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Men’s Lacrosse and Softball Earn CACC Players of the Week

Men’s Lacrosse and Softball Earn CACC Players of the Week

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - - Following impressive weeks for the Wilmington University men's lacrosse and softball teams, four student-athletes were honored by the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference by being named Players of the Week.

The men's lacrosse team went 2-0 last week, including a 17-14 victory against the nationally ranked No. 12 St. Anselm Hawks. They were led by the CACC Player of the Giovanni Marino (Woolwich, N.J./Kingsway), the CACC Defensive Player of the Week Connor Graser (Middletown, Del./Appoquinimink), and the CACC Goalkeeper of the Week Jason Roland (West Lawn, Pa./Wilson).

On the softball diamond, the Wildcats went 7-1 last week and were led by the CACC Rookie of the Week Gabbie Saucedo (Orange, Calif./El Modena). Kylee Gunkel (Highland, Md./Reservoir) and Taylor Gillis (Hockessin, Del./Wilmington Charter) were also named to the CACC Honor Roll as well.

Giovanni Marino broke the single game program record with nine goals against St. Anselm, adding an assist for 10 points against the Hawks. It was the first win against a nationally ranked opponent in program history. He then came out and scored three goals and added an assist in a comeback victory against Georgian Court. He totaled 12 goals and two assists for 14 points in two games.

Connor Graser anchored the defense in the two wins, leading the team with five caused turnovers while adding two ground balls. He came away with three caused turnovers in the 17-14 win against No. 12 St. Anselm and then picked up two more caused turnovers against Georgian Court. He also helped lead the defense to only allowing the Lions to two second half goals, eight overall.

Jason Roland earns his second CACC Goalkeeper of the Week award this season, totaling 30 saves with a .577 save percentage in two games. He made 13 saves against No. 12 St. Anselm and then tallied a season's best 17 saves with a .680 save percentage against Georgian Court. He only allowed eight goals against the Lions, finishing the week with an 11.00 goals against average. He also scooped up five ground balls against the Hawks last week.

Gabbie Saucedo hit .400 in eight games last week, leading the Wildcats to a 7-1 week. In total, she went 10-for-25 with a team leading nine RBI and eight runs scored. She slugged .560 and reached base at a .464 clip. She had two each, including a double, in each game against West Chester and then went a week's best 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI in game one against Felician. Saucedo had two more RBI in game two against Felician and ended her week by going 1-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored in game two against Molloy.

Saucedo's teammates Kylee Gunkel and Taylor Gillis were named to the Weekly Honor Roll. Gunkel went 3-0 in four appearances, striking out 24 in 22 innings while only allowing six earned runs for a 1.91 ERA. Taylor Gillis led the offense with a .464 batting average, going 13-for-28 with five doubles, seven RBI, and seven runs scored.

In the lacrosse field, Campbell Heller and Amelie Gamache were also named to the Weekly Honor Roll for their sport. Gamache led the Wildcats with 11 points, scoring four goals and adding seven assists. Heller scored eight goals in two games while adding two assists for 10 points.