BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – It was a very successful weekend for the Geneva College athletic programs.  Men's and women's basketball both won at Thiel as they both prepare for the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) playoffs this week, men's volleyball opened Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) play with two victories over Wittenberg and Penn State Altoona, and several Golden Tornadoes excelled at the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Indoor Track and Field Championships.  As a result, three Golden Tornadoes received weekly awards on Monday afternoon.

Junior Anthony Baronio (Ambridge, Pa./Ambridge) had a big weekend for men's volleyball, and he was named both the AMCC Men's Volleyball Player of the Week and the NCCAA Men's Volleyball Player of the Week.  He had a triple-double, just missing a quadruple-double, on Friday in a five-set victory over Wittenberg with 11 kills, 21 assists, 11 digs and eight blocks.  He followed that up on Saturday with 15 kills, 19 assists, six digs, four blocks and four aces in a four-set victory against Penn State Altoona, moving Geneva into a tie for first place in the AMCC with Penn State Behrend.  It's the second time this season Baronio has received the AMCC honor.

The Golden Tornadoes have three more AMCC matches coming up this week, beginning with a road match at Hiram on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., followed by a home doubleheader on Saturday against Penn State Behrend and Thiel, beginning at 10:00 a.m.

Freshman Lyle Tipton (Glenside, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian) had a big week for men's basketball in its two road wins, and he was named the PAC Men's Basketball Rookie of the Week.  He scored a career-high 33 points on Wednesday at Saint Vincent, while also grabbing five rebounds and blocking three shots.  He followed that up with 11 points, six rebounds and five assists in a victory at Thiel on Saturday.  This is the second time this season Tipton has received this honor.

Men's basketball's strong last week of the regular season earned the Golden Tornadoes the fifth seed in the PAC Playoffs, and Geneva will open the first round at Washington & Jefferson on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.  A victory against the Presidents would earn the Golden Tornadoes a berth in the PAC Semifinals on Thursday night.

Lastly, sophomore Olivia Younger (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) won another NCCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship when she finished first in the 60m hurdles on Saturday, finishing with a time of 9.18 seconds, the second straight year she has won the 60m hurdles championship.  This came a week after Younger broke the school record in the 55m hurdles at Baldwin Wallace.  Younger currently holds the fastest time in the PAC this season in the 60m hurdles race.

Younger, along with the entire men's and women's track and field teams, head to Youngstown State University this Thursday to compete in the PAC Indoor Track and Field Championships.  The men's team will be looking to win its sixth straight PAC Championship, while the women will be looking to improve upon their sixth-place finish at last year's meet, with several Golden Tornadoes currently at or near the top of the PAC performance list.


Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 145 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. Geneva is included on Kiplinger's Personal Finance's "2019 Best College Values" list and has one of the top undergraduate engineering programs in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God's Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today's world.