April 27, 2007

Five Malone Athletes Receive NCCAA Student Athlete of the Week Recognition

Five Malone Athletes, representing five different spring sports, were recently selected as the National Christian College Athletic Association’s Student Athletes of the Week following their strong performances during the week of April 16th through April 22nd, 2007.
 
Junior shortstop/starting pitcher Kathryn Bzdafka of Avon Lake, Ohio (Avon Lake H.S.) earned the softball award for the second time this season after surrendering just twelve earned runs in four pitching appearances last week (three starts, one relief).   Bzdfaka fanned 14 batters over 22 and one-third innings of work and compiled a 2-2 record with a 3.76 earned run average.  In addition, Bzdafka also helped her own cause at the plate as she recorded six hits in nine at-bats (.667 average) with five runs scored, four walks, two home runs, and five runs batted in.
 
Senior Scotty Jones of East Palestine, Ohio (East Palestine H.S.) received the men’s golf honor after he led the Pioneer ‘A’ squad to a second place finish among a 12-team field at the Malone Invitational this past Friday and Saturday (Malone ‘B’ took first place at the event).  The senior team captain captured medalist honors by posting a birdie on the first hole of a sudden death playoff with teammate Matt Strayer (Jr., Riverside H.S.), of the Pioneer B team.  Both shot a two-day score of 143 (Jones with a 73-70 and Strayer at 72-71) and both made the five-man All-Tournament Team.
 
Junior Cami Urdea of Brasov, Romania took the women’s tennis honor for the second time this season after she led Malone to three wins in five total matches last week by posting a 4-1 record from the #2 singles position.   Urdea and teammate Ann Marie Burton (So., Wadsworth H.S.) also combined to post a 3-2 record as the Pioneers’ #1 doubles pair.
 
Freshman Emily Alderfer of Urbana, Ohio (Urbana H.S.) was named the Women’s Track & Field Student Athlete of the Week following her impressive performance at last weekend’s American Mideast Conference Championship Meet.  Alderfer helped the Malone women to a runner-up finish among a nine-team field by winning the shot put competition with an NAIA National Championship qualifying heave of 42’6.25”.  Alderfer also earned the Pioneers additional meet points by bringing home a fifth place finish in the hammer throw (132’9”) and a sixth place finish in the discus (115’8”).
 
Junior sprinter Chris Cruise of Mogadore, Ohio (Field H.S.) earned the Men’s Track & Field award after helping the Pioneer men’s team place second among a nine-team field at the AMC Championship Meet.  Cruise won the 400 meter dash in a NAIA National Championship qualifying time of 48.21 seconds and was also a member of Malone’s conference champion 4 x 400 meter relay team (3:20.42) and runner-up 4 x 100 meter relay squad (42.87).
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