Men's track & field graduate student
Noah Mandel and women's lacrosse sophomore
Chloe Borland have been named IUP Athletes of the Week, announced by the sports information office Monday morning.
This is the sixth edition of the IUP weekly awards announced following the cancellation of spring sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic March 13.
Despite the cancellation of spring sports, IUP Athlete of the Week honors will continue through the rest of the semester, highlighting student-athletes and how they've transitioned in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sophomore men's golfer Jack Buccigross and junior baseball player Nick Hess were featured last week.
Mandel has a 4.0 cumulative grade point average as an exercise science graduate student and is from Erie, Pennsylvania and Harbor Creek High School.
"Missing out on my final season in my collegiate career is a hard thing to grasp," said Mandel. "Through all the ups in downs in sports, I never would have thought this would be the way it ended. With that being said, the toughest thing is leaving such a tight knit group of guys. Seeing how hard they work day-in-and-day-out, and still have a smile on their faces is awe-inspiring. Just the camaraderie we have had over my past years has left such an impact on my life, and gave me incredible memories. It's hard to leave this team, but it's encouraging to see what the future holds for them."
A cross country and track & field distance runner, Mandel wrapped up his year with the PSAC Indoor Track & Field Championships at the end of February. He finished fourth in the 5000 meters and sixth in the 3000 meters, both career bests.
Borland has a 3.73 grade point average as finance major. She's from Green, Ohio and went to Green High School.
The thing I miss the most about this current team is not seeing the people who get me through the great and tough times every day," said Borland. "Not only are we teammates on the field, we are best friends off the field; this makes being a collegiate athlete that much better! My teammates and coaches play a huge role in my life and it is difficult going from spending every waking moment with them to not seeing any of them.
"Fortunately, we are lucky enough to keep in touch during these times with team zooms meetings and FaceTime. It is challenging to see how hard we had worked in the off season and preseason to not being able to show off our talents as a team. This was one special team and I am upset we could not finish out the season. I, however, believe this will benefit us in the upcoming seasons. We will not take practices, tournaments, team bonding or games for granted. We had set high standards and goals for this season and I am looking forward to working that much harder to accomplish those goals next season with my team!"
Borland led IUP and was among the PSAC leaders with 12 goals, nine assists and 21 points through four games. She posted a career-high six goals and 11 draw controls in the final game of the season against Seton Hill March 12.
