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The College of New Jersey department of athletics recognized a record 119
student-athletes on April 27 at the 16th Annual Scholar-Athlete
Luncheon, held at the Princeton Hyatt Regency Hotel.
The luncheon honors student-athletes who have achieved a 3.3 grade
point average or better, while competing as a member of a varsity team at
TCNJ. Since the first luncheon was
held during in May of 1988, where 34 student-athletes were recognized, the
list of honorees has continued to grow, this year reaching 119.
In addition, another 87 student-athletes attained a 3.0-3.29 grade
point average this past year.
In
the 16-year history of the TCNJ athletics’ honors program, nearly 1,000
student-athletes have been honored for their academic performance.
Since
joining the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), TCNJ teams
have earned 36 national championships, 28 NCAA runner-up titles, including
30 national championships in women’s athletics. The athletic program has
also produced six NCAA post-graduate scholarship recipients, more than 800
All-Americans and 38 Verizon Academic All-Americans.
This
year’s recipients of the Dr. Harold W. Eickhoff Outstanding Senior
Scholar-Athlete Awards were senior track athlete, Chris Ludwig and senior
women's swimmer, Lauren Veneziale. The senior scholar-athlete award
was renamed in 2001 for former TCNJ President, Dr. Harold W. Eickhoff.
The award has since been known as the Dr. Harold W. Eickhoff
Outstanding Senior Scholar-Athlete Award.
Last
spring, Ludwig was named the inaugural 2002 CoSIDA-Verizon Academic
All-America National College Division Cross Country-Track Third Team. He
becomes TCNJ's 38th Verizon Academic All-American and the first
male cross country and track student-athlete honored.
A member of TCNJ's cross country, indoor and outdoor
track teams, Ludwig has excelled for the Lions in the classroom and on the
track, having earned a 3.79 grade-point average as an English major.
As
a Lion breaststroker, Lauren Veneziale earned
All-NJAC First Team honors in 2000 and 2001, while picking up second team
citations in the 100 breast in 2001 and 2002.
Until last year, Veneziale held the school record in the 100
breast.
The
Lions have won the NJAC Championships every year during her career, while
also winning the past three straight Metropolitan Conference
Championships. She helped the Lions compile an impressive 37-8 dual meet
record, while also going undefeated in the NJAC with a perfect 15-0
record.
Veneziale is
a Special Education major with a 3.84 GPA, and a minor in Psychology.
A four-time TCNJ Scholar-Athlete, she has made Dean’s List every
semester of her four-year stint.
In
addition to the student-athletes who were recognized at the luncheon, TCNJ
presented the annual Alumni Citation to1996 graduate, Shelly Brown Rowe.
A
former women’s basketball player for the Lions, she finished her
athletic career having finished as the Lions’ second all-time leading
scorer and rebounder after playing for the Lions from 1992-1996. On her
career, she tallied 1,327 career points, while also hauling down 793
career rebounds. She helped the Lions earn post-season appearances in the
New Jersey Athletic Conference tournament twice, while also winning the
1996 Eastern College Athletic Conference Metro NY-NJ title in 1996 as a
senior captain with the Lions.
Tapped the MVP of the 1996 ECAC Tournament, Brown has since gone to
distinguish herself in the classroom as an educator in the Lawrenceville,
NJ school system. A math teacher in Lawrenceville for four years, Rowe has
also worked as a consultant for ETA, working on the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards. She is currently the supervisor of Math
for the Lawrenceville School District and managed the math curriculum for
K-12 and supervises math teachers in grades 7-12.
Complete Event Program (PDF)
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