October 2007 Sports Briefs

Sophomore Jackie Shtemberg became the first student-athlete from the College to win the prestigious women's tennis singles championship at the 2007 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Small College Championships, which was held at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center in Mobile, AL, this past weekend. On Saturday, Shtemberg defeated the No. 1 seed, Siobhan Finicane of Pomona-Pitzer College 6-3, 6-4, to win the crown. Shtemberg is now 42-5 on her career in singles play.

Shtemberg also competed in the women's doubles with senior Christina Contrafatto. The two finished with a seventh-place showing. On the tournament, they went 1-2 together and earned their second ITA All-America doubles citation together.

Competing in the men’s singles championship from TCNJ was senior co-captain Michael Klimchak. On Saturday, he posted a 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 win over Oliver Gaines of Trinity University (TX) to finish in seventh place and earned his first ITA All-America citation. Klimchak is 8-3 this fall in singles play and holds a 64-15 career record with the Lions after finishing last season ranked No. 37 nationally in singles play.

• The College of New Jersey athletics department will be named the 2006-07 recipient of the Collegiate Athletic Administrators of New Jersey (CAANJ) Directors’ Cup for Division III. This award is bestowed annually to the top collegiate athletic departments at the different NCAA levels. With this latest CAANJ Cup, TCNJ’s athletics department has now won nine of 10 titles as the top Division III collegiate athletic department in the state.

• For the 12th straight year, TCNJ had a Top 10 finish in the U.S.S.A. Director’s Cup race, this past year taking sixth place. During the 2006-07 academic year, the Lions competed in 15 different NCAA Division III championships and captured one NCAA Division III team runner-up finish, while three individuals earned NCAA runner-up titles as well. TCNJ amassed 158 All-NJAC honors, while collecting 11 NJAC championship team titles and two Metropolitan Conference Championships. All told, 31 student-athletes combined to earn 46 All-America citations last year. In addition, TCNJ placed 81 on the NJAC Scholar-Athlete Team, while another 145 of TCNJ’s student-athletes earned TCNJ Scholar-Athlete honors. One student-athlete was cited as an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American as well, elevating TCNJ's total to 47 Academic All-Americans.  
• As of today, every TCNJ fall program is nationally ranked. As of October 11, TCNJ’s field hockey is No. 2, women’s soccer is No. 3, men’s soccer is No. 14, men’s cross country is No. 20, women’s cross country is No. 24, and the football team is ranked No. 14.
• TCNJ’s head field hockey coach Sharon Pfluger achieved her 400th career win at the College when the Lions defeated Susquehanna University on October 6, 3-0. The win put TCNJ at 9-1 on the season. Pfluger is now 400-52-5 since taking over the Lion program. Overall, the veteran coach has an impressive record of 409-71-9.
• On October 20, Homecoming Day at the College, the athletics department will honor the 2006-07 recipient of the Roy Van Ness Award during halftime of TCNJ’s football game against Western Connecticut State University. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. Now in his 32nd year at TCNJ, David Icenhower will receive the award, given annually to a TCNJ coach who exemplifies the College’s ideals of dedication and hard work. The citation marks the third time in his career that Icenhower has been awarded the honor by his peers.
• Also during halftime of the Homecoming game, the athletics department will honor the 2006-07 recipients of the Varsity Lion Award: All-American women’s diver Lee Swanson ’07 and All-American men’s cross country and track and field performer Jeff Zodda ’07. Swanson earned All-All-America honorable mention honors in 2007 at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships in both the one- and three-meter events. She was named to the 2007 ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA All-District Second Team last May for her accomplishments in the pool and in the classroom. She capped her career as a three-time All-American diver for the College. A four-time TCNJ Scholar-Athlete, she was also a Dean’s List student with a 3.72 major in deaf education at the College. Zodda closed his career as the 2007 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a National Runner-up title for the third time in the 800 meters after posting a time of 1:53.53. He was an eight-time All-American with seven of those citations coming while running the 800 with four in the outdoor season and three coming indoors. He also holds eight school records, and helped TCNJ’s cross country team to four NJAC championships during his career, while also helping the squad sweep eight NJAC Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He was also named the 2007 NJAC Most Outstanding Male Athlete at the Outdoor Championships.
• TCNJ’s head football coach Eric Hamilton is currently a candidate for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award. Coach Hamilton has an opportunity to win a $50,000 cash award to support his civic and charitable activities, as well as a $20,000 scholarship to be donated to the Alumni Association. This year's Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year honors will go to one coach in each of the four NCAA divisions. Coach Hamilton will compete against his other coaching colleagues in Division III. Cast your vote today for Eric Hamilton by clicking here.
• On Saturday, October 27, TCNJ’s football team will host the Red Dragons of SUNY Cortland. In conjunction with the contest, TCNJ will sponsor the NCAA’s Take a Kid to the Game. On that day, TCNJ will offer half price admission to adults who bring a child to the game. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. in Lions’ Stadium as the Lions make a run for the 2007 NJAC Championship and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Playoffs.
• The women’s tennis team wrapped up the 2007 NJAC Championship on Saturday, 10/6, after sweeping the Pioneers of William Paterson University 9-0 and Ramapo College 9-0. With those two victories, TCNJ is now 5-0 overall and 5-0 in the NJAC this fall. With the win, TCNJ’s women’s team has now won 121 consecutive NJAC matches dating back to the fall of 1982. TCNJ swept the NJAC this fall once again to win the program’s 25th consecutive NJAC Champion.