February 20, 2005

TCNJ CAPTURES THE 2005 NJAC WOMEN'S AND MEN'S
INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

MSU'S WILLIAMS AND TCNJ'S HUGGLER NAMED ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

The College of New Jersey continued its dominance in the New Jersey Athletic Conference on February 20 as the Lions swept the 2005 Indoor Track and Field Championships at the 168^th Street Armory. TCNJ has swept every indoor championship since the conference began conducting the meet in 1998.

The Lions totaled 282 points on the men’s side as they captured 11-of-the-18 events contested. Kean University was second with 79 points followed by Montclair State University (58 points), Rowan University (56), Richard Stockton College (47), Ramapo College (17), and William Paterson University (1). On the women’s side, TCNJ, which took first-place honors in 11 events, more than doubled second-place finisher Richard Stockton (263-115), with Ramapo (44), Kean (42), Rowan (33), William Paterson (11), and Montclair State (11) rounding out the team scoring.

Montclair State freshman Tony Williams and The College of New Jersey junior Erika Huggler were named the Gerrity Award winners as the Most Outstanding Male and Female Athletes, respectively. Williams won both the 55-meter dash and the 200-meter dash with respective winning times of 6.47 and 22.07, while Huggler took the 55-meter hurdles in 8.56 seconds.

Richard Stockton senior Jessica Caccamo was selected as the Outstanding Female Field Athlete with Male honors going to co-winners Robert Godfrey from Rowan and Jake Owens from Richard Stockton. Caccamo recorded a distance of 12.46 meters in winning the shot put and also finished second in the weight throw. Godfrey won the shot put with an NJAC Championship record throw of 16.71 meters, while Owens took the pole vault with a leap of 4.64  meters.

Outstanding Track Athletes of the Year went to Montclair State’s Travis Yancey and Ramapo freshman Christina Gray. Yancey won the 400 meters with a time of 48.34 and also finished third in the 200 meters posting a time of 22.45, while Gray also took the 400 meters in a time of 57.98.

Three new meet records were established - two on the women’s side in addition to Godfrey’s shot put heave. Jenna Fasulo from The College of New Jersey took the 5,000 meter run in a time of 18:28.09 besting the previous record by almost four seconds. Montclair State’s Hashan Johnson took down her own record from a year ago in the long jump with a leap of 5.64 meters.

The College of New Jersey first-year head coach Eric Mobley was selected as the NJAC Men’s Coach of the Year by his peers after guiding the Lion women and men to their eighth consecutive NJAC Indoor titles. Kean University head coach Shelley Hollingsworth was named Women’s Coach of the Year in guiding the Cougar women and men to fourth and second place finishes respectively.