LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) announced on Friday that East Stroudsburg University senior student-athletes Hannah Barbush (field hockey), Rece Bender (football) and Ali Finch (volleyball) were selected to the prestigious PSAC Fall Top 10. The Warriors led the 18 PSAC institutions with the three selections, with Shippensburg being the only other school to land multiple honorees.
The PSAC Top 10 was initiated in the 1998-98 academic year, given to men and women who excel in both the classroom and in athletic competition. Fall 2021 marks just the fourth time since the award began that ESU has had three selections in one season over the past 24 years (Fall 2015, Spring 2012, Spring 2009).
PSAC Fall Top 10 student-athletes must participate in either football, volleyball, men's and women's cross country, field hockey or men's and women's soccer.
Barbush, a Special & Early Childhood Education major with a 3.92 GPA through seven semesters (109 credits), was a two-year starter on ESU's back line and played in 64 games over her three seasons.
Barbush was
recognized as the NCAA Elite 90 Award winner in addition to being named the
PSAC Champion Scholar after being the student-athlete with the highest GPA at the championship sites. Barbush earned All-America status from the
NFHCA and Synapse Sports, along with receiving All
-PSAC First Team . The Manheim, Pa. native recorded three goals to go along with team-highs in assists (8) and defensive saves (5) this season.
She was named second team All-PSAC her junior season and finished her career with 10 goals and 11 assists.
She is the fourth ESU field hockey player honored, joining
Emily Howell (2016), Katie Horst (1997-98) and Sydney McCarthy (2018).
Bender continues to pick up numerous honors and awards since his senior season ended. The Lancaster native has now earned
All-PSAC East First Team,
CoSIDA Super Region 1 Academic All-District First Team and
CoSIDA Academic Second Team All-America, along with being named to the prestigious PSAC Top 10.
On the field, Bender ranked second in the conference in all-purpose yards with 120.73 yards per game and fifth in receiving with 795 yards. His combination of receiving and return yards is in elite company, as he is one of just four Warriors in program history with 1,000-plus career receiving and kick return yards. He broke a program record with a 99-yd kickoff return touchdown against Lock Haven. He posted six-plus catches of at least 45 yards.
A sport management major, Bender has posted a 3.79 grade point average. An active member of ESU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), he has served as the vice president for the past two years and also holds the role of co-chair for the
PSAC's SAAC organization. He has served as a guest speaker in ESU's
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in College Athletics: A Call to Action webinar series.
Bender becomes the ninth Warrior and 13th overall selection from ESU football to be named to the PSAC Top 10.
He
recently accepted a position with Riddell as an Advanced Technology Representative and will forgo his final season of eligibility.
Finch, a Communication Sciences & Disorders master's student with a 4.0 GPA through three semesters at ESU, adds another honor to arguably the best single season in program history.
The Cadillac, Mich. native most recently became the program's first-ever student-athlete to be named to a
CoSIDA Academic All-American team after earning
Academic All-District honors.
In addition to the academic accolades,
Finch earned D2CCA All-Atlantic Region First Team honors, the
PSAC East Player of the Year award and All-PSAC East First Team recognition. Finch was a three-time PSAC East Athlete of the Week and finished the year ranked fifth nationally in triple doubles with five.
The senior excelled in every area for the Warriors this year as she finished with a team-high 204 kills, 855 assists, five triple doubles and was second on the squad in digs (335) and blocks (83.0).
Finch becomes the first student-athlete in volleyball's program history to garner PSAC Top 10 honors.
The PSAC Top 10 award winners for each season are placed on the ballot for the Pete Nevins Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, which will be announced in the spring. One men's and one women's student-athlete will be selected to receive the PSAC's top scholar-athlete honor, which was renamed in 2008 to recognize the contributions of Pete Nevins, ESU's sports information director from 1969-2002.
ESU now has 59 recipients of the PSAC Top 10 award, which is tied for fourth among the 18 PSAC institutions in the conference.
PSAC FALL TOP 10
MEN
- Rece Bender, East Stroudsburg (Football)
- Chayce Macknair, Shippensburg (Cross Country)
- Ricky Robinson, Shepherd (Football)
- Beckham Sibiski, Lock Haven (Soccer)
- Sidney Warden, Mercyhurst (Soccer)
WOMEN
- Hannah Barbush, East Stroudsburg (Field Hockey)
- Ali Finch, East Stroudsburg (Volleyball)
- Lauren Sampson, Gannon (Volleyball)
- Jenna Sluymer, Shippensburg (Field Hockey)
- Sydney Wolf, Seton Hill (Cross Country)
