Bennie Alula and Matt Becht, SNHU Student-Athletes of the Week graphic

Week at a Glance: January 23-29

1/30/2023 2:55:00 PM

Alula, Becht corral SNHU Student-Athlete of the Week accolades

Southern New Hampshire University Athletics
Week at a Glance (January 23-29, 2023)

Female Athlete of the Week: Bennie Alula - Women's Track & Field - Gr.
Bennie Alula (Hartford, Conn.) turned in a season-best 14.67m to win the weight throw and also placed second in the shot put with a new personal best of 11.77m, as women's track & field finished second at the 11-team Husky Invitational at the University of Southern Maine on Saturday.

Male Athlete of the Week: Matt Becht - Men's Basketball - Jr., G
Matt Becht (Vienna, Va.) averaged 15.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game during a 2-0 week for men's basketball, while shooting 52.6 percent (10-19) from the field, including 36.4 percent (4-11) from long distance, and 87.5 percent (7-8) from the stripe. Becht scored 17 points (7-13 FG, 3-7 3-FG), grabbed six rebounds and dished a pair of assists in a 65-64 win over Southern Connecticut State University on Tuesday, and then tallied 14 points (3-6 FG, 1-4 3-FG, 7-8 FG), six rebounds and two helpers in Saturday's 66-49 victory against Pace University.

Women's Basketball (14-4, 10-3 NE10)

Last Week's Results:
1/24 vs. Southern Connecticut - L, 58-62
1/28 vs. Pace - W, 77-74
This Week's Games:
2/1 at Bentley - 5:30 p.m.
2/4 at Adelphi - 1:30 p.m.

Notes:
- Women's basketball split a pair of home games last week, dropping a 62-58 decision to Southern Connecticut State University on Tuesday, before bouncing back with a 77-74 win over Pace University on Saturday.
- Junior Jess Knight (Hanover, Mass.) averaged a double-double of 13.5 points and 14.0 rebounds, to go with 2.0 blocks and 1.0 assist per game, during a 1-1 week for the Penmen. Knight notched 11 points (3-14 FG, 5-6 FT), a career-high 16 rebounds, two assists and two blocks in a 62-58 loss against Southern Connecticut on Tuesday. She posted 16 points (5-12 FG, 6-10 FT), 12 boards and a pair of blocks in Saturday's 77-74 win over Pace.
- Senior Ariana Koivisto (Pomfret, Conn.) posted 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.0 steal and 1.0 block, while hitting on 68.8 percent (11-16) of her shots from the field, including 57.1 percent (4-7) from downtown. She chipped in nine points (4-6 FG, 1-2 3-FG) against the Owls and then netted a career-high 18 points (7-10 FG, 3-5 3-FG, 1-4 FT) and grabbed nine rebounds versus the Setters.
- Senior Adriana Timberlake (Braintree, Mass.) recorded 16.0 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds, while shooting 37 percent (10-27) from the floor and 75 percent (9-12) from the stripe. She matched a season-high with 24 points (8-15 FG, 3-6 3-FG, 5-6 FT) against SCSU, to go with three rebounds and a pair of assists, before tallying eight points (2-12 FG, 4-6 FT), three rebounds, six assists and a pair of blocks against Pace.

Men's Basketball (12-7, 9-4 NE10)

Last Week's Results:
1/24 vs. Southern Connecticut - W, 65-64
1/28 vs. Pace - W, 66-49
This Week's Games:
2/1 at Bentley - 7:30 p.m.
2/4 at Adelphi - 3:30 p.m.

Notes:
- Men's basketball went 2-0 last week and has now won eight of its last nine. The Penmen edged Southern Connecticut State University, 65-64, Tuesday, and then defeated Pace University, 66-49.
- Junior Matt Becht (Vienna, Va.) averaged 15.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, while shooting 52.6 percent (10-19) from the field, including 36.4 percent (4-11) from long distance, and 87.5 percent (7-8) from the stripe. Becht scored 17 points (7-13 FG, 3-7 3-FG), grabbed six rebounds and dished a pair of assists in a 65-64 win over Southern Connecticut on Tuesday, and then tallied 14 points (3-6 FG, 1-4 3-FG, 7-8 FG), six rebounds and two helpers in Saturday's 66-49 victory against Pace.
- Sophomore Ethan Okwuosa (No. Haven, Conn.) matched his career high with 20 points (8-16 FG, 3-6 3-FG, 1-2 FT) and grabbed six rebounds against the Owls.
- Sophomore Evan Guillory (Springfield, Mo.) scored 17 points (5-11 FG, 1-3 3-FG, 6-7 FT) and stuffed the stat sheet with eight rebounds, a career-high five steals, three assists and two blocks against the Setters.

Men's Ice Hockey (6-15, 5-11 NE10)

Last Week's Results:
1/27 vs. Saint Michael's - L, 1-6
1/28 vs. Saint Michael's - L, 1-5
This Week's Games:
2/3 vs. Franklin Pierce - 7:30 p.m.
2/4 vs. Franklin Pierce - 3:10 p.m.

Notes:
- Men's ice hockey went 0-2 last week, losing a pair of home contests to Saint Michael's on Friday (6-1) and Saturday (5-1).
- Senior Ryan Coady (Braintree, Mass.) scored the lone goal Friday, while sophomore Jack Gray (Lowell, Mass.) notched the only Penmen tally Saturday.
- Graduate student goaltender Adam Mercer (Belchertown, Mass.) made 19 saves in the opening 49:32 on Friday and turned aside 26 of 29 in the initial 35:47 Saturday. Sophomore Cam Bernard (Bedford, N.H.) stopped all four shots he faced in the final 10:15 Friday and made one save Saturday over 4:13. Freshman Nathan Loisel (Saint-Laurent, Quebec) made all seven saves in the final period Saturday.

Women's Track & Field

Last Week's Results:
1/28 at Husky Invitational - 2nd/11
1/28 at John Thomas Terrier Classic - NTS
This Week's Games:
2/2 at NEICAAA Championships - 1:30 p.m.
2/3 at NEICAAA Championships - 10 a.m.
2/4 at Plymouth Winter Classic

Notes:
- Women's track & field split between two meets Saturday. The Penmen finished second at the 11-team Husky Invitational at the University of Southern Maine and took part in the no-team scoring John Thomas Terrier Classic at Boston University.
- Graduate student Bennie Alula (Hartford, Conn.) turned in a season-best 14.67m to win the weight throw at the Husky Invitational and also placed second in the shot put with a new personal best of 11.77m.
- Freshman Anne Wiersma (Velhoven, The Netherlands) won the 800m race with a new PR of 2:33.97 at USM.
- In the mike at BU, graduate student Ashley Corcoran (East Longmeadow, Mass.) fell just short of her program record of 4:51.44, finishing 29^th with a 4:52.78. The NCAA provisional qualifying time is listed as the fastest in the region among NCAA Division II athletes.

Women's Tennis (12-0, 9-0 NE10)

Last Week's Results:
Idle
This Week's Games:
Idle

Notes:
- Women's tennis is off until the spring.

Men's Tennis (3-0, 0-0 NE10)

Last Week's Results:
1/27 at Boston College - L, 0-7 (Exhibition)
This Week's Games:
2/4 vs. Babson - 3 p.m.

Notes:
- Men's tennis dropped an exhibition at Boston College on Friday and will take on Babson College on Saturday (3 p.m.) at the YMCA Allard Center of Goffstown.

Men's Golf

Last Week's Results:
Idle
This Week's Events:
Idle

Notes:
- Men's golf is off until the spring.

Completed Seasons

Women's Soccer (6-6-5, 3-4-5 NE10)

Notes:
- Women's soccer finished 6-6-5, including 3-4-5 in the NE10, and earned the No. 8 seed for the NE10 Championship. The Penmen traveled to the top-seeded College of Saint Rose for the quarterfinal round and suffered a 3-0 defeat.
- The Penmen did enough, however, to collect their eighth NCAA Championship berth, including fifth straight. SNHU collected the No. 7 seed and traveled to play second-seeded Franklin Pierce University in the opening round of the NCAA East Regional, absorbing a 3-1 loss.
-SNHU began the season 5-0-0 for the second straight campaign and just the third time since 1994.
- Junior Alyssa Anderson (Londonderry, N.H.) and graduate student Ai Inoue (Tokyo, Japan) were selected to the NE10 All-Conference Third Team, while freshman Georgia Greene (Clifton Park, N.Y.) received an All-Rookie Team nod.

Men's Soccer (8-6-4, 5-3-3 NE10)

Notes:
- Men's soccer went 8-6-4, including 5-3-3 in NE10 play, earning the No. 4 seed and a quarterfinal home contest in the NE10 Championship. SNHU defeated the fifth-ranked College of Saint Rose in penalty kicks, but suffered loss at top-seeded Franklin Pierce University in the semifinal round.
- The Penmen put together a stretch in which they were unbeaten in seven of eight matches (4-1-3) from Sept. 17-Oct. 15.
- Junior Luca Shubitidze (Leipzig, Germany), sophomore Isnaba Namussé (Fogo, Cape Verde) and graduate student Jaime Selva (Alicante, Spain) all claimed NE10 All-Conference Second Team honors.
- Freshman Philipp Hermann (Bruckmuehl, Germany), grad student Mikel Cortazar (Barakaldo, Spain), senior Gabe Pinhancos (No. Attleboro, Mass.) and grad student Julio Betar (Melbourne, Australia) received Third Team recognition.
- Sophomore Preston Neal (Windham, N.H.) received an All-Rookie Team nod.

Field Hockey (8-11, 7-6 NE10)

Notes:
- Field hockey finished the season 8-11, including 7-6 in NE10 play. The team won six of its final nine games to make a late playoff push and wound up securing the No. 8 seed for the NE10 Championship.
- The Penmen traveled across town to play top-seeded Saint Anselm College and actually grabbed a 1-0 lead, but the Hawks would tie it and then snap a 1-1 tie with just 1:36 on the clock in the fourth quarter.
- Sophomore Annemartine Christis ('s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands) collected NE10 All-Conference Second Team honors for the second consecutive season, while freshman Emma Peeters (Wageningen, The Netherlands) landed a spot on the Third Team. Peeters also received an All-Rookie Team nod and was joined by classmate Anne Wiersma (Velhoven, Netherlands).

Women's Volleyball (19-8, 9-3 NE10)

Notes:
- Women's volleyball put together a historic season, finishing 19-8 to set a new program record for wins that surpassed the 1986 squad. The Penmen qualified for the NE10 Championship for just the sixth time, won their first NE10 postseason match, hosted an NE10 postseason match for the first time, received their first NCAA postseason berth, claimed their first NCAA postseason victory, captured their first NCAA East Region title and advanced to the NCAA National Championships in Seattle for the first time, falling to top-seeded and nine-time NCAA National Champion Concordia University, St. Paul in an NCAA Championship quarterfinal match.
- Redshirt-junior Ana Pimenta (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) earned NE10 All-Conference Second Team honors, while graduate student Sara Montefameglio (Turin, Italy) and sophomore Deanne Wilson (Buffalo, N.Y.) were recognized with Third Team nods.

Cross Country

Notes:
- Women's cross country turned its best season in program history, winning its first NE10 Championship and NCAA East Region titles, as part of a four-win campaign out of the seven meets they competed in. The squad made the NCAA National Championship for just the second time (2019) and finished 32nd at Chambers Creek Regional Park in University Place, Wash., while placing first among East Region teams.
- Graduate student Ashley Corcoran (East Longmeadow, Mass.) claimed individual NE10 (21:26.7) and NCAA East Region (21:55.4) crowns, while finishing 88th, and first of the 23 runners from the East Region taking part in the race, at Nationals (21:57.0). Those three runs slot into the program record book as the third-, seventh- and eighth-fastest 6Ks.
- Corcoran was named the USTFCCCA East Region Athlete of the Year, as well as the NE10 Athlete of the Year, while head coach Rich Marcello was tabbed the USTFCCCA East Region Coach and NE10 Coach of the Year. Freshman Corrina Obernesser (Westminster, Colo.) was selected as the NE10 Rookie of the Year.
- Corcoran was joined on the NE10 All-Conference First Team by juniors Kelsey Seamans (Methuen, Mass.) and Hannah Bradbury (Seekonk, Mass.). Junior Kaitlyn O'Rourke (Braintree, Mass.) claimed a spot on the Second Team, with graduate student Rose Pitman (Sherill, N.Y.) and senior Sarah Zarakotas (Deerfield, N.H.) receiving Third Team accolades.
- The men captured one win, but finished in the top five four times this season. They were fourth at the NE10 Championships and fifth at the NCAA East Regionals to narrowly miss out on an NCAA National Championship berth.
- Graduate student Jacob Logan (Norwood, Mass.) placed third at NE10s (25:03.1) and second at the NCAA East Regional (31:41.1) to qualify for Nationals as an individual. He finished in a time of 31:21.10 to place 108th. The mark set a new personal best for Logan by 20 seconds and was just four seconds shy of matching the school record. It stands as the third fastest 10k in school history. Logan was the first of 24 runners representing the East region to finish.
- Logan was chosen as an NE10 All-Conference First Team honoree, while freshman Dillon Labonte (Lee, N.H.) and sophomore Carter Sylvester (Northwood, N.H.) were named to the Second Team.

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