200 Memories Central
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Welcome back to our celebration of 200 moments, memories, coaches and student-athletes from the history of Lycoming College athletics. In this 16th series of moments, we take a look at some of the most dynamic men’s lacrosse players in the program’s history, a two-time Academic All-American, the creation of a soccer rivalry game and the winningest swim coach in school history.
With no more ado, here are moments 151-160 in our series of 200:
151. Jason Marraccini, 1998 – Following in the footsteps of All-Americans before him in Keith Cadden and Ed Dougherty, Jason Marraccini had seemingly impossible footsteps to fill. But after two seasons playing in the footsteps of Cadden, he stepped into the starting role in 1997 and immediately guided the Warriors to the NCAA Division III National Championship game. A team leader from the first snap of his junior year, he earned back-to-back First Team All-Freedom League honors. Perhaps his greatest performance came in the semifinals of the 1997 NCAA Tournament against Rowan, when he led the Warriors back from a 20-0 halftime deficit, scoring on a five-yard run to cap an 80-yard fourth quarter drive to give Lycoming a 21-20 lead en route to the 28-20 win. During the season, he tied the school record for rushing touchdowns with 13. As a senior, the Bangor High graduate was even better – earning American Football Coaches’ Association All-American honors, becoming the only first team All-American quarterback in school history. Marraccini set the school record for passing yards in a game (243.8) while tossing for 2,682 yards and finishing ninth in the nation with a 149.1 pass efficiency rating. He finished his career with two MAC titles and he still holds the school’s all-time records for pass efficiency (141.3), average yards per pass attempt (8.3) and average yards per completion (15.6). Currently a news photographer with WPVI TV in Philadelphia, he was inducted into the Lycoming College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.
152. Cricket Temple, 1999 – From the time she stepped foot on campus, it was clear that Cricket Temple was a different type of tennis player. From that first season, when the Picture Rocks, Pa., native went 14-0 overall and claimed the women’s program’s only MAC Individual Championship with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Drew’s Brecken Durham, she left an indelible stamp on the Warriors. A decade after her 2002 graduation, Temple is still the program’s all-time leader in just about every category possible after playing every single match of her career in the No. 1 singles and doubles slot. Her 49 career singles wins and .891 winning percentage top the chart, while her 37 doubles wins and .881 percentage in that arena are both second. Her overall career record of 86-11 is also the best in school history. She kept the Warriors at the forefront of the Freedom League, as the team posted a 34-8 overall record and a 20-4 mark in the conference, finishing first in the league standings twice. Along the way, she earned three first-team all-conference honors and two Freedom League Player of the Year awards in 2000 and 2002 to match her individual title in 1999. She was inducted into the Lycoming College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.
153. Football's regular-season win streak, 1995-2000 - By 1995, the Warriors had already notched 20 straight winning seasons under Coach Frank Girardi. The legacy had been cemented – seven MAC titles, including four in a row from 1989-92, so what could you do to top it? Well, the Class of 1999, which featured All-MAC performers in defensive lineman Cameron Coleman, offensive lineman Mike Kemmerer, quarterback Ryan Swailes, wide receiver Tim Dumas, linebacker Mike McGough, offensive lineman John Mooney, running back Jason Davis and wide receiver Jake Maskerines simply refused to lose. In the 1999 senior class’ resume was a spotless 36-0 during the regular season. With two wins to start the streak in 1995 and one more to close it out in 2000 before a wild 50-49 overtime loss at Widener finally ended the stretch, the 39 consecutive regular seasons surpassed the mark of 27 wins from 1990-92, as just 11 opponents came within 10 points of the Warriors during the run. The Warriors started the run in 1995 with a pair of wins to help the team secure an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament, where they posted a 31-27 win over Widener before falling to Washington & Jefferson. After a 9-0 1996 season, the Warriors won a pair of NCAA Tournament games at David Person Field to reach the semifinals before Rowan beat them, 33-14. The Warriors returned the favor in 1997, coming back from down 20 at halftime to secure a 28-20 win over the Profs in the national semifinals, reaching the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl for the second time, where they fell to Mount Union. In 1998, the Warriors won an NCAA Tournament game for the fourth straight year with a win over Catholic. During the last year of the impressive run in 1999, the Warriors lost in the NCAA Tournament. Still, in the five-season run, the Warriors went 7-5 in the NCAA Tournament. Between 1995 and 2000, the Warriors came in fast and furious for the team, with 87 earning All-Freedom League citations, 17 notching All-American honors, three earning Freedom League Player of the Year awards and Girardi earning five Freedom League Coach of the Year accolades.
154. Scott Kennell, 2000-11 - In 11 years at Lycoming College, Scott Kennell shaped the Warriors into one of the toughest men’s soccer programs in Pennsylvania, posting a 93-52-8 record (.634 winning percentage) with five appearances in the conference playoffs during his last eight years. In 10 seasons as head coach, Kennell mentored 29 all-conference selections and one league rookie of the year. He guided the team through six winning seasons, earning Commonwealth Conference Coach of the Year accolades in 2007, the team’s first run through the conference which included perennial national powers Messiah and Elizabethtown. He started to leave his mark on the legacy of Lycoming soccer earlier in 2006, when he became the winningest coach in program history, passing Rob Eaton, who won 66 games from 1990-96. He took Lycoming to more conference playoffs than any previous coach, reaching the Freedom Conference championship in 2004 and finishing the year 14-5-1. In 2003, Kennell’s 15-5 squad was named the NCAA’s Most Improved Division III Program. As the coach of the women's program, Kennell is tied for the school record of 30 wins during his four years. He also led the team to the best season in school history in 2004, when the Warriors finished 12-5-1. A graduate of North Carolina Wesleyan, Kennell was also tabbed to replace the legendary Frank Girardi as director of athletics in 2008, serving in the role for three years before accepting the same role at Penn College.
155. Jeanine Evans, 1997-2000 – Although Jeanine Evans had established herself as one of the Lycoming softball team’s best infielders in her first two years with the program, it was her last two seasons that really defined her legacy. The shortstop from Centre Hall, Pa., solidified the Warrior lineup, as she hit .447, the third-best average in school history, while adding a school-record five home runs and six doubles to help the Warriors to the championship game of the Middle Atlantic Conference playoffs. She also stole a school-record 16 bases. After the season, she became just the third player in school history to earn NFCA All-East Region Team honors and she became the first player in program history to earn CoSIDA Academic All-American honors. As a senior, she was even better, hitting a school-record .488 while posting eight stolen bases. She broke the school record for hits (116) and stolen bases (32) during her senior year, while finishing her career with a .404 average en route to her second Academic All-American honors. She is still in the top 10 in school history in 13 career categories and in 15 single-season categories as well as being one of only two athletes in school history to earn Academic All-American honors twice in their careers. She was inducted into the Lycoming College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.
156. Mark Barnes, 1998-2001 - When Mark Barnes joined the Lycoming men’s lacrosse team in just its second season of existence, he immediately made an impact for the team. As the team’s top faceoff man and as a longstick midfielder, he won 52 percent in the circle, picking up 123 groundballs and 23 points while earning his first of four straight All-MAC First Team honors as a freshman. As a sophomore, the Elmira, N.Y., native scored 16 times and won 58 percent in the circle, helping him lead the Warriors to the MAC Championship in just their third year as a program. In the process, he earned his first of three straight USILA Honorable Mention All-American honors and he also became the first MAC Player of the Year in the program’s history. He was just as good as a junior, winning 61 percent of his faceoffs and setting a record with 168 groundballs. He finished his career in 2001 by helping the Warriors finish in a tie for first in the MAC, the first of two times that the program topped the regular season standings. He still holds the school record with 609 career groundballs. He was inducted into the Lycoming College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.
157. Mike Bonnes, 1999-01 – When Mike Bonnes transferred to Lycoming College for the 1999 men’s lacrosse season, the 5-10, 175-pound attackman became a welcome complement to Shawn Rosa, an All-American in 1998. In the next three years, the Warriors had two of the top five scorers in the Middle Atlantic Conference, with Bonnes finishing in the top five in the league in points per game all three times. From Ridley Park, Pa., he burst onto the scene with the Warriors, helping them leap to second in the league standings in the program’s third-year and he finished tied for the league lead with 4.15 goals per game. He posted 50 goals in all three seasons of his career, notching a school-record 57 in 2000 as a junior. One of the highlights of his career came as a senior, when he started with his brothers, Ryan and Shaun, in the attack for the Warriors in a 23-3 win over King’s (Pa.), as the trio combined for 12 goals and seven assists. Mike had three assists in the first quarter of the game, dishing all of them out to his brothers. He broke Rosa’s record of 135 goals midway through his senior year and finished with 56 scores, the second-most in school history and fifth in the nation, as he finished his career with 168 goals. He also finished 10
th in the nation in Lax.com’s Clutch Rating (19.41) and fourth in points (86). A three-time All-MAC selection, Bonnes helped the team to a 32-13 record and two appearances in the MAC Championship game during his three years in the program. He still holds the school record in points per game (5.18), goals per game (3.73) and shots attempted (416).
158. Battle of the Boot/River Derby, 2001 – A rivalry that had grown plenty in stature throughout the late ’80s and ’90s, Lycoming College and its neighbor to the south, Susquehanna University, had seen plenty of exciting matches on the gridiron, including a game in 1992 that drew more than 9,000 people to David Person Field. So, as both men’s soccer programs began to build their profile as regionally-competitive teams in the early part of the 21
st century, it was a natural step to make the game against the rivals worth a bit more than bragging rights. The two teams played just seven times in the ’90s, so the addition of a trophy ensured an annual game between the two squads. Lycoming head coach Scott Kennell and Susquehanna head coach Jim Findlay, a former Lycoming assistant coach under Jack Shaffer, bronzed and mounted “The Boot,” a soccer cleat from Findlay’s days in club soccer in Canada. The rivalry took off immediately, with the first three games being decided by one goal. The crowds followed suit, with the 10
th edition in 2010 drawing 700 fans in Selinsgrove before the 2011 game in Williamsport, which was won on an overtime goal by Charlie Vess for the Warriors, drew nearly 500 fans. The rivalry’s games were so intense that many other programs set up their own trophy games, with the women’s soccer team facing off in the River Derby with the Crusaders starting in 2007. Both the softball and men’s lacrosse teams also host trophy games.
159. Jerry Hammaker, 2001 - It may have just been a happy coincidence that Jerry Hammaker moved back to his hometown of Williamsport just weeks before the swimming coach at Lycoming College resigned, but it may also have just a touch of fate to the story as well. After a year as an assistant coach, Hammaker took over the reins in 2001 and in the ensuing 11 years, the swim team has reached levels of unprecedented success in the Warriors’ annals, with the men’s team winning 68 percent of its dual meets and the women winning 73 percent. Along the way, 21 individuals or relay teams earned Middle Atlantic Conference titles. Hammaker holds the school records for overall career dual meet wins (154) and most wins with the women’s program (80). The high-water mark for Hammaker and the swim program, though, came in 2009-10 when a young Lady Warriors squad took the school’s first team title since 1997 and Lindsay Hunsicker was named the first MAC Swimmer of the Year in school history. Academic success has also been paramount for the swimmers, as four of Hammaker’s student-athletes have earned Scholar All-American status. He has drastically increased both the talent and depth of the teams. Lycoming swimmers have set 64 new school records over the past seven years, including marks dating back to the early-1980s. The 2009-10 women’s team set 10 school records of its own. Outside the pool, the women’s swim team has won CSCAA Scholar All-American Team honors for posting a team GPA better than 3.0 in one semester in each of the last seven years. The men’s swim team has earned the honor in five of the last seven seasons. Lycoming has also been represented at the NCAA Championships with Nate DeCapria placing second in the 50-yard freestyle in 2003. In addition, he has coached 113 all-conference relay teams and 202 all-conference individuals.
160. Royce Eyer, 2001 – From the time that Royce Eyer came to Lycoming College from Orangeville, Pa., it was clear that he would be a solid member of the team willing to help the team in any role possible. After wrestling at 134 pounds and winning 26 matches as a freshman, he won 20 more as a sophomore at 165 pounds. As a junior, he dropped two weight classes back and the results showed, as he went 35-5 win 15 pins, finishing fourth at the NCAA Championships and winning his first MAC title at 149 pounds. As a senior, he was even better at 157 pounds, destroying the school record by winning 46 matches, his second MAC title and becoming the eighth national champion in school history. Eyer entered the national tournament as the No. 2 seed, winning four matches en route to the title match while also posting a pin and a major decision. In the finals, he faced off with Ryan Ciotoli of Ithaca College, who had beaten Eyer twice in the regular season. After falling behind 2-0 in the first period, Eyer had to comeback to win, and he did, using second and third period takedowns for the 4-3 win. More than a decade after his last match, Eyer still holds school records for career (127) and single-season wins (46, 2000-01) and career pins (51). Besides his work on the mat, the marketing and finance major was also an exemplary student, earning NWCA Scholar All-American honors three times and Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-American honors as a senior. He has continued his association with the wrestling program in the decade since he graduated, serving as an assistant coach for head coach Roger Crebs multiple times and he was inducted into the Lycoming College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.
We hope you enjoyed our 16th look at 200 Memories. Stay tuned on Friday, March 30, as moments 161-170 will be released, with moments capturing the period from 2001-04, as we take a look at a new era of volleyball dominance, a conference championship almost 100 years in the making and one of the most tragic tales in the school’s 200 years.
As always, if you feel we missed an event or two that can be deemed a memorable moment or a memorable student-athlete, please share them. Tell us why they are special and any information you may have about that moment or person by contacting Sports Information Director Joe Guistina at
guistina@lycoming.edu. Special addendums with your feedback will be released following the conclusion of the list in 2012.
