Four Worcester State Student-Athletes Recognized with Weekly Awards

WORCESTER, Mass. – Four Worcester State University student-athletes were recognized with player of the week and rookie of the week awards for the week of 9/14-9/20, as named by the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) and the Little East Conference (LEC) Monday afternoon.

Field Hockey:

Freshman Alison Bieksha (Hubbardston, Mass.) was awarded the LEC Rookie of the Week for her exceptional performance in the goal this past week.

Bieksha appeared in both games in goal for the Lancers to help her team go 2-0 with an LEC win last week. She played 30 minutes against WPI allowing only one goal and making two saves. The freshman then played every minute against Western Connecticut, stopping five shots in the 2-0 shutout (Bieksha’s first shutout of the season).

“Alison has been improving week in and week out,” said head coach Kim Cosenza. “She is a skilled keeper and has a true presence in our backfield. We put a lot of pressure on her from the start and she has risen to the occasion and filled the position like a veteran.”

So far this season, Bieksha has appeared in six games with a total of 321:37 minutes and currently holds a .733 save percentage.

“She has a bright future here at Worcester State and we are thankful for her as she is great addition to our field hockey program,” said Cosenza.

Women’s Cross Country:

Freshman Laura DelleChiaie (Haverhill, Mass.) has been awarded the MASCAC Rookie of the Week Award for her act this past weekend at the UMass Dartmouth Shriners Invitational, where the Lancers placed 19^th out of 42 teams.

“I am very happy with Laura’s selection for a second Rookie of the Week award this season,” said head coach Gary Jusseaume. “She ran another well-balanced race - this time against more formidable talent.”

DelleChiaie ran the race with a 19:44.76 time (52^nd place) – the fastest time ever ran by a freshman at Worcester State on the UMass Dartmouth 5K course. She currently stands as Worcester State’s second-fastest runner at this course.

“Laura’s 19:44.76 is a personal best performance (PR) in her freshman collegiate career to date,” said Jusseaume. “Her work ethic and competitive initiative are focused. Best of all, she’s nowhere yet near peak performance level.”

Women’s Soccer:

For the second consecutive week, senior Jillian Witkowski (Leicester, Mass.) was awarded the MASCAC Player of the Week for her phenomenal performance in goal.

Witkowski recorded her fourth shutout in a row, allowing no goals in a 2-0 week for the Lancers. She tallied 12 saves in a 1-0 win over WPI and added another save in the 5-0 win over Massachusetts Maritime this past Saturday.

“Jill has been playing great soccer for us so far this season,” said women’s soccer goalkeeper coach, Chris Kirwan. “She is making the big saves when we need them. Her play in net has been on point, which gives our team a lot of confidence.”

Witkowski was a long-time defender, and has made a very successful transition into goalkeeper just last year. “The defense as a whole has been really solid which is great to see this early in the year,” said Kirwan.

Wikowski currently holds a .911 save percentage and has a 0.64 goals against average.

Women’s Volleyball:

Freshman Emily Carens (Northboro, Mass.) has been awarded the MASCAC Rookie of the Week award for the second consecutive week.

“Emily had another solid performance for us, offensively and defensively,” said head coach Bernie Chase.

Carens averaged 9.3 kills and 10.67 digs in a 2-1 week for the Lancers. She had a double-double (13 kills, 16 digs) in the 3-1 setback to Salem State earlier in the week, while adding in seven kills and 11 digs in the 3-2 win over Lesley University.

“I am very happy with Emily’s efforts, and it definitely shows as she is the points leader this season,” said Chase. Carens currently holds a team-high 80.5 points so far this season, averaging 2.8 per set.

Weekly Honor Roll:

Junior volleyball players, Jamika Townsend (Virginia Beach, Vir.), averaged 34.3 assists, 13 digs and 5.6 kills in a 2-1 week for the Lancers. She tallied 31 assists, 14 digs, and four blocks in the 3-1 setback to Salem State and 48 assists and 17 digs in the 3-2 victory over Lesley. Townsend recorded two double-doubles and came up two digs short in the Wentworth game of making it three.