NJAC NEWS ARCHIVE

 2006-07

June 3, 2007


CINTRON & ANTHES NAMED ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AT THE
EIGHTH ANNUAL NJAC AWARDS BRUNCH


RECORD 88 AWARD-WINNERS PRESENT AT THE EVENT


Montclair State senior soccer midfielder Bill Anthes and NJCU junior volleyball middle blocker Lizzelle Cintron were selected as the NJAC Male and Female Athletes of the Year respectively for the 2006-07 academic year. Their selections highlighted the Eighth Annual NJAC Awards Brunch which featured record attendance at the Hyatt Regency in Princeton on June 3.

Anthes, who was presented by Montclair State head men's soccer coach Brian Sentowski, was a four-year starter for the Red Hawks who capped of his career by earning first-team All-American honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association. The NJAC leader in both goals (18) and points (40), he also was the recipient of the conference's David Logar Leadership Award which is presented to the league player who best demonstrates the attributes of leadership and courage. In 2006, Anthes captained the Red Hawks to a 20-1-1 overall record while earning the NJAC Championship before advancing to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

With his selection, Anthes became the fourth different Red Hawk to receive the top conference male honor joining past recipients Craig Conway (2000-01), Al Cappello (2002-03), and Gian Paul Gonzalez (2005-06).

Cintron, who was presented by NJCU head women's and men's volleyball coach Christopher Feliciano, was selected as the NJAC Women's Volleyball Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. In 2006, she led the conference in hitting percentage (.496), kills (5.64 per game), and points (7.08 per game). A seven-time NJAC Player of the Week selection during the season, she is the first volleyball player in the history of the conference to garner the top female award. During her junior campaign, she led NJCU to the ECAC Division III South Tournament Championship after guiding the Gothic Knights to an appearance in the NJAC Tournament Championship match.

Cintron becomes the second different Gothic Knight to receive the top conference female honor joining former NJCU winner Diana Lawson (2003-04).

The Eighth Annual NJAC Awards Brunch featured an overall record attendance along with a record 88 conference award winners present to receive awards. In addition to the Athlete of the Year Awards, plaques were presented to the league team champions, the conference special award winners, and the league's first-team All-Academic squad.