Lock Haven, Pa. - The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) is pleased to announce its Spring 2009 Top 10 Award recipients today. The PSAC Top 10 Awards, which are selected by the PSAC’s sports information directors, recognize student-athletes who excel in both the classroom and in the area of competition. The PSAC Top 10 Awards are in their 12th season of existence, having been initiated in the 1997-98 academic year.
The Top 10 Awards recognize 10 outstanding student-athletes, five male and five female, for each athletic season: fall, winter and spring. The Spring 2009 Top 10 Award winners are Trey Bennett of Mercyhurst, Chris Clark of California, Bill Hezel of East Stroudsburg, Ryan Mostyn of IUP and Paul Wagner of East Stroudsburg on the men’s side, Mary Dell of Shippensburg, Priscilla Jennings of Millersville, Kassie Lauschel of Clarion, Kristen Morby of East Stroudsburg and Sonia Petrosoniak of California on the women’s side. Mostyn is the only repeat winner of a Spring Top 10 Award, having been honored last year as well. However, both Clarkand Dell have been previous Top 10 award recipients this school year, with Clark having been honored on the Fall Top 10 as a part of the California cross country team and Dell having been honored in the winter as part of the Shippensburg indoor track & field team.
To be a candidate for the PSAC Top 10 Awards, a student-athlete must have achieved a minimum of a 3.25 cumulative grade point average and must be a starter or key reserve with legitimate athletic credentials for their respective team. The spring sports eligible for consideration for the Spring Top 10 Awards are baseball, softball, lacrosse men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf and men’s and women’s outdoor track & field. At the end of the academic year, all Top 10 Award winners from the entire academic year are eligible for the PSAC Pete Nevins Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards, given to one male and one female candidate at the end of the academic year.
Listed below are biographies for the Spring 2009 PSAC Top 10 Award winners:
PSAC Spring 2009 Top 10 Awards
Trey Bennett, Mercyhurst (Baseball)
Chris Clark, California (Pa.) (Men’s Outdoor Track & Field)
Mary Dell, Shippensburg (Women’s Outdoor Track & Field)
Bill Hezel, East Stroudsburg (Baseball)
Priscilla Jennings, Millersville (Women’s Outdoor Track & Field)
Kassie Leuschel, Clarion (Women’s Tennis)
Kristen Morby, East Stroudsburg (Women’s Outdoor Track & Field)
Ryan Mostyn, IUP (Baseball)
Sonia Petrosoniak, California (Pa.) (Softball)
Paul Wagner, East Stroudsburg (Men’s Outdoor Track & Field)
Trey Bennett, Mercyhurst
Baseball, Junior
Hudson, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit
Major: Multi-Disciplinary Studies/Pre-Law
Cumulative GPA: 3.851
Played in 49 of Lakers 55 contests and had 47 starts… helped Lakers to PSAC West title and their first NCAA berth since 2000… also helped the Lakers advance to the championship game of the Atlantic Regional, another first for Mercyhurst s it went 3-2 in regional play, earning more wins than the team's victory total in postseason play overall… finished with a .291 batting average and drove in 49 runs, good for fifth on the squad along with his 21 walks… posted 12 multiple-hit games, including three with three or more hits… hit .320 in the postseason, the fifth-best total on the team ... Picked up a medical red-shirt in 2008 ...Hit safely in eight of his nine starts...Hit .364 with four walks, three stolen bases and three RBIs...Scored 10 runs... In 2007, started 47 of the 49 games in which he played in left field...His 26 walks tied for the team lead and tied for eighth in the GLIAC...His 18 steals were second on the team and tied for fourth in the GLIAC...Tied for second on the team with four homers...Third on the team with seven hit by pitch...Fourth on the team with 38 runs scored and a .421 on-base percentage...50 hits ranked fifth on the team and tied for fifth with 70 total bases...Had 15 mult-hit games...four multi-RBI games...
Chris Clark, California (Pa.)
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field, Senior/Graduate Student
Hadley, Pa./Commodore Perry
Major: Exercise Science - Wellness & Fitness
Cumulative GPA: 3.65 (undergrad)/4.00 (Graduate)
Earned NCAA All-America status in 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs - finishing eighth in both events… named PSAC Men's Track Athlete of the Year … two-time PSAC Men's Track Athlete of the Week … set school and all-time PSAC record in the 10K at the Mt. San Antonio College (SAC) Relays with a time of 29 minutes, 3.10 seconds - top time in NCAA Division II this season … won the 10K at the PSAC Championships with a time of 29:41.47 … finished second in the 5,000-meter run at the Penn Relays with a time of 13:58.51, only three-tenths of a second behind the overall winner … earned individual titles in both the 1,500 and 5,000 runs at the Robert Morris Invitational ... ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II First Team selection … finished career as five-time NCAA All-American (three outdoor track & field, one indoor track & field, one cross country) … PSAC Fall Top 10 (2008) … received USTFCCCA All-Academic honors … finished fourth overall at the 2008 NCAA Cross Country National Championships … PSAC Men's Cross Country of the Year (2008) … only runner in school history to earn PSAC Athlete of the Year honors in both cross country and track during a single-season and a career …. USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Athlete of the Year.
Mary Dell, Shippensburg
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field, Junior
Boiling Springs, Pa./Boiling Springs
Major: Biology/Secondary Certification
Cumulative GPA: 3.97
Mary Dell was a Division II All-American for Outdoor Track after a sixth-place finish in the outdoor 1,500-meter run to cap off another stellar season. She was an All-PSAC finisher in three events, placing second in the 800-meters (2:11.27), third in the 1,500-meters (4:30.58) and third in the 3,000-meters (10:19.51) at this year's championships. The Lady Raider outdoor track and field program finished the year ranked No. 8 in Division II and second in the Atlantic Region power rankings ... Dell was selected to the 2008-09 CoSIDA Academic All-District Women's Track & Field/Cross Country First Team and will advance to the national ballot. Dell was named the SU Student Athlete of the Year and finished the 2008-09 campaign by setting or being a part of eight school records. Also, Dell was also a Division II All-American for cross country and indoor track this season. She was a national champion with the Indoor DMR Squad (meet record; 11:24.54) as well as a PSAC Indoor Champion for the 800-meters (2:12.84) and the DMR. Dell was also an All-PSAC indoor athlete for the 1-mile run (5:01.07). For cross country, Dell finished 33rd in Division II for All-American status and also achieved All-PSAC status (11th place) and All-Region status (10th place). Mary was a PSAC Winter Top 10 Award Winner ... In seasons past, academically, she has been named to the 2007 and 2008 U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Women's Division II All-Academic Track and Field Team. In cross country, Dell was named to the 2008 USTFCCCA All-Academic Squad and was a part of a Shippensburg squad that was a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team. She is currently a member of the Honors College and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes on campus ... Additionally, Dell has been: PSAC 2007-2008 Track Rookie of the Year; PSAC 2008 Indoor Meet MV; 16 Time PSAC Conference Place-Winner; 13 Time All-PSAC Honors; 2007 NCAA National Provisional Qualifier- 400 Meter Dash (Indoors; 2008 NCAA National Qualifier- 800 Meter; 2008 NCAA All American- Distance Medley Relay (7th); 2008 NCAA All American- 4x400 Meter Relay (8th); PSAC Cross Country All-Conference 2007; PSAC Cross Country All-Conference 2008; NCAA Cross Country All-Region 2007; NCAA Cross Country All-Region 2008; 2008 NCAA All American- Cross Country
Bill Hezel, East Stroudsburg
Baseball, Senior
Bushkill, Pa./East Stroudsburg North
Major: Sport Management
Cumulative GPA: 3.94
Went 5-1 with a 3.75 ERA, 36.0 IP, 36 strikeouts, 18 walks, 35 hits allowed and .250 opponents batting average this year for the Warriors ... ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II second team pitcher … tied for team lead with five wins on team that set school record with 32 victories … won three of his four starts … significant contributor out of the bullpen … second on team in opponents batting average … didn't allow an earned run in his final two starts … recorded 4.0 GPA during spring 2009 semester.
Priscilla Jennings, Millersville
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field, Senior
Quarryville, Pa./Solanco
Major: Elementary Education
Cumulative GPA: 3.80
Won the 2009 PSAC outdoor Championship in the 800-meter and 1,500-meter runs... Set new PSAC meet record in the 1,500…Named PSAC Outdoor Championship Track Athlete of the Meet for the second year in a row…Named USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Track Athlete of the Year for the second straight year…Named PSAC Track Athlete of the Week two times…The only women's track athlete to earn the award twice during the 2009 season…Ran the nation's fastest time in the 5,000-meter run…Placed sixth in the 5,000 at the NCAA Championships to become a four-time All-American ... A four-time All-American between indoor and outdoor track and field…Holds three PSAC records…Qualified for the national championships in cross country, indoor and outdoor track…Won seven PSAC Championships during career…A two-time PSAC Outdoor Championships Track Athlete of the Meet and two-time USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Track Athlete of the Year…A two-time PSAC Scholar Athlete…Was named PSAC Athlete of the Week six times during the 2008-09 school year (three times for cross country, once for indoor track and twice for outdoor track)…Named USTFCCCA Cross Country All-Academic…Named USTFCCCA Track and Field All-Academic in 2008.
Kassie Leuschel, Clarion
Women’s Tennis, Senior
St. Marys, Pa./Elk County Catholic
Major: Finance
Cumulative GPA: 4.00
Kassie Leuschel helped Clarion to a 10-7 combined record in the Fall and Spring. Individually she was 10-10 in singles play and in doubles she was 9-10… She was named PSAC Women's Tennis "Player of the Week" on April 21st - She won both singles matches and doubles matches in a 2-0 Clarion week. In February 2009 she won the national award - William N. Wasson Student Leadership and Academic Award sponsored by NIRSA (National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association). Selected as the Wall Street Journal Award Winner at Clarion as the top business student at the university ... Last year (2007-08) she put together a singles record of 12-5 (mostly at #5 singles) and a doubles mark of 12-9 (#2 doubles) as the Golden Eagles finished with a dual meet record of 9-8 overall. In only two seasons at Clarion Kassie had a singles record of 22-15 in singles play and a doubles mark of 21-19. She is a Clarion and PSAC Scholar Athlete - A SAAC Member at Clarion … Many other clubs and organizations on campus.
Kristen Morby, East Stroudsburg
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field, Senior
Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West
Major: Biology
Cumulative GPA: 4.00
Set school record of 10-6 1/4 in pole vault at PSAC East Challenge at Millersville ... 2008 and 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II second team … holds school record in pole vault outdoors and shared indoor record until it was broken this year … top 12 at PSACs four times during her career and was 8th indoors as a senior … only ESU student-athlete to graduate with 4.0 GPA this spring.
Ryan Mostyn, IUP
Baseball, Senior
Philipsburg, Pa./Phillipsburg-Osceola
Major: Business Marketing
Cumulative GPA: 3.92
Batted .283 (39-for-138) with eight doubles, four triples, two home runs, 24 runs scored and 21 RBIs…Tied for second on the team in triples…Walked 24 times and had an on-base percentage of .396 and a slugging percentage of .442…Stole five bases ... Named the 2008-09 IUP Scholar-Athlete of the Year…PSAC Top Ten award recipient as a junior in spring 2008…Earned a 4.0 GPA in five of his eight semesters…Two-time team captain…Member of IUP Student-Athlete Advisory Committee…Attended the 2008 NCAA National Student-Athlete Leadership Development Conference in Orlando…Holds school career record with 172 games played…Also ranks fifth in at bats (482), sixth in triples (9), tied for 10th in home runs (10), tied for 11th in total bases (188), tied for 16th in hits (119) and tied for 19th in doubles (21)…As a junior he batted .313 and helped lead IUP to a school-record 36 wins and the team's first PSAC playoff berth in 10 years…Community service projects included work with the Hearts for the Hungry, an organization that raises money to feed children in Haiti, United Way events at the Indiana Regional Medical Center and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk.
Sonia Petrosoniak, California (Pa.)
Softball, Junior
Mississauga, Ontario/Clarkson
Major: International Studies
Cumulative GPA: 4.00
Earned All-PSAC West Second-Team honors for a second-straight year … finished the season with an 11-0 record and 1.49 ERA in 84.1 innings … led the team with 25 appearances (10 starts) and registered 56 strikeouts … second on team in wins and innings pitched … ranked among the PSAC leaders in ERA, saves (two) and opponents' batting average (.221) … threw 29.0 innings in March without allowing an earned run … posted a 2-0 record and one save in six appearances during post-season play … earned win after throwing 7.2 scoreless innings of relief against Shippensburg in NCAA Tournament … helped lead Vulcans to PSAC West title and appearances in both the PSAC and NCAA Tournament ... ESPN The Magazine First-Team Academic All-American (2009), only PSAC representative on the two Academic All-America teams … ESPN The Magazine First-Team Academic All-District II (2009) … two-time All-PSAC West Second Team selection … holds a 27-13 career record with a 1.49 ERA in 273.0 innings … PSAC Scholar Athlete … Cal U AD Honor Roll.
Paul Wagner, East Stroudsburg
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field, Junior
Titusville, N.J./Hopewell Valley
Major: Sport Management
Cumulative GPA: 3.78
PSAC champion and All-American in hammer throw … broke his own PSAC record with throw of 196-9 to finish 6th at NCAA championships … set record of 190-7 earlier in the season and PSAC meet record of 190-3 to win fourth career PSAC championship … finished 4th in shot put at PSACs ... ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District first team … four-time PSAC champion (indoor weight throw, outdoor hammer throw the last two years) … outdoor All-American in hammer and finished 9th in weight during indoor season … PSAC Field Athlete of the Meet at both championships during sophomore year … holds school records in hammer (196-9) and weight (61-4 3/4).