Sport Shorts

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

Baseball
The Red Hawks finished at 22-15 overall and 10-8 in New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play. Senior left-handed pitcher Corey Hamman was named NJAC Pitcher of the Year while freshman outfielder Ethan Boyd was chosen NJAC Co-Rookie of the Year. Hamman finished with a record of 6-4 with 81 strikeouts in 88 innings pitched, while Boyd batted .329 with 46 hits, 36 runs scored, 21 RBIs and 13 doubles. Senior shortstop Brian Ellerson completed his four-year career by batting .403 this season with a team-high 56 hits, 43 runs scored, 32 RBIs, 16 doubles, 10 stolen bases and five home runs. He was chosen as MSU Co-Outstanding Athlete of the Year, and finished up with four hits and three runs scored in Montclair's season-ending 16-7 win over York (Pa.). Junior infielder Joe Giacomiazzio led MSU with a .407 batting average and tied Ellerson with five homers. Hamman and Ellerson were taken in the first day of the 2002 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Detroit Tigers and the Montreal Expos, respectively.

Men's Golf
Montclair State finished second in a tri-meet with St. Peter's and Wagner on April 4 as senior Ron Gerhold, Jr. shot a 9-over-par 80, and then took first place six days later at the Blue Jay Classic in Hershey, Pa. as Gerhold and sophomore Brian Peterson each posted a team-best score of 77. The Red Hawks then won the MSU Classic on April 15 as sophomore Jordan Petrill carded an 8-over-par 80, and concluded the campaign with an eighth-place finish at the Glenmaura (Pa.) Invitational on April 21 as Petrill carded a 156 over two days.

Men's Lacrosse
The Red Hawks rebounded from a 5-9 campaign in 2001 with a 9-4 mark and the ninth winning season in Head Coach Doug Alsofrom's MSU career. Three Red Hawks were named to the 2002 Knickerbocker Conference Lacrosse Team: junior goalkeeper Vinny DeGennaro, sophomore attacker Sean Pekarsky and freshman defenseman Roi Klipper. Pekarsky led MSU with 41 points, while DeGennaro posted 155 saves in 13 outings and Klipper was third on the squad with 40 ground balls. Sophomore attacker Chris Meixner paced Montclair with 33 goals, while junior midfielder Matt Von Klemperer led the Red Hawks with 28 assists and earned the team's annual Stick ‘Em Award.

Women's Lacrosse
Montclair State fell to 5-7 this season but still witnessed several outstanding individual performances at Sprague Field. Sophomore midfielder Cathy Homiek broke her own school records with 49 assists and 81 points en route to earning MSU Female Sophomore Athlete of the Year status, while junior attacker Jodi Gangemi led all Red Hawks with a career-high 49 goals. Senior midfielder Kristen Miskey concluded her career with 32 goals, while classmate Donna Russo notched 12 goals and took home the MSU Poet Sportsmanship Award. Freshman goalkeeper Diana Gil played in all 12 games in her first MSU campaign, registering 141 saves.

Softball
Montclair State finished 30-11 overall (12-6 NJAC), winning at least 30 games for the fourth straight season, while also claiming its third consecutive Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III South championship with a 4-1 win over Drew University on May 15 at Quarry Field. The win was also the 375th of Head Coach Anita Kubicka's career at Montclair State. Freshman outfielder Megan Sweeney was named the ECAC Most Valuable Player after notching seven hits and batting in five runs in three MSU victories. Freshman infielder Kari McDonnell led MSU in nearly every offensive category this spring, batting .392 with 50 runs batted in, 49 hits and 41 runs scored, plus 15 doubles and 11 home runs. She also earned First Team All-NJAC, NFCA First Team All-East Region, and Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III Second Team All-American accolades, was tabbed as NJAC Rookie Player of the Year, and tied a school record with two home runs in one game (twice). Senior pitcher Tara Todaro went 13-6 with a career-high 157 strikeouts, and was named All-NJAC and the MSU Senior Female Athlete of the Year.

Men's Tennis
Montclair State improved significantly upon a one-win campaign a year ago, finishing 6-5 overall. The Red Hawks recorded two victories over New Jersey Institute of Technology, and single wins against Kings Point, Stevens Tech, Ramapo, and CCNY, and won five times on the road. Junior Ronald Lee finished a team-best 8-1 in singles play, winning his last six matches, while freshmen Eric Bollinger and Zakir Ahmed both went 6-3. Ahmed combined with junior Justin Juba to fashion a team-best 6-3 mark in doubles, while Lee and classmate Michael Miller finished at 5-3.

Outdoor Track and Field
The Red Hawks concluded one of their most successful outdoor seasons at the NCAA Division III Championships in St. Paul, Minn. in May. Freshman Nacole Moore, the MSU Freshman Female Athlete of the Year, captured the shot put title with a school-record throw of 48-feet, nine-inches, becoming the first MSU female athlete to win an individual event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Junior Tierra Hicks was named a two-time All-American, finishing second in the 400-meter hurdles and third in the 400 meters. On the men's side, sophomore Enrique Llanos placed second in the 110 hurdles while freshman Ernest Tymes finished third in the triple jump. Senior Nick Gregorio and junior Darryl Louis each placed eighth in the shot put and 400 meters, respectively. Hicks, who was named the Atlantic Region Athlete of the Year by the United States Track and Field Coaches Association, was named the Gerrity Award Winner for the Outstanding Female Athlete at the 2002 New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships, while Moore and Tymes were selected the Outstanding Field Athletes at the same meet. Moore also became the first MSU student to take home an individual championship at the prestigious Penn Relays in April while the men's 4-by-400 relay team won its section at the Penn Relays for the second time in three years.

2001-2002 All-Americans

Football
Omar Lucas • Anthony Vitale

Field Hockey
Laura Popes

Wrestling
Eduard Aliakseyenka (NCAA champion)

Track and Field
Darryl Louis • Ernest Tymes • Nick Greogorio • Chris Monaco • Ed Hamilton • Alex Torres • Tierra Hicks
Enrique Llanos (NCAA champion) • Nacole Moore (NCAA champion)

Softball
Kari McDonnell

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