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Centennial Conference Athletics

Athletes of the Week: Apr. 10-16

Athletes of the Week: Apr. 10-16
Posted: Apr 18, 2023

LANCASTER, Pa. -- Six repeat winners and three record-breaking performances in track & field headline this week's CC Athlete of the Week honors. Just one week remains in the regular season for men's and women's tennis, while baseball, softball and lacrosse have two weeks of regular season play remaining. Women's golf is set to open up the spring championship season this weekend. 

Repeat honorees this week included Jordan Basso of Gettysburg women's lacrosse (three-time winner), Liam Alpern of Swarthmore baseball, John McKee of Dickinson men's lacrosse, Jamie Moreland of Haverford men's track & field, Isaiah Battle of Ursinus men's track & field, and Lauren Phillips of Johns Hopkins women's track & field. Battle, Phillips and JHU's Victoria Kadiri each broke conference records in track & field this past weekend. 

Other weekly award winners were Zach Landry of Haverford baseball, Jenna Harper of Washington College softball, Riley Kuehn of Dickinson softball, Kyle Howard of Gettysburg men's lacrosse, Madison Bray of Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse, James McKenzie of Haverford men's tennis, and Ellie Esterowitz of Haverford women's tennis. 

Scroll below for more information on each of this week's honorees. 

Visit Centennial.org for more information on Centennial Conference athletics. Also, be sure to like the Centennial on Facebook, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and follow @CentennialConf on Twitter and Instagram. 

 

BASEBALL

Player of the Week
 Zach Landry, Sr., 1B, Haverford 
 Dallas, Texas | St. Mark's School of Texas
 Landry put together a stellar week for the Fords, catapulting the offense in a historic 33-run effort against Washington College as the Fords broke both the program single-game records for runs scored and hits. In that contest, he launched a double and two homers, including a grand slam, with both round trippers coming in the same inning. He continued the hot streak with three more hits and two RBIs against McDaniel. For the week he slashed .550/.667/1.000 with 10 RBIs and five runs scored. He also played an error free first base, contributing to four double plays. 

Pitcher of the Week
Liam Alpern, So., LHP, Swarthmore
Long Beach, Calif. | Long Beach Poly
Alpern earned Pitcher of the Week accolades for the second time this spring after tossing seven innings while allowing just one unearned run on one hit in a 10-2 win over Gettysburg. The sophomore struck out four batters as he secured an important conference win for the Garnet. 

SOFTBALL

 Player of the Week
 Jenna Harper, Fr., UT, Washington College
 Sugar Grove, Ill. | Kaneland
 Harper hit .571 (8-for-14) with six runs, two doubles, one triple, one home run and four RBIs in a 4-0 week for the Shorewomen. On Tuesday in game one at McDaniel in a 19-6 win, she went 3-for-3 with four runs scored, two doubles, an RBI and a walk. In game two, she had a triple against the Green Terror. On Sunday in a 5-4 win over Swarthmore in the opener, she went 3-for-4 with a home run in her first trip to the plate. In game two, Harper went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Her first RBI ignited a three-run inning to flip a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead. Her second RBI was a sac fly to give WC a 6-3 advantage. Harper slugged 1.071 for the week and had a .563 on-base percentage.

Pitcher of the Week
Riley Kuehn, Sr., P, Dickinson
Bethesda, Md. | Walt Whitman 
Kuehn went 4-0 in four appearances last week to help the Red Devils to a 5-1 week including conference sweeps over Franklin & Marshall and Haverford. On Tuesday, she hurled a complete-game shutout against F&M, allowing just five hits and fanning eight batters without allowing a walk in a 6-0 win. On Thursday against Alvernia, she did not surrender a hit in 4.1 innings with two more strikeouts in a 9-8 victory. She then pitched in both ends of the doubleheader road sweep over Haverford on Sunday, totaling 8.2 innings with seven runs on 12 hits, but notched five total strikeouts and only walked one as Dickinson won by scores of 10-6 and 8-7 (9 innings). For the week Kuehn was 4-0 over 20 frames with eight runs on 17 hits and 15 strikeouts, while issuing just one walk.

MEN'S LACROSSE

Offensive Player of the Week
Kyle Howard, Sr., A, Gettysburg
Skillman, N.J. | Montgomery
Howard led the Bullets to a 2-0 week and into a tie for first place in the conference standings. He recorded 10 points on the week, scoring five goals to go with five assists. Howard netted two goals to go with three assists at F&M on Wednesday before scoring three times and adding two helpers at Muhlenberg on Saturday. He also had six ground balls and two caused turnovers on the week.

Defensive Player of the Week
John McKee, Jr., F/O, Dickinson
Virginia Beach, Va. | Episcopal
McKee was named Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season after winning 86.5% of his faceoffs (32-of-37) in a 2-0 week for the 12th-ranked Red Devils that included wins over McDaniel (20-7) and 16th-ranked Swarthmore (17-4). On Wednesday at McDaniel, he won 17 of 18 faceoffs and collected 11 ground balls. In Saturday's convincing win vs. Swarthmore, he won 15 of 19 faceoffs while adding eight ground balls, one goal and two assists as Dickinson secured its fifth win over a nationally-ranked opponent this season. 

WOMEN'S LACROSSE

Offensive Player of the Week
 Jordan Basso, Jr., A, Gettysburg
 Rye, N.Y. | Rye
 Basso received Offensive Player of the Week honors for the third time this spring after leading the Bullets to a come-from-behind win at Haverford on Saturday to set up a first-place showdown at Franklin & Marshall on Wednesday. Basso registered a career-high 10 points on a career-best eight goals and added two assists. She also had two ground balls and a caused turnover in the six-goal win.

Defensive Player of the Week
Madison Bray, Jr., M, Franklin & Marshall
Bridgewater, N.J. | Bridgewater-Raritan
Bray had three draw controls, three ground balls, and one caused turnover during F&M's 21-10 victory against Washington College. The Diplomats have won each of their first five Centennial Conference contests by at least 10 goals.

MEN'S TENNIS

Athlete of the Week
 James McKenzie, So., Haverford 
 Melbourne, Australia | The John Cooper School
 McKenzie went 2-0 in singles and 2-0 in doubles in victories over 40th-ranked Christopher Newport and Franklin & Marshall. In the 6-3 win over CNU, McKenzie teamed up with Stefan Johnson for an 8-7 (3) triumph at No. 1 doubles before posting a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 win at No. 4 singles to clinch the match for the Fords. In a 7-2 victory over F&M, McKenzie against teamed with Johnson for an 8-5 win at No. 1 doubles and secured an 8-4 win at No. 4 singles. 

WOMEN'S TENNIS

Athlete of the Week
Ellie Esterowitz, So., Haverford
Rockville, Md. | Wootton
Esterowitz registered a perfect 4-0 week as the Fords topped 40th-ranked TCNJ and Franklin & Marshall. In a 5-4 win over TCNJ, Esterowitz teamed with Mimi Lavin for an 8-3 triumph at No. 2 doubles and downed Aira Abalos at No. 2 singles, 6-3, 6-1. In an 8-1 win over the Diplomats, Esterowitz and Lavin won 8-3 at No. 2 doubles before Esterowitz topped F&M's Cassidy Landau at No. 1 singles, 6-3, 6-2. 

MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD 

Track Athlete of the Week
Jamie Moreland, Sr., Haverford
Los Angeles, Calif. | Campbell Hall
Moreland repeated as Track Athlete of the Week after superb performances in the 1500 and 800 meters on back-to-back days for the Fords. On Friday at Princeton's Larry Ellis Invitational, Moreland logged a 3:48.14, the top time in the Centennial Conference and the 11th in the nation in the 1500m. The next day, Moreland ran a 1:50.56 in the 800 at the WCU Bill Butler Invitational, the fourth-best time in Centennial history and the eighth-fastest so far in Division III this season. The time was also fifth best in Haverford program history.
 
Field Athlete of the Week
Isaiah Battle, Sr., Ursinus
Long Branch, N.J. | Long Branch
Battle topped his school and Centennial record in the hammer throw with his mark of 55.67 meters and finished second overall at the Messiah Invitational on Saturday and earn Field Athlete of the Week honors for the second time this spring. It was the second of two hammer throws of the weekend for him as he recorded a mark of 53.49 meters at Princeton's Larry Ellis Invitational on Friday. Battle owns the five best hammer throw marks of the season in the Centennial and his 55.67m throw ranks 18th on the national list. Battle also finished second in the shot put at Messiah with his throw of 14.63 meters.

WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD  

Track Athlete of the Week
Lauren Phillips, So., Johns Hopkins
Mount Laurel, N.J. | Moorestown Friends School
Phillips repeated as Track Athlete of the Week after another record-setting performance for the sophomore. At the Bison Outdoor Classic, Phillips set a new conference and program record in the 400 meters with a time of 55.46. The time broke a 21-year-old CC record of 56.02 that was held by Swarthmore's Imo Akpan since 2002. Her time currently ranks fourth in the nation in Division III. 
 
Field Athlete of the Week
Victoria Kadiri, Jr., Johns Hopkins
Lynn, Mass. | Phillips Academy
Kadiri shattered her previous school and conference record with a triple jump of 12.82 meters at the Bison Outdoor Classic this past weekend. Kadiri's jump was 21 inches higher than anyone else in the field. Her mark is currently the best in the country for the defending national champion.