Nov. 23, 2010
PHILADELPHIA -
Fall proved to be a successful season for La Salle’s athletic teams. Both the men’s and women’s soccer teams garnered A-10 Tournament berths, with the men advancing to the championship contest and taking three major post-season awards. Stephanie Bearish, Megan McGlinchey and Caitlin Storbeck paced the women’s cross country team to an A-10 silver and sixth place at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals.
The men’s soccer squad went unbeaten in its final six games of the regular season. As a No. 2 seed, the Explorers defeated Saint Louis 2-0 in the semi-finals of the A-10 Championships before falling to Xavier in the title game.
Junior defender Nick Dundon earned Academic All-American honors, claiming a spot on the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine’s Third Team. Dunden was joined by senior Ryan Richter on the Academic All-District First-Team list.
The Explorers swept the A-10 postseason awards. Richter, who led the A-10 in goals with 19 on the season, was named the Offensive Player and Student-Athlete of the Year. Head coach Pat Farrell, in his 23rd year as La Salle’s soccer coach, was selected as Coach of the Year.
John McCarthy, the A-10 leader in save percentage (.849) and Jidell Roach, who registered four points in La Salle’s win over Rhode Island, garnered All-Rookie team honors.
Dan Korenyi and Jeff Pio earned second-team and honorable mention recognition, respectively. Dunden and Richter were named A-10 Academic All-Conference.
The Women’s soccer season cumulated with the squad earning a six seed in the A-10 Tournament. Freshman Renee Washington propelled La Salle to a 2-1 win over No. 3 Duquesne in the opening round of the tournament.
Junior defender Jess Hopton earned A-10 First Team honors. Anna Dolhansky and Washington were each named to both the All-Rookie and Second-Team All-Conference.
Goalie Gabby Pakhtigian was selected to the All-Academic team.
The women’s cross country team stacked its top five runners in the top 20 at the A-10 Championships held in Pittsburgh to take second place. Bearish and Storbeck registered top 10 times to take home All-Conference honors.
At the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals, it was Bearish again, along with McGlinchey, who led La Salle. With 26th and 28th place finishes, the women earned NCAA All-Region status.
In the season-ending ECAC meet this past weekend, the Explorers finished third as a team.
The men’s cross country team placed fifth at A-10’s, with Dave Hausherr leading the Explorers with a 17th place finish on the 8k course (25:07).
Field Hockey placed five players, the second highest in the conference, on All-A-10 teams.
Seniors Beth Carey and Emma Ruth and sophomores Rebecca Chylack and Neelam Kumar were named to the All-A-10 second team, while Freshman Mariel Papa was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team. Chylack and Ruth also earned Academic All-A-10 recognition.
Volleyball increased its win total from last season and was able to notch its first-ever program win over Temple.
Sophomore libero Breanna Mazalewski finished the season ranked in the Top Ten in the A-10 in both service aces (.31/set) and digs (3.84/set). Her team-leading 396 digs were the seventh most in a single season at La Salle.
After adding 773 assists this season, junior setter Kourtney Clark now sits ninth all-time in career assists at La Salle (1,574). She also ranked in the A-10 Top Ten in two categories -- assists (7.58/set) and service aces (.30/set).
