MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – The Morrisville State College athletics department has announced its weekly award winners, naming volleyball junior Kim Dunkleman (Williamsville, N.Y.) and football senior Kendall Clarke (Brooklyn, N.Y.) the Mustang Athletes of the Week for the week ending November 5.
Dunkleman played a key part in guiding Morrisville State to its first ever North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Championship title and automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.
Across the three-game tournament, the junior collected a total 72 assists, served up nine aces and a kill, while contributing 30 digs and an assisted block.
She began tournament action with a double-double performance, putting up 26 assists and registering 16 digs, while serving four aces in the 3-0 quarterfinal win over Keuka College.
Morrisville State avenged an early season loss to Wells College in the semifinal round on Saturday, as Dunkleman's all-around efforts led to the 3-1 match win, sending the Mustangs to the championship final. In the contest, she recorded a kill, while collecting 25 assists, serving four aces and adding six digs to her tallies.
In the fourth set on Sunday in the title game, Dunkleman assisted six straight kills, including the final dagger in set four, as Morrisville State took down seven-time defending champion Gallaudet University 3-1 for the title.
A graduate of Williamsville South High, Dunkleman is majoring in massage therapy at Morrisville State College. She is the daughter of Denise and Glenn Williams, and Jim and Randi Dunkleman of Williamsville.
Clarke, senior linebacker for the football program, led the Mustangs defensive efforts in a 35-28 Empire 8 win over St. John Fisher College Saturday.
In the contest he posted a team high 12 total stops, including six solo tackles. He also registered two total tackles for a loss of seven yards, including a sack for a loss of six.
After taking the late fourth quarter lead, St. John Fisher College attempted a comeback drive, but Clarke knocked the ball free from the Cardinal quarterback, forcing the fumble into the hands of a waiting teammate, regaining possession for the Mustangs securing the win.
The senior currently ranks second overall on the team in tackles (66), averaging 7.3 per game.
A graduate of Tilden High, Clarke is majoring in criminal justice at Morrisville State. He is the son of Joan Escoe of Brooklyn.
Morrisville State College's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2018 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2018 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about Morrisville State College, visit www.morrisville.edu.
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