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WEST WINDSOR – With 31 athletes named to the Garden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) academic team, 21 named to the Region 19 all academic team, and two named as academic all Americans, it’s obvious that Mercer County Community College Athletes don’t leave it all on the field or court.
They save plenty for the classroom.
“This is the largest list of student athletes receiving academic honors in my 16 years as athletic director,” said Mercer Athletic Director John Simone, following the Annual Breakfast for Student Athletes on May 21. “This is the biggest list I have ever read.”
In addition to the individual honors, Mercer’s women’s cross country team was named by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Cross Country Coaches Association as an all-academic team. On the athletic side, four members of the baseball team were named to the All Region 19 team, along with five members of the softball team. Six members of the softball team were also named to the All GSAC team, and pitcher Kiele Eichlin was named GSAC Player of the Year.
Five members of the men’s soccer team were named to the All Region 19 team, and two to the All GSAC team. Two women’s soccer players were named to the All Region 19 team, with six named as All GSAC players.
Three runners with the women’s cross country team netted All Region 19 honors, as did one member of the men’s tennis team, who also received All GSAC honors. Two women’s tennis players also received All Region 19 recognition.
In basketball, three members of the women’s team were named to the All GSAC team, and two men’s basketball players were named to both the All Region 19 and All GSAC teams. This includes Mustafa El-Amin, who was also named the Region 19 and GSAC player of the year, and as an NJCAA Second Team All-American.
“We call them student athletes; we never just use the word athlete,” Simone said. “They are student athletes. And this year, it was especially true to form.”
Special recognition was also given to individual student athletes, including cross country runner Sierra Downs, Female Student Athlete; basketball player Armando Davis, Male Student Athlete; and tennis player Alina Vitukhnovskaya, Women’s Tennis Scholar Athlete. Baseball player Steve Spadafino and Chelsea Arnold, a three-sport athlete in softball, soccer, and basketball, were selected for the Art Forman Sportsmanship Award.
Receiving the Iron Viking Award for strength and conditioning was softball player Kelly Murphy and the entire roster of the MCCC baseball team.
Baseball Coach Kevin Kerins and men’s soccer coach Tigana Dalce were both selected as Region 19 coaches of the year.
Those receiving honors include:
Baseball: Paul Piromalli, Mark Tomei, Heath Fillmyer, and Dan Denton, All Region 19 Team; Shaun Osgood, Brock Podgurski, Matt Rodriguez, and Steven Todd, All Region 19 Academic Team and All GSAC Academic Team.
Softball: Kiele Eichlin, GSAC Player of the Year, All Region 19, All GSAC, All GSAC Academic Team; Alyssa Bauer, All Region 19, All GSAC; Courtnery Clee, All Region 19, All GSAC, All Region 19 Academic Team, All GSAC Academic Team; Brianna Castellano, All Region 19, All GSAC; Morgan Cullen, All Region 19, All GSAC, All GSAC Academic Team; Chelsea Arnold, All Region 19 Academic Team, All GSAC Academic Team; Erica Benedetti, All Region 19 and GSAC Academic teams; Stacie Denucci, All GSAC Academic Team.
Men’s Soccer: Kevin Flores, All Region 19 and GSAC; Mbeki Johnson, All Region 19; Nana Osei, All Region 19 and GSAC Academic teams; Ruben Morales, All Region 19; Sascha Haecker, All Region 19 and GSAC; Ben Asor, All Region 19, All GSAC Academic Team; Dan Asor, All Region 19 and GSAC Academic teams.
Women’s Soccer: Alyssa Donahue and Rachel Martinez, All Region 19 and All GSAC; Camille Little, Jackie Laurenti, Lauren Donoher, All GSAC; Chelsea Pitonyak, All GSAC, All Region 19 and GSAC Academic teams; Sara Dintinger, All Region 19 and GSAC Academic teams; Lauren Tracey, All GSAC Academic Team.
Women’s Cross Country: Team named as NJCAA Cross Country Coaches’ Association All-Academic Team; Sierra Downs, NJCAA Academic All-American, All Region 19, All Region 19 and GSAC Academic teams; Diana Taveras, All Region 19; Jaqueline Goncalves, NJCAA All-Academic Team, All Region 19 and GSAC All Academic teams; Erika Manley, All Region 19; Karizma Brown, All GSAC Academic Team; Kira Costantino, NJCAA All-Academic Team, Region 19 and GSAC All Academic teams; Melissa Clair, NJCAA All-Academic Team; Simone Cioccari, NJCAA Academic All-American, All Region 19 and GSAC Academic team.
Men’s Basketball: Barry Brockington and Armando Davis, All Region 19 and All GSAC Academic teams; Mustafa El-Amin, NJCAA All-American, Region 19 and GSAC Player of the Year, All Region 19 and GSAC; Filip Sekulic, All Region 19 and All GSAC.
Women’s Basketball: Chelsea Arnold, Morgan Cullen, and Shelby Mellon, All GSAC.
Men’s Tennis: Ahmed al-Shawafi, All Region 19 and All GSAC, All Region 19 and All GSAC Academic teams; Kirill Lebedev and Stefan Neagu, All Region 19 and All GSAC Academic teams.
Women’s Tennis: Alina Vitukhnovskaya, All Region 19 and GSAC Academic teams; Nataly Hernandex, All Region 19, All GSAC Academic Team; Kristen Finn, Micheldy Pierre, and Ewa Szyszko, All GSAC Academic Team.
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