WORCESTER, Mass. –Worcester State University student-athletes from the women’s cross country and football teams earned player of the week awards for the week of Nov. 2-8 as named by the Massachusetts State Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Monday afternoon.
Women’s Cross Country:
Freshman runner, Emma Rose (Worcester, Mass.) was named the MASCAC Rookie of the Week after her performance in the ECAC Division III Cross Country Championships on Saturday (Nov. 7), hosted by Williams College.
"Emma ran her finest race of the season at the ECAC Championships,” said head coach Gary Jusseaume. “She battled her way to a PR (personal record) by constantly moving up through the field as the 6k race progressed."
Rose finished 176th with a 6k time of 27:40.
"What's amazing about Emma's progress this season is that she had been away from running for an entire year before joining the team,” said Jusseaume. “Her steady progress is directly attributable to her work ethic."
The Worcester State Lancers placed 32nd overall out of 52 teams (311 total runners took part in the meet).
Football:
Freshman kicker, Noah Hwang (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was awarded the MASCAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week for his third (second-consecutive) time this season.
Hwang made a 31-yard field goal and went 6-for-7 on PAT in the Lancers’ 53-27 win over Westfield State this past Saturday.
Hwang currently holds a 100% field goal kicking percentage, and has racked up 34 points so far this season in his four games played. Hwang stands at fourth place in the conference in scoring, and is in the top-10 for his field goals and PAT attempts.
MASCAC Weekly Honor Roll
Sophomore runner, Justine Murdocca (Milford, Mass.) was the first to cross the finish line for the Lancers with a 6k time of 26:40, good enough for 146th place at the ECAC Division III Cross Country Championships.
Senior running back, Kemani Jones (Milton, Mass.) rushed for 226 yards and four touchdowns while adding another receiving touchdown in the Lancers’ 53-27 victory over Westfield State. He broke the Worcester State record for all-time rushing yards (3,026) and the most rushing touchdowns in a single game with four.
Sophomore defensive linesman, George Blake (Springfield, Mass.) tallied seven solo tackles, three sacks, and six tackles for a loss of 22 yards in the Lancers’ 53-27 win over Westfield State.
Sophomore men’s ice hockey goaltender, Tyler Fallica (Coram, N.Y) recorded his first win of the season with 32 saves in the 2-0 shutout against Western New England University.
Freshman forward, John Skarlis (Waterloo, Iowa) netted two goals in a 1-0-1 week for the Lancers’ men’s ice hockey team. Skarlis scored his first collegiate goal in the 1-1 tie against UMass-Dartmouth and also had the game-winning goal in the 2-0 win over Western New England Univeristy.
Men’s soccer midfielder, Andre Ipojuca (Saugus, Mass.) knocked home the game-winning penalty kick in the Lancers’ victory over MCLA in the MASCAC Quarterfinals.
Women’s soccer goalkeeper, Jillian Witkowksi (Leicester, Mass.) finished the week 1-1 with a 0.50 goals against average and a .917 save percentage. She recorded her 10th shutout of the season with seven saves in the 3-0 win over Framingham State in the MASCAC Semifinals, and had four saves in the 1-0 setback to Westfield State in the MASCAC Championship.
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