Stunning comebacks, milestone wins, national postseason appearances, and conference titles make up just a portion of the top-10 sports moments at Gettysburg College from the 2011-12 campaign.

Siphoning out the best moments in Bullets athletics proves difficult every year and 2011-12 was no different. While Gettysburg turned in a number of outstanding performances and heartfelt moments over the season, only ten of them could make the final list.

Without further ado, the top ten moments in 2011-12 athletics are:

#10. Wrestler Kevin Poplaski ’13 and track & field athlete Alexandra Van Tuyl ’12 turned in outstanding performances this season that culminated in individual Centennial Conference (CC) titles. This is how it happened.

#9. Joy Hallfors ’13 beat out an infield single to the pitcher to cap an improbable final-inning comeback victory over Muhlenberg College on April 1. In the heated race for the postseason, every victory was needed in the Centennial Conference. Here’s the rest of the story.

#8. Carol Cantele ’83 added another notch to her belt with her 300th career victory as a women’s lacrosse coach this spring. This is how she got there.

#7. Despite a national championship and multiple appearances in the NCAA Tournament, the women’s lacrosse team had gone without a Centennial Conference championship in over half a decade. That trend changed in 2012 as the Bullets regained the prize for the first time since 2006. This is how it happened.

#6. It came down to the wire, but the Gettysburg women’s golf team concluded a record-breaking weekend by claiming its second consecutive Centennial Conference title on April 29. Here’s the scoop.

#5. With the game tied at 34-all and five seconds showing on the clock, Aden Twer ’14 hauled in a 32-yard Hail Mary pass from Kody Smith ’13 in the end zone and fell to the turf as time expired, giving the football team a dramatic 40-34 victory over Ursinus College in its Centennial Conference opener at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium on September 10. More highlights from the game.

#4. Heading into 2011-12, it would seem as if the swimming teams would be hard-pressed to improve upon their banner season of 2010-11. After all, the Bullets had swept the Centennial Conference titles for the first time since 2001 while competing in their home waters, which had opened just one year earlier. However, both teams found a way to raise the bar in 2011-12, and after putting together matching undefeated dual meet seasons, the Bullets hosted the Centennial Conference Championships again and completed a second consecutive sweep. Dive in and read the rest.

#3. On the same day that Cory Weissman ’12 made his stirring return to the basketball floor on Senior Day, Petrie moved past the legendary Hen Bream ’24 and into first on the program’s all-time wins list with his team’s 83-69 victory over Washington College on Feb. 11. Here’s the play-by-play.

#2. If its season had ended after the Centennial Conference Championships, the Gettysburg College men’s swimming team would have been well-satisfied with what it had accomplished in 2011-12. Led by an experienced senior class and an outstanding crop of freshmen, the Bullets posted an undefeated dual meet season and a second-straight Centennial Conference title to go with numerous school and conference records. But there was more to come. On the strength of three All-America relay teams, the Bullets went on to score 60 points to place 14th in the team standings at the NCAA Division III Championships March 21-24. Here’s the whole story.

#1. It has been labeled by the media in terms such as “The Story of the Year in College Basketball” (Dave McHugh, D3hoops.com) and “Lin-sanity Lite” (Greg Garber, ESPN.com). Another fitting description might be Top Moment No. 1 in Gettysburg College Athletics in 2011-12. On Feb. 11, Cory Weissman ’12 of the men’s basketball team made a courageous and inspiring return to the basketball floor on Senior Day nearly three years after suffering a life-threatening stroke. The incredible events that transpired that afternoon would be told far and wide in a media crush that continues to linger over five months later. Read on.

While only ten moments could make the official countdown, recognition is due to other great moments from the past year. Take a look at the following honorable mentions:

West, Hynes Net Hat Tricks

For the first time in 23 years, Gettysburg men’s and women’s soccer players netted hat tricks in the same season. Sophomore Rachel West turned in the first, scoring three times as part of a 5-1 decision over Susquehanna University on Sept. 3. Just three weeks later on Sept. 24, senior Eric Hynes duplicated the feat with three scores in a 4-1 win over Washington College. It was the first time two Bullets scored hat tricks in the same year since Linda Lee Papuga ’92 and Scott Stoddard ’90 each scored three times in matches that took place on Sept. 16, 1989.

Tesar Leads Men’s Lax in Double OT

Sophomore Henry Tesar scored 18 seconds into the second overtime to lift the men’s lacrosse team to an 8-7 win over Swarthmore College on March 31. Trailing 6-3 late in the third period, the Bullets ripped off four consecutive goals to take the lead. The Garnet tallied the tying goal with 7:31 left to force overtime. After a scoreless five minutes in the first extra period, the Bullets controlled the first face-off in the second overtime and raced to the offensive end where Tesar launched the game-winner from five yards away. Gettysburg closed the campaign by appearing in the NCAA Division III Tournament for the 22nd time in the last 24 seasons.

Softball Excites in Extras

The softball team posted not one, but two extra-inning wins over Ursinus on April 7. In the opener, the Bullets and Bears turned in a three-hour marathon before sophomore Maggie Maguire drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth to force in the game-winning run in a 7-6 win. Maguire proved the hero in the nightcap as well, walking off with a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to lead Gettysburg to an 8-6 victory.

Baseball Wins at Hopkins

Gettysburg had come up empty at Johns Hopkins since 1999, but the Bullets changed that fact with a 6-1 victory on April 13. After watching the Blue Jays strike for 11 runs in the previous meeting three days earlier, sophomores Drew Felsenthal and Austin Davis combined to lead the visitors to a surprising win. Felsenthal limited Johns Hopkins to one run while striking seven in 8 2/3 innings, while Davis went 4-for-5 with two runs, a walk, and three stolen bases. Gettysburg would close the season with 25 wins and Davis would finish second in the nation in batting average at .490.

MAC Hall of Famers

On May 1, Arif Husain ’93 and Bob Kenworthy ’59 were elected to the inaugural class of the Middle Atlantic Conference’s Hall of Fame. Husain was an eight-time All-American and won the national title in the 200-meter dash in 1993. Between his junior and senior years at Gettysburg, he competed for his native country of Pakistan in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Kenworthy was Gettysburg’s first Sports Information Director and served in that capacity for 40 years, including 34 in the MAC. He was a pioneer in the field and is the namesake for awards presented by both the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and the Eastern College Athletic Conference Sports Information Directors Association (ECAC-SIDA).

Founded in 1832, Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences with a strong academic tradition. Alumni include Rhodes Scholars, a Nobel laureate, and other distinguished scholars. The college, which enrolls 2,600 undergraduate students, is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania.

Contact: Corey Jewart, associate director of athletic communication