DeSanto picks right up at Iowa
Austin DeSanto went from an outstanding wrestling program to a great one and he hasn’t missed a beat.
The sophomore, an Exeter Township grad, is competing with the tradition-heavy University of Iowa after posting a 29-7 record with the Drexel squad as a freshman.
Wrestling at 133 pounds, DeSanto captured his first two matches with a technical fall and a decision to start the season on Nov. 9 in Kent, OH. But the big test came when he took the mat in the Hawkeyes’ first home match against Princeton on Nov. 16 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena in front of a crowd of 7.940.
DeSanto, who scored a pin in 3:27, helped the team turn back the Tigers 31-10. “I got chills,” DeSanto told the media after that match. “It really pumps you up and I’m excited for this season in front of these fans.”
Coach Tom Brands was impressed with his start but knew about DeSanto long before he came to Iowa.
“He’s good and we love him,” Brands said. “My brother (associate coach Terry Brands) wanted to recruit him out of high school but he was already signed, sealed and delivered to Drexel.”
The coach likes the fact that DeSanto brings an energy and a competitiveness that is contagious.
“The way he competes, sometimes he takes it overboard a little bit,” Brands said. “We have to temper that. At the same time we’re going to temper that without taking anything away from him edge-wise. We want him to have that competitive fire and I think he’s going to be a fan favorite right away.”
EMILY HANGEN (EXETER) >> The 5-foot-9 sophomore setter earned another honor for her play with the 25-8 Shippensburg women’s volleyball team. Hangen was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Atlantic Region team on Nov. 21. Previously she was named to the All-PSAC first team and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-Region second team. She finished with 1,260 assists and 413 digs with 22 doubledoubles in 33 matches. Hangen also had 60 kills, 48 total blocks and 45 service aces.
RACHEL JOHNSON (GOVERNOR MIFFLIN) >> The swim season has just begun for the Indiana women’s swim team but the freshman has already hit a qualifying mark on the PSAC performance list. She reached that mark when she finished first in the 200 IM with a time of 2:14.57 in a 125-70 victory over St. Vincent on Nov. 3 in Indiana. She also swam a leg on the winning 200 medley relay with a time of 1:50.20. The Crimson Hawks are 4-0 in dual meet competition after a 137-68 victory over West Virginia Wesleyan on Nov. 9 in Buckhannon, W.Va.
GABRIELLE STICK (EXETER) >> The 5-foot-10 senior outside hitter had a solid all-around season with the Lock Haven women’s volleyball team, the Bald Eagles finishing 10-17 overall and 5-13 in PSAC play. Stick played in all 27 matches and all 98 sets and was second on the team in digs with 308, second in kills with 250 and third in total blocks with 48.0. In three matches at the end of the season, Stick had 74 digs and 31 kills in victories over Mercyhurst (3-1) and Shippensburg (3-2) and a loss to Bloomsburg (3-2).
JAXSON BURNS (DANIEL BOONE) >> The senior forward saw his career come to an end when the Millersville men’s soccer team dropped a 1-0 decision to Charleston in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament on Nov. 10 in Charleston, W.Va. Burns finished the season with eight goals and three assists for 19 points with five game-winners. The Marauders finished 10-4-6. In the PSAC Tournament, Burns scored a goal in a 2-0 victory over Seton Hill and then scored a goal and kicked the winning penalty kick in an overtime victory over West Chester. JESSICA CONFER (DANIEL BOONE) >> The freshman and her Seton Hill equestrian team wrapped up the fall season with a pair of events in the Clarion Meet Nov. 10-11 in Valencia. On Nov. 10, Confer finished first in walk/trot/canter at the Allegheny College sponsored meet. She came back on Nov. 11 to finish second in the walk/trot/canter at a show sponsored by West Virginia University. After finishing sixth in her first collegiate show, Confer had three firsts and two seconds the rest of the season.