Athletics Highlights: GNAC Championship, DI Wrestling Matchup and More

This past weekend was a busy and extremely successful one for JWU Providence Athletics. On Saturday, women’s volleyball won their fourth Great Northeast American Conference (GNAC) championship title with their 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-18) decision over Rivier. That same day, the #3-ranked wrestling team was put to the test against a pair of Division I programs, Rutgers and Fresno State, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. (In parallel, a JWU contingency also took part in the Ithaca College Invitational in upstate New York.)

GNAC Powerhouse
All season long, JWU Providence’s women’s volleyball team has been a dominant force in GNAC. Saturday’s championship win marked the team’s

• 58th consecutive home win — the 5th-longest stretch in DIII history
• longest nationwide winning streak of 31 matches
• 82 consecutive set wins against GNAC opponents

The Wildcats are one win behind Central and Eastern for the third-longest streak in NCAA history.

The GNAC title gives them the conference’s automatic bid into the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Regional competition will take place Friday-Sunday, Nov. 9-11. Today the NCAA volleyball committee announced the 8 regional sites that will host:

• Chicago, Illinois: Chicago, host
• Grand Rapids, Michigan: Calvin, host (Nov. 8-10)
• Huntingdon, Pennsylvania: Juniata, host
• Ithaca, New York: Ithaca, host
• Mount Berry, Georgia: Berry, host
• Providence, Rhode Island: JWU Providence, host
• Saint Peter, Minnesota: Gustavus Adolphus, host
• Wellesley, Massachusetts: Babson, host

The JWU-hosted schedule for Friday, November 9 is as follows:

• 12:30pm: Springfield vs. Maine Maritime
• 3pm: Wesleyan vs. Kean
• 5:30pm: Franklin & Marshall vs. SUNY New Paltz
• 8pm: JWU vs. ECSU

Ambitious Season for JWU Providence Wrestling
In New Jersey, JWU Providence wrestling came away with a 27-16 win over Centenary, and senior Jay Albis was the only wrestler to win all three of his matches. They lost 38-5 to #13-ranked Rutgers, then dropped a 37-11 decision to Fresno State. Next weekend they will head to the Roger Williams Invitational.

Wrestling’s ambitious scheduling continues on December 15, when they will take the stage at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) for the 2nd annual Downtown Showdown. This year JWU hosts perennial NCAA Division II power Wheeling Jesuit at 6pm.

Soccer Highlights
Jordan Restivo of JWU Providence women’s soccer was named GNAC Women’s Soccer Rookie of the Year, while 4 men’s soccer players — Teagan Drake, Nick Gutekunst, Braedan Krakosky, and Riley McNicholas — placed on the GNAC All-Conference Team. Drake was a first-team selection, with the other 3 on the second-team lineup. Soccer senior defenseman Robert Hayman was selected to the all-sportsmanship team.

2018 GNAC Women’s Volleyball All-Tournament Team
Maria Coniglio, JWU (MVP)
Kate Walker, JWU
Brylee Frank, JWU
Hayley Macken, Rivier
Courtney Collins, Rivier
Maddie Bromley, Colby-Sawyer
Chidera Nwankwo, Suffolk