March Sports Briefs

The College of New Jersey's women's basketball player, sophomore Hillary Klimowicz is featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated in the issue dated March 5, 2007. SI women's college basketball reporter Kelli Anderson has written about the Lion women's basketball player in her story, "Pressure Cooker Sports," which is part of the feature "Big Changes in College Sports."

With her selection to the cover of SI, Klimowicz is believed to be TCNJ's first person featured on the cover of the magazine in the history of the institution.

• The College of New Jersey’s Head Athletic Trainer, Joe Camillone was awarded the Outstanding Athletic Trainer Award from the All-American Football Foundation in conjunction with the organization’s 83rd Banquet of Champions in Princeton, NJ on March 5. Joining Camillone on the dais from TCNJ is retired former Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities, Frank Harris, who received the Outstanding Assistant Athletic Director Award from the organization at the dinner. Also honored at the event was 1998 TCNJ graduate, Craig Sachson, assistant sports information director at Princeton University as he received the Scoop Hudgins Outstanding SID Award.
• TCNJ’s wrestling team produced three All-Americans, including a pair of NCAA Division III National Runners-up at the 2007 NCAA Championships. The Lions were lead by seniors Joey Galante (157 pounds) and Mike Guenther (165 pounds), who finished second nationally at their respective weights, while rookie Tyler Branham (141 pounds) picked up an eighth place finish at the championships at Loras College on March 2-3. TCNJ finished in fifth place in the team marking the 34th time the Lions have posted a top 20 finish at the NCAA Division III Championships, a feat no over Division III wrestling team has achieved.
• TCNJ’s wrestling team was also honored for the first time in program history as the Lions were named to the 2007 NCAA Division III Wrestling National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar Team. TCNJ was one of 20 institutions to receive the honor as the team’s starting line-up boasted a grade-point-average of 3.205.  In addition to being an All-American on the mat, Branham was named to the 2006-07 NWCA Division III Scholar All-America Team making him the 15th student-athlete in the program to receive the honor.
• With the success TCNJ’s wrestling team achieved on the mat this season, it was fitting a member of the coaching staff also garnered accolades at the 2007 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships. Joe Pollard received that honor as he was selected as the 2007 National Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year rounding out a tremendous weekend for the Lions.
• TCNJ’s head wrestling coach David Icenhower, Sr. now in his 31st year at TCNJ was named the 2007 Metropolitan Conference Wrestling Coach of the Year, after guiding the Lions to the team title. The 2007 selections marks the 14th time he has garnered the award.
• TCNJ’s head men’s basketball coach, John Castaldo earned his 200th career win as the Lions defeated Rutgers University-Camden in the regular-season finale on February 15. With the victory, the Lions earned a spot in the 2007 NJAC Tournament marking the program’s fourth straight bid in the post-season tournament.
• TCNJ’s sophomore women’s basketball player, Hillary Klimowicz was named to the 2007 NJAC Women’s Basketball All-Star First Team, while junior forward Sara Best was tapped for the honorable mention team for her play as well. Junior men’s basketball player, Mark Aziz was named to the 2007 NJAC All-Star Honorable Mention Team for his efforts this past season.
• Klimowicz was also featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated on March 5 as well as in a full-page feature story by Kelli Anderson.
• The College of New Jersey indoor track and field teams dominated the 2007 New Jersey Athletic Conference All-Conference teams as the Lions captured the team titles at the recent championships. The sweep marked the 10th straight year TCNJ has accomplished that feat.
• In addition to the all-conference honors, the Lions reeled in a couple of individual honors as junior Jessica Bonelli the Gerrity Award for Most Outstanding Female Athlete, while Stephanie Herrick shared Outstanding Female Track Athlete. The final honor was presented to head coach Eric Mobley as he was tabbed NJAC Women’s Coach of the Year.
•  TCNJ’s men’s swimming and diving team captured the 2007 Metropolitan Conference Swimming and Diving Championship, besting a field of Division II and III opponents. Head men’s coach, Brian Bishop was named the Met Men’s Swimming Coach of the Year at the Meet.
• TCNJ’s women’s swimming and diving teams competed at the Met Championships as well and finished second overall, but first among Division III teams.
• TCNJ’s women’s lacrosse team will begin the upcoming season in the same place they finished last season, at the top of the national rankings. The two-time defending national champion Lions were tabbed as the top team in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association NCAA Division III preseason poll.
• Last year’s title was the 13th in the program’s history and the Lions improved to 60-9 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. Having eclipsed the 300-win plateau during the 2006 season, head coach Sharon Pfluger garnered her 11th national crown at the helm of TCNJ’s program and has an impressive career mark of 306-23-1.
• TCNJ’s baseball team has received acclaim for the upcoming 2007 campaign as the Lions are ranked in the Top 10 in a pair of coaches’ polls. TCNJ’s baseball team has been tapped for the No. 8 spot in the NCAA Division III Pre-Season Poll as selected by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. In addition, the Lions picked up the No. 4 ranking in the latest ABCA Division III Preseason poll, released on February 2, 2007. 
• TCNJ’s sports information director, Ann King has been named the 2007 recipient of the Eastern College Athletic Conference-Sports Information Directors Association Irving T. Marsh Award. She will receive the honor in conjunction with the organization’s annual workshop in Baltimore, MD on June 7.
• The College of New Jersey’s men’s swimming and diving team wrapped action on Saturday at the 2007 NCAA Division III Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship at the University of Houston and finished in 16th place at the event.
• In the men’s one meter diving, sophomore Greg Lloyd (Ringoes, NJ/Hunterdon Central) stood in seventh place after the preliminary. After the finals on Thursday, he earned a sixth place finish with a final score 402.00.
• A year ago, Lloyd took 20th in the one meter event and earned a sixth place finish in the three meter event to collect his first career All-America citation as a newcomer to the sport of diving having picked up the sport as a college rookie.
• TCNJ’s men also competed in the 400 medley relay and posted a time of 3:25.76 in the trials to qualify for the consolation finals. Swimming in the prelims for the Lions were sophomore Tom Nawrot (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick), freshman Myles O’Connor (Santa Monica, CA/Home Schooled), junior Josh Forsman (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial) and senior Kyle King (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick). The Lions earned a 10th place finish and took home All-America Honorable Mention for their efforts after posting a time of 3:24.83 in the finals, just three hundredth off the school record.
• In the men’s 400 freestyle relay, the Lions picked up All-American honorable mention honors behind the efforts of sophomore Thomas Nawrot (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick), junior tri-captain Liam Gallagher (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan), junior Josh Forsman (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial) and senior Kyle King (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick). The Lions stood in 13th place after the trials with a time of 3:06.31 and finished in 12th in 3:04.98 with the same four swimmers in a different lineup as King lead off, Gallagher swam the second leg, Forsman was third and Nawrot anchored the Lions.
• TCNJ’s men finished in seventh place in the 200 medley relay to earn All-America honors with a time of 1:33.64 in the finals. TCNJ stood in 8th entering the finals after posting a time of 1:33.48 in the trials. Swimming on the relay and earning All-America awards for the Lions were junior Kevin Oliver (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North), freshman Myles O’Connor (Santa Monica, CA/Home Schooled), junior Josh Forsman (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial) and senior Kyle King (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick).
• The Lions also picked up a 15th place finish to earn All-America Honorable Mention honors in the 800 freestyle relay with a time of 6:57.60 behind the efforts of King, Liam Gallagher (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan), Forsman, and Nawrot.
• In the 100 butterfly, TCNJ’s Forsman also earned a 15th place finish to earn All-America honorable mention status after posting a time of 50.39.
• TCNJ’s women’s swimming and diving team competed at the 2007 NCAA Division III Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the University of Houston. The College of New Jersey’s women’s team picked up an All-American citation on the final day and finished in 41st in the race for the team title, while Kenyon College returned to the team championship after falling to Emory University last year.
• TCNJ’s junior Ava Kiss (North Brunswick, NJ/Stuart Country Day) opened her tournament action in the trials of the 100 butterfly by posting a time of 57.21. She qualified for Friday night’s consolation finals and was seeded 11th. She posted a time of 57.12, her fastest time of the year to take home ninth place and the top finished in the consolation finals and earned All-American Honorable Mention honors for her efforts. She will also compete in the 200 butterfly on Saturday. Kiss has earned All-America status three times on her career after taking fourth place at the 2006 NCAA’s in the 100 butterfly and ninth in the same event in 2005.
• TCNJ’s senior diver Lee Swanson (Princeton Junction, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro South) diver competed in the one meter event and finished in 15th place, earning All-America Honorable Mention efforts for her performance. She finished with a score of 355.85 in the event and stood in eighth place after the round of optional dives, but ended the competition by taking 15th place. A year ago, she placed 21st in the same event, while collecting her first career All-America award with a 13th place showing in the three meter event.  She also competed in the finals of the three meter event and picked up her second All-America award of the championships. She finished in 15th place to earn All-America Honorable Mention honors after posting a score of 377.85.
• The College of New Jersey sophomore Stephanie Herrick (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) placed sixth in the finals of the 800 meters at the 2007 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championship and she reeled in All-American honors in the process. She finished the race in 2:14.89 to garner her first All-American honor for indoor track. Herrick earned her first All-American citation as a freshman as she placed seventh at the 2006 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the same event.
• TCNJ’s men’s medley distance relay team placed seventh at the 2007 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships earning All-American honors.
• The Lion team of junior Brian Kopnicki (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood), sophomore Rob McGowan (Monroe Township, NJ/Monroe Township), senior Matt Randal (Dayton, NJ/South Brunswick) and sophomore Chris Guerrriero (Saddle Brook, NJ/Saddle Brook) completed finals event with a clocking of 10:06.96. Kopnicki also captured All-American honors for the second straight day as the Lion placed seventh in the one-mile run. He finished seventh with a time of 4:13.20 earning his second All-American citation in as many events at the national championships.
• The College of New Jersey’s athletic teams currently stand in third place in the race for the 2006-2007 U.S. Sports Academy’s Directors’ Cup. In the first release of the winter standings, TCNJ has amassed 432.5 points to rank third behind first place Williams College (574.5 points) and second place University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse (460.0 points). Williams has scored their 574.5 points after winning the women’s track and field championship. The Ephs also finished sixth in women’s swimming, 14th in men’s track and field, 15th overall in the National Collegiate skiing championship and 30th in wrestling.  Wisconsin La Crosse moved from 18th in the final fall standings to second in the first set of winter standings. The Eagles were runners-up in men’s track and field, third in wrestling, fourth in women’s track and field and 24th in women’s swimming. The Lions of The College New Jersey are in third with 432.5 points after a fifth place showing in wrestling, a 34th place finish in men’s track and field, a 39th place finish in women’s track and field and a 43rd finish in women’s swimming and diving.