By: Jennifer Jones
Director of Sports Information
jonesj@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Juniata College baseball got underway this week as both basketball's closed out their respective regular seasons with wins. Men's and women's indoor track and field put another meet under their belt before the Landmark Conference Championships and No. 3 men's volleyball swept competition at home.
Baseball
The 2014 Juniata College baseball season began in Virginia this weekend with a doubleheader at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) on Saturday and two games at No. 24/25 Bridgewater College on Sunday. Juniata dropped both seven inning games to EMU before earning its first win over the season, 8-7 over Bridgewater, finishing the weekend 1-3. Senior Brad Medellin (Lewisberry, Pa./Red Land) was 7-for-12 over the four games with four runs batted in and three runs scored. Freshman Jamie Fell (Frazier, Pa./Frazier) earned the win with junior Chris Fulton (West Chester, Pa/Unionville High School) throwing six innings and senior Mario DeYulis (Ebensburg, Pa./Central Cambria) earning the save, throwing the final two thirds of an inning. Juniata will return to play next Sunday in New Market, Va. at Pitt-Bradford before traveling to Florida to take part in the RussMatt Florida Invitational over spring break.
Men's Basketball
The Juniata College men's basketball team put together its most complete performance in the teams' 72-50 win over Drew University on the final afternoon of the regular season. The Eagles dropped Wednesday night's Landmark Conference contest to Susquehanna University, 59-58, on a buzzer beater three by the Crusaders. Senior Lucas Mellott (Warfordsburg, Pa./Southern Fulton) led Juniata against Susquehanna with 13 points and seven rebounds and senior Brian Scholly (State College, Pa./State College) led the Eagles over the Rangers with 17 points and seven rebounds. Juniata finished the regular season 15-10 overall and 6-8 in league play. While the team missed out on the Landmark tournament by one place, the team will wait to see if they are chosen to participate in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) South region tournament.
Women's Basketball
The Eagles went 2-0, defeating Susquehanna University (72-69) at home and Drew University (51-48) on the road, this week to secure their spot in the Landmark Conference Championships. Juniata women's basketball has won five straight games to make the playoff berth possible. They were led down the stretch by their seniors Kate McDonald (Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa./State College Area) and Jordan Hileman (Williamsburg, Pa./Williamsburg). McDonald averaged over 19 points and 12 rebounds per game in the wins, while Hileman went nearly flawless from the free throw line, making 11-of-12. The pair spent an average of 37 minutes on the court, and combined for two-thirds the team's steals and almost half the rebounds and assists. Juniata (14-11, 7-7 Landmark) will face top-seeded University of Scranton in the Landmark semifinals on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Men's Indoor Track & Field
The Juniata College men's track & field team was propelled by strong individual performances at the Susquehanna University Open on Saturday. The Eagles had five different top ten finishers on the day. Freshman Xavier Cachon (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Lower Merion) won the 5,000m run in a time of 16:33.61. In the 3,000m run, senior Nate Alter (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) finished second in a career best 9:02.30. In the 60m hurdles, junior Tyler Mandley (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area) placed third in a career best time of 8.86. Sophomore Matt Guetzlaff (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) placed fourth in a personal best 2:04.00 in the 800m run. And in the shot put, freshman Andrew Paterno (Waynesboro, Pa./Waynesboro) placed eight overall with a throw of 12.83m. Juniata is next in action at the Landmark Conference Championships hosted by Susquehanna University on Saturday, March 1.
Women's Indoor Track & Field
The Juniata College women's track & field team continued to see records fall at the hands of senior Katrina Woods (Shirleysburg, Pa./Mount Union) at the Susquehanna Open Saturday. Woods broke the Landmark and program record she set earlier this season in the 3,000m run. Her time of 10:19.78 placed her second overall at the meet. Fellow senior Paula Pryor (Westbrookville, N.Y./Burke Catholic) finished the 200m dash in a fifth place time of 27.56, a new personal best. In the field, freshman Katelyn Fisher (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) was the top finisher for the Eagles. She placed fourth in the high jump at a height of 1.52m. And in the long jump, sophomore Alissa Sellers (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon Area) came in tenth and Fisher finished 11th overall. Junior Chelsey Beaver (Shamokin Dam, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) placed ninth in the weight throw and tenth in the shot put. The Eagles gear up for the Landmark Conference Championship meet hosted by Susquehanna University on Saturday, March 1.
Men's Volleyball
No. 3 Juniata (13-2, 2-0 CVC) opened home Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) play at home by sweeping Eastern Mennonite, Marymount and Hilbert in straight sets. The Eagles used three different setters to run a balanced attack and six hitters finish in double-digit kills for the weekend. Sophomore Ryan Shelton (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) earned a team and career-best 37 assists, while fellow sophomore Matthew Kinnebrew (Ashburn, Va./Stonebridge) earned a team-best 17 kills. Middle hitter Kyle Seeley (Ellicott City, Md./Howard) was one of the most accurate with 13 kills and only two errors. The freshman also had a team-best 13 blocks. Juniata's dominance at the net was due in part to its effectiveness behind the service line and in serve receive. The Eagles recorded 25 service aces, giving up only four. They will play in four matches over the next week starting with a road CVC bout at Thiel College on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m.
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