Sports Update

WINTER SEASONS COMES TO AN END
The winter athletic season just recently concluded. The women’s basketball team ended the year with a 19-11 record after advancing all the way to the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title game against Fairmont State. Junior forward Sarah Van Horn led the team in scoring (20.2 points per game) and in rebounding, averaging 10.3 per game. Van Horn was named the WVIAC Player of the Year while guard Lucia Darling was named to the Honorable Mention team.

The men’s squad season came to an end with a loss to Shepherd in the first round of the WVIAC tournament. The men finished with a 10-18 record. Freshman Justin Caldwell led the Bobcats in scoring with 14.1 points per game while Jerel Thomas and Ryan Hoehner paced the team in rebounds with 6.3 per game. Caldwell was named to the WVIAC All-Freshmen team.

The Wesleyan swim teams ended their season at the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championship. The men’s squad finished eighth while the women’s team finished 12th. Travis McCan had his hand in five of Wesleyan’s top finishes, swimming the opening leg for the ‘Cats in the 200-Yard Freestyle Relay (8th place, 1:32.32), 200-Yard Medley Relay (5th, 1:38.72) and the 400-Yard Medley Relay (7th, 3:39.93). McCan also scored a sixth-place finish with a time of 1:58.41 in the 200-Yard Backstroke and placed 8th in the 200-Yard Individual Medley with a time of 1:59.35. Also for the men, Jarrod Underwood took 8th place in the 100-Yard Backstroke, finishing in 1:00.93. On the women’s side, Amanda Yeager placed 6th in the 1,000-Yard Freestyle with a time of 10:54.25. Renee Marko posted a 1:00.53 time in the 100-Yard Butterfly, good for 8th place.

SPRING UPDATE
The spring break tour for the Bobcats, Lady Bobcats, and tennis ‘Cats was a good one. The baseball team returned with a 7-2 record and currently own a 10-3 mark and are ranked seventh in the region. Senior right-hander Craig Hriblan became the Bobcats’ all-time saves leader, picking up his 11th career save in Wesleyan’s 3-0 victory over Concordia during the tour…..The women currently own a 16-11 ledger. Junior right-hander Stephanie Wheeler tossed a perfect game for Wesleyan’s 7-0 victory over Bellarmine (Ky.) at the Rebel Games in Orlando, FL…..The men’s tennis squad proved they were worthy of high preseason expectations, as the Bobcats posted a 4-1 record during spring break at Hilton Head, SC. The trip, highlighted by a 5-4 victory over nationally-ranked Palm Beach Atlantic, also included a 9-0 rout of Stonehill College, which entered the match as the East Region’s seventh-ranked squad. Wesleyan also picked up an easy 9-0 win over Catawba and defeated Roanoke 8-1. The Bobcats only loss was a 7-2 defeat to Tusculum, which was ranked 37th in the nation at the time. The tennis team is 8-3 overall….. Senior Tyler Blatchley earned his second consecutive top-10 finish in the shot put at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Indoor Championships, finishing 10th with a throw of 16.38 meters (53’9”). Blatchley placed eighth in the event in 2007. Blatchley missed qualifying for the shot put finals by a mere .01 meters, as individuals with the top nine marks after three throws advanced.

For additional information on Wesleyan’s athletic teams, please visit the Athletic Homepage.

Snoberger, Foster Named Scholar Athletes of the Year

Cross country and track and field runner Woody Snoberger and softball player Lara Foster have been named West Virginia Wesleyan’s First Community Bank Scholar Athlete of the Year winners. The award is given to a male and female athlete from each member of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) who has demonstrated proficiency in the classroom as well as in competition. All award winners must compile at least a 3.3 grade-point-average. Snoberger and Foster were honored for their achievements during the WVIAC Basketball Tournament in Charleston’s Civic Center.

Snoberger, a native of Fort Ashby, WV, and a graduate of Frankfort High School, will graduate this May from Wesleyan with a masters in multi-categorical special education. He has earned an undergraduate degree in math and secondary education with a 3.48 G.P.A. His graduate G.P.A. is a 4.0.

“I was actually surprised that I had won the award,” remarked Snoberger. “This year had been pretty rough for me dealing with injuries and a heavy course load. It was a great honor to receive the award in Charleston in front of my family. I would like to thank my head coach Jesse Skiles for nominating me for this award and believing in me.”

Snoberger has been named all-conference in cross country and was the conference’s 10,000-meter champion. He placed third in the 5k track event in 2007, fifth in the 10,000-meter race in 2006, and sixth in the 5,000-meter race in 2004. He was named to the All-American Academic cross country team in 2007.

Following graduation, Snoberger plans to be a high school math teacher.

Foster will also graduate this spring with a 3.6 grade-point-average while working towards a double major in exercise science and sociology.

“It is certainly an honor to be named the Scholar Athlete of the Year,” stated Foster.

On the softball diamond, the former Liberty High stand-out from Catlett, VA was honored as the WVIAC Player of the Year in 2007. The shortstop topped the conference with 13 home runs and 50 runs batted in and stood fourth in the WVIAC with a .395 batting average. She also tied for the conference lead with 49 runs scored. Foster took a leadership role and helped the Lady Bobcats post a second-place finish in the league's regular season race.

A member of the Dean’s List, she is also active in the CHANGE Initiative – a highly competitive national program that trains college students to become actively engaged in Oxfam America’s social justice mission, a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and serves as an assistant coordinator of the Residence and Life Department.

“I am thrilled for both Woody and Lara,” remarked athletic director Dr. George Klebez. “Both students have shown excellence in both the classroom and the playing fields.”

February First Central Bank Scholar Athletes

The West Virginia Wesleyan First Central Bank February Athletes of the Week were honored by First Central Bank Vice President and Mortgage Loan Officer Bruce Blend with certificates for their excellence on the basketball courts and in the swimming pool.

The First Central Bank Wesleyan February Athletes of the Week are, left to right: front row: Lucia Darling (basketball), Sarah Van Horn (basketball. twice), and Brandi Wynn (basketball). Back row: First Central Bank Vice President and Mortgage Loan Officer Bruce Blend, Dustin Nichols (basketball), Ryan Hoehner (basketball), Justin Caldwell (basketball), and Travis McCann (swimming).

Basketball Honors Continue to Pour in for Van Horn

West Virginia Wesleyan junior forward Sarah Van Horn has been stockpiling one post-season award after another this spring. She was selected to the 2007-08 women's basketball Daktronics All-East Region first team, was named the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year,  and is one of 40 finalists selected for the 2008 Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) State Farm Coaches' All-America Team.

Van Horn, a native of Malta, OH, paced the Bobcats to a runner-up finish in the WVIAC Tournament and a 19-11 overall record. The standout forward leads the WVIAC in scoring (20.2 ppg), field goal percentage (.548), and steals (3.8 spg). Her 10.3 rebounds per game stand second in the league. Van Horn tallied 17 double-doubles and will move on to the national Daktronics All-America ballot by virtue of her first team all-region selection. She was also named to the Kodak Women's Basketball Coaches Association's all-region squad earlier this week.

The State Farm Coaches' All-America Team will be announced at the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Banquet on Tuesday, March 25 at the University of Nebraska-Kearney in Kearney, NE.