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Sports
Softball is headed to the PSAC playoffs
By Sydney Dietz
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The Mercyhurst softball team is heading to the PSAC playoffs after winning back to back games against the Clarion University Golden Eagles.
The team was on a nine-game streak and their triumph over Clarion pushed it to 11 games. The softball team has been outstanding this season with only 11 losses out of 41 games.
Their last double header was against Hurst rival the Gannon Golden Knights in which the Lakers won. For the last few weeks nothing has stopped them and this game against the Golden Eagles was no exception.
The first game was played on Saturday, April 30, at 1 p.m., at the Mercyhurst softball field.
Neither team scored in the first inning but the Lakers stepped up in the second inning with five runs, even after suffering two outs.
Sophomore Kaci Alderson earned a walk which led to the Laker’s productive inning.
Freshman Hannah Rozanski hit her third home run of the season which put Mercyhurst up 2-0.
After two pitches, senior Chloe McQuestion doubled to right center which continued the dynamic energy on the field.
Soon after, freshman Eliza Reynolds got a double of her own, which meant McQuestion could advance to the third play.
Redshirt freshman Kacie Irwin made it to first base after receiving a walk. Senior Cheyenne Hindman drove in McQuestion from the third with a walk which put the score up to 3-0.
Later in the inning, junior Allison Dejidas singled which brought home Irwin and Reynold making the score 5-0. The Golden Eagles did not score until the fourth inning. However, the Lakers responded in the bottom of the fourth by obtaining a run increasing the score to 6-1. In the sixth inning, the Lakers advanced their score by three. Hindman singled to junior Anna O’Green then Dejidas doubled home Reynolds and Hindman to make the score 9-2. Junior Marisa Cartellone singled home to end the game with a final score of 10-2.
The second game was played at 3 p.m. and ended with a sweep from the Lakers. Only five innings were needed due to the Lakers scoring. Graduate student Sarah Koscho started the scoring in the second inning with a single to center and second with a third after a wild pitch.
Alderson then lifted a fly ball to center which drove in Koscho. After a ground out, Rozanski singled with two outs to start a scoring streak. McQuestion got a single which put the runners on first and second base. Reynolds then doubled to left field and scored both runners.
The Lakers scored three more times in the bottom of the third which changed the score to 6-0. After a fly out, Alderson was hit by a pitch to put two runners on. In the fourth inning, the Lakers scored even more points when Alderson got a single that brought Dejidas and Reynolds in.
The Lakers celebrated a victory with a final score of 8-0. Because the Lakers have worked so hard to achieve the record they earned this season, they will now compete at the PSAC playoffs.
The Lakers clinched the third seed in the West. The first game will be held on Wednesday, May 6, when they go up against Shippensburg in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. Way to go Lakers!
Hurst Athletics photo
Sophomore pitcher Mikaela Schramski prepares for a pitch during a double header against the Clarion Golden Eagles.
Get to know the cross country coach
By Samantha Weber
Editor-in-chief
Michael Williamson has been coaching the men’s and women’s cross country teams since 2020.
He has been the assistant head coach for both teams since 2014.
In his time as an assistant coach, three men and four women achieved all-conference honors.
Williamson talks about how he became a coach at Mercyhurst.
“After graduation, I took on the role of assistant coach to the program for the 2014 season and held that role until 2020 when coaches Mike and Kathy Fraley announced their retirement after 30+ years with the program. I then took on the role of head coach in 2020,” he said.
Williamson graduated from Mercyhurst in 2014 with a degree in Social Work. He also ran cross country for the Lakers from 2010-2013. In his last year, he was named the team captain and led the men to have the highest conference and regional finish that year. Williamson lives in Erie with his wife Rosemary. She helps coach Gannon’s cross country teams.
Williamson currently works full-time at The Charter School of Excellence. “The school district focuses on urban youth who are two or more years below grade level and support them through their Social Emotional and Academic barriers,” said Williamson. While not working at school and coaching, Williamson teaches pro-social skills to Juvenile Probation clients, trains to stay a competitive runner, loves spending time with his wife and their dog, Biscuit, and watching Marvel and Star Wars.
Williamson recalled the first time he started running. “I have been running distance since I was 13 years old when I started doing track in 7th grade.,” Williamson said. “My homeroom teacher recommended I join the track team after always wanting to run around the track each time we went outside to walk it. After middle school track, I went out for the high school cross country team and have enjoyed running ever since.”
Coaching is a difficult job and one must really love the sport and the kids in order to be the best coach for the team. Williamson comments on his favorite part about being a coach, “I love being the biggest fan of my student athletes. Seeing the hard work that they put in pay off and seeing them celebrate their accomplishments and successes,” Williamson said. “I enjoy sharing my love of the sport of running with all of them and to see them appreciate and enjoy the sport more and more as they progress through the program.”
The team just took a trip to Boston for the Boston Marathon. Williamson said it was one of his favorite memories as a coach because he got to see his teams experience one of the oldest and most prestigious races in the world.
Williamson is very proud of the teams so far but he would love to see them improve.
“ I am excited to see the growth of all the student athletes from this past season into next season. Both teams had individual successes this past year that they can build off of with a solid summer training season coming up to be ready to race in the fall,” said Williamson.
Hurst Athletics Photo
Mercyhurst’s cross country coach Michael Willamson.
HURST RESULTS
April 28: Men’s lacrosse vs. Davis & Elkins College: 23-5 Lakers
April 30: Men’s Tennis vs. Edinboro University : 3-4, Edinboro
A strong season finish for women’s golf
By Raylynn Chraston
Staff writer
The women’s golf team made it to the PSAC Championship, which began April 22 and ran through April 24.
The championship was held in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, at the Berkleigh Golf Club approximately six hours away from Mercyhurst.
The championship was a 54hole event. The women’s team made this trip after they had spent a week with a pair of events that took place within the Erie area. Additionally, the team had made history for their program, with this being their first time in the NCAA Tournament.
In previous years, they sadly fell short, being runners-up in the last two PSAC Championships.
After the opening day of the PSAC Championship, the Lakers found themselves in third place. Additionally, they shot a 344 for this opening day.
For this day, the top performers for the women’s team were Kymberly Henry, a junior from Erie, Pennsylvania, and Isabella Walter, a sophomore from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
Hurst Athletics photo
The women’s golf team placed second overall in the 2022 PSAC Championship held in Kutztown.
where they tied for eleventh place scoring 85 in the opening round.
Furthermore, on the opening day, Millersville was one shot ahead of the Lakers.
Gannon University was the leader, shooting a score of 323, making it a 20-shot lead in front of Mercyhurst.
On the second day of the PSAC Championship, the Lakers found themselves ranked in second place, after 36 holes of the competition. Their score of 327 allowed them to move up from third to second place. Walter, again, was the top performer for the women’s team in the second round. During this round, she used a pair of birdies on the front nine, which shot her up the leaderboard where she was sitting in third out of all of the competitors. Overall, she shot 74 on that day.
The next on the leaderboard for the Lakers was Sofia Carrizosa, a sophomore from Bogota, Colombia. Carrizosa had shot a score of 83 during this round, where she posted a 41 on the front nine, and then shot 42 on the back to close out her round. Because of her score, she had tied for twelfth out of all of the competitors that were at the championship. Gannon still held the position of first place.
Closing out the championship, the Lakers improved during the third round as they were coming to an end of their season at the PSAC Championship with a score of 324.
Overall, the women’s team earned their third consecutive PSAC runner-up finish, behind Gannon University.
The top performer of the closing day was Henry, where she had an even par through her first six holes as well as had two birdies. Mercyhurst’s women’s golf top finisher for the championship was Walter. Walter finished strong, tying for sixth out of all of the competitors in the championship.
The women’s golf team had a successful season. The Lakers had made history for their program, where they were excited to have done this.
The season was memorable for them, and they intend on continuing to improve and hopefully come out on top next season.
NFL Draft showcases up-and-coming stars
By Bella Lee
Staff writer
One of the most exciting parts about professional sports are the drafts. College athletes prove themselves to the big leagues as fans are eager to watch their careers grow. On April 28-30, the highly anticipated NFL draft occurred.
The team with the most successful first round was the New York Jets, who had a total of three picks in that round—most teams have only one and are extremely lucky if they nab a second pick.
The Jets took Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad Gardner with the fourth pick, Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson with the 10th pick and Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson II with the 26th pick. The Jets also secured their later two picks thanks to a trade with the Seattle Seahawks for the tenth pick and the Tennessee Titans for the 26th pick.
Of course, no NFL draft would be a genuine one without guest announcers. One particular heartwarming announcer was Sam Prince, a Make-a-Wish kid who announced the New York Giants’ fifth overall pick of Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux. Another Make-a-Wish kid, Ben Lepper, helped announce the New England Patriots’ 15th over-
The first round picks of the NFL draft took place April 28-30 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
all pick of Baylor wide receiver Tyquan Thornton. Representatives from the American Cancer Society, the Special Olympics, the Wounded Warrior Project and three recipients of the Purple Heart Award all assisted in announcing picks.
The biggest part of the NFL draft is who gets selected first overall. Some of the famous (and infamous) first overall picks have included OJ Simpson in 1969, Cam Newton in 2011 and Jared Goff in 2016. The past five years have also seen huge names come out of the first overall pick, with Myles Garrett in 2017, Baker Mayfield in 2018, Kyler Murray in 2019, Joe Burrow in 2020 and Trevor Lawrence in 2021.
This year’s first overall pick, by the Jacksonville Jaguars, was Georgia defensive end Travon Walker.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ firstround pick, 20th overall, was University of Pittsburgh star quarterback, Kenny Pickett. Pickett seems to be in position to be former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s heir.
The Washington Commanders first round pick, sixteenth overall, was Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson. This was followed by second round, 47th overall pick, Alabama defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis.
The third round, 98th overall pick was Alabama wide receiver Brian Robinson Jr., while the fourth round, 113th overall pick was Louisiana safety Percy Butler.
The Commanders continued with two picks each in the fifth and seventh rounds. In the fifth round, the 144th overall pick was UNC quarterback Sam Howell, while the 149th overall pick was Nevada tight end Cole Turner.
Finally, in the seventh round, the 230th overall pick was Tulsa offensive lineman Chris Paul and the 240th overall pick was Oklahoma State cornerback Christian Holmes.
No matter what team you support in the NFL, it is undeniable that these rosters are stacked. We can not wait until Sept. 8, when the 2022 NFL season officially begins!
