Thiel College first-year student-athletes win six rookie awards from PAC

Posted October 04, 2019 Print

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- Five first-year Thiel College athletes have been recognized six times as athletes of the week by the Presidents’ Athletic Conference since the fall athletic season started a little over a month ago.

Leading the way is Zach Doddo ’23, of Sandy Lake, Pa. The 2019 Lakeview High School graduate and environmental safety management major was named PAC Rookie Golfer of the Week on Sept. 24 and 17. Doddo finished eighth with a final score of 81 to lead Thiel to a seventh-place finish at the La Roche Invitational on Sept. 17. His highlight so far was a 74 and second-place finish at the Grove City Invitational on Sept. 12, which powered Thiel to a third-place finish.

Doddo led Thiel to a fifth-place finish in the 11-team field at the Westminster Invitational with a team-low 79 on Sept. 30. The Tomcats compete in the conference championship on Oct. 7 and 8 at the New Castle Country Club. The spring championship round is April 25 at Robert Trent Jones Senior Course, Speidel Golf Club at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, W.Va.

Women’s golfer Hayley Phillips ’23, of Lisbon, Ohio, was named the conference rookie of the week on Oct. 1. The 2019 graduate of Beaver Local High School and business administration major carded an 86 at the Saint Vincent Invitational on Sept. 25. She placed fifth in the 28-player field and helped the Tomcats finish third at the five-team event. The women will compete in the fall PAC Championships on Oct. 7-8 at Squaw Creek Golf Course in Vienna, Ohio. The spring championship round is April 18 at Chestnut Ridge Golf Course, in Blairsville, Pa.

The men’s and women’s soccer teams had athletes recognized.

Arlene Barreto ’23, of Covina, Calif., scored the first women’s hat trick in five years and was named a rookie of the week on Sept. 23. The 2019 Bishop Amat Memorial High school graduate and biology major scored three goals in a 6-0 win over Hilbert College on Sept. 19. The last Tomcat to score three goals in a game was Morgan Berg ’16 in a win over Penn State Greater Allegheny on Sept. 16, 2014. The women are at Geneva College at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 5 for their second conference match of the year.

That same week, Evan Young ’23, of Bryans Road, Md., scored both of Thiel’s goals in a 6-2 loss to Mount Aloysius on Sept. 17 to earn top rookie honors. The men are at Geneva College at 7 p.m. Oct. 5 for their second conference match of the year.

Women’s tennis player Natalie Zgurich ’23, of Pittsburgh, Pa., earned rookie honors on Sept. 30 when she picked up wins in No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles in the Tomcats’ nonconference win over Muskingum College. The 2019 Baldwin High School and business major won her singles match 7-5, 6-2 and paired with Angela Campbell ’20 (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum) to earn an 8-5 win at No. 1 doubles. Zgurich is 3-3 on the season at No. 2 singles. The women were home to Penn State Behrend Friday and host Geneva on Oct. 5.