AMCC ANNOUNCES ATHLETES OF THE WEEK FOR MARCH 24-30, 2025

The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) has announced its Athletes of the Week selections in the sports of men's & women's lacrosse, men's volleyball, tennis and baseball, and women's softball for the period running from March 24-30, 2025.

Men's Volleyball (Offensive): Buffalo State OH Malachi Jackson was crucial for the Bengals as they earned four wins and opened AMCC play with a 3-0 record. Jackson combined for 51 kills and a .319 hitting percentage across 14 sets played. His best performance came against Mount Aloysius where he tallied 19 kills, a .633 attack percentage, eight digs, and one block. Jackson registered double-digit kills in three of the four wins and also picked up 11 digs in each matchup with Penn State Altoona and Geneva.

Men's Volleyball (Defensive): Buffalo State DS Alex Vega played all 14 sets in a 4-0 week for the Bengals as they also opened AMCC play with three straight wins. Vega tallied a perfect 1.000 reception percentage on 60 attempts with 56 digs including a 15 in each win over Penn State Altoona and Geneva.

Softball (Player): PS-Altoona INF Gianna Hoppel had a huge week at the plate for the Lions, helping her team go 3-1 in doubleheaders against non-conference opponents Juniata and Elizabethtown. In a doubleheader sweep of Juniata on Tuesday at home, the senior combined to go 5-for-7 with two doubles, two runs scored, and one RBI. On Sunday, in a road split at Elizabethtown, she hit a combined 4-for-6 with two home runs, five RBI, three runs scored, and a double. On the week, Hoppel was 9-for-13 (.692) at the plate with six RBI, five runs scored, three doubles, and two home runs, while recording multiple hits in all four games. Her on-base percentage was .714 and she slugged 1.385, and she was also perfect in the field after recording 27 putouts on 27 chances.

Softball (Pitcher): Mount Aloysius JR Sierra Walters set a new career high this past week, recording 13 strikeouts in the first game of a doubleheader against Alfred State. Walters would go 2-0 on the mound for the Mounties, recording a 1.5 ERA with 22 strikeouts (averaging 11 strikeouts per game).

Baseball (Player): Mount Aloysius OF Brandon Cook had a solid week, slashing .400/.571/1.133 on the way to a 4-1 week for the Mounties. He was even better in conference play, as he went 4-for-6 in the series at Alfred State, reaching base all five plate appearances in Game Two. He tallied four hits and six RBI, while hitting three homeruns. For the week, he drove in eight total runs and scored eight more. Cook now leads the AMCC in homeruns and is second in slugging percentage.

Baseball (Pitcher): Alfred State SR Ryan Bailey pitched a complete game shutout in an 11-0 win against Mt. Aloysius. He pitched 7.0 innings allowing no runs on two hits with 10 strikeouts.

Women's Lacrosse (Offensive): La Roche A/M Jade Fuccaro had a dominant start to AMCC play on Saturday, helping lead the Redhawks to a 21-6 victory over Hilbert. Fuccaro would go on to score 1/3 of La Roche's goals, netting seven on the day, to set a new career high. She was 1-for-2 from free position and added two ground balls.

Women's Lacrosse (Defensive): La Roche A Jasey Reiser typically controls the Redhawk offense, but the senior attack for La Roche was dominant on both ends in the Redhawks 21-6 win over Hilbert to open AMCC play. On the defensive end, Reiser picked up five ground balls, tied for a game-high with four caused turnovers and added three draw controls. She parlayed her defensive play into great offense, scoring four goals, picking up one assist and was 1-for-1 from free position.

Men's Lacrosse (Offensive): Alfred State A Ryan Batson netted two goals and an assist in the Pioneers' lone game of the week against Bethany (WV). Batson also picked up five groundballs.

Men's Tennis: PS-Behrend SR Jonathan Laier was undefeated in AMCC action in both singles and doubles last week. He posted wins at the No. 1 spot, helping the Lions avenge a 5-2 loss to Altoona last week. Laier registered a 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 1 singles and also tallied a 6-2 doubles decision.