GNAC Players of the Week: October 27

By Melissa Maitland

GNAC Sports Information Specialist

John Blazo (Men’s Cross Country, Suffolk), Catherine Bravo (Women’s Volleyball, Johnson & Wales), Sabrina Carvalho (Women’s Soccer, Rivier), Steve LeDonne (Men’s Golf, Johnson & Wales), Bernard Lotterer (Men’s Soccer, Suffolk), Jeileen Rivera (Women’s Cross Country, Mount Ida), and Sabrina Salmela (Women’s Tennis, Simmons) have been named Great Northeast Athletic Conference Players of the Week. Will Pike (Men’s Soccer, St. Joseph’s (ME)) and Cait Witham (Women’s Soccer, St. Joseph’s (CT)) were named Goalkeepers of the Week.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Men’s Cross Country - John Blazo, Suffolk, Fr., Pembroke, Mass.
Blazo was the Rams’ top finisher once again this week, placing 9th in the Gordon College Invitational on October 24, with a time of 30:03. Suffolk finished the event in 3rd place with a score of 76. The Rams next run this Saturday at the GNAC Men’s Cross Country Championships, hosted by Rivier College.

Women’s Volleyball - Catherine Bravo, Johnson & Wales, Jr., Toa Boa, PR.
Bravo was named to the All-Tournament team at the Bates Invitational Tournament after leading the Wildcats to a 2nd place finish last weekend. Bravo averaged 3.2 kills and 2.9 digs per game for the Wildcats during a 3-1 week. She also tallied 12 kills and three blocks in a road win over Rivier on October 21. This is the second week in a row that Bravo has been named to as a GNAC Player of the Week. The Wildcats are currently in 3rd place in the GNAC, with a conference record of 8-1 and an overall record of 18-14. Bravo and the Wildcats have three GNAC games remaining before the GNAC Women’s Volleyball Championships begin on November 3. Johnson & Wales will face Albertus Magnus on October 27, and will play St. Joseph’s (ME) and Pine Manor in a doubleheader on October 31.

Women’s Soccer - Sabrina Carvalho, Rivier, Sr., Tyngsboro, Mass.
Carvalho scored three goals last week, including two goals in a 6-2 victory over Newbury College on October 22, and scored another on a header off of a corner kick in a 2-1 loss against St. Joseph’s (ME) on October 25. The Raiders are currently in 11th place in the GNAC, with a conference record of 1-9-2 and an overall record of 4-11-2. Rivier plays its last game of the season on October 28 when they host Southern Vermont College.

Men’s Golf - Steve LeDonne, Johnson & Wales, Jr., Rehoboth, Mass.
LeDonne shot a two day total of 154 to edge out teammate Bobby Newcomb by one stroke to give the Wildcats their second GNAC Men’s Golf Championship in a row. The GNAC Champions are guaranteed an automatic bid to next spring’s NCAA Division III Championship. The 2010 Division III Golf Championship will be hosted by Elizabethtown College, May 11-14 at the Hershey Links and Hershey Country Club, in Hershey, Penn. As the 1st place finisher at the GNAC Championship, LeDonne was named Most Valuable Player. He was also named to the All-Conference team along with Newcomb and the remaining top five finishers.

Men’s Soccer - Bernard Lotterer, Suffolk, Sr., Lima, Peru.
Lotterer scored four goals in Suffolk’s 5-0 win on October 24 over Albertus Magnus. Lotterer also scored a goal in the Rams’ 3-0 victory over Mount Ida on October 21. The senior forward has scored in the three of the Rams’ last four GNAC games. Suffolk is currently in 6th place in the GNAC, with a conference record of 4-2-2 and an overall record of 7-5-2. The Rams play their final regular season game on October 27 at Johnson & Wales before heading into the quarterfinals of the GNAC Men’s Soccer Championships this Saturday.

Women’s Cross Country - Jeileen Rivera, Mount Ida, So., Springfield, Mass.
Rivera placed 16th with a time of 23:32 at the Gordon College Invitational on October 24. The Mustangs finished 3rd out of five teams with a score of 105. Rivera and Mount Ida will compete this Saturday at the GNAC Women’s Cross Country Championships, hosted by Rivier College.

Women’s Tennis - Sabrina Salmela, Simmons, Fr., Beverly, Mass.
Salmela continued her amazing rookie campaign with wins at both #1 singles and #1 doubles to lead the Simmons Sharks to a 2009 GNAC Women’s Tennis Championship on October 25. The Sharks defeated #2 seed Suffolk 6-0 to take the title for the 5th time in six years. This is the second week in a row that Salmela has been named as a GNAC Player of the Week. Simmons finished the regular season in 1st place in the GNAC, and finishes the season with an undefeated conference record of 8-0 and an overall record of 10-6. Salmela and the GNAC Champion Sharks secured an automatic bid to the 2010 Division III NCAA Championships, which will begin May 14, 2010. Simmons will next play a preparation match against Smith College on April 24, 2010.


GOALKEEPERS OF THE WEEK

Men’s Soccer - Will Pike, St. Joseph’s (ME), Sr., Gorham, Maine.
Pike Posted a pair of shutouts and allowed one goal with 11 stops in 234 minutes of play for the Monks in a 2-1 week. The senior netminder blanked USM on October 21 and Emmanuel on October 24 and, with his shutout against the Saints, broke the single-season program record for shutouts, which he set last year. Through 18 games, Pike has posted a 0.89 goals-against average and a .862 save percentage with nine shutouts in 1623 minutes of play. He has been nearly unbeatable in conference play, and leads the GNAC in most goaltender categories with a 0.37 goals- against average, a .921 save percentage and six shutouts on the season. Pike has allowed just four goals in his last 683 minutes between the pipes for the Monks. This is the fourth time this season that Pike has been named as a GNAC Player of the Week. He was previously honored on September 15, October 6, and October 13. St. Joseph’s (ME) currently is in 2nd place in the GNAC, with a conference record of 6-2 and an overall record of 10-7-1. The Monks will face Rivier on October 27. If St. Joseph’s (ME) is victorious, the Monks will take over 1st place in the GNAC and have the top seed overall going into the GNAC Men’s Soccer Championships this Saturday.

Women’s Soccer - Cait Witham, St. Joseph’s (CT), Sr., Prospect, Conn.
Witham made 14 saves in a 2-0 victory over Norwich on October 20 and seven saves in a double overtime, scoreless tie against Simmons on October 25. Witham has eight shutouts on the season, including three in a row and five in her last six games. This is the second time this season that Witham has been named as a GNAC Player of the Week. She was previously honored on September 15. St. Joseph’s (CT) is currently in 1st place in the GNAC, with a conference record of 7-3-2 and an overall record of 10-5-3. The Blue Jays have finished their regular season schedule and wait to see who they will face in the GNAC Women’s Soccer quarterfinals, scheduled to begin November 1.