Sport Shorts

Here's how the Red Hawks fared this fall. For a schedule of upcoming athletic events, call 973-746-6258, or check the Web at www.montclair.edu/athletics.shtml.

Men's Basketball
The team won its first New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) regular season title since 1984, finishing with an 18-7 overall record and a 12-6 mark in NJAC play. The Red Hawks took the conference crown on tiebreakers against Richard Stockton and Ramapo, having gone a combined 3-1 against those two schools this season. MSU fell in the first round of the NJAC tournament to William Paterson, but still earned its fourth bid in five years to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Metro Tournament, which the Red Hawks won back in 2000. Junior guard Joseph Thomas and senior forward Omar Boothe were named to this year's All-NJAC Second Team. Thomas led the Red Hawks with 342 points, 129 assists and 60 steals through Feb. 25, while Boothe had tallied 294 points, a team-high 129 rebounds and 61 blocks, and had set a new school record with 175 career blocks. He also joined the University's 1,000-point career club on Feb. 6 at Kean, while head coach Ted Fiore recorded his 200th career victory in MSU's 54-51 win over William Paterson in November.

Women's Basketball
The team finished 12-13 overall and 8-10 in New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play in its first season under new Head Coach Jaime Hoffman. Junior center Jasmine Batts led the team in almost every statistical category, including points (432), rebounds (263), field goals (173), free throws (86), steals (69) and blocks (24). She also paced MSU in scoring in 21 of 25 games, averaging 17.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest. Senior Stephanie Ellerbe finished her four-year career with 242 points and 168 rebounds, plus 19 three-point field goals to set a new school record with 80 career three-pointers. Senior Kathy Barberi led MSU with 31 three-pointers in her only Red Hawk campaign, while junior Stephanie Croley was second on the squad with 233 rebounds and third with 211 points.

Wrestling
The team finished ninth at the (National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Div. III Wrestling Championships. Sophomore Eduard Aliakseyenka captured the 174-pound weight class, defeating the top seed and 2000 champion, Nick Slack, 12-8. Aliakseyenka is Montclair State's 28th individual national champion, earning All-American honors for the second straight season. Montclair State has produced the most individual champions in Div. III history. Senior John Shipley also earned All-American accolades, finishing eighth overall at 197 pounds. The program has produced 89 All-Americans since 1963.

Track and Field
The men's indoor track and field team won its first-ever Collegiate Track Conference (CTC) Championship in Feburary, finishing first among 24 schools at the 168th Street Armory in the Bronx. Junior sprinter Darryl Louis broke his own school record when he won the men's 200-meter dash at the championship in 21.75 seconds. He then won the men's 400-meter dash in 48.47 seconds, the fastest time in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Div. III to date this season. Freshman Ernest Tymes won the men's long jump with a distance of 6.78 meters, while senior Nick Gregorio broke his own school record in the shot put with a first-place toss of 15.93 meters. Junior sprinter Tierra Hicks won the women's 400-meter dash at the CTCs, finishing in a time of 56.40 seconds to break her own school record in that event. The men then finished second at the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championships and the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships. Tymes was named Outstanding Male Athlete of the NJAC meet as he captured both the long jump and the triple jump, while Hicks was chosen as the Outstanding Female Track Athlete. Junior Tom Baldwin had earlier competed in the prestigious Milrose Games at Madison Square Garden in February. He ran in the 3,000 meter "feature" race, making him the second Div. III runner to ever compete in that race. Eight Red Hawks also qualified for the NCAA Div. III Indoor Track and Field National Championships, held in Ohio.

Swimming and Diving
At the 2002 Metropolitan Championships, the women's team finished in fourth place among 17 schools with 268 points, while the men's team came in ninth among 14 schools with 131 points. The women finished the season with a 7-9 record (2-2 NJAC), while the men went 3-9 overall. Starring for the Red Hawk women at the Metro Championships was sophomore Colleen Griffin who finished third in the women's 100 back in 1:01.24 minutes, and fifth in the women's 50 free in 24.91 seconds. The Red Hawks also finished fourth as a team in the women's 800-yard freestyle relay (8:30.30), and fifth in the women's 200 med-relay (1:58.97). Topping the men was junior Eddie Fernandez who finished eighth in the men's 200 IM (2:06.16). The Red Hawk women defeated William Paterson, 131-101, in their final home meet. The men's biggest victory was a 100-79 decision over Misericordia.

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