Lake-Lehman graduate Dragon on No. 1 mission as Penn wrestler BILL ARSENAULT ON CAMPUS

University of Pennsylvania junior wrestler Matt Dragon (Lake-Lehman) has some pretty lofty goals this season.

Dragon is a two-time Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association champion at 157 pounds and also a two-time All-Ivy League pick. Losing in the NCAA tournament, as he has the past two seasons, isn’t good enough any more for Dragon, whose goal before he leaves Penn is to capture a national title.

“Matt is a leader in our program who is progressing nicely,” coach Zeke Jones said. “He is working hard at achieving his goals, which he has not obtained yet. But you can see he will do everything to ensure he achieves them.”

Jones knows Dragon works hard, but says it will take even more of a commitment to reach his goals.

“Hard work is easy for Matt,” the coach said. “But, although he is working hard, it will take more. Everyone is working hard. He has to continue to improve each day and stay focused on the prize if he’s going to get there.”

“Matt is striving to be a top student-wrestler,” he said. “Going to the No. 1 business school in the United States and winning a national title is not easy. But if anyone can do it, Matt can. Now it’s up to him.”

Byron stars as BC swimmer

Carolyn Byron is off to a great start with the Boston College women’s swim team.

The junior from Bishop Hoban captured the 50 and 100 freestyle races and finished second in the 200 freestyle as the Eagles placed second to Northeastern in the 10-team Terrier Invitational at Boston College. Her time in the 100 (51.35) is a school record.

“Caroline is a great competitor,” coach Tom Groden said. “Her best times come in races where she is after the opponent, not the clock.”

Byron set another school mark in the 400 free relay. Her anchor time split of 50.52 made the record book.

“In the last relay, we tried to get a one-two finish so we could win the meet,” Groden said. “It was a stretch and we came up a tad short and finished one-three.”

A five-time state champion at Bishop Hoban, Byron had a solid weekend prior to the invitational. She won the 100 and finished second in the 200 in a 177-115 Atlantic Coast Conference loss to Florida State. She was the only Eagle to pick up a victory in that meet.

“Caroline is the most aware competitor I have coached in my 36 years here,” Groden said. “She always knows where in the pool any of her competition is located. She swims against her opponents and in almost all cases, manages to beat them.”

“Having the two Byron sisters represent Boston College swimming has been a treat for me both as their coach and as their friend,” he said. “Their contributions go far beyond the races, the times and the awards.”

Eby dives well at Cornell

Sophomore Alaric Eby of Dallas is off to a good start in his second season as a diver for the Cornell University men’s swim team.

Eby finished sixth in the 3-meter dive with a personal best mark of 272.70 in a recent meet against Princeton and Penn. He also finished seventh in the 1-meter dive.

This season, Eby gets the benefit of being coached by Veronica Ribot-Canales, a four-time Olympian and a two-time national champion.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Alaric since the start of our training,” Ribot-Canales said. “He is a hard-working and dedicated young man. He has gone from a simpler list of dives to doing some harder degree of difficulty dives, which he is working on for this season. His strengths are his ability to get a lot of altitude from the springboard and his flexibility and explosiveness. All of those attributes are very important in the sport of diving.”

“My expectations for him this year are that he becomes a more consistent competitor and that he would qualify for the NCAA zone qualifier in March.”

Sisters play for Philly team

Sophomore Erin Chesnavich (Bishop O’Reilly) is averaging 13 points with 11 rebounds after three games for the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women’s basketball team. She had 19 points and seven rebounds in a 73-70 season-opening victory against East Stroudsburg. She was limited to 15 minutes because of foul trouble.

Freshman Marissa Chesnavich, Erin’s sister, is also on the squad. She’s averaging 12 minutes off the bench for the Devils.

“Erin and Marissa are two outstanding players that we’re extremely proud to have in our program,” coach Nate Ware said. “Both young ladies are doing extremely well in the classroom. Their academic work load is very demanding and challenging, but both have made the necessary adjustments and are doing well.”

“She’s one of the top players in our conference and we expect her to have a great year,” the coach said.

“We have high expectations for Marissa and she should be in the starting lineup very soon,” he said. “The two of them will give us size, strength, scoring and rebounding.”

Ex-Mohawk on Colgate line

Brian Doyle (Meyers) was a backup offensive lineman and special teams player on the Colgate University football team. The 6-1, 292-pound junior was plagued by injuries his first two seasons with the Red Raiders.

“Brian is one of my favorite people to be around,” first-year line coach Casey Vogt said. “He is very good-natured and always has a smile on his face, which has endeared him with his teammates and coaches.”

“Brian may not have been blessed with as much God-given ability as some of our other linemen, but he works as hard as any of them,” the coach said. “That’s not easy to do when you’re not a starter. But because of his work ethic and commitment, he has played in every game on our field goal and point-after teams, as well as backing up at guard and center.”

No NCAAs for Hazleton grad

Sophomore Maria Monks (Hazleton Area) missed out in her bid to represent MIT in the NCAA Division III Championships. She finished 38th in the Northeast Regionals after being in the top six early. Her time for the 6K race was 22:45.

Before that meet, Monks finished fourth in the New England Women’s/Men’s Athletic Conference race to help MIT capture the title. Her time in that race was 19:36.

“Maria did not finish the season on a high note,” coach Halston Taylor said. “She was very fatigued at the end of the season. She finished fourth in our conference meet, which she should have won easily if healthy.”

Taylor said that Monks will not compete in indoor and outdoor track for the Engineers.

“She does not like track and sees no real value in it for her. I hope she is making the correct decision for herself and it all works out.”

Duo aid Drew in field hockey

Senior Ryan Hoover (Lake-Lehman) and sophomore Lauren Collini (Dallas) were solid members of the Drew University field hockey team, which finished 11-8 overall and 4-2 in the Landmark Conference.

Hoover, who played the attacker position, started all 19 games and finished with three goals and three assists for nine points.

“Ryan always worked hard,” coach Felicia Cappabianca said. “She had great stick work and good vision. She carried the ball at speed and was hard for opposing players to stop. She was a versatile player who played many positions for us. I have enjoyed coaching her and working with her.”

“Lauren improved tremendously this year,” Cappabianca said. “She is strong and tough and is always looking to learn and improve. She has a great hit and sees the field well.”

“She is planning on playing in the offseason to continue to improve her defense and stick work,” the coach said.

Ex-Spartan helps Mansfield

Junior Shantee Proctor (Wyoming Valley West) saw action in 12 games and started nine for the Mansfield field hockey team. She missed some time because of a pulled hamstring. In her three seasons, Proctor has played in 35 games, with 22 starts in the backfield.

“Shantee’s aggressive style and persistence were enhanced with some added patience, which made her a better defender in a conference that boasts some of the best forwards in Division II,” coach Diane Monkiewicz said. “Her decision-making has improved along with her ability to distribute the ball.”

“I am certain that Shantee will continue to be a mainstay on our defensive unit,” the coach said. “She is a very committed student-athlete who is very much a leader, not just on the field but in everything she does.”