MOC roundup

By Gabe Whisnant
Published in Sports on May 29, 2005 2:09 AM

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MOUNT OLIVE -- Mount Olive College head women's soccer coach Chris Shaw has signed four more student-athletes to National Letters-of-Intent, it was announced Wednesday. The signees bring this year's total to six, including two student-athletes who signed in February.

Among the signees are a pair of goalkeepers who will compete for the position vacated by two-time All-Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference selection and Trojan career shutouts record holder Heather Ressler, who completed her senior year. Ressler, who will graduate in December, will serve as an assistant coach this fall.

Janette Hewitt, a goalkeeper from Centerville, Md., earned first team all-conference honors at Queen Anne's County High School. She recorded 181 saves and 11 shutouts during her senior year.

Ali O'Steen, a goalkeeper from Mayodan, N.C., was a four-time all-conference selection at Dalton L. McMichael High School. She holds the school single-season record for shutouts with 15.

The Trojans will have three freshman goalkeepers, including February signee Heather Ulep from Belmont.

Shaw also signed a pair of defenders, Kristine Gallagher of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Erynn Marino of Fredericksburg, Va.

Gallagher is a graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas High School and is a former member of the Florida Olympic Development Program (ODP) team. Marino was a four-year starter at Massaponax High School and earned all-district honors during her junior year.

Mount Olive is coming off its greatest season in the 10-year history of the Trojan women's soccer program, posting a 20-3-0 record in 2004 and winning its first-ever CVAC championship. Mount Olive led the nation in goals per game and set an NCAA Division II women's record for the greatest improvement over the previous season.

MOC men's soccer

signs eight

Mount Olive College head men's soccer coach Jerry Riggs has signed eight student-athletes to National Letters-of-Intent, it was announced Wednesday. All eight signees, including one junior college transfer, are from North Carolina. Five have played in at least one high school state championship game.

Bobby Allen, a midfielder/forward from Raleigh, helped Leesville Road High School win the 2004 4A State Championship. Allen tallied two goals and four assists during the season.

Brian Fitzmaurice, a sophomore forward from Asheville, transfers to Mount Olive from Louisburg College, where he scored six goals and five assists last year. In his high school years, Fitzmaurice was named Most Valuable Player of the 2002 3A State Championship as he led T.C. Roberson to the title.

Josh Kiser, a midfielder/defender from Richlands, graduated from Richlands High School in December and completed the spring semester at Mount Olive. At Richlands HS, he was named to the all-conference first team and earned All-Onslow County honorable mention.

Jeff McGee, a defender from Raleigh, was also a member of Leesville Road High School's 2004 4A State Champion squad. McGee was named defensive player of the year and was nominated to participate in the 2004 Gatorade All-Star Game.

P.J. Pugliese, a midfielder from Swansboro, helped lead Swansboro High School to consecutive runner-up finishes in the 2003 and 2004 2A State Championships. He tallied 15 goals and nine assists in 2004, earning all-conference and All-Onslow County honors.

Brian Stitz, a goalkeeper from Jacksonville, helped lead White Oak High School to a 3-A State Championship in 2004 and a runner-up finish in the 2003 State Championship. Stitz earned all-area honorable mention in 2004.

Matt Wallin, a forward from Morehead City, earned first team all-conference honors at Croatan High School. He scored 25 goals and 16 assists and was named the team's most valuable player.

Jason Ward, a forward from Wilimington, tallied 21 goals and nine assists for New Hanover High School in 2004. He earned first team all-conference, all-region and All-New Hanover County honors during the fall.

Mount Olive captured its first-ever Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference championship in 2004, eliminating nationally-ranked Queens in the semifinals and defeating Belmont Abbey 1-0 in the title game. The Trojans set a school record for wins in a season with a 14-5-3 mark and posted a 7-3-0 record in the CVAC. Mount Olive tied for fourth in the final Division II Southeast Region rankings.

Four Trojans

honored

Designated hitter Josh Carter, second baseman Stephen Nordan and pitcher Justin Staatz all earned second team honors as Mount Olive placed three players on the 2005 ABCA All-South Atlantic Region baseball team, as selected by the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Carter, a sophomore from Goldsboro (Eastern Wayne High School), was named to the 2005 All-Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference first team and was a player of the week winner in early March. Carter finished sixth in the CVAC in hitting with a .389 batting average and his 22 doubles were the sixth-highest in the conference. Carter homered in five consecutive games during one stretch and finished the season with eight home runs. During the season, Carter put together a 15-game hitting streak and a 12-game hitting streak. Earlier this week, Carter was named to the Academic All-District III First Team.

Nordan, a sophomore from Benson (Clayton HS), earned All-CVAC first team honors and won the player of the week award in April. Nordan ranked eighth in the CVAC with a .379 batting average. He hit six home runs and 20 doubles, and led the Trojans with 49 runs batted in. Nordan had 17 multi-hit games, including eight 3-hit games and two 4-hit games. He went 4-for-4 with a career-high five runs batted in against Belmont Abbey.

Staatz, a junior from Woodstock, Md., was named to the All-CVAC first team and was a two-time player of the week in 2005. Staatz tossed a no-hitter against Pfeiffer for the second no-hitter in Mount Olive College baseball history and the first ever in CVAC play. Staatz (7-5) led the CVAC with a 2.30 earned run average and ranks 27th in the nation with 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Staatz recorded 11 strikeouts against Erskine and 10 strikeouts against Limestone. In the game against Limestone, Staatz entered the game in relief and retired 20 consecutive batters during one stretch.

Somek named to academic all-district second team

Mount Olive College golfer Kate Somek has earned second team honors on the 2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America All-District III Women's At-Large Team (College Division), it was announced Friday. A sophomore from Sudbury, Ontario, Somek has a perfect 4.00 grade point average.

Somek, a busines major, was named to the All-Tournament Team at the 2005 Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference Women's Golf Championship, placing eighth with a three-round total of 244. She set a school record with a 77 in the final round, which included a 135-yard eagle on the par-4 15th hole.