S-A of the Week (6-1)
MAAC Sports
Katherine Pitz, Fairfield, Rowing, Sr., Port, Lagrangeville, N.Y.
Katherine has earned three All-MAAC Academic honors and has also collected berths to the 2013 and 2014 MAAC Academic Honor Roll. She is a three-time Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association National Scholar Athlete. She helped the Stags earn a second-place finish in the Kerr Cup petitie final and was a member of the varsity 8 that received the MAAC Boat of the Week earlier this season. She was named Fairfield University’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year recently, and also received the University’s Kramer Humanitarian Award for commitment to volunteerism. Her work included two trips to build water chlorinating systems on a college campus in Bolivia, and started the first Engineers Without Borders program at Fairfield. She also helped with establishing renewable energy projects during her stay in Bolivia.
Mariano Rivera, Iona, Baseball, Jr., Pitcher, Harrison, N.Y.
Iona College baseball junior RHP Mariano Rivera was named 2015 MAAC Pitcher of the Year for his performance during the 2015 season.
Rivera was also named to the All-MAAC First Team and led the MAAC in strikeouts during the 2015 season recording an Iona single-season record 113. He posted a dominating 11.96 strikeout per game mark and 12.87 strikeouts per game in conference play. The right hander earned five wins and a 2.65 ERA and while his ERA in MAAC play was a stingy 1.81. He held opposing batters to a .211 average against him overall and kept conference hitters south of a .155. Rivera threw six complete games, one shy of the Iona record and led the MAAC with three shutouts in 85.0 innings pitched. He was a three-time recipient of the MAAC’s Pitcher of the Week Award.
Rivera is the first Gael hurler to earn MAAC Pitcher of the Year honors since John Novinsky in the 2000 campaign. Consequently, Novinsky is the only other Iona performer to record more than 100 strikeouts in a single season when he fanned 108 during that season.
Following a 29th round selection by the New York Yankees a season ago, Rivera has once again turned heads this season and looks to hear his name called during the 2015 MLB Draft, June 8-10. Rivera was recently profiled by the New York Post (hyperlink to this article http://nypost.com/2015/05/09/scouts-eyeing-riveras-son-at-iona/), LoHud.com (hyperlink to http://www.lohud.com/story/sports/college/2015/05/15/mariano-rivera-iii-made-name-iona/27409371/) and the New York Times (hyperlink to http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/02/sports/baseball/mariano-rivera-iii-resembling-his-father-as-draft-nears-again.html?_r=0)