WEST POINT, N.Y. – Matt Kyler of Clearfield was honored for his wrestling prowess and accomplishments again during the Army Athletic Association\’s 2009 Black Knight Awards ceremony in Robinson Hall Auditorium on Sunday, May 17.
He received the Men\’s Cow of the Year Award that goes to the top male athlete in the junior class.
More than 500 people attended the hour-long ceremony, initiated last year to salute the best of Army\’s 25 athletic teams with a format similar to the ESPN\’s ESPY Awards.
Kyler, who was the 2008 Yearling of the Year as the top sophomore male athlete, led the Black Knight mat team in wins, falls and tourney championships, and qualified for the NCAA Division I Nationals for the third consecutive year with a second-place finish in the Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament.
When Master of Ceremonies Rich DeMarco, assistant athletic director for marketing, multimedia and broadcasting, introduced the nominees for each award, video presentations were shown.
Awards went to male and female athletes in each class and the outstanding teams for each gender.
Best individual performances were honored, as was the top play for 2008-09.
Two special awards went to senior football player Lowell Garthwaite and senior basketball player Courtney Wright.
Garthwaite was selected for the Community Service Award for raising more than $80,000 for the American Cancer Society\’s Relay For Life.
Wright received the Maggie Dixon Inspiration Award, honoring the late Army women\’s basketball coach, for her standout work ethic, character and leadership.
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SOFTBALL
SALEM, Va. -Sophomore first baseman Brittany Pataky of Clearfield and her Lock Haven teammates are national champions.
Led by super pitcher Kristin Erb, the No. 2-ranked Lady Eagles wrapped up their second NCAA Division II title in four years with a nationally-televised 8-0 win over Alabama-Huntsville in six innings at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex Monday afternoon.
Erb, who was named the 2009 Daktronics Division II Pitcher of the Year Wednesday, punctuated her championship tourney Most Outstanding Player performance with a one-hitter featuring nine strikeouts.
In addition, she broke up a scoreless duel with Whitney Hawkins by lashing a two-run double in the fifth inning. She also had a run-scoring single in the sixth when Lock Haven chased Hawkins, who was unbeaten in 21 decisions.
The margin of victory was the biggest ever in a championship game, which also was the first in which the eight-run rule was used.
Lock Haven (51-6), which set a tournament record with 32 runs, opened with a 5-0 win over Le Moyne (N.Y.) behind Erb\’s seven-strikeout four-hitter but had to battle back through the loser\’s bracket after being edged 3-1 by fifth-ranked Alabama-Huntsville (54-6).
The Lady Eagles ousted Indianapolis (37-21) 2-0 with Erb firing another four-hitter and then knocked off No. 1-ranked North Georgia College (50-5) twice to reach the championship game. Erb allowed only one hit and fanned six over five innings in an 8-0 victory and came right back with a two-hitter and nine strikeouts in an 8-1 triumph.
In 39 innings, the Exeter Township High School graduate from Reading surrendered 18 hits and four earned runs. She racked up 47 strikeouts and gave up only two walks.
The four-time Louisville Slugger/National Fast-Pitch Softball Coaches Association All-American was joined on the all-tournament team by third baseman Sarah Norris (West Chester), shortstop Ilia Lopez (Bloomsburg) and outfielders Julia Popovich (Lemont/State College H.S.) and Erica Eisenbise (Wernersville/Wilson H.S.).
Norris broke a 14-year-old Division II Championships record with 12 hits, including four against Le Moyne.
Those five seniors, along with standout catcher Amanda Roosa (Pompton Lakes, N.J.), outfielder Nancy O\’Connor (West Chester) and pitcher Jess Jeffries (Spring City/Villa Maria Academy), are on one of the most dominant teams ever over a four-year stretch in NCAA Division II history. Their 208-23 record is a winning percentage of 90.0. In addition to national titles in 2006 and this year, they were runners-up in 2007 and placed third in 2007.
Erb was 50-5 this season, tying the Division II record for wins set by Danielle Penner of California (Pa.) in 1997, and led the nation in earned run average with a miniscule 0.47 for 356 innings. She struck out 399 batters and walked only 26.
She is the new Division II record-holder for wins, 168 with only 18 losses, and shutouts, 100. The latter surpassed the 97 Kathy Slaten registered for California State-Northridge from 1983 through 1986.
Earlier this week, Erb was named the softball candidate for the 2008-09 Division II Female Athlete of the Year Award.
Female athletes in 11 sports are nominated for the award, which Erb received in 2006.
Pataky did not play in the national tourney.
In 18 games, three as a starter, she had two singles in 20 official at-bats. She walked three times, was hit twice and scored four runs.
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BASEBALL
ERIE – Kyle Kline of Clearfield hit .308 in 19 games for Penn State-Behrend, which bowed out of the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament in two games May 13-14 at Lakewood, N.J.
He did not play in the fourth-seeded Lions\’ losses to fifth seed The College of New Jersey 13-1 and eighth seed Penn State-Berks 8-5.
A sophomore, Kline started four games at first base and also saw action at third base and second base.
He was used as a late-inning pinch-hitter or designated hitter in seven games.
Kline collected eight hits, three of them doubles, scored four runs and drove in five runs.
He drew four walks and was hit by a pitch once.
In the field, Kline handled 36 chances without an error.
Penn State-Behrend, which swept the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference regular season and playoff championships, finished 31-13.
Host Kean (39-11) won the region title and then was 1-2 in the NCAA Division III Championships.
