ON CAMPUS Jessica Jurkovic's stellar year finishes a strong career
The Lakeview High graduate finished with 14 school records at Ohio Dominican.
COLUMBUS -- Jessica Jurkovic, a pitcher for the Ohio Dominican University softball team, completed a four-year career holding 14 school records.
The Cortland native and Lakeview High graduate helped the Panthers to their fifth straight American Mideast Conference title.
Jurkovic then turned in a two-hit, five strikeout performance in a 8-0 victory over Tiffin in the NAIA Region IX championship game, advancing the Panthers for only the second time to the NAIA National championships at Decatur, Ala.
Jurkovic compiled a 3-0 record in the NAIA regional with a 0.37 ERA, 24 strikeouts and three walks in 19 innings.
In the NAIA tournament, Ohio Dominican (45-14) posted a 1-3 record in pool play. The Panthers' only victory was over Sioux Falls, S.D., 7-1, and Jurkovic was credited with the win. She allowed just one hit in four innings and struck out five.
Jurkovic appeared in 31 games, started 29 (a school record) and tied a school mark with 24 complete games. She set single-season records with 24 wins (24-5), shutouts (11), strikeouts (242) and strikeouts per seven innings (8.69).
She holds career records for games (116), innings pitched (636 2/3), starts (95), shutouts (22), wins (68), strikeouts (569) and strikeouts per seven innings (6.26).
She compiled a 68-28 record with a 1.68 ERA during her career, allowing 177 walks and a .209 batting average.
She also batted .324 (11-for-34) with two doubles, two triples, two home runs and 22 RBIs. She finished her career batting .276.
The AMC pitcher of the year (2005), Jurkovic was a first-team all-AMC choice, first-team NFCA NAIA Great Lakes Region selection and a NAIA honorable mention All-America. She was AMC Pitcher of the Week three times.
Methodist
Katie Dick was named the NCAA Division III National Golf Coaches Association freshman of the year.
The New Middletown native and Mooney High graduate helped the Methodist women's golf team to eight top-10 finishes in 10 tournaments during the fall and spring seasons.
Dick finished third as Methodist won the Division III national championship, the school's eighth straight title.
Dick was selected first team All-America, leading the nation in scoring average (77.33). She finished among the top 20 individuals in nine tournaments.
She tied for third at the Monarch Invitational and was fifth at both the Bonnie Hoover and William & amp; Mary invitationals.
Hiram
Derek Stanton and Jeff Nastase earned all-North Coast Athletic Conference honorable mention honors in baseball.
Stanton (Warren JFK), a senior outfielder, batted .327, with three home runs and 25 RBIs.
Nastase (Poland) batted .357 with three home runs and 23 RBIs.
Freshman softball player Kelly Melvin and junior tennis player Theresa Fabrizio were also NCAC honorable mention choices.
Melvin (Maplewood) was a utility position player for the Terriers and hit .429.
Fabrizio (Warren JFK) posted a 1-7 record.
Westminster
Kevin Gesacion was named MVP for the baseball team. The senior second baseman, a Boardman native, was an all-Presidents' Athletic Conference first team choice and ABCA all-Mideast Region third team pick.
He hit .368 (43-of-117) and led the Titans (21-16) in hits and at-bats, and posted a team- and PAC-high 20 stolen bases. He hit eight doubles, one home run, drove in 22 runs and scored 28 times.
Sophomore pitcher-designated hitter Jennifer Pancake (Boardman) was selected MVP of the softball team.
A two-time all-PAC first-team selection, she led Westminster (29-10) to its first-ever conference championship and an East Coast Athletic Conference Division III South Region tournament appearance.
Pancake was 22-4 with an 0.71 ERA and 117 strikeouts, while batting .276 with a team-best three home runs and 24 RBIs.
Senior John Matune (Kennedy Catholic) of Hermitage was named MVP of the men's golf team.
A three-time all-PAC choice, he led the Titans to three straight PAC championships. Matune posted a team-best 77.45 stroke average over 20 rounds and shot 312 to tie for 53rd in the NCAA Division III championships at Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
Freshmen Sarah Henry (North Bloomfield) and Elena Infante (Canfield), both softball players, and swimmer Ashley Linelli (Canfield) made the PAC Academic Honor roll for the spring semester.
The PAC honors student-athletes on winter and spring varsity sports teams who have earned a grade point average of 3.6 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
Edinboro
Julie Nemergut was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America District II College Division Women's Track & amp; Field-Cross Country team.
A junior, Nemergut (South Range) is a Special Education major with a 3.89 grade point average.
She earned All-America honors last fall at the NCAA Division II cross country championship, placing fifth in 21 minutes, 59.7 seconds.
Nemergut was named PSAC Women's Cross Country Athlete of the year.
During the indoor track and field season she was the PSAC champion in the mile run (5:01.5). Nemergut missed the outdoor season due to an injury.