Middletown, Pa.- On Friday, May 20th it was announced that Penn State Harrisburg Men's Baseball pitcher Mark Artley (Milton, Pa. / Milton Area) and three sport standout Kiara Carter (Bronx, N.Y. / Milton Hershey) were named the school's 2015-2016 Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year.
In just his second season, sophomore Mark Artley was instrumental to the baseball team's success and a big reason why the baseball team made their first ever Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) playoff berth as well as getting a first round win over nationally ranked Frostburg St. To start the season, there were four teams in the CAC ranked in the top 20 nationally. Artley pitched in all four games and had three wins, and a no decision in the other game which eventually led to an extra inning win for the Lions.
First, he pitched a complete game against Frostburg, who was ranked #8 in the country at the time. After getting down 3-0 in the first, Artley pitched 8 innings of shutout baseball and finished with 14 strikeouts. Next was Mary Washington, ranked #18. Mark pitched 7.2 innings with 10 strikeouts before the team pulled out an extra inning win. In their contest against Christopher Newport, ranked #14 at the time, Artley pitched 8 shutout innings with 12 strikeouts winning the game 3-0. Finally, in the first round of the CAC play-offs, Artley pitched 7 shutout innings with 11 strikeouts to lead the team to their first ever CAC win 14-0 over Frostburg St.
Artley finished the year with an overall record of 4-3, 70.2 innings pitched, 52 hits, 85 strikeouts, and a 2.67 ERA. He was named a First Team CAC Conference All-Star and is currently in the running for Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Pitcher of the Year Award. Artley is also a team captain and an education major with a GPA of 3.2. He is respected by all teammates for his leadership on and off the field. According to Head Coach Ryan Bown, "Artley is one of those guys who also spends time with other players helping them with academics and helps makes everyone around him better".
Carter's most impressive recognition came in basketball where her contributions on the court earned her a spot on the CAC All-Conference 2nd team. She is the first women's basketball player to receive that nomination since the team joined the CAC in 2013.
Off the court, Kiara has been a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) and is well liked by all of her peers. Carter is a double major in Marketing and Management with a 3.8 GPA and is set to graduate this upcoming fall.