"Lucky" Number 13 for Viking Athletics

10/17/23

 

With Friday the 13^th falling on Friday last week, we wanted to share some “lucky” number 13 stats from the MCCC athletic teams over the past year.  

 

The 2023 men’s and women’s soccer teams both have players sporting the number 13.  Freshman Sarah Kircher (Celle, Germany/Hermann Billing Gymnasium) on the women’s team and freshman Marco Quezada (Hightstown, NJ/Hightstown HS) on the men’s team.  

 

Men’s basketball had a few lucky number 13 stats from last season.  Freshman (now sophomore) Jason Marks (Broward City, FL/Blanche Ely HS) appeared in 13 games and had 13 steals and 13 offensive rebounds last season.  Jake Manuel (West Windsor, NJ/West Windsor North), who transferred to Ramapo, averaged 13.8 points per game.  As a team, the Vikings averaged 13.8 assists per game at home games and had a total of 13 assists in seven different games.  The Vikings had a season-high 13 offensive rebounds in a 68-61 loss vs CCBC-Catonsville. Mercer men’s basketball was also one win shy of 13, finishing the 2022-2023 season with 12 wins. 

 

The MCCC softball team also had some luck with the number 13.  All-American sophomore Bella Truelove (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) had 13 doubles last season and freshman Cierra Acevedo (Hamilton, NJ/Hamilton West) walked 13 times.  In a 15-2 Game 2 win of a doubleheader at Lehigh Carbon, MCCC had 13 RBIs.  In a 3-2 win vs Morris in the Region 19 Playoffs, pitcher Delaney Misier (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert), who wore the number 13, had 13 strikeouts.

 

Baseball had two players finish the season with 13 hits: freshman Kyle Gruver (South Brunswick, NJ/South Brunswick HS) had 13 hits in 16 games and sophomore Ryan Wheet (Southampton, PA/Council Rock South) also had 13 hits.  Freshman pitcher Colin Bernhard (Florence, NJ/Florence Twp. Memorial) had 13 appearances on the mound last season.  

 

As a team, MCCC baseball finished the season with 13 triples.  In Game 2 of a doubleheader Mercer beat Harford, Mercer  13-11.  The Vikings had 13 hits in two wins, once in a 14-9 win at Raritan Valley and again in a 16-1 win vs Bucks CCC at Trenton Thunder Stadium.  But thirteen proved to be unlucky for Vikings baseball two times during the season, as they lost to Monroe College 13-2 in March and to RCSJ Gloucester 13-3 in April.

 

Men’s lacrosse had some lucky number 13 stats.  Freshman Michelango D’Amato (West Suffield, CT/Suffield HS) and sophomore Ryan Grider (Oak Ridge, NJ/Jefferson Twp. HS) each had 13 points in the 2023 season and sophomore midfielder Peter Szpakowski (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) had 13 ground balls.  Sophomore goalie Thomas Casuccio (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville HS) had 13 saves in a 14-10 win at Sussex.  The Vikings had 13 points (8 goals and 5 assists) in a 10-8 loss vs Monroe.

 

Men’s soccer player Teddy Nkamanyi (Cologne, Germany/Gesamtschule Duisburg Mitte School) scored 13 goals in 2022, his freshman season.  In the last two seasons, men’s soccer is one shutout shy of 13, with 8 shutouts in 2022 and 4 in 2023.

 

Women’s tennis player Gwen Guidice (Hillsborough, NJ/Westfield HS) finished her two year tennis career at MCCC with 13 wins in Singles matches.

 

Thirteen proved to be more good luck than bad luck over the past year for Mercer’s teams and athletes.  One thing that is good luck is that MCCC is lucky to have our teams and athletes each season!