Kutztown University

It was a stellar year for Kutztown University athletics in 2008. Titles were won, records were broken, milestones were reached and honors were awarded. Below are the top 10 moments in Golden Bear Athletics from the calendar year 2008.

If you have a comment about this list, e-mail KU Athletics.

Returning from his redshirt season, Joe Kemmerer (sr. Mountain Top/Crestwood) won the 2008-09 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championship at 133 pounds, the first conference wrestling title at KU since 1942.

Kemmerer defeated Edinboro's Rick Duebel in the title bout, a rematch of the 2006-07 PSAC Championship at 133 pounds, to win the championship.

The loss in 2006-07 was one of just three en route to his NCAA Division II 133-pound Championship, the only national title won by a KU wrestler in program history.

With his win at the PSAC Championships, he is now 14-0 on the season and has won 25 straight bouts dating back to his title run two years ago. He's 46-3 as a member of the Golden Bears, after transferring to KU from UNC-Charlotte before the 2006-07 season. Full Story

A pair of former PSAC East Rookies of the Year joined the next 2007-08 PSAC Rookie of the Year to win KU's first PSAC East title since 1988.

Dennis, who reached 1,000 points on Dec. 3, averaged 17.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, while Ben posted 17.0 points and 5.3 rebounds a game. Washington averaged 9.1 points and 7.7 rebounds a game.

Together, they led KU to a 19-9 overall record and a 10-2 mark in the PSAC East, tied for the most conference wins in school history.

The PSAC East title was split with Cheyney thanks in part to a huge 79-71 road win at the Wolves' Cope Hall. A win over East Stroudsburg to close out the regular season sealed the share of the title.

At 18-19 overall and 5-8 in the PSAC East, the 2008 Kutztown University baseball team looked to be on its way to missing the postseason for the first time since 2000.

KU also had to battle back in the tournament, competing in the loser's bracket and defeating West Chester twice, including an 8-7 win, in order to win the title.

Gorski, in his final five regular season starts, went 5-0 — all complete games — limiting opponents to four runs on 19 hits and 12 walks. His ERA in those five games is 0.80.

Lightcap finished the season batting .366 with 18 doubles, six homers, 40 RBIs and 47 runs scored. He led the Golden Bears in the PSAC Championship, earning the tournament's MVP award.

The team qualified for the North Atlantic Regionals for a school record eighth straight time and ninth in the last 10 years.

Betty Wesner, of the Kutztown University field hockey team, became the 21st NCAA field hockey coach to collect 300 wins. She picked up the milestone win against the same team she won her 200th.

With a 3-2 overtime win over Mercyhurst, Wesner and the Golden Bears won her 300th game on Sept. 24. In 1999, she got her 200th in an overtime win against Mercyhurst. In that game, her daughter, Sarah, scored the game-winner. Sarah is now the women's lacrosse coach at KU.

Betty Wesner, who led the Golden Bears to the PSAC playoffs, was named the PSAC East Coach of the Year, her fifth conference award. Wesner, who currently holds a 305-221-15 record in 29 years at KU, was previously named PSAC Coach of the Year in 1988, 1997, 2004 and 2007.

She has recorded 20 winning seasons, including their 2008 record of 13-6 overall and 5-3 in the PSAC East. The Golden Bears finished fourth in the NCAA Division II South Region rankings.

Former Kutztown University football player, Lieutenant David A. Borden, made an emotional return to University Field, being honored for his service in as a soldier in Iraq.

Earlier in the year, before he was honored at the Homecoming game on Oct. 25, Borden was injured in a Iraq when fighting broke out between his platoon of Marines and insurgents in Ramadi. Borden, a former wide out with the Golden Bears, suffered multiple internal injuries, broken bones and an amputation below the right knee.

He survived the attack and since then, has been at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, D.C., where he is rehabilitating his injuries.

Borden was honored with a personalized KU jersey and football signed by the 2008 Golden Bears, handed to him by head football coach Raymond Monica. He also was presented a state proclamation, sponsored by Pa. State Senators Michael O'Pake and Mike Waugh. Full Story

Steve Tyson, left, Jim Dart, middle, stand on the podium at the 2007-08 Indoor PSAC Championships after finishing first and second, respectively, in the shot put.

It was a great year in the field for the Golden Bears, especially for the throwers.

Jim Dart and Steve Tyson traded first-place finishes all season long in the shot put, with Tyson winning the indoor PSAC title, while Dart won the outdoor title. Dart was the runner up in the indoor season and qualified for nationals earlier in the season with a school record toss of 55-1.

At nationals, Dart placed seventh, earning All-America status, with at throw of 54-8 3/4. Tyson finished ninth, just one place out of All-America honors.

In the outdoor season, Dart placed first in the shot put with a throw of 52-5 1/2 and Tyson was fifth (50-4 1/2). Dart also was All-PSAC in the discus, finished third (154-1).

Chris Boutsikaris also nabbed a PSAC title, taking first in the javelin (204-7).

On the women's side, Ashley Pinter was a great surprise for the Golden Bears, earning All-PSAC honors in three events. She took first in the discus (138-5), second in the shot put (42-4) and third in the hammer (138-5). PSAC Indoor Championship | PSAC Outdoor Championship

Kayla Stamm (fr. Mohnton/Governor Mifflin) bowled her way in the national spotlight in KU’s inaugural season by being named the National Ten Pin Coaches Association Division II Rookie of the Year.

Stamm, who averaged 188.2 in 57 games this season, led the Golden Bears to 44 wins in its first season as a varsity sport at KU.

She rolled a 200 or better in at least one of her games in 10 of KU’s 11 events this season. She set the KU record for pins in a season with 10,725 and her season-high 268 stands as KU’s best game.

Her best tournament of the 2007-08 in which she competed in at least five games was the St. Francis New Year’s Knockdown on Jan. 12, 2008, where she averaged a 213 over five games. That helped KU go 9-1 at the tournament, its best finish at a tournament.

Stamm is averaging a 190.17 in 2008-09 in 18 games. Her high of the season, thus far, is 228. The Golden Bears are currently ranked No. 8 in the nation at 31-11 overall.

Ryan Nye (sr. Bernville/Holy Name) became the first player in Kutztown University football history to be named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America College Division first team selected by CoSIDA.

Nye, an elementary education major, has a GPA of 3.63. He finished the season with a 41.2 yards per punt average, ranked 14th in Division II. His longest punt of the season was a career-best 70-yarder against Shippensburg.

The senior finishes his career as a four-year starter, who set KU’s career record with a 39.6 punting average. He also finished third in career punts (199) and punting yards (7,883). Nye handled kickoffs, as well, making 24 tackles.

Nye is one of 22 Division II players to be named to the Academic All-America College Division first team.

Ashley Singer won the 2008 PSAC Championship in the 500-yard freestyle, helping the Golden Bears to seventh place.

She swam the title race in 5:06.24, an NCAA provisional B-cut time. It was the first PSAC title for the Golden Bear women since 1998.

Singer wrapped up her career as the KU record holder in seven events, the 100, 200, 500, 1,000 freestyles, 200 butterfly and the 800 free relay.

She was named honorable mention All-America in the 200 and 500 free in 2007, and was an NCAA qualifier in the 100, 200 and 500 free.

The Kutztown University athletic programs had a school record 131 student athletes selected as Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Scholar-Athletes by Commissioner Steve Murray in July. KU's 131 student-athletes were among the total of 1,488 students selected as 2007-08 PSAC Scholar-Athletes.

To be eligible for the scholar-athlete awards, student-athletes must attain at least a 3.25 cumulative grade point average while competing in an intercollegiate varsity sport.

The 1,488 scholar-athletes account for approximately one-third of the 5,200-plus student-athletes in the PSAC.

Kutztown’s 131 scholar-athletes surpassed last year’s record-setting mark of 120 and represent all 23 sports at KU. Full List of Scholar-Athletes

Honorable mentions

Mercedes Van Wagner, women’s basketball, sets career rebounds record in final game (3/1)... Cody Hartzler, men’s track & field, wins PSAC indoor high jump title (3/1)... Katlin Arbogast, softball, sets KU record for strikeouts as sophomore (3/12), leads KU to PSAC East title (4/26)... Women’s Lacrosse returns to KU after 18-year hiatus (3/13)...Steph Williams, women’s outdoor track & field, wins 5000-meter PSAC title (5/2)...Women’s soccer, win streak of eight games, unbeaten streak of 11 (9/13-10/5)...Lukas Labitsch, men’s tennis, wins ITA East Regionals singles and doubles title (10/6), wins PSAC doubles title (10/12).... Volleyball, plays game in Pine Grove, Pa, in honor of fallen alum (10/13)... Kelli Pry, women’s golf, finished fourth at the first women’s PSAC tournament, with a school-record score (10/18-19)...Joanna Horstmann, women’s cross country’s only four-time All-PSAC and All-Region runner, caps career at fourth NCAA Championship (11/22)... Steph Jeppesen, women’s swimming, set KU records in 100 and 200 breaststroke, qualifies for 2009 NCAA Championship at F&M (12/7)... Women’s Bowling, earns highest-ever national ranking of 8^th (12/12).