2011-12 IUP Athletics Year in Review

IUP ATHLETICS

2011-12 YEAR IN REVIEW

Curt Cignetti Begins a New Era; Football Wins 500th Game The Crimson Hawks wrapped up a successful season under first year head coach Curt Cignetti by going 7-3, 5-2 in the PSAC West. With a 56-6 win over Lock Haven on November 5, IUP secured its 500th win in program history, becoming just the 17th school in NCAA Division II history to reach that milestone.

In 2011, eight different players Curt Cignetti received postseason honors, including senior punter Grant Schallock, who was named All-American.

Field Hockey Gets Back to Postseason IUP earned a postseason berth for the first time since 2008, advancing to the semifinals of the PSAC tournament. The Crimson Hawks went 12-7 under head coach Gary Agard, including a 7-3 mark in PSAC West play.

The Crimson Hawks were ranked as high as fifth in the Division II national poll, as five players earned PSAC postseason honors. Senior forward Shannon Sullivan and junior midelder Anouk Sickman both earned second Anouk Sickman fiteam All-American honors.

Women’s Soccer Goes to Postseason for 8th Straight Year For the eighth consecutive season, the IUP women’s soccer team secured a berth in the PSAC tournament after head coach Adel Heder led the Crimson Hawks to an impressive 11-4-3 overall record, going 9-3-2 in the conference.

IUP was ranked as high as 15th in the Division II poll and second in the Atlantic Region, as the Crimson Hawks placed three student-athletes on All-PSAC squads.

Senior forward Heather Robbins was successful on the field and in the classroom, earning Capital One Academic All-America and All-Atlantic Region honors.

Robbins

Victor Costello Earns All-Region Honors IUP sophomore Victor Costello took home All-Atlantic Region honors when he finished 12th at the regional championships at Cooper’s Lake. The men finished 10th as a team, while the women, paced by junior Alyssa Taddie, also finished 10th overall.

Costello was IUP’s top runner in all six events he competed in during the fall.

Costello

Three IUP Sports Open up Brand New Kovalchick Complex

IUP Athletics officially opened the sparkling new Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex on September 16 when the volleyball team blanked Cheyney 3-0, kickstarting an overall successful 2011-12 season for the Crimson Hawks. Women’s basketball was next, defeating Goldey-Beacom 75-59 in the afternoon of November 12 before the men’s basketball team scored a 62-54 victory First regular season men’s basketball game at the KCAC - 11/12/2012 over Seton Hill in a near sell out crowd that evening.

The women’s team went 23-7 overall, advancing to the semifinals of Overall, IUP teams went a combined 27-11 during the NCAA Atlantic Regional. IUP opened its season with one of the the year, including a dramatic 74-70 victory over rival best starts in program history with 11 straight wins, cataCalifornia in the quarterfinals of the PSAC pulting into the national top 25 for the first time since 2009. men’s basketball tournament.

Junior Sarah Pastorek earned multiple The men’s team finished the season with postseason awards, including Alla 23-6 overall American honors by a pair of outlets. record, Volleyball wrapped up its season Ashton Smith advancing to the with four straight home matches, Atlantic Regionals including a pair of upset wins over of the NCAA Gannon and Mercyhurst. Senior tournament after capturing the best Danielle Ostendorf was a second team record in the PSAC and earning the number one overall seed.

All-PSAC West pick and was one of Seniors Ashton Smith and Julian Sanders concluded their five females careers by setting several school records, as Smith ranks first named to the in assists (456) and games played (127) and Sanders is IUP’s Sarah Pastorek PSAC Fall all-time leader in three-pointers (333). They’re also fourth Top 10.

(Sanders) and fifth (Smith) all-time in scoring.

Ostendorf

Jackie Hynson Wins National Title, Breaks Division II Record Jackie Hynson wrapped up her impressive career at IUP in March at the NCAA championships as she became the program’s first national champion in over 30 years by breaking a Division II record in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:58.84.

Hynson was an All-American in four events at the championships, bringing her career total to 11 in three seasons with the Crimson Hawks. She also finishes her career with eight school records, three Jackie Hynson PSAC records, and two conference championship meet records.

In addition, sophomore Allyson Mitidieri earned All-American status in three events at the national championships, while on the men’s side, Steve Long finished in the top 20 in his two events.

Several Hardballers Earn Postseason Honors IUP ended its season by barely missing a berth in the PSAC tournament, finishing Robbie game out of fourth Zinsmeister one place with an 11-13 divisional record.

Individually, IUP boasted two of the best players in the PSAC this season, as junior pitcher Stephen Cooke and junior shortstop Robbie Zinsmeister were named first team All-PSAC West. Zinsmeister also earned All-Atlantic Region honors by Daktronics, the NCBWA and the ABCA, while being named a third team Capital One Academic All-American.

Softball Wins Second Consecutive PSAC Championship

Leslie

The Crimson Hawks won their second straight PSAC championship in April, giving IUP an automatic berth in its third straight NCAA Atlantic Region tournament. The win in the PSAC title game came over Bloomsburg as IUP defeated the Huskies 10-9 in a dramatic come-from-behind style as senior Marissa Leslie was named tournament MVP. Senior Megan McCormick earned all-region honors for the fourth time in her career, while sophomore pitcher Kelly King had a breakout year with 20 wins and 10 shutouts, including a perfect game and a no-hitter. IUP finished the year with a 31-14-1 record, its third straight 30-win year under head coach Bill Graham.

Women’s Tennis Continues Success The Crimson Hawks advanced to the NCAA championships for the second straight season after shutting out Charleston in their regional bracket. IUP finished with a 22-7 mark, a new school record for wins, and hosted a portion of Atlantic Regional tournament.

Three Crimson Hawks earned All-PSAC status, including Tanya Timko who was named Freshman of the Year while Larry Peterson was selected as the Coach of the Year.

Sophomore Tabtip Louhabanjong was given the Elite 89 award at the NCAA championships as the student-athlete with the highest GPA. Also, IUP earned the team GPA award with a 3.74, the best among 16 schools Tabtip at the national Louhabanjong championships.

3 Track & Field Athletes Compete at NCAA championships IUP finished its spring outdoor season as freshman Ross Moreau and junior Laurie Ajavon competed in the NCAA championships. Moreau finished 15th in the shot put while Ajavon came in 17th in the long jump.

Ajavon In the winter indoor season, junior Brandon Ford qualified for his first national championships as he finished 10th in the triple jump.

In addition to Moreau, Ajavon and Ford, three others earned all-region status this year, including juniors Ayanna LeBlanc (shot put, discus), Alyssa Taddie (3000 meter steeplechase) and Clint Keller (mile, 3000 meter steeplechase).

Ford

Lacrosse Finishes Historic Year

IUP had its finest season ever, finishing with an 11-6 record and a trip to their first PSAC tournament. The Crimson Hawks were ranked nationally for the first time, reaching as high as 12th in Division II during the season.

Junior Alexa Lodovici broke the IUP scoring mark with 91 points, also breaking the school record with 53 goals in earning first team All-PSAC and second team allregion honors. Senior Becca Vogt concluded her career by becoming IUP’s career leader in points scored with 232.

Becca Vogt The 11 wins tied an IUP record under head coach Mindy Richmond.

Men’s Golf Wins 5th Straight PSAC Title, Goes Back to NCAAs IUP finished its season with its fifth straight trip to the NCAA championships, finishing in 14th place while sophomore Zack Kempa was the highest individual finisher for the Crimson Hawks, ending the tournament with a six-under 210, tied for fifth.

In the fall, IUP won its fifth consecutive PSAC title, Zack Kempa as senior Brad Boyle was the individual champion for the second time in his career. Boyle was the PSAC Golfer of the Year while Fred Joseph was named Coach of the Year. Several IUP golfers received allregion honors, including Kempa, who was named All-American.

Hynson & Robinson Selected as IUP’s 2012 Scholar-Athletes

Hynson

In the spring at IUP’s annual All-American Banquet, women’s swimmer Jackie Hynson and men’s basketball player Ethan Robinson were named the school’s 2012 Scholar-Athletes, given to the senior male and female student-athletes with the highest cumulative GPA. In addition to her fine athletic career, Hynson graduated from IUP in May with a 4.0 GPA in Speech Pathology. A member of Cook Honors College, Hynson is a two-time PSAC Winter Top 10 recipient and has been accepted into IUP’s Speech Language Pathology graduate program for 2012-13.

Robinson graduated in May with a 3.85 GPA as an International Business and Economics major. Also a member of the Cook Honors College, Robinson was a key contributor for a team that won 84 games, two conference tournament titles, and appeared in three NCAA tournaments during his tenure.

Robinson

IUP Student-Athletes Excel off the Field Crimson Hawks get it done in the classroom and in the community IUP student-athletes enjoyed yet another successful year in the classroom, as three Crimson Hawks were named PSAC Champion Scholar Athletes, two earned the PSAC Top 10 award, and one received the NCAA’s Elite 89 award. In total, IUP student-athletes finished the 2011-12 academic year with a 3.1 cumulative gradepoint-average, as 16 Crimson Hawks boast a perfect 4.0.

Field hockey sophomore Angel Bohn earned the very first PSAC Scholar Athlete in the fall, an award modeled after the NCAA’s Elite 89, honoring the student-athlete with the top GPA at each of the conference’s 23 team championship finals. Junior Matt Rutt won the award at the indoor track & field championships in February while sophomore Tabtip Louhabanjong was the women’s tennis award winner in April.

Volleyball junior Danielle Ostendorf and women’s swimming senior Jackie Hynson were PSAC Top 10 selections in the fall and winter,

Indiana University of Pennsylvania Athletics Department Kovalchick Complex 711 Pratt Drive, Suite 204 Indiana, PA 15705-1077 4005431101

respectively, while Louhabanjong was given the Elite 89 award at the NCAA championships in May. 40.9 percent of IUP student-athletes were named to the Dean’s List, earning at least a 3.25 GPA, including 164 in the fall semester and 173 in the spring. 11 percent earned a perfect 4.0 GPA in the spring semester while the Crimson Hawks boasted an academic success rate of 76 percent.

IUP student-athletes have also done their fair share of volunteer and community service work, taking part in over 80 events this past year. The athletic department raised nearly $7,000 for Make-A-Wish while adding more than $1,500 for Hearts for the Hungry.

The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee also held their inaugural 5k run/walk this spring, raising more than $1,600 for the Parkinson’s Foundation of Western Pennsylvania.

Non-Profit U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 198 Indiana, PA 15701