General 10/2/2023 2:30:00 PM United East Athletes of the Week - October 2, 2023 LATHAM, N.Y. - The United East conference has announced its Athletes of the Week for October 2, 2023. This includes Athletes of the Week for both the Skye and Volt Divisions in Men’s Soccer, Women’s Soccer, and Women’s Volleyball. This week’s selections included contests from Monday, September 25 through Sunday, October 1. A total of 12 student-athletes were recognized for their performances. Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week - Skye Division Justin Thomas / FY / Rosemont College / Union, NJ / Union HS Thomas led the Ravens to a 2-0 week as Rosemont defeated Notre Dame of Maryland and Keystone to start Skye Division Play. In Wednesday's game he found the back of the net for two goals against Notre Dame of Maryland. In Saturday’s match against Keystone, the Ravens won 1-0 with Thomas leading the attack with 3 shots, 2 on goal. Defensive Player of the Week - Skye Division Liam Hungate / Sr / Clarks Summit University / Royersford, Pa. / Spring-Ford Senior HS Hungate led the Defenders to a 1-0-1 week as Clarks Summit defeated Keystone 1-0 and tied Wilson 0-0. Hungate played all 180 minutes over the two matches and had 10 saves combined, 5 against each opponent, respectively. This season, Hungate leads the United East in Saves (61) and is second in Saves per Game (6.78). This is the third Athlete of the Week for Hungate who previously was honored on September 4, 2023 and October 31, 2022. Offensive Player of the Week - Volt Division Hugh Nungessor / FY / Penn State Abington / Port Richmond, Pa. / Father Judge HS Nungessor scored three goals this past week as the Nittany Lions went 1-0-1 versus non-conference opponents. On Wednesday, Nungessor scored the team's first goal in the tie at York College (Pa.) and proceeded to score both goals in the 2-1 victory at Neumann on Saturday afternoon. The brace against Neumann is the first multi-goal game of his career. Defensive Player of the Week - Volt Division Lucas Durkin / So / Lancaster Bible College / Adelphia, NJ / Calvary Christian School Durkin has anchored the backline as the Chargers won two games this week (4-0 vs. Cairn; 1-0 vs. St.Mary's (Md.)). The two shutouts are the third and fourth of the season as the Chargers only gave up 6 shots on goal for the whole week. Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week - Skye Division Annie Smith / FY / Wilson College / Hagerstown, Md. / North Hagerstown HS Smith totaled five goals and two assists across three games as the Phoenix went 2-1 over the past week. Smith opened up the week by being a part of all three goals in a shutout over St. Elizabeth in the Skye Division opener on Monday (1 G; 2 A). Smith followed up with two goals in a midweek affair with Gwynedd Mercy in which Wilson outshot the Griffins (24-12 Shots; 19-6 Shots on Goal), but were narrowly defeated by one. Smith capped off the week with two more goals in limited time in a convincing Skye Division victory over Valley Forge. She leads the United East in assists with 7 (2nd in all of NCAA Division III) and is sixth overall in goals with 8 in 12 games. Defensive Player of the Week - Skye Division Emily Rossino / FY / Rosemont College / Blackwood, NJ / Highland Regional HS Rossino recorded three consecutive clean sheets on the week in the Ravens victories versus Keystone (5-0; 1 Save), Penn State Brandywine (5-0; 2 Saves), and Saint Elizabeth (2-0; 4 Saves). The Ravens freshman keeper is currently fifth in conference saves per game (6.67) while leading the United East in Total Saves made with 60 saves in 9 games played. Offensive Player of the Week - Volt Division Kendal Ream / Sr / Lancaster Bible College / Willow Street, Pa. / Lampeter-Strasburg Ream scored two more goals this week as the Chargers went 2-0 with both wins being the first in program history against their respective opponents. Lancaster Bible beat Cabrini on Tuesday night 3-0 with Ream knotting a single goal and followed up with the lone goal in the St.Mary's (Md.) game as the Chargers secured the 1-0 win on Homecoming to start United East play with a 2-0 conference record. Ream leads the team with 12 goals (3rd in the United East; 5th in NCAA Division III) and has also scored at least one goal in seven of the Chargers nine games. Ream was the United East Offensive Player of the Week for September 25, 2023, September 4, 2023 and October 11, 2021 as well as a 2021 All-Conference First Team honoree. Defensive Player of the Week - Volt Division Kari Ann Mecke / FY / Lancaster Bible College / Clark, NJ / Calvary Christian Mecke tallied six total saves this week as the Chargers defense posted another two shutouts for the year. Mecke had four saves in the Cabrini game followed by two saves in the St.Mary's (Md.) game including one key game-saving save in the last seconds of the first half. The Chargers have currently allowed only two goals on the year thus far. The first-year goalkeeper currently leads the United East in Saves Percentage (.909), Shutouts (4), and Goals Against Average (.323). Women’s Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week - Skye Division Hendryl Peabody / Jr / Cairn University / Bensalem, Pa. / Faith Baptist Christian Academy Peabody put in a historic performance on Tuesday night when the Highlanders hosted Penn St. Brandywine, sending a career-high 18 kills over the net in combination with 18.5 points and a .500 hitting percentage; tying the record for the second most kills in a single 3-set match in program history, one short of the overall record. On Thursday night, she recorded 7 kills in addition to 5 total blocks against Gwynedd Mercy. On Saturday, she added six kills to the week to finish with 31 kills in the span. Defensive Player of the Week - Skye Division Rebekka Sanchez-Castro / Sr/ Cedar Crest College / Columbia, Md. / Atholton HS Sanchez-Castro tallied a match-high 25 digs in the lone match for Cedar Crest, a 3-1 victory over Notre Dame of Maryland University. Sanchez-Castro leads the United East in Digs per Set (5.84) which is 13th overall in NCAA Division III. This is the fourth Player of the Week honor for Sanchez-Castro who previously was honored for the week(s) of: September 4, 2023, October 10, 2022, and September 26, 2022. Sanchez-Castro was the 2022 CSAC Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-Conference selection. Offensive Player of the Week - Volt Division Citrine Lummer / So / Gallaudet University / Frederick, Md. / Maryland School for the Deaf Lummer led the Bison with a double-double last Wednesday at Goucher College as the sophomore outside hitter finished with 17 kills and 13 digs as GU rolled to a 3-1 road win. This was GU's only match of the week. Lummer leads the United East in total points (241.5), kills (208), and kills per set (3.10) in 67 sets played. Lummer was a Second Team All-United East in 2022. Defensive Player of the Week - Volt Division Leah Helman / Jr / Lancaster Bible College / Waynesboro, Pa. / Waynesboro HS Helman continues to stabilize the backline registering 51 total digs over two games as the Chargers went 1-1. Helman tallied 28 digs in the 3-1 loss to Franklin & Marshall and 23 digs in the win over Moravian. She currently sits third overall in the conference with 4.73 digs per set and is closing in on 1000 career digs. This is the third Player of the Week for Helman, who previously received the award for the week(s) of: September 24, 2023, and October 3, 2022. 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