COLLEGE CORNER: Kile, Bucknell celebrate NCAA victory
May 6—The Bucknell University field hockey team's thrilling season came to an end in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division I Tournament Sunday at Penn State.
On the same field where they rallied for a 2-1 double-overtime victory over VCU two days earlier, the Bison were unable to recreate that magic against No. 2 seed Michigan.
The Wolverines scored in both the second and third quarters for a 2-0 victory and a berth in the semifinal round.
Bucknell concluded its spring season 6-4 after an 0-3 start, winning the Patriot League championship for the first time, making its first NCAA tournament, and getting its first tournament victory.
Right in the middle Bucknell's season of firsts was Crestwood High School graduate Makenzie Kile. The sophomore forward from Mountain Top started all 10 games for the Bison, and had a huge assist in the opening-round tournament win over VCU last Friday.
Her assist on a goal by Mary Kate Stefanowicz in the third period tied the match and eventually forced overtime, where Stefanowicz won it with her goal in double-overtime.
Kile's game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory at Colgate in April was part of Bucknell's six-game winning streak that made program history. She finished the season with one goal and two assists, and has two goals and seven assists in 26 career starts for the Bison.
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Eastern University first-year golfer Marin Dremock carded an impressive two-day total of 164 on the very fast greens at Golden Oaks Golf Club in Fleetwood to earn All-MAC Honors and pace her team at the 2021 MAC Women's Golf Championships over the weekend.
Dremock finished the front nine with seven pars and avoided the big number on the back to finish with a day-2 80.
"Marin played fantastic today," Eastern head coach Drew Patterson said of the former Hazleton Area golf standout. "She was really really consistent. (It was a) tough finish for her but still parring the last hole for an 80. She stayed calm and enjoyed the day and had fun with it.
"Marin has put a bunch of work in this year, and it really showed this weekend. It was so nice to see it all pay off for her."
Dremock put herself in good position with a strong first day on Saturday with a pair of birdies. She hit a 10-foot putt on six and dropped a wedge from 70 yards out to within a foot on the 18th hole.
York shot 647 to beat Stevenson by eight strokes for the team title.
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Megan Trivelpiece's two-run single in the top of the seventh inning Tuesday propelled Drexel University past Princeton, 3-1, ending a five-game losing streak against the Tigers that dated back nearly three decades.
Entering the opening game of Tuesday's double-header as a pinch-hitter with runners at second and third, Trivelpiece lined a 1-2 pitch up the middle to snap a 1-1 tie and give the Dragons their first win over Princeton since 1992. Princeton won the nightcap, 2-1. Drexel's lone run came when Trivelpiece drew a bases-loaded walk.
A Hazleton Area graduate, Trivelpiece has played in 34 of 35 games and has made 30 starts for Drexel this season. The junior corner infielder is batting .311 with six doubles, one home run and 18 RBIs. She has drawn 17 walks and has struck out just six times in 90 at-bats, with a .421 on-base percentage.
Drexel (25-10) will close out its regular season with a three-game series at Towson Saturday and Sunday. Wins in two of those games will secure the top seed from the North Division for the upcoming conference tournament.
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Marissa Trivelpiece turned in two highlight-reel catches to help Michigan State's softball team preserve a 2-0 win over Indiana Saturday.
The freshman shortstop helped turn a double play in the sixth inning, then stole a base hit with a runner at third in the seventh with another big catch to help seal the Big Ten victory.
The Hazleton Area graduate has played in 25 games and made 21 starts for the Spartans (10-19), and is batting .209 with two doubles, two home runs and seven RBI. She's fielding at a .946 clip.
Michigan State began a seven-game home stand Wednesday with a single game against Michigan, then host a four-game weekend set with Wisconsin.
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Former Hazleton Area baseball player Corey Zientek scored the walk-off game-winning run in the ninth inning Tuesday to lift the University of Scranton past Susquehanna.
With the game tied at 4-4, Zientek led off the bottom of the ninth with a single. The freshman from Sugarloaf stole second, and scored on a Justin Pinckert single for the walk-off 5-4 victory.
Scranton added a 5-2 win in the nightcap to wrap up the top seed for the upcoming Landmark Conference Tournament. It is just the second time the Royals (16-8) have earned the top seed for the conference tournament.
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Kutztown University golfers Olivia Donnini and Grace Babinchak closed out their spring seasons in strong fashion at the East Stroudsburg University Invitational.
Donnini, a sophomore and a Crestwood High School graduate, tied for second place with a round of 85 at par-72 Glen Brook Golf Club in Stroudsburg. Her round included nine pars, and her score of 85 matched her season low set at the previous tournament at Alvernia.
Babinchak was marking her low round of the season at the ESU Spring Invitational as well, carding an 87 to tie for fifth place out of 24 golfers. The Hazleton Area graduate from Hazleton is one of two freshmen on the young Kutztown squad, which is expected to return all seven golfers in 2021-22.
