LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Taylor Braunagel became the first Clarion player to earn All-PSAC First Team honors since 2015, and teammates Catherine Ferragonio and Julia Holden joined her on the all-conference list as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced its year-end award winners. Ferragonio was named to the All-PSAC Second Team for the first time in her career while Holden was recognized on the All-PSAC Third Team, also for the first time in her career.
Braunagel authored one of the most impressive seasons in recent program history, ranking second in the PSAC in kills with 4.06 kills/set at the time of the all-conference release. The senior outside hitter went on a tear through conference play, leading all PSAC athletes with a 4.62 kills per set average in conference matches.
By the conclusion of the season, Braunagel had become just the second player in program history to top 1,500 kills in a career, reaching 1,586 thanks to a career-high 475 kills in 2017. She set a career-high with 30 kills in her final career home match, defeating California (Pa.) for the Golden Eagles’ 20th win of the season.
Ferragonio cemented her spot as a top-flight defensive player in just her second year as the team’s starting libero, ranking third in the PSAC with a 5.94 digs/set average that was just 0.02 behind second-place Courtney Oberlander of Slippery Rock. Ferragonio finished with 695 digs on the season, which ranks eighth for a single season in program history, and nearly became just the third different player in program history to top 700 digs in a season.
In contrast to the two seniors earning all-conference recognitions, Holden took a major jump from her freshman to sophomore year in 2017 to become a dangerous player at outside hitter. She finished with 385 total kills and a 3.29 kills per set average that ranked ninth in the PSAC. Holden also led the Golden Eagles with 34 service aces and ranked second on the team with an average of 3.88 points/set as a result.
TWO NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
CLARION, Pa. – Thanks to their performance on the court and in the classroom, Catherine Ferragonio and Leah Vensel both were named CoSIDA Division II Academic All-District. The pair will now move to the Academic All-American ballot.
Ferragonio (4.00, Rehab Sciences / Pre-OT) cemented her spot as a top-flight defensive player in just her second year as the team’s starting libero, ranking third in the PSAC with a 5.94 digs/set average that was just 0.02 behind second-place Courtney Oberlander of Slippery Rock. Ferragonio finished with 695 digs on the season, which ranks eighth for a single season in program history, and nearly became just the third different player in program history to top 700 digs in a season.
Vensel (3.86, Chemistry) had a standout season at setter for Clarion, leading an offense that ranked among the best in the PSAC. Thanks to her efforts, the Golden Eagles led the PSAC in kills at 13.38 kills per set, and Vensel’s average of 10.47 assists/set ranked fourth in the league. Clarion posted the sixth-best team hitting percentage in the PSAC in conference matches, hitting .181 as a team.
Both Vensel and Ferragonio will appear on the Academic All-American ballots, which will be announced later this year.
