This section was started as a way to share some of the many noteworthy items that occur on a regular basis. We get some of it out via Facebook, but keeping up with every item can prove difficult. We hope you enjoy this section. If you have anything you think we should know, please reach out on our social media or send an email dan@lebcosports.com.
On Saturday in Renton, Washington, the East Stroudsburg Warrior Field Hockey Team won the NCAA Division Two National Championship, beating Shippensburg 1-0 in the finals. Senior Hanna Lewis, a 2019 graduate of Cedar Crest, tallied two shots on goal for ESU in the victorious effort. On the season, Lewis scored ten goals. Also on ESU’s roster is freshman Jessica Seidel, a 2022 ELCO alum, who made it into the national championship game. The Warriors are also coached by a Lebanon County native, Sandy Miller. The legendary coach is a Cedar Crest alumna and has been at the helm at East Stroudsburg since 1984, ranking 4th all-time in DII wins (2nd among active coaches). This was Miller’s second national championship.
Last week, it was noted that Palmyra’s Brayden Sunho had been named to the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association’s All-State Team. Since that time, it was learned that New Covenant’s Ben Hartman was also selected for this honor. In addition to these two young men, Andrew Maya, the Annville-Cleona alum and current Hershey coach, was selected as the PSCA Coach of the Year.
Soccer was not the only sport to put out their all-state selections. For field hockey, eight Palmyra Lady Cougars were All-State selections. Named as First Team All-Stars were Alicia Battistelli, Olivia Kirkpatrick, Katie Lintz, and Avery Russell. Making the Second Team were Keely Bowers and Addison Sholly. Hadley Hoffsmith and Piper Taylor were named as Honorable Mentions.
In addition to naming the top players, there were several winners of academic awards from Lebanon County, including Cedar Crest, ELCO, and Palmyra who were honored for their overall Team GPA. Less than ninety teams in the entire state met the qualifications for this award.
We’re not done with the statewide honors. The Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association named the top players in the commonwealth. Northern Lebanon had two representatives with Hailey Pierce and Samantha White making the prestigious list. New Covenant’s Renae Rohrer also made the All-State Team.
Over the past week, two high school head baseball coaching positions were filled. Palmyra chose Justin “Jutt” Hileman to be their next skipper. Hileman is a Palmyra Baseball legend, who was drafted by the Cardinals straight out of high school. He finished his career with the Barnstormers and is in their Ring of Honor. Northern Lebanon chose their next coach to be Travis Thome. Coach Thome is an alum of ELCO and then pitched for Messiah where he holds the records for most games started in a single season and for a career. Thome is the grandson of ELCO mainstay and baseball wizard Lyle Krall.
Lebanon County natives are lighting up scoreboards all over the place for their collegiate basketball teams. While there are too many to mention in today’s article, we would be negligent is we didn’t point out the accomplishments of Cedar Crest basketball alum Ariel Jones. For the second straight week, Jones was named the PSAC Eastern Division Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week. In three games, including a win over #15 ranked Cal U (PA), Jones Jones averaged 24.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals.
We knew that Chad Ryland would have a chance to show off his leg during Bowl Season, as his Maryland Terps had a fairly successful campaign. Mark December 30th at noon on your calendar, as Ryland will appear on ESPN as his team takes on NC State in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, NC.
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