Lion's Roar
Sports Illustrated cover girl
Hillary Klimowicz ’09 was profiled in and pictured on the cover of the March 5, 2007, edition of Sports Illustrated for her decision to walk away from an NCAA Division I basketball scholarship and transfer to TCNJ in search of a more well rounded undergraduate experience.
Hall of Fame Inductees
The following five athletes and two teams were inducted into The College
of New Jersey Athletic Hall of Fame on May 6, 2007:
G. Randle Ackerman ’55 joins his father, George, as the lone father-son duo to be enshrined. Randy earned four varsity letters in basketball, two in baseball, and one in tennis. He was inducted posthumously.
Richard Wojciechowicz ’65 earned four varsity letters as a punter and fullback for the Lions’ football team. In 1963, he was nationally ranked in punting, while leading Trenton State College in rushing with 308 yards.
Don Nolan ’84 started in every game throughout his four-year basketball career. He was the recipient of the Varsity T Award in 1983 for the top senior male athlete. Nolan scored 1,080 points and collected over 1,000 rebounds in his career.
Gina Carey-Smith ’93 earned seven varsity letters in women’s field hockey and lacrosse. She was a member of five national championship teams and received the 1992 Honda Broderick Award for best field hockey player in the nation.
Michelle Carlson Neveling ’95 led the softball team to national championships in 1992 and 1994. She was named National Softball Coaches Association Division III Player of the Year in 1994 and 1995.
The 1983–84 women’s basketball team compiled a 20-8 record and won the NCAA Eastern Regional Championship.
The 1971–72 men’s tennis team recorded a 10-1 mark.
Grant living the dream with Globetrotters
At age 7, Derick Grant ’05 couldn’t have imagined his name appearing on a historic roster of basketball players that included the legendary Wilt Chamberlain. Add names like Curly Neal, Goose Tatum, and Sweet Lou Dunbar and it was even less conceivable.
Derick Grand ′05 plays for the Arizona affiliate of the Harlem Globetrotters
©Harlem Globetrotters
Grant, a former guard at The College of New Jersey and 2005 Eastern College Athletic Conference Metro Division III Men ’s Basketball Player of the Year, is currently a member of the Harlem Globetrotters. He plays for the Arizona affiliate of the Globetrotters and tours with the team, thrilling audiences around the country. Grant himself attended a game when he was 7 years old, and was so electrified by the experience that he began playing basketball the following day and hasn ’t stopped since.
“Playing for the Globetrotters has been kind of like a dream come true,” said Grant, who had just returned from a two-week playing stint in Canada. “It’s definitely an honor playing for one of the most famous teams in the world, and I feel blessed to be a part of the team. ”
An organization that has provided entertainment for the past 81 years, the Globetrotters play exhibition games across the nation from December through April. One tour stop that Grant enjoyed was at the Sovereign Bank arena in Trenton, just miles from the campus where he excelled over four seasons. The Globetrotters also participate in tours overseas and offer summer camps for children ages to 6 to 16.
At TCNJ, Grant finished second all-time in scoring with 1,543 career points to go along with 126 steals and 181 assists. He was a first-team New Jersey Athletic Conference performer in his junior and senior seasons. During his Player-of-the-Year season in 2005, he averaged 20.8 points per game while shooting 41.4 percent from the floor.
The Harlem Globetrotters have entertained 25 million fans in 118 countries during their 81-year existence. The organization is only the fifth team ever to be inducted into the James Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Mark Gola
