TOWSON, Md. --- The Landmark Conference has named 76 student-athletes including nine from Moravian University to the 2023 Spring All-Sportsmanship Team. The All-Sportsmanship Team includes one student-athlete from each institution for each sport and is selected by the players and coaches from their respective team.
The All-Sportsmanship Team recognizes student-athletes who epitomize the ideals of sportsmanship. The student-athletes selected demonstrate fair play, graciousness in victory and respectfulness in defeat. They are ambassadors for the team, both on and off the field, and galvanize their teammates toward their goals. These student-athletes exhibit respect for themselves, teammates, coaches, opponents, officials, spectators, and the greater campus community.
The All-Sportsmanship Team was created by the Landmark Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) in 2013 as a way to highlight student-athletes who are making an impact. The Landmark previously awarded a Sportsmanship Cup before the All-Sportsmanship Team replaced the Cup for the 2013-14 academic year.
View the full 2023 Landmark Conference Spring All-Sportsmanship Team at https://landmarkconference.
Baseball
Senior designated hitter Derek Holmes is a repeat selection to the All-Sportsmanship Team. Holmes helped the Greyhounds to a 13-26 record this spring while being named to the Landmark All-Conference First Team for a third straight season. He hit .356 for the spring to go along with with 52 hits, 31 runs, 11 doubles, two triples, three homers, 33 RBIs, a .451 on-base percentage and a .521 slugging percent. Holmes, who was selected to the American Baseball Coaches Association and D3baseball.com All-Region 5 First Teams last year, completed his career with 154 hits, which is tied for 16th in program history, 84 runs, 89 RBIs, 29 doubles, four triples and eight home runs. Holmes’ career batting average of .385 is tied for first in school history, and his is second all-time with a .460 on-base percentage and a .537 slugging percentage.
Softball
Junior designated player Emily Silberman , who earned a spot on the 2023 Landmark All-Conference First Team, has helped the Greyhounds to a 32-8 record, the Landmark Conference Championship and a berth in the 2023 NCAA Division III Tournament. Silberman, who was also on the Landmark All-Conference Second Team in both 2021 and 2022, is hitting .339 this season with 37 hits, four doubles, four runs, four homers and 33 RBIs. Silberman has a .388 career batting average to go along with 104 hits, 91 RBIs, 22 runs, 16 home runs and six doubles.
Track & Field
Junior distance runner Brandon Ward was part of the Greyhound squad that finished third in the 2023 Landmark Conference Outdoor Championships hosted by Moravian at Timothy Breidegam Track.
Senior jumper Haylee Saylor finished tenth in the long jump at the 2023 Landmark Conference Outdoor Championships with a leap of 4.97 meters (16-3.75), and Saylor was 12th in the triple jump with a mark of 9.72 meters (31-10.75).
Tennis
Senior Kieran Pisani posted an 8-5 record in singles action, competing in matches at fourth, fifth and sixth singles, and Pisani posted a 15-6 mark in doubles play including 12-6 at third doubles. He completed his career at 21-21 in singles action.
“Kieran is a two-year captain and has done a tremendous job leading our team for these past two years,” commented Director of Tennis Mariana Freitas. “He has been reliable, responsible, and a great mentor for our underclassmen as he always pushes his teammates to be better each and every day. I am grateful for his contributions to our program both on and off the court, and I wish him the best in his future career.”
Senior Cristina Merone is a repeat selection on the All-Sportsmanship Team. Merone earned a spot Landmark All-Conference Second Team in singles and doubles this year. She was 16-5 in singles action this season including a 13-3 mark at fourth singles, and Merone posted a career mark of 36-5. She recorded a 20-2 slate at second doubles this season, setting a new program record for wins as part of the first doubles tandem in school history to earn 20 wins in a single season. Over the last two years, the Merone and partner Maddie Figiel are 34-2 in doubles action. Overall, Merone was 48-5 in doubles action in her career, the second most wins in program history with a .906 winning percentage that ranks fourth.
“Cristina exemplifies the meaning of sportsmanship,” Freitas said. “She holds herself to rigorous standards, always leads by example, and that’s why she has been a captain for the past two years. She should be very proud of her stats, but she should be even more proud of how she conducted herself on and off the court these past four years.”
Lacrosse
Senior goalie Rylee Soltis helped the Greyhounds a 12-6 record including a 6-1 slate in Landmark Conference action to earn the second seed in the 2023 Landmark Conference Tournament. Soltis posted a 12-6 mark to go along with 115 saves, a 12.52 goals-against average, 23 ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers in 796 minutes of play. She finished her career with a 13-7 mark, 196 saves and an 11.78 goals-against average in 1,253 minutes of action.
“Rylee is one of the kindest and most hard-working people I have met,” noted Head Coach Caroline Pape. “She is completely down to earth, hugely supportive of her team and teammates, and has so much love, respect, and passion for the game.”
Senior defender Shane Cassel played all 15 matches this year as the Greyhounds went 7-8. Cassel contributed 37 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers this spring while starting in nine matches. He completed his career with three goals, five assists, 91 ground balls and 34 caused turnovers in 39 matches with 15 starts.
Golf
Senior Andrew Hozza, who also starts for Moravian’s men’s tennis team when not on the golf course and is a repeat All-Sportsmanship selection, earned Landmark All-Conference First Team honors this spring with a fourth-place finish at the 2023 Landmark Conference Golf Championships. He averaged 79.13 strokes per round in 2022-23 over 16 rounds, and he also recorded three top 10 finishes and one medalist honor. Hozza finished his career with an 80.61 stroke average over 42.5 rounds, and he was 5-0 in singles this year on the tennis court while finishing his career at 25-1 in singles play.
“Andrew is very respectful of the other players and is easy to get along with on the course,” stated Head Coach Kevin Edwards.
