Jones, Byerly named Waynesburg Athletes of the Week

Junior forward and sophomore grappler lauded for athletic excellence

WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Feb. 2) – Congratulations go out to the latest Waynesburg Athletes of the Week, sophomore wrestler Jesse Byerly and junior women’s basketball player Elisha Jones.

Byerly picks up the award after upsetting one of the top 149-pounders in Division II. During the Yellow Jackets’ recent match with West Liberty State, Byerly gritted out a 6-5 win over Mitch Smith, who was ranked second in Division II going into the match. Byerly has now won his last three matches and has been victorious in six of his last seven bouts.

Jones picks up this week’s award after averaging a team-best 19 points per game for the Jacket women during a pair of tilts this past week. During a hard-fought 66-62 loss to Bethany, the native of Russell, Pa. poured in a game-high 22 points. That total is the highest single-game output for a Waynesburg player this season.

Jones also recorded a team-best seven blocks over those games and averaged three rebounds per contest.

The Waynesburg wrestlers return to the mats on Wednesday when they travel to face another highly-ranked Division II program in Gannon. The Jacket women hoopsters will also be in action on Wednesday, as they travel to Westminster to face the Titans in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) showdown.

Sport:

2.4.12 | 1:30 p.m.

Women's Basketball vs Saint Vincent

Live Stats Live Video Live Audio

2.8.12 | 5:30 p.m.

Women's Basketball vs Bethany

2.11.12 | 1:30 p.m.

Women's Basketball vs Thomas More

Athletes of the Week

Dan Bruni

Wrestling

Bruni went 3-0 during Waynesburg’s home quad-match against Penn State Greater Allegheny, Penn State Beaver and Penn State Fayette. The sophomore won two matches by major decision and scored a fall in just 31 seconds over Greater Allegheny’s Soham Salvi.

Jessi Drayer

Women's Basketball

Drayer poured in a team-high 21.0 points per game for the 1-1 Yellow Jackets this past week. She was the team’s leading scorer in both games, going for a game-high 23 points against Westminster, before pouring in a contest-best 19 points in a win over Geneva. The Waterford, Ohio native averaged 21 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game this week.

What are you most looking forward to in 2012 when it comes to Waynesburg sports?

Seeing how far the women's basketball team can go in the PAC tournament and beyond.
The wrestling team going for a third-straight PAC team title.
The Jacket softball team playing to get back into the PAC playoffs.
Waynesburg track taking another shot at an elusive PAC team title.
Just being outside when the weather turns warm.

Did You Know...

Champions in the classroom

During the 2009-10 school year, no school in the conference boasted more honorees on the PAC Academic Honor Roll than Waynesburg.

Don Herrman

Former Waynesburg football great Don Herrman played for the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints from 1969 to 1977.

Jackets own Nittany Lions

The Waynesburg football team is 2-0 all-time against Penn State. The last time they met was in 1932, when the Jackets won 7-6.

Unbreakable record

In 2009, Scott Cree ran an interception back 100 yards for a touchdown, a record that can't be broken.

Headlee's All-American resume

Head wrestling coach Ron Headlee was a three-time NAIA All-American at Messiah College and the school's first NCAA All-American.

The Three Musketeers

Dominick Hunter, Ivan Hawkins and Paul D'Imperio, who rank 1-2-3 in career receptions , all played together from 2002 to 2004.

Going nowhere fast

Waynesburg held Westminster to minus-105 yards rushing in a game in 1967.

TV Football

Waynesburg played in the first televised football game. The Yellow Jackets faced Fordham on Sept. 20, 1939 in Randalls Island, N.Y.

Waynesburg University Athletics