Only a week into the 2017 academic school year and Muhlenberg Athletics has already captured 2 Centennial Conference Player of the Week honors. Cross country runner, Corey Mullins ’19, and volleyball star Kelly Tornetta ’19, both received the CC Athlete of the Week honors. Both of these athletes understand the recognition associated with this award, and have the utmost appreciation for the committee that has decided to present them with this honor.
Mullins performance in this past week’s race at Lehigh was sensational. This race was not limited to Division III participants, rather many Division I teams were thrown into the mix. Despite the immense amount of Division, I talent that would be racing, Mullins was still able to stand out. He finished tenth overall, and the first Division III athlete to finish in the race. When asked about how he got to this point in his cross country career, Mullins responded by saying, “The little things really make a world of difference in performance during practice and meets. Even though it can get definitely get tedious and annoying, it really builds foundational discipline that can apply in all facets of my life”.
Mullins acknowledges the praise he has received since being awarded with the accolade. He feels that it brings out his competitive side, which make him want to work harder and strive for more success each day playing the sport. “There are so many great people and athletes in the conference, which Muhlenberg sometimes races every other week. It creates a great atmosphere of competition and it’s really just awesome I got recognition for it,” said Mullins. “I also hope other runners in the conference can step up and challenge me — it just makes it more fun for everybody,” he added. With his hard work and dedication, there is no reason not to believe that Mullins will receive more Centennial Conference awards.
The Muhlenberg Women’s Volleyball Team finished opening week with a 4-0 record, sweeping the competition during Battlefield tournament in Gettysburg. Tornetta took the modest approach, when asked about her performance and what made her standout. She prides herself on consistently playing her best, and developing the skills that she constantly works on to make her game better. “It means a lot to be recognized as an Athlete of the Week because it means that a lot of hard work is paying off. My team and I have put in a lot of work in the off season and it’s really starting to show in our play,” Tornetta explained.
One of the most impressive aspects regarding Tornetta’s tremendous first week of action is that she was nursing an injury that limited her ability to train in the offseason. “Throughout it all my team had my back,” Tornetta said about what helped her push through the unfortunate circumstance. Nonetheless, when faced with adversity, like her sustained injury, her only aspiration was to get back on the floor and compete out there with her team. Now that she is back in action, this Muhlenberg Women’s Volleyball squad is poised to have an amazing year, one better than any before. “All I can do is keep pushing myself and my team throughout the season, hopefully all the way to the conference championship. I’ll continue to give my team everything I have on the court, and support them throughout the season. We are such a young and passionate team; I hope the conference is ready for us,” Tornetta said.
Muhlenberg Athletics are definitely kicking off the school year in the right direction with so much success this early in the season. If all goes well, records may be broken, and conference championships may be in the sights. Congratulations again, to both Corey Mullins and Kelly Tornetta, on being named Centennial Conference Athlete of the Week.
