AMSTER NAMED NJAC MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Montclair, NJ (6/3/09) – Men's Soccer All-American Owen Amster was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Male Athlete of the Year as the conference held its 10th Annual Awards Brunch on Sunday, May 31 in Princeton, NJ.

Amster, one of six Red Hawk student-athletes to be honors at the banquet, became the fourth consecutive MSU athlete to win one of the league's top awards and the eighth overall.

Amster was named First-Team All-America by the NSCAA this past season as he led the MSU men's soccer team to its third NJAC championship and a sparkling 21-1 record. Selected as the NJAC Defensive Player of the Year, Amster anchored a Red Hawk defense that allowed just eight goals in 22 games and held its opponents to just 120 shots.

Also honored at the brunch were the Red Hawk men's and women's basketball teams, who each captured their respective NJAC North Division championships this past season. Senior linebacker Cornell Hunt and basketball junior Kisandra Ayanbeku were honored with the Defensive Player of the Year accolades while three student-athletes - football's Ron Litz and Marco Capozzoli and field hockey junior Rebecca Dobiesz - were lauded for their place on the NJAC All-Academic Team.