Shillington native Covach having breakout season for Plymouth State ice hockey team
Michael Covach is having a breakout season with the Plymouth State men’s hockey team.
Senior Covach, from Shillington and a Governor Mifflin graduate, leads the Panthers with 37 points on 11 goals and 26 assists. The points are 15th best and the assists are 8th on the NCAA Division III statistics list.
The 5-foot-11, 190 pound forward has helped the Plymouth, N.H.-based team finish the regular season with a 15-7-3 overall record and a 12- 4-2 and in first place in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Covach came in having played in just 35 games in his three-year career and a total of 10 goals and seven assists.
“Michael has had one of the most difficult paths to get where he is this season,” coach Craig Russell said. “He’s had so many injuries and hurdles with his health, but he’s finally what we all thought he would be.”
While Covach is earning raves about his season, the coach said that he’s quick to pass along the praise to his teammates.
“He’s a humble guy and tells everyone that he’s a product of his linemate’s hard work and skill level,” Russell said. “His unwavering support of his teammates is probably what separates him from many in his generation.”
And, there’s another side of Michael Covach accord- ing to his coach.
“Michael is one of the funniest players on the team and his subtle/dry humor is always welcomed from his teammates and the staff,” Russell said. “He’s one of the guys that helps keep our chemistry so strong. He’s well-spoken and very bright, but also shows empathy and compassion with his teammates.”
JOE GUILIANO ( DANIEL
BOONE) >> The Albright men’s swim team totaled 740 points to win its third straight Middle Atlantic Conference title Feb. 1417 in York and the freshman played a big part in the victory. Guiliano swam the leadoff leg on four winning relays teams – the 200 free (1:25.23), the 400 free (3:09.41), the 200 medley (1:32.93) and the 400 med- ley (3:25.36). The medley times are meet records. He also finished third in the 100 backstroke (52.67), sixth in the 200 IM (1:09.17) and ninth in the 200 backstroke (1:39.35).
PAOLA TEXIDOR (EXETER)
>> The sophomore and her twin sister Zoe, also a sophomore, are seeing action with the Kutztown softball team, the Golden Bears 3-6 after going 2-3 in the Snowbird Freeze Out Tournament Feb. 15-17 in Myrtle Beach, Fla. Outfielder Paola has played in eight games with five starts and is hitting .571 (4-for-7). She had two hits in a 9-2 victory over New Haven on Feb. 16. Zoe is hitless in five trips to the plate. She’s handled 10 chances without an error at first base. ABBYLODGE(DANIELBOONE)
>> The senior helped the Stockton women’s indoor track team finish in third place at the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships on Feb. 18 at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, N.Y. Lodge ran a leg on the 4x200 which finished fourth in 1:49.51 and the 4x400 which also finished fourth in 4:10.27. Individually, Lodge finished eighth in the 200 meter run in 26.63. She finished seventh in the 200 (26.85) and helped the 4x200 finish third (1:48.17) at last year’s league meet.
The 6-foot-2 righthander was one of three starters that helped the Penn State baseball team kick off the season by going 3- 0 in Cary, N.C. on Feb. 15-17. The red-shirt junior got the call in the final game on Feb. 17 and worked six innings, giving up one hit and a run, which was earned, walking two and striking out a career-high nine batters as the Nittany Lions turned back Monmouth 6-4. Mock pitched in 15 games with four starts as a red-shirt sophomore and was 2-1 with a 5.97 earned run average.
DANIEL LESKOWICZ (EX
ETER) >> The senior closed out his career as a member of the Niagara men’s swim team at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Cham- pionships Feb. 13-15 in Buffalo, N.Y. The Purple Eagles finished eighth out of 10 teams with 234 points. Leskowicz swam the anchor leg on the 400 free relay which finished third with a time of 3:03.08 on the final day of the meet. He also swam anchor on the 800 free relay which finished eighth with a time of 6:51.95.
LAUREN LISTER (FLEET
WOOD) >> The sophomore was named PSAC East Division Athlete of the Week on Feb. 18 for her play with the Millersville women’s basketball team the previous week. She scored a career-high 38 points, second most in the program’s record book, in an 83-74 league victory over Shippensburg on Feb. 13 and came back with 29 points in a 63-58 triumph over first-place Bloomsburg on Feb. 16. Lister leads the team with a 22.0 point average. She also has 55 assists and a team-high 50 steals, the Marauders 1213 overall and 9-9 in league play after a 68-55 victory over Kutztown on Feb. 21.
TAYLOR SWEIGART (BRAN
DYWINE HEIGHTS) >> The sophomore hit a 2-run home run in the ninth inning to give the Coastal Carolina softball team a 5-3 victory over Towson on Feb. 16 at the Battle of the Beach Tournament in Conway, S.C. She has started all 10 games at second base and is the team’s cleanup hitter. Sweigart leads the Chanticleers with a .370 average (10-for-27) with a double and a triple to go along with the homer. She has seven runs batted in and has helped the team start the season 9-1 after a 4-0 sweep at the Battle of the Beach tourney. ERICA LUTZ (HAMBURG) >> The sophomore was named to the Middle Atlantic Conference second team for her play with the Lycoming women’s basketball team it was announced last Thursday. The 5-foot-11 forward is averaging 13.4 points a game and has hit 144 of 288 shots (50 percent) from the field which leads the MAC. She’s also averaging 9.3 re- bounds, leads the team with 55 blocks and has 28 steals. She celebrated the honor by scoring 17 points with 11 rebounds as the Bears defeated Widener 65-64 in the league semifinals on Thursday in Williamsport.
JOCELENRUTH(KUTZTOWN)
>> The sophomore finished fourth in the weight throw with a toss of 52 feet, 4 ½ inches for the Oklahoma State women’s indoor track team at the Arkansas Qualifier on Feb. 15 in Fayetteville, Ark. She also finished eighth in the shot put with a heave of 39 feet, 3 ¼ inches. Ruth’s personal bests this season are 53 feet, 9 ½ inches in the shot put and 39 feet, 11 ¼ inches in the weight throw. She currently ranks ninth in the shot and 15th in the weight throw on the Big 12 Conference performance list.
BRYSON TURNER (BRANDY
WINEHEIGHTS)>> The 5-foot11 senior was named MAC Commonwealth Pitcher of the Week after a solid first start of the season for the Widener baseball team. The right-hander pitched five innings and gave up four hits and a run, which was earned, with no walks and four strikeouts in the second game of a doubleheader with Marymount on Feb. 17 in Arlington, Va. An unearned run later in the game ended with a 2-1 loss. The Pride took the opener 6-3. Turner was 1-1 in 10 games with two starts as a junior.
CHRISTIAN BETANCOURT
(BERKS CATHOLIC) >> The 5-foot-10, 145 pound senior finished fifth in the pole vault for the York men’s indoor track team at the Capital Athletic Conference Championships on Feb. 1516 in Newport News, Va. He cleared 11 feet, 11 ¾ inches. He tried to clear 12 feet, 3 ½ inches but failed in all three attempts. The performance was the best of the winter for Betancourt who entered the championship having reached no height in three of four events and was 18th (10 feet, 10 inches) in the other.