LOCK HAVEN, Pa. (June 17) – California University of Pennsylvania men’s track & field standout
Christopher Clark (Hadley, Pa./Commodore Perry) and softball pitcher
Sonia Petrosoniak (Mississauga, Ontario/Clarkson) were selected as two of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Spring 2009 Top 10 honorees on Thursday, announced the league office.
Clark is the second track & field athlete to earn the conference academic honor, as
Brad Rager was featured on the Winter 2006 edition of the PSAC Top 10. Petrosoniak joins former Vulcan standouts
Kerry Novak (Spring 1997) and
Meaggan Wilton (Spring 1998) as the only the softball players to be featured on the PSAC Top 10 list.
This marks the first time since Fall 2005 that Cal U has featured multiple members on one edition of the PSAC Top 10. Clark also becomes the sixth different student-athlete to earn Top 10 honors twice in a career and the first student-athlete to earn the laurel twice in one academic year (Fall 2008 – Cross Country).
Clark earned NCAA All-America honors at the 2009 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in both the 5,000- and 10,000-meter run. He concluded his Cal U career as a five-time All-American and was selected the PSAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Year.
In the classroom, Clark boasts a perfect 4.00 GPA while pursuing a master’s degree in Wellness & Fitness. He finished his undergraduate degree in secondary education with a cumulative 3.65 GPA. Clark received ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II First-Team laurels and U. S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic accolades this year.
Petrosoniak helped lead the Vulcans to a PSAC West crown and NCAA Regional Tournament appearance after posting an 11-0 record and 1.49 ERA. She led the team with 25 appearances (10 starts) and registered 56 strikeouts in 84.1 innings pitched. The Canadian ranked among the PSAC leaders in ERA, saves (two) and opponents’ batting average (.221).
In the classroom, Petrosoniak boasts a perfect 4.00 GPA while completing her undergraduate degree in international studies. Last month, she was selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America and All-District II First Teams. She is the 10th different student-athlete in Cal U history to be named an Academic All-American.
The PSAC Top 10 Award recognizes student-athletes who excel in both the classroom and in the area of competition. The Top 10 Awards recognize 10 outstanding student-athletes, five male and five female, for each athletic season – fall, winter and spring.
To be a candidate for the PSAC Top 10 Awards, a student-athlete must have achieved a minimum of a 3.25 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) and must be a starter or key reserve with legitimate athletic credentials for their respective teams. The winter sports eligible for consideration are baseball, men’s and women’s golf, lacrosse, softball, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s outdoor track & field. At the end of the academic year, all Top 10 Award winners from the entire academic year are eligible for the PSAC Pete Nevins Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, which are give to one male and one female candidate.
The full list of honorees is listed below.
PSAC Spring 2009 Top 10
Trey Bennett, Mercyhurst - Baseball
Christopher Clark, California (Pa.) - Men's Outdoor Track & Field
Mary Dell, Shippensburg - Women's Outdoor Track & Field
Bill Hezel, East Stroudsburg - Baseball
Priscilla Jennings, Millersville - Women's Outdoor Track & Field
Kassie Leuschel, Clarion - Women's Tennis
Kristen Morby, East Stroudsburg - Women's Outdoor Track & Field
Ryan Mostyn, Indiana (Pa.) - Baseball
Sonia Petrosoniak, California (Pa.) - Softball
Paul Wagner, East Stroudsburg - Men's Outdoor Track & Field