AMCC ANNOUNCES ATHLETES OF THE WEEK FOR JANUARY 15-21, 2024

The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) has announced its Athletes of the Week selections in the sports of men's & women's basketball, swimming & diving, track & field, and men's wrestling for the period running from January 15-21, 2024.

Men's Basketball: PS-Behrend G Tommy DiRienzo averaged 21.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game in two Behrend victories last week. He scored a game-high 27 points to go along with seven rebounds and two assists against Alfred State, delivering 17 of his 27 points in the second half. On Saturday vs. Pitt-Greensburg, DiRienzo registered his fourth double-double of the year, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds. He also dished out a game-high six assists against the Bobcats.

Women's Basketball: Mount Aloysius F Molly Kosmack led Mount Aloysius to two big AMCC victories in a 2-0 week, averaging 21.5 points and 22.0 rebounds. The freshman opened the week with a 24-point, 26-rebound double-double, while adding three assists and two blocks, giving the Mounties their first win against Pitt-Greensburg since 2018-19. She added 19 points and 18 rebounds in a victory at Pitt-Bradford to cap off the week. Kosmack shot 61.5% from the field and 91.7% from the line, to go along with seven blocks for the week.

Men's Track & Field (Track): Carlow SO Quincy Fana ran a personal best 5:36.29 to place fourth in the mile and landed in ninth place with a 2:32.42 finish in the 800. The Celtics recorded nine top-10 finishes on the day at the Muskingum University Muskie Meet #2 Saturday.

Men's Track & Field (Field): PS-Behrend SR Ryan Festa tallied a third-place finish in the pole vault with a score of 15-1 at SPIRE on Saturday.

Women's Track & Field (Track): Carlow SR Molly Wagner placed second in the 200 with a time of 27.61 and was also part of the 4x200 relay team that scored the third best time in the Carlow record books with a second place finish of 1:53.73. The Celtics tallied 13 top-10 finishes on the day and placed fifth out of 10 teams at the Muskingum University Muskie Meet #2 on Saturday. 

Women's Track & Field (Field): Carlow SR Christina Smith secured a first place finish in high jump with a leap of 1.50 meters, while also coming in fourth in triple jump and seventh in long jump. The Celtics tallied 13 top-10 finishes on the day and placed fifth out of 10 teams at the Muskingum University Muskie Meet #2 on Saturday. 

Men's Swimming: PS-Altoona SO Adam Dotts recorded one individual first place and was also part of two relay teams that won first place during Saturday's win on the road over AMCC opponent Pitt-Bradford. He clinched first place in the 100 Yard Freestyle, ending with a time of 50.58. In the 200 Yard Medley Relay, Dotts and his teammates compiled a total time of 1:44.18 to take first place. In the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay, he helped his team to a total time of 1:32.25 to win the event.

Women's Swimming: PS-Altoona JR McKenna Holl helped the Lions to a strong win on the road over AMCC opponent Pitt-Bradford on Saturday, achieving one first place and one second place individually, as well as being part of a relay team that took first. Holl won the 100 Yard Backstroke with a time of 1:06.74, and she placed second in the 200 Yard IM after finishing in 2:25.60. Additionally, she was part of the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay team that achieved first place with a combined time of 1:53.03.

Men's Wrestling: Penn College JR Noah Hunt went a perfect 3-0 with three falls at the Dr. Si Ostrach Duals. Hunt started the day with his most exciting match as he battled back from down 14-1 to tie the match 14-14 before pinning Albion's Austin Matheny, ranked eighth in the Central Region. Hunt continued to turn his next two opponents from Hiram and Waynesburg, with first-period falls of 1:55 and 2:43, respectively.

Men's Volleyball (Defensive): Hiram MH/OH Kyle Martini was named to the All-Tournament Team at the PAC Preview this past weekend at Saint Vincent College. The junior set the new Hiram program record with 10 total blocks in a 3-1 win over the Bearcats on Saturday. His six solo blocks in the game were also a program record for a single game. For the entire weekend, which saw Hiram go a perfect 4-0, Martini had 30 digs  and 16 total blocks (1.33 b/s).

Men's Volleyball (Offensive): PS-Altoona OH Avery Farabaugh continued his strong start to the 2024 season in the Lions' tri-match split with non-conference opponents Elizabethtown and Lancaster Bible on Saturday. Farabaugh helped power Penn State Altoona to its first win of the season, a 3-1 victory over Elizabethtown, by finishing with a career-high 22 kills. In a 3-1 loss to Lancaster Bible later in the day, he recorded 16 points on 14 kills, two block assists, and a service ace. On the week, Farabaugh totaled 38 points (4.8 points per set) and 36 kills (4.5 kills per set) while swinging at a .260 attack percentage.