CAMPUS NOTES | Area athletes

NORTH CAROLINA-ASHEVILLE
ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Steve Burnich, a sophomore infielder for the North Carolina Asheville baseball team from Fitch High, has started all 42 game this season as the Bulldogs posted a 21-24 record, including 11-7 in the Big South.Burnich ranks second on the team in stolen bases with 13-for-14, and is batting .241 (34-for-141) with 24 runs and 15 RBIs.Also on the team is Brandon Drespling, a freshman outfielder from New Castle and Laurel High. Drespling has played in 19 games, starting 10 of them, and is batting .261 on 12-for-46 with five RBIs and five runs.Last year, Burnich played in 40 games, starting 29, and batted .222 (24-for-108) with 20 runs and 10 RBIs.While at Fitch, Burnich batted .465 as a senior and made the All-Steel Valley Conference team for the second straight year.Drespling led Laurel in batting his senior year with .449, and had 24 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. He was named the team's MVP and captain his senior year, and was a four-year starter.
WESTMINSTER
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- James Chaney, a senior lineman for the Westminster College football team last season, was presented two awards at the first annual Westminster Exceptional Sports Performances of the Year (WESPY) Awards session on May 10 at Orr Auditorium.Chaney, a two-year starter and three-year letterman at offensive tackle (2003) and defensive end (2001-02), was among several Youngstown-area performers at Westminster to gain recognition.Chaney won the annual David B. Fawcett Award for displaying the qualities of fairness, sportsmanship, leadership, determination and competitiveness. He lettered in track one year and broke the school discus record.Chaney also won the Senior Scholar Award for having the highest grade-point average among male student-athletes with a 3.81 as a major in history.Michelle Chovan, a senior defender for the women's soccer team last season, won the women's WESPY award for the top single-event athletic achievement.Chovan scored two goals, including the game-winning goal, to lead Westminster's 3-2 win over Grove City for the Titans' second straight Presidents' Athletic Conference championship.Winning Team MVP awards were Ed Pagley, a junior guard on the basketball team from New Castle High; John Matune, sophomore on the men's golf team from Kennedy Catholic High; Jennifer Pancake, a freshman pitcher/designated hitter on the softball team from Boardman High; and Carrie Fleckenstein, a sophomore on the women's track team from Mercer High.Jim Smith of New Castle, a Westminster sports fan, was presented an "Honorary Titan" Award.Two Youngstown-area women -- Rena Paroz (Brookfield High) and McKenzie Crowell (Crestview) -- helped the Westminster women's golf team win its first Presidents' Athletic Conference championship in the program's third year of existence at the school.The Titans, guided by coach Debi Behr of Sharon, copped the PAC title by winning the two-day PAC tourney at Crispin Golf Course in Wheeling, W, Va., with a 17-hole score of 542 for a 51-stroke margin.Behr is in her third year as coach and launched the program three years ago.Paroz, a senior, placed ninth overall with 94-49--143 and made the All-PAC second team., while Crowell was 15th with 111-48--159.The Westminster men's golf team, aided by sophomore John Matune (Kennedy Catholic), won its second straight PAC crown at Speidel Golf Course in Wheeling, W. Va., with a two-day, four-round total of 634. Matune placed sixth overall with 79-81-160 to make the All-PAC second team, after making the first team last year.
WOOSTER
WOOSTER -- Dean Palombaro (Cardinal Mooney) is a freshman outfielder with the College of Wooster baseball team.Palombaro saw light duty this season as Wooster posted a 31-8 regular-season record, including 15-3 in the North Coast Athletic Conference to win its fourth straight NCAC East Division championship.While at Mooney, Palombaro helped the Cardinals to win the Steel Valley Conference title last year.
MALONE
CANTON -- Scotty Jones, a freshman golfer for Malone College from East Palestine High, has found success in his first season.Jones joined teammate Keith Cunningham, a junior from John Glenn High, on the All-American Mideast Conference First Team, and has helped the Pioneers to qualify for the NAIA National Championships slated this week at the Prairie Highlands Golf Course in Olathe, Kansas.The Pioneers, coached by Ken Hyland, ranked No. 19 in the final NAIA national poll this season.Malone earned an automatic bid to the national meet by winning the eight-team, 54-hole NAIA Region IX Championship at the Apple Valley Golf Course in Mt. Vernon Ohio April 29-30. Cunningham led the way with 77-75 -75 --227 to tie for overall honors before losing a playoff for individual honors. Jones was fifth overall with 78-72-79--229.John Jeren (Poland) and Adam Huffman (Crestview), a senior and sophomore, respectively, on the Malone College track team, were members of the winning 4x400-meter relay team at the University of Windsor (Ontario) Invitational in a national-qualifying time of 3:17.93.Tiffany French (Bristol), a senior on the Malone women's track team, placed second in the shot put (13.41 meters) at Windsor, while freshman Joanna Genter (Crestview) placed third in the 5,000-meter run in 18:33.14.
MOUNT VERNON NAZARENE
MOUNT VERNON -- Jason Irish, a senior pitcher for the Mount Vernon Nazarene University baseball team from Lakeview, pitched the Cougars to a 16-5 win over Saint Vincent College in the NAIA Region IX Tournament at Thurman Munson Stadium in Canton. The win qualified the Cougars (38-15) to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho, that begins May 28. Irish scattered 10 hits over nine innings, struck out six, didn't give up any walks and improved to a 7-2 record. He also has a 3.23 earned run average. Irish, who also is an outfielder, also has been selected to the National Christian College Athletic Association East Region team. He is batting .400, leads the team in doubles (15) and is tied for the team lead in home runs (7). He also has 45 RBIs and 42 runs scored.
GENEVA
BEAVER FALLS, Pa. -- New Castle-area talent has helped the Geneva College baseball team prosper this season.Coach Alan Sumner (Neshannock), in his 16th season, has directed Geneva to a 27-19 record and a berth in the National Christian College Athletic Association Tournament that begins today.
The Golden Tornadoes also qualified for the American Mideast Conference Tournament for the first time since joining the league in 1998.
Freshman pitcher Matt Colella (Shenango) has a team-leading 52 strikeouts with a 5-4 record and 4.13 ERA, and was selected to the All-NCCAA East Region First Team.
He was joined by senior pitcher Dan Merrick (West Middlesex) and freshman Mike Bruno (Shenango) made honorable mention.
Merrick (West Middlesex) has a 6-3 record, 3.78 ERA and two saves.
Bruno has a .329 batting average, 21 runs scored and 10 stolen bases.
Junior left fielder Brandon Harlan (Laurel) is batting .293 with 32 runs scored, 13 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
Another Geneva leader is junior catcher Brian May (East Liverpool), who leads the team in RBIs (36) and has a .351 batting average and four homers. May also made the All-NCCAA First Team.
GROVE CITY
GRIVE CITY, Pa. -- Andrew Wargo (Champion), a sophomore on the Grove City College track team, was a member of the 400-meter relay team that placed 12th in 43.62 seconds at Williams college in the final tune-up for the NCAA Championships.
BALDWIN-WALLACE
BEREA -- Stephanie Cammardese (Liberty) finished her third season of softball at B-W on the junior varsity team. Last year, she played in 18 games as a back-up catcher, starting five of them, and won her first varsity letter. The daughter of Zachary and Amy Cammardese, Stephanie is majoring in speech communications.
MUSKINGUM
NEW CONCORD -- Erin Zupko (Liberty), a senior center fielder for the Muskingum softball team, went 2-for-3 with an RBI as the No. 8-ranked Muskies fell to No. 2-ranked Salisbury University, 2-1, in eight innings Sunday to be eliminated at the double-elimination NCAA Division III World Series. Zupko also had two hits Friday in Muskingum's first-round win over Wheaton, 2-0. And she had one RBI and scored one run in the Muskies 7-4 loss to St. Thomas also on Friday for a 1-1 record entering Sunday's game.Muskingum qualified for the national meet by winning the the Roanoke (Va.) Regional. The Muskies finished the season with a 43-7 record, including 18-0 in the OAC to win the regular-season title. They also went on to win the OAC tournament championship. Zupko finished with a .331 (45-for-136) batting average, and led the team in runs scored with 41. She also had 25 RBIs and four homers. Also with Muskingum is Jessica Rowland (Champion), a sophomore outfielder who batted .235 (4-for-17) with six RBIs and six runs scored.
MERCYHURST
ERIE, Pa. -- Jennifer Feret (Boardman), a freshman pitcher for Mercyhurst College, was selected to the All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Association Second Team. Feret compiled a 5-7 record and 2.45 earned run average over 95 2/3 innings. She appeared in 21 games, starting 18 of them, and registered 66 strikeouts and walked 39. Among her season highlights were a one-hit shutout over Ursuline and a four-hit, 3-0 victory over Grand Valley State. She also was named to the GLIAC pitching honor roll three times, and twice was named Mercyhurst Female Athlete of the Week. Also with Mercyhurst is Marissa Bartholomew (Boardman), a junior pitcher and infielder. Bartholomew had a 1-2 record and 3.22 ERA in 22.1 innings with 10 strikeouts and eight walks. She appeared in seven games, starting four.
-- Vindicator staff report