BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Senior Trista Cunningham and sophomore Mike Martino 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 2017-18 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.
Cunningham, a senior forward for the Greyhounds, has helped the Moravian women open the year with an 11-3 overall record and a 1-2 mark in Landmark Conference action. Cunningham is averaging 7.8 points per game in 26.3 minutes per contest, and she has an average of 6.3 rebounds per contest to go along with 22 assists, 15 steals and 11 blocked shots. Cunningham is maintaining a 3.72 GPA while majoring in Accounting and minoring in Graphic Design.
"Trista is the epitome of the true student athlete," commented Head Coach Mary Beth Spirk. "A tremendous student in the classroom and terrific athlete on the court. She leads by example with her hard work, dedication and positive, steady demeanor. Trista exemplifies all that is good on the Division III level, success in the classroom and success on the court. She is a pleasure to coach and a pleasure to watch perform at such a high level. Trista will continue to be successful in all that she does in the future."
Joining Cunningham on the Scholar-Athlete Team were Rachel Plotke of Muhlenberg, Angelica Bertola of DeSales, Tiffany Lapotsky of East Stroudsburg, Venus Cabrera of Cedar Crest and Taylor Thames of Kutztown.
Martino, a sophomore guard, has been an integral part of the Greyhounds this season. He has played in all 14 games for the Greyhounds, who are 10-4 on the year and 2-1 in Landmark Conference action, and Martino has added 41 points, 17 rebounds, 20 assists, four steals and eight three-pointers while playing 10.1 minutes per contest. Martino is majoring in Education while earning a 3.41 GPA.
"Mike is a flat-out winner. He competes in all aspects of his life and it shows with his academic and athletic success," stated Head Coach Justin Potts '00. "I'm really proud of how he works daily and continues to grow on and off the court. He is a great example for future members of our program. If you work and are committed, good things will happen."
Joining Martino on the Scholar-Athlete Team were Brendan Hughes of Muhlenberg, Kewku Dawson-Amoah of DeSales, Michal Weiss of East Stroudsburg and Ricky Hicks of Kutztown.
The next Lehigh Valley Small College Basketball Luncheon is scheduled for Tuesday, February 13 at 11:30 a.m., where the LVSCB 2018 Team and the Pete Nevins Player of the Year awards will be announced.
