TROY, N.Y. – First-year
Megan McCusker of the Union College women's tennis team earned her third Liberty League Rookie of the Week honor of the season, while nine more Union student-athletes were recognized with honor roll spots for the week ending April 12, the conference office announced on Monday afternoon.
Women's Tennis Rookie of the Week: Megan McCusker
McCusker went 3-0 at fifth singles to improve her personal winning streak to four matches, losing only seven games in six sets to help Union to a 3-0 week. She started the week with a pair of 6-1 sets in the Garnet Chargers' 6-1 win over New Paltz, then defeated Mia Jacobs of William Smith by a 6-1, 6-2 score on Saturday. She completed her perfect singles week with another 6-1, 6-1 win over RIT's Shayna Agarwal in Union's 7-0 victory.
Honor Roll Mentions:
Baseball: Alex Casey
Casey struck out seven Yellowjackets on Sunday but did not faction into the decision for the 4-3 loss against Rochester. His seven Ks marked his most against a conference opponent this year, and his seven innings tied for his longest outing of his first season in Schenectady. After Union took a 3-0 lead in the top of the third, Casey only allowed six hits and struck out six Yellowjackets to preserve the lead, leaving with a 3-2 advantage. He only allowed one extra-base hit to the Yellowjackets among his seven hits allowed.
Baseball: Caleb Miller
Miller helped lead Union to a 3-2 week, posting a 1.278 OPS with a team-high six RBI and seven runs scored. Miller slugged .778 with five extra-base hits, three of which came in a 13-3 victory over the Rochester. He put Union ahead with a two-run double in the third inning and proceeded to collect two more two-baggers on his way to the first three-double game from a Union hitter since 2023, and his 4-for-6 performance helped Union earn its first victory over the Yellowjackets since 2018. He also scored four times in that game Saturday and drove in three. Miller had two multi-hit games on the week, bringing his season total to 11 games with at least two hits.
Women's Golf: Iyene Essien
Essien finished second with a two-day score of 154 at Cortland's Martin/Wallace Invitational over the weekend. She carded the lowest round of the weekend for any player with a two-over 74 on Sunday's second day, the fourth-lowest single-round score in program history and tied for the third lowest in relation to par. Two of Essien's three birdies on Sunday came on par-fives, helping her to finish even-par for the weekend on the course's five longest roles, the best score of any player in the field.
Men's Lacrosse: Walker Popko
Popko led the way in Union's 16-10 win over Vassar on Saturday, scoring five goals with two assists for a game-high seven points while adding four ground balls and a caused turnover. The senior had three goals and an assist during a 5-2 run that opened up a 9-4 halftime lead for Union, then scored once in the third quarter to start a game-clinching 6-0 run.
Women's Lacrosse: Anna Dembowski
Dembowski recorded 10 ground balls and three caused turnovers in a pair of Union wins last week. She was huge in Union's 14-7 win over Rensselaer on Wednesday with seven ground balls and three caused turnovers, then added three ground balls in a 17-14 victory over Vassar on Saturday.
Women's Lacrosse: Gillian Joseph
Joseph scored 10 goals with one assist for 11 points in a pair of conference wins for Union last week. The junior started the week with six goals and an assist to go with two ground balls and a caused turnover in a 14-7 win over Rensselaer on Wednesday, including scoring four straight goals in the third quarter - with three during the same player-down penalty - to bump a two-goal lead up to a six-goal cushion. She came back with four goals, three ground balls and a caused turnover in Saturday's 17-14 win over Vassar, netting a pair of player-up tallies as Union built up an eight-goal edge in the third quarter.
Softball: Elizabeth Werner
Werner hit .538 (7 for 13) with a double, two runs scored and two walks in six games last week for Union. The senior went 6-for-11 in four starts last week, including a pair of 2-for-3 games with an RBI and a run scored in a doubleheader sweep of Hartwick on Wednesday. She also had three hits in four at-bats over two games against Skidmore on Saturday.
Women's Tennis: Claire Langille
Langille went 3-0 in third-singles action to lead Union to a 3-0 week. She started the week with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Sydney Sladicka in the Garnet Chargers' 6-1 triumph over New Paltz, then came back from a set down to defeat William Smith's Grace Magna by a 3-6, 6-3, (10-6) score on Saturday. She completed her perfect singles week by cruising past Melanie Saborio of RIT, 6-2, 6-0, in Union's 7-0 victory.
Men's Outdoor Track & Field: Nick Entner
Entner took second place out of 27 competitors in the javelin throw on Friday at the RPI Under The Lights Invitational, finishing with a top distance of 50.15 meters, a new season-best mark. Entner also finished 13th in the shot put (12.44 meters) and 21st in the hammer throw (37.45 meters) on Saturday's second day of competition.
