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Nathaniela Bourdeau came up big once again for the St. Joseph’s women’s track team at the Atlantic 10 Conference Outdoor Championships last weekend in Fairfax, Va.
Bourdeau, a Coughlin grad, dominated the competition in winning the 100- and 200-meter dashes. She defended her 100 title with a season-best time of 12.01 and then defended her 200 title with a school record time of 24.11. She also ran the anchor leg on the 4×100 relay which finished third in a time of 46.63, a Hawks record which the same group set previously.
“Nat is amazing,” coach Melody O’Reilly said. “She is a true championship performer. She can fly under the radar for most of the season on the A-10 performance lists, but then she really shows up big at the championship.”
The coach feels that the key for Bourdeau is her incredible focus on race day.
“For her to win both the 100 and 200 two years in a row isn’t an easy task, but Nat made it look easy,” O’Reilly said.
St. Joseph’s finished seventh with 60 points and Bourdeau collected 20 of them with her two individual victories. She will try to improve on her marks at the ECAC Division I Outdoor Championships this weekend in Princeton, N.J.
Davies was a workhorse
Junior Alyssa Davies pitched in 26 games with 21 starts for the Bloomsburg softball team. The Crestwood grad had a 9-9 record with two saves with a 3.96 ERA. She had seven complete games and three shutouts. In 112.0 innings, Davies gave up 129 hits and 66 runs, 57 earned, with 26 walks and a team-high 78 strikeouts. A
l three shutouts came in league play at the end of the season. She was 3-6 before blanking Mansfield 8-0 on April 14 and then defeated Pitt-Johnstown 10-0 on April 21 and Clarion 7-0 on April 29.
Banas jumps to the fore
Scranton junior Caroline Banas captured the high jump at the Landmark Conference Outdoor Track Championships last Saturday and Sunday in Elizabethtown with a 5 foot, 3 ¾ inch effort. The Holy Redeemer grad also finished sixth in the long jump with a personal best leap of 15 feet, 9 ¾ inches.
Banas rounded out the weekend by finishing ninth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.66. She took the high jump at the indoor meet and went on to earn Division III All-American honors with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships.
Eichler rows for Rutgers
Junior Bryanna Eichler, a Hanover Area grad, sits in the No. 4 seat on the first Varsity 8 boat for the Rutgers women’s rowing team, the Scarlet Knights finishing third in the Grand Final at the Eastern Sprints on April 29 on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass.
Eichler’s boat was timed in 6:31.96 and was nosed out by Dartmouth (6:31.19) for second place and finished four seconds behind winner Harvard. Rutgers will compete in the Big Ten Conference Championships Sunday in Indianapolis.
Murphy helped Marauders
Junior Maggie Murphy batted .327 for the Millersville softball team, the Marauders finishing 23-20 overall and 8-8 in PSAC East play and saw the season end with a pair of close losses in the league tournament, 1-0 to Lock Haven and 7-6 to Indiana on May 2.
The Northwest grad had 37 hits in 113 at-bats with nine doubles, four home runs, 12 runs scored and 23 RBI. She was used mainly as the designated hitter but when she played the field, she handled 24 chances without an error.
Yenchik a solid Knight
Junior Curt Yenchik hit .301 during the regular season for the Neumann baseball team. The Crestwood grad has 34 hits in 113 at-bats with eight doubles, a team-high five home runs, 15 runs scored and 16 runs batted in. At first base, he’s made just five errors on 237 chances (.979).
Neumann, the fourth seed, lost to No. 1 Gwynedd Mercy in the opener of the CSAC tournament but responded with a 7-5 win over Cabrini in the elimination bracket to stay alive headed into a Friday night rematch against Gwynedd Mercy.
Dyrli at his best
Messiah junior Erik Dyrli competed in three events at the Middle Atlantic Conference Outdoor Track Championships last weekend in Chester and posted personal best marks in two of them.
The Dallas grad was seventh in the shot put with a career best toss of 43 feet, 2 ¼ inches. He was eighth in the discus with a heave of 124 feet, 8 inches and he topped his previous best when he finished 10th in the hammer throw with a 124 foot, 5 inch effort.
O’Donohue was versatile
Maddy O’Donohue junior caught, played first base and in the outfield for the Delaware Valley softball team and she made just three errors on 153 chances (.980) as a junior.
The Nanticoke Area grad hit .305 (29-for-95) batting leadoff with three doubles, a home run, five runs batted in and 14 runs scored. She also was 2-for-2 stealing bases for the Aggies who finished 14-18 overall and 4-10 in MAC Freedom play.
Bennett keeps improving
Elon junior Ellie Bennett finished third in the pole vault at the Colonial Athletic Association Outdoor Track Championships last weekend in Williamsburg, Va. The Crestwood grad posted a career-best height of 11 feet, 9 ¾ inches. She was seventh as a freshman (11 feet, 1 ¾) and sixth as a sophomore (10 feet, 11 ¾ inches).
Her PR at the recent meet is 3 ¾ inches better than her previous best mark (11 feet, 8 inches) recorded at the Phoenix Invitational April 14 in Elon, N.C.
A second for Dissinger
Shippensburg senior distance runner Bryanna Dissinger finished second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at last weekend’s PSAC Outdoor Track Championships in Slippery Rock with a time of 11:11.56. She was the defending champion in the event.
The Dallas grad also finished fourth in the 5,000-meter run. Her time was 18:05.91 and the result was a big improvement from the 16th place finish from a year ago.