News

Landmark Announces Athletes of the Week

TOWSON, Md. - The Landmark Conference has released the Athletes of the Week. The conference will recognize a student-athlete for each sport based on their contributions to their team throughout the season.

For the fall season, field hockey, football, soccer, and volleyball will be announced on Monday, followed by cross country, swimming and diving, golf, and tennis on Tuesday.

  • Men: Derick Blair (Susquehanna University)
    Blair placed fifth overall and set a program record at the Gettysburg Aubrey Shenk Invite Saturday with an 8K time of 24:43.0. His time also is the fastest in the Landmark this season.

    Women: Tara Smurla (Moravian University)
    Smurla finished fourth of the 295 runners in the 2025 Rowan University Border Battle with a personal best time of 21:34.1 in the 6,000-meter race to lead the Greyhounds to a 12th place finish of 31 teams in the meet.

  • Men: Dan Venuti  (Susquehanna University)
    Venuti won three races last week in competition against both Elizabethtown and Lycoming. He was part of the 200-yard medley relay team that secured first place with a time of 1:41.01. He also took first in the 100-yard butterfly, finishing in 53.82 seconds, and claimed victory in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 57.32.

    Women: Avaih Dahlgren (University of Scranton)
    Dahlgren led the Royals with two impressive distance wins in Saturday’s tri-meet at Ithaca College. She claimed first in both the 1,000-yard freestyle (11:07.29) and 500-yard freestyle (5:25.85), helping Scranton to a 207-92 win over Hartwick. Both times are ranked first in the conference this season.

  • Men: Avery Cohen (Drew University)
    Cohen tied for sixth in a field of 60 with a 3-over-par 145 (72-73) to lead the Rangers to a fifth-place finish among 11 teams at The Melee, held at Ford's Colony Country Club in Williamsburg, Va. He shot six birdies, including four in the opening round on Sunday. Cohen helped the Rangers finish with a team score of 597 (301-296).

    Women: Josephine Nguyen (Drew University)
    Nguyen won medalist honors while leading the Rangers to the team title at The Melee, held at Ford's Colony Country Club in Williamsburg, Va. this past Sunday and Monday. She earned her first victory of the season and the seventh of her career by firing a 147 (77-70) and notching four birdies in each round. She tied Pfeiffer's Kirstyn Page for first place but won by virtue of the first tiebreaker – card comparison of the second round, in which Nguyen shot a 70 and Page carded a 75. As a team, the Rangers fired a 671 (342-329) to edge out both Pfeiffer and Shenandoah by a single stroke in the eight-team field.
     

  • Men: Lorenzo Neri (Catholic University)
    Neri picked up two wins in the Cardinals 5-2 victory over Gettysburg on the weekend. He earned a victory in number two doubles, taking the set 7-5 to help earn the doubles point. He followed up in number one singles by dominating his match, 2-0 by scores of 6-0 and 6-3.

    Women: Natalia Smith (Moravian University)
    Smith recorded a 6-0, 6-1 win at third singles for her first collegiate victory in Moravian's 6-1 victory at NCAA Division II Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. In the Wilkes University Doubles Invitational, she went 4-2 with junior Sydney Shifman in Pod 1 throughout the day.