May 6-7 College Roundup
GROVE CITY WINS PAC MEN’S LACROSSE TITLE
Grove City College put 16 goals on the scoreboard in the first half and rolled to a 27-3 victory over visiting Saint Vincent College Saturday night, as the Wolverines captured their fourth consecutive Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Men’s Lacrosse Tournament championship.
The Wolverines improved their record to 10-8 this season, including a 9-0 mark against PAC teams this season. Saint Vincent’s season ends with a 15-3 record, which ties the program record from 2018 for single-season wins.
Following the Championship game, Grove City senior midfielder Brett Gladstone was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament. He scored eight goals and 14 points in the Wolverines’ two Tournament victories.
As the winner of the PAC Championship Tournament, Grove City will receive the conference’s automatic-qualifying bid to the Division III Championship. The 38-team field for this year’s Division III Championship is scheduled to be announced Sunday, May 7. First-round games are scheduled for Wednesday, May 10.
W&J EARNS TOP SEED IN PAC BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
After posting a 17-3 record in league play during the regular season, Washington & Jefferson College has earned the top seed and hosting rights for this week’s Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Baseball Tournament.
The league’s four-team, double-elimination championship tournament will be held Thursday-Saturday, May 11-13 at Ross Memorial Park in Washington, Pa.
The Tournament will begin at 1 p.m. Thursday, May 11, with top-seed W&J (28-12, 17-3 PAC) taking on fourth-seed Westminster College (20-18, 13-7 PAC) in Game A. At 4 p.m. in Game B, second-seeded Grove City College (29-9, 16-4 PAC) will face No. 3 Saint Vincent College (20-16, 13-7 PAC). The tournament will continue through Saturday’s championship game(s).
This is W&J’s sixth-straight year serving as the league’s championship tournament host. The Presidents, led by 21st-year head coach Jeff Mountain, are making their 14th-straight tournament appearance. W&J won its 14th PAC title in 2022 with a 10-2 victory in the title game over Westminster.
Grove City College will face No. 14 Swarthmore in the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament at 3 p.m. Saturday in Lexington, Va., at Washington & Lee University. The NCAA announced the 38-team tournament field Sunday night.
WAYNESBURG WINS PAC SOFTBALL TITLE
Waynesburg captured its second consecutive Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Softball Tournament Championship with a 6-3 victory over Westminster.
The Yellow Jackets (29-8) scored two first-inning runs in the final game to take an early lead against the Titans (29-13), added to it with a single run in the fifth and three more in the seventh and held off a Westminster rally in the final inning to win their third conference championship in program history.
Westminster reached the championship game after posting a 5-0 victory over Geneva College in Game G, thanks to a first-inning grand slam and a four-hit shutout by graduate student Madison Brown.
As the winner of this year’s championship tournament title, Waynesburg secures the league’s automatic qualifying bid to the Division III Softball Championship, with teams and regional site selections announced on Monday, May 15. Regional round play is scheduled for Friday-Sunday, May 19-21 and the Super Regionals will be played Friday-Saturday, May 26-27. The eight teams advancing from the Super Regionals will participate in the Division III Championship finals, slated for Thursday-Wednesday, June 1-7 at Taylor Field in Marshall, Texas.
SHIPPENSBURG WINS PSAC SOFTBALL TITLE
Shippensburg completed an undefeated run in the 2023 PSAC Softball Championship with a 7-4 victory over Bloomsburg University in.
The title is Shippensburg’s fourth all-time for the softball program and first since 2005. PSAC East Freshman of the Year Caitlyn Martell set the tone for the day with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning and added another long ball–this time a three-run blast–in the fourth inning. Martell, who finished the week 10-for-17 with four home runs and 11 RBIs, was named 2023 PSAC Softball Tournament MVP.
RBI singles from Emilie Sullivan and PSAC East Athlete of the Year Hannah Marsteller accounted for the other two Raider runs. In the circle, Shippensburg got solid performances from starter Kaira Zamadics (5.2 innings pitched, zero earned runs) and reliever Emma Flattery, who entered the game in the sixth inning, did not allow a hit or a run, and earned the save– slamming the door on any hope of a Bloomsburg comeback.
With the victory, Shippensburg earns automatic qualification to the NCAA Division II Softball Championships.
