NJAC history!: Profs cap extraordinary season with five titles
NJAC history!: Profs cap extraordinary season with five titles
November 28, 2022
Rowan's field hockey team won the New Jersey Athletic Conference title and advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Division III championship for the second straight season. Rowan Athletics made NJAC history this year as five teams won conference titles, a phenomenal achievement.
It was extraordinary. Truly.
“I have spent a lifetime in college sports and I cannot recall a fall season like this,” says Rowan University Athletic Director John Giannini.
In fact, nobody ever has seen the type of dominance Rowan had in the New Jersey Athletic Conference this fall. Altogether, five of the eight fall teams won NJAC titles…the most ever for one institution in a single season in conference history. Rowan also was the only school in the nation in Division III to win all four championships during the weekend of Nov. 5.
“Most obviously, our student-athletes and coaches were magnificent,” Giannini says of the historic season. “Our support staff, especially our athletic trainers and equipment room staff, also worked to make our fall seasons a great success.”
Rowan field hockey, volleyball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, and men’s cross country all won NJAC titles.
Here’s a look at how each squad fared this season.
Led by an accomplished group of eight seniors, Coach Michelle Andre’s team had a phenomenal record of 21-2, notching the second most wins in school history.
The squad went further than any other Rowan team in the fall, winning its second straight NJAC title and advancing to the semifinals of the Division III championships before losing to eventual champion Middlebury. It was the second straight Final Four appearance for the Profs, who hosted the Division III semifinal and final rounds at Coach Richard Wackar Stadium.
Andre, who has led the Profs to a 39-5 record the past two season, says this year’s team was special. That showed in their teamwork and sportsmanship—and in the way the players represented the University, Andre notes.
“The team has held it (the Rowan standard) up phenomenally…not just on the field, but off the field as well,” says Andre, a Rowan alumna who was an All-American field hockey and softball player. “They’re the gold standard in how they upheld Rowan’s tradition.”
The squad’s seniors included Kristiina Castagnola, Melissa Donaldson, Liz Fox, Bridget Guinan, Abby Hainsworth, Alyssa Magliaro, Morgan Mulvey and Rachel Stone.
Castagnola, the NJAC Midfielder of the Year, ended her decorated career as Rowan’s all-time leading scorer with 163 points, while Guinan finished third on the all-time list with 128 points. Hainsworth set the record for most wins (38) and fewest losses (3) by a goalie, while Fox tied the school record for assists in a game (4).
Accolades are streaming in for the Profs.
Both named to the All-NJAC First Team, Castagnola and Guinan also were selected for the 2022 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship All-Tournament Team. Additionally, they were joined by sophomores Julia Cavicchio and Julia Patrone on the All-Region IV Team First Team as chosen by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. Tess Herman was named to the Second Team.
Cavicchio and Patrone also were on the All-NJAC First Team, while Herman was named NJAC Rookie of the Year.
For the second straight year, Hainsworth received the Elite 90 Award from the NCAA, which honors a student athlete who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level while also achieving highest academic standard among her peers.
A mechanical engineering major, Hainsworth boasts a 4.0 grade point average.
The Profs won their second consecutive NJAC title en route to a berth in the NCAA Tournament, where they fell in the first round to Cortland. Coach Deana Jespersen’s team finished 24-7.
Senior outside hitter Natalie Ogden, the first player in program history to notch both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs, led the terrific campaign for the Profs. The NJAC Player of the Year, Ogden was named NJAC Player of the Week four times this season and completed her career as Rowan’s all-time leader in attacks. She was named an All-American Honorable Mention by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, which also named her to the All-Region First Team.
Additionally, sophomore setter Brooke Adams was an honorable mention selection to the All-Region team.
Adams, senior defensive specialist/libero Dani Emrich, and senior middle hitter Courtney Rhoden all were chosen for the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Teams. Adams is a biological sciences major, while Emrich is an elementary education and history major. Rhoden is majoring in marketing.
Rowan’s phenomenal late-season run, which saw the Profs go 7-0-3 in their final 10 matches, came to an end in the Hoboken Regional of the NCAA Championship with a dramatic second-round loss to Stevens on penalty kicks.
But Coach Scott Baker’s squad had a terrific fall campaign. The Profs upheld the program’s winning tradition, winning the 14th NJAC title and clinching the 29th NCAA Championship berth in program history. It was the team’s first NJAC title since 2003 and its third straight NCAA appearance. Rowan finished at 12-5-6.
Five team members—seniors Michael Ferrara, Jake Logar and Chad Yates, sophomore Chris Spicer and freshman Gil Ferreira—were named to the CSC Academic All-District Team.
Ferrara is a finance major, while Logar is a biomedical engineering major. Yates is a health and physical education major and Spicer is a mechanical engineering major. Ferreira is a freshman exploratory studies major.
Head coach since 2004, Baker has led Rowan to five NCAA tournament appearances.
NJAC champions for the fourth time—and the first time since 2016—Coach Scott Leacott’s team finished the year in the second round of the NCAA tournament, falling to Virginia Wesleyan to cap off a terrific 14-1-4 season.
Rowan clinched the NJAC title and the automatic tourney berth with a victory over top-seeded Montclair State.
The squad had four athletes place on the CSC Academic All-District Teams.
Sophomore goalie Calista Burke, the NJAC Goalkeeper of the year and an NJAC First Team selection, was named to the All-District Team, as were Samantha Gurcsik, Jillian Jankowski and Natalie Pantalone.
Burke is a finance major, while Gurcsik, a sophomore back, is a junior accounting major who is pursuing the Bantivolgio Honors Concentration in the John H. Martinson Honors College. Jankowski, a sophomore forward, is pursuing civil engineering. Pantalone is a senior psychology major.
The Profs went big in the NJAC this year, winning both the team title and the individual championship. Moreover, they notched three marquee NJAC awards.
Senior Justin Kelly won the NJAC individual title to become the 27th Prof in program history to take top honors. Kelly also was named the NJAC Runner of the Year.
Led by sixth-year Coach Dustin Dimit, who was named NJAC Coach of the Year, the Profs won the program’s 24th conference title and their first since 2017. It was the second Coach of the Year Award for Dimit.
Rounding out NJAC honors, freshman Shane Vostenak was named the NJAC Rookie of the Year.
Profs named to the All-NJAC First Team included sophomore Jacob Riley and juniors Brandon Jarrett and Dario Epifania. Cole Kolodziej and Noah Cziryak were named to the Second Team.
Rowan ended its season with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Metro Region Championships.
The Profs earned the most wins in a season since 2014, finishing a successful 7-3 campaign for Coach Jay Accorsi.
Four players—quarterback Mike Husni, defensive lineman Ahmad Gantt, running back James Fara and wide receiver John Maldonado—were named to the All-NJAC First Team, while offensive lineman Clem Carfaro and kicker Jake Hurler were named to the Second Team. Tight end CJ Barrett and linebacker Mike Mascioli earned Honorable Mention.
Three players joined the Academic All-District Team. They included: Maldonado, a business administration major; punter Danny Kay, an advertising major; and offensive lineman Robert Stashek, a health and physical education major.
The Profs ended their season by finishing ninth at the NCAA Metro Region Championships. Rowan’s top performer was sophomore Anna Sasse, who finished 24th.
Rowan’s best showing of the season was at the NJAC Cross Country Championships, where the team finished third. Sasse led the Profs with a fourth-place finish.