... - Sports - College - Winthrop University

Wednesday, Sep. 03, 2008

Sitzmann named Player of the Week

Winthrop middle hitter Shannon Sitzmann has been named the Big South Conference Choice Hotels Player of the Week.

Sitzmann, a senior from LeMars, Iowa, recorded 34 kills in 10 sets this weekend at the Wake Forest Invitational. She and Kellie Sellers were named to the all-tournament team. Sitzmann also hit .412 with five service aces, 11 defensive digs and five block assists.

Sitzmann received the honor a week after being named the Big South Conference Preseason Player of the Year. The Eagles are currently 2-1 on the young season and will host the Hilton Garden Inn Classic this weekend.

"We played extremely well last weekend, especially against Davidson. We had to come from behind to win that one. Those were big steps for us," Winthrop coach Sally Polhamus said.

• MEN'S SOCCER -- Daniel Revivo scored all four goals in a win against Lipscomb on Sunday. He was named to the College Soccer News Preseason All-America third team after finishing fifth nationally in scoring a year ago with 13 goals and four assists.

The senior forward from Richmond Hill, Ontario, broke Winthrop's 2008 scoring drought. Through two preseason games (against South Carolina and Clemson) and the regular-season opener versus Belmont, the Eagles were scoreless.

• WOMEN'S SOCCER -- Winthrop will take on Navy (2-1) on Friday. In that game, the Eagles will go up against one of the nation's premiere goalkeepers in senior Lizzie Barnes.

As a sophomore first-year starter, she put together one of the best single-season goalkeeping performances in NCAA history. She turned away 84 of the 90 shots on goal she faced, allowing just six goals over the entire season.

• BASEBALL -- Winthrop pitcher Hamilton Bennett has been declared ineligible for the 2009 baseball season. Bennett, a former Fort Mill High School standout, was 1-9 last year for coach Joe Hudak. He led the team with 78 strikeouts and tied for team lead with 14 starts.

"We are disappointed for him and for us as a team," Hudak said. "He was slated to be our No. 1 this year."

Bennett's grades were not the issue; his total hours completed were, according to Hudak.

"We'll be a very young staff. Bennett had the most experience coming back," Hudak said.

Hudak also acknowledged assistant coach Stas Swerdzewski has stepped down to pursue his teaching certificate. Swerdzewski served four seasons as an assistant coach for the Eagles. He was also a student assistant coach in 2003 while finishing his degree at Winthrop. He was named All-Big South Conference twice as an Eagle player.

Hudak expects to make an announcement soon regarding a new assistant coach.

"Stas wants to coach high school baseball. He has a bright future as a coach on the high school or college level. I understand and support his decision," Hudak said.

The Eagles will play inter-squad games at The Winthrop Ballpark on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. (weather permitting) and Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

• CROSS COUNTRY -- Winthrop's Carey Phillips and Casey Lyons and led the women's and men's cross country teams, respectively, in the season-opening meet for both squads at the Covered Bridge Open hosted by Appalachian State on Friday.

Phillips, the Lady Eagles' junior leader from Chesnee, and sophomore Carly Moss clocked identical 19:51 times to finish 16th and 17th in the overall results. The strong showing by Phillips and Moss helped Winthrop to a fifth-place finish in the 11-team field. Jennifer Schofield (20:24), Lisa Sickman (20:25), Amy Rundio (22:34) and Sara Schultz (22:59) rounded out the top six finishers for the Lady Eagles.

Lyons, a sophomore from Kent Island, Md., covered the 8k distance in a time of 27:27 to finish in 29th place to pace the Eagle men to an eighth-place finish in the 12-team field. Freshmen Jonathan Fazzary (28:09), Dustin Ubbing (28:21) and Adam Leroux (29:15) and senior Ben Henderson (28:55) rounded out the top five for the Eagles.

The Eagles will participate in the Campbell European XC Invitational in Buies Creek, N.C., on Friday.