Anselmino and Sparks Recognized as PAC Scholar-Athletes
New Wilmington, Pa – Bethany College's athletes Ryan Anselmino and Katie Sparks were recognized as PAC Scholar-Athletes announced by the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Tuesday morning.
The Seventh Annual PAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Banquet, originally scheduled for Tuesday, May 12 at The Chadwick in Wexford, Pa., was cancelled on April 3 when the PAC's Presidents' Council officially cancelled the 2020 spring varsity sports season due to the rapidly-evolving situation related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Katie was a key four-year member of Bethany's volleyball program. An outside hitter, she earned her third-straight All-PAC selection last fall as she led the Bison offense throughout the 2019 campaign. Last season was the second-straight year she landed on the All-PAC First Team. In 2019 Katie led the PAC in kills with 399 (3.35 per set) and points with 460.5 (3.87 per set). She left her mark in the College's record book, finishing among the top 10 in three career categories: third in kills (1,418), eighth in digs (1,284) and 10th in service aces (139). Katie has been lauded as a member of the PAC Academic Honor Roll four times and was named to the PAC's Sportsmanship Team after both the 2017 and 2018 seasons. She served as president of Bethany's Alpha Phi chapter of the Tri-Beta Biological Honors Society and as secretary of the College's chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS). Katie also worked as a statistics tutor and as a laboratory assistant in the Biology Department. She graduated May 9 with a bachelor's degree in environmental science.
Ryan is a four-year member of Bethany's baseball program. A catcher, he appeared in 39 games in 2019 and finished the season hitting .324 with 20 RBIs and 18 runs scored. Before the 2020 season came to an abrupt end, Ryan was hitting .300 with 11 walks and eight runs scored. He was named to the All-PAC Second team in 2019 after helping Bethany advance to the title round of the PAC Championship Tournament for the first time since 2001. Ryan has been named to the PAC Academic Honor Roll three times. He has served as treasurer of Bethany's Alpha Phi chapter of the Tri-Beta Biological Honors Society, vice president of the College's Spanish Club and president of the Baseball Club. He also worked as a Spanish apprentice teacher for the past three years. While Ryan recently finished coursework towards a bachelor's degree in biology and Spanish, along with a minor in physics, he anticipates returning to Bethany for the 2020-21 academic year to complete his final season of athletic eligibility. After graduation, Ryan plans on attending graduate school and enroll in a physician assistant program.
Click here for a full list of PAC athletes that were recognized this year.
