Thought For The Day…This column tries to carry out the philosophy once stated by President Teddy Roosevelt, who in a 1910 speech said, “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.”
Higher Education Yahoo Awards…One student-athlete who has been outstanding “in the arena” all season is Moravian senior men’s basketball forward Marquis Ratcliff (Nativity) who is piling up honors. In just the past two weeks, Ratcliff:
Bloomsburg and former Panther Valley standout basketball player Maddison Maynard. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Bloomsburg and former Panther Valley standout basketball player Maddison Maynard. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Bloomsburg and former Panther Valley standout basketball player Maddison Maynard. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Kutztown and former Marian Catholic track runner Michael Fellin. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Kutztown and former Marian Catholic track runner Michael Fellin. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
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Bloomsburg and former Panther Valley standout basketball player Maddison Maynard. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
—broke the Moravian scoring record in a 79-71 win over Lycoming, scoring 28 points, giving him 1,916 career points, easily surpassing the old record of 1,891 points;
— was selected as the Moravian Sodexo Student-Athlete of the Week for the third time this season;
— was selected as the Landmark Conference Men’s Basketball Athlete of the Week for the fourth time this season; and
—was selected to the d3hoops.com Team of the Week for the second time this season.
While Ratcliff’s ninth double-double of the season and 36th of his career in that record-breaking Lycoming performance (he had 10 rebounds) played a key role in earning all those honors, he also averaged 27.5 points-per-game (ppg) and 10.0 rebounds-per-game (rpg), while blocking 10 shots, and recording five assists with three steals. He ranks second in school history in rebounding (841) and leads in blocked shots (217).
This season Ratcliff leads the 15-10 Greyhounds in scoring (22.4 ppg), rebounding (218 total and 8.7 per game) and blocks (64). He ranks third in assists (61) and steals (22). He also tops the Landmark Conference in scoring, rebounding and blocks, and is fifth in the conference in field goal percentage, sixth in minutes played and seventh in three-point field goal percentage.
Kutztown (KU) has a lock on three more HEY Awards today.
KU senior sprinter Michael Fellin (Marian) has been named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Indoor Track Athlete of the Week, showing that he has not lost a step from his All-American season last year.
So far, Fellin, Kutztown’s all-time record holder in his specialty – the 60-meter dash, has posted several PSAC cut times and NCAA provisional qualifying times in the 60-meters and has won four times in five races. His best time – 6.74 seconds.
In addition, he has set a new school record (6.31) in the 55 meters, and a PSAC-qualifying time in the 200 meters.
Kutztown’s other HEY awards go to two senior teammates on the women’s basketball team, who were also teammates at Jim Thorpe.
Center Olivia Smelas has been named the PSAC Eastern Division Defensive Athlete of the Week for the fifth time this season. Smelas earned the award as she helped KU hold the opposition to the two lowest point totals in two conference wins in the week of February 16. Smelas had a game-high 15 rebounds with three steals and three assists in one game, while adding seven boards and four thefts in the other.
For the season, Smelas leads the Golden Bears and is fourth in the conference in rebounding (9.5 rpg), leads her team and is at the top in the Eastern Division in steals with 63 (2.6 per-game), and leads KU and is ninth in the conference in blocks (27). Her 68 assists is second on her team and she averages 6.8 ppg.
Guard Leila Hurley has been named a scholar-athlete by the Lehigh Valley Small College Basketball Organization (LVSCBO). The LVSCBO is composed of six small college institutions around the Lehigh Valley, two in Division II and four in D-III.
Hurley is an elementary education major with a 3.88 gpa. She was a fall Dean’s List honoree, a PSAC Scholar-Athlete and a member of last year’s CSC Academic All-District Team.
On the court, Hurley is tops on the team in minutes played (28.0 per-game), and second in scoring (9.5 ppg). She is fourth in steals (22) and averages 1.8 rpg with seven blocks and 10 assists.
More Hoops Happenings…Bloomsburg women’s basketball sophomore guard Maddison Maynard (Panther Valley) is averaging 23.0 minutes-per-game and has started 17 of 23 games. Her 6.3 rpg average is second on the team and her 9.1 ppg average is third. She also has 29 assists, 15 steals and nine blocks.
In the Pool…At the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Championships, Misericordia’s women’s swim team finished second, with a lot of help from sophomore Tori Ellex (Blue Mountain). Ellex won two individual events – the 50 freestyle and the 100 free. She swam the anchor legs on the second place 200 medley and 400 free relays.
In the PSAC women’s competition, Clarion senior Erika Zimmerman (Schuylkill Haven) swam a leg on the Golden Eagles’ third place 200 freestyle relay team, and took sixth in the 50 freestyle, with her time of 23.72 just a tenth of a second shy of an NCAA B cut. She also won the 100 free B Final, finishing ninth overall.
The Bloomsburg women took third at the PSAC’s. Senior Taleah Ruben (Pottsville) took 17th in the 100 breaststroke, 19th in the 200 and 24th in the 400 IM.
In the PSAC men’s championships, Kutztown sophomore Matheson Bair (Blue Mountain) swam the second fastest time ever (20.87) for KU in the 50 free preliminaries, finishing eighth in the finals. He also was part of the 800 free relay team which set a new school record in the finals, finishing eighth. The 400 medley really team, with Bair anchoring, also set a new school record, finishing eighth. In the prelims of the 100 butterfly, even though he failed to make the finals, Bair swam the school’s second fastest time ever (51.87). He finished 12th in the 100 free.
Also at the PSAC’s, Edinboro junior Jake Hillibush (Mahanoy Area) helped the 200 medley relay team to a sixth place finish.
At the Landmark Conference Championships, Moravian sophomore women’s swimmer Gabby Blasko (Tamaqua) set a new school record (2:41.28) in the prelims of the 200 breaststroke. She joined with fellow sophomore Lydia Konosky (Panther Valley) on three relay teams, all of which finished eighth. The 400 medley relay team set a new school record of 4:29.26.
At The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships, Iona women’s senior Katherine Sarnes (Blue Mountain) was 15th in the 1,650 free and 24th in the 500 free.