General | 7/20/2022 9:29:00 AM
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg University athletic department is excited to announce its seven major postseason award winners for the 2021-22 season. The awards consist of the Danny Litwhiler Underclass Male Athlete of the Year, the Joanne McComb Underclass Female Athlete of the Year, the Robert B. Redman Senior Male Athlete of the Year, the Eleanor Wray Senior Female Athlete of the Year, and the Outstanding Senior Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
JOANNE MCCOMB UNDERCLASS FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Callie Sowers (Irwin, Pa/Hempfield Area) - Softball
Freshman
Callie Sowers (Irwin, Pa/Hempfield Area) entered the scene in the spring of 2022 as one of the top pitchers in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. She led the Huskies to a 28-20 overall record, a 10-6 slate in conference play, and a third-place finish in the conference tournament. The Huskies earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, thanks partly to Sowers' dominant performance in the circle this past season.
She earned postseason accolades following the season, including All-PSAC East First Team honors and an All-Atlantic Region Second Team nod from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).
She led the league in strikeouts with 185 during her first year with the Huskies. The freshman pitcher's 18 wins are the second most in the conference, and her 173.1 innings in the circle also ranked second in the league. The right-handed hurler had more strikeouts than hits allowed (169 H) this season and only gave up 74 earned runs.
During the Huskies' PSAC tournament run, Sowers went 2-2 in the circle. She struck out 31 batters and allowed just five walks and 36 hits over 27.0 innings of work in five games. She picked up a pair of complete game wins over Seton Hill to open the tournament and over Shepherd in a must-win game to advance for Bloomsburg.
In the classroom, Sowers' boasts a 3.87 GPA as an international business major.
DANNY LITWHILER UNDERCLASS MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Jared Marshman (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) – Baseball
Jared Marshman (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) was nearly untouchable on the mound this season for the Huskies. Marshman's 1.81 ERA was tied for the fourth lowest in the country, and the right-hander struck out 71 hitters in 69.2 innings while allowing just 14 earned runs, nine walks, and 69 hits all year. The Berwick, Pa. native's nine wins in 2022 are the third most in a season in BU history. Only By Hopkins (10 wins, 1965) and Chad Arnold (12 wins, 1995) have recorded more wins in a single season.
Marshman will enter next season with 19 career wins, which is three shy of breaking Bloomsburg's all-time record. Marshman also currently ranks sixth on the all-time career strikeouts list.
Following the regular season, Marshman earned numerous accolades for his performance on the mound. He was named an American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings Second-Team All-American, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Honorable Mention All-American, Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) Second-Team All-American. The All-America awards come after three regional Pitcher of the Year honors, three First-Team All-Region selections, and a Pitcher of the Year and First-Team All-PSAC East nod selected by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
ELEANOR WRAY SENIOR FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Natalie Holmes (Laurel, Md./Archbishop Spalding) – Women's Soccer
Natalie Holmes (Laurel, Md./Archbishop Spalding) capped her impressive career with the women's soccer program in championship fashion. Holmes led the Huskies to a 16-5-2 overall record and an 11-3-2 slate in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) action.
Following the 2021 season, in which Bloomsburg won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) title for the second time in three seasons, Holmes earned a pair of All-America nods from the United Soccer Coaches and Division II Conference Commissioners Association. She was named the PSAC Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-PSAC defensive player. Holmes earned PSAC Tournament MVP honors following a stellar tournament in 2021, where she finished the week with three assists and anchored the Bloomsburg defense, which posted a shutout in all three games. The defense allowed just 11 shots total in the three games and just five shots on net. Opponents had just three corner kicks, one in each contest, against Bloomsburg in the PSAC Tournament.
Holmes excelled in the classroom during her time at BU as well as she earned CoSIDA Academic All-America third team honors in 2021 as well as All-District First Team accolades as well. She is a two-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete as well.
Holmes helped power one of the best defenses in NCAA DII women's soccer. Bloomsburg held opponents to a 0.57 goals against average in 2021, 13th best in DII, and posted 14 shutouts, 11th best in DII.
Holmes graduated with her undergraduate degree in exercise science and is pursuing her master's in the same field.
OUTSTANDING SENIOR FEMALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Kathryn Blair (Elma, N.Y./Iroquois) – Women's Cross Country/Track & Field & Emma Saxton (York, Pa./Central York) – Women's Basketball
Kathryn Blair (Elma, N.Y./Iroquois)
Kathryn Blair (Elma, N.Y./Iroquois) has been a mainstay on the women's cross country and track & field teams for the last four seasons.
Following the 2021 cross country campaign, Blair earned All-Academic honors from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). She led the Huskies at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship meet as she took ninth overall to earn All-PSAC honors with a time of 23:13.9 and finished 19th at the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional with a time of 22:18.6.
During the outdoor track & field PSAC championships, Blair took fourth overall in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:16.40. She won that same race at the LHU Qualifier the week before with a time of 2:21.85.
In her career, Blair earned All-PSAC and All-Atlantic Region honors and a pair of USTFCCCA Division II All-Academic accolades and is a three-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete.
Blair graduated with a degree in early childhood education and maintained a 3.98 GPA during her time with the Huskies.
Emma Saxton (York, Pa./Central York)
Emma Saxton (York, Pa./Central York) capped her time on the hardwood for the Huskies in impressive fashion as she was named the PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year and earned First Team honors.
Saxton led a lockdown defense this season for the Huskies. Bloomsburg finished the regular season ranked second in the East in scoring defense, allowing just 56.9 points per game. The Huskies held opponents to 50 or fewer points nine times this season. Saxton led that defense with 54 steals this year, averaging 1.9 per game. She also finished the regular season with 15 blocked shots.
Saxton is the first Defensive Athlete of the Year for the Huskies since Adreana Sadowski earned the honor following the 2015-16 season and is the second honoree for BU after the award started following the 2013-14 season.
Saxton led the team with 389 points and averaged 13.6 points per game. She had 181 rebounds, including 115 defensive boards. Saxton dished out 129 assists and averaged 4.4 assists per game, the fourth-best average in the PSAC. She shot 41.0% (141-for-344) from the floor and was a 69.8% free throw shooter through the regular season. In her career, Saxton has 1,335 points, ranking her ninth all-time at BU. She is tied for eighth all-time in career assists with 335 and has 136 career steals. Her 129 assists this season are sixth-best in a single season at Bloomsburg.
Saxton is a four-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete in the classroom, two-time D2ADA Scholar-Athlete, and CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team accolades in 2020-21.
She was an education major focusing on middle-level language arts at Bloomsburg and finished her career with a 3.89 GPA during undergrad and a 4.0 GPA in her graduate studies.
ROBERT B. REDMAN SENIOR MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Ben Newbert (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton) - Baseball
Ben Newbert (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton) finished his time in Maroon & Gold in impressive fashion. Newbert collected several All-America and All-Region honors after a memorable season as the Huskies' designated hitter.
Newbert was named to the ABCA/Rawlings All-America Second Team and the NCBWA All-America Third Team following an Honorable Mention All-America nod by the D2CCA.
He earned three All-Region honors – all First Team nods – from the ABCA/Rawlings, NCBWA, and the D2CCA. He was named the All-PSAC East First Team designated hitter as well.
The right-hander from Bala Cynwood, Pa., hit 22 home runs, 16 doubles, and drove in 59 runs batted in. Newbert scored 46 runs and hit for a .348 average during his record-breaking season. Newbert's 22 home runs this year are the most ever hit by a Husky in a single season, and his 45 career home runs rank second all-time. In addition, Newbert's .49 home runs per game are tied for the nation's third highest average at the end of the regular season.
The Huskies ended the year with a 25-19-1 record and a 14-9-1 slate in PSAC action.
Newbert graduated with a degree in supply chain management this past spring.
OUTSTANDING SENIOR MALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Bryce Evans (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) – Men's Soccer
Bryce has been a fixture on the men's soccer team for the last four seasons. He was a team captain this past season, the secretary and president of Protect Our Pack, and a SAAC representative.
In the classroom, he is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree, a two-time D2ADA scholar-athlete, and a four-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete. He is a member of the Phi Kappa Honors society, which recognizes the top 7.5% of the class.
Evans was a three-year starter in midfield for the Huskies and has played in 51 games at Steph Pettit Stadium. He has three goals and two assists to his credit.
Evans graduated with a degree in business management with a GPA of 3.88.
