Wojcik earns Big Ten’s top freshman honor
It’s week after week for University of Michigan gymnastics standout Natalie Wojcik.
Wojcik, from Douglassville and a 21st Century Cyber Charter School in Downingtown, was named Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week on March 4. It was her seventh freshman honor of the season which puts her two short of a team-record nine set by current senior Olivia Karas in 2016.
Wojcik earned her latest award when she posted an allaround score of 39.475 as the No. 9-ranked Wolverines were nipped 197.975-197.350 at No. 5-ranked Utah on March 2 in Salt Lake City to drop to 13-3 overall. They are 9-0 in the Big Ten.
Besides the freshman honors, Wojcik has been named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week three times and shared that honor on another occasion. On Feb. 26, she earned both awards after she posted a season-high 39.750 in all-around that included her first career perfect 10 on vault at the Elevate the Stage meet on Feb. 23 in Toledo, OH.
“Natalie has been beyond anything we could have asked for,” coach Bev Plocki said. “From a coach’s standpoint we want to see our studentathletes compete at the same level if not higher than what we seed in the gym in practice. What Natalie does in competition is what we see from her every day.”
The coach feels that Wojcik doesn’t let the pressure get to her which is amazing for a freshman.
“The beauty of it is that Natalie is just Natalie out there,” Plocki said. “She has come in and competed with a level of confidence and consistency that we would expect out of an upperclassman. She has been incredible.”
GABRIELLE TROISI (POPE JOHN PAUL II) >> The 5-foot-7 junior guard was named to the PSAC East second team last Thursday for her play with the 1614 West Chester women’s basketball team, the Golden Rams seeing their season come to an end with a 58-52 loss to Bloomsburg in the second round of the league tourney last Wednesday. Triosi became the third player in team history to score a triple-double with 11 points, 15 rebounds and a program record 17 assists in a 77-69 victory over Millersville in the first-round of the tourney. She averaged 10.1 points and led the team in rebounding (8.5), assists (165) and steals (52).
CHRISTIAN KELLY (PHOENIXVILLE) >> The junior was named to the PSAC East second team last Thursday for his outstanding play with the Lock Haven men’s basketball team. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder averaged 19.4 points, which was fifth in the league. He also averaged 7.9 rebounds a game which was ninth. He had five double-doubles. Kelly connected on 67 of 178 3-point attempts (37.6 percent) and added 42 assists, 21 steals and 20 blocked shots. The Bald Eagles finished 12-15 overall and 8-12 in league play.
JUSTIN JAWORSKI (PERKIOMEN VALLEY) >> The Lafayette sophomore was named to the Patriot League All-Academic team last Wednesday. He carries a 3.69 grade point average in economics. The 6-foot1, 191-pound guard was named to the Patriot third team on March 4. Jaworski led the 1020 Leopards in scoring with a 14.1 average. He connected on 85 of 174 3-point attempts for 48.9 percent. That’s a school record and ranks second in NCAA Division I. He also led the team in assists with 81 and had 20 steals.
LIAM HARE (SPRING-FORD) >> The 6-foot junior midfielder is starting for the St. Joseph’s men’s lacrosse team, the Hawks 3-2 after an 8-6 non-league victory over Monmouth on March 2 in Philadelphia. Hare has a goal and three assists for four points along with 11 ground balls and a team-high nine caused turnovers. His goal came in a season-opening 15-7 victory over St. Bonaventure on Feb. 9 in Philadelphia. Senior Zach Hare, Liam’s brother, sat out last season and has played in two games off the bench thus far this season.
RYNE MOORE (SPRING-FORD) >> The 6-foot-4, 210-pound sophomore is 2-0 with a 2.81 earned run average in three starts for the Old Dominion baseball team, the Monarchs 9-2 after 4-3 victory over Campbell last Tuesday in Norfolk, Va. The right-hander has worked 16 innings and has given up 13 hits and six runs, five earned, with five walks and 16 strikeouts. His best effort came when he pitched six innings in an 11-0 victory over Norfolk State on Feb. 26 in Norfolk. He gave up three hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out nine.
AMANDA BUTERA (POPE JOHN PAUL II) >> The sophomore was named MAC Freedom Player of the Week on March 4 after a big effort for the Misericordia softball team in a 5-1 nonleague victory over Emmanuel, Mass. on March 3 in Kissimmee, FL. She was 3-for-3 with a home run. On the season, Butera leads the Cougars in hitting with a .474 average on nine hits in 19 at-bats. She has four runs batted in and four runs scored to help the team start the season 4-2 after a 6-3 victory over Otterbein last Tuesday in Kissimmee.