May Sports Briefs

The College of New Jersey’s head baseball coach Rick Dell earned his 700th career win on April 26. He became just the 10th active coach in Division III baseball history to record his 700th career win.

Dell becomes the 16th coach in Division III with 700 or more wins, joining fellow NJAC coach Jeff Albies of William Paterson University who now holds a career record of (841-386-13) in 33 years of coaching.

Two weeks later, Dell’s Lions earned the program’s third straight New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship and with it the league’s automatic bid to the 2007 NCAA Division III Championships. TCNJ is making the program’s 17th appearance in the NCAA’s, including 15 under Dell.

• TCNJ's softball team collected an additional honor with the announcement of the 2007 ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District College Division Softball Team. Senior outfielder Jen Hughes was named to the All-District Third Team after excelling on the playing field and in the classroom.
• TCNJ senior catcher Gerard Haran repeated as the NJAC’s Baseball Player of the Year and continues to add to his record setting season and career. Senior relief pitcher Dave Waseleski was also cited as the 2007 NJAC Fireman of the Year when the league’s all-conference team was announced.
• TCNJ’s baseball team collected a pair of honors with the announcement of the 2007 ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District College Division Team. Senior outfielder Jeff Botti and junior designated hitter William Kropp were named to the All-District Team, as Botti was a first team honoree and Kropp a second team honoree. Botti will now move on to the national ballot where he could become a CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American.
• TCNJ’s women’s tennis team currently ranks 19th in Division III and earned a bid to compete in the NCAA Division III Championships. The Lions fell in the third round and wrap a tremendously successful season with a 15-2 record. Individually, TCNJ rookie Jackie Shtemberg has been invited to participate in the 2007 NCAA Division III Singles Championships May 18-20 at the University of Mary Washington and is one of 32 competitors vying for All-American honors. Shtemberg brings a 26-3 record in singles play into the tournament having earned ITA All-America honors in the fall in both singles and doubles.
• TCNJ’s men’s tennis team picked up the program’s third bid to the NCAA Division III Team Tournament as well this month. The Lions capped the season with an 11-3 record after posting some very impressive wins over the course of the campaign. 
• Leading the way for the team are juniors Michael Klimchak and Roger Mosteller as the Lions will find representation at the 2007 NCAA Division III Championships as the pair will compete in the Doubles Championships and will hope to become just the second Lion pair to earn All-America honors in the program’s history.
• TCNJ’s women’s lacrosse team earned the program’s 23rd consecutive NCAA Division III Championship bid with the announcement of the 2007 field. TCNJ, the two-time defending champions, have won 13 NCAA Division III Women’s Championships in the history of the tournament. The Lions saw their season come to an end on May 13 with a 11-10 loss to Middlebury.
• TCNJ’s women’s track and field team won the program’s 15th straight title and the men reeled in their 10th straight as the team collected the 2007 NJAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. TCNJ’s men ran away from the field scoring 263.5 points with Rowan University taking second with 157.5. The Lion women held off Richard Stockton College for the team crown with 252.75 points with the Ospreys garnering 206.25.
• TCNJ’s men were paced by senior Jeff Zodda as he was tabbed as the Outstanding Male Athlete. Zodda won both the 800 in 153.69 and the 1,500 in 3:57.07. Lion sophomore Rob McGowan was tabbed as the Outstanding Male Track Athlete of the meet winning the 400 meters in 48.87 seconds and anchoring TCNJ’s 4x400 relay team to a first-place finish. 
• TCNJ junior Jessica Bonelli was selected as the Outstanding Female Track Athlete winning the 200 (25.56) and 400 (57.24) while running on the winning 4x100 relay team. This marked the second straight year she has earned this honor.
• TCNJ’s Eric Mobley garnered NJAC Women’s Coach of the Year honors.
• The College of New Jersey’s Tara Harrigan was rewarded for her standout season on the softball diamond as the senior was selected to the 2007 First Team All-New Jersey Athletic Conference. Harrigan wasn’t the only Lion honored as three other players reeled in honorable mention recognition. Those players included senior Kristin Boyer, freshman Danielle Hagel, and freshman Ellen Seavers.
• Several TCNJ student-athletes have earned selections to the various player of the week honor rolls. In baseball, senior pitcher  Blake Ortiz was named the NJCBA Pitcher of the Week as well as the NJAC’s and ECAC’s Pitcher of the Week after helping the Lions to the 2007 NJAC Championship with his performance. Also cited for his play on the diamond for the same week, senior first baseman Blake Bullis was recognized as the NJAC and ECAC’s Player of the Week for May 8. Adding to the baseball’s team list of honorees, Gerard Haran was tapped as the NJAC and NJCBA Player of the Week on April 24, while junior short stop Jeff Toth was recognized the following week as the NJAC and NJCBA Player of the Week on April 30. Freshman pitcher Sean Stewart earned NJAC Rookie Pitcher of the Week and NJCBA Rookie Pitcher of the Week in the final week of April.
• From the men’s and women’s track and field team has earned acclaim as well as
  Jeff Zodda was named the NJAC Track Athlete of the Week three times, while also earning ECAC Division III Runner of the Week on April 24.  Al Wonesh earned NJAC Rookie of the Week in mid-April as well for the Lions. Earning acclaim for her performances on the track was the Lions’ Jessica Bonelli, who twice was named the NJAC’s Track Athlete of the Week, while also earning a selection as the ECAC Division III Athlete of the Week on April 17. Martine McGrath was also tapped as the NJAC Track Athlete of the Week on April 30.
• Danielle Hagel from TCNJ’s softball team was named the NJAC’s Rookie of the Week in mid-April.
• The women’s lacrosse team found representation on the ECAC Honor Roll as Toni-Anne Cavallo was named the Metro Player of the Week twice.
• Mark your calendars for Tuesday, June 12, when TCNJ’s Department of Athletics will hold their 16th Annual Lions’ Club Golf Outing at nearby Mercer Oaks Golf. The event will commence at 8:00 a.m. on June 12 with registration/continental breakfast and a shotgun start at 10:30 a.m. in a scramble format with a lunch awards buffet at 2:00 p.m.  For more information on the 16th Annual TCNJ Athletic Golf Outing, please contact Scott Dicheck at 609-771-3021 or via e-mail at dicheck@tcnj.edu.