Lock Haven, Pa. - The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) is pleased to announce its Winter 2009-10 Top 10 Award recipients. 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 13th 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 seasons: fall, winter and spring. The Winter 2009-10 Top 10 Award winners are Rich Eckert of Clarion, Chris Edelman of Lock Haven, Jarrod King of Edinboro, Paul Wagner of East Stroudsburg and Shane Wolter of Shippensburg on the men’s side, and Lauren Beckley and Neely Spence of Shippensburg, Jennifer Hansen of Slippery Rock, Kristen Montello of West Chester and Lizzie Suwala of Clarion on the women’s side. Beckley and King are both repeat winners of the Winter Top 10 awards, with both having also been honored as Winter Top 10 recipients last year. Beckley is now a three-time Winter Top 10 award recipient, having also won the award during the 2007-08 winter season. Additionally, Hansen of Slippery Rock picked up her fourth Top 10 award, having also been honored in the winter of 2007-08 and the spring of both 2007 and 2008, while Wagner of East Stroudsburg earns his second Top 10 award, having also been honored in the spring of last year.
To be a candidate for the PSAC Top 10 Awards, a student-athlete must have achieved a minimum of a 3.50 cumulative grade point average and must be a starter or key reserve with legitimate athletic credentials for their respective team. The winter sports eligible for consideration for the Winter Top 10 Awards are men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s indoor track & field and wrestling. 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 Winter 2009-10 PSAC Top 10 Award winners:
PSAC Winter 2009-10 Top 10 Awards
Lauren Beckley, Shippensburg (Women’s Basketball)
Rich Eckert, Clarion (Men’s Basketball)
Chris Edelman, Lock Haven (Men’s Indoor Track & Field)
Jennifer Hansen, Slippery Rock (Women’s Indoor Track & Field)
Jarrod King, Edinboro (Wrestling)
Kristen Montello, West Chester (Women’s Swimming)
Neely Spence, Shippensburg (Women’s Indoor Track & Field)
Lizzie Suwala, Clarion (Women’s Basketball)
Paul Wagner, East Stroudsburg (Men’s Indoor Track & Field)
Shane Wolter, Shippensburg (Men’s Swimming)
Lauren Beckley, Shippensburg
Women’s Basketball, Senior
Fairfield, Pa./Fairfield
Major: Exercise Science
Cumulative GPA: 3.589
2010 WBCA Coaches All-American...2010 PSAC Eastern Division Player of the Year...2010 Daktronics Atlantic Region First-Teamer...Set SU record for most consecutive made free throws (41)...Tied SU single-game free throws record (21 at Bloomsburg, 2/17/10)...Was named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II State Farm Coaches' All-America Basketball Team, one of just 10 honorees in Division II...She became just the second Lady Raider in history to receive the honor more than once in a career...The 2010 PSAC Eastern Division Player of the Year and a finalist for the Daktronics Women's Basketball All-America Team, Beckley was honored four times this season as a PSAC Eastern Division Player of the Week and finished the regular season as the conference's leading scorer at 21.8 points per game...She ranked sixth in the nation in points per game and finished just 16 points short of Tracy Spencer's SU season scoring record...Became the PSAC's all-time leading scorer…Named the PSAC Eastern Division Player of the Year for the second consecutive season to become Shippensburg's first-ever three-time PSAC Player of the Year…Earned her fourth consecutive selection to the All-PSAC First Team squad…Recognized by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) as a 2009-10 First Team Academic All-District selection for the College Division of District 2…Also named to the Division II Daktronics All-America Regional First Team as voted on by the division members of CoSIDA…Chosen as one of the 40 finalists for the 2010 State Farm Coaches' All-America Team sponsored by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)…Honored four times this season as a PSAC Eastern Division Player of the Week…Completed the regular season as the conference's leading scorer at 21.8 points per game...Ranked sixth in the nation at the end of the regular season in points per game...Finished just 16 points short of Tracy Spencer's season scoring record after totaling 566...Tied a school record for the most free throws made in one game (21)…Wrote new school records for most free throws made in one season (157) in addition to the best free-throw percentage in one season (.887; 157-177)...Among SU single-season totals, finished fourth in made three-pointers (69), fifth in scoring average (21.8 points), sixth in field goals made (217), seventh in rebounds (302) and eighth in rebounding average (10.1)... Ranked sixth in the nation in scoring, eighth in free-throw percentage and 19th in rebounds per game...Led the PSAC in scoring… Additionally, ranked second among PSAC players in rebounding and minutes, fourth in free-throw percentage and sixth in three-pointers…Served as the team's leader in points, rebounds, three-pointers, free throws, free-throw percentage and blocks…Topped 30 points in a game on six occasions, including a 43-point effort at Bloomsburg…Notched 20 points or more on 19 occasions...Amassed double digits for points in 29 of the team's 30 games to go along with 13 double-doubles…Functioned as the team's scoring leader in 20 of the team's 30 games during the season...2009 PSAC Winter Top 10 Award Winner...2008 PSAC Winter Top 10 Award Winner...2009-10 CoSIDA / ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-Region...2008-09 CoSIDA / ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-Region...Three-time PSAC Scholar Athlete...2009 PSAC Eastern Division Player of the Year...2008 PSAC Western Division Player of the Year...2007 PSAC Western Division Freshman of the Year...2008 WBCA All-American...2009 Daktronics D-II Second Team All-American...2008 Daktronics D-II First Team All-American...Four-time All-PSAC First Team Selection...Set PSAC career scoring record (2,407 points in 113 games; 21.3 points per game)...Set PSAC freshman scoring record with 548 career points...Set SU career three-point field goal record (263; fourth-best in PSAC history)...Set SU career free throws record (532; third-best in PSAC history)...Set SU career free-throw percentage record (84.8; second-best in PSAC history)...Set SU career three-point field goal percentage record (41.1)...Set SU single-game scoring record (47 points at Lock Haven, 2/13/08)...Ranks 15th in Division II history for career points...One of just five players in PSAC history with 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds...Became first woman in PSAC history to reach 1,000 career points as a sophomore...Is the only known PSAC player win conference player of the year awards in both divisions...Averaged 10.2 rebounds per game for career (1,151 total ranks second in SU history, 6th in PSAC history)...Became first player in school history to win three PSAC Player of the Year awards...59 career double-doubles...2 career 40+ point games...19 career 30+ point games... 64 career 20+ point games...108 career 10+ point games.
Rich Eckert, Clarion
Men’s Swimming, Senior
Versailles, Pa./McKeesport
Major: Business/Management
Cumulative GPA: 3.69
Rich Eckert - was a 2010 Clarion Men's Swimming Captain…Led Clarion to a 2-2 dual meet record and a second place finish at the 2010 PSAC Championships…Breaststroke Specialist …Placed fourth at PSAC's in the 100 breaststroke (59.12)…Placed sixth in the 200 Breaststroke (2:09.85)…Also part of two second place relays at PSAC's - second place 200 medley and second place 400 medley relay...President of the Clarion SAAC Organization...Four year starter...In 2009, was second in the 100 breaststroke and fourth in 200 breaststroke (second 200 medley relay; second 400 medley relay) at the PSAC Championships…Eckert also qualified for D-II Nationals in breaststroke and relays …Placed 14th in 200 medley relay; 14th in 400 medley relay setting new school record time…Clarion was 13th at nationals...In 2008 Eckert helped Clarion to a second place finish at PSAC's and 18th at D-II Nationals… At PSAC's he was second in the 100 yard breaststroke and third in the 200 breaststroke…The 400 medley relay was second and the 200 medley relay was third with Eckert swimming the breaststroke leg…He was the 2007 PSAC Champion in the 200 breaststroke, placed second in the 100 breaststroke, helped the 200 medley relay to a PSAC title and the 400 medley relay to a second place finish...He is a seven-time D-II All-American...Honors Program at Clarion…Clarion and PSAC "Scholar Athlete".
Chris Edelman, Lock Haven
Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Senior
Elverson, Pa./Owen J. Roberts
Major: Health
Cumulative GPA: 3.853
Converted 400 meter specialist moved up the 800 this year …Second in the 800 (1:55.45) at PSAC Championships …Anchored LHU's second-place 4x400 meter relay team that clinched team title for the Bald Eagles …Ran on third-place DMR and fourth-place 4x800 meter relay at PSAC Championships …Ran on Lock Haven's national qualifying DMR...All-time PSAC record holder at 500 meters … 2008-09: Indoor: Grabbed his first All-America honors anchoring the 4X400m relay team to 8th place at Nationals…National qualifier in the 400m…PSAC champion in the 400m and 4x400m relay…Outdoor: Qualified for the NCAA National Championships in the 400m...Placed third in the 400m at PSACs…Anchored the 4x400m relay to first place at the PSAC Championships. 2007-2008: Indoor - Bucknell, third in 400. PSU Relays- third 4x200, fourth 500m, seventh distance medley, PSU Nat. invite- sixth in distance medley. Outdoor: Bucknell- sixth 400m, PSAC champ. fourth 400m, second 4x400 2006-07: Placed second in the 400m at the PSAC Mandate Meet (52.82). Outdoor: Finished second in the 400m at the PSAC Championships (48.24). Placed third in the 400m at the Terrapin Invitational (48.82)… Finished fifth in the 400m at the Last Chance Meet (48.60)…Finished sixth in the 400m at the Bucknell Outdoor Heptagonal (49.61). Personal Bests: 100m 11.04…200m 22.00…400m 48.18…800m 1:58.5. In High School: Competed in track and field and soccer for the Wildcats…Pottstown Mercury Athlete of the Year 2005 and 2006…Was coached by Eric Wentzel.
Jennifer Hansen, Slippery Rock
Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Senior
Charleston, W.Va./Capital
Major: Special Education
Cumulative GPA: 4.00
Earned fifth-career All-America honor with 3rd place finish in the pole vault at the NCAA Division II National Championships…Won her third PSAC indoor title in the pole vault…Posted the fourth-best clearance in the nation this season (3.91 meters or 12'10")…Best mark was nearly a foot and a half better than any other competitor in the PSAC or Atlantic Region (second best was 3.50 meters or 11'5.75")…Named USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Field Athlete of the Year…Maintained perfect 4.0 GPA…Recovered from injury that forced her to miss entire 2008-09 indoor and outdoor seasons...Five-time All-American in the pole vault…2007-08 PSAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year…All-Time PSAC record holder in the pole vault both indoors and outdoors…2007-08 NCAA Division II Conference Commissioners Atlantic Region Scholar-Athlete of the Year…First team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American…Three-time USTFCCCA All-Academic selection…Three-time previous member of PSAC Top Ten…Six-time PSAC Individual Champion…SRU school-record holder…PSAC Championship record holder in pole vault both indoors and outdoors.
Jarrod King, Edinboro
Wrestling, Senior
Connellsville, Pa./Connellsville
Major: Individualized Studies
Cumulative GPA: 3.74
Earned All-American honors for second straight season with third place finish at 165 lbs…Ended the year with 39-2 record, tied for 12th at Edinboro for wins in a season …Had 8 falls, 4 technical falls and 10 major decisions …Was named the Eastern Wrestling League Wrestler of the Year and the PSAC Wrestler of the Year for the second straight year…Won his third straight EWL championship and his third straight PSAC crown…Also finished first at Reno Tournament, Oklahoma Gold Classic and EMU Classic and third at Southern Scuffle...Two-time All-American who became Edinboro's fourth national champion in 2009 with 165 lb. title, and finished third this year …Former transfer from Oklahoma who was three-time national qualifier at Edinboro …Was named the EWL Wrestler of the Year in 2009 and 2010 and was the PSAC Athlete of the Year in 2009…Finished career with 103-16 record at Edinboro in three seasons, tied for 21st in career wins, and overall was 125-27 for his career…Won three straight EWL championships and three PSAC titles …Was named ESPN the Magazine First Team Academic All-American a year ago and was also named to PSAC Winter Top Ten and NWCA All-Academic Team…2008-09: finished with 32-5 record with 10 falls, winning national championship at 165 lbs. after entering as 12th seed…Won EWL and PSAC titles along with finishing first at Reno Tournament and Oklahoma Gold Classic and placing second at Southern Scuffle…2007-08: had a 32-9 record with 5 falls in first season at Edinboro, going 2-2 in his first trip to Nationals…Won both the EWL and PSAC championships and came in third at Southern Scuffle and sixth at Las Vegas Invitational…Three-time Edinboro and PSAC Scholar Athlete.
Kristen Montello, West Chester
Women’s Swimming, Junior
Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg
Major: Communicative Disorders
Cumulative GPA: 3.97
Helped West Chester to fourth consecutive PSAC team title and a fourth-place showing at NCAA Championships…PSAC individual champion in the 500-yard freestyle…Won three conference titles as a member of relay teams …Qualified for NCAAs in five different events …Five-time All-American at NCAAs …Three-time individual All-American, finishing fourth in the 1000, and fifth in both the 500 free and 1650 free…Part of 400 free relay team that finished second overall … 800 free relay placed third and 200 free relay placed fourth...WCU academic honor roll all five semesters…PSAC honor roll recipient each of last two seasons.
Neely Spence, Shippensburg
Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Sophomore
Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg
Major: Human Communications Studies
Cumulative GPA: 3.788
2010 National Champion in 5K (17:19.98)...2010 National All-American in DMR (2nd; 11:31.29)...2010 PSAC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year...2010 PSAC Championships Track and Overall MVP of the Meet...2010 USTFCCA Atlantic Region Co-Indoor Track Athlete of the Year...Set All-Time PSAC Record in 5K (16:13.01)...Set All-Time PSAC Record in 4x800M relay (9:04.77)...Set SU Record in Mile (4:48.54)...Three-Time PSAC Indoor Track Athlete of the Week...Spence, the 2010 PSAC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, won the national title in the 5,000-meter run from the 2010 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 17:19.98 to become just the second individual indoor national champion in school history. She is the first individual indoor All-American since Tunisia Lacy finished eighth in the triple jump during the 2005 season...Spence also anchored the DMR squad that earned All-American honors with a second-place finish....The track and overall meet MVP of this year's 2010 PSAC Indoor Track and Field Championships, Spence was also named the Atlantic Region Indoor Co-Track Athlete of the Year by the USTFCCCA after winning all four events in which she competed at the PSAC indoor meet...That performance included conference championships in the mile, 3K and 5K in addition to a team title in the DMR...She boasted the top time in the nation this year for the 5K (16:13.01, a PSAC all-time record), the fourth-fastest time in the mile (4:48.94) and contributed to the nation's top DMR time this season (11:25.16)...Entering the 2009-10 Season, Spence had already accomplished: 2009 PSAC Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, 2009 PSAC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, 2009 PSAC Outdoor Track Freshman of the Year, 2009 PSAC Indoor Track Freshman of the Year, 2009 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team Member...2-Time Division II National Champion...2-Time Division II All-American...2009 Division II Outdoor National Champion (5000M)...2009 Division II Indoor National Champion (DMR)...2009 Division II Outdoor National Qualifier (1500M)...2009 Division II Indoor National Qualifier (Mile)...2009 Women's PSAC Indoor Track Meet MVP...6-Time PSAC Place Winner...6-Time All-PSAC Award Winner...2009 PSAC Outdoor Champion (3000M)...2009 PSAC Outdoor Champion (5000M)
2009 PSAC Indoor Champion (3000M)...2009 PSAC Indoor Champion (Mile)...2009 PSAC Indoor Champion (DMR)...2009 Indoor - Mile (1st), 3000M (1st), DMR (1st)...2009 Outdoor - 1500M (2nd), 3000M (1st), 5000M (1st)...Indoor School Records: 3000M: 9:35.87 (PSAC record); Mile: 4:54.71; DMR: 11:24.54...Outdoor School Records: 1500M: 4:24.59; 5000M: 16:35.36...2008-09 (Freshman): Became the first athlete in the history of the PSAC to win Athlete of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards in three different sports during the same calendar year, achieving the honor in cross country and both branches of track and field…Won a national championship on the indoor DMR squad that set a national meet record…Achieved an individual national championship in the outdoor 5,000-meter run with another school record, the first outdoor national championship in school history…Set the school and PSAC record for the indoor 3,000-meter run, an indoor school record in the mile and an outdoor school record in the 1,500-meter run…Became the first outdoor All-American in the 5,000 meters since 1999…Earned five PSAC championships and a total of six all-conference certificates between the indoor and outdoor season.
Lizzie Suwala, Clarion
Women’s Basketball, Senior
Ford City, Pa./Ford City
Major: Elementary/Special Education
Cumulative GPA: 3.951
Fourth in the PSAC, 33rd in the nation in scoring at 18.1 points per game…Third in the PSAC, 5th in the nation in free-throw shooting (89.1 percent)…Second in the PSAC, 18th in the nation in 3-point shooting (43 percent)…Second in the PSAC, 24th in the nation in 3-pointers made per game (2.7)…10th in the PSAC, 59th in the nation in shooting (47.4 percent)…Tied for 20th in PSAC in rebounding at 6.3 rebounds per game…10th in shooting in the PSAC (47.4 percent)…Two 30-point games, 9 20-point games during the season…Four double-doubles…Avg. 25.3 ppg while shooting 54.5 percent from the floor and 57.4 percent from the free-throw line between Jan. 30 and Feb. 24 helping Clarion stay in the PSAC Playoff race. Her streak of five straight 20-point games from Jan. 30-Feb. 11 is tied for the second-longest streak of 20 or more points in school history and she became the first Golden Eagle to score 25 or more points in four straight games during that stretch...2010 First Team PSAC-West…1,017 career points, 425 rebounds, 110 assists, 69 steals, 53 blocks…87.6 percent career free-throw shooter.
Paul Wagner, East Stroudsburg
Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Senior
Titusville, N.J./Hopewell Valley
Major: Sport Management
Cumulative GPA: 3.80
won PSAC championships in weight throw (66-3 3/4) and shot put (52-5 1/4)...NCAA automatic qualifier in weight throw and provisional qualifier in shot put...Competed at NCAA indoor championships in weight but did not place...2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American and spring Top 10 recipient...Two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic team...All-American in hammer, placing 6th, at 2009 outdoor championships...Holds ESU and PSAC records in weight (66-3 3/4) and hammer (196-9)...Has won six PSAC championships (three in weight, two in hammer, one in indoor shot put)...Has also placed in discus and shot put outdoors...PSAC indoor co-field athlete of the meet and outdoor field athlete of the meet in 2008.
Shane Wolter, Shippensburg
Men’s Swimming, Senior
Clarksville, Md./Atholton
Major: Criminal Justice
Cumulative GPA: 3.646
Senior Shane Wolter became the first individual PSAC champion for the Shippensburg University men's swimming team since Mike Owen in 2007 as the Red Raiders finished in third place at the 2010 PSAC Swimming Championships held at Cumberland Valley High School...He also has the highest GPA of any member of the men's swimming team...Wolter was unable to achieve an automatic qualifying time in the 1,650-yard freestyle but distanced the rest of the field by six seconds with a provisional cut of 16:06.96...Wolter earned all-conference honors in the mile for the second consecutive year after a second-place turn in 2009 and has now completed five All-PSAC swims in his career...Overall, Wolter was a four-time All-PSAC performer, finishing third in the 500 free (4:37.01) and contributing to the 400 and 800 freestyle relays. He held the team's best times in four events and was an NCAA 'B' cut performer in the 200, 500 and 1,650 freestyle...As a junior, Wolter capped off an unbelievable PSAC tournament with a second-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle, completing his swim in 15:58.52 and missing an automatic-qualifying time by just 0.43 seconds. That time ranks second in SU history...For the week, Wolter finished second in the 400-yard IM and fifth in the 1,000-yard freestyle while helping the 800-yard freestyle relay to a third-place finish. Wolter entered the tournament among the top six qualifiers in five events and helped guide SU to a runner-up trophy for a second-place finish, the school's best finish in 13 years...As a sophomore, Wolter earned the team's top performance in the 500 freestyle, the 1,000 free and the 1,650-yard freestyle as well as the team's top time in the 400 IM…Swam the second-fastest time in the in the 200 backstroke. As a freshman, Wolter placed in the top five in three distance events at the conference championships…Recorded the sixth-fastest time in school history in the 1000 free with an NCAA 'B' cut time and third-place finish at the PSAC Championships.