Jackets heating up in the cold
The Waynesburg University winter athletes have wasted little time in producing some truly noteworthy numbers. Below are some of the highlights from these cold-weather standouts …
n The Yellow Jacket women’s basketball team boasts not only one of the top players in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference in forward Addy Knetzer, but also one of the most consistent dual-threat performers in all of Division III. Six games into Waynesburg’s schedule, Knetzer has already recorded five double-double efforts. That mark puts her behind only Sara Tarbert of Stevenson College, who has accomplished the goal in all six of her team’s games.
Knetzer hasn’t just barely reached the minimal requirements of 10 points and 10 rebounds a handful of times. Heading into this past Wednesday’s PAC game at Thiel, the Chartiers-Houston graduate ranks first in the league in both scoring (20.7 ppg) and rebounding (12.7 rpg). The athletic post player has been remarkably consistent in her work. She has scored between 20 and 24 points in five straight games following a 17-point effort in her first outing of the year.
No. 30 is not the only talented player in the paint in the conference, making her numbers all the more impressive. She has already faced off with 6-3 Grove City center Laura Buchanan (10.8 points, 7.2 rebounds per game) and 6-0 Bethany forward Kelsea Daugherty (18.3 points, 8.7 rebounds per game) and led Waynesburg to wins over both league opponents.
Perhaps most impressively, Knetzer also held her own against first-team All-American Lisa Murphy of Carnegie Mellon in a non-conference match-up. Though the Jackets fell to the 13th-ranked Tartans, Knetzer put up 21 points and 10 rebounds against Murphy and her CMU teammates.
That loss was one of just two setbacks for Waynesburg, which got off to a 4-2 start and won its first two PAC games this year. The last time the Jackets started 4-2 was in 2011-12, when they went 20-8.
n At first glance, it’s been a rough start to the 2016-17 wrestling season for Ron Headlee and his Yellow Jacket mat men. For the first time in his nine-year tenure with the team, the Jackets are routinely forfeiting a weight class (149 pounds). Those lost points, along with a season-ending injury to standout 133-pounder and former Beth-Center standout Zach Swarrow, are a big reason why Waynesburg is off to a 2-4 start.
Headlee and the rest of his staff, which includes former Waynesburg Central coaching standout John Yates, are optimistic that the team is very close to turning things around in a big way. Several Jacket football players, including West Greene graduate Will VanNorman, joining the roster have given them crucial depth at multiple weights. Last year’s starting 174-pounder Mike Millero is also slated to make his season debut very soon after dealing with some injury issues, while the squad could also be making some rather splashy additions in the second semester. Hopefully, I’ll have more on that in 2017.
However, don’t think this team is just trying to tread water until the proverbial cavalry rides to the rescue. Several veterans have been thriving on the individual level and are keeping Waynesburg in the hunt for more dual match wins.
The Jackets boast tremendous talent to both open and close out competitions in the forms of junior 125-pounder Tristan Buxton and sophomore heavyweight Jake Evans. Seniors Filippo Crivelli (141 pounds) and Ryan Shank (184) have also been stellar in their final collegiate campaigns.
Buxton, who is the current PAC Wrestler of the Week, is 15-1 on the year, with his only loss coming by a 5-3 decision on Nov. 12. Since that defeat, he has won 14 straight bouts.
Evans is currently ranked ninth in the country according to D3Wrestle.com. He is 12-2 with his only losses coming to the sixth-ranked 285-pounder in Division III and the No. 4 big man in Division II. The Elizabeth Forward graduate is 5-0 in matches ending by fall and has racked up four wins by major decision.
Crivelli could be the newest member of Waynesburg’s 100-win club by the end of the week, needing just two more victories heading into Thursday’s dual match with Muskingum. Shank, who is 14-2 overall, is two points away from being undefeated and likely claiming individual crowns in both the Washington & Jefferson and Ohio Northern Invitationals.
n Last, but not least, a very young Yellow Jacket men’s basketball team appears to be a work in progress under former PAC Coach of the Year Mark Christner. Waynesburg features just two seniors on its roster: starting guards Timmy Kaiser and Christian Koroly.
The rest of the 16-man roster consists of six freshmen, four sophomores and four juniors, two of which are first-year transfers. Despite its inexperience, this squad still has the makings of a dangerous team, which boasts considerable athleticism and good depth. All 16 players have already seen floor time this year, while 12 of them have appeared in all six contests.
Even if the Jackets go through the usual growing pains this year, the 2017-18 campaign could be a big one for the Waynesburg men.