Morella Earns WPCC All-Academic Honors

(Butler, PA) Butler County Community College’s most recent All-American in one sport en route to setting a school record in another is among 17 BC3 student-athletes on the fall 2018 Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference all-academic team and one of seven honored for a third consecutive semester.

Mackenzie Craig, of Karns City, named a National Junior College Athletic Association Division III All-American in December for a Pioneers volleyball squad that captured its third Region XX title in four years, is also one of 10 BC3 student-athletes to finish the fall 2018 semester with high academic honors.

To be eligible for the WPCC all-academic team, student-athletes must carry a minimum of 12 credit hours. Those with grade-point averages between 3.0 and 3.49 attain honors, and those with GPAs from 3.5 to 4.0, high honors.

Craig, BC3’s seventh volleyball All-American since 1999, is also 16 points from breaking Julia Baxter’s record of 1,093 and becoming the Pioneers’ all-time leading scorer in women’s basketball. Craig also has a program-record 773 career rebounds to date.

BC3 student-athletes on the WPCC all-academic team in fall 2018 and recognized for a third consecutive semester were Craig; golfer Luke Ostermeyer, Laurel, honors; women’s basketball players Kelly Kriley, Butler, high honors, and Carly Burdett, Knoch, high honors; and men’s basketball players Joel Stutz, Butler, high honors, Jace Stutz, Butler, high honors, and Joshua Campbell, Knoch, high honors.

Joel Stutz on Jan. 12 became the fourth player in the 52-year history of the BC3’s men’s basketball program to score 1,000 career points. He is 237 points shy of passing the all-time mark of 1,303 held by Bryant Lewandowski from 1997 to 1999.

Madison Morella, Ellwood City, volleyball, high honors; Brooke Dingel, Butler, women’s basketball, honors; and Julia Fischer, Freeport, golf, honors; were WPCC all-academic team selections for fall 2018 and for a second time.

Other BC3 student-athletes on the fall 2018 WPCC all-academic squad were volleyball players Haley Caldwell, Butler, honors, and Brooke Snow, Karns City, honors; golfer Shawn Gray, Butler, high honors; men’s basketball players Luke Haas, Butler, high honors, and Andrew Yonker, Butler, high honors; and women’s basketball players Jenna Heitzenrater, Slippery Rock, honors, and Casey Kretzer, Knoch, honors.

Ostermeyer and Fischer were selected to the WPCC all-tournament squad in October, when Fischer, the first female on a BC3 golf team in 15 years, won the women’s season-ending championship. The Pioneers finished 15-3 in 2018 and with their sixth consecutive WPCC team title and 10th overall.

Craig and Morella were members of a BC3 volleyball squad that ended 19-7 and with its 10th consecutive winning season. They were named to the NJCAA Division III All-Region XX squad and were WPCC all-conference picks after the Pioneers won their fourth WPCC crown in a row and 15th since 1977.

The University of Pittsburgh at Titusville; Westmoreland County Community College, Youngwood; Penn Highlands Community College, Johnstown; the Community College of Allegheny County-Boyce, Monroeville; Garrett College, McHenry, Md.; and Potomac State College of West Virginia University, Keyser, W.Va.; also placed student-athletes on the fall 2018 WPCC all-academic team.