Men’s Volleyball (8-19; 2-6 CVC)
The men’s volleyball team continues the growing pains of competing in arguably the toughest conference in NCAA Division III, but also continues to make strides. The Continental Volleyball Conference featured two teams ranked in the top four in the nation throughout the season, with another two teams also ranked in the top 15. The Highlanders may have only improved their conference season win total by one game from 2012, but made even bigger strides in the number of sets won, from six (2012) to twelve (2013) in conference play. Senior Noah Prickett and Josiah Buss were both selected to the CVC All-East Division team. Prickett surpassed two milestones for his career, finishing with 1,122 kills and 103 service aces. His 3.63 kills per set was 12th best in the country. Seniors Josh Tuttle and Ethan Mawhinney close out their careers with more than 200 blocks individually (231 and 239 respectively).
Men’s Basketball (1-25; 0-18 CSAC)
The Highlanders saw the emergence of two players in a down year for the men’s basketball program. Junior Charles Hopkins was averaging just 2.4 points a game coming into the season and finished the 2012-13 season dropping 10.2 a contest. He paced Cairn with 71 assists on the year. An even bigger surprise came in the form of sophomore Reuben Lacy. After only playing a total of 2 minutes in 2011-12, Lacy exploded onto the scene averaging 31.7 minutes a game and 10.2 points per game. His 7.9 rebounds/game also ranked him 3rd in the CSAC. Their lone win came against Penn State-Abington early in the season, dropping the Nittany Lions 85-82. Look for this young team to return next year and make a splash in the CSAC.
Women’s Basketball (2-23; 2-14 CSAC)
Under the tutelage of first-year Head Coach Walt Zamroz, Cairn’s women’s basketball program tied a program best of two wins in conference play since joining the CSAC in 2008-09. Their wins came in emphatic fashion. The Highlanders rocked Notre Dame (MD) 77-34, as senior Hannah McCardle had a career-high 30 points. After dropping a 53-60 decision to Cedar Crest earlier in the year, the ladies responded by thumping the Falcons 56-24 in the return match. The team featured one senior and only three players with playi experience at the collegiate level, so to say the team was inexperienced would be an understatement. The ladies, however, made life uncomfortable for some of their opponents. McCardle’s average 15.1 points per game was 3rd best in the CSAC. Erin Greenwood and Ruth Nelson both averaged 7.9 rebounds a contest, tying for 5th in the conference. Freshman point guard Amie Eppolito led the league in minutes per game at 39.8.
Baseball (7-27; 1-14 CSAC)
Cairn’s baseball program continues to make strides within the Colonial States Athletic Conference, which features nationally-ranked teams year after year. The Highlanders have matched their program best with a conference win over Marywood University, only their second-ever conference win. The team also qualified for the NCCAA Div II World Series by defeating Lancaster Bible College, 16-13, in the East Region Finals. Cairn returned a number of key returners this year but has seen an influx of youthful talent. Freshman Caleb Lang led the CSAC and all of NCCAA Div. II with a .452 batting average. He was also named CSAC Rookie of the Year, NCCAA East Region Player of the Year,
and was selected to the 1st Team All-CSAC and NCCAA Div. II 1st Team All-American.
Softball (6-27; 2-20 CSAC)
In 2013, the Highlanders softball program matched their best record since the 2010 season. Under first-year coach Jason Miller, Cairn surpassed its win totals of 2011 and 2012. Three different players batted above .300 on a roster featuring only first- and second-year players. In only her second season, Kelly Hendrickson struck out 100 batters and is well on her way to passing 300 innings pitched in her career in just two seasons. With a number of quality rookies in the line-up and the addition of some new faces, the softball program
could be making its way up the CSAC standings in the coming seasons.
Men’s Golf
Josiah Buss and Alex Mitchell led the way for Cairn’s men’s golf team in 2012-13. Buss has averaged a 92.0 this year, with Mitchell about a stroke and a half back at 93.6. Each earned a Top 5 finish, two Top 10 finishes, and two Top 20 finishes. As a team, the Highlanders shot a team-best 351 at the Rutgers-Camden Spring Invitational on April 12, finishing 14th out of the 18-team field. On three separate occasions, Cairn shot in the 370s as a team. Head Coach Dave Hill and the Highlanders finished 8th in the CSAC Championships on April
25 and 26.