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GO RED HAWKS!
Sprinter captures national title
Senior sprinter Tierra Hicks became the second Red Hawk woman to capture
an outdoor NCAA Division III national title as she helped the women's
team to a 21st-place finish at the NCAA Championships in the spring.
Hicks won the 400 intermediate hurdles as she posted a school-record time
of 59.22 to earn her first NCAA crown. Hicks, who posted the second-fastest
time in the preliminaries (60.96), recorded Division III's best time and
set the Merrick-Pinkard Track record at St. Lawrence University. Hicks
defeated Jackie Dight of Ohio Northern University, who had the fastest
time in the prelims (60.66).
In finishing first, the Montclair State Student-Athlete of the Year also
garnered All-American honors for the sixth time in her career. It is the
second consecutive year that MSU has had a woman win a national title.
Last year, Nacole Moore took home the national championship in the shot
put.
Baseball player named All-American
In baseball, junior Jeff Gogal became the 42nd Montclair State baseball
player to earn All-American honors as the lefthander was named to the
American Baseball Coaches Association Division III All-American Third
Team.
The fourth pitcher in the last five years to garner All-American honors,
Gogal posted a 7-2 mark with a 1.85 ERA. The southpaw pitched 87.2 innings
and struck out 81 batters while walking just 12. In 11 starts last season,
Gogal completed three games and went seven or more innings 10 times.
Students win NJAC honors
In June football offensive lineman senior Al Cappello was honored as the
2002-03 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Male Athlete of the Year.
Other MSU athletes honored at the NJAC ceremony were Rookies of the Year
John DiGirolamo (football), Ebony Allen (women's basketball) and Antwan
Dozier (men's basketball); Outstanding Track Athletes Darryl Louis (indoor
track) and Nick Serpico (outdoor track) and All-Academic Team selection
Sean Pasieka (men's soccer); and National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NJAC) Outdoor Track champion Tierra Hicks. Also honored was the Red Hawk
men's basketball team, which claimed its first NJAC title in 21 years.
Cappello becomes the second MSU male athlete in the last three years to
win the award. He was one of the league's top lineman as he was named
to the All-NJAC First Team for a second straight season. He was chosen
Second Team All-Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference and was picked
to the First Team All-East Region by Football Gazette. A Pre-Season
All-American choice by Street & Smith and D3Football.com, Cappello
was the recipient of the Alden C. Coder Award for Loyalty and Unselfishness
in the MSU football program.
Off the field, Cappello was a member of the Panzer Student Association
and received the Panzer Student Association Adapted Physical Education
Award and the Elissa G. Philipp Memorial Scholarship from the Montclair
State Foundation and the Panzer Alumni Council. In addition, Cappello,
a Dean's List student in the Fall of 2002, is the director of the Saturday
Afternoon Special Activities Program at Montclair State for special needs
children.
A four-year member of the Red Hawk football squad, Cappello was a three-year
starter and helped MSU to the 2000 NJAC championship and berths in the
NCAA Division III Playoffs in 2000 and 2001. He has joined the Montclair
State coaching staff, where he serves as the tight ends coach.