Winter Sports: Updates going into end of regular season
Women’s Ice Hockey
The Colonels are sitting at 4-15-2 as they have four regular-season games left. Although the win column is under .500, it does not reflect on how the team has performed this season.
Most recently, Wilkes tied with King’s College 2-2 and won the team’s first-ever shootout win as junior defender Savanna Maxon was able to sneak one past the Monarchs goaltender.
Sophomore goaltender Emma Swansburg received the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Defensive player of the week honors after recording 84 saves in a doubleheader matchup.
Junior forward Bella Kaczorowski has earned two MAC conference awards thus far with Co-Offensive Player of the Week as well as Offensive Player of the Week.
In a singular play during a matchup with the Arcadia Knights, senior forward Julie Patterson became the Colonels’ all-time leader in career points and Kaczorowski scored the first overtime goal-winning shot in program history.
Kaczorowski leads the team with nine goals on the season, while Patterson follows with five.
Junior forward Rachel Morey leads with seven assists, senior defender Abigail Barceless recorded 32 blocks and junior Addy Olson adds 474 saves in goal.
Wilkes will finish out the regular season with three home games and one away. On Feb. 11 and 12, the Colonels will host Utica University and then travel to Lebanon Valley College on Feb. 17. To finish out the season, Wilkes will host Lebanon on Feb. 18 for a Senior Day celebration.
Men’s Ice Hockey
The 11-8-1 Colonels are five games away from postseason play. The team has earned themselves many accolades throughout the season as well.
First-year forward Cam Lowe has received the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) Co-Men’s Player of the Week as well as the UCHC Men’s Rookie of the Week awards.
Senior goaltender Michael Paterson- Jones earned the MAC Defensive Player
of the Week twice as well as the UCHC Goaltender of the Week.
First-year forward Matt Carlson earned the MAC Offensive Player of the Week award and senior goaltender Garrett Nieto received the MAC Defensive Player of the Week award.
Currently, Wilkes is sitting in fifth place in the UCHC standings under the Chatham Cougars, the Nazareth Golden Flyers, the Stevenson Mustangs and the number one Utica Pioneers.
Wilkes will finish out the regular season with three away games and two at home. Tonight (Feb. 8) the Colonels will travel a short distance to take on the Monarchs. On Feb. 10 and 11, Wilkes will host Stevenson in a two-day doubleheader, with Senior Night celebrations on the 11th. To finish out regular season gameplay, the Colonels will travel to Neumann University on Feb. 17 and 18.
Women’s Basketball
The Colonels hold a record of 6-15 with four MAC Freedom regular season games remaining.
First-year guard Yamirelis Matos leads the team with 176 points, averaging 8.8 points-per-game (PPG). Senior guard Brenna Babcock follows Matos with 139 points, averaging 7.0 PPG.
Matos and Babcock also lead in rebounds with 87 and 84, averaging 4.4 and 4.2 rebounds-per-game (RPG).
Junior point guard Julia Marino leads the team in assists with 58 and leads with 46 steals.
Wilkes will play tonight (Feb. 8) at Misericordia University and then host Arcadia on Feb. 11 for Senior Day. On Feb. 14, the Colonels will host the Monarchs and then finish out the regular season on Feb. 18 at Delaware Valley University.
Men’s Basketball
The 11-10 Colonels have four games remaining in the MAC Freedom regular season.
Graduate student and guard Drake Marshall leads the team in scoring with 260 points, averaging 12.4 PPG. Sophomore guard Cayden Merrifield follows Marshall with 224 points, averaging 10.7 PPG.
Marshall also leads the team in rebounds with 120, averaging 5.7 RPG. Junior forward Trent Fisher follows with 104,
averaging 7.4 RPG.
Merrifield’s 71 assists put him in the lead
for the Colonels in that category as well as leading in steals with 27. Fisher leads in blocks with 19.
Merrifield is a recipient of the MAC Player of the Week award.
Wilkes will play tonight (Feb. 8) at Misericordia University and then host Arcadia on Feb. 11. On Feb. 14, the Colonels will host the Monarchs for Senior Day and then round out their regular season on Feb. 18 at Delaware Valley University.
Men’s and Women’s Swim
The regular season is over for the Colonels and they can now look forward to the MAC Championship tournament on Feb. 9. through the 12th.
The men’s team went 2-11 in the regular season with wins over Gallaudet University and Moravian University.
The women’s team consisted of only senior Maddy Kinard who holds two Wilkes records: individual record holder in the 100 Back (1:02.47) and 200 Back (2:19.49) as well as the relay record holder in the 200 Free (1:42.89), 200 Medley (1:56.76) and 400 Medley (4:13.27).
Wrestling
The Colonels are 6-13 with two dual meets left before the Futures Mid East Tournament (FMET) and the NCAA Southeast Regionals (NCAA SR).
Wilkes has had many wrestlers obtain awards throughout the season:
Five Colonels were ranked within the top six in the Southeast Region Preseason Rankings (sophomore Austin Fashouer, junior James Geiger, sophomore Cameron Butka, senior Jack Bauer and junior Nevin Rauch). They were also ranked on the d3wrestle.com 2022-2023 National Rankings (Fashouer seventh, while Bauer, Geiger, Butka and sophomore Caleb Burkhart were Honorable Mentions).
Bauer won the 141-pound championship at the Ned McGinley Invitational along with Geiger in the 174-pound weight class.
Fashouer took home the 125-pound title at the Blue Jay Classic along with Butka in the 197-pound weight class.
Fashouer also won the Budd Whitehill National Duals All-Tournament Team title along with Burkhart.
Burkhart was also a recipient of the MAC Wrestler of the Week award.
Butka won the 197-pound first-place title at the 2023 MAC Championship tournament, while also earning the All-MAC Wrestling First Team award. Fashouer and sophomore Christopher Nuss both won third-place titles at the 2023 MAC Championship tournament, while also earning the All-MAC Wrestling Third Team award.
On Jan. 26. Burkhart was ranked second in the current NCAA Division III Wrestling Award Standings for most falls as he has 16 thus far this season.
Wrestling will compete on Feb. 10 as they host Ithaca College and on Feb. 17 hosting the Monarchs for Senior Day. Following the end of the regular season duals, the Colonels will compete on Feb. 19 at FMET and Feb. 24-25th at the NCAA SR.
Baylee Guedes is graduating in May of 2023 with a major in Communication Studies obtaining a concentration in Multimedia Journalism, as well as a minor...