Cleary and McDonough Named EC Athletes of the Week

2018 Feb 12

Danielle Cleary '18 of the women's basketball team and Ryan McDonough '19 of the men's volleyball team earned Elmira College Athlete of the Week honors for their performances in the week spanning February 5-11.

Cleary guided the women's basketball team to a pair of wins in three outings last week, including a 74-70 triumph on the road against Hartwick on Tuesday and a 63-49 victory over Utica at Speidel Gymnasium on Saturday. Across all three games, she averaged a team-best 15.0 points per game, in addition to posting 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steals per contest.

The fourth-year guard from Rochester, New York, paced EC with 22 points against the Hawks, her sixth 20-point performance of the season. She collected over half of her point total from beyond the arc by draining four 3-pointers. Cleary also hauled in seven rebounds and dished out four dimes against Hartwick. On Class of 2018 Recognition Day, which was held on Saturday against the Pioneers, the senior standout netted a game-high 16 points, including three more treys, while finishing one rebound shy of a double-double. Cleary added five assists, two steals and one block to her totals against Utica.

Saturday's game also marked a significant milestone for Cleary, who surpassed Mary Kay Babcock '82 (1,457) for second-place all-time with 1,472 career points. Cleary is also on pace to become the first Soaring Eagle since Babcock to lead the team in scoring during all four collegiate seasons, as she currently boasts a team-best 14.6 points-per-game average.

Cleary and the Soaring Eagles will travel to Rochester, New York, to face the first-place Cardinals of St. John Fisher College in their final road game of the season on Tuesday, February 13, at 8:00 p.m.

McDonough's performance in the early portion of the 2018 men's volleyball season has been a major key to Elmira's success. With a 10-4 overall record, the Purple and Gold are already just one win away from tying their total from the entire 2017 campaign. The Soaring Eagles won all three matches last week with McDonough's help, including a momentous five-set win over long-time rival Nazareth last Wednesday.

Led by McDonough's team-high 15 kills and four services, Elmira earned just its third win over the Golden Flyers and the team's first-ever victory over Naz on its home court in Rochester, New York. The junior outside hitter also registered seven digs in the match and was at the service line for three consecutive points to help EC clinch the fifth set. The Lindenhurst, New York, native concluded his week with a pair of 3-0 wins over Bard and Misericordia. He combined for seven kills, six digs, four blocks, and two aces in the Sunday sweep while hitting at a season-high rate of .571 (4k-0-7ta) in the nightcap versus the Cougars.

Through the first 14 matches of the year, McDonough leads EC with 138 kills and a 2.65 kills-per-set average. He also ranks second on the team in digs (95) and fourth in total blocks (23). Among United Volleyball Conference (UVC) leaders, he is sixth in aces per set (0.44).