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 18th series of moments, we take a look at the best golfing duo in school history, a women’s lacrosse scoring machine and one of the best pitchers in the NCAA Division III’s softball history.

With no more ado, here are moments 171-180 in our series of 200:

171. Lauren Evangelist, 2004 – Even though Lauren Evangelist entered her senior year with the women’s lacrosse team poised to become the second player in school history to reach 100 goals in a career, it was hard to foresee what the Boyertown, Pa., native accomplished. With first-year head coach Kara Reber adapting a new offense to the program, Evangelist took off, scoring 72 goals in 15 games, smashing the school’s single-season record and finishing second in the NCAA Division III with 4.8 goals per game. Her 4.6 draw controls per game were also fifth and her 4.73 groundballs per game were 18th, helping her wrap up her career with her first First Team All-MAC honors after earning three second-team accolades. In all, Evangelist, who was invited to play in the USWLA National Tournament with the Upper Atlantic Team in 2001, posted 158 career goals (third in school history) and 35 assists (7^th in school history), while her 193 points are fifth. She also holds school records with 275 career groundballs, 2.70 draw controls per game, 71 draw controls in 2004 and 43 caused turnovers in 2002. She was inducted into the Lycoming College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.

172. Heidi von Schwedler, 2000-03 – During Heidi von Schwedler’s career, the Lycoming College women’s tennis team won two Freedom League regular-season crowns and posted an overall record of 30-11 (.732). A large part of that success, the Mount Pocono graduate started all four years and moved up the lineup through her career. As a freshman, she started at No. 4 singles, posting an 8-2 record before moving to No. 3 singles, where she went 6-3, as a sophomore in 2001. By her senior year, she had secured the top spot in the team’s singles lineup, helping her secure First Team All-Freedom Conference accolades. However, it was her work in doubles play that sets her apart. Never winning less than nine doubles matches in a year, von Schwedler set the school’s doubles wins record with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Wilkes’ Kristin Kile and Rajitha Devadoss in the second round of the Middle Atlantic Conference Individual Championships as a senior with partner Josemar Castillo. von Schwedler finished her career with 39 doubles wins after reaching the doubles semifinals with Castillo, posting an 11-1 record as a senior. With Castillo as her partner in her last two seasons, the Warriors reached the quarterfinals of the MAC Individual Championships twice and posted a 20-4 overall record. As a sophomore, she teamed with Pamela Zegar to post a 10-4 overall mark and reach the MAC quarterfinals and as a freshman, she teamed with Heather Straub to post a 9-2 mark in doubles play, also winning a match at the MAC Individual Championships. von Schwedler’s combined mark of 66-21 is the fifth-most in program history and her career mark of 7-4 in doubles play at the MAC Individual Championships is also the most in school history.

173. Jeff Kocher, 2002-05 – Part of Scott Kennell’s second recruiting class at Lycoming, Jeff Kocher helped turn around a Warrior program that had won just 11 games in Kennell’s first two years. It was clear from the first time he stepped on the field that he was special, and after posting eight goals and a league-leading nine assists as a freshman, he earned Second Team All-Freedom Conference records. As a sophomore, he was simply unstoppable, scoring a school-record tying 21 goals and adding 16 assists, finishing fourth in the NCAA Division III at 2.90 points per game and sixth with 1.0 goals per game. Meanwhile, he helped transform the Warriors into the most improved team in Division III, going from six wins in 2002 to 15 and its first spot in the Freedom Conference playoffs in 2003. The exceptional season earned him the conference’s triple crown, leading the league in goals, assists and points and helped him earn his first of two First Team All-Freedom Conference honors and he also earned Third Team NSCAA All-Middle Atlantic Region accolades. As a junior, even though his scoring efforts dropped to 13 goals and nine assists, he still led the league in points per game (1.84) and he finished tied for first in assists (0.47) while leading the Warriors to the conference title game for the first time since 1999. He wrapped up his career in 2005 by smashing nearly every career school record in the book, breaking Matt Pivirotto’s marks of 53 goals and 128 points early in the season en route to finishing with a school-record 163 points, 62 goals, 39 assists and 18 game-winning goals. His 20 goals and five assists during his senior year, meanwhile, helped Lycoming reach the conference playoffs for the third straight year and he led the league in points for the third straight year (2.25), while also leading it in goals (1.00). He wrapped up his career by earning his second all-region honor, this time taking second-team honors.

174. Jim Bechtel, 2003-06 – A business major from Muncy Valley, Pa., Jim Bechtel is the most decorated golfer in school history. A CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-District selection as a senior and a 2006 Middle Atlantic Conference Scholar-Athlete, the highest honor given by the conference, Bechtel was vital to the Warriors emergence in the Middle Atlantic Conference.  He took earned medalist at the Lebanon Valley College tournament in 2005, carding a low round of 76 and he took second at Susquehanna University’s fall tournament in 2004.  Bechtel also thrived at conference championships, finishing sixth in the 2004 Middle Atlantic Conference tournament and he became the first Warrior in school history to earn two all-conference honors in a career when he tied for second with teammate Jordan Isenberg at the 2005 Freedom Conference tournament. A mainstay on the Lycoming College Dean’s List and MAC Honor Roll, Bechtel was honored with several awards at the 2006 Lycoming College Honors Convocation. Included in his accolades was the John G. Hollenback Award, given for the highest academic performance and outstanding service in the business department, the Charles J. Kocian Award as the business major showing the greatest proficiency in statistics, the James E. Wehr Financial Accounting Award for demonstrating a personal expertise in the subject of financial accounting, the Faculty Prize given to a senior computing student who participated in student activities and who is in the upper half of the class. He was also recognized as an Institute for Management Studies Scholar. As a junior, Bechtel was honored with the Durant L. Furey III Award for showing outstanding achievement in auditing. During his sophomore year, he was presented with the Managerial Accounting Award for exhibiting outstanding performance in managerial accounting. He was also inducted into several honor societies, including the Phi Kappa Phi National Academic Honor Society, Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society, and Omicron Mu Epsilon Economic Honor Society.  He was President of the Lycoming’s chapter of Delta Mu Delta.

175. Jonathan Pribble, 2002-06 - From the day he entered Lycoming College, Jonathan Pribble was one of the men’s basketball team’s top scorers, leaving a mark on the basketball program seldom seen before. Along the way, he picked up Freedom Conference Rookie of the Year, three all-conference honors and a league Player of the Year award as a senior. He also earned NABC All-District honors as a junior and senior and was the first player in school history to earn First Team D3hoops.com All-Middle Atlantic Region honors as a senior. The Woolrich, Pa., native wrapped up his career second in school history with 1,974 points and 252 career 3-pointers made, third in scoring average (19.0), third in field goals made (688), fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (.391), fifth in free throws made (346), fifth in blocked shots (65) and ninth in steals (115). During his last three seasons, Pribble eclipsed 500 points in every one, posting three of the 11 500-point seasons in school history. As a sophomore, he posted 561 points, leading the Freedom Conference in scoring for the first of two times, and led the Warriors to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He also won eight Freedom Conference Player of the Week awards. He was inducted into the Lycoming College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.

176. Steve Hawley, 2003-06 - One of the most-driven athletes to ever dive into the Lamade Gym Natatorium, Steve Hawley wrapped up his career with a school-record six MAC titles and five school records. The New Cumberland, Pa., native notched three MAC titles at the 2004 championships, posting wins in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard backstroke, as well as serving as the first leg in the school-record setting 200-yard freestyle relay. He followed that with titles in the 50-free and 100-back as a junior and made it a three-peat in the 50-free as a senior. The decorated career didn’t stop there, as Hawley was named the MAC Scholar Athlete in swimming as a senior and he became just the sixth student-athlete in school history to earn First Team Capital One Academic All-American honors in 2006. He was also a two-time CSCAA Scholar All American and a three-time member of the MAC Academic Honor Roll. Outside the pool, Hawley was just as purposeful, serving as the school’s valedictorian in 2006, as well as earning the 2005 IRUSKA Honor Society Award. After Lycoming, Hawley moved on to the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine, finishing his degree in 2010. He was inducted into the Lycoming College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.

177. Morgan Mantle, 2003-06 – The softball program has long had a history with Jersey Shore, beginning when Sally Snyder, one of the school’s best pitchers came to the College in 1995, and continuing today, as head coach Dan Lazorka came to the Warriors from the Bulldogs in 2009. However, in 2002, it looked as if Morgan Mantle was bound for Pittsburgh for college before she enrolled in the College just in time for the 2003 season. Four years later, the Jersey Shore product left Lycoming with one of the greatest legacies in the history of the athletic program. She holds no less than eight of the school’s pitching records, including a 1.18 career ERA, which is the 23^rd-best in the history of the NCAA Division III. She also holds seven single-season records. She earned NFCA All-East Region Third Team honors as a freshman and sophomore and was a four-time First Team All-Freedom Conference selection. She guided the Warriors to the Freedom Conference Championship in all four years of her career, with the team finishing second three times. As a senior, Mantle capped her career by being named the Freedom Conference Pitcher of the Year. Among her litany of notable achievements, Mantle struck out a school-record 501 batters while walking 105 in 436.1 innings and her 0.56 ERA as a junior is also a school record.

178. Lindsey Artz, 2003-06 – When Lindsey Artz came to Lycoming College in 2003, the volleyball team was coming off its first appearance in the Freedom Conference finals. In her four years with the Warriors, she led the squad to four more finals appearances and two conference titles. The 6-1 middle hitter made an immediate impact while playing behind 2001 Freedom Conference Player of the Year Layne Haverstock, finishing third in the conference with a .267 hitting percentage and leading the conference with 1.02 blocks per set. As a sophomore, Artz moved into the team’s primary hitting role, leaping to the top of the conference with 4.44 kills per set, finishing 24^th in Division III, while also leading the league with 1.29 blocks per set. Meanwhile, she helped the Warriors to the first conference title in school history drilling 24 kills in the conference title match, a five-set thriller against FDU-Florham. She was even better as a junior, once again leading the Warriors to the conference finals, as she finished seventh in Division III and led the Freedom Conference with 4.91 kills per game. She wrapped up her career in 2006 by leading the Warriors back to the NCAA Tournament and by leading the Freedom Conference for the third time in rejections, averaging 1.57 per set. Once again, in the conference title game, Artz rose to the challenge in a five-set affair, posting 28 kills and three blocks while hitting a solid .418. Along the way, she shattered the school’s career kills mark, finishing with 1,927 and also set the school record for solo blocks (407) and points (2,631). In all, the Hegins, Pa., native earned two First Team All-Freedom Conference accolades, one second-team honor and she was named the conference’s player of the year in 2005.

179. Blue Jay down, 2006 – The College’s men’s soccer team has never been given too many favors. After all, it plays in unquestionably one of the most historically strong and difficult small college conferences in the nation. Each year, the Warriors face off with Elizabethtown and Messiah, two of the most storied programs in the nation. That has led to struggles along the way, none more significant than the 41 losses and one tie that the Blue Jays dealt the Warriors from 1957-2005, a span of nearly 50 years. The one tie, coming on Nov. 2, 1991, was considered program-defining under head coach Rob Eaton and over the next three years, he built the team into the finest in the Freedom League, but in both 1994 and 1995, it was the Blue Jays that stopped the Warriors in the Middle Atlantic Conference playoffs. In 1999, the Blue Jays did it one more time, beating Jack Shafer’s Warriors in the conference title game. Six years later, Scott Kennell’s Warriors finally turned the tide on Sept. 23, 2006. While the Blue Jays entered the game, 5-1-1 and ranked nationally, Lycoming had struggled to a 1-3-2 record. Lycoming put solid pressure on from the start of the game, with freshman Chris Lorenzet bouncing a shot off the crossbar in the first half. In the second half, four-time all-conference midfielder Matt Frey sealed the deal, as he collected a rebounded shot by Zach Frederick and fired it into the net. Meanwhile, Matt Klipp preserved the shutout, making a diving stop with 10 minutes left to preserve the win, one of his six saves. The win changed the fortunes for the Warriors against the Blue Jays, as they are 3-3-1 since that game.

180. Jordan Isenberg, 2004-07 – The Mounties have been very kind to Lycoming College over the years. The school’s all-time leading men’s and women’s basketball players were South Williamsport High School graduates. The golf program, likewise, can count a former Mountie amongst the most accomplished athletes in its program history. Jordan Isenberg left his mark by becoming the only golfer in school history to earn First Team All-Freedom Conference honors twice in a career. He led the team to a breakthrough effort at the 2005 Freedom Conference Championships, tying for second place with Jim Bechtel to help the Warriors finish a school-record second at the event. Isenberg, who finished 52^nd at the MAC Championships in 2004, fired an 80 on the first day of the competition before posting an 81 on the second day at the Hershey Country Club’s East Course. As a junior, he was just as good, shooting a three-round score of 237 (81-81-75), making a charge on the last day of the tournament to place fifth in the conference and earn his second all-conference honors, this time at the Shawnee Inn & Golf Club. As a senior, weather took much of the season away from the Warriors, but Isenberg still posted a top-20 performance at the Freedom Conference Championships, finishing tied for 17^th to wrap up his career.

We hope you enjoyed our 18th look at 200 Memories. Stay tuned on Friday, April 27, as moments 181-190 will be released, with moments capturing the period from 2007-10, as we take a look at a new era for the football team, an NCAA scoring champion and one of the longest scoring streaks in NCAA history.

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.