Annville, PA – For the third straight week, Messiah College was honored with four Commonwealth Players of the Week, recognition for outstanding performances by the Falcons' student-athletes in four different sports. Sophomore pitcher
Jon Lapp, freshman pitcher
Mallory Rutledge, senior attack
Rachel Dirksen, and sophomore hurdler
Liz Martin took home the honors.
The awards are weekly voted upon by a panel of Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) sports information directors.
Jon Lapp – Sophomore – Baseball*
Jon Lapp literally pitched the Falcons into the Commonwealth Championships with a dominating performance over Elizabethtown College on Friday, April 27. The win, coupled with an Alvernia loss from earlier in the day, cemented the Falcons' entry into the postseason tournament where they are the defending champions from 2011.
Lapp was brilliant against the Blue Jays, throwing seven innings and allowing eight hits, giving up only one run as a 1-1 game in the 7
th turned into a 10-5 win for Messiah. Lapp struck out five batters and walked only one. It was the only win Messiah earned over Elizabethtown during their three game set over the weekend, with the Blue Jays outscoring the Falcons 22-12—showing just how significant Lapp's performance was to help clinch the postseason berth.
*Lapp's honor is for the Commonwealth Pitcher Player of the Week
Mallory Rutledge – Freshman – Pitcher**
Mallory Rutledge threw a pair of 1-hitters this week to go 2-0 as Messiah finished their regular season with double-header sweeps of Eastern University and Elizabethtown College.
Rutledge pitched to a 0.60 earned run average over 11.2 innings pitched, striking out eight batters against only two walks. Her most impressive outing was against league rival Elizabethtown, as she threw 6.2 scoreless innings in a Falcons 2-0 victory. The wins this week pushed her 2012 record to 10-2.
**Rutledge's honor is for the Commonwealth Pitcher Player of the Week
Rachel Dirksen – Senior – Women's Lacrosse***
Lost in the storyline of a pair of 18-1 wins for Messiah College last week—which contributed to a 6-0 regular season—was senior
Rachel Dirksen become the Falcons' all-time leader in both assists (101) and draw controls (226). The week was also notable for Dirksen as she was named the
MAC Scholar Athlete of the Year for women's lacrosse.
Earlier this season, Dirksen became the program's all-time leader in career goals scored (currently 231) and career points (currently 332).
***Coyle's honor is for the Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Week
Liz Martin – Sophomore – Women's Outdoor Track and Field
Sophomore
Liz Martin continued her outstanding season with a record-breaking performance in the 400-meter Intermediate Hurdles on Thursday at the Penn Relays. Martin set a school record in the event with a time of 62.59 seconds—breaking the record of 62.61 seconds previously held by
Kristen Bates '11.
Martin's time is the 10
th best in NCAA Divison III this year.
