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Pietrzyk Takes Top Honors in State Wrestling
WICHITA, KS (March 17, 2005) - High school senior Sean Pietrzyk of First
Covenant Church in Salina, Kansas, finished first in the recent Class 5A
Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHAA) wrestling
tournament as a competitor in the 189-pound weight division.
Sean is the son of pastor Dan and Carie Pietrzyk, who formerly pastored
the Salina church before relocating to Chicago to lead the Sustaining
Pastoral Excellence program for the Department of the Ordered Ministry
of the Evangelical Covenant Church.
In the finals, Pietrzyk defeated Tyler Gonzales of Tecumseh High School
of Shawnee Heights by a score of 11-6 for the state title. His victory
helped Salina South finish 10th in team standings and it was his second
individual state championship in three years. During that time, Pietrzyk
posted a 93-10 record.
Pietrzyk, who competed for Salina South High School, opened the state
meet with a 16-6
decision over Keith Curtis of Gardner-Edgerton. In the quarterfinals, he
pinned Joe Bach of Liberal in 2 minutes, 30 seconds. He racked up
another pin in the semifinals, this time Ryan Civils of Lansing in 3:40.
After one period in the finals, Pietrzyk and Gonzales were tied 0-0
before Pietrzyk took control. He took a 6-2 advantage in the second
period and dominated action in the third period.
In 2004, Pietrzyk finished third at 189 pounds in the state meet to cap
a 24-7 season. He was 34-1 and took the 152-pound state title in 2003.
Last fall, Pietrzyk was a standout football player as his Salina South
team took the Class 5A state championship. Unfortunately, he suffered a
concussion near the end of the title game and didn't remember everything
about the win. In an interview with his hometown newspaper, the
Salina Journal, he noted that he would definitely have Saturday's
victory in his
memory bank for a while.
"It's nice to be able to go through the whole tournament and remember
everything, because this is something I will never forget," Pietrzyk said.
Pietrzyk isn't the only Evangelical Covenant Church athlete enjoying
success this winter. Following is information gleaned from the more than
250 local Covenant church newsletters received each month by Covenant
Communications. The information is grouped by conference and region.
CENTRAL
- DeKalb, Illinois: Hillcrest Covenant Church's Jake Howells began the
2005 baseball season in a big way for Hillsdale College in Michigan,
hitting two homers and driving in five runs as his team finished 2-2 in
a tourney in St. Louis. Howells, a senior infielder, was 9 for 16 during
the weekend. While Jake plays baseball during the spring, brother Joel
Howells competes during the fall as a kicker for the University of
Northwestern's football team.
- Mt. Prospect, Illinois: Northwest Covenant Church's Craig Anderson
had a strong finish to his season at the University of
Wisconsin-Whitewater, helping his team make the conference finals.
Anderson, a sophomore, scored a season-high 25 points for the
Warhawks during his team's 87-79 title game loss to conference champ
UW-Stevens Point on February 26. A day earlier, Anderson had scored 10
points as his team defeated UW-Platteville in the semifinals of the
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
tournament. UW-Whitewater finished with a 19-9 record as Anderson
averaged 7.7 points per contest. Anderson had previously played at
Youngstown State University
in Ohio after earning All-Area honors at Prospect High School near Chicago.
- Beloit, Wisconsin: Senior Becky Nilson of Redeemer Covenant Church
ended her final season at Beloit College averaging 8.9 points and five
rebounds per contest.
MIDSOUTH
- Tulsa, Oklahoma: Redeemer Covenant Church's John Clark is a reserve
forward for Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, which earned a berth in
the recent Patriot League men's basketball title game by winning twice
in the conference playoffs. After winning its game in the conference
playoffs last week, Clark and his team earned a berth in the NCAA
tourney this weekend. They will play Kansas Friday night in Division I
action. Clark, a sophomore, has had an injury-plagued season, but his
team upset nationally ranked Pittsburgh in January and placed second in
the regular season for the Patriot League.
NORTH PACIFIC
- Seattle, Washington: Senior Shannon Seidel of First Covenant Church
in Seattle won the women's pentathlon individual title at the New
England indoor track and
field championships on February 26, defeating competitors from 33 other
schools. Seidel competes for the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, a
NCAA Division II school. A week earlier, she earned Northeast-10
Conference honors for her efforts in the conference indoor track and
field meet, winning the high jump while placing third in the triple jump
and fourth in the long jump. Her team won the conference title with 247
points at the event in New Haven, Connecticut.
PACIFIC SOUTHWEST
- Santa Barbara, California: Montecito Covenant Church's Noah Bryant
is a junior track and field athlete at the University of Southern
California. Last year, he earned All-America honors in the shot put by
finishing 12th overall and the former California high school state champ
also competes in the hammer throw and the discus throw.
- San Diego, California: Jeff Ponsford of Clairemont Covenant Church
is a senior outfielder for the University of Redlands baseball team,
having hit .312 with 30 hits in 29 games during 2004.
To keep abreast of what Covenant youth and young adults are doing,
regularly visit this Covenant online news report at www.covchurch.org.
To send information for consideration in this online report, email
Covenant Communications at newsdesk@covchurch.org, send information by
regular mail to Covenant Communications at 5101 N. Francisco Avenue,
Chicago, IL, 60625, or call staff writer Stan Friedman at 773-907-3324.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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