The St. Joseph’s women’s soccer team is off to a 4-1 start and the main reason is the play of Emily Gingrich.
Senior Gingrich, from Shillington (Governor Mifflin), has scored three of the team’s nine goals in the early going and came up really big when she scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over Northeastern on Sept. 4. She also had the first goal in a 2-1 overtime triumph over Delaware on Aug. 28.
“Emily has really made a huge impact to our team and soccer program over the past four years,” coach Jess Mannella said. “She is obviously a very talented player, but she is more than that. She is hard working, brave and is all heart. She’s also a leader.”
Gingrich is the Hawks career leader in goals (35) and points (84) and is second in assists (14).
“Emily continues to do all of the great things, but she also continues to do the little things, too,” Mannella said.
Sara Wesley (Exeter Township) >> The 5-foot-10 sophomore outside hitter has started all six matches and played all 20 sets for the Canisius women’s volleyball team, which opened the season with a 2-1 record in the Bucknell Tournament but went 0-3 in the tough Seton Hall Tournament Sept. 2-3. Wesley has 37 kills and leads the team in solo blocks with three. She has 14 block assists and is tied for first in total blocks with 17.
Kaitie Fink (Governor Mifflin) >> The sophomore is coming off the bench for the Boston College field hockey team. She picked up her first collegiate point when she had an assist on the Eagles only goal in a 2-1 loss to Northwestern Sept. 2 in Lancaster. They also dropped a 3-1 decision to No. 6 Maryland in Lancaster that weekend. Fink played in just one game and saw four minutes of action as a freshman.
Rae Santora (Daniel Boone) >> The 5-foot-3 junior finished ninth out of 64 runners and was second best on the Rider squad in the season-opening Blue/Gold Classic cross country race on Sept. 3 in Pennington, N.J. She covered the 5K course in 19:19.37.
“Rae did a great job today,” Rider coach Bob Hamer told the media after the race. “She has now adjusted to running in college.”
Michael Allen (Oley Valley) >> The red-shirt freshman wide receiver made his debut with the Bloomsburg football team on Sept. 2 and helped the Huskies post a 24-20 victory over Stonehill. He caught two passes for 44 yards including a 34-yard reception. He also returned three kickoffs for 60 total yards. Red-shirt junior Alex Dundore (Exeter Township) started at wide receiver and had one reception which was good for 29 yards.
Rachel Hartman (Oley Valley) >> The 5-foot-4 senior is in her third season as starting goalkeeper for the La Salle field hockey team. She opened the season with a 2-0 shutout of Central Michigan, her fourth career shutout, but the Explorers dropped tough 3-2 decisions to Vermont and Temple in her next two starts. For her career, Hartman has given up 76 goals and has 274 saves.
Emily Shoemaker (Boyertown) >> The sophomore finished second in a field of 37 runners to lead Ashland women’s cross country squad to the team title at the season-opening Dayton Flyer 5K in Dayton, Ohio, on Sept. 3. She posted a time of 19:58.4 and missed out on individual honors by eight seconds. Shoemaker earned NCAA Division II All-Ohio Freshman of the Year honors last season. She posted a career-best 6k time of 22:56 at the Division II Midwest Regionals.
Tyler Zilen (Boyertown) >> The 6-foot-5, 240-pound junior tight end caught five passes for 37 yards to help Millersville open its football season with a 28-7 victory over Pace on Sept. 1 in Millersville. He caught a 5-yard touchdown pass and also caught a two-point conversion following his score. Zilen caught one pass as a freshman and it was a 4-yard touchdown reception. He caught 14 passes for 97 yards and a score as a sophomore.
Skyler Fretz (Oley Valley) >> The junior is in her second season starting in the backfield for the Penn State field hockey team which kicked off its season with four straight victories for the first time since 2003. She has the team’s only defensive save and is third on the team in minutes played (243). The Nittany Lions have outscored foes 20-4 with a 3-0 victory over Virginia the best effort to date.
Bryton Henry (Boyertown) >> The freshman kicked off his college cross country with Eastern by finishing second out of 78 runners in the season-opening Bryn Mawr Invitational Sept. 1 in Bryn Mawr. Henry covered the 5K course in 17:32.5 finishing behind teammate Greg Thomas. The Eagles also had the third-place finisher to easily capture the team title.
Matt Prince (Hamburg) >> The junior midfielder opened the season with the 3-0 Lebanon Valley men’s soccer team in fine style. He had a goal in a 2-1 victory over Berkeley, N.J. and Wednesday, Sept. 7, he tallied two goals including the game-winner in a 4-0 whitewashing of Misericordia. Prince scored a total of just four goals his first two seasons with the Dutchmen.
“That was his best game of the season,” coach Charlie Grimes said of the Misericordia effort. “He is a consistent attacking threat on the wing. We made a change with him last season, moving him from central midfield to winger/forward and ever since his response has been fantastic.”
Anna Johns (Schuykill Valley) >> The 5-foot-11 freshman middle hitter has started all four matches and played all 14 sets to start the season with the Pitt-Johnstown women’s volleyball team. She has 22 kills and 14 blocks and has scored 29.0 points for the 2-2 Mountain Cats. She had eight kills and five blocks in her first collegiate game, a 3-1 victory over Henderson State in University of Tampa Classic Sept. 2 in Tampa, Fla.
Alexa Swann (Brandywine Heights) >> The 6-foot sophomore outside hitter has helped the Mercer women’s volleyball team open with a 3-3 record, including a 2-1 mark in the Bruiser Showcase Sept. 2-3 in Nashville, Tenn. She’s played 22 sets and has 38 kills, 11 blocks and eight digs.
“Alexa has to be a force at the net and terminate,” coach Damian Elder said. “She is working hard on becoming a better blocker so she can be a factor in slowing down our opponents. We depend on her to be a major part of our team.”
Sophomore Danielle Faust (Exeter Township) has seen limited action in reserve for the Bears.
Carl Fortna (Fleetwood) >> The freshman kicked off his college cross country career with the Sacred Heart men’s team by finishing 13th out of 58 runners at the annual Father Bebe Invitational Sept. 2 in Loretto. He posted a time of 17:18 over the 5K course and was the fifth-best finisher on the squad. The Pioneers captured the team title with 33 points.
Ashley Hoffman (Twin Valley) >> The sophomore is starting for the North Carolina field hockey team. She’s picked up four assists and has been a key on defense for the Tar Heels, who dropped their opener to Michigan (1-0) but bounced back with victories over Iowa, Princeton and Penn. They are currently ranked third in the nation behind Syracuse and Duke. Hoffman was named the team’s Rookie of the Year last season.
