College Update: Burroughs grads Malone, Lopez enjoy fruitful freshmen campaigns
The following are updates on local athletes at the collegiate level.
Jarrett Malone (Burroughs, 2017) Limestone College men’s volleyball freshman: It was a fine first season for the for former All-Area and All-Pacific League athlete playing for the Division II school in Gaffney, SC.
Malone, an opposite, led the team in blocks with 76 and in kill percentage at .245. His blocks total was fifth among Conference Carolinas players. In addition, the freshman had 139 kills (fourth on the team) and 58 digs.
Malone tallied 13 kills and three blocks on Jan. 24 against Emmanuel and had 12 kills and five blocks March 20 against Erskine. His season-high for blocks was 10 against Coker on Feb. 21.
Limestone saw its season come to an end April 14 with a 25-21, 25-18, 25-19 loss to University of Mount Olive in the Conference Carolinas Men’s Volleyball Championship quarterfinals. Malone had four kills in the loss.
The Saints ended the season 8-20, 5-11 in conference.
Lauren Lopez (Burroughs, 2017) Wilmington University softball freshman: The first-year player made significant contributions for the Division II school in New Castle, Del.
Lopez, a third baseman, started in all 54 of the Fightin’ Quakers games. She ended with a .287 batting average (45 for 157) and led the team with 40 runs batted in. In addition, Lopez scored 22 runs, had 14 walks, eight doubles, two triples and two home runs.
For her efforts, Lopez was honored as an All-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference second-team selection.
Wilmington saw its season come to a conclusion May 4 in the CACC Tournament. The Fightin’ Quakers started the day with a 7-2 win against Post University, but were eliminated following a 7-6 loss to Dominican College. In the two games, Lopez was three for four with two RBI, two walks and a run.
Wilmington finished 37-17 and was second in the CACC regular season, setting a new program record for conference wins after going 21-5.
Mitch Kellogg (Bellarmine-Jefferson, 2013) Morningside College baseball senior: The all-league catcher with the Guards proved to be the team’s most improved player for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school in Sioux City, Iowa.
Kellogg, who started 41 of 42 games, led the Mustangs with seven sacrifices and was fourth on the team with a .291 batting average (32 for 110) after hitting just .145 as a junior. In addition, he had 15 runs batted in, 15 walks and three home runs.
Morningside also featured senior shortstop Dylan Mersola, a 2013 Burbank High graduate. Mersola was third on the team in batting average at .312 (53 for 170) and had 36 runs, 15 RBI, 16 walks and four doubles. Mersola went on a hitting tear over the second half of the season by going 40 for 113 (.354) over the final 29 games.
Kellogg and Mersola were All-Great Plains Athletic Conference honorable mentions.
The season came to a close for Morningside on May 7 when it lost, 11-8, to Northwestern in the GPAC Northwestern Bracket championship game. Kellogg had a home run and Mersola had a double in the loss.
Morningside posted a 22-25-1 record to extend its streak to 12 consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins. The Mustangs finished fifth in the GPAC standings with a 14-12 record.
Josh Cantong (Burbank, 2016) Azusa Pacific University men’s track and field sophomore: The former Bulldogs two-sport standout had a productive season for the Cougars.
Cantong played a part in APU capturing a Pacific West Conference men’s championship. In the meet April 28 in Fresno, the Cougars placed first with 218 points, besting Fresno Pacific (183), while Academy of Art (145) was third.
In the men’s and women’s competitions, APU captured 12 individual PacWest titles, while another 12 Cougars posted runner-up finishes.
One of those titles was won by Cantong, who finished first in the 800 meters in 1 minute 52.86 seconds. It was a season-best mark for the sophomore.
On the season, Cantong also logged a best of 50.01 in the 400 on March 17 at the Ross & Sharon Irwin Collegiate Scoring Meet in San Diego and ran the third leg on a Cougars 4x400 relay team that clocked 3:14.66 at the UC Riverside Spring Classic Invitational on March 24.
Twitter: @jefftsports
