Gabby Tareila a hit with Kutztown softball
Spring-Ford grad earns dual postseason accolades following standout junior season
Gabby Tareila had a big season with the Kutztown softball team and the junior was rewarded for her play by being named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region second team and earning firstteam honors in the PSAC East.
The Spring-Ford graduate hit .385 (55-for-143) with a team-high 15 doubles and four home runs. She was second in runs batted in with 27 and third in runs scored with 25. In her first season catching for the Golden Bears, Tareila made just six errors on 272 chances (.978) with three double plays. She tossed out 11 of 28 would-be stealers.
“Gabby became our starting catcher and was instrumental in assisting with the overall success of our pitching staff,” coach Judy Lawes said. “Offensively, she was our four hitter and demonstrated power and consistency. Her work ethic and leadership made Gabby a valuable member of our team and we are excited to have her back next year.”
Kutztown finished the season 31-17 after a 13-3 mark in league play. The Golden Bears lost two games in the PSAC tourney but gained an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Regionals in Buckhannon, W.Va. where they defeated Bloomsburg 2-1 before losing 5-2 to host West Virginia Wesleyan and being eliminated 10-2 by Charleston on May 13. The Penn State junior has qualified in the 100 meter dash and with the 4x1 and 4x4 relays for the NCAA East Preliminary Round starting Thursday in Lexington, Ky. His qualifying time in the 100 is 10.35 which ranks him 35th while the times in the 4x1 (39.48) and 4x4 (3:05.22) both rank 17th. It will be his third trip to the Nationals, second outdoors. Smith helped the Nittany Lions capture its first-ever Big Ten Conference men’s championship May 12-14 in University Park. He finished second in the 100 (windaided 10.10) and third in the 200 (wind-aided 20.23) and helped the 4x4 finish second with that NCAA qualifying time.
The junior was one of three Widener men to qualify for the NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships. Tupper is making his first NCAA appearance during the outdoor season and second overall. The junior broke through and into the national field by winning the 400 at the Mideast Invitational at Widener on May 18 in 47.96 seconds, the 16th-fastest mark in the nation in 2017. He will compete in the 400-meter dash at the NCAAs on Friday in Geneva, Ohio, after placing 14th in his premier event at NCAAs during the indoor season.
The freshman became the first athlete in St. Joseph’s women’s track history to earn three All-East honors and she did it in one day (May 14) at the ECAC Championships in Princeton, N.J. Duffy ran a leg on the 4x4 relay which finished third with a school record time of 3:43.33. It was the third meet in a row that the group had bettered the mark. She also ran a leg on the 4x1 that finished eighth with a time of 47.15. And, she finished seventh – the top freshman finisher – in the 200 meter dash in 24.73, becoming the first Hawk woman to earn All-East in that event.
The junior was named to the Colonial States Athletic Conference first team for his play with the Cabrini men’s lacrosse team. The 5-foot-7 defender won 189 of 282 face-offs (.670) and pulled in 96 ground balls for the Cavaliers who defeated Marywood 18-6 to win the CSAC title and won two games in the NCAA Division III Tournament before losing 17-5 to No. 2-ranked Salisbury in the third round on May 17. Michaels won 47 of 68 face-offs (.694) and had 16 ground balls in the three NCAA games.
The sophomore earned PSAC second team honors for a standout season with the East Stroudsburg women’s lacrosse team. She had 34 goals and 16 assists for 50 points with 25 ground balls, 19 draw controls and 11 caused turnovers. Junior Alicia Stratten (Boyertown) chipped in with 19 goals and 12 assists for 31 points with 30 ground balls, 43 draw controls and 19 caused turnovers. The Warriors finished 17-3 and captured their first-ever PSAC title and first trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament where they were beaten 17-10 in the first round by Florida Tech on May 12 in Lakeland, Fla.
The Penn State sophomore is seeded 21st in the javelin throw at the NCAA East Preliminary Round starting Thursday in Lexington, Ky. Her season and career-best mark of 159 feet, 3 inches was recorded when she captured the event at LSJ’s Battle on the Bayou on April 8 in Baton Rouge, La. Sievers finished 23rd in the east prelims last spring as a freshman, hitting 144 feet, 4 inches. She prepped for this year’s meet by finishing ninth (141-3) in the Big Ten Outdoor Championships May 12-14 in University Park.
The Wake Forest freshman has earned a spot in the Division I East Preliminary Round starting Thursday in Lexington, Ky. Shalaway is ranked 38th in the javelin throw with a toss of 211 feet, 2 inches. That mark came when he finished third in the Atlantic Coast Conference Outdoor Track Championships May 12-14 in Atlanta. The effort shattered his previous best performance when he finished first at the Tennessee Challenge in Knoxville with a heave of 195 feet, 3 inches.
The senior earned Empire 8 Conference honorable mention after another great season with the Houghton women’s lacrosse team. Jones had nine goals and a team-high 58 assists for 67 points for the Highlanders who finished 5-10 overall and 2-6 in league play. She started all 61 games the team played in her four years and leaves with school records in assists (179) and total points (250). Her 71 career goals rank third.
The Eastern freshman was named Middle Atlantic Conference Rookie of the Year after she finished fourth in the league tournament on April 23 in Hershey. She had 93 in the first round but posted an 88 in the second. That performance helped the Eagles earn a berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament in Houston, TX. The team played three days but didn’t make it to the final round when they were 20th and just the top 15 advanced. D’Angelo had her best round the third day on May 11 with an 88.
The senior hit .365 (27-for-74) in 26 games and 23 starts for the talented Neumann softball team that finished 29-16 after posting a 19-3 record and captured the Colonial States Athletic Conference title to earn a berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament where the Knights posted a 1-2 record. Bond had three doubles, eight runs batted in and 16 runs scored and was 4-for-4 in stolen bases. She wrapped up her career with a 15-game hitting streak, going 21-for47, a .447 average. The junior posted a 9-6 record in goal for the 9-9 Arcadia women’s lacrosse team which saw its season end with an 11-6 loss to Misericordia in the second round of the ECAC Tournament on May 13. Stierle played in all 18 games with 14 starts and gave up 129 goals with 132 saves. In the team’s final regular-season game she had 14 saves in a 12-6 victory over Hood. In the first round of the ECACs, she had a career-high 15 saves in a 13-9 triumph over Drew. She had 10 saves in the loss to Misericordia.
The junior righthander was named to the MAC Commonwealth second team for his pitching performance with the Widener baseball team. He was 3-3 with a 4.67 earned run average in eight starts. He worked 44.1 innings and gave up 49 hits and 30 runs, 23 earned, with 13 walks and 18 strikeouts. Senior left-hander Kyle McKelvy (Spring-Ford) also pitched for the 26-15 Pride and had a 5-4 record. Junior Glenn Seymour hit .295 and junior Kyle Lowery batted .293. Both are Methacton grads.