november 2007 sports briefs

TCNJ’s athletic teams have excelled this fall, capturing New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championships in women’s tennis, women’s cross country, men’s cross country, football, field hockey, and women’s soccer. TCNJ is also sending teams to NCAA Division III Championship competition in field hockey, football, women’s soccer, women’s cross country, and men’s cross country.

Women's Soccer

The women’s soccer team went through NJAC play this fall with an unbeaten record. The Lions are making their 17th straight appearance in the NCAA Division III Championships and will host the first two rounds of the tournament this weekend. Along with these team accomplishments came a host of individual honors, as several members of the Lion program received special awards:

Head Coach Joe Russo was voted the 2007 NJAC Coach of the Year after guiding TCNJ to an unbeaten conference record during the regular season, and then winning the conference tournament for the third straight year.

Senior Courtney Krol was honored as the NJAC Defensive Player of the Year for the third straight season, while classmate Dana DiBruno added to her long list of honors by being tabbed NJAC Midfielder of the Year. Krol has contributed at both ends of the field scoring three goals and adding five assists, while anchoring a defensive unit that has allowed only four goals in 18 games with 14 shutouts. The Lions rank second nationally in goals-against average at 0.218. DiBruno, who was the 2004 NJAC Rookie of the Year and the 2005 NJAC Offensive Player of the Year, continued her pursuit of becoming the program’s all-time leading scorer as she collected 12 goals and 29 points this season. She also made her goals count as she led the team with five game winners. The senior currently ranks second on the all-time scoring list with 130 points leaving her two points shy of tying Traci Tapp’s record of 132.

Sophomore Jessica Clarke was selected as the NJAC Goalkeeper of the Year as she led the country in both GAA (0.185) and ranked 10th in save percentage (.900). She also collected nine solo shutouts this season raising her career total to 21. She was a member of the 2006 All-NJAC Second Team. In addition to the individual honors, all three players were named to the All-NJAC First Team with Krol and DiBruno receiving that honor for the third straight season. Junior Jamie Kunkel was the fourth Lion to be named All-NJAC First Team. Kunkel is having a career year for TCNJ setting career highs in goals (15) and points (36). She ranked fourth in the NJAC in both of those categories. TCNJ placed two more players on the second team as sophomore Briann McDonough and freshman Brittany McGinley were named to the team. McDonough leads the Lions in assists with 11 and is third in both goals (8) and points (27). McGinley has been a fixture on the defensive third of the field for TCNJ starting every game and helping the team rank among the national leaders in goals against.

As successful as the women’s soccer team has been on the field this fall, two players were also honored for their work in the classroom as senior Courtney Krol and sophomore Briann McDonough received CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II College Division honors. Krol was selected to the All-District II Second Team with McDonough reeling in All-District II Third Team honors. Krol, a math/secondary education major with a grade-point-average of 3.56, was named to the All-District II Second Team for the second straight year. The senior standout anchors TCNJ’s defense that ranks second nationally in goals-against average at 0.184 and have recorded shutouts in 14 of 17 games. She also contributes offensively as three goals and five assists. Krol’s resume during her playing career at TCNJ is an impressive one as she was a 2006 National Soccer Coaches Association of America adidas All-American First Team selection and has been honored as the New Jersey Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in each of the past two seasons. She is also a two-time All-NJAC First Team pick and was named to the 2005 NCAA Division III All-Tournament Team. Academically, Krol is a three-time TCNJ Scholar-Athlete and has twice earned NJAC All-Academic Honorable Mention. McDonough, a history major with a 3.46 GPA, has been one of the catalysts for the Lion offense as she is third on the team in scoring with 25 points on eight goals and nine assists. Those nine assists lead the team and rank her second in the conference. She has set career highs in every offensive category this season. TCNJ currently ranks ninth nationally in scoring 4.06 goals a contest. McDonough is also a TCNJ Scholar-Athlete.

Field hockey

TCNJ’s field hockey is making its 27th straight appearance in the NCAA Division III Championships and will host a regional round this weekend. Members of the team were recognized for their performances throughout the course of the season as they received postseason honors from NJAC. The Lions collected a trio of special awards as junior defender Kelly Mitchell was selected as the 2007 NJAC Defensive Player of the Year, while her younger sister Leigh Mitchell was tabbed as the 2007 NJAC Rookie of the Year. The special awards didn’t stop there as veteran Head Coach Sharon Pfluger was voted as the 2007 NJAC Co-Coach of the Year. She shared the honor with Lindsay Bard from William Paterson University. Kelly Mitchell anchored the Lion defense that ranks 10th in the country in goals against at 0.94 per game and has posted 11 shutouts. In addition to her special honor, Mitchell was named All-NJAC First Team for the first time in her career. At the offensive end of the field, Leigh Mitchell had a huge impact for the Lions leading the team with 15 goals and 33 points. Four times during the course of the season she was selected as the NJAC Rookie of the Week. Pfluger guided the Lions to a perfect 6-0 conference mark for the second straight season as the team and outscored the opposition by the score of 28-3 in those games. Over the course of the past two seasons, TCNJ has won 12 straight conference games.

TCNJ had three other players named first-team all-conference: senior Sheri Grondski and juniors Jenny Lubin and Katie Reuther. Grondski helped the Lions rank among the best defense teams in the nation and was a key contributor on offense as well. She is tied for the lead in the NJAC with 12 assists and added four goals for 20 points. The three-time first-team honoree also added a pair of defensive saves. Lubin made the team as a forward finishing third on the team in goals and scoring during the regular season. She finished with 11 goals and 25 points with a team-leading four game-winning goals. Lubin earn All-NJAC Honorable Mention in 2006. Reuther had a breakthrough season in the midfield ranking second on the team in goals (12) and points (32) and tied for second in assists (8), all of which are new career highs. She also added one defensive save.

TCNJ had two more players received All-NJAC Honorable Mention: junior defender Jackie Gelinas and sophomore forward Jessica Falcone. Gelinas shined on both ends of the field helping the defense post 11 shutouts, while tying with Grondski for the NJAC lead in assists with 12. Falcone, the 2006 NJAC Rookie of the Year, added another strong season for theLions finishing with seven goals and five assists for 19 points with two game-winning goals.

Men’s soccer

TCNJ has five players listed on the 2007 NJAC men’s soccer all-star team, including sophomore Kevin Luber who was named to the First Team.

Wrestling

TCNJ’s wrestling team claimed top honors at the Ithaca College Invitational for the third straight season, collecting 166.5 team points to earn the title on Sunday, thereby capping a successful opening weekend. The team, which entered the tournament ranked eighth in the National Wrestling Coaches’ Association Division III pre-season poll, finished well ahead of host Ithaca with 135 points and third-place Hunter College with 96. TCNJ was one of six ranked teams competing in the 15-team field at the tournament. The Lions had three individual champions, as senior Ray Sarinelli (133 pounds), sophomore Tyler Branham (149 pounds) and senior Shawn Vanwingerden (197 pounds) each won their respective weigh classes. Sarinelli, who is ranked eighth nationally at 133, was tabbed as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler as he went 5-0 over the two days, winning his weight class with an 8-6 decision over Steve Valastro from the University of Southern Maine.

Football

With TCNJ's football team climbing in the AFCA Division III rankings, Lion fans can also take heart knowing that TCNJ’s Coach Eric Hamilton is currently a top vote getter for the 2007 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award. And it’s not too late for TCNJ fans to show support for Coach Hamilton by going to www.coachoftheyear.com and voting for him by November 27. Then, return to www.coachoftheyear.com between December 5 and 15 to vote for a finalist. The winners—one from each NCAA football division—will be profiled on a half-hour ABC/ESPN special on December 29 at 5:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. PT).

With the release of the 2007 CoSIDA ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District College Division Team this week, TCNJ’s football team found two of its player among the first-team honorees as senior Andrew Larkin and junior Marc Fabiano were both among the players cited for academic and athletic excellence. Both are now candidates the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America College Division Team, which will be announced on November 29. Larkin, a 2007 team co-captain for the Lions continues to add to the big play book this fall. Larkin returned an interception against Buffalo State in the third quarter 91 yards for a TD. That marks his second interception return for a touchdown this fall, and the 91-yard return for a score was just eight yards shy of tying a school record. On the year, Larkin now has 48 tackles with a team-leading six interception for 179 yards with six pass breakups. He leads the NJAC with his six interceptions (0.67) and is ranked third in the league with his 12 passes defended. He ranks in a tie for 10th in Div. 3 with 0.7 interceptions per game as of November 5. On his career, Larkin now has played in 29 games for the Lions and now has 153 career tackles with 11 career pass breakups and 10 career interceptions for 252 return yards. Fabiano, a junior lineman now has 55 tackles on the 2007 season, which is second best amongst the 2007 Lions. He has 24 solo stops with 31 assisted tackles and is averaging 6.1 tackles per game which is 19th best in the NJAC.  A health and exercise science major at TCNJ with a 3.66 GPA, Fabiano is the Lions’ football representative to the College’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). A two-time TCNJ Scholar-Athlete, he is a nine-game starter this fall and a candidate for post-season honors.

TCNJ’s football team is among the NJAC’s statistical leaders in several categories. It is also ranked in the latest Division III statistics information as of November 5. TCNJ ranks sixth in total defense (225.7), ninth in rushing defense (87.3), sixth in scoring defense (10.9), ninth in tackles for a loss (9.9), tied for 18th in sacks-per-game (3.44), 35th in kickoff return defense (16.16), tied for 21st in passed intercepted (17), and 23rd in net punting (34.69). The Lions’ defense has now allowed under 10 points four different times this fall, and under 15 points eight times. In addition, the team is now part of TCNJ’s football record book, as it has now won eight straight games, surpassing the old record of seven wins in a season with last week’s victory over Buffalo State.