Normoyle earns NEWMAC Swimmer of the Week honors

Date: 1/15/2015

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – First-place finishes from Michael Normoyle of Wilbraham paced the Springfield College men’ s swimming and diving program, as the Pride split a tri-meet with Union College and Hartwick on Sunday afternoon. The Pride defeated Union, 156.50-141.50, but fell to Hartwick 182-112.

Normoyle took first place in the 100 breast with a time of 1:00.57, defeating John Enquist from Union and Brendan Day of Hartwick to claim the individual title. In the 200 breast, Enquist and Normoyle would tie for first overall with a time of 2:13.93.

For his efforts, Normoyle received New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference Swimmer of the Week honors.

On the women’s side, Callie Phillips of East Longmeadow continued to have an impressive weekend as she backed up her pair of first-place finishes against Middlebury with a top finish in the 1,000 free with a time of 10:47.22.

Delaney Dyjak of Ludlow, claimed an individual victory in the 50 free with a time of 25.45 before Philips took second in the 100 Free with a time of 55.17.

Melanie Avdoulos of East Longmeadow posted a 260.84 on the 1-meter diving board to win the event.

WESTFIELD – Westfield State senior running back Michael Mercadante of Wilbraham was recently named to the ECAC Division III North football all-star team for the 2014 season.

Mercadante was named to the second team. The ECAC North team recognizes players selected from among all NCAA Division III programs in New England and Upstate New York.

Mercadante enjoyed a stellar senior season that saw him rush for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns.  His rushing total was the fourth-best single season in the history of the Owls football program, and his 16 touchdown’s tied a program record. For his career, the big back tallied 2,993 rushing yards (fourth among Owls’ career rushers), and set a program record with 38 touchdowns.

Mercadante was also a first-team All Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference selection.

MANSFIELD – For the second straight week, American International College (AIC) senior Krista Ferrentino of East Longmeadow was selected to the Women's Basketball Northeast-10 honor roll announced by the league office Jan. 12.

The Yellow Jackets (8-8, 3-5 NE-10) went 2-1 last week with wins over St. Anselm, 76-50, and So. New Hampshire, 68-58, and a loss at Franklin Pierce, 68-61.

Ferrentino has received NE-10 recognition in five of the eight weeks this season. Last week, she averaged 14.7 points and 10.0 rebounds. Heading into a Jan. 13 game against No. 12 Stonehill, Ferrentino led the team with 13.4 points and 8.4 rebounds this season.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. –Austin Orszulak of Springfield became the national leader with his 15th goal of the season, but it was not enough as the AIC men’s ice hockey team dropped a 3-2 decision at the hands of the Rochester Institute of Technology in Atlantic Hockey play Jan. 10 at the Gene Polisseni Center.

WESTFIELD – Springfield natives Andre King and Jesus Sanchez  scored 19 and 11 points, respectively, for the Westfield State University men’s basketball team as the Owls mauled Bridgewater State 90-57 on Jan. 13.

Sanchez also scored 17 points to lead Westfield State to a 66-45 win over Framingham State on Jan. 8. King added 10 points.

PROVIDENCE – P.J. Baker of Wilbraham placed fourth in the 165-pound weight class for the AIC wrestling team as the Yellow Jackets finished fourth overall at the Scott Viera Invitational hosted by Roger Williams on Jan. 11.

Aaliyah Gordon of Springfield scored 10 points, but the Bay Path University women’s basketball team was not able to pull off the win, falling 58-50 to Daniel Webster on Jan. 10.