ON CAMPUS College news and notes
Mount Union
Mark Prejsnar (Poland), a senior, was named to the All-Ohio Athletic Conference Academic Men's Track and Field-Cross Country first team. Prejsnar has a 3.25 grade-point average majoring in computer science. His top performance outdoors this spring was 15 minutes, 11 seconds, in the 5,000-meter run. He also placed second in the 5,000 in Division III at the All-Ohio Meet in 15:13.
Holly Friedrich (Boardman), a senior, was selected to the OAC Academic Women's Track and Field-Cross County second team. Friedrich has a 3.46 grade-point average as a history major. A 5,000-meter specialist in track, Friedrich turned in her best career performances this year. Indoors, she ran 17:50 to provisionally qualify for the NCAA national meet, although eventually not making the field. And outdoors, Friedrich produced 18:25 in the All-Ohio Division III Meet at Ohio Wesleyan to place second.
Mount Union seniors Chuck Moore and Becky Blaser were chosen as OAC 2001-02 Clyde A. Lamb Award winners in recognition of the top male and female student-athletes in the conference. Moore was the 2001 Division III Football Player of the Year. Blaser is a four-time all-conference soccer selection and a 2001 Academic First-Team All-OAC pick.
Senior Sara Tharp earned All-OAC honors for softball. Tharp led the Purple Raiders in batting average, pitching wins, ERA, innings pitched and strikeouts.
Allegheny
Joe Shuluga, a standout lineman for the Lowellville High football team last season, will attend Allegheny. Shuluga (6-foot-1, 215 pounds) played offensive guard and defensive end at Lowellville. He gained honors at offensive guard, being named to the All-Northeast Ohio and All-Inter-County League first teams, and all-state special mention. Shuluga has a 4.0 grade-point average, and is planning to study pre-medicine.
Wooster
Brianne Diorio (Cardinal Mooney), a sophomore on the softball team, was named to the All-North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Team. Diorio went 4-for-9, scored two runs, drove in one, stole a base and was hit by a pitch, as the Scots were eliminated in three games. Wooster beat Allegheny in then opener of the double-elimination tourney, then lost to eventual-champion Denison, 4-1, before losing to Allegheny, 4-2. Diorio finished the season with a .253 batting average (23-for-91) with 14 RBIs and six runs. Wooster recorded its second straight 20-win season with a 20-16 record, including 10-4 in the NCAC, good for third place.
Geneva
Vince D'Angelo (Shenango), a junior third baseman on the baseball team, was named to the National Christian College Athletic Association All-Region first team. D'Angelo, in his first season with Geneva, led the team in homers (7), RBIs (39) and slugging percentage (.659), while ranking No. 2 in batting average (.373, 47-for-126) and runs scored (26).
Dan Merrick (West Middlesex), a sophomore pitcher, and Brandon Harlan (Laurel), a freshman outfielder, were also on the team. Merrick was limited to only one appearance after coming off major reconstructive surgery on his right arm, while Harlan served in a back-up role and scored 13 runs. Geneva was 20-21 this season.
Mount Vernon Nazarene
Jason Irish (Lakeview), a junior on the baseball team, was selected to the National Christian College Athletic Association East Region Team as honorable mention. Irish, a junior designated hitter and outfielder, had a .380 batting average with eight doubles, two home runs, 26 RBIs and 22 runs scored, to help the Cougars to a 34-9 regular season record.
Lake Erie College
Katie Jayne (Niles), a senior on the women's soccer team, was named the college's Female Athlete of the Year. Jayne, who holds school career records for goals (56), assists (2) and points (134), also was named to the All-Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference teams for academics and soccer, being a first-team choice in the latter category. She also made the Academic All-Ohio team.
Ashland
Adriane Blewitt (Boardman), a junior, placed first in the shot put at the Jesse Owens Classic. Blewitt had a winning throw of 54 feet and continues to lead the country with a personal-best of 56-4 1/2. In the discus, Blewitt placed third (171-3). The winning throw was 181-4 from Roberta Collins, who trains at Ashland with Blewitt.
Westminster
Robin Thayer (South Range) was named a Senior Scholar Athlete award winner. The senior basketball player holds a 3.634 cumulative grade point average in financial economics.
Eric Mojock (Kennedy Christian) was named swimmer of the year. He earned All-America honors after finishing 12th in the 100 backstroke at NCAA Division II nationals.
Indiana (Pa.)
Julie Gallo (Poland) is one of six freshman recruits for the women's basketball team. Gallo, a 6-0 forward, averaged 14.9 points and 8.0 rebounds, and made 56.4 percent of her field-goal attempts during her senior season. She made the All-Metro Athletic Conference First Team, the All-Northeast Ohio Third Team, and The Vindicator all-star squad. In Gallo's three seasons with Poland, she helped the Bulldogs to a 52-17 record, including 23-3 and a state berth in 2000.