WVC field hockey: Crestwood’s stellar defense being overlooked

It is easy enough for people around the Wyoming Valley Conference to get giddy about Crestwood’s explosive offense, because the Comets sure have enough of it.

When Hannah Ackers isn’t hitting a hat trick, it is Jordan Olenginski ripping three goals in one game. Or three Comets going for two goals on the same day, which is what happened in an 11-0 victory over Tunkhannock last week.

All that firepower is a good enough reason to make Crestwood the early-season favorite to win a state title.

Here’s a better one.

The way the Comets play defense may be hard to beat around here, or anywhere else.

“We always say, defense wins games,” said Olenginski, who is second on the team with five goals in three league games so far. “We work on defense a lot.”

Maybe that gets lost in the avalanche of 40 points Crestwood has scored against its first four league opponents. You know how many goals the other teams scored against the Comets in that span?

One.

And that came when Wyoming Area’s Bree Bednarski, who scores on everyone, finally found the net with little more than two minutes to play Monday to prevent Crestwood from ringing up its third straight WVC shutout during an 8-1 victory.

“Unfortunately, when you have a great offensive game, your defenders usually don’t get the recognition they deserve,” Crestwood coach Patsy Moratori said.

While the Comets were cruising past their first two league opponents by scores of 10-0 and 11-0, they didn’t surrender a single shot on goal over those first two games.

Comets goalkeepers Marlee Dillon and Kaitlyn Roberts had to go out of the conference to look for work.

Abington Heights, the team that was threatening to challenge Crestwood for the Division 2 title, didn’t even get off a shot in Crestwood’s 11-0 victory Wednesday.

That’s because Creswood has top-flight players like Cara Jarmiolowski, Katie Karpinski, Paige Zaleppa and Nicole Paranich — back in the swing of things after suffering a torn ACL last season — on the back line to make sure the ball doesn’t get too close to the goal mouth.

Even aggressive midfielders Lizzy Dessoye and Olenginski, both known best for producing tons of points vfor Crestwood, take just as much pride in preventing opponents from scoring them.

“We do,” Dessoye said. “We try our best to limit the amount of shots on our goalies. And we know even if it (the ball) does get down there, we can rely on them. At practice, we go on reverse drills. With our coach, Patsy, you have to go back and help on defense.”

That attention to defensive detail may get lost in the plethora of points the Comets are putting up right now, but they are banking it will help them win a state championship that got away from them for two straight seasons.

“Our girls get a hard workout playing against our own offense. I think that’s the reason why our defense is successful,” Moratori said. “They have to get better. If they don’t, they’re going to get pummeled every day at practice. They’re playing against one of the best offenses at practice every day.”

Maybe that makes the job look a lot easier against offenses from other schools. But without a stand-up defense, winning might get a whole lot harder for Crestwood.

Here we go again

Just call it rematch week in the WVC.

Following Wednesday’s spirited showdown between Lake-Lehman and Wyoming Seminary, Coughlin will battle Wyoming Valley West at 4 p.m. today at Spartan Stadium.

Both games involved teams with a score to settle.

Wyoming Seminary came in seeking some payback after losing to Lake-Lehman in the semifinals of last year’s District 2 Class 2A playoffs. Spurred by that upset, Lehman went on to play in district finals and advanced to the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals while Sem went home earlier than it expected. Both teams entered Wednesday’s game as unbeaten division leaders, with Lehman at 4-0 in the WVC Division 3 and Sem at 3-0 atop Division 4. Lehman rallied back for a 2-1 victory in the second half.

A similar situation occurred with Coughlin and Valley West last season.

Both teams were tied at the top of the WVC Divsision 1 at the end of the 2014 regular season, and Coughlin wound up with the division title by winning a playoff between the teams. When they met again in the District 2 Class 3A playoffs, Valley West captured the district title with a 2-1 victory and went on to the state playoffs. Coughlin went home, with a great season for the Crusaders gone but not forgotten.

On opening day this year, a group of Crusaders players showed up in full force and in full uniform at Spartan Stadium after playing an afternoon game to watch Valley West drop a 3-2 decision against Hazleton Area later that evening.

Two weeks later, both teams are once again fighting for the top spot, with Coughlin at 4-0 in Division 1 and Valley West in second place at 3-1 while riding a three-game winning streak.

Nosing ahead

Not even a hard shot to the face can seemingly slow down Lake-Lehman’s Kate Supey.

After absorbing a bloody nose from a ball that bounded high off s stick and sent her sprawling in the season opener, Supey has been knocking down one shot after another.

Her 12 goals entering Wednesday’s battle with Wyoming Seminary put her into the league lead in Wyoming Valley Conference play, and she’s also the league’s top scorer with 15 points. Supey’s three assists also rank among the WVC’s top 10, and her leadership ability carried Lehman to a perfect 4-0 start at the top of Division 3.

She also wound up scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Wyoming Seminary in a battle of unbeaten division leaders.

Field Hockey: Lake-Lehman, Crestwood to meet in District 2 Class 2A final

LEHMAN TWP. – Lake-Lehman could be starting to make a habit out of this.

“That’s Lehman,” Jean Lipski said after her Black Knights made it back to the state tournament for the second straight year with a 1-0 victory over Wyoming Seminary. “I think we’re back.”

Lake-Lehman and Crestwood secured PIAA tournament berths and advanced to the District 2 Class 2A championship game with home-field semifinal wins Thursday night.

The two will play for the district title Tuesday at Wyoming Seminary at 7 p.m.

Crestwood, which has played in the last three state title games, rolled into its seventh straight state tournament by blasting Wyoming Area, 9-1.

Lake-Lehman has had to fight its way past six-time state champion Wyoming Seminary in tense, one-goal games between Wyoming Valley Conference divisional champions each of the past two seasons to start its own streak.

Before entering last season on an eight-year streak of missing state play, the Black Knights enjoyed an 11-year run where they made 10 PIAA appearances, won two state titles and played in three championship games.

Lipski said she enjoyed coming to practice every day in the state-level dry spell because she had great kids to work with, but she said she did not have the level of athlete that has made up the squad the last two seasons.

“Now, there’s so many kids who play travel, who play year-round, who do extra, who want extra help, who come and ask questions to improve themselves,” said Lipski, who leads a roster that features just two seniors. “It just blends to make a better team.

“And, these kids are blessed with some speed. They’re blessed with some quick-twitch. They’re strong. And, they play a nice game of hockey.”

Both defenses limited scoring chances throughout the night.

The one goal that was scored developed in a hurry.

Lake-Lehman had a penalty corner as it broke out of a timeout with 3:12 left in the half. Seven seconds later, it had the lead.

Katie Supey sent the insert into a pack of Black Knights huddled at the top of the circle. As the players dispersed, Sarah Sabaluski handled Supey’s pass and slid one of her own to the left. From high in the circle, Taylor Alba one-timed a quick, hard shot low and inside the near post.

“Corners are set up for the advantage of the offense, but it’s tough,” Lipski said. “It has to work perfectly.”

That time it did.

The Black Knights still faced some scares before it was over.

Lynea Gregory, one of the team’s steadiest defenders, rolled her ankle and went out early in the second half with Wyoming Seminary setting up a corner. Supey, the team scoring leader who chips in on corner defense, took a hard shot squarely off her knee cap and also had to be helped off the field.

“We put Miranda Martin in both times,” Lipski said. “She’s first off the bench and I thought she did a great job.

“It’s tough to go in cold in a hot game, but I thought did a real good job of doing that.”

Crestwood 9, Wyoming Area 1

WRIGHT TWP. – Crestwood coach Patsy Moratori said the best defense against an explosive Wyoming Area team was a good offense.

As it turned out, the best defender provided some offense, too.

Cara Jarmiolowski, who was largely responsible for limiting WVC scoring champion Bree Bednarski to a single goal and few chances, also scored her first goal of the season.

Jarmiolowski worked her way in front to score on a penalty corner, 1:04 into the second half as the unbeaten Comets broke away.

Crestwood already led, 4-1, before Jarmiolowski and Hunter Pitman converted the first two corners in the first 2:45 of the second half to put the game away.

The Comets allowed only one shot in the second half while padding their lead.

“I think they picked it up in the second half,” Moratori said. “I think our movement off the ball in the second half was much better, much crisper.”

Bednarski showed how dangerous she can be when she completed give-and-go with Jillian Spak with 18:58 left in the half for a 1-1 tie.

Jarmiolowski made sure there not many more chances.

“We knew we had to mark her at all times and know where she was at all times,” said Jarmiolowski, a senior defender and one of the team’s captains. “It just so happened that she was near me most of the time.”

Jarmiolowski was successful in stopping the ball before it got to Bednarski, but also took it off the speedster a few times.

“She’s very fast,” Jarmiolowski said. “I knew if I wanted to do well against her I had to get the ball before her or I had to be patient if it did get to her.”

Crestwood dominated possession, racking up leads of 29-3 in shots and 11-3 in penalty corners, limiting the times Wyoming Area could try to get the ball to its all-time leading scorer.

“If you play offense, it’s kind of the best defense,” Moratori said. “ … Basically keeping it on our end of the 50 is a big help.”

Crestwood responded well to the tying goal.

Lizzy Dessoye scored on a penalty corner with 15:33 left in the half to put the Comets ahead to stay.

They scored again 53 seconds later when Hannah Ackers controlled a long rebound of her own shot and sent a diagonal pass to Ashleigh Thomas at the far post. Thomas patiently waited for a recovering defender and moved to her reverse side to score the goal.

Ackers scored before halftime off an assist from Jarmiolowski on another corner play.

Ackers scored on a penalty stroke in the second half and Pitman also scored twice.

Both Pitman goals came on assists from Thomas.

Thomas and Dessoye each finished with a goal and two assists.

Olympian Paige Selenski, of Shavertown, teaches at Wyoming Seminary field hockey camp after Pan Am Games

KINGSTON – The expectations are high for the United States Women’s National Field Hockey Team these days.

That was clear in the span between the nights of July 22 and 24 in Toronto.

On the first night, the United States secured a trip to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics by reaching the final of the Pan American Games along with previous Olympic-qualifier Argentina.

With a major goal out of the way, however, Team USA had one more big accomplishment ahead.

By knocking off the world’s third-ranked team, 2-1, the fifth-ranked United States successfully defended the Pan Am Games title.

“Our ultimate goal to qualify for the Olympics, which we did, and just being able to win the Pan Am Games and defend that title that we won in 2011 was a huge accomplishment,” Paige Selenski, a Dallas graduate and 2012 Olympian, said July 26 during a stop at Wyoming Seminary’s Klassner Field with other National Team members for the Red, White, Blue and You Clinic.

As a starting forward in the last six international games, including three consecutive games where she scored goals at the Pan Am Games, Selenski has a strong chance of making her second straight Olympic appearance when the final roster for the games is settled next year.

Selenski came away proud of many of the team’s accomplishments, including how well they maintained their level of play, through back-to-back 12-0 and 15-0 routs of overmatched opponents and in the aftermath of fulfilling a long-pursued goal.

“That’s what led to our success in the final match,” she said. “We didn’t really just sit back on qualifying for the Olympics.

“We really wanted to finish off the job.”

The Pan Am Games gold medals added to the aura around the national team players as they taught the game to 21 middle school and 65 high school players, then answered questions and signed autographs during their stop at Wyoming Seminary.

The personal scoring streak and the 27-goal, two-game team outburst provide a confidence boost, according to Selenski.

“It just gives you reassurance that what you’re doing is right, what you’re doing is working,” Selenski said. “You’re following the process, sticking to what you believe in.”

Team USA field hockey's Paige Selenski talks feature in 2015 ESPN Body Issue

For the past seven years, ESPN The Magazine has dedicated one issue a year to recognizing an athlete's most valuable tool: their bodies. The 2015 issue featured Penn State alum and World Cup champ Ali Krieger, WNBA star Brittney Griner, swimmer Natalie Coughlin, Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper and Cleveland Cavalier Kevin Love, among others.

For the first time since 2010, a member of the Lancaster-based U.S. women's national field hockey team was featured in the annual edition.

Pennsylvania native Paige Selenski, who played at Dallas High School in Luzerne County, posed with a wooden field hockey stick in this year's edition and discussed using her speed in game play, her love of HGTV, training with the Navy Seals and potentially trying out for the bobsled team. 

Selenski, 24, is a University of Virginia graduate and has 106 caps for the national team. She joined the squad in 2009 and took a year off from UVA to train for the 2012 Olympics.

She answered quick questions for PennLive.com while prepping for the Pan American Games this month. 

PennLive: How did you get involved with the Body Issue and why were you interested in participating?
Paige Selenski: Field hockey isn't typically a popular sport in the United States, so I mainly wanted to represent my entire team, the sport and the body of a field hockey player.

PL: What was the experience like posing and coordinating the photo shoot?
PS: When I was first asked to take part in the Body Issue, I was extremely excited for the opportunity. But, as the date of the photo shoot got closer and closer, I started to get cold feet a bit. Even though the photos are taken tastefully, it's kind of a big deal to pose naked for a magazine. It was probably the most intense photo shoot I've ever been part of. It took about 6 hours with 20 people on site for various things (hair, make-up, photography, and film). Overall, the experience was fun and one I will remember for the rest of my life.

PL: Why do you think it is important for female athletes to participate in the Body Issue?
PS: Athletes put a lot of work into their bodies on a daily basis, so I think it's important for that to be celebrated. People on the outside don't always get to see the hard work we endure to perform in our sports. Every athlete's body is unique, and it's exciting to see the different types of bodies for different sports.

PL: What do you hope your feature in the magazine does for the visibility of USA Field Hockey on the national level?
PS: It's one of our goals on the national team to grow the game, and hopefully opportunities like these will help raise the visibility off field hockey in the United States. One thing that is so great about the Body Issue is its diversity. They feature well-known sports like baseball, football and basketball, but they also feature other sports, like field hockey, that are in the growing phase.

PL: What do you hope young, sports-minded girls take away from you and other female athletes being featured in the issue?
PS: Thankfully, my parents blessed me with athleticism, but that athleticism was useless without hard work. My track coach used to tell me that some people are talented, others are hard workers. Then, there are the few that are talented and hard workers. Those are the ones where the possibilities are endless, and every day, I strive to be that type of athlete.

Abington-area residents in the news

Local student makes dean’s list

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Bridget Feeney, of Clarks Summit, was named to the dean’s lists at The Catholic University of America School of Arts and Sciences for the spring 2015 semester. In order to be eligible for appearing on the dean’s list, an undergraduate in the School of Arts and Sciences must complete the semester registered for at least 15 hours, and achieve a grade point average of 3.5 or higher in all courses during that semester.

Loughney, Vito finish law school

CHESTER — Michael Loughney, of Clarks Green, and Nichole Vito, of Clarks Summit, are members of the 24th graduating class of Widener University School of Law’s Harrisburg.

Pollock named to president’s list

MANSFIELD — Richard Pollock, of Dalton, was named to the Mansfield University President’s List for the spring 2015 semester. To be named to the President’s List, a student must attend the university full-time and attain a 4.0 GPA for the semester.

Bergey named to Mansfield dean’s list

MANSFIELD — Lindsay Bergey, of Factoryville, was named to the dean’s list at Mansfield University for the spring 2015 semester. To be named to the dean’s list, a student must attend the university full-time and earn at least a 3.5 GPA.

Roy receives English Award at Sem

KINGSTON — Wyoming Seminary graduate Sukanya Roy, daughter of Dr. Abhijit and Dr. Mousumi Roy, of South Abington Township, received the Horace Parker Prize during the school’s 171st commencement in recognition of her superior command of the English language through creative and expository writing. Prior to commencement, she received the President’s Educational Excellence Award.

Marywood announces dean’s lists

SCRANTON — Area students named to the dean’s list from the Reap College of Education and Human Development include Bethany Earley, Clarks Green; Katherine Grow, Clarks Green; and Mark D. Van Nort, Dalton.

Those named to the dean’s list from the Insalaco College of Creative and Performing Arts include Jaye Alexandra Cannon, Clarks Summit; Matthew S. Deery, Clarks Summit; Zachary M. Graham, Clarks Summit; Amanda M. Hirschler, Factoryville; Tyron Nichoulas Mah, Clarks Summit; Kacey E. Olver, Clarks Summit; Irene Torresani, South Abington Township; and Zachary Yahn, South Abington Township.

Local students on the dean’s list from the College of Health and Human Services include Katelin Elizabeth Graves, Factoryville; Alexei Rachel Michaels, South Abington Township; Samuel Walker, Clarks Green; and Taylor Wilk, Clarks Summit.

Area dean’s list students from the Munley College of Liberal Arts and Sciences include Caroline E. Andrews, Clarks Summit; Ashley L. Blasi, Clarks Summit; Jillian Paige Gratz, South Abington Township; Stephanie M. Heim, South Abington Township; Melissa Keisling, Clarks Summit; Tyler Longstreet, Clarks Summit; Maura Nealon, Clarks Summit; Alisha Pitchford, South Abington Township; Christian Rainey, Clarks Summit; Melanie L. Speakman, Dalton; Gregory J. Stein, Cory A. Stewart, Clarks Summit; Ashley Diane Tarabek, Clarks Summit; Jessica Terry, Clarks Summit; Sarah Wagner, South Abington Township; and Lindsey A. Zlotucha, Factoryville.

Local students on the dean’s list from the School of Architecture include Monica L. Pacyna, South Abington Township; and Emily J. Scappatura, Dalton.

Kutztown University names local graduates

KUTZTOWN — Kutztown University conferred degrees on nearly 1,400 students during the winter, spring and summer terms. The following students were awarded degrees since the winter, 2015 announcement:

Mary Katherine Crowley, of South Abington Township, Bachelor of Arts in English, Magna Cum Laude; Jacqueline Ann Flynn, of Clarks Green, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Marketing; Neriell Hernandez, of Clarks Summit, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Marketing; Chelsea Maloney, of South Abington Township, Bachelor of Science in Education – Special Education, Visual Impairment; Michael Nole, of Clarks Summit, Bachelor of Science in Education – Secondary Education, Social Studies, Summa Cum Laude; Jessica Marie Serrenti, of South Abington Township, Bachelor of Arts in English, Professional Writing, Summa Cum Laude; and Lindsee N Williams, of Clarks Summit, Bachelor of Science – Psychology.

Wilkes University announces spring dean’s list

WILKES-BARRE — Wilkes University announced the dean’s list for the spring 2015 semester. To be named to the dean’s list, students must earn a minimum 3.4 grade point average and carry at least 12 credits.

The following local students were named to the list:

Lauren Boccagno, of Clarks Summit; Abigail Burke, of Clarks Summit; Julie Molinaro, of Dalton; Benjamin Rice, of Dalton; Kathryn Santoli, of Clarks Summit; Julie Umerich, of Clarks Summit; and Connor Zale, of Clarks Summit.

Clarks Summit resident named to dean’s list

BOSTON, Mass. — Mathew L. Fiegleman, of Clarks Summit, was named to the dean’s list at Boston University for the Spring semester. Each school and college at Boston University has their own criterion for the dean’s list, but students generally must attain a 3.5 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale), or be in the top 30 percent of their class, as well as a full course load as a full time student.

Local students graduate from BU

BOSTON, Mass. — Boston University awarded academic degrees to 6,100 students in May. Among the graduates were the following area studentsL

Mathew L. Fiegleman, of Clarks Summit, Bachelor of Science in Film and Television, Cum Laude, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Business Administration and Management, Cum Laude.

Maria C. Vietz, of Clarks Green, Master of Arts in International Affairs.

Brandon Perigard named to dean’s list

EASTON, Mass. — Clarks Summit native Brandon Perigard, a member of the Class of 2016, was named to the spring 2015 dean’s list at Stonehill College. To qualify for the dean’s list, students must have a semester grade point average of 3.50 or better and must have completed successfully all courses for which they were registered.

Perigard is a Criminology and Interdisciplinary Studies major at the college.

Dalton student named to dean’s list

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — The University of Hartford announced Stephen Gorczyk, of Dalton, was named to its dean’s list for spring 2015.

Area residents named to dean’s list

PROVIDENCE, RI — The following area residents were named to the dean’s list at Providence College for the spring 2015 semester. Matthew Lovecchio, of South Abington Township, class of 2018 and Robert Pinches, of Clarks Summit, class of 2016. To qualify for the dean’s list, students must achieve at least a 3.55 grade point average with a minimum of 12 credits.

Mitrow named to dean’s list

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Kaitlinn Mitrow, of Clarks Summit, was named to the dean’s list at the University of New Haven for the Spring 2015 semester. Full-time undergraduate students must have a 3.50 or better cumulative GPA for the semester to be eligible for the dean’s list.

Durkin graduates from Widener University

WILMINGTON, Del. — Patrick Durkin, of Waverly, earned a Juris Doctor from the Widener University School of Law Delaware campus Saturday, May 16.

USA deny Irish women’s hockey team Rio qualification

Cruel 6-1 defeat means team fall short in bid for 2016 Olympics spot

Two days after their shoot-out defeat to China in the Women’s Hockey World League quarter final Ireland’s Olympic qualification dream was brought to a cruel end by the USA.

Having been literally the width of a post away from securing qualification for Rio 2016 against China, Ireland were far from their best in a 6-1 defeat against a team they had already seen off in the pool stages.

Ireland were aiming for a spot in the fifth/sixth place playoff, and with that another chance at qualification.

Despite having beaten the Americans 2-0 in the pool stages, Ireland were unable to repeat those heroics as they found themselves two goals down after the first quarter.

Laura Crandall’s brace was added to in the second quarter by two more goals from Katie O’Donnell for the USA.

Ireland did manage a consolation goal via Anna O’Flanagan, her fourth in the competition. Although Paige Selenski and Jill Witmer soon added a fifth and sixth for the victors as Ireland continued to bravely push on in search of further consolation.

Darren Smith’s 14th seeded Ireland managed wins over South Africa, Uruguay and USA in the pool stages, but the heartbreaking defeat to seventh seeded China seemed to have taken its toll.

They have to go again though with a seventh place playoff still to come, with extra world ranking points at stake.

WVC field hockey celebrates 40th season with scholarship funding

Scholarship fund kicks off in anniversary season

As hard as it may be to believe, not every field hockey player around the Wyoming Valley Conference gets a scholarship to play in college.

It only seems that way.

But at least one more athlete from the conference will receive college funding through field hockey, thanks to an idea embraced by the league’s coaches during its 40th anniversary season.

All proceeds from the sale of T-shirts commemmorating the anniversary season will be used to award a college scholarship to a selected player at the end of this season, and if those sales really take off, more than one player from the conference may be rewarded.

“I’d like to have at least two or three scholarships,” said Nanticoke Area coach Lori Dennis, a former field hockey player at Bishop O’Reilly High School who also previously coached at Berwick.

Dennis came up with the idea to include a scholarship fund to help celebrate the league’s milestone season, and the rest of the league’s coaches welcomed the endeavor. The scholarship money will come from the sale of commemmorative T-shirts listing all the names of the league’s players this season on the back with a 40th anniversary logo on the front.

The shirts are selling for $20 each, and are being offered around the league this season. They’re quickly becoming popular with this years players, as Dennis said she’s already heard from six coaches ordering of 20 shirts for eacb of their teams.

“I think the scholarship is a great idea,” said Crestwood’s second-year coach Patsy Moratori, who played on the school’s 1988 state championship squad and guided the Comets to a state title game appearance in her rookie season as head coach last year.

The endeavor can only add more prestige to a league piled with it.

Since 1998, 22 teams from the Wyoming Valley Conference have advanced as far as the state semifinals and 10 won PIAA titles – the last being Wyoming Seminary’s victory over Crestwood in the 2013 Class 2A state championshipe game. And the league has watched four of its other teams finish as a state runner-up, including Crestwood’s 2-1 loss to Villa Maria Academy a year ago.

A team from the WVC has played in the state title game in each of the last five years, winning four straight PIAA championships before the Comets were edged 2-1 in the finals last season. Wyoming Seminary leads the league with seven state championship appearances during that span of 16 years, followed closely by Crestwood with six trips to play for a state title. Those two teams actually met in the state championship game twice (with each school winning once), while Sem downed Lake-Lehman for the 2001 Class 2A state crown.

With a loaded lineup featuring four players already committed to play for Division I college programs next fall, Crestwood is a heavy favorite to play for a state title again. The Comets are rated as the best Class 2A team in Pennsylvania and ninth-best in the Pennsylvania/New Jersey Region in the Max Field Hockey preseason rankings.

And just last season, the league applauded the 600th career coaching victory for Wyoming Seminary coach Karen Klassner and the 300th for Wyoming Valley West coach Linda Fithian.

“I don’t think I’m surprised about the (league’s) success,” said Moratori, who took over for the legendary Elvetta Gemski – now a volunteer assistant with the team – last season. “I am surprised at how we made it so far (into state tournaments) every year. That does surprise me.”

No shock here.

Dennis estimates there were about 150 girls from the Wyoming Valley Conference playing field hockey for Division I, II and III college programs.

And there’s plenty more to come.

Among those joining the fray at the top collegiate levels are grads Casey Cole from Crestwood, who’s now at Ohio State; Wyoming Seminary’s Rebecca Weinstock, who will play for Drexel this fall; Hazleton Area’s Selena Garzio, who went to Penn; Holy Redeemer’s Greta Ell went to Virginia; and Berwick’s Liz Dyer and GAR’s Brea Seabrook, who will team up at Division I St. Francis.

“We have one of the best leagues not only in the state of Pennsylvania, but on the whole East Coast,” Dennis said. “A lot of (college) coaches refer to us as the hotbed of field hockey. When they come to look at the top players, they’re always looking around at others. You’ve seen kids from small schools go on to play Division II, Division III.”

The WVC has seen Paige Selenski go from a standout at Dallas to an All-American at Virginia to a United States Olympian, while currently joining Wyoming Seminary graduates Kelsey Kolojejchick and Kat Sharkey on the US national field hockey team.

“Being from the Wyoming Valley, I know the type of kids who are from the area and know how important sports is to the region,” said Crestwood principle and WVC field hockey president Chris Gegaris, a Hanover Area grad. “Field hockey’s obviously been a great opportunity for female athletes. It’s the best league in the state, if not the whole eastern seaboard. I think the success of the programs over the years has only made the league better and pushes other teams to get better.”’

The well continues to run deep with talent around the WVC.

This season’s Crestwood team is bolstered by four seniors already committed to play big-time college field hockey next year in Hannah Ackers (headed to Michigan St.), Cara Jarmiolowski (Delaware), Lizzy Dessoye (Maryland) and Ashleigh Thomas (Old Dominion). Honesdale’s Clayre Smith, only a junior, has already committed to play college field hockey for Penn State. Lake-Lehman will send senior Kate Supey to Syracuse and juniors Taylor Alba to Temple and Sarah Sabaluski to Louisville. Wyoming Area will feature Michigan-bound senior Bree Bednarski and fellow senior Grace Gober, is headed to Temple. Coughlin’s Brigid Wood is heading to Boston College.

And that cache of Division I college commitments is a list even before the 2015 season begins.

“I think in the past with field hockey, it was a sport you played in the fall,” said Tunkhannock’s fourth-year coach Ashlie Lewis, a WVC player from 1999 though 2002. “Now it’s evolved into a sport where, if you love it, you play all year around. I definitely think its changed. I think it’s for the better, too. It’s one of the better areas for college scholarships.”

Now the sport will award at least one more in a special anniversary season. And that’s really something to celebrate.

“I’m really proud of our girls in the area and in District 2,” Gegaris said. “I know how much respect I have for young, female athletes. When you think about Northeastern Pennsylvania, the first things that come to mind are football, wrestling and field hockey’s becoming a premier sport – having great athletes and enjoying scholarships all over the place.