Royals Shine on Volleyball Court
Ending its 2015 season in early November, the volleyball team ended up with a 25-12 overall mark. The Royals qualified for the Landmark Conference Semifinals for the third straight season.
At the end of the year, the Royals placed two on the All-Landmark Conference first team — freshman Kristin Kirwan (left) and senior Stephanie Klug (right). Scranton senior Rachael Cisto was also honored for her work in the classroom, as she nabbed College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Team honors.
Field Hockey Enjoys Success
The field hockey team finished its 2015 campaign in early November with a 13-5 overall record. The Royals also qualified for the Landmark Conference Tournament for the fifth straight season. Scranton, which started the season off by winning its first nine matches, had three players selected to All-Landmark Conference Teams.
Senior Jessica Pankey (right) was the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team pick, while senior Krista Osborne and junior Elizabeth Yorey earned spots on the second team.
Lady Royals Welcome Woodruff
The start of women’s basketball season at Scranton brought with it a leadership change in the Lady Royals’ program. Trevor Woodruff was hired to the head coaching position in late August. Woodruff came to The University of Scranton after a highly successful 11-year stint as the men’s basketball coach at Misericordia University in nearby Dallas. He led the Cougars to Freedom Conference championships and NCAA Division III Tournament berths in 2012 and 2015 and was named Freedom Conference Coach of the Year during both of those seasons.
Cross Country Teams Run to Solid Seasons
The cross country teams had solid seasons, with the women finishing fourth and the men fifth at the Landmark Conference championships.
Seniors Erika Sarno (left) and Corey Wasilnak (right) led both teams, finishing Nos. 17 and 16, respectively, at the conference championships. Sarno finished the season as the Royals’ top runner in all seven events she competed in, while Wasilnak was the men’s team’s top finisher four times.
Thrilling Win Highlights Women’s Soccer Season
The women’s soccer team reached the Landmark Conference championship for the sixth straight season and did so in thrilling fashion. The Royals defeated Elizabethtown in the semifinal, 1-0, at Fitzpatrick Field in double overtime, setting off a celebration that saw fans stream onto the field to join the team. The Royals finished the season with 13-4-2 overall record.
Five players earned all-conference honors — senior defender Jasmine Sconciafurno (right) was the Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team choice, junior midfielder Christina Akalski, junior forward Kelsey Bacon and junior goalkeeper Krissy Welsh were all first-team honorees, and senior forward Gianna Vitolo was a second-team choice.
