Jaworski leading Lafayette hoops
Sophomore averaging 14.1 ppg for Leopards
When the Lafayette College men’s basketball team needs a big basket, it’s a good bet that the Leopards will call on Justin Jaworski.
The 6-foot-1 sophomore guard from Schwenksville and a Perkiomen Valley graduate, leads the team in scoring with a 14.1 average and has shot the lights out from 3-point range – 59 for 123 (48 percent). He’s had at least one 3-pointer in all 20 games and has scored in double figures in 17 games including the last 10.
Jaworski opened the season with a career-high 28 points in a 93-86 nonleague loss to St. Peter’s on Nov. 7 in Jersey City, N.J. He had 23 points in a 77-70 loss to Holy Cross on Jan. 12 in Worcester, Mass. and 20 points in an 87-75 setback to Navy on Jan. 16 in Easton.
“Justin is one of the hardest workers on the court and in the classroom,” coach Fran O’Hanlon said. “His competitive spirit is infectious and inspiring to his teammates.”
Despite Jaworski’s offensive output, the Leopards are 5-15 overall and 2-7 in Patriot League play after a 93-86 loss to rival and league foe Lehigh last Wednesday in Easton. He had 15 points and hit 3 of 7 from outside the arc in the game.
KELLY GROTH (METHACTON) >> The junior was named PSAC Track Athlete of the Week last Monday after a strong performance with the Kutztown women’s indoor track team at the 21st Annual Bison Open on Jan. 25-26 in Lewisburg. Groth captured the 200 meter dash with a personal best time of 25.42 and finished second in the 60 meter dash in 7.86. She also ran a leg on the 4x400 relay which finished second with a time of 4:03.12. Both of her individual performances bettered the league’s qualifying standard.
RAE RAE TAYLOR (OWEN J. ROBERTS) >> The sophomore was named Capital Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the Week after she finished first in the pentathlon for the Penn State Harrisburg women’s indoor track team at the Bison Open on Jan. 25-26 in Lewisburg. She totaled a personal best score of 3331 and finished first in the high jump (5 feet, 3 inches), the shot put (35 feet, 10½ inches), the long jump (17 feet, 4 inches) and the 800 meter run (2:34.28). She finished fifth in the 60 meter hurdles (9.92) to complete her day.
MICHAEL PRIOR (POTTSGROVE) >> The sophomore was named Centennial Conference Swimmer of the Week last Monday after leading the Ursinus men’s team to a 133-129 league victory over Franklin & Marshall on Senior Day on Jan. 26 in Collegeville. Prior captured the 100 backstroke in 52.60 and the 200 backstroke in 1:53.65. He also finished fourth in the 200 IM in 2:00.91 and swam a league on the 200 medley relay which finished second in 1:35.93. He ranks third in the conference in the 200 back and is fourth in the 100 back.
NATALIE SERWATKA (PHOENIXVILLE) >> The sophomore kicked off her season with the Shippensburg women’s indoor track team by finishing sixth in the 5,000 meter run at the Bison Open on Jan. 26 in Lewisburg. Her time of 18:30.92 was a PSAC qualifier. Serwatka wrapped up the outdoor season at the league championships last May and finished fifth in the 10,000 meter run with a personal best time of 38:45.85 and finished 12th in the 5,000 with a time of 18:41.11. RACHEL SCHAAF (THE HILL SCHOOL) >> The freshman from Phoenixville finished fourth in the triple jump for the Colgate women’s indoor track team at the Robert J. Kane Invitational on Jan. 26 in Ithaca, N.Y. with a jump of 37 feet, ½ inches. She was the second freshman finisher. Schaaf also finished 14th in the 60 meter dash with a personal best time of 8.64. She was the fourth freshman finisher. At the Cornell Upstate Challenge on Jan. 19, also in Ithaca, she finished seventh in the long jump with a personal best 17 foot, 9 inch effort.
CHRISTIAN KELLY (PHOENIXVILLE) >> The 6-foot-4, 210-pound junior guard still leads the Lock Haven men’s basketball team in scoring (18.5) and rebounding (6.7). He’s hit 38 of 108 3-point attempts (35.2 percent) for the Bald Eagles who are 7-10 overall and 6-8 in the PSAC Eastern Division. Kelly had 15 points in the game. He collected his first doubledouble of the season when he scored 23 points and pulled down 15 rebounds in a 94-82 non-league victory over Cheyney on Jan. 26 in Lock Haven. TAYLOR HAMM (PERKIOMEN VALLEY) >> The 6-foot freshman forward has started all 20 games for the USciences women’s basketball team, the Devils 19-1 overall and 10-1 in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference after a 69-49 victory over Georgian Court last Wednesday in Philadelphia to give the team an eight-game winning streak. Hamm is averaging 5.8 points and 4.8 rebounds a game with 38 assists and 17 steals. She had a college career-high 16 points in the team’s only setback, a 67-61 league Loss to Jefferson on Jan. 3 in Philadelphia.
MASON KENNEDY (BOYERTOWN) >> The Messiah men’s swim team suffered a 15490 loss to York in a nonleague dual meet on Jan. 26 in York but the 4-7 Falcons got a big effort from the freshman. Kennedy finished first in the 1000 freestyle in 10:50.02 and hit the wall first in the 400 IM in 4:41.33. He also finished second in the 200 butterfly in 2:19.62. Kennedy he finished second in the 50 free in 24.24 and in the 100 butterfly in 1:00.12 to help Messiah turn back Immaculata and Stevenson in a tri-meet on Jan. 18 in Grantham. JIMMY FRATANTONI (OWEN J. ROBERTS) >> The senior competed at 174 pounds for the first time this season and posted a 14-2 major decision but his Muhlenberg wrestling team came out on the short end of a 27-26 Centennial Conference decision to Stevens Tech on Jan. 26 in Hoboken, N.J. Fratantoni had a 15-6 record, including a 10-4 dual meet mark, competing at 184 this season with two falls, three major decisions and four technical falls. He was second at Messiah’s Petrofes Invitational on Dec. 2 in Grantham.