BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Senior Morgan Calabrese and sophomore Nicholas Casazza of the Moravian College basketball teams have been named to the Lehigh Valley Small College Basketball Scholar-Athlete Team at the organization's second luncheon of the 2016-17 season at DeSales University in on Thursday afternoon.
The Lehigh Valley Small College Basketball Organization is made up of the six small college schools in the Lehigh Valley including NCAA Division II schools East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania and Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and NCAA Division III schools Cedar Crest College, DeSales University, Moravian College and Muhlenberg College.
Calabrese, a senior guard for the Greyhounds, has helped the Moravian women open the year with an 11-3 overall record and a perfect 3-0 mark in Landmark Conference action. Calabrese is averaging 9.9 points per game in 30.9 minutes per contest, and she has an average of 4.4 rebounds per contest to go along with 58 assists and just 39 turnovers, 13 steals and nine three-pointers. Calabrese is maintaining a 3.31 GPA while majoring in Biology and minoring in both Chemistry and Management.
"Morgan exemplifies what a Division III athlete is all about," commented Head Coach Mary Beth Spirk. "She excels on and off the court. Her play has been outstanding for the past three years and this year she has really developed into a leader on both ends of the court, as her game has been amped up a notch in all statistical categories. In the classroom Morgan has been terrific for four years. She is as focused and determined to succeed more than most students. Morgan is going to graduate and be successful in the work force. Most of all, Morgan has bought into Moravian women's basketball and exemplifies what it means to represent our school, community and team."
Joining Calabrese on the Scholar-Athlete Team were Chelsea Gary of Muhlenberg, Cara McHenry of DeSales, Tiffany Lapotsky of East Stroudsburg, Geminii Cabrera of Cedar Crest and Kara Funk of Kutztown.
Casazza, a sophomore guard, has been an integral part of the Greyhounds this season. He has played in 13 of 14 games for the Greyhounds, who are 9-5 on the year, and Casazza has added 26 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and seven three-pointers while playing 5.9 minutes per contest. Casazza is majoring in Pre-Physical Therapy and minoring in Psychology at Moravian while earning a 3.50 GPA.
"It is a great honor for Nick and a great accomplishment," stated Head Coach Justin Potts '00. "He has done a great job academically with a 4.0 this past fall. He has done a really good job on the court. He has been very consistent in his academic endeavors, and has done a really good job making himself into a better basketball player practice-by-practice and game-by-game. These awards especially with the academic part are a great honor for all the student-athletes when they receive them."
Joining Casazza on the Scholar-Athlete Team were Jon Schreer of Muhlenberg, Brian Laird of DeSales, Michal Weiss of East Stroudsburg and Martin Dietrich of Kutztown.
The next Lehigh Valley Small College Basketball Luncheon is scheduled for Tuesday, February 14 at 11:30 a.m., where the LVSCB 2017 Team and the Pete Nevins Player of the Year awards will be announced.
