Comber anchors ‘Nova men to 2 wins at Penn Relays

Casey Comber (Maple Glen/ Hatboro-Horsham) became the first Villanova men’s track and field runner since 1982 to anchor two winning relays in the same year at the Penn Relays since 1982 as the sophomore helped the Wildcats take first in the Distance Medley Relay last Friday then win the 4xMile last Saturday.

Comber ran with Ben Malone, Brian Faust and Ville Lampinen as Nova won the DMR title at Penn Relays for a record 25th time — and first since 2011 — in a time of 9:34.37 with Comber finishing the 1600 meter anchor leg in 3:59.79.

A day later in the 4xMile, Comber had of a time of 4:04.05 to anchor the relay that also included Malone, Logan Wetzel and Andrew Marston to the Wildcats’ first win the event since 2015 and gave Villanova men’s team victories in two Championship of America relays for the first time since 1984.

• Syracuse football linebacker Zaire Franklin (Philadelphia/La Salle) was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round — overall pick No. 235 — of the NFL Draft last Saturday.

Franklin, a two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection and the first three-time caption in modern Syracuse football history, collected 85 tackles — 5.5 for a loss — in his senior season and finished his career with 311 tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and a pair of interceptions.

• Pitt football punter Ryan Winslow (Maple Glen/La Salle) was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Chicago Bears. An

All-ACC first team selection, Winslow leads the conference in punting average with a career-best 44.5 yards per game on 57 punts.

• Cabrini men’s lacrosse’s junior goalkeeper Riley White (Plymouth Meeting/ Plymouth Whitemarsh) was named 2018 Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Defensive Player of the Year.

White, the first Cabrini player to win the honor in the awards’ three-year history, was third in the conference with a 7.31 goals against average and also had a .561 save percentage. White was also selected to the All-CSAC first team.

Gwynedd Mercy’s Sean Miller (Ambler/Wissahickon) was named to the All-CSAC second team at defender, Dominic Moscariello (Lansdale Catholic/Lansdale) earned honorable mention at midfielder while the Griffins’ Nick Fox (Dresher/La Salle) was selected to the conference’s All-Sportsmanship team.

Miller had 13 caused turnovers for a Gwynedd Mercy defense that lead the CSAC and was fourth in Division III in scoring defense (5.75 goals per game). Moscariello collected 16 points — 10 goals and six assists — for the Griffins in 12 games.

• Gwynedd Mercy women’s lacrosse freshman midfielder Victoria Braeunle (Lansdale/North Penn) was named the 2018 CSAC Rookie of the Year and was also selected the conference’s first team. Braeunle, the first Griffin to win the award since 2011, led Gwynedd Mercy in points (102), goals, (69). assists (33), ground balls (58), caused

Earning All-CSAC second teams honors were Keystone College’s Emily Hawkins (Glenside/Cheltenham) at attack and Gwynedd Mercy’s Lauren Mitros (Glenside/Bishop McDevitt) at midfield. Immaculata’s Olivia Carter (Philadelphia/Saint Basil) was named to the conference’s All-Sportsmanship Team.

Hawkins, who made the second team for a third

consecutive year, led Keystone in points (69) and assists (29) and was second on the Giants in goals (40). Mitros was third on Gwynedd Mercy with 52 points — 28 goals and 24 assists.

• Michael Sowers (Dresher/Upper Dublin) broke his own Princeton men’s lacrosse single-season record for points as he finished with two goals and two assists as the Tigers topped Cornell 14-8 last Saturday for their fifth straight victory.

Sowers now has 83 points on the season — 27 goals and a school singleseason record 56 assists — to better than 82 points he recorded as a freshman last season.

Last Thursday, Sowers was named of 25 nominees for the Tewaaraton Award, given to the outstanding male and female player in college lacrosse. Earlier in the month, Sowers was also one of the 17 named to the USILA Player of the Year watchlist.

• Misericordia softball’s Amanda Butera (Collegeville/Pope John Paul II) was named Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom Player of the Week Monday.

Butera, a freshman, finished with a .452 batting average with two home runs, two triples, two doubles, seven RBIs and seven runs scored as the Cougars went 6-2 during the week.

Butera was 3-for-4 with two runs scored in a 10-0 win over Keystone last Tuesday. She went 4-for-6 with a home run, double, RBI and two run scored as Misericordia clinched a MAC Freedom postseason berth with a 10-9 10-inning win over FDU-Florham.

• Becki Christoffers (Lansdale/North Penn) hit a two-run triple in the fourth inning and Alyssa Morales (Schwenksville/ Perkiomen Valley) pitched a two-hit shutout as the Gwynedd Mercy softball team clinched the top seed in the CSAC tournament for the first time with an 8-0 five-inning win over Cabrini in the second game of a doubleheader Sunday.

Morales walked two and struck out two in her complete-game win. Christoffers finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.

Last Saturday, Morales

earned the win in the circle while she and Christoffers both scored twice as the Griffins completed a doubleheader sweep of Cairn with a 10-1 five-inning victory. Morales allowed just an earned run on four hits, struck out a pair and did not give up a walk.

• Lehigh baseball’s Chris Kersey (North Wales/North Penn) went 2-for-5 with a run scored as the Mountain Hawks edged Bucknell 5-4 in the second game of a doubleheader Sunday. For the season, Kersey leads Lehigh in batting average (.342), runs (35), hits (54), doubles (13), triples (3) and is fourth on the team in RBIs (17).

• Georgetown women’s lacrosse’s Rachel Rausa (Ambler/Hatboro-Horsham) scored a goal — her ninth of the season — as the Hoyas defeated Temple 15-8 last Saturday.

Amber Lambeth (Harleysville/Souderton) had two goals, an assist, three ground balls and four draw controls for Temple while Jen Rodzewich (Hilltown/ Pennridge) added an assist.

• Messiah College men’s volleyball’s Travis Hoover (Schwenksville/Dock Mennonite) was chosen as a 2018 Spring Middle Atlantic Conference Senior Scholar-Athlete last Thursday. Hoover, who was selected to the All-MAC second team, is a biology major, holds a 3.94 gradepoint average and has been named to Messiah’s Dean’s List every semester starting with the 2014 fall semester.

• Jackie Bilotti (North Wales/North Penn) drove in a total of five runs as the Arcadia softball team swept Albright in a doubleheader last Saturday.

Bilotti was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored in Game 1 as the Knights shut out Albright 11-0 in five innings. She capped the day by going 2-for-3 with a triple and four RBIs in an 11-1 five-inning victory in the second contest.

• Jared Melone (North Wales/North Penn) was 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and two run scored as the West Chester baseball team topped Bloomsburg 10-7 in the second game of their doubleheader Sunday.

Bloomsburg’s Cole Swiger (Maple Glen/Upper

Dublin) went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs in the contest.

Last Saturday, WCU’s Jon Fisher (Plymouth Meeting/ Plymouth Whitemarsh) gave up one earned run

over six innings to earn the win in the Golden Rams’ 9-1 victory over Bloomsburg in Game 1 of a doubleheader. Fisher gave up six hits, walked four and struck out three in improving his record to 4-3.

Melone chipped in an RBI and run scored. In the second game, Melone had an RBI and scored twice as West Chester claimed a 10-3 victory.