LATHAM, N.Y. - Spring is starting to come into full effect with conference play starting in some sports and the United East gets to crown another batch of Athletes of the Week. On the baseball diamond, Zac Legaretta from Wells College was named the Player of the Week while Penn State Harrisburg’s Drew Harshbarger was named the Pitcher of the Week. In softball, Penn State Abington swept the awards as Grace Renninger was named the Player and Elyssa Bohr the Pitcher.
In men’s lacrosse, Dylan LaPlace from SUNY Morrisville was once again named the Defensive Player of the Week while Aiden Doyle (St. Mary’s College of Maryland) earned Offensive honors. Rounding out the honors were a pair of women’s lacrosse players in Lucy Gussio (St. Mary’s College) and Tatiana Wright (Medaille College) who earned Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively.
Check out all of the players HERE:
BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Zac Legaretta
Wells College | Junior | UTL
Legaretta chipped in at least one hit in every contest he participated in this week, helping his Express pick up a pair of conference victories. The junior went 7-for-19 (.368) at the dish, driving in nine runs while scoring twice himself. Of his seven hits, five went for extra bags including a two triple game in a win over Gallaudet on the weekend. Defensively, Legaretta also registered 12 assists as well as eight putouts.
BASEBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Drew Harshbarger
Penn State Harrisburg | Senior | RHP
Despite not earning the decision, Harshbarger was instrumental in the Lion’s opening series win against Penn State Abington on Friday. The senior went 6.2 innings allowing just three hits and a pair of runs scored. Over that time on the bump, he punched out nine batters while allowing just one to reach base on balls.
SOFTBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Elyssa Bohr
Penn State Abington | Sophomore | RHP
Bohr spun the ball twice this week, earning wins both times occupying the circle. The sophomore went the full 7.0 innings against Neumann striking out a pair and allowing just three earned runs. She then followed that performance with a 3.0 inning appearance against Cairn over the weekend, where she only allowed three hits while not allowing a single earned run.
SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Grace Renninger
Penn State Abington | Freshman | UTL
Renninger helped spur the Abington offense all week as the Nittany Lions registered a record of 3-1. The freshman finished the four game stint going 6-for-14 at the plate, notching a double along the way. Over that time, she also drove in six runs while touching home a pair of times herself. In the first game against Cairn, Renninger also successfully stole two bases.
MEN’S LACROSSE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dylan Laplace
SUNY Morrisville | Sophomore | GK
LaPlace was the mainstay in net for the Mustangs as he helped his squad pick up a pair of non-conference victories. In the win over SUNY New Paltz, the sophomore turned aside 10 shots and followed that with a 15 save performance against SUNY Potsdam. On the week, he only allowed 15 goals while maintaining a save percentage of 62.5%. LaPlace added six groundballs en route to his third Defensive Player of the Year honor this season.
MEN’S LACROSSE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Aiden Doyle
St. Mary’s College (Md.) | Freshman | A
Aiden Doyle erupted for 11 goals in a 2-0 week for the Seahawks. In a mid-week 14-13 win over Randolph-Macon, Doyle ripped a career-best six goals. He then contributed five goals and an assist in the team's 15-12 win over Washington College. Doyle also added three ground balls in the win over Washington College. He now has four career hat tricks.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Lucy Gussio
St. Mary’s College (Md.) | Senior | A
Lucy Gussio tallied a career-best 12 points in the Seahawks only game of the week - a 24-18 victory over Washington College. Gussio put up career-highs of seven goals and five assists for her sixth consecutive hat trick of the season.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tatiana Wright
Medaille College | Sophomore | GK
Wright was the Mavericks defense anchor this week, helping Medaille go 1-1. In the week’s opener against Westminster, Wright dominated between the pipes as she saved 10 shots while only allowing four goals in a win. In the loss to Thiel, Wright picked up another nine saves. On the week, the sophomore held a save percentage of 55.3%.
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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.