birdie three of his last five holes...Woeste is just the fifth UD golfer to place in the top ten at the A-10 Championship.
Men's Golf Coach of the Year
Jamie Green - Charlotte
Fifth Season
Green earned his third-straight Coach of the Year honor after Charlotte captured its third title in three years at the Atlantic 10 Championship on May 2-4...with the win, the 49ers earned their fourth straight NCAA Tournament bid...Charlotte shot a three-under par 285 to finish at -27, 837, and top runner-up Dayton by 23 strokes.
Women's Tennis Most Outstanding Performer
Dina Senkina - Temple
Junior, Moscow, Russia/#1071
Senkina helped lead the Owls to their first title in five years at the 2008 Atlantic 10 Women's Tennis Championship, held Apr. 18-20 at the Club 4 Life in Monroeville, Pa....went undefeated during the Championship with a 1-0 record in singles and 3-0 record in doubles matches. At first singles, she garnered a 6-3, 6-3 win against Pamela Duran of Richmond in the semifinals. In doubles, Senkina teamed with fellow first-team All-Conference selection Elyse Steiner to earn victories over Charlotte (8-3), Richmond (8-4) and Xavier (8-1).
Women's Tennis Most Outstanding Rookie
Zena Williams - Duquesne
Freshman, Bellaire, Texas/American School of Bangkok
Williams, a native of Bellaire, Texas, finished 1-0 at first singles while also posting a 3-0 second doubles record at the A-10 Championship...partnered with junior teammate Rebecca Poole, a member of the All-Conference second-team, to register doubles matches victories against Saint Joseph's (8-2), Xavier (8-2) and Saint Louis (8-5).
Women's Tennis Coach of the Year
Jill Breslin - Temple
First Season
Breslin earns her first Coach of the Year award for leading the Temple to its fourth-ever A-10 title. The Championship's second seed, Temple registered wins over Charlotte (4-0), Richmond (4-1) and Xavier (4-0) en route to capturing the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Men's Outdoor Track and Field Most Outstanding Track Performers
Darius Law - Charlotte
Freshman, Raleigh, N.C./Southeast Raleigh HS
Law sprinted to victories in both the 200-meter (21.83) and 400-meter (48.08) dashes at the Atlantic 10 Championship on May 3-4...led Charlotte to a third-place finish.
Steven Rendall - La Salle
Junior, Deptford, N.J./Gloucester Catholic HS
Rendall was named the Most Outstanding Track Performer at the A-10 Championship (May 3-4) after taking both the 110-meter (14.53) and the 400-meter (53.50) hurdles...both times were personal bests and his 400-meter hurdles time is the fastest in the Conference this season.
Most Outstanding Rookie
Darius Law - Charlotte
Freshman, Raleigh, N.C./Southeast Raleigh HS
Law sprinted to victories in both the 200-meter (21.83) and 400-meter (48.08) dashes at the Atlantic 10 Championship on May 3-4...led Charlotte to a second-place finish.
Men's Outdoor Track and Field Most Outstanding Field Performer
Ryan McCarthy - Rhode Island
Senior, Worcester, Mass./St. John's HS
McCarthy defended his titles in two events, claiming gold in the shot put (52-3.25) and javelin (209-0) at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 3-4...became the first-ever three-time recipient of the of the honor...also finished second in the discus (153-5)...led URI to its second straight title.
Men's Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year
John Copeland - Rhode Island
30th Season
Copeland was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year for the fifth time after Rhode Island seized its second straight men's title at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track & Field Championships (May 3-4)...it marked the seventh title in eight seasons for the Rams, as they edged runner-up Charlotte, 224-206.
Women's Outdoor Track and Field Most Outstanding Track Performer
Lamarra Currie - Charlotte
Sophomore, Apex, N.C./Apex HS
Currie captured gold in the 100-meter (11.55) and 200-meter (24.11) dashes at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track & Field Championships (May 3-4)...led the 49ers to their third consecutive title.
Women's Outdoor Track and Field Most Outstanding Field Performer
Sarah Thornton - Rhode Island
Senior, Saugerties, N.Y./Saugerties HS
Thornton became the first four-time winner of the discus event (153-8), while also placing second in the hammer throw (198-6) and was tabbed the Most Outstanding Field Performer at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track & Field Championships (May 3-4)...also placed fifth in the shot put (40-11 3/4)...URI finished tied for second in the 12-team field.
Women's Outdoor Track and Field Most Outstanding Rookie
Ebonie Cunningham - Charlotte
Freshman, Raleigh, N.C./Southeast Raleigh HS
Cunningham claimed gold at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track & Field Championships (May 3-4) in the 400-meter dash (55.77) as the 49ers won their third straight Conference title.
Women's Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year
Bob Olesen - Charlotte
Fifth Season
Olesen was named the women's Coach of the Year for the third time in as many years after leading the 49ers to their third consecutive Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track & Field Championships (May 3-4)...the 49ers amassed 203 points en route to victory, while Dayton and Rhode Island tied for second with 110.5 points apiece.
