TROY, N.Y. - Five Union College student-athletes spanning four sports were recognized with weekly awards from the Liberty League for the week ending Sunday, September 13.
Defensive Performer of the Week: Maya Koster
Koster made eight saves and allowed only one goal as Union earned a pair of ties against nationally ranked opponents last week. The senior started the week with five saves in Union's scoreless draw with #9 Middlebury on Tuesday, making two saves in the first half and adding three crucial stops in the second. She made three saves after allowing a first-half goal on Saturday against#20 Misericordia, allowing her team to pull off a late comeback and salvage a draw.
Men's Tennis Doubles Team of the Week: Solen Bellemare and
Jesus Sosa
Bellemare and Sosa started off the season with four straight wins to earn the "A" doubles title at the St. Lawrence Fall Classic on Saturday and Sunday. In the top half of the bracket, the pair defeated Ethan Samora and Kaiser Zhao of Rochester by an 8-6 score and then used a tiebreaker to knock off SLU's fourth-seeded Jake David and Joshua David, 8-7 (7-4) on Saturday. The tandem had a much quicker way to the title on Sunday, dropping just three games in two victories: the pair cruised past Ithaca College's top-seeded pair of Ivan Kisic and Timur Gilmanov in the semifinals by an 8-1 score, and then needed only one more game to close out SLU's Charles Schepens and Bennett Stout in an 8-2 win.
Men's Cross Country Rookie of the Week: Brody Richardson
Richardson finished fourth out of 84 runners at Saturday's Ron Stonitsch Invitational with a time of 19:23.2, which marks the third-fastest 6K time in program history and the fastest-ever time by a Union first-year. The rookie led the pack after the opening 600 meters before settling into the third spot at the mile and 4K checkpoints. After a drop to seventh with 1000 meters to go, he passed three runners over the final 1K to his second top-four finish in his first two collegiate races.
Men's Soccer Rookie of the Week: Josiah Blake
Blake recorded a team-leading two goals and one assist in Union's 2-1 week, with all five points coming in two wins. The first-year scored an insurance tally in the 73rd minute as part of the team's 5-2 victory over SUNY Poly on Wednesday night, then had both a goal and an assist in the opening 13 minutes in the Garnet Chargers' win over Bryant & Stratton on Saturday.
Honor Roll Mentions:
Field Hockey: Rachel Ostiguy
Ostiguy scored the game-winning goal 7:38 into overtime to give Union a 3-2 victory over MIT on Saturday, tipping home a shot off the team's 17th corner attempt of the game for her first goal of the season.
Women's Volleyball: Allie Kronenberg
Kronenberg filled up the stat sheet as she helped her squad improve to 7-0 with four wins at home during the Union/Russell Sage Crosstown Challenge, and also reached a significant setting milestone. During the third set on Saturday against Alfred State, Kronenberg recorded the 2,000th assist of her career, becoming the seventh player in program history to surpass 2k assists. Kronenberg averaged 7.82 assists per set as she helped her team hit .300 as a unit in four straight victories over SUNY Cobleskill, Hartwick, Alfred State, and SUNY Oneonta. She also landed nine kills with only two errors, came up with 24 digs, and was in on five blocks. The Lexington, Ky. native arguably had her best match of the weekend as the Garnet Chargers swept SUNY Oneonta to wrap up the four wins, registering 26 assists, two service aces, seven digs, and landing all three of her swings for kills.
