Celebrating National Scientists' Day with MCCC Student Athletes

3/12/24

In honor of Celebrate Scientists’ Day, which falls on March 14^th, MCCC Athletics is going to highlight the many science programs Mercer has to offer and share what some of our student athletes in these science programs are studying.

Sophomore men’s lacrosse defender Tyler Unkert (Milford, NJ/Delaware Valley Regional) is a Fire Science Technology major.  Once students complete the Fire Science Technology program at MCCC, they can enter careers as professional or volunteer fire and emergency services personnel.  In the Fire Science Technology program, MCCC students learn about support organizations, resources, incident management, training, and emergency operations and relate how each plays a role within the fire service. The Fire Science Technology program combines concepts associated with the chemistry and dynamics of fire.  Safety considerations, code compliance, building construction and potential hazards are all studied in this program.  Fire prevention and employing safe workplace safety are also a part of the Fire Science Technology program.

Sophomore men’s tennis player Jack Wolfarth (Ewing, NJ/Ewing HS), freshman women’s soccer player Vivian Kestler (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert), freshman softball player Makenna Spak (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) and freshman women’s tennis player Makenna Swasey (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) are all Biology majors.  The Biology program at MCCC prepares graduates for transfer into programs such as ecology, conservation, biology, microbiology, pharmacy, forestry, entomology, genetics, biotechnology, and preprofessional fields of medicine and dentistry. 

Sophomore men’s basketball players Isham McClain (Pemberton, NJ/Pemberton HS) and Kristian Smith (Hamilton, NJ/Nottingham), sophomore baseball player Evrin Virola (Edison, NJ/Edison HS) and freshman men’s lacrosse player Chevaughn McDonald (St. Andrew, Jamaica/Calabar HS) are all Engineering Science majors. Engineering Science combines mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computer and engineering applications.  Students in the Engineering Science major can transfer to a four-year institution in an ABET-accredited engineering program with a major in civil, computer, electrical, industrial, mechanical, biomedical, chemical, environmental, or architectural engineering.

Freshman baseball player Ryan Kochie (Wrightstown, NJ/Northern Burlington) and freshman men’s lacrosse goalie Trevor Malik (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) are both Civil Engineering Technology majors.  The Civil Engineering Technology program prepares students for employment in field and office positions with architects, engineers, and government agencies as engineering aides; construction, highway or materials technicians; transit operators; or estimators.  Students in the Civil Engineering Technology program utilize construction and civil engineering drawings, both manually and with a computer-based drafting system.

Freshman men’s lacrosse player Daniel Lynch (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury) is an Electronics Engineering major.  Upon completion of the Electronics Engineering Technology program at MCCC, students can enter transfer programs with Biomedical Engineering or pharmaceutical companies or enter careers in computer Engineering, General Electrical Engineering, and Telecommunications Engineering, for positions with companies employing fiber optics or networking systems.

Baseball has some unique Science majors including sophomore Shane Hickey (Jackson, NJ/Jackon Liberty), who is an Ornamental Horticulture major.  The Ornamental Horticulture program trains students in the areas of landscape design, floral design, landscape maintenance, nursery and greenhouse production, and turf maintenance.  Upon completion of the Ornamental Horticulture program, students can enter careers in nurseries, greenhouses, garden centers, landscape firms, golf courses, flower shops, and a variety of other businesses. 

Freshman pitcher Matteo Mannino (Wrightstown, NJ/Northern Burlington) is also in a unique science major at MCCC, Funeral Science.  The Funeral Science program includes the areas of business management; public health; the social, behavioral, and natural sciences; as well as the legal, technical, and regulatory aspects of funeral service.

Exercise Science remains a popular major among MCCC student athletes.  Freshman baseball players Hamlet Disla (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken Tech) and Connor Parsons (Burlington, NJ/Burlington Township) and sophomore pitcher Maverick Foster (Bethel, CT/Cheshire Academy) are all Exercise Science majors.  Freshmen men’s lacrosse players Nolan Halloran (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury), Owen McAdams (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) and Nicholas Struthers (Jamesburg, NJ/Monroe Township) are all studying Exercise Science. 

Freshman softball player Isabella Bonacci (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) ia studying Exercise Science, freshman women’s soccer player Fiona Madigan (Dublin, Ireland/Fingal Community College) and sophomore women’s soccer player Hannah Worrell (Florence, NJ/Florence Twp. Memorial) are all Exercise Science majors.  Freshmen men’s soccer players Elias Ruano (Telde, Spain/Juan Pulido Castro), Max Furrer (Freiburg, Germany/Marie-Curie Gymnasium), Kaleb Christmas (Canaan, Trinidad and Tobago/Signal Hill), Danny Pirgo (Hightstown, NJ/Hightstown HS) are all in the Exercise Science program.  Freshman men’s soccer and tennis player Marcin Gniadzik (Piensk, Poland/Braci Sniadeckich) is also an Exercise Science major.  Exercise Science offers numerous career options, including coaching, education, exercise physiology, exercise research, health promotion and program management, personal training, rehabilitative exercise, and sport-specific athletic performance. 

Freshman women’s soccer player Carley Krajcovics (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) and freshman men’s lacrosse player Liam Halloran (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury) are both Nursing majors.  At MCCC, students in the Nursing program combine coursework in nursing and general education with clinical experiences in area healthcare facilities under the supervision of college faculty.  The Nursing program offers both a daytime and an evening/weekend option. 

Sophomore softball player Cierra Acevedo (Hamilton, NJ/Hamilton West) is a Health Science major.  The Health Science meta major provides a common pathway within the first two semesters for students interested in pursuing a degree or working in an allied health career area. The core curriculum consists of general education, mathematics, and science courses.  Health Professions Program include Exercise Science, Medical Laboratory Technology, Nursing, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Physical Therapy Assistant, Public Health, Radiography, and Respiratory Care.

Freshman softball player Emily Wyzykowski (Westampton, NJ/Rancocas Valley HS) is a Radiography major.  The Radiography program at MCCC combines courses in general education and radiography with supervised clinical experience in area hospitals. Graduates are eligible to take the American Registry of Radiologic Technologist Examination in Radiography to become nationally certified and licensed by the State of New Jersey.

If you are interested a career in Science, MCCC has many options and programs available to you including some unique or speciality programs such as Electronics Engineering Technology, Fire Science Technology, Funeral Science, Ornamental Horticulture, and Radiography.  There’s also Biology, Engineering Science, Exercise Science, Health Science, Nursing and many other options.

We are proud of the success of our many student athletes pursuing careers in Science and celebrate their success, not just on Celebrate Scientists’ Day, but every day!

To learn more information about the many Science majors and programs offered at MCCC, visit: https://www.mccc.edu/programs_degree.shtml#1

And to follow the latest on Vikings’ student athletes, visit: https://www.mccc.edu/athletics_home.shtml