News and notes about Muhlenberg athletics
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BASKETBALL TEAMS IN FIRST PLACE
Both Muhlenberg basketball teams are in first place as the
Centennial Conference season heads for the homestretch. The men, shooting
for their sixth title (won or shared) in the last seven years, moved into
sole possession of first by defeating Ursinus on Jan. 27. They extended
their lead to two games on Jan. 29 by defeating Western Maryland while
Ursinus and Washington both lost. Current standings:
EAST CC All
MUHLENBERG 6-1 12-5
Ursinus 4-3 12-6
Washington 4-3 8-9
Swarthmore 2-5 3-14
Haverford 1-6 3-15
WEST
F & M 5-2 13-5
J. Hopkins 4-3 12-6
Gettysburg 4-3 11-7
Dickinson 4-3 8-9
Western Md. 1-6 3-14
The Muhlenberg women, the four-time defending division
champions, jumped into a first-place tie by toppling previously
undefeated Swarthmore, 61-34, on Jan. 22. Both teams won on Jan. 26
and Jan. 29 to remain tied. Current standings:
EAST CC All
MUHLENBERG 6-1 11-6
Swarthmore 6-1 10-7
Haverford 3-5 5-12
Washington 1-6 6-10
Ursinus 0-8 3-14
WEST
J. Hopkins 7-0 15-3
F & M 5-2 9-8
Gettysburg 5-4 10-6
Western Md. 3-4 7-9
Dickinson 1-6 5-12
RISLEY, LESKO PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
 Sophomore forward Jenn
Risley and sophomore center
Mark Lesko have received player of the week honors from the Centennial
Conference. Risley was named co-player of
the week after recording her first two
career double-doubles in leading Muhlenberg to a tie for first place in
the CC East. She averaged 16.3 points and 8.7 rebounds for the week,
which she capped with a career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds against
Swarthmore. Ironically, the player with whom Risley shared the award was
the one she guarded for most of the Swarthmore game. CC scoring leader
Heather Kile had games of 32 and 35 points to start the week, but was
held to 10 on 4-of-14 shooting with Risley on her. Lesko, also named ECAC South player of the week, helped
bump
the men’s team into a tie for first by averaging 15.0 points, 10.0
rebounds and 4.0 blocks and shooting 77.8 percent from the field in two
games.
Lesko recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 16
points and a career-high 17 rebounds against Washington, then scored 14
points and tied a school record with 6 blocked shots despite playing only
10 minutes against Swarthmore.
MULES RANK AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
Through contests of Jan. 23, Muhlenberg athletes in three
sports ranked among the national Division III leaders. In wrestling,
sophomore Tyler Cathey had the second-best winning percentage (.938 with
a 15-1 record) and sophomore Bill Holsinger was tied for fourth in pins
(11) and eighth in near-falls (.81 per match). The women’s basketball
team ranked 10th in free-throw percentage (.727) and 13th in field-goal
percentage defense (.333). Junior Jennifer O’Neill was tied for
fourth with a free-throw percentage of .882. Sophomore Mark Lesko
represented the men’s team by ranking 14th in blocked shots (2.4 per
game) and 26th in rebounding (9.7 per game).
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Tuesday, January 25
MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Stevens Tech, snowed out
Wednesday, January 26
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Muhlenberg 68, Ursinus 63.
Junior Jennifer O'Neill scored a career-high 18 points and sophomore Jenn
Risley added 17 to lead the Mules to their third straight win. The game was
tied at 61 with 2:30 to play when O'Neill made the second of two free
throws to put the Mules up by one. Risley made two free throws 17 seconds
later to extend the lead to three. It was still a three-point game,
66-63, when junior Val Uras blocked a potential game-tying shot with 20
seconds to go. Sophomore Lindsay St. Lawrence, who finished with 16 points,
added two free throws with 15 ticks left to ice the win. Muhlenberg gave
up 40 points in the first half but held the Bears to 23 points on
24-percent shooting in the second. Click
here for box score.
Thursday, January 27
MEN’S BASKETBALL Muhlenberg 63, Ursinus 60.
Muhlenberg did it with offense at the beginning and defense at the end,
outlasting Ursinus in a battle for first place in the Centennial
Conference East Division. The Mules made their first six three-pointers
and opened up a nine-point lead at halftime. The lead was 17, 50-33,
five minutes into the second half, before the offense went dry.
Muhlenberg made only three field goals the rest of the way, but held the
Bears to 23.5-percent shooting in the second half to stay in the game.
The home team got to within one, 61-60, when senior Kenyamo McFarlane
stole an inbounds pass with five seconds left, then converted two free
throws. Freshman Anthony Strachan stole the ensuing inbounds pass, and
the Mules had their sixth straight win. Strachan finished with 9 points, 5
assists and 4
steals. Sophomore Michael Barletta (13 points) was the only Muhlenberg
player to score in double figures. Sophomore Mark Lesko pulled down 10
rebounds (9 in the second half) and blocked 3 shots. The Mules tied a
school record for the second straight game with 8 blocked shots. Click here for box score.
WRESTLING King’s 36, Muhlenberg 9. Muhlenberg
won only three bouts and fell to 25th-ranked King’s in a
non-conference road match. Sophomore Tyler Cathey extended his winning
streak to 13 and remained undefeated in dual meets, while sophomore Andy
Faust improved to 15-3. Freshman Nathan Yeasted also won on a decision. Click here for box score.
Saturday, January 29
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Muhlenberg 61, Western
Maryland 58. Sophomore Lindsay St. Lawrence scored 12 of her career-high
20 points down the stretch to lead Muhlenberg to its fourth straight win
and its sixth straight Centennial Conference win. The game was tied at 44
midway through the second half before St. Lawrence hit a three-pointer
and a two-pointer back-to-back, then blocked a shot, corraled the rebound
and threw a long pass to junior Val Uras for a layup. The 7-0 spurt gave
the Mules a lead they would not lose. St. Lawrence also had a career-high
8 assists and 7 rebounds. Uras finished with 10 points and a game-high 8
boards, while sophomore Jenn Risley added 11 points and 7 rebounds. Click here for box score.
MEN’S BASKETBALL Muhlenberg 74, Western
Maryland 59. Sophomore Mark Lesko scored a career-high 31 points, pulled
down 9 rebounds and blocked 4 shots as Muhlenberg won its seventh in a
row. Lesko scored seven of his points in a 14-0 second-half run that turned
a one-point deficit into a commanding lead. He is the first Mule to score
30 points in a game in four years, and the first sophomore to do it in a
regulation game in 18 years. Freshman John Ström had the best game of
his career, with 12 points and 7 rebounds. Click here for box score.
TRACK & FIELD at Dickinson’s duCharme Relays.
A school record and postseason qualifier was among the many highlights at
this non-scoring meet. Junior Katrina Beck won the high jump with a leap
of 5-foot-4, a mark that tied the school record, qualified her for the
ECAC championships, and missed qualifying her (provisionally) for the
NCAA Division III championships by one inch. The 4x800-meter relay team
of sophomore Katie Garrett, juniors Laura Roth and Lynn Garzella and
senior Cindy Bredefeld came in fifth, missing the school record by a
half-second. For the men, senior William McElroy, freshman Christian
Sharphouse, sophomore Will Elson and freshman Brendan Gallagher teamed up
to place third in the distance medley relay, 4.57 seconds off the school
record. Senior Kurt Kunsch's pole vault of 13 feet missed the school
record by six inches. Click here for Muhlenberg
highlights.
WRESTLING Delaware Valley 33, Muhlenberg 15.
Muhlenberg battled sixth-ranked Delaware Valley to a respectable 21-15
score in contested bouts. Sophomore 157-pounder Bill Holsinger was trailing
5-3 in the third period before pinning his opponent for his school
record-tying 12th fall of the season. Freshman Joseph Salerno (141) also
came from behind to record a pin, and junior Dan Ochoa won a decision.
Sophomore Tyler Cathey lost an 11-9 decision at heavyweight, snapping his
winning streak at 13. Click here for box
score.
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