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The Sacred Heart men’s hockey team is having a big season and junior defenseman Marcus Joseph is a key performer for the Pioneers.
The team is 14-7-1 overall and leading the Atlantic Hockey Association with a 13-5-0 record and defense has been a key for the team.
Joseph, from Mountain Top, has played in 20 games this season after having played in 55 games the previous two seasons.
An alum of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights youth program, Joseph has also skated for the Nanaimo Clippers (British Columbia Hockey League), the Youngstown Phantoms (United States Hockey League) and the Carleton Place Canadians (Central Canada Hockey League).
The 5-foot-9, 180-pounder picked up four assists as a sophomore and has a goal and an assist this season. The goal coming in a 4-1 victory over Holy Cross on Nov. 22, the assist in a 3-1 triumph over Rochester Tech on Nov. 16.
“Marcus has grown into a reliable puck moving defenseman,” coach C.J. Marottolo said. “He is a self-starter and is always searching for ways to make himself better. Because of his attitude and how he always puts the team first, he is an important part of our team.”
Bobby Planutis (St. Bonaventure)
The 6-foot-8 redshirt sophomore is seeing more and more action with the men’s basketball team, the Bonnies 11-5 overall and 3-0 in Atlantic 10 Conference play after a 64-44 league victory over Fordham last Saturday. The Hazleton Area graduate had nine points and five rebounds in the game.
He had 13 points and four rebounds in a 71-66 league triumph over George Washington on Jan. 5. Planutis is averaging 6.7 points and 5.1 rebounds a game with 14 assists and 15 steals.
Adam Mahler (East Carolina)
The freshman is continuing his solid season with the men’s swim team. The Holy Redeemer graduate opened the second semester by winning the 200 butterfly as the Pirates dropped a 156-144 decision to South Carolina in a home meet last Saturday. Mahler’s time was 1:48.18.
He also finished second in the 100 butterfly in 49.93 and swam the anchor leg on the 400 free relay B team, which finished third in 3:06.22.
Jake Hendricks (Penn)
The sophomore moved up to 184 pounds and posted a 17-2 technical fall to help the wrestling team turn back Duke 48-3 in a non-league match last Saturday. Hendricks, a Wyoming Seminary graduate, was 6-10 competing at 174 pounds this season for the Quakers.
He’s 3-6 against Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association foes and stands 2-4 against Ivy League competition. Hendricks finished sixth at the U23 World Team Trials (77kg) in Greco Roman last Summer.
Mia Bellucci (Bucknell)
The freshman began her career with the women’s indoor track team by finishing third in the 5,000-meter run at Lehigh’s Angry Birds Challenge 2020 last Saturday in Bethlehem. Bellucci, from Pittston and a Scranton Prep graduate, posted a time of 19:09.01 and she finished behind two Lehigh runners.
She competed with the Bison women’s cross country team last fall and finished 55th in the Patriot League Championship with a 6,000-meter time of 23:40.5.
Josh Samec (West Chester)
The 6-foot-7, 190-pound sophomore forward has been a key performer for the men’s basketball team all season long, the No. 8 Golden Rams losing their first game of the season 79-70 to Shippensburg on Jan. 8.
The Hazleton Area graduate has started all 15 games and is averaging 11.5 points and 6.3 rebounds with 22 assists, 15 steals and 10 blocked shots. He had a double-double (12 points, 12 rebounds) in an 84-77 victory over Shepherd on Jan. 3.
West Chester is 14-1 overall, 8-1 in PSAC East play.
Jalen Rhodes (East Stroudsburg)
The sophomore sprinter finished third in the 55-meter dash for the women’s indoor track team at the Kutztown Golden Bear Invitational last Friday. Her time was 7.73. She was fourth in the prelims with a time of 7.65.
The Wyoming Area graduate opened the indoor season by finishing 12th in the 60-meter dash with a personal best time of 8.26 and was 15th in the 200 meter dash in 28.39 at Lehigh’s Fast Times Before Finals meet on Dec. 6-7 in Bethlehem.
Chyanne Fine (Gwynedd Mercy)
The 6-foot senior forward posted a double-double as the women’s basketball team opened play in the Atlantic East Conference with a 108-70 victory over Marywood last Saturday. The Hanover Area graduate had 15 points and 10 rebounds along with three steals in the game. It was her second double-double of the season.
Fine is averaging 5.3 points and 5.6 rebounds with 11 steals and five blocked shots for the 6-7 Griffins.
Rebecca Prociak (King’s)
The 5-foot-11 senior forward was named MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Week on Monday for her play with the 8-5 women’s basketball team the previous week. It was her second honor of the season.
The Holy Redeemer graduate had a game-saving block with just nine seconds left in a 61-58 victory over Eastern on Jan. 8 to go with 14 rebounds and scored 21 points. In a 55-54 upset victory over DeSales on Saturday, Prociak had 12 rebounds, eight points and four blocked shots.
Steve Longazel (Lycoming)
The senior, competing as a junior, is one of five heavyweights seeing action for the wrestling team. The Hazleton Area graduate is 5-6 and all five of his victories have come via falls for his first collegiate victories.
He missed his freshman season because of an injury and was 78-38 in his career at Hazleton.