Bloomsburg Honors 2005-06 Most Valuable Players

Luke Haile

Kristi Ney

BLOOMSBURG-- Bloomsburg University announced the 13 student-athletes that have been named the MVP for their sport, as well as the top male and female student-athletes in the entire sports program for the 2005-06 sports seasons.

Named the winners of the 2006 Scholar-Athlete awards were Luke Haile (Bloomsburg/Central Columbia) and Kristi Ney (Dauphin/Central Dauphin East). Haile, who completed his undergraduate studies in Exercise Science in December, was awarded the Mid-Atlantic Regional Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine's Undergraduate Student Investigator Award. His research, titled "Influence of testing sequence on a child's ability to achieve maximal anaerobic and aerobic power," focused on how the order of exercise tests affects a child's performance. He began his graduate studies in January at Bloomsburg. During his four-year soccer career at Bloomsburg, Haile played in 54 games tallying eight goals and four assists.

Winning the 2006 Scholar-Athlete and Senior Female Athlete of the Year awards is field hockey player, Kristi Ney (Dauphin/Central Dauphin East). One of the team's captains this season, Ney helped the Huskies to three NCAA Division II National Championships and three PSAC titles during her career. She was named an All-American and first team All-PSAC for the second year in a row. Ney, a senior mid-fielder, finished the 2005 season with 26 points and two game winning goals. Ney finished her career at Bloomsburg with 87 career points, tying her for 10th place all time. She is also a two-time All-American and was named a PSAC and Bloomsburg Scholar-Athlete each of the past two seasons.

Jahri Evans

The winner of the 2006 Senior Male Athlete of the Year award is football player, Jahri Evans (Philadelphia/Frankfort). Evans, a 6-4 340 pound offensive tackle, helped lead the Huskies to an undefeated regular season and a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division Championship. Evans graded out at 95% each game and was involved in many second and third level blocks and numerous pancake blocks. He was also part of an offensive line that allowed just 13 sacks in 12 games. In addition, Evans' blocking allowed 46 of the team's 66 touchdowns (69 percent) to come on the ground. Evans has also been named to the first team A.P. Little America team; first team American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-America team ; All-PSAC East first team, Daktronics and D2football.com first team All-American, and played in the Las Vegas All-American Classic on January 14th. He was also a finalist for the Gene Upshaw award, which honors the nation's top offensive lineman in Division II each season. In his junior year Evans was named first team A.P. Little America, first team AFCA; first team d2football.com; first team Don Hansen All-Northeast region and first team Daktronics All-Northeast region and was a finalist for the Gene Upshaw award.

Amber Hackenberg

Named the winner of the Joanne McComb Outstanding Underclassman Female Athlete of the Year and MVP of the women's cross country team is Amber Hackenberg (Middleberg/Middleberg), a member of both the cross country and track teams. A sophomore Business, Finance and Accounting major, Hackenberg has a perfect 4.0 grade point average and is also a three-time Division II Coaches' Association All-Academic athlete as well as a Bloomsburg Scholar Athlete.

This past fall, she lead the women's cross country team to a second place finish in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships, the best finish in school history. Individually, she earned both All-PSAC honors and All-Region honors on the season; finishing fourth in the conference meet and fifth at the NCAA East Regional meet. At cross country nationals, Hackenberg recorded the best individual performance by a female in school history when she placed 48th in a field of 180.

Jamar Brittingham

In addition to her cross country achievements, Hackenberg earned a PSAC podium finish at the indoor track championships taking fifth place in the 5000-meter race. She also qualified for the conference championships in the mile run and the 3000-meter event. For the outdoor track season, Hackenberg is on schedule to repeat as a national provisional qualifier at the 5000-meter distance.

The Danny Litwhiler Award as the Outstanding Underclassman Male Athlete of the Year and MVP of the football team is Jamar Brittingham (Levittown/Neshaminy). Brittingham, who finished third in the Harlon Hill Trophy race, was the only sophomore since 1991 to advance to the finals. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division Player of the Year, he shattered seasonal records in 2005 leading Bloomsburg to its first undefeated season in 20 years. He rushed for 2,260 yards and 32 touchdowns, added two receiving touchdowns for 34 total, and scored 204 points, all of which broke school and league records.

Tracey Hudak

Brittingham finished the season as the leading rusher and scorer in not only Division-II, but all of college football, averaging 188.3 yards per game and 7.2 yards per carry. His 2005 season also places him on several all-time NCAA Division II lists. He is third in scoring for a season and fourth in rush yards per season, while his 17 points per game in 2005 rank him seventh all-time. He also ranks first in NCAA Division II history with 13.6 points per game in his career. Brittingham was named to the 2005 Daktronics All-America team, in addition to earning All-American honors from d2football.com. He was named to the A.P. Little All-America first team and was a member of the Don Hansen's Football Gazette All-America team, also winning the magazine's Offensive Back of the Year award.

Earning the team MVP award for the field hockey team is Tracey Hudak (Lake Lehman/Sweet Valley). Hudak, a junior goalie, finished the season with 136 saves and a 1.24 goals against average, which ranked fifth in Division II. She also had three games with 10 or more saves and six shutout victories this season including a 1-0 shutout win over 2005 PSAC Champion Shippensburg in the NCAA semifinals. At the NCAA tournament, Hudak, a two-time first team All-PSAC selection, earned All-Tournament Team honors, tallying 11 saves in two games. She was also named first team All-American for the second time in her career following the 2005 season.

Adam Grady

Rebecca Callen

Adam Grady (Malvern/Archbishop Carroll) is the team MVP for the men's soccer team. Grady tallied eight goals and 10 assists during his career, including the game-winning goal in Bloomsburg's 3-2 overtime victory against Bridgeport. He also owns a spot in the Bloomsburg all-time record book, ranking ninth in school history in assists.

Earning team MVP honors for the women's soccer team is Rebecca Callen (Woodstown, NJ/Woodstown). Callen, a midfielder for the Huskies, finished her career with one goal and three assists. Callen has been an integral part of the team in all four years of her career at Bloomsburg and helped the Huskies to the 2002 PSAC Championship. As a Husky, Callen played in 78 games with 64 starts.

The MVP of the men's cross country/track team is Justin Shepherd (Cranberry Twp./Seneca Valley). A junior member of the cross-country team, he finished 19th at the NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships which earned him All-American honors. His time of 32:24 put him second out of all PSAC runners and 19th out of 172 overall. He also placed third at both the PSAC Championships and the NCAA Eastern Regional. Shepherd finished seventh at the Penn State Spiked Shoe Invitational with a time of 25:57, a race dominated by Division I competition.

Justin Shepherd

Matt Jefferson

In track, Shepherd took fifth at the PSAC Indoor Championships in the 5,000-meter race with a time of 15:02.40. During the course of the outdoor season, Shepherd placed second in the 5,000 meters at the East Challenge meet and was 12th in the 10,000-meter event at the Raleigh Relays, running a NCAA provisional qualifying time of 30:39.11. He is a three-time All-PSAC selection. Shepherd, was also named MVP for the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons.

The MVP of the men's basketball team is Matt Jefferson (Philadelphia/George Washington). Jefferson, a 6-6 junior forward, was the Huskies most dominant player this season. He led the Huskies in several categories, including points (516), points per game (19.1), rebounds per game, (6.9), and blocked shots per game (1.5). Jefferson also ranked seventh in the PSAC in scoring average, 11th in rebounding, and seventh in blocked shots. In addition, Jefferson scored 30 plus points in six games this season, including the final four games of the year. He was named PSAC Player of the Week during the final week of the regular season when he averaged 32 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks for the week. He also scored a career-high 35 points this season on opening day in an 87-85 win over Pitt-Johnstown.

Jefferson was selected to the 2005-06 All-PSAC Eastern Division First Team. He was also named the PSAC Player of the Week once throughout the season.

Colleen Kegerreis

Mike Sees

Earning MVP honors for the women's basketball team is freshman Colleen Kegerreis (Schuylkill Haven/Schuylkill Haven). Kegerreis was named the PSAC Eastern Division Rookie of the Week for the period ending Jan. 15th. She had her first career double-double against East Stroudsburg with 12 points and 11 rebounds and then collected her second double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the game against Lock Haven. Kegerreis finished the season with 156 points and was second in the team in rebounds, pulling down 130 boards.

Mike Sees (Northumberland/Shikellamy) earned the MVP honors for wrestling. A 125 pound sophomore, Sees fell just one win short of earning Division I All-American honors at this year's NCAA Championships. He took second place at the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Championships this season and was named the PSAC Champion at the 125-pound class. Sees finished the season with a 26-6 record including posting 13 dual meet wins and 13 tournament victories. In addition, he was named the EWL Wrestler of the Week twice on the season and won the PSAC Weekly award once.

Travis Backenstoe

Dianna Smith

The MVP of the men's swimming is senior Travis Backenstoe (Walnutport /Northampton). This season, Backenstoe broke Stu Marvin's 27-year old school record in the 50-free at the Franklin & Marshall Invitational and also anchored the 200-free relay, 400-free relay and 800-free relay teams that broke school records at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championships. Backenstoe had eight first place finishes in the 50-free and five first place finishes in the 100-free. He finished third in the 50-free and 100-free in the PSAC Championship meet. Backenstoe also qualified for the NCAA Championship meet in Indianapolis where he competed in the 50-free and 100-free. Backenstoe also received MVP honors for the 2003-04 season.

Dianna Smith (West Grove/Avon Grove) was named MVP for women's swim team. Smith, a sophomore, captured the PSAC Championship in the 200-free and had 15 first place finishes on the season. She was the Huskies top swimmer in the 50, 100 and 200-free. Smith qualified for the NCAA championship meet this season and competed in the 50, 100, and 200-free. In the NCAA Championship meet, Smith finished 11th in the 100 free to earn honorable mention All-American honors. She also earned honorable mention All-American honors after taking 13th in the 200-free.

Matt Robinson

Tara Reed

Earning team MVP honors for baseball is Matt Robinson (York/ Red Lion). Robinson, a junior, has been the Huskies most consistent player this season whether it's in the outfield or on the mound. Robinson, who is currently hitting .353, has led the team in batting average for most of the season. He also leads the team in runs (31), base on balls (25), and on-base percentage (.459). When the team lost a number of pitchers to injuries, Robinson stepped up and did an excellent job in relief. Robinson has thrown 35.2 innings this season and ranks first on the team with a 3.53 ERA.

In softball, freshman Tara Reed (Williamsport/ Williamsport) is the most valuable player. Reed, a shortstop and pitcher, has become one of the most dominant players in the PSAC in just her first year in the league. Reed leads the team in batting average (.375), doubles (10), RBI (29) and on-base percentage (.403). However, Reed has also emerged as the team's ace pitcher. Reed is 12-4 on the year with a miniscule 1.24 ERA. She has struck out 129 batters in just 107.2 innings pitched and has held opposing batters to a .181 batting average. In addition, Reed was named PSAC Player of the Week during the week of March 26 and PSAC Pitcher of the Week during the week of April 2.

Karla Honeywell

Lindsey Wyckoff

Karla Honeywell (Lansdale/ North Penn) is the MVP for lacrosse. Honeywell, a social science major, has been a solid defender for the Huskies all season long. She ranks third on the team in ground balls with 27 and is second in caused turnovers with 16. She has also scored two goals so far this season. Honeywell was also a 2005 All-PSAC second team selection.

Earning MVP honors from the women's tennis team is senior Lindsey Wyckoff (North Canton, OH/Hoover). A mass communications major, Wyckoff has been an integral part of the Huskies winning three straight PSAC Team Championships including being named MVP of the tournament in 2004. This season she has dominated singles play with a 14-5 record and has not lost to a Division II opponent since September of 2005. In addition to her singles dominance, Wyckoff has been part of three successful doubles teams with a combined record of 15-3. For her efforts this spring, she has been named the PSAC Tennis Player of the Week for two out of the four weeks that a recipient has been honored.

The men's tennis MVP is Dan Gal (South Park/South Park). The reigning PSAC Rookie of the Year, Gal played in the number one position for Bloomsburg this season in both singles and doubles. He leads the team in singles wins with 11 on the year and also has seven wins as part of a doubles team. Gal led the Huskies to a berth in the 2006 PSAC Playoffs.

Dan Gal

Beth Schwing

Named the MVP for the women's track team is Beth Schwing (Hershey/Lower Dauphin). Only a freshman, Schwing has already made an impact for the Huskies this season running mostly distance events. She has provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 5,000-meters at the Raleigh Relay Invitational in a time of 17:49.37. Schwing won the 3,000 meter outdoor event at the East Stroudsburg Invitational in a time of 10:25.25 and won the same event indoors at the Susquehanna Open in 10:28.16. She has also qualified for the conference championships in the 1,500 meters.