LATHAM, N.Y. - For the first time since 2019 and for the first time with the new brand and name, the United East has announced its Athletes of the Week for the week ending on September 5th, 2021.
On the pitch, Michal Albers of Penn State Harrisburg was tabbed the Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week while St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s Jacob Breslauer was named the Offensive PoW. The Mustangs of Morrisville had a clean sweep of the women’s soccer awards with Tiffany DiCenzo being named the Offensive and Meaghan Miller the defensive. On the volleyball court, Gallaudet’s Mia Upchurch filled the stat sheet in order to earn her the Defensive Player of the Week while Morrisville’s Brianna Gates was named the Offensive PoW. To round out the weekly awards were a couple of Seahawk runners as Logan Musumeci was named the Male Runner of the Week and Madeleine Blaisdell the Female Runner.
Check out all of the athletes of the week HERE:
Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Tiffany Dicenzo | Morrisville | SO | D
Dicenzo was an offensive dynamo as she helped the Mustang’s open up their 2021 season with a pair of wins. The Rochester, N.Y. racked up a pair of goals in the season-opening win over SUNY Delhi on Wednesday, which already doubled her freshman year output. DeCenzo then continued her scoring ways in the 3-0 win over Pitt-Bradford as she tallied the team’s second goal.
Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Meaghan Miller | Morrisville | SO | GK
Dawning the keeper’s kit, Miller helped the Mustangs pick up two wins to open up the season. The sophomore played all 180 minutes on the week, earning herself a pair of shutout victories. In the game against SUNY Delhi, Miller notched six saves and followed that with a four save performance against Pitt-Bradford.
Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Jacob Breslauer | St Mary’s College (Md.) | SR | D
Breslauer played a pivotal role in helping the Seahawks turn in a 3-0 start to their season. In the season opener against Stevenson University, the senior collected the assist on the overtime game winner. On Saturday he added to that as his one goal and one assist helped aid in the 5-1 win over Eastern Mennonite. To finish out the week, the defender helped capture a 1-0 shutout over Roanoke on Sunday.
Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Michael Albers | Penn State Harrisburg | GR | D
Albers was a large part of the 5-0 win over Clarks Summit on Saturday. The graduate student anchored a defense that allowed their opponent just two total shots, both of which missed the target. To add to his performance, Albers also chipped in an insurance goal in the late moments of the first half.
Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week
Brianna Gates | Morrisville | SO | OH
Gates played a large role in the Mustang offense, helping Morrisville go a perfect 5-0 on the opening week of the season. Gates was the leader on the floor in kills in four of the five matches, tallying a total of 81 altogether. The sophomore hit double-digit kills in four matches including a week-high 21 against Hartwick on Friday. To add to her offense, she also registered seven service aces. Defensively, she pitched in as well as she collected 38 digs and three total blocks.
Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week
Mia Upchurch | Gallaudet | Jr. | DS/L
Upchurch was a menace for opposing teams on the backline, digging up the most balls in the conference. The junior tallied 73 digs across 16 sets played, which is already nearly a quarter of her output from 2019. Upchurch racked up double-digit digs in all four matches but notched a high of 27 in the week’s final match against Rowan. To fill out the stat sheet, the DS / libero also recorded eight aces and five assists.
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The United East has nine NCAA Division III member institutions which include: Gallaudet University, Lancaster Bible College, Morrisville State, Penn College, Penn State Abington, Penn State Berks, Penn State Harrisburg, St. Mary's College of Maryland and Wells College. The United East also includes three associate members in the sport of men’s golf including Rosemont College, Rutgers University – Camden and Wilson College. The United East has also partnered with the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference in the sports of men's and women's lacrosse and the North Atlantic Conference in men's tennis and women's tennis. For more information, please visit: gounitedeast.com.