April 1, 2010

Kevin Benzing And Heather Schwartzburg Named March Quinnipiac Athletes Of The Month

HAMDEN, Conn. - The Quinnipiac University Department of Athletics and Recreation has named senior men's lacrosse goalie Kevin Benzing (Severna Park, Md.) and sophomore softball pitcher Heather Schwartzburg (Mission Viejo, Calif.) the March Athletes of the Month. This is the first time Benzing has been recognized as the Male Athlete of the Month, and it's the second time as Female Athlete of the Month for Schwartzburg.

Benzing posted a 4-1 record while compiling a 6.43 goals-against average and .659 save percentage for the Bobcats in March. He was named both the ECAC Lacrosse and Northeast Conference Player of the Week after stopping a career-high 21 shots in the Bobcats' first-ever ECAC Lacrosse victory at Hobart on March 20. Benzing's performance in March has placed his name prominently among the nation's top goalies. He currently ranks second among NCAA Division I goalies in save percentage (.642) and fourth in goals-against average (7.28).

Schwartzburg saw 15 appearances in the month, throwing complete games in all eight games started. Through 77 innings pitched, the sophomore combined for a 0.82 ERA and posted a 5-4 record in March, while allowing just 10 runs on 38 hits allowed. Schwartzburg also bested a career record on Mar. 9, when the Bobcats played a doubleheader against Toledo in Clearwater, Fla. Schwartzburg struck out 16 batters in the nine-inning game, her career-high for strikeouts in a single game. Overall, the RHP struck out 121 batters in the month. For her efforts, the California-native was named the Akadema/Northeast Conference Pitcher of the Week for two consecutive weeks in March, becoming the first NEC player to earn back-to-back awards in the 2010 season. Schwartzburg currently ranks atop the conference in ERA (1.11), and strikeouts (142) while holding opposing batters to a league-low .176 batting average.

The Quinnipiac University softball team returns to action on Friday, April 2, when they host Siena College in a non-conference doubleheader at 1 p.m. The men's lacrosse team returns to the turf on Saturday, April 3, when they travel to Harford for a 1 p.m. start.