Former
TCNJ Director of Athletics, Roy Van Ness, Passes Away
Roy Van Ness, director of athletics
at The College from 1964 to 1987, passed away on November
21, 1999, following a short illness. The first full-time
athletic director in the history of The College, Van Ness
retired from coaching in 1973 with a record unparalleled
in the history of NCAA Division III athletics.
Van Ness was a former coach and eight-time
letterwinner at The College. A graduate of the class of
1943, he continued on at The College as a coach in football,
track and field, and basketball, in addition to his role
as a faculty member in the health and physical education
department.
In 1986, he was honored as a recipient
of the Garden State Award, which is presented annually by
the College Athletic Administrators of New Jersey. The organization
cited Van Ness for his efforts in bringing The College to
the forefront of Division III athletics and for his role
in the development of The College's outstanding athletic
and recreational facilities. In 1982 he was inducted into
The College's Athletic Alumni Hall of Fame.
Van Ness is survived by his wife, Edna,
and four children. |
Four former student-athletes and one former
coach entered TCNJ's Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame on October
29, 1999. The alumni were formally inducted at a dinner held
in their honor. They are Daniel Franchetti '79 (Hammonton,
NJ), Kimberly Lacken '88 (Robinsville, NJ), Anthony Ianiero
'74, '76 (Bloomsburg, PA), Antoniette LaPann '81 (Landisville,
PA), and Robert Salois, coach (Indialantic, FL).
Baseball Great Daniel Franchetti
Enters Hall of Fame
Second
baseman Daniel Franchetti was the first player from The College
to be named to the NCAA Division III All-America First-Team
and earn New Jersey College Baseball Player of the Year honors.
From 1977 to 1979, Franchetti was picked for the New Jersey
College All Star Team First-Team and the All-NJAC First-Team.
In 1977, he was the first player from The College to start
in the New Jersey All-Star Game, and he also started in 1978
and 1979. Franchetti was named to the All-District 2 USA First-Team
in 1978 and 1979. By 1979, Franchetti had earned four varsity
letters in baseball and had established seventeen school records.
He still holds The College's record for career runs scored
(162) and shares the record for career triples (12) and the
single-season record for most bases on balls (41). After his
college career, Franchetti played semi-professional baseball
with the Atlantic County League and became the owner and head
instructor of the Fundamental Baseball Camp. Franchetti began
his career in the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office as a
paralegal assistant. He rose through the ranks as a NJ Casino
Control Commission inspector, and since 1988 has served as
a senior inspector. Franchetti donates his time and money
to many organizations and is a member of the Hammonton Home
School Association and St. Elizabeth's Church in Absecon,
NJ.
Basketball Champion
Kimberly Lacken Joins Hall of Fame
In her four-year basketball career, Kimberly Lacken earned
four varsity letters and served as co-captain for the 1986-1987
and 1987-1988 seasons. As a junior and senior, Lacken was
voted a GTE Academic All-American, and as a senior was also
tapped as a Kodak All-American. She set and still holds the
following records at TCNJ: most career points (1,518), most
points in a season (538), most points in a game (33), most
rebounds in a game (24), and most rebounds in a season (281).
Lacken earned her law degree at
Rutgers University School of Law in 1991. She is currently
a Mercer County assistant prosecutor. She also teaches various
areas of law to local law enforcement personnel, and since
1995 has served as an adjunct professor in TCNJ's law and
justice department. Kimberly is active in many community outreach
programs, including the Mercer County Chapter of the Inns
of Court, a mentor program for young attorneys. Lacken also
organizes and runs the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office Buddy
Program, which invites elementary and high school students
to spend the day with an assistant prosecutor and learn firsthand
how the criminal justice system works. Lacken is currently
a candidate for the GTE Academic All-America Hall of Fame
and is a former recipient of TCNJ's Athletic Department Alumni
Citation.
Two-Sport
Letterwinner Anthony Ianiero Enters Hall of Fame
A four-year letterwinner in football and baseball, Anthony
Ianiero also served as an assistant football and baseball
coach at The
College before being promoted to assistant head football coach
and defensive coordinator from 1977 to 1983. During his tenure,
the team and his defense were both nationally ranked, and
the team won two conference titles and compiled a record of
47-19-2. While at The College, Ianiero also held several other
positions. Between 1976 and 1983 he was sports information
director and assistant director of alumni affairs, director
of alumni affairs, and assistant director of college development.
In addition, he created and implemented the Athletic Alumni
Hall of Fame. From 1984 to 1989 Ianiero served as director
of development at Bloomsburg University. In 1989, he was named
assistant vice president for development and executive director
of the Bloomsburg University Foundation. Since 1995 he has
served as vice president for university advancement. Ianiero
has been the recipient of many honors including Outstanding
College Athletes of America Award (1974), nominee to the National
Hall of Fame of Outstanding College Athletes of America (1974),
TSC Merit Award for Management Personnel (1979 and 1980),
Gold Award from the Delaware Valley United Way Campaign (1980
and 1981), and Outstanding Young Man of America Award (1983).
Swimming
Stand-Out Antoinette LaPann Joins Hall of Fame
Throughout
her career at The College, Antoinette LaPann excelled under the
guidance of coach Brenda Campbell. In 1980 and 1981, she was named
most valuable player of the team, and was also an NCAA Division
III qualifier. In her junior year, she earned a spot as an alternate
All-American, and as a senior, she was named All-American for
the 50-yard butterfly. LaPann set and held records in many events.
Her record in the 100-yard butterfly of 1:00.00, set in 1981 at
an NCAA championship, was only broken last year-eighteen years
after being established. Immediately following graduation, LaPann
began coaching swimming at various swim clubs. She has participated
in master's swimming, instructed older adult swimnastics, and
has served as president of her son's swim club in Lancaster, PA.
She currently enjoys running, participating in several road races
each year, and cross-country skiing. LaPann remains an active
part of TCNJ's swimming program. She has assisted with recruitment
calls to potential students and swimmers and is an invited guest
speaker at the annual Swim Banquet. Now attending TCNJ's swim
meets as a spectator, she assists in the meal arrangements for
the Lion swimmers during the Franklin & Marshall Invitational,
held annually in December.
Former Football Coach Robert Salois Named
to Hall of Fame
The College entered a new era of varsity football in 1957, when
Robert Salois became the fifth head football coach. He established
a solid varsity football program, and the 1957 season was the
Lions' best in six years. The 1957 squad compiled a 5-2 record
and
nearly quadrupled their point scoring. Highlights of Salois' sixteen-year
tenure include 7-1 campaigns in 1959 and 1963. In 1968, Salois
was tapped as the Coach of the Year by the Eastern Football Conference
after leading his team to a 5-2-1 season. In June 1978, The College
and the football program honored Salois with the very first Honorary
Alumni Football Award in appreciation for the service and
leadership that he provided from 1957 until 1972. During his tenure
as football coach, Salois earned a 55-67-5 record, produced countless
all-conference players, and helped shape the future of the football
program. A 1953 graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Salois
also served as head men's golf coach and baseball coach during
his tenure at The College. His 1968 golf team produced a 10-0-1
season, won the conference championship, and posted a third-place
finish at the N.A.I.A. District Tournament.
Field
Hockey Team Wins Ninth NCAA Championship
The College of New Jersey field hockey
team posted a 4-1 win over Amherst College to win the program's
ninth NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship on Sunday, November
14, 1999, in Lions' Stadium. The Lions finished the 1999 season
with a perfect 20-0 record under the direction of coach Sharon
Pfluger. The win marked the seventh time coach Pfluger has guided
the Lions to the NCAA Championship. The Lions have now compiled
a record of 54-10 in NCAA Tournament play.
Field
Hockey Coach and Player Receive National Recognition
Head field hockey coach Sharon Pfluger was named the 1999 Dita/National
Field Hockey Coaches
Association (NFHCA) National Division III Coach of the Year. Now
in her fifteenth season, Pfluger owns a career field hockey coaching
record of 289-23-5. Acknowledged as one of the premier lacrosse
and field hockey coaches in Division III, Pfluger became TCNJ's
all-time winningest coach in both sports in less than six full
years at her alma mater. Also earning national recognition was
TCNJ's senior forward Tiffany Trockenbrod, who was named the NFHCA
Division III National Player of the Year. Trockenbrod became a
three-time NFHCA Division III All-American this past season, while
rewriting TCNJ's career scoring marks. She finished her
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