GNAC Players of the Week: February 1

By Melissa Maitland

GNAC Sports Information Specialist

Mike Harrington (Men's Volleyball, Lasell), Keith Jones (Men's Basketball, Mount Ida), Ilaria Schiano (Women's Basketball, St. Joseph (CT)), and Sarah Wheeler (Women's Swimming, St. Joseph (CT)) have been named Great Northeast Athletic Conference Players of the Week.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Men's Volleyball – Mike Harrington, Lasell, Jr., Billerica, Mass.

Weekly Totals

Kills (30), Assists (0), Digs (1), Blocks (21), Aces (1) 

Harrington was huge at the Lasers’ net at the SUNYIT Wildcat Invitational Tournament last weekend.  The junior outside hitter hit .323 over the course of a 4-0 weekend for the Raiders, producing 30 kills in nine sets.  Harrington averaged 3.33 kills per set and 2.33 blocks per set.  He also totaled nine solo and 12 assisted blocks on the weekend.  Against Lancaster, Harrington had 12 kills and zero errors for a .600 clip.  He also picked up eight blocks in the match. This is the first time this season that Harrington has been named as a GNAC Player of the Week.  The Lasers are currently in 3rd place in the GNAC, with a conference record of 0-0 and an overall record of 4-2.  Lasell begins conference play on Feb. 2 against Albertus Magnus.

Men's Basketball – Keith Jones, Mount Ida, So., Boston, Mass.

Weekly Totals

Points (87/29.00 per game), Rebounds (15/5.00 per game), Assists (10/3.33 per game)

Jones led the Mustangs to a perfect 3-0 week in GNAC play, with victories over Lasell, 81-79, on Jan. 26, Emmanuel, 94-69, on Jan. 28, and an overtime win against Norwich, 91-89, on Jan. 30.  Jones netted over 20 points in every game, including scoring a season high 37 points against the Saints.  Jones was almost perfect, going 22-23 from the free throw line in three games, and has an amazing .915 percentage from the charity stripe so far this season, ranking him 1st in the GNAC and 4th in NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball.  Jones is also ranked 2nd in the GNAC in 3-point field goals made (3.3 pg), 3rd in scoring (21.6 ppg), 6th in steals (1.6 pg), and 8th in 3-point field goal percentage (.385).  His impressive statistics also rank him 17th in Division III for points, 11th in 3-point field goals per game, and 56th in 3-point field goal percentage.  This is the first time this season that Jones has been named as a GNAC Player of the Week.  He was also named Division III New England co-Player of the Week for the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC).  The Mustangs are currently in 4th place in the GNAC, with a conference record of 8-4 and an overall record of 13-6.  Mount Ida next shoots to beat Emerson on Feb. 4.

Women's Basketball – Ilaria Schiano, St. Joseph (CT), Jr., Wallingford, Conn.

Weekly Totals

Points (64/21.33 per game), Rebounds (17/5.67 per game) Assists (8/2.67 per game)

Schiano scored 23 points on Jan. 25 against The City College of New York, making her just the 4th player in St. Joseph (CT) history to join the 1,000 point club.  Schiano and the Blue Jays went on to lose to CCNY, 73-58.  St. Joseph (CT) also lost to St. Joseph’s (ME), 68-48, on Jan. 28 and to Lasell, 77-51, on Jan. 30.  Schiano is the leading scorer in the GNAC, averaging 19.0 points per game.  She is also ranked 1st in the GNAC in minutes played (34.9 pg) and 6th in 3-point field goals made (2.2 pg).  This is the first time this season that Schiano has been named as a GNAC Player of the Week.  St. Joseph (CT) is currently tied for last place in the GNAC, with a conference record of 0-7 and an overall record of 3-15.  The Blue Jays will look for their first conference victory when they face off against Rivier on Feb. 6.

Women's Swimming – Sarah Wheeler, St. Joseph (CT), Jr., Winchendon Springs, Mass.

Wheeler collected three 1st place finishes on Jan. 30 against Westfield State.  Wheeler won the 100-yard (1:04.18) and 200-yard (2:24.81) butterfly events and swam the anchor on the winning 400-yard freestyle relay team (4:06,38).  She also earned 2nd place in the 100-yard freestyle (58.65).  The Blue Jays went on to lose the meet, 113-154.  St. Joseph (CT) next swims against Elms and Husson on Feb. 6.