Becahi grad looks to go big for Big Red
Mikey Labriola is a two-time All-American, but the University of Nebraska junior is looking for even better results with the Cornhuskers wrestling team this season.
Labriola, who is from Easton and is a Bethlehem Catholic graduate, competes at 174 pounds. He finished sixth in the NCAA Championships as a redshirt freshman in 2019. He also finished sixth in the tough Big Ten Conference his first year and was fourth last season.
Entering this season, Labriola is 42-13 overall and 23-8 in dual matches.
“Mikey has improved as a wrestler and I think he is maturing into a champion,” Cornhuskers coach Mark Manning said. “I really see in the next couple of years Mikey reaching his peak and maxing his ability out.”
Manning feels that Labriola brings a great dynamic to the team.
“I love him as an individual, and he is just becoming more of the competitor that we know he can become,” Manning said. “I’m really excited for him.”
Labriola kicked off this season by posting a pin in 6 minutes, 17 seconds to help the No. 5-ranked Cornhuskers top No. 17 Minnesota 22-14 in a Big Ten match last Friday in Lincoln. He and the team will face a bigger task when they travel to Iowa City to battle top-ranked Iowa in a Big Ten matchup Friday.
Tessa Brugler: Bucknell women’s basketball (Nazareth)
The 6-foot-1 senior forward is one of the top performers for the Bison, who stand 4-0 after topping Lafayette 79-45 in a Patriot League contest last Sunday in Lewisburg.
Brugler had 13 points, three rebounds and four assists in the game. She had 13 points and 10 rebounds in an 80-51 triumph over the Leopards last Saturday in Easton. Brugler is second on the team in scoring with a 13 points-per-game average and leads the Bison in rebounding with eight per game.
Neila Luma: George Washington women’s basketball (Bethlehem Catholic)
The 6-foot forward, a redshirt junior, had 12 points and six rebounds for the Colonels (3-6, 0-3 Atlantic-10 Conference) last Sunday in a 67-54 league loss to Dayton in Washington. On the season, she leads the squad in scoring (10.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg) and has had two double-doubles — 16 points and 17 rebounds in a season-opening 58-38 victory over Lincoln on Nov. 25, and 11 points and 10 rebounds in a 66-62 loss to Davidson on Jan. 1.
Sam Iorio: South Alabama men’s basketball (Parkland)
The Jaguars are 7-6 overall and 1-3 in the Sunbelt Conference, and the 6-7, 221-pound junior forward is one of the key players on the team. He had 10 points and five rebounds in an 83-69 loss to Coastal Carolina last Saturday and is averaging 8.6 points and 2.9 rebounds a game.
Iorio is a transfer from American University, where he averaged 14.9 points and 6.5 rebounds as a freshman and 13.3 points and 6.5 rebounds as a sophomore.
Jennifer Plocinik: Tennessee Martin rifle (Lehighton)
The redshirt junior is one of the top performers on the team, which is 0-7 after dropping a 4,654-4,578 decision to Jacksonville State in its final match of the first semester on Nov. 15. Plocinik finished third, best on the Skyhawks’ squad, with a 1,160 total. She scored 578 on air rifle and 573 on small bore.
Plocinik was the team’s best overall scorer five times and tops in air rifle five times in the first semester.
De’Vante Cross: Virginia football (Parkland)
The 6-2, 215-pound senior free safety wrapped up a solid career with the Cavaliers, who finished 5-5 overall and 4-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Cross had 29 tackles, including 18 unassisted, with three for a loss and a sack. He added two interceptions and four pass breakups.
Cross started all 10 games this season, all 14 last season and 50 in his four seasons. He finished his career with 105 tackles and five interceptions.
Amanda Mobley: Rider women’s basketball (Southern Lehigh)
The 5-7 junior is starting at point guard for the Broncs, who are 1-12 overall and 0-8 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference after dropping a pair of league games to Siena last weekend in Loudonville, New York. In Sunday’s 69-60 loss, Mobley played all 40 minutes and had six points and five assists.
She is averaging seven points with 11 total steals and a team-high 28 assists. As a sophomore, she averaged 9.2 points and five assists a game.
Ally Armbruster: Air Force women’s swimming (Mercersburg Academy)
The junior from Allentown is the top individual medley swimmer with the Falcons. In a home quad meet against Colorado Mesa, Colorado Mines and Northern Colorado last Saturday, she finished fourth in the 400 IM with a teambest time of 4:46.47. She was 10th in the 200 IM in 2:14.95. As a sophomore her best times were 4:25.13 in the 400, which is fourth-best in team history, and 2:14.95 in the 200, which stands 10th in the Air Force record book. Armbruster is a two-time Academic All-Mountain West selection.
Tyrese Martin: Connecticut men’s basketball (Allen)
The 6-6 junior is starting for the Huskies, who are 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the Big East Conference after a 60-53 league victory over DePaul on Monday. Martin had a team-high 18 points in the game.
He’s averaging 10.6 points and a teamhigh 7.9 rebounds a game. He had a double-double (22 points and 10 rebounds) in an 82-61 league triumph over DePaul on Jan. 5. Last season, Martin started all 30 games for Rhode Island and averaged 12.8 points and 7.1 rebounds.
Meredith Sholder: North Carolina field hockey (Emmaus)
The redshirt junior, along with sophomore Madison Orobono (Emmaus), started all 11 games for the Tar Heels, who finished 10-1 overall and 4-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and beat top-seed Louisville 4-2 to take the league title. Sholder had three goals and two assists for eight points with a game-winner. Orobono had two goals and four assists with a game-winner in the victory over Louisville.