Posted: Jan 31, 2023
LANCASTER, Pa. -- Several conference records went down last week in indoor track & field to headline the last full week of competition in January. We are now entering the final few weeks before winter championship season, with wrestling set to kick things off on Feb. 11.
Ryan Kredell of Haverford men's indoor track & field, Isaiah Battle of Ursinus men's indoor track & field, Sydney Dzenutis of Franklin & Marshall women's indoor track & field and Lauren Phillips of Johns Hopkins women's indoor track & field each set new Centennial records this past weekend to lead this week's group of honorees. The other weekly awards were collected by Carson James of Hopkins men's basketball, Mia Kolb of Dickinson women's basketball, Ben Freeman of Swarthmore men's swimming, Melissa Leonard of Ursinus women's swimming, Thomas Monn of McDaniel wrestling, and Victoria Kadiri of Hopkins women's indoor track & field.
See below for more details on each of this week's award winners.
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MEN'S BASKETBALL
Athlete of the Week
Carson James, Sr., G, Johns Hopkins
Tucson, Ariz. | Catalina Foothills
James led the Blue Jays to crucial Centennial wins against Gettysburg (76-60) and Swarthmore (77-67) in a 2-0 week for the Blue Jays. In a nationally-ranked showdown with ninth-ranked Swarthmore, he scored 22 points and added seven rebounds and six assists to fuel a 77-67 victory. On the week, he averaged 16.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.0 steal per game while shooting 57.1% from the floor. The 20-point game against the Garnet was his fifth of the season.
Athlete of the Week
Mia Kolb, Sr., G, Dickinson
Jenkintown, Pa. | Jenkintown
Kolb made 70.6% of her field goal attempts while averaging 16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per contest in a 2-0 week for the Red Devils. The senior guard also shot a stellar 88.9% from the free throw line in wins over McDaniel and Ursinus. On Thursday against McDaniel, Kolb was almost perfect from the floor, knocking down six of seven shots and both of her free throws, while adding three helpers and two steals. On Saturday at Ursinus, she posted a season-high 19 points along with three rebounds and three steals in a 70-36 win for the Devils.
MEN'S SWIMMING
Athlete of the Week
Ben Freeman, Jr., Swarthmore
Lakewood, Colo. | Colorado Academy
Freeman won the 200 and 500 freestyles in a pivotal conference win over Gettysburg, helping the Garnet to a perfect 6-0 record in Centennial duals. The junior touched the wall at 1:42.64 in the 200 freestyle and posted a time of 4:47.45 in the 500 freestyle. He also anchored the B 400 Medley in a third place effort.
Athlete of the Week
Melissa Leonard, Jr., Ursinus
Dallas, Pa. | Dallas
Leonard earned two event victories lifting the Bears to a 116-82 victory over Dickinson on Saturday. She broke the pool record in the 1000 free with a time of 10:26.07, which ranks as the Centennial Conference best time this season and 15th in Division III. She added a first-place in the 100 freestyle with a time of 53.59, while anchoring the Bears in the 400 freestyle relay that earned a first-place behind a time of 3:40.49.
WRESTLING
Athlete of the Week
Thomas Monn, Fr., 149, McDaniel
Hagerstown, Md. | Washington Tech
Monn continued his undefeated streak, posting a 5-0 record to improve to 24-0 this season. Ranked No. 3 by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, he recorded a major decision with a 15-2 victory at Johns Hopkins on Friday as the Green Terror won the inaugural Crab Cup. On Saturday, Monn totaled 22 points and went 4-0 as McDaniel captured the team title at the Ken Ober Memorial hosted by Elizabethtown. He began the day with back-to-back first period falls to reach the semifinals before winning his third tournament title this season with two-straight major decisions.
Track Athlete of the Week
Ryan Kredell, Sr., Haverford
Ryan Kredell, Sr., Haverford
Geneva, Ill. | Geneva
Kredell earned his second straight weekly award after shattering both the Centennial and Haverford records in the 5,000 meters at the Terrier Classic in Boston. Kredell crossed in 14:02.37, which ranks third in Division III and is the fifth all-time individual mark within Division III. The previous Centennial Conference record was held by Jordan Schilit '12, who also established that time at the Terrier Classic back in 2012 with his time of 14:12.77 seconds. The previous Haverford record was set by Seamus McElligott '91 in 1991 (14:07.69).
Field Athlete of the Week
Isaiah Battle, Sr., Ursinus
Long Branch, N.J. | Long Branch
Battle repeated as Field Athlete of the Week after setting new conference and school records in the weight throw at the Mini-Dip Invitational on Friday. Battle registered a throw of 17.75 meters, which ranks 17th in Division III this season. Battle followed that by recording a second-place finish in the shot put with a mark of 14.70 meters, which ranks third in the CC this indoor season.
WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Track Co-Athlete of the Week
Sydney Dzenutis, Sr., Franklin & Marshall
Norfolk, Conn. | Northwestern Regional
Dzenutis broke the Centennial and F&M school records in the 600 meters (1:41.40) and posted the fourth-best time in school history in the 300 meters (44.31) at the Mini-Dip Invitational last Friday. She won the 600 meter individual title and was runner-up in the 300m. The CC and F&M records of 1:42.32 were both previously set by Megan Hunter in 2008.
Track Co-Athlete of the Week
Lauren Phillips, So., Johns Hopkins
Mount Laurel, N.J. | Moorestown Friends School
Phillips was one of the top performers for Johns Hopkins at George Mason's Patriot Games as she placed first in a field of 17 in the 500-meter with a conference and school-record time of 1:17.17. She broke the previous records, which had stood since 2008, by more than a second. Phillips also anchored JHU's first-place 4x400-meter relay (3:58.21).
Field Athlete of the Week
Victoria Kadiri, Jr., Johns Hopkins
Lynn, Mass. | Phillips Academy
Kadirii won the pentathlon at George Mason's Patriot Games as she totaled 3,470 points to place first. Kadiri won three of the five individual events to secure her first-place overall finish; her mark of 3, 470 points is the third best in conference history, the second best total in program history and currently ranks second in the nation this season. She also placed second in the individual long jump competition.