Senior Payonk capping illustrious career with Scranton
Trevor Woodruff is in his second season coaching the Scranton women’s basketball team but it didn’t take him long to realize what Sarah Payonk meant to the Royals, especially after the 6-foot forward led the team to a 30-1 record last year with a 57- 48 loss to Tufts ending a great season.
This year, Scranton is 11-0 at the break and once again the key is the SpringFord High grad.
“Sarah continues to be a key to what we’re doing,” Woodruff said. “She is the glue that keeps our team connected at both end of the floor. Her ability to affect the game in so many ways outside of scoring separates her from most players.”
Payonk is averaging 9.4 points a game as of Dec. 20, third on the Royals. But she leads the teamin assists (47), steals (19) and blocked shots (11). She had 21 points and 14 rebounds in a 6359 non-league victory over Rochester on Nov. 19.
To call Payonk “a winner” may be an understatement. She has started all 100 games that Scranton has played in her four years and the team is 91-9 overall and 45-2 in Landmark Conference play including 16-0 last season and 1-0 thus far this season. Payonk is tied for third all-time in the Scranton record book in blocks (145), is 10th in steals (195), tied for 10th in assists (418) and 22nd in points (1,093). She has made 403 of 871 shots from the field (46.3 percent).
The sophomore bettered the pool record in all four of his events but finished second in all four as his King’s men’s swim team closed out the first semester with a 143114 loss to Misericordia on Dec. 9 in Wilkes-Barre. Groshardt was runner-up in the 100 back (55.0), the 200 back (2:03.18) and the 200 IM (2:01.97) and swam a leg on the second-place finishing 200 free relay (1:29.43).
Senior Josh Shoemaker (Boyertown) finished third in both the 100 free and 100 butterfly for the Monarchs.
The 5-foot-6 freshman guard has started all nine games and is averaging 7.6 points and 4.4 rebounds for the 0-9 Immaculata women’s basketball team. She had a college career high 21 points against Arcadia on Nov. 22 and had 12 points against Washington College prior to the holiday break on Dec. 19.
Senior Theresa Walsh (Owen J. Roberts) has started five games for the Mighty Macs and is averaging 5.8 points and 5.2 rebounds a game.
The 5-foot-8 sophomore guard has started all nine games for the Elizabethtown women’s basketball, the Blue Jays 8-1 overall and 0-1 in the Landmark Conference after a 74-72 league loss to Moravian on Dec. 3. Beyer is averaging 10.0 points and 2.9 rebounds with 17 assists and had a season-high 15 points in a 63-50 victory over Baruch on Nov. 27 and matched that with 15 points in a 6544 triumph over Stevenson on Dec. 11 prior to the holiday break.
The freshman recorded his best times of the season thus far for the Rollins men’s swim team in the Spartan Invitational Dec. 16-19 in Clearwater, Fla. Competing against a standout field that included a number of club teams, Waite finished 17th in the 1650 freestyle (17:36.28), 25th in the 1000 freestyle (10:21.85), 29th in the 500 freestyle (4:57.90) and 35th in the 200 freestyle (1:48.68). He was either second or third finisher in each event for the Tars and also swama leg on the 800 free relay which finished 13th (7:15.78). Rollins finished sixth in its division with 44 points.