Roaring back: Fall sports competition returns…and the Profs are ready
Roaring back: Fall sports competition returns…and the Profs are ready
August 17, 2021
Sha’Lynn Clarke was an All-New Jersey Athletic Conference selection in 2019 and placed sixth in the NJAC Championships. She's one of the top returnees for Coach Ringo Adamson's women's cross country squad. Rowan's fall sports teams resume competition this fall after a year-long layoff due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After losing a year of competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rowan University’s fall athletes are gearing up for exciting seasons this autumn.
Here’s a team-by-team look at each sport:
The Profs are returning their four leading scorers from a squad that went 15-5 in 2019, reached the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Finals and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Among the returnees are forwards Bridget Guinan and Krystyna Hovell, midfielder Kristiina Castagnola and midfielder/forward Liz Fox. Key returning players also include back Myranda McCabe and midfielder/forward Molly Gorczyca.
The Profs, under sixth-year head coach Michelle Andre, open the season Wednesday, Sept. 1, at home against Ursinus.
“We have a competitive schedule,” says Andre, whose coaching record stands at 76-25. “Not only do we have our NJAC schedule, where we’ll be facing three teams that made the NCAA tournament in 2019, but we are also playing a top-notch non-league schedule that includes two teams that were in the Final Four in 2019.
“We have a seasoned team that is ready to step back on the field and compete for the NJAC title and an NCAA championship.”
The Profs are entering the season ranked 15th in the nation in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll.
Coach Scott Baker’s team this year includes a strong nucleus from the 2019 squad, which was ranked 15th in the nation and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. As they prepare to open their season on Wednesday, Sept. 1, at Johns Hopkins, the Profs are counting on forwards Jay Vandermark and Chad Yates, goalkeeper James Weinberg and defender Aaron Robertson.
“We have another strong schedule on tap for 2021,” says Baker, who is 84-35-6 in six seasons as head coach and has led the Profs to four appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
“Our program looks to play the best teams in the country out of conference. The mix of a tough non-conference schedule and the challenge of the NJAC will prepare our team at a high level.”
Rowan’s home opener is Wednesday, Sept. 15, against SUNY Westbury.
The Profs, who have not played since the NJAC championship match in November of 2019, open the season at home against Neumann on Wednesday, Sept. 1.
The squad went 19-15 in 2019, earning the program’s first-ever regional ranking—10th in the final poll of the season for the New York Region.
Leading the returnees for Coach Deana Jespersen’s team are outside hitter Natalie Ogden and middle hitter Cassidy Abdalla.
“It has been a difficult couple of years not being able to compete and practice in the ways we know how to do,” says Jespersen, now in her sixth year as coach. “But this team is resilient and has shown dedication and patience as we have quietly prepared for the opportunity to get back on the court.”
Six seniors return to a squad that went 10-8-1 for Coach Scott Leacott in 2019. Additionally, 20 new recruits have joined the team over the past two seasons.
“We’re looking forward to a great year,” says Leacott, who is 288-86-32 in 21 years at the helm. “After a long layoff without any competition, the players are eager to get back on the field and play challenging matches. Every game will be a battle.”
Rowan opens the season on the road at Western New England University on Wednesday, Sept. 1. The home opener will be Saturday, Sept. 4, against Centenary as part of the Profs Soccer Classic.
Seniors returning to the squad include All-NJAC Second Team selections Aidan Sheehan (forward/midfielder) and Arianna Durling (back), as well as Kelsey Holt (midfielder/forward), Bristol Pizzuto (goaltender), Kelsi Stangl (back) and Patty Stover (back).
The Profs will kick off their 2021 campaign with their annual Saturday Night Lights game on Saturday, Sept. 4, at 6 p.m. versus traditional rival Widener at Coach Richard Wackar Stadium.
Rowan welcomes back 12 starters—seven on offense, five on defense—from the 2019 squad that went 4-6 overall and 4-3 in the NJAC in 2019.
Among the returnees for Coach Jay Accorsi, in his 19th season as head coach, are tri-captains Mike Husni (quarterback), Tim Hutchinson (linebacker) and John Maldonado (wide receiver).
Rowan has added new non-conference opponents Springfield College and Salve Regina to the schedule this year.
“The players and coaches are excited to get back to playing football games in the fall,” says Accorsi, the longest-tenured coach in Rowan history.
Coach Ringo Adamson’s squad, which won the 2019 NJAC title, opens the season on Saturday, Sept. 4, at the Salisbury Classic. The home opener for the Profs is Saturday, Sept. 11, when they host the Bill Fritz Invitational at Dream Park in Logan Township.
“We are returning a very good team from two years ago,” says Adamson. “We are looking for leadership up front from the returnees, including Madison Edwards, Lindsey Hofschneider, Sha’Lynn Clarke and Lyndsay Boyd.”
Clarke was an NJAC All-Conference selection in 2019 and placed sixth in the NJAC Championships. Edwards and Boyd were among Rowan’s top finishers in the 2019 NCAA Atlantic Regionals.
In his 16th year coaching the Profs, Adamson has led the team to seven NJAC titles.
Two years ago, Coach Dustin Dimit’s team finished second at the NJAC Championships and placed ninth at the NCAA Atlantic Regionals.
Dimit is hoping that his squad’s strong schedule will be a benefit as the Profs prepare to open the season on Saturday, Sept. 4, at the Salisbury Classic. Rowan’s home opener is the annual Bill Fritz Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 11, at Dream Park in Logan Township.
“We feel our schedule will prepare us well to contend for an NJAC title and return to the NCAA Championships,” Dimit says, adding that meets at Iona and Lehigh against strong Division 1 teams will be helpful.
The Profs will compete in the new NCAA Metro Region this season as the NCAA Division III recently approved a 10-region realignment for cross country. Rowan is joined in the Metro by a host of new opponents.
“Participating in the new NCAA Metro Region is exciting,” Dimit says. “It will give us new teams to compete with as we try to earn a team berth at the NCAA Championships.”
2019 NJAC Rookie of the Year Dario Epifania returns to the team, as do All-Conference First Team selection Kevin Lauer and sophomore Jeff Stewart.