MAY 16, 2009
KING'S HONORS ITS BEST AT THE EIGHTH ANNUAL SENIOR AWARDS LUNCHEON
WILKES-BARRE – The King's College athletic department honored its graduating student-athletes at the eighth-annual Senior Sports Luncheon Saturday at the Sheehy-Farmer Student Center. Seniors from 13 sports were recognized and honored with a senior gift to commemorate their athletic careers at King's.
A total of 13 King's student-athletes were presented with Monarch Merit Awards, awarded to deserving senior student-athletes who have demonstrated a high level of excellence in both academics and athletics. To be nominated for consideration, student-athletes must maintain a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average.
Those honored included Kelley Weidwald, women's cross country; Vince Pecora, men's cross country; Christina Glenn, field hockey; Ryan Arcangeli, football; Mike Buckwash, men's soccer; Nadya Alboschy, women's volleyball; Kaitlyn Fiorino, women's basketball; Zack Wilkinson, wrestling; Jon Venarchick, baseball; Mike Kane, golf; Tim Cassi, men's lacrosse; Abbey Knoblauch, softball; and Blake Bonser; men's tennis.
The Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards recognizes the outstanding academic achievements of King's student-athletes by choosing a male and female recipient and is based on the highest grade-point average.
The Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award was presented to Debbie Wychock. As a member of the King's field hockey team, Wychock achieved a great deal of success in academics and athletics at King's, helping the Lady Monarchs to two Freedom Conference championships, a pair of NCAA National Tournament berths, and was a three-time All-Freedom Conference selection.
Academically, she was a three-time Middle Atlantic Conference All-Academic selection and was named to the King's College Dean's List all eight semesters. Additionally, she was a four-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association National Academic Team selection.
She graduates from King's with an outstanding 3.848 overall grade-point average as a Chemistry major.
The Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award was presented to Mike Buckwash. As a member of the King's men's soccer team, Buckwash helped the Monarchs to their finest season ever as King's finished the year with a school-record 16-1-5 record and the ECAC Southern Region champion.
In the classroom, he earned a spot on King's Dean's List all eight semesters and graduates with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average as an Accounting and Finance major. He was also a three-time Middle Atlantic Conference All-Academic selection.
The Athlete of the Year awards are presented to the top female and male athletes at King's, based on a vote of each head coach at King's.
The Senior Female Athlete of the Year Award was presented to Wychock, who enjoyed a record-breaking career with the King's field hockey team. During her four-year career, she led the Lady Monarchs to a combined 64-18 record, including a program-best 19-3 record in 2006. She also led the Lady Monarchs to four straight Freedom Conference Tournament berths; the 2006 and 2007 Freedom Conference championships; and NCAA Division III National Tournament berths both seasons.
As a sophomore in 2006, she set King's single-season scoring record with 61 points, tying the school-record of 25 goals, while setting another school-record with 11 assists in the same season. As a senior, she broke her own school-record by scoring 31 goals, which ranked 5th nationally in Division III, while also breaking her own single-season scoring mark with 68 total points, which was ranked eighth nationally in Division III.
She concluded her collegiate career with a school-record 72 goals and stands third all-time with 19 assists. She graduates as the Lady Monarchs' all-time leading scorer with 163 points, surpassing the previous mark of 157 points set by 2007 Senior Female Athlete of the Year Award winner Lindsay Sabo. Wychock was a three-time All-Freedom Conference selection and was the most valuable player of the 2006 Freedom Conference Tournament.
For the first time since its inception, the Male Senior Athlete of the Year Award resulted in a tie. Sharing the award were soccer standout Cameron Audette and baseball star Jon Venarchick.
Audette concluded a record-setting career by helping the Monarch program to its finest season in school history with a remarkable senior year. In 2008, he led the Monarchs to a school-record 16-1-5 record and the 2008 Eastern College Athletic Conference Southern Region championship. As a senior, he set a pair of King's school-records with 23 goals, a total that ranked sixth nationally in NCAA Division III, with a 1.05 goals per-game average, along with 55 points, which ranked him fourth nationally in Division III. His nine assists on the year were also the second most in Monarch history.
Over the course of his four years, he set school career records in several major offensive categories, establishing new King's standards with 43 goals and 19 assists, while graduating as the program's all-time leading scorer with 105 career points, becoming the first player in King's history to reach the 100-point plateau.
His 55 points in 2008 is the not only the most in one season in King's history, his 32 points in 2007 ranks third all-time at King's. While his 23 goals as a senior is the most in program history, his 14 goals in 2007 is also fourth best at King's. He was a two-time first-team All-Freedom Conference selection and was the 2007 Freedom Conference Most Valuable Player. He was also named the Most Valuable Player of the 2008 ECAC Southern Region Championship Tournament.
Venarchick was a four-year starter who helped the Monarchs to three berths in the Freedom Conference Tournament, a Freedom Conference championship, and the program's first-ever NCAA Division III National Tournament berth in 2006.
As a senior, he finished the year by winning the 2009 Freedom Conference batting title, posting a .447 batting average. His 67 base hits stands as a new King's single-season record and ranked first in the Freedom Conference this season. He also led the conference with 10 triples, 118 total bases and a whopping .787 slugging percentage.
He also finished the season ranked first on the team with 46 runs scored and 43 runs batted in 36 games. During the year, he posted a career-best 14-game hitting streak. After the streak was snapped, he promptly closed out the season by hitting safely in the final 11 games of the year. In all, he posted at least one base hit in 34 of the 36 games he played in.
Venarchick ends his career as the only player in King's baseball history to reach the 200-hit plateau, graduating with a school-record 227 base hits. Overall, he finished his four-year career with 41 doubles, 18 triples, 10 home runs, 134 RBI, and 135 runs scored, while posting a career .383 batting average. Additionally, he was a two-time All-Freedom Conference selection and a three-time MAC All-Academic choice. He wrapped up his time at King's by receiving the 2009 Middle Atlantic Conference Baseball Scholar-Athlete award by posting a 3.544 overall grade-point average as a biology major.
The college also recognized five seniors for record-breaking performances or milestones achieved during the year. They included.
· In field hockey, Debbie Wychock set a single-season record with 68 points, scoring a school-record 31 goals as a senior. She also broke the school record for career goals with 72 while also setting a new scoring mark with 163 points.
· In men's soccer, Cameron Audette set several single-season and career school records, including 23 goals and 55 points in one season and 43 career goals and 105 career points.
· In women's basketball, Kaitlyn Fiorino set a new school-record by making 258 three-point field goals, while graduating as the program's third all-time leading scorer with 1,542 points.
· In softball, Abbey Knoblauch became just the third player in King's history to reach the 200-hit plateau for her career, graduating with 208 hits, the second most in King's history.
· In baseball, Jon Venarchick became the first player in King's history to reach the 200-hit mark, graduating with a school-record 227 base hits.
Additionally, the John J. Dorish Award for outstanding contribiutions to King's Athletics was presented to Laurie Ann Tomsho, Director of Residence Life at the college.
