Smallwood runs Big Ten’s second-best time
Pottstown grad finishes 800 meters in 1:47.90
Men’s Track and Field
DARIUS SMALLWOOD (POTTSTOWN/POTTSTOWN) >> The Penn State sophomore set a personal record in his specialty, the 800 meters, last weekend in the Sykes & Sabock Challenge at Penn State on Feb. 4. Smallwood, a 2021 Pottstown grad and former PIAA champion in the event, ran a 1:47.90 for the second-best time in the Big Ten this winter.
Penn State competes at Boston University and Vanderbilt the next two weekends leading up to the Big Ten Championships in Geneva, Ohio, beginning Feb. 24.
ALEX SALATA (POTTSTOWN/BOYERTOWN) >> The 6-foot-2 senior guard led Penn State-Abington with a career-high 31 points in an 84-66 win over Gallaudet on Saturday. Salata was 10-of-14 shooting from the field with 4-of-7 from 3-point range. He also went 7-for-9 from the free throw line and had three rebounds and four assists.
JEFF WOODWARD (AUDUBON/ METHACTON) >> Woodward helped extend the nation’s longest conference win streak (25 games) with an eight-point, six rebound and three-assist performance for Colgate against Lafayette on Jan. 28. That streak was extended to 26 after a win against Loyola before Woodward’s Raiders fell, 61-60 at American on Saturday.
CHASE AUDIGE (CORAM, N.Y./ HILL SCHOOL) >> The redshirt senior guard and former Mercury player of the year had 11 points and seven rebounds in a 54-52 win for Northwestern over Wisconsin on Saturday, the Wildcats improving to 7-5 in the Big Ten. The win marks Northwestern’s first season sweep of Wisconsin since the 1995-96 season. Audige surpassed 1,000 career points on Dec. 29 in a win over Brown.
Women’s Basketball
GWYNEDD MERCY >> Head coach
Keith Mondillo, a Limerick resident, recently earned his 500th career win in an overtime 84-83 victory over Immaculata on Jan. 28. The accomplishment, is one earned by only 54 other coaches in NCAA Division III and stands as an exclamation point on a 27-year career that includes a 32981 (.802) conference record, seven conference titles, and nine NCAA Tournament appearances. The Griffins are locally led by Elise Sylvester (Pottstown/Pope John Paul II), who is scoring 15.2 points per game with
a team-best 78 assists. Sylvester scored 23 in a recent 64-59 loss to Marymount that earned her a place on the AEC Weekly Honor Roll. Kelly Owens (Schwenksville/Perkiomen Valley) is fourth on the team in scoring with 7.3 ppg.
LUCY OLSEN (COLLEGEVILLE/ SPRING-FORD) >> The sophomore point guard posted 18 points and five assists for No. 15 Villanova in a 7858 win over Butler on Saturday, improving to 20-4 overall and 11-2 in the Big East. SYNDEY WAGNER (PHOENIXVILLE/SPRING-FORD) >> Wagner put up 22 points to help fuel WIlliam & Mary to a 73-68 win over Monmouth in CAA action on Sunday. The Spring-Ford grad also
had a team-high 19 points in a 77-67 win over Hampton, moving into 13th alltime on the William & Mary scoring list.
Men’s Swimming
NOAH VIVIAN (BARTO/BOYERTOWN) >> The four-year letterwinner from Boyertown led Lycoming College with two second-place finishes on Jan. 28 at St. Vincent College. Vivian finished the 50-yard freestyle in 22.43 and the 100-yard fly in 57.44.
Women’s Swimming NOEL FRESA (PENNSBURG/ UPPER PERKIOMEN) >>
Fresa took second place in the 200-yard freestyle relay alongside Mairin Ludwig,
Dagny Donaldson and Sarah Hardy for Lehigh University with a time of 1:38.18 at the Bison Invitational at Bucknell. Fresa’s Mountain Hawks finished third out of six teams at the invitational with 480 points.
Football
OWEN MORTON (POTTSTOWN/POTTSTOWN) >>
Alvernia senior Owen Morton was named to the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Academic All-MAC team for football, announced by the MAC on Feb. 1.
Morton and teammate Neeko Scurlock are the first Alvernia Football players in program history to earn Academic All-MAC honors.
Morton, a senior pursuing his degree in Criminal Justice, finished the fall semester with a 4.00 GPA. Morton earned All-MAC honorable mention at tight end for Alvernia during the 2022 season. He finished the year with 18 receptions for 203 yards. Morton also scored three touchdowns for Alvernia and averaged 20.3 yards per game.
The MAC sports information directors nominate and vote for the Academic All-MAC teams, giving 50 percent weight on both academic success and athletic success. A student-athlete must have a fall semester grade-point average (GPA) of 3.20 or higher to be eligible for the award.
Baseball
SAM MORRIS (SPRING CITY/ OWEN J. ROBERTS) >> Morris earned the win in Millersville’s season opener, a come-from-behind 7-3 win at Barton (NC). The sophomore pitcher/outfielder closed out the game with two scoreless innings, striking out three. Alongside Morris, Chase Simmons (Royersford/SpringFord) came up big in Millersville’s opening day win. With the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning, the Spring-Ford grad scored the tying run from third base on a full-count pitch that was put into play on the right side of the field.