The Fanelli family tradition lives on with the Eastern University men’s lacrosse team.
Senior Christopher Fanelli, from Perkasie and a Pennridge High graduate, leads the 4-5 Eagles in scoring with 21 goals and 12 assists. He is tied for first in Division III in man-up scores with nine. He needs just one more point to join the program’s 200 club and has 141 goals and 58 assists in his career.
Christopher’s brother, freshman Frankie, plays attack with his brother and has 15 goals and six assists and appears ready to add to the tradition.
While Christopher is closing in on 200 points, the family scoring honor goes to older brother Nicholas. He finished with 330 points and was the first player in MAC Commonwealth history to score over 100 points in a season in 2023 with 102. He earned honorable mention All-America by the U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association.
The tradition started with Kyle (2018-21). He had 78 career points but wrapped things up with 33 goals and 18 assists in his senior season.
Reese Krieger – Lindenwood (Mo.) women’s lacrosse (Easton)
The sophomore midfielder had a big game to help the 8-1 Lions open play in the American Sun Conference with a 22-18 victory at Kennesaw State last Saturday. She scored five goals. It was her second five-goal game of the season, topped only when she had seven goals in a 17-7 triumph over Mercyhurst on Feb. 10 in Erie. She has 28 goals and three assists with two game winners. She also has 10 ground balls, five draw controls and five caused turnovers.
Derek Holmes – William & Mary (Va.) baseball (Northwestern Lehigh)
The 6-foot-2, 233-pound graduate student continues to be a big hitter for The Tribe. The team is 7-17 overall and 1-2 in the Coastal Athletic Association after dropping two of three league games to North Carolina A&T last weekend. Holmes was 9-for-16 with seven RBI for the series. On the season, he leads the team in hitting with a .425 average. He has 34 hits in 80 at-bats with eight doubles, a home run, 14 runs scored and a team-high 26 RBI.
Matthew Lackman – Alvernia wrestling (Bethlehem Catholic)
The graduate student became the first Division III All-American in program history when he captured the 165-pound title at the National Championship March 14-15 in Providence, R.I. He earned All-American honors for the fourth straight year and finished with a 173-8 record for his career. His brother Nathan, also a graduate student, finished second at 174 pounds. He won national titles at 157 and 165 pounds when he wrestled for Rhode Island College.
Ava Beal – Albany (N.Y.) softball (Quakertown)
The freshman outfielder leads the Great Danes in hitting with a .316 average. She has 12 hits in 38 at-bats with five runs scored and four RBI and is 5-for-6 in stolen bases. Beal had three hits in two victories – 3-1 over Butler on March 1 and 9-0 over Mount St. Mary’s on March 15. Albany is 7-15 after opening its America East Conference schedule with 12-4 and 14-2 losses to Binghamton last Saturday in Vestal, N.Y.
Evan Eichenlaub – Babson (Mass.) men’s golf (Moravian Academy)
The sophomore opened the spring season with a big effort for the Beavers at the Tiger Invitational on March 9-10 in Pinehurst, N.C. Eichenlaub finished sixth out of 100 entrants with a 2-under score of 142 for 36 holes. He had a big first round with a three-under 69, scoring 34 on the front and 35 on the back. He had a 73 in the second round but closed with a 35 on the back nine. He had seven birdies and an eagle. Babson finished second out of 20 teams.
Ian Kish – Gwynedd Mercy men’s lacrosse (Bethlehem Catholic)
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior midfielder had three goals and four assists to help the 4-6 Griffins top Cairn 21-3 last Saturday in Langhorne. Kish leads the team in scoring with 33 points on 24 goals and nine assists with a game winner and had seven goals in a 12-2 victory at Delaware Valley on March 12. He has 21 ground balls and seven caused turnovers. In 56 career games he has 93 goals and 50 assists for 143 points.
Riley McDonald – Stony Brook (N.Y.) women’s lacrosse (Easton)
The graduate student had three goals and two assists to help the 18th-ranked Seawolves top Delaware 16-8 in a Coastal Athletic Association game on Sunday in Newark, Del., with the team moving to 6-3 overall and 2-0 in league play. McDonald has 24 goals and three assists on the season and has scored 15 goals in the team’s last four games, all victories. The streak was highlighted by five goals and an assist in a 17-8 triumph over No. 24-rank Denver on March 18.
Logan Castellano – Merrimack (Mass.) baseball (Notre Dame of Green Pond)
The junior is batting .295 and leads the Warriors in hitting. He has 23 hits in 78 at-bats with seven doubles, three home runs, 14 runs scored and 17 runs batted in. He has had at least one hit in 18 games highlighted by a three-hit game in a 10-5 victory over Marist on March 8. Merrimack is 6-16-1 overall, but 5-4 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference after a 7-3 conference victory at Rider on Sunday. Castellano had a double and an RBI in the game.
Shane Fillman – PSU Abington baseball (Whitehall)
The senior infielder is hitting .347 for the Nittany Lions who are 7-10 overall and 1-1 in the United East Conference after splitting a double head with Penn College in conference games last Saturday in Jenkintown. Fillman was 4-for-10 in the doubleheader. He has 26 hits in 75 at-bats with six doubles, a home run, 17 runs scored and 14 RBI. He is 5-for-5 in stolen bases. He has made two errors on 69 chances (.971) in the field.
Shelby Carter – Stevenson (Md.) women’s tennis (Emmaus)
The sophomore is playing No. 1 singles and with the No. 1 doubles team for the Mustangs, who are 3-4 to start the spring season. Carter is 3-4 in singles and has teamed with graduate student Ariella Stepleman of Atlanta, Ga., to go 7-0 in doubles. As a freshman, Carter was 7-6 in No. 2 singles and 9-4 in No. 1 doubles and earned Middle Atlantic Conference second team honors.
