IUP Athletics had another outstanding year on the field, court, pool and classroom in 2014-15. Several teams advanced to postseason play, while All-Americans, record-setting performances, and scholar awards helped the Crimson Hawks continue to be one of the top programs in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

2014-15 Overall Highlights
*11 teams advanced to PSAC or NCAA postseason competitions
*7 Crimson Hawks were named to All-American teams*5 student-athletes were named PSAC Athlete or Freshman of the Year
*3 PSAC Champion Scholars
*178 PSAC Scholar-Athletes
*18 student-athletes tallied perfect 4.0 GPAs
2014-15 IUP Awards
Men's & Women's Scholar-Athletes
Alex Hampel (Middletown, Del/Salesianum) and Lindsay Stamp (Erie, Pa. /Mercyhurst Prep)

Men's and Women's Athletes of the Year
Lindsay Stamp (Erie, Pa. /Mercyhurst Prep) and Ryan Uhl (St. Marys, Pa./St. Marys)

2014 FALL SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

 

Ofman's NCAA Championships Appearance Highlights Cross Country Season
Senior Ray Ofman (Armagh, Pa. /United) finished in 82nd place of 245 overall runners at the NCAA Division II Men's Cross Country Championships in Louisville, Ky. in December. Ofman ran a career-best 10K time of 32:14.6, just over two minutes behind the individual champion. Ofman earned All-Atlantic Region and All-PSAC honors as he helped the Crimson Hawks to fourth place finishes at both championship meets.

As a team, the men finished in the top four overall in four of six meets in the fall, also finishing in second place at Lock Haven's Go Fast River Run.

The IUP women's cross country team was led by All-PSAC selection Rachel Magliane (Danville, Pa. /Danville), a junior who was the Crimson Hawks' top runner in all six of the meets in which she competed. The women finished in eight place at the Atlantic Regional Championships and 10th place at the PSAC Championships.
 
Passing Game Takes Flight for Football in 2014

IUP put together its best passing season in several years in 2014, highlighted by three single game receiving performances and one of the best completion percentages in program history. Senior receiver Drew Carswell (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Sto-Rox), freshman receiver Walt Pegues (Philadelphia, Pa. /Central) and senior tight end Brock DeCicco (Jefferson Hills, Pa. /Thomas Jefferson) now own three of the top six single game reception totals in IUP history. Carswell and DeCiccio caught 15 and 11 passes, respectively, against rival California while Pegues had a 13-catch game for 193 yards against Gannon. They helped graduate quarterback Chase Haslett (Clayton, Mo./Clayton) complete 60.3 percent of his passes, which is sixth all-time at IUP and the best percentage since 2008.

Altogether, the Crimson Hawks passed for 2,319 yards and 18 touchdowns in the fall, including games of 361, 359 and 340 yards. IUP finished the year with a 6-5 overall record and went 5-4 in the PSAC.
 
Three Crimson Hawks Earn All-PSAC Field Hockey Honors
The trio of Haley Fidler (Fleetwood, Pa./Fleetwood), Chelsea Wanamaker (Oley, Pa./Oley Valley) and Olivia Young (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra) each earned third team All-PSAC honors to highlight IUP's 2014 field hockey season. Fidler was the Crimson Hawks' top scoring threat with a team-leading six goals and 13 points while Wanamaker garnered her second career postseason honor with a goal and two assists. Young was the leader of a defense that posted four shutouts and held opponents to two or fewer goals seven times.

The Crimson Hawks finished the year with a 6-11 overall record, including a 4-10 mark in the PSAC. Fidler and Young are two of 20 players set to return in 2015.
 
Kuhns Named All-Region; Women's Soccer Returns to the Postseason

Senior forward Brittney Kuhns (Middleburg, Pa. /Midd-West) earned second team All-Atlantic Region honors as she helped lead IUP women's soccer back to the postseason for the first time since 2012. Kuhns led the Crimson Hawks with nine goals and 21 total points, marks that were fourth and fifth in the PSAC, respectively. She was also a first team All-PSAC pick.

The Crimson Hawks made it back to the PSAC tournament with an 8-6-2 league record, finishing the year with a 9-7-3 overall record. It was the program's 12th all-time PSAC tournament appearance and its 10th in the last 11 years.
 
Hester Earns Academic Award for Women's Volleyball
The women's volleyball season was highlighted by Lauren Hester (State College, Pa. /State College), who earned CoSIDA Academic All-District® honors. Hester, a redshirt junior outside hitter, earned a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average in speech pathology and audiology. The three-year starter was one of IUP's top players in 2014, finishing second on the team with 293.0 points with 42 service aces and 2.48 kills per set.

The Crimson Hawks finished the year with a 9-20 overall record, going 5-17 in PSAC play.
 
2014-15 WINTER SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
 
Men's Basketball Makes it Back to Division II National Championship Game

The Crimson Hawks continued to prove themselves as a national power as they advanced to the 2015 NCAA Division II National Championship game. It was the second national title game appearance in the last six seasons for IUP, which has cemented itself as one of the top two teams in the Atlantic Region, averaging over 27 wins per year during that span. 

The Crimson Hawks finished the 2014-15 season with a 31-7 overall record, defeating West Liberty (W. Va.) for the Atlantic Region Championship to advance to the Elite Eight. IUP then went on to defeat Azusa Pacific (Calif.) and comeback to beat Tarleton State (Tex.) before falling to Florida Southern in the title game.

Senior guard Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) led the Crimson Hawks to the program's sixth regional title – it's second under current head coach Joe Lombardi – as he earned All-American honors by multiple outlets. Chance had one of the best seasons in program history, averaging 16.5 points per game with 217 total assists, and was also named the PSAC West Player of the Year and to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight All-Tournament Team.
       
All-American Stamp Leads Women's Basketball to first PSAC West Title in Seven Years

The IUP women's basketball team put together one of its best seasons in the last decade as they finished with a 25-4 record and won the PSAC West title for the first time since 2008. The 25 wins is the most in a single season for IUP since 2008-09 while the four losses is the fewest in the history of the program.

Senior guard Lindsay Stamp (Erie, Pa. /Mercyhurst Prep) led the way for the Crimson Hawks, becoming the program's first ever Daktronics All-American first team selection. Also the Atlantic Region and PSAC West Player of the Year, Stamp led the PSAC with 19.6 points per game and was IUP's leader with 8.3 rebounds per contest. She was also named the 2014-15 IUP Women's Athlete of the Year and IUP's Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Stamp and senior forward Ashley Stoner (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Thomas Jefferson) both reached the career 1,000-point milestone during the season.

 

Fernandes and Janosky Earn Swimming All-American Honors
The IUP men's and women's swimming teams continued to improve, finishing second and third, respectively, at the PSAC championships while Yuri Fernandes (Brazil) and Aniella Janosky (Dover/Dover Area) both earned All-American honors.

The men boasted 35 top-10 individual finishers at the PSAC championship meet, earning their second place finish, helping Chris Villa earn PSAC Men's Swimming Coach of the Year honors. Villa also guided the women to their third place finish as 23 individual swimmers earned top-10 finishes.

Fernandes capped off his season with a 10th place finish in the 400 yard IM at the NCAA Division II Championships while Janosky touched the wall in 13th place in the 200 yard butterfly. Both finished earned the duo honorable mention All-American honors.
   
2015 SPRING SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
 

Uhl Smashes IUP Home Run Record; Later Selected by Seattle in 2015 MLB Draft
Senior first baseman Ryan Uhl (St. Marys, Pa./St. Marys) put together the finest single season in IUP baseball program history, setting four school season records while leading Division II in four categories - 29 home runs, 0.66 home runs per game, 1.68 runs batted in per game, and a 1.085 slugging percentage.

His monster season helped him gain the attention of pro scouts and he was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the seventh round, 215th pick overall, of the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft. He was the first player from a Pennsylvania college to be selected and the highest draft pick in the history of the IUP program. Uhl was one of eight finalists for the Tino Martinez Award – the Division II Player of the Year – and earned first-or-second team All-American honors from three different outlets. He was also named the 2014-15 IUP Men's Athlete of the Year.

Uhl was joined by senior outfielder Austin Mock (State College, Pa./State College), an honorable mention All-American selection, to help the Crimson Hawks to a 22-21-1 overall record.
 

Sames Named PSAC Men's Golfer of the Year; IUP Clinched 32nd NCAA Championship Appearance
IUP men's golf continued its reign as the top team in the NCAA Division II Atlantic and East Regions with a successful 2014-15 season. Junior Kenneth Sames (Moscow, Pa. /North Pocono) won the individual title at the Atlantic/East Region Championship as the Crimson Hawks finished the tournament in second place overall and advanced to the program's 32nd NCAA Championship appearance. Sames also earned All-Atlantic Region honors and became the 13th player in IUP history to be named the PSAC Men's Golfer of the Year.

Joining Sames on the all-region team were senior Jack Owen (Hampshire, U.K./Brockenhurst College) and sophomore Max Kirsch (Ebensburg, Pa. /Central Cambria). That trio headlined a team that won two tournaments in the fall and finished in the top-five in 10 of its 13 total events during the year. Fred Joseph, who finished his 23rd year at the helm of the program, was named the Atlantic Region Coach of the Year.

The Crimson Hawks finished the NCAA Championships in 13th place, the best finish of any Atlantic or East Region school by nearly 20 strokes.   
 

Weinberg Breaks Program Assist Records as Women's Lacrosse Makes it Back to Postseason
Junior attacker Amy Weinberg (Clarksville, MD/Atholton) broke IUP's single season and career assist records as she helped the women's lacrosse program to its fourth straight PSAC postseason appearance. Weinberg finished the year with 67 assists, which led all of Division II, also finishing second in the nation with 3.72 assists per game. She was named first team All-PSAC, second team All-South Region, and third team All-American for her efforts. She will head into her senior season with 138 career assists.

Weinberg was one of four players to earn All-PSAC honors for IUP, joined by sophomore midfielder Kim Hooven (Malvern/Great Valley) (52 goals), sophomore defender Hannah Bertolo (Murrysville/Franklin Regional) (21 caused turnovers) and freshman goaltender Angela Lontoc (Columbus, OH/Dublin Scioto) (122 saves).

The Crimson Hawks finished the season with a 10-8 record, advancing to the PSAC quarterfinals.

       

Softball Clinches its 15th PSAC Tournament Berth on Final Day of Regular Season
With its season on the line, the IUP softball team came through in the clutch with a doubleheader sweep of Edinboro on the final day of the regular season, clinching a berth in the PSAC Championships. Needing two wins to advance to the postseason, the Crimson Hawks defeated Edinboro 4-3 and 16-7 to advance to the program's fifth postseason appearance in the last six years.

The Crimson Hawks received contributions from several players, including All-Atlantic Region and All-PSAC West sophomore Hannah Mercer (Hollidaysburg/Hollidaysburg Area) at third base. Joining Mercer as an all-conference selection were seniors Meghan Carney (Corry/Corry) and Stefanie McCoy (New Paris/Chestnut Ridge), junior Allison Viguers (West Chester/West Chester East), and sophomore Megan Gould (New Germany/Forest Hills).

IUP finished the year with a 19-24 overall record, including a 16-14 mark in the PSAC West.

 

Timko Hauls in a Bevy of Awards as Women's Tennis Heads back to NCAA Championships
Senior Tanya Timko (Cannonsburg, PA/Chartiers-Houston) wrapped up her career with several awards and records as she led the Crimson Hawks to the program's fifth consecutive NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championship appearance.

During the season, Timko broke program records for career singles wins (86), doubles wins (103) and combined wins (189), while also earning her second straight PSAC West Athlete of the Year award. She was also an All-PSAC West first team selection in both singles and doubles and was named the Atlantic Region Senior of the Year. She won numerous academic awards as well, earning her second straight PSAC Women's Tennis Champion Scholar Award, in addition to being named a first team Capital One Academic All-America® and to the PSAC Spring Top 10.

As a team, the Crimson Hawks finished the season with a 19-8 overall record, finishing as the PSAC tournament runners-up for the fifth straight year.

 

Cooper's Outdoor Performance Highlights Track & Field Season
Freshman middle distance runner Austin Cooper (King of Prussia, Pa. /Upper Merion) won the individual title in the 1500 meters and finished second in the 800 meters at the PSAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, highlighting the Crimson Hawks year. Cooper rode those performances to being named the PSAC Men's Outdoor Freshman of the Year, in addition to earning All-Atlantic Region honors after his indoor and outdoor seasons.

Also earning All-Atlantic Region honors for the Crimson Hawks were Brooke Smay (Mineral Point, Pa. /Forest Hills) after both indoor and outdoor seasons, and Ray Ofman (Armagh, Pa. /United) and Charles Wilson-Adams (Tyrone, Pa./Tyrone) after the spring outdoor season.

The men's team finished in eight place at both the PSAC Indoor and Outdoor Championship meets while the women came in 12th during the winter's indoor season and 11th at the outdoor meet.