A DaA DaA DaA DaA Day in the Lify in the Lify in the Lify in the Lify in the Lifeeeee

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TTTTTCNJ SCNJ SCNJ SCNJ SCNJ Student-tudent-tudent-tudent-tudent-AAAAAthlethlethlethlethletestestestestes

Table of Contents

Introduction I.

LIBRARY Ashley Sogluizzo - Softball 4

RECRUITED BY TCNJ Adam Schneider - Swimming & Diving 6

DUAL SPORT ATHLETE Kathleen Notos - Field Hockey/Lacrosse 8

BONNER CENTER Al Matlock - Men’s Basketball 10

NCAA TOURNAMENT Annie McCarthy - Women’s Soccer 12

SPRECIAL INTERESTS Dan Lee - Men’s Tennis 14

PRE-SEASON Danielle Aran - Cross Country/Track 16

SPRING TRIP - ARIZONA Scott Kelly - Baseball 18

DINING HALL Jillian Nealon - Lacrosse/Field Hockey 20

RIDES TO AWAY GAMES Tyler Cignarella - Men’s Soccer 22

MAINTAINING THE TRADITION Karisse Bendijo - Women’s Tennis 24

GAME DAY Greg Burns - Football 26

OFF-SEASON Katie Occhipinti - Women’s Basketball 28

TIME WITH TEAMMATES Dan Herr - Wrestling 30

INTERNSHIPS Cori Davis - Women’s Track and Field 32

PRACTICE Scott Lisa - Track and Field 34

FRESHMAN YEAR Sabrina Lucchesi - Swimming & Diving 36

Appendices 38

The College of New Jersey

A Day in the Life

Introduction

Selecting a college is an exciting, yet challenging time for high school students and their families. Students are

eager to begin their next phase of life, while parents are hopeful that the institution their child selects will set themon a path to a comprehensive educational experience and opportunitities for the future.

Through high school, students put forth considerable efforts to maintain some control of their future. High marksand an eclectic background of activities is rewarded by having the luxury of options. But even with options,there are no guarantees that a particular school will be the right fit. There are a variety of question marks thatcan only be answered once enrolled in the college. You can’t dip your toe in the water. You have to jump in.

It is the job of the parent and student to examine and investigate as much as possible to make an educateddecision. After all, the student will be spending the next four years of his or her life at the school, and for theparents, it will likely be the single largest investment they will make in their child.

All that has been said rings true for every student across the country. Choosing an institution of higher learning isvery difficult. Now, toss in the fact that you play a sport. The entire process immediately becomes exponentiallymore arduous. Is the level of play the right fit? Will I get along with the coaches? Is my style of play suited to thesystem? Does the program strike the right balance between academics and athletics? Will I have an opportunityto play as a freshman? The questions can go on and on.

A Day in the Life of TCNJ Student-Athletes is designed to provide prospective students and their parentsgreater clarity about what it’s like to play a sport while enrolled at The College of New Jersey. There are 17separate topics that are discussed by 17 different student-athletes from varying sports. They will discuss themost basic and intriguing elements that make up their days such as the dining hall, pre-season, the libary, playingmultiple sports, van rides, and the excitement of playing in the NCAA Final Four.

What is most important is that the commentary in each subject comes directly from the student-athletes. Thisgroup wrote every word, so not only do you obtain valuable information straight from their personal experi-ences, but you will also get to know a few Lions on campus. Adults can sculpt and craft information that bestmarkets the institution, but there is no better source of feedback than what is felt by the students themselves. Allof the contributors were simply given a topic and asked to share their thoughts.

Each of the forthcoming two-page spreads includes the athlete’s name and hometown, major, and brief bio-graphical information. Three photos accompany their spread, including an action photo of the student in theirrespective sports.

The main body of text is straight commentary from the student. Two sidebar boxes provide supplementalinformation. The first sidebar is about the specific sport and the second includes pertinent information for thoseinterested in TCNJ. The appendices offers additional information and photographs of several of the athleticfacilities and buildings on campus.

We hope you enjoy reading the feedback from our athletes and gain a better understanding of what it is like tobe a student-athlete at The College of New Jersey. They were once in your shoes, and soon enough, they aregoing to need someone to fill their own. Perhaps that someone could be you!

Mark GolaDirector of Athletic Communications

Ashley Sogluizzo is a member of The College of New Jersey softball team. She played second baseher freshman season and shifted to shortstop her sophomore year. The Lions received a bid to the2010 NCAA Championship tournament and have been ranked in the nation’s top 25 the last twoseasons. Sogluizzo uses TCNJ’s library as a productive environment to keep up with her studies.

“In addition to playing softball, academics are also very important to me. Joining the team last year, Iknew I was a student-athlete and not an athlete-student. Coach Miller, the softball coach, makes it veryclear that academics come first. Having said this, the team makes our mandatory 7pm-10pm study hallnights extremely fun. Freshmen must attend study hall three days a week while an upper classman isrequired to attend once a week.

As a freshman, I was not a fan of this idea, but after the first week I was glad to go. The softball teamhas study hall on the second floor of the library near the children's books. The library has four floorsand a basement. The first floor is the social floor, which includes the library café. The higher the floor,the less noise there is. From my experience, I have noticed that the first floor is for students who will bein and out quickly, the second consists of the softball and swim team, and the third and fourth floors arecomposed mainly of the baseball team and Greek life members. Of course there are other studentsscattered throughout each level.

Within the three hours of study hall everyone gets their work done, but there is always fun mixed in. Forexample, our sign-in sheets are usually made into games or candy is passed out. This is not only a timeto get your work done, but it is also a time to get to know the entire team. There have been nightswhere the team ended up spending half the time telling stories or laughing at memories from previousyears. These three hours are also very helpful. Knowing that most of the team will be in the same spotin the library allows everyone to help each other. There are many people on the team with the same orsimilar majors, which allows teammates to help one another. Also, there are times when a teammate

CLASS of 2013HEALTH and

EXERCISEMiddletown, NJ

Middletown South

AshleySogluizzo

SoftballInfielder

LIBRARY

THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY LIBRARY

needs to make a video or gather survey data; rather than hunting downother classmates, their team will help during study hall.

One memory that I will never forget occurred last year when thesoftball team got a bid to regionals. The entire team, including coachesand other staff members, met in a reserved room on the first floor. Wewere all surrounding a table watching the one TV in the room. As timepassed, our name was finally called and displayed on the television,"The College of New Jersey." We all celebrated and congratulatedeach other!

Having mandatory library time has proven to be a good thing. Going tothe library with my teammates has allowed me to keep up my grades ina manner that I enjoy. It is much easier to get motivated to study whenI know fun is involved and I’ll be surrounded by my team.”

- Ashley Sogluizzo

TCNJ SOFTBALL: The softballteam plays all of its home games at Li-ons Park, a beautiful field with stadiumseating that was built in 2005. The pro-gram has been raising money to namethe complex after former coach JuneWalker, who passed away in 2001.

The Lions’ softball program has a richhistory, winning six national titles since1982. Their last Division III World Se-ries title came in 1996 under headcoach Sally Miller. TCNJ also reachedthe world series in 1997 and 2000.

In 2010, Miller led the Lions to theNCAA regional round played in Provi-dence at Rhode Island College. Afterreceiving an at-large bid, the Lions wona pair of games in the NCAA tourna-ment before finishing the seaoson withan overall record of 33-10.

TCNJ Library: Built in 2005, the five-

story, 135,000 square-foot facility issituated on the quad just east of GreenHall, directly between West Hall andEickhoff Hall. In addition to housing tra-ditional library collections and services,in an atmosphere that is elegant yetfriendly and inviting throughout, thebuilding provides 26 group studyrooms, a café, a late-night study area,and a 105-seat multi-purpose audito-rium.

The library is generally open from 7:45a.m. to midnight during the week, butalso offers extended study hours until2 a.m. each night.

Adam Schneider is a member of the men’s swimming and diving team. He currently holds therecord for the fastest time in the 50-yard freestyle in Lions’ program history. Schneider was alsopart of the 200-yard freestyle relay team that placed fifth at the 2011 NCAA National Champion-ships. Schneider is an Economics major and was nearly a west coast student before deciding toattend TCNJ.

“Being recruited to swim collegiately at TCNJ was both an exciting and scary thing. When I began mysearch for colleges the summer going in to my senior year, I honestly did not even have TCNJ on myradar. First I thought that I wanted to go some where far away from home. I started looking at schoolslike University of California Santa Cruz, University of California, Santa Barbara, and plenty of schoolsthroughout the Southeast.

After going on several different recruiting trips in the beginning of my senior year to various Division Iprograms, I was almost set on going to University of Maryland Baltimore County. After a good tapermeet in December of my senior year, I thought perhaps I could go somewhere else. After reevaluatingmy choices of possible schools and talking thoroughly with my club coach who knows all about thecollege swimming scene, he mentioned TCNJ to me and said it may be a good fit.

I eventually filled out the ‘Student-Athlete Profile Form’ on TCNJ’s athletic website and a day later Ireceived an email from Coach Bishop telling me all about the program and asking me if I would like tocome up for an unofficial visit. I jumped at the opportunity and accepted his invite. When I arrived formy unofficial visit I watched the team practice for a short time and had a long talk with Coach Bishopabout the TCNJ swimming program and how I could possibly fit in.

I liked what Coach Bishop was saying and asked if I could have an official visit and stay over for anight. Coach Bishop set up the overnight visit and a few weeks after our initial meeting, I came back

CLASS of 2013ECONOMICSCherry Hill, NJCherry Hill East

AdamSchneider

Swimming andDivingFreestyle

RECRUITED BY TCNJ

THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY RECRUITED BY TCNJ

up to Ewing for my overnight visit. My host for the night was RyanClark who, even though I came up on a weekday night and he hada test the next day, showed me a great time and really made methink I could see myself going to school at TCNJ. After my over-night visit I kept in touch with Coach Bishop throughout my senioryear.

As my high school season was coming to an end in late March, Igot a call from Coach Bishop saying that he had a place on theteam for me if I wanted it. I immediately accepted the opportunityand told him that I wanted to come to TCNJ. Right at that moment,of finally knowing where I was going to go to school made me feellike a huge weight was lifted. I finally knew where I was going toschool and I felt so relieved about the whole situation.”

- Adam Schneider

TCNJ SWIMMING & DIVING:The men’s swimming and diving team isamong the elite Division III programs inthe country. Head coach Brian Bishophas guided the Lions since the 1989-90season, winning 13 Metropolitan Con-ference Championships in the last 17years, finishing runner-up four times.

TCNJ is also a regular participant at theNCAA championships. Since 2002-2003,they have finished in the top 15 nation-ally every year, peaking with a 6th-placefinish in 2009-2010.

Individuals also shine in Bishop’sprogam as TCNJ has had multiple swim-mers earn All-American honors everyseason since 1993. In 2005, SteveSwenson won the national title in 100-yard breaststroke and Lions’ swimmerDave Bisslik competed in the 2004Olympics in Athens, Greece for Aruba.

TRAINING ROOM: The College of

New Jersey athletic department hastwo full-time trainers along with a full-time graduate assistant’s position. Thetraining room is located in Packer Halland used by all intercollegiate athletesat the College.

They also offer outside team physi-cians and orthopaedic consultants. Dr.Richard Levandowski, MD of PrimaryCare Sports Medicine, and Dr. BillGomez, MD of Trenton OrthopaedicGroup both attend to the institution’sneeds. Gomez is also the consultantfor the Trenton Thunder and TrentonDevils.

Kathleen Notos is a member of the field hockey and lacrosse teams at The College of New Jersey.She is a 2010 All-American in lacrosse and a First Team All-Conference performer in both sports.Notos began her career at TCNJ as a lacrosse player, but after two years of missing the sport, shejoined the field hockey team in the fall of 2010. Notos was named NJAC Rookie of the Year, com-piling 17 goals and six assists.

“Making the decision to become a two-sport athlete was one of the best decisions I made here atTCNJ. I was only a lacrosse player my freshman and sophomore year and I just played field hockey atthe club level. But my junior year, I decided to walk onto the field hockey team and take on the respon-sibility of being a two-sport athlete. I needed to compete and be in the "season" routine. I am always onthe move from practice to classes to away games then to homework, but I wouldn't want it any otherway. I am a disorganized person but keeping in this routine, both semesters, keeps me on track andfocused on my goals of what it takes to be a student-athlete. In my head I am a one-sport athlete; in thefall I am strictly field hockey and in the spring I focus solely on lacrosse. I find it is better this waybecause then you give all your attention to the sport you are in. Before each season I have the summeror winter to train for my next sport, so it makes up for the semester off from that sport.

Most athletes say their grades are better in season then out. I’m no different. It helps me to prioritizeand plan when to do my schoolwork or study around practices and games. Playing a sport gives me acompetitive edge that overlaps into the classroom. I want to be the best on the field and I want to bethe best in my studies. Sometimes handling both school and two sports can be a challenge, because Iwould want to schedule my more demanding classes outside of season but in the long run I realize Iplay two-sports because it's what makes me happy. It's what I love to do. So I have to make somesacrifices here and there with dedicating extra time to my work and extra time to practice over somesocial aspects of my life, but it's so worth it.

CLASS of 2012ELEMENTARYEDUCATION/

MATH, SCIENCE,TECHNOLOGYPennsauken, NJCamden Catholic

KathleenNotos

Field Hockey& LacrosseForward/Midfielder

DUAL SPORT ATHLETE

THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY DUAL SPORT ATHLETE

My friends and family convinced me that I couldn't graduate from collegeand look back and say ‘what if’ or regret anything. I love my field hockeyand lacrosse family and I know the only regret I have is not playing fieldhockey my freshman and sophomore year, too. My best friends play bothfield hockey and lacrosse which made it very easy to join the field hockeyteam. Having your best friends along side of you out on the field is one ofthe greatest things about being a collegiate athlete.

My advice to anyone who has ability to take on two or even three sportswhile you're here is to do it. You're only young once and in college for acertain amount of years that you never want to find yourself wonderingwhat could of happened. If you want something badly enough you willmake the time for it. You will find out just how much you thought you werecapable of doing and you will surpass it and have a great time doing so.After all, every athlete loves a challenge. “

- Kathleen Notos

TCNJ HOCKEY/LAX: KathleenNotos isn’t the only TCNJ athlete to playmultiple sports. In fact, seven athletesare currently on both the field hockeyand lacrosse rosters.

Many cross country runners also com-pete in track and field for the Lions.William Friedrich plays football for coachEric Hamilton, but also suits up for coachKelly Williams on the basketball courtBrianna Brennan played defense for thewomen’s soccer team and was also anNCAA qualifier in the javelin throw.

There are many examples, includingfield hockey and lacrosse coach RobinSelbst. She was a three-sport athlete atTSC and won national titles in softball,field hockey, and lacrosse.

FINANCIAL AID: As a highly selective

institution, TCNJ seeks those studentswith the greatest potential to benefitfrom and contribute to the academiccommunity on campus. Considerableopportunities for financial assistancehelp make the College accessible topromising students with financial need.Merit Scholarships are available forfreshmen applicants. All accepted stu-dents are given the same consider-ation for merit scholarships and need-based financial aid.

Al Matlock is a Health and Exercise Science major and member of the men's basketball team.Matlock plays guard for the Lions and averaged 9.8 points per game in the 2010-2011 seasonstarting all 22 games. He scored 21 points against Division I opponent Elon University drainingfour three-pointers. Matlock is a member of the Bonner Community Scholars, a diverse group of 70students who share a common desire and commitment—to spend four years working together withfaculty, staff, and non profit partners to address the unmet needs of the local community.

“Throughout high school I was always involved in community service. It was my way to stay connectedto the community and help those around me. After applying and being accepted to TCNJ, I wasreferred to the Bonner Scholars Program, due to my community service background. Although I alwaysknew it was an important thing to do as a citizen and was commended by college admissions, but Inever knew the significance it could have on a student's actual college experience. For me, communityservice is something that now defines who I am; I am a student, a Bonner, and a collegiate athlete.

TCNJ promotes civic responsibility within the college community. The Bonner Scholar Program helpsprovide opportunities for college students to become involved in the local communities. TCNJ's Bonnerprogram consists of Youth Development, Educational Tutoring (K-8 and High School), Housing,Hunger, Homelessness, Immigration, Developmental Disabilities, and Environment. I personally workwith the education team tutoring and mentoring inner city students of Hedgepath Williams MiddleSchool.

Going to Nicaragua during the summer of 2010 was the best experience I had as a college student.Being able to experience an international trip, and at the same time learning about policy, culture, andmyself was an unforgettable, eye-opening, and life-changing experience. With a great group of Bonnerstudents alongside me, I learned that Nicaragua ties to the United States greatly affect their policies andexisting financial struggles. My experience shared with the Nica citizens was filled with emotion and

CLASS of 2012HEALTH and

EXERCISE SCIENCETrenton, NJ

Solebury Prep

AlMatlock

BasketballGuard

BONNER CENTER

THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY BONNER CENTER

resulted in an overwhelming urge to help. We spoke with Nicaraguancitizens and heard their stories of struggle, pain, and endurance. Becauseof my experience I have become more aware of both global injusticesand American policy. I know for a fact I will never forget the culture ofNicaragua and the people that were involved in this trip. Although thetrip was mainly focused around service and learning, we also got time torelax and hang out with our fellow Bonners, which allowed us to bondwith one another and ultimately become closer as a group.

My experience at TCNJ has been comprehensive. As a student, I havedeveloped greater independence and intelligence. Being a collegeathlete, I've created a more positive image for myself that can serve mewell as a role model for those who are younger in my community. Myexperience as a Bonner student has forced me to take charge and beinspiring to others, while enhancing my communication skills.”

- Al Matlock

TCNJ BASKETBALL: The headcoach of the men's basketball programat TCNJ also wore a Lions' uniform asa collegiate athlete. Kelly Williams wasa guard for then-Trenton State Collegefrom 1989 to 1993.

Williams was an assistant coach atTCNJ for four years under current Di-rector of Athletics and Recreation,John Castaldo. Castaldo was the headbasketball coach for 14 years before as-suming his current position.

After serving as an assistant, Williamsspent nine years as head coach at Mer-cer County Community College. Hewas offered the head coaching job atTCNJ in 2008.

Helping our Community: The Bonner

Center for Civic and Community Engagement atThe College of New Jersey is responsible for mo-bilizing faculty, students and staff to help sus-tain and advance the communities in which welive; in other words, to find ways to improve thequality of life for all. The Bonner organizationbrings together the educational mission of theCollege and the needs of non-profit organiza-tions and neighborhoods. This is accomplishedby creating teaching and learning opportunitiesthat simultaneously build the capacity of TCNJstudents and these groups and communities.The goal is to help students become more knowl-edgeable, skilled and civic minded—while com-munity partners gain additional resources to-wards positive change.

Annie McCarthy is a member of The College of New Jersey women’s soccer team.. She was an All-American selection in 2010 and was also named the 2010 NJAC Midfielder of the Year. McCarthyhas enjoyed an exceptional career at TCNJ, including a bid to the 2009 NCAA Final Four whichwas held in San Antonio, Texas. McCarthy shares her experience and why she wants to get back.

“Every athletic team at the collegiate level has the dream of winning a NCAA National Championship.With TCNJ Women's Soccer establishing itself as one of the nation's most successful Division IIIprograms, having the chance to be a part of this history wasn't even up for debate. Going to an NCAAFinal Four in 2009 to compete is a privilege in which I feel more than blessed to experience.

Seeing the headline "College Punches Ticket to Final Four in Texas" in TCNJ's newspaper The Signalwas only the beginning. After beating the number two-ranked team in the nation followed by Ithaca,another tough competitor, we were at an all-time high as a team. San Antonio is what we dreamed of.This is something we worked so hard for since the final whistle blew last season. For this opportunity tobe right in front of us was really an indescribable moment.

Once in San Antonio, we were treated like royalty. Between the gifts we received such as backpacksand hats, the Alamo lit up just for your team to take a picture by, and the boat ride we experienced,how could we not feel like we were famous? To top it off, we pull out of the airport and the police arein front of us, waiting to escort us to the hotel! The perks were truly endless as many of us discoveredthroughout the entire stay in Texas.

Going to the stadium was an adventure all in itself. Seeing all the banners and flags surrounding such aflawless grass field with the huge blue NCAA logos painted on each half is precisely what a soccerplayer would envision of the perfect field. Game-time seriously could not come soon enough afterseeing the field. To say I was anxious, nervous, and itching to play would be an understatement. Someof my best memories have come from this experience. There are too many stories and events that

CLASS of 2012HEALTH and

EXERCISE SCIENCEBrick, NJ

Brick Memorial

AnnieMcCarthy

SoccerMidfielder

NCAA Tournament

THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY NCAA TOURNAMENT

happened in San Antonio to write about, but I do have to say that someof my most difficult memories came from this experience as well. Amemory that still to this day has never left my head is the sound of thatfinal whistle, when me and all my teammates’ dreams were crushed onthat beautiful field. The realization of losing in the semifinals 1-0 toMessiah College and the fact that we were not coming home with thatNational Championship trophy was a harsh reality.

That memory is what makes me work hard today. I know what thistournament is all about now, and I know the glory of going to the FinalFour. All this only makes me hungrier and more motivated to return tothe Final Four. I look at pictures now and I am reminded that we fellshort to Johns Hopkins during the 2010 season in the Sweet Sixteen,but going back next year during my senior season isn't a maybe, it's amust!”

-Annie McCarthy

TCNJ SOCCER: The women’s soc-cer program is rich in tradition at TheCollege of New Jersey. The school haswon three national titles and reachedthe Final Four on 11 different ocasions.

The program was started in 1990 andhas had only one head coach, JoeRusso. The Lions have never had a los-ing season, and through 2010, own aprogram record of 388-45-26.

TCNJ has dominated the New JerseyAthletic Conference since women’s soc-cer joined the league in 1994. The Li-ons have won 14 NJAC titles, postinga career mark of 123-9-5 against con-ference opponents.

Since 1991, TCNJ has had at least oneplayer earn an All-American citationwith the exception of 1992.

Transcript Records: TCNJ's admissions

staff examine every component of astudent's application, but none morecarefully than the high school transcript.This record of course selection, grades,GPA, class rank, and the strength of thecurriculum provides the most accuratepredictor of a student's chance for suc-cess in college. Students are encour-aged to apply as early as possible oncethe application becomes available inearly September. Historically, TCNJ be-gins notifying students on-or-aroundFebruary 15th. All students are notifiedof their official admission decision nolater than April 1st.

Dan Lee is a member of The College of New Jersey men's tennis team. During the spring of 2011,Lee compiled a mark of 6-1 in singles play and 3-0 in doubles. He is a double major, enrolling inclasses to earn a degree in Mathematics and Science. Lee is also a Bonner Scholar and created away to unite his love of performing music with the opportunity to help members of the community.

“Playing tennis for TCNJ has never limited me from participating in other activities on campus. Afterplaying in district and regional orchestras throughout high school, I have been able to continue playingcello throughout my tenure at TCNJ. There was no way I could give up the cello after playing for 12consecutive years.

I heard about auditions from a music major during the fall of my freshman year and decided to sign up.Throughout my first three semesters, I participated in TCNJ orchestra and performed in severalmemorable concerts. Not only is orchestra and other music ensembles extracurricular, but participatingin the program also counts for college credits. The special part about TCNJ's orchestra is that theperformers are very diverse and unique yet they all come together for a single purpose: to create veryprofessional concerts. It's definitely been a great experience for me to be able to play on a varsity teamat a highly competitive school while also being able to enjoy a passion of mine.

Overloading on credits and double majoring consumed a lot of my time after my third semester in theorchestra. Since I was at the credit limit and had a full schedule, I was not able to continue playing inthe orchestra. However, being a Bonner Scholar has opened other doors for me to continue playingmusic with a less rigorous schedule and time commitment. As a Bonner Scholar, I commit to threehundred hours of community service each academic year to improving the city of Trenton. With acouple other Bonners and other musicians, I started a band. We have been playing popular songs, andput together shows for Trenton elementary and middle school students during Youth Development

CLASS of 2012MATHEMATICS

and SCIENCEAbington, PA

Abington

DanLee

TennisSingles/Doubles

SPECIAL INTERESTS

THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY SPECIAL INTERESTS

Institutions the Bonner Scholars coordinate. I have been fortunateenough to be able to not only complete some hours for my Bonnerscholarship, but also find a place to play music for an importantcause. Events such as the Youth Development Institution have led myband to play for various events around campus and enabled me tocontinue to play cello in my spare time.

Balancing various extracurricular activities can be stressful and time-consuming, but loving what I do certainly makes everything worth-while. TCNJ not only offers a wide variety of organizations tostudents, but it also offers reputable organizations and teams that arenationally recognized. I am really glad I have gotten as involved oncampus as I have at TCNJ.”

- Dan Lee

TCNJ TENNIS: The men’s tennisteam plays a split season each year.They compete in a number of invita-tional tournaments in the fall, includ-ing the Intercollegiate Tennis Associa-tion (ITA) in October.

The spring is the main season in whichthey play a competitive dual meetschedule and contend to receive an at-large bid into the NCAA ChampionshipTournament.

TCNJ boasts eight outdoor, along withfour indoor tennis courts at the Stu-dent Recreational Center. This allowspractice and competition to take placeregardless of weather.

The team is coached by Scott Dicheckand a full staff of assistants.

The Sound of Music: The Department of

Music at The College of New Jersey offers theBachelor of Music degree in Music Performanceand the Bachelor of Music degree in Music Edu-cation. The music faculty is complemented byartist teachers who have distinguished them-selves as active members of the American Sym-phony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Harrisburg Sym-phony, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New YorkCity Opera Orchestra, New York Philharmonic,and Philadelphia Orchestra, among others.TCNJ's Music Department is an accredited in-stitutional member of the National Associationof Schools of Music (NASM), and its programsare approved by the Middle States Associationof Colleges and Schools and the National Coun-cil for Accreditation of Teacher Education

(NCATE).

Danielle Aran is a member of the women's cross country team as well as the indoor and outdoortrack and field teams. Aran focused on track during her freshman year, but decided to participatein cross country as well. She was an NJAC All-Conference performer in the fall of 2010 and fol-lowed that up with a First Team NJAC citation in the 5000 meter run during the 2010-2011 indoortrack season. Aran had her first taste of pre-season prior to the fall this year.

“As the summer starts to dwindle down, many mixed feelings arise in the mind of a cross-countryrunner. For me, it is certainly that of both excitement and anxiousness for the upcoming fall season. It istime for preseason; time for probably the toughest and best week of my life.

Every summer toward the end of August, the cross-country team at The College of New Jersey isinvited back for a solid week of training to get us ready for the upcoming season. After a long summerof not seeing each other, preseason gives us the opportunity to build on our summer's foundation ofaerobic work as well as developing a sort of camaraderie with our new teammates.

While the week of preseason is filled with daily runs and workouts, we are also introduced to properstretching and core strengthening exercises. At this point, we get to see how fit everyone is as we getfocused on the approaching season.

By having the opportunity to get to campus a week earlier than classes start, we are able to concentrateon getting some challenging workouts in, while also starting our season off right as a bonding experi-ence. We definitely take advantage of not having classes in order to get to know the freshmen and to

CLASS of 2013MATHEMATICSManalapan, NJ

Manalapan

DanielleAran

CrossCountry/

Track

PRE-SEASON

THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY PRE-SEASON

just hang out as a team. When we are not training, we also have timeto talk to our coaches individually and as a team to discuss our goalsand expectations of the fall season.

Once preseason is over, we are definitely ready to pick up theintensity in our training to become stronger as a team. Never in mylife have I been so close to so many people inspired to achievesomething great.

Together, we have big dreams that are in no way out of reach as longas we continue to do what we do best, to run relentlessly and as ateam. This wouldn't be possible without the most unforgettable weekout of the year: preseason.”

- Danielle Aran

TCNJ CROSS COUNTRY: A dif-ferent dynamic to running at The Col-lege of New Jersey is that you have alot of programs chasing after your suc-cess. The Lions have won the last 16New Jersey Athletic Conferencewomen's cross country titles and 14straight NJAC indoor track champion-ships. They top those numbers in thespring as the women's outdoor trackand field program has won the last 18straight NJAC titles.

The cross country team varies its prac-tice sites frequently by visiting parksthat are a mere 10-minute drive fromthe Ewing campus. They often runcourses at Washington Crossing StatePark and Mercer County Park. They canalso frequently be seen running theloop on TCNJ campus. The indoor trackteams also use the facility at PrincetonUniversity (Jadwyn Gym) for practice.

Where we play:TCNJ's athletic and

recreational facilities support a highlysuccessful intercollegiate, intramural,and club sport program. Facilities in-clude a multi-purpose recreation cen-ter, a 25-yard swimming and diving fa-cility, a lighted TrophyTurf playing field,an NCAA-approved track, and eightlighted outdoor tennis courts. In 2005,the College built state-of-the art soft-ball and soccer complexes on campus.Facilities also include a Physical En-hancement Center and Packer Hall,which includes an athletic training fa-cility, locker room facilities, as well as aweight training facility for varsity stu-dent-athletes.

Scott Kelly is a member of The College of New Jersey baseball team. He has been the startingsecond basemen since his freshman year.Each year, the baseball program opens their schedule inPhoenix, Arizona to play 10-12 games over spring break. The team stays in Arizona for approxi-mately 8-10 days, playing competitive schools to prepare for conference games when they returnnorth. The trip turns out ot be more than just baseball games.

“Going to Arizona during spring break is the best experience a baseball player could ask for. For 10days out of the year, you get the feeling of what it's like to be a major league baseball player. You wakeup, eat breakfast with the team, and hang out in a room until it's time to go to the field. Then you comeback and hang out with the team and coaches and get a feel for the life of a Major Leaguer. There areno books, no classroom, no tests, just baseball. Roommates are situated productively; usually twofreshmen live in a room with two upper classmen or teammates who have been to Arizona before. Thishelps them out with getting acclimated to what it means to play New Jersey Baseball and how torepresent themselves playing for TCNJ. The competition is strong trying to play the best teams from theUnited States. We always have high expectations for our team. For our baseball team to make a run tothe World Series, it starts in Arizona. Since the New Jersey Athletic Conference is probably the bestDivision III baseball conference in the nation, playing tough competition out in Arizona helps youprepare and really get a feel for what NJAC teams are like and the level of focus you need to besuccessful.

At night we enjoy the most relaxing part of the trip. Usually the team goes out to dinner and then comesback and hangs out in the room. Sometimes we go to a mall that is close by that has a movie theatre,arcade area, and different stores where we love to spend our money. A funny story happened at Joe’sCrab Shack restaurant. A teammate of mine had a "fake birthday" thinking he was going to get freecake and a candle but the restaurant had him stand up on the table in the restaurant and scream some-thing that was pretty embarrassing. With northeastern weather always limiting our ability to go outside inpre-season, the weather in Arizona is beautiful, being above 70 degrees every day.

CLASS of 2013HEALTH and

EXERCISE SCIENCEWest Windsor, NJ

West Windsor North

ScottKelly

BaseballInfielder

SPRING TRIP - ARIZONA

THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY SPRING TRIP - ARIZONA

Almost all of the parents stay the entire week asa way to serve as a vacation for the family, andthey also get time to relax and hang out as well.

Going to Arizona means more than just playingbaseball. It serves as a time where the youngguys get the opportunity to see what collegebaseball is like with no distractions. The teamreally comes together during the spring tripbecause at school we have so many things onour mind. It's a time to come together as a groupand create a strong bond. Hey, class is great andall, but I don't mind taking a break and being inArizona with nothing to do but play baseball."

-Scott Kelly

TCNJ BASEBALL: The baseballteam is not the only athletic programthat travels. Just to reference some ofthe other athletic programs, the soft-ball team annually heads to Floridaduring spring break to open its sea-son. The men’s and women’s swimmingand diving programs visit Aruba to trainduring winter break. Other programs,such as men’s and women’s soccer,travel south to play in small tourna-ments in the fall. The men’s basket-ball team has traveled to play in NorthCarolina in recent years and the trackand field programs competed at Bos-ton University in 2011.

And of course, with so many TCNJ ath-letic programs qualifying for NCAApost-season play, teams travel all overthe country to compete for a nationaltitle.

Applying at TCNJ: When applying for

admission at The College, SAT's or ACT'sare required for all freshmen applicants.Scores must be sent from the officialtesting agency or printed on an officialschool transcript. TCNJ does NOT use theWriting portion of either the SAT or theACT in its evaluation, nor does TCNJ re-quire any SAT II Subject Tests. The Col-lege encourages applicants to submittwo or three recommendations, al-though it is not necessary to use theCommon Application Teacher Evaluationform. Recommendations can come fromteachers, counselors, coaches, employ-ers, or extracurricular advisors.

Jillian Nealon is a member of The College of New Jersey field hockey and lacrosse teams. She is amidfielder for head coach Sharon Pfluger in both sports. Nealon hopes to become a teacher andcoach after college. Like most students on campus, she enjoys visiting The Atrium at Eickhoff, apopular place for students to dine, relax, and hang out with friends.

“Dining at Eickhoff is a staple for all athletes here at TCNJ. They recently re-designed it and put in allsorts of new eating restaurants. We pretty much went crazy the first night we ate dinner there thissemester. We were all running around like we hadn't eaten in days deciding what to try first. There aredays where Eick has all your favorites and you just can't seem to decide what to eat because you wanteverything, we call those good Eickhoff days. There are also days when you miss mom's homemadecooking, but no matter what, I always find something I like. There are many varieties, so there is alwayssomething to satisfy even the pickiest eaters.

One of the new stations they added is the rotisserie chicken, which is really good. My friend calls itBoston Market Style chicken. For me, my steady favorite is probably the sandwich station. They makebread fresh each day and they can grill the sandwiches to make paninis which is my go to meal when Ican't decide what to get. Roscoe's Tacos is a team favorite, we all love the burritos. When it is a burritoday in Eick, it is a good day at TCNJ. We all text each other to make sure to go. For the upperclass-men who have limited swipes they make sure to use them if there are burritos. Of course a trip to BlissBakery is very important, especially if you time it right so you can get cookies fresh out of the oven.

I usually eat with my teammates most of the time when I go to Eick, because they are also my goodfriends. In the morning after we have our 7a.m. workouts we all look forward to going to Eick andgetting breakfast together. The Eickhoff breakfasts are the best, especially on the days they have potatowedges. There is a break in classes from 11:20 to 12:30 so that is a prime Eickhoff time and it usually

CLASS of 2013HEALTH and

EXERCISE SCIENCEWhite Station, NJHunterdon Central

JillianNealon

FieldHockey/Lacrosse

Midfielder

DINING HALL

THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY DINING HALL

gets pretty crowded. Our practices typically end with enough time to eatdinner before many people have 5:30 classes so we all go over together.

There are big tables in Eick that we call surfboard tables because of theshape. We try and grab one or two of them and we all have dinnertogether. The surfboard tables are located in the middle of the dining hall,and that is where a lot of the athletes tend to sit.

Eickoff has ruined many days and nights I should have been studying.Sometimes if we don't have class we will just sit there and stay for hoursat a time just talking. This leads to some crazy conversations, but thoseexperiences just bring us closer as a team.”

- Jillian Nealon

TCNJ LAX/HOCKEY: The fieldhockey and lacrosse programs at TCNJare two of the best in the nation. TheLions have won 13 national titles in la-crosse and nine national champion-ships in field hockey.

The lacrosse program has produced147 All-Americans and 14 players wererecognized as Division III NationalPlayer of the Year. They won a NCAAreecord 102 straight games from 1991to 1997.

In field hockey, 82 players have earnedAll-American citations while five Lionswere named Division III National Playerof the Year awards.

Head coach Sharon Pluger has over900 coaching victories at TCNJ. She isa member of the National Lacrosse Hallof Fame and National Field HockeyCoaches Association Hall of Fame.

The Atrium at Eickhoff: Renovated

in 2009, The Atrium at Eickhoff is thehub of campus dining. It offers a multi-tude of meal plan options for all stu-dents, special diet programs and a va-riety of ten all-you-can-eat restaurants.Whether you are in the mood for acheeseburger or a custom meal at our60” round Mongolian grill, you are sureto find it in The Atrium at Eickhoff. Inaddition, TCNJ uniquely offers the ser-vices of a campus dietitian. Studentscan meet with our dietitian to discussany questions or concerns at no addi-tional cost. It is managed by Sodexo, aworld-class food and facilities service.

Tyler Cignarella is a member of The College of New Jersey men's soccer team. Cignarella is amidfielder for the Lions and scored his first career goal in a 2-1 win against conference rival RowanUniversity. Cignarella grew up five miles down the road and attended Hopewell Valley CentralHigh School where he was a standout soccer and baseball player. He travels much farther than thatto play games, however, which can offer some of the best times playing college sports.

“Playing soccer at The College of New Jersey is an opportunity that I am privileged to have. Compet-ing in the highly talented New Jersey Athletic Conference provides the soccer team with great games allacross the state. Early in our season we travel out of the state to get some warm weather, nice fields,and good out-of-conference competition. Traveling around together provides excellent time for theteam to grow together.

When we are not at home in Lions’ Stadium, we take the vans to travel to games, each driven by aseparate coach. Depending on the type of person that you are and the way that you like to be pre-pared for games, you ride in a certain van. If you are taking the van with Coach Nazario, you knowthat it is going to be a quiet ride where everyone is focusing on the game ahead. If you are taking eitherof the other vans with the assistant coaches, the rides are somewhat more relaxed and players areinteracting with one another. Many people like to listen to music as well as watch movies on the rides.Some people even enjoy playing games on their game boy to relax them and take away from the longrides. There are also people who like to get a nap in if the car ride is long. Although the vans are notthe most comfortable, putting your head on the seat in front of you always seems to work.

Each person is different, and the way that they prepare for games is definitely different. I personallyenjoy listening to mostly rock and alternative music for most of the ride. Then when we are given time inthe locker room, we turn on some hip hop to get pumped for a game. After an away victory, everyoneis in great spirits and those are the best van rides. Everyone is joking around and having a good time

CLASS of 2013ACCOUNTINGPennington, NJHopewell Valley

TylerCignarella

SoccerMidfielder

RIDES TO AWAY GAMES

THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY RIDES TO AWAY GAMES

because we know that we went out and we got the victory. The timeseems to fly by on those rides. On the other hand, the van ride aftera loss is equally bad because everyone is quiet and in remorse of thegame, no matter which van you take.

When we are afforded the opportunity to travel out of state, the rideis much longer and people bring their laptops onto the vans. Themore studious athletes do work, while others put on movies ortelevision shows to watch with one another. On our trip toFredericksburg, Virginia, my teammate and I enjoyed the ride bywatching the entire first season of the show "Entourage."

- Tyler Cignarella

TCNJ SOCCER: The Lions soccerprogram actually has two separate homefields at The College of New Jersey.

When playing games during the week,TCNJ plays under the lights at Lions'Stadium with games typically startingat 7:30 p.m. On Saturday home dates,the Lions play in TCNJ's Soccer Com-plex, a state-of-the-art complex thathosted its first game in 2006. They alsouse this facility for the majority of itspractices.

The ability to play intercollegiatematches at two top-notch facilities givesTCNJ soccer the flexibility of schedul-ing game-times that permit parents andfans to attend as many home dates aspossible.

Academic Major: Students are ad-

mitted to the College with a specifiedplan or may choose to enter as OpenOption students in a designated school.Any enrolled student has the right toapply and be considered for entranceinto an academic major in accordancewith program entrance standards. Stu-dents should understand that certainmajors may not be able to accept thembecause of high student demand . Stu-dents seeking to change a major shouldbegin the process as early as possiblein the semester in which they wish tochange their major to ensure that thestudents will meet departmental dead-lines established by the Office ofRecords and Registration.

Karisse Bendijo is a member of The College of New Jersey women’s tennis team. She has excelledin both singles and doubles play. In the fall of 2010, she was named the New Jersey Athletic Con-ference Player of the Year and was tabbed all-conference in both singles and doubles. She ad-vanced to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Small College Championships where she receivedITA All-American citations in both singles and doubles event.

“Maintaining a tradition is pretty exciting, but also hard work. In the fall of 2009, I came to the TCNJtennis team as a freshman. Coach (Dicheck) told us that we've got a lot of training for our matchesahead of us. Not only was I new to this team but we also had a responsibility to keep a tradition ofwinning New Jersey Athletic Conference tournaments. Finding out about this streak put some pressureon my little freshman shoulders.

As the matches went on, our team had become closer and stronger. I found myself becoming morecomfortable with my team and more confident in my game. During the season, each NJAC match wastougher than the last. Our last match was against Richard Stockton College, which was the toughestmatch of all the teams we’d faced that day.

We came off the courts after winning the conference and were greeted with a plaque and shirts! It wasenergizing to know that we won the conference and that I was a part of that tradition.

This year, I was more confident coming in. Like the year before, we played and won with flying colors.At some matches, I got to play some old friends. Then, the Stockton match came around. This matchwas a particularly memorable one for me because we were playing against my friend and my oldersister, Krystle Bendijo.

We started off with doubles and I was a little shaken. I got frustrated and hesitant playing my sister and

CLASS of 2013ELEMENTARYEDUCATION

Egg Harbor, NJEgg Harbor Twp.

KarisseBendijo

TennisSingles/Doubles

MAINTAINING THE TRADITION

THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY MAINTAINING THE TRADITION

friend. But with the help of my team, we pulled through. Then we playedsingles and I had to play my friend, Kris. It was tough to play her sinceI've known her since we were twelve. Not only did we have a greatmatch, but we had fun playing it. I don’t think we could have ever imag-ined as kids that one day we’d end up playing against each other incollege.

Although it was really difficult to play my friend, it was one of my favoritematches . After the Stockton victory, we won two more matches to winthe NJAC championship for the 28th year in a row.

This tradition of winning the championship title makes our team work hardto keep this legacy on. I hope that after I graduate this tradition still liveson and we pass the torch along to a next wave of TCNJ tennis players.”

- Karisse Bendijo

TCNJ TENNIS: Since the New Jer-sey Athletic Conference began sponsor-ing women’s tennis as a sport, to sayThe College has been dominant wouldbe an understatement. The Lions haveclaimed every title since 1982 and havewon 136 straight matches, spanningthe history of the conference. In otherwords, they have yet to lose a confer-ence contest.

That dominance continues today as inthe fall of 2010, the team won all five ofits NJAC dual meets by identical 9-0scores.

TCNJ has carried that success into theNCAA Division III championships, aswell, as they’ve made 21 appearancesin the tournament, claiming the 1986National Championship.

Living Quarters: The Residence Hall

Association (RHA) is the coordinatingbody for the six residence area govern-ments and represents all students liv-ing in college residence facilities.

Each residence hall facility is repre-sented by an independent governingbody devoted to improving the qualityof life in their area of campus. Theseresidence area governments plan pro-grams, assist with the development ofresidence policies, and provide leader-ship opportunities to anyone whowants to be involved. All resident stu-dents are welcome and encouraged tojoin RHA.

Greg Burns is a member of The College of New Jersey football team. He led the team in tackles in2010 and was an NJAC All-Conference performer. For ten days out of the year, Burns gets to suitup and leave the locker room to do battle on the football field. On five of those occasions, Burnsruns onto the field at Lions’ Stadium in front of a home crowd ready for some football.

“Game day for football players is the most exciting time because it is finally time to take to the fieldagain and put into action the hard efforts you have worked towards all week. There are many impor-tant elements that go into game day, from breakfast, to checking equipment, to final adjustments andquestions and finally, kickoff.

Most players have rituals for game day which vary depending on the sport, the person, and the team.Before each game our team will listen to a speech from the movie 'Any Given Sunday,' as well as, listento a song that gets us even more excited and focused on the game.

When you walk into the locker room, hear the music blasting, and begin to dress for the game, you canfeel the intensity and anticipation of everyone around you. Each individual keeps to himself and pre-pares to do their job for the game. Seeing the fans enter during the walk on to the field gets youradrenaline pumping and nothing else begins to matter except the game.

One game that sticks out to me as a TCNJ football player is when we played Buffalo State this year;not only because we had a good overall game, but because of the travel that the team had to endurebefore the game.

The game started off a little rough and we fell behind 15-10 in the second quarter which was disap-pointing after the travel; but we did not panic. Being so far from home, the only people that were there

CLASS of 2013HEALTH and

EXERCISE SCIENCETEACHINGHamilton, NJ

Hamilton West

GregBurns

FootballLinebacker

GAME DAY

THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY GAME DAY

to support the team was ourselves. As the game progressed, we cametogether and dominated from that point on.

It summed up the kind of defense we had, with Shawn Brown, DeanMisiura, and myself all accounting for an interception, but moreimportantly the kind of team we were. The defense struggled in thebeginning, but the offense was there to pick us up and get us the leadback, giving us confidence and momentum.

When you prepare for game day as a football player, it is very differentfrom any other sport because you only get to play once a week. Whenyou come to play you need all the parts of the team to work in sync inorder for the team to reach their goal.”

- Greg Burns

TCNJ FOOTBALL: The footballgame is the main event each year atTCNJ Homecoming. Waves of alumnitailgate in the parking lot adjacent tothe field prior to kickoff and make theirway into Lions’ Stadium at game-time.

The GridIron Group is a contingencyof football alums and family memberswho have a close connection to the Li-ons football program. Each year atHomecoming, they organize a pig roastto enjoy the festivities. Members of thecurrent football team and coachingstaff join the roast after the game.

The Lions are coached by former All-American, Eric Hamilton ‘74. He hasbeen the head football coach since1977 and recently notched his 200thcareer win in the fall of 2010.

The Student Center: The Brower Stu-

dent Center seeks to provide on-cam-pus activities for all the students at TCNJ.A game room is located in the studentcenter, complete with multiple pooltables, TVs with Wii’s connected, pingpong, and other games. The building ishome to all of the student organizationson campus, as well as, dining facilities,and a campus bookstore. All recognizedstudent organizations have an office orcubicle, or at least a meeting area. Thisbuilding fosters a sense of communitythat cultivates enduring loyalty to thecollege.

Katie Occhipinti is a member of the women’s basketball team. She was a member of the 2008-09team that advanced to the Division III Final Four tournament. That team finished with a record of27-5. When Occhipinti is not playing or practicing in-season, she’s finding a pick-up game to playin the off-season. She often travels with teammates to Moody Park just a few miles from campus tocontinue working on her game and have some fun.

“The post-season is a time in which I use to allow my mind and body to recuperate from the long andcompetitive season. During this time, there are no coaches organizing practices or mandatory workouts.However, it is a time of year which myself and my teammates would label as the most fun.

It is during the post-season in which we take full ownership of organizing our own workouts outside atMoody Park, a local park with outdoor courts. Together, we organize competitive full court games withthe added bonus of soaking up some sun. What more can you ask for? It is not uncommon for us torecruit some football players, wrestlers, alumni, or even some park locals to jump in and run with us.

One of my favorite memories of Moody Park occurred last spring. I was feeling particularly confidentand was playfully talking a lot of trash to my teammates on the other team. In the midst of guaranteeinga victory, I vowed to buy the other team ice cream if they could do the impossible and beat us.

Maybe the added incentive of ice cream, or simply the desire to shut me up caused my opponents toplay like giants and knock down three's like Kobe. Needless to say, my team lost by about 15 and Iwas obligated to buy everyone ice cream.

There is nothing more fun than playing outside on the playground. We turn into kids again who enjoy

CLASS of 2012HEALTH and

EXERCISESCIENCE

Warren, NJThe Pingry School

KatieOcchipinti

BasketballGuard

OFF-SEASON

THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY OFF-SEASON

nothing more than being outside with friends. Nobody keeps stats andeveryone is there to enjoy each other's company, get in a goodworkout, and of course maybe get a tan. The courts of Moodywitness each individual's true competitive spirit and the bonds of ateam forming.

Most importantly, the courts act as an outlet for the everyday stress ofa student-athlete. For whatever the reason, playing at Moody makesme realize how passionate I am about the sport of basketball and howpassionate I am about my teammates. Plus, there is always the chanceof winning some free ice cream!”

- Katie Occhipinti

TCNJ BASKETBALL: The Col-lege of New Jersey women’s basketballteam has enjoyed success dating backto the 1970s. Lions’ teams have com-peted in the NCAA tournament 12times since 1982, reaching its pinnaclepoint when they advanced to the NCAADivision III Final Four in 2008-09.

The Lions compete in the New JerseyAthletic Conference and have qualifiedfor the NJAC playoffs in 16 out of thelast 18 years since head coach DawnHenderson took over in 1993-94.

Henderson has a career record of 343-142 and has had winning seasons in17 out of 18 years. Her teams have wonNJAC titles in 2000-01, 2003-04, and2008-09 and competed in the NCAApost-season play eight times.

The President: Dr. R. Barbara

Gitenstein, President of The College ofNew Jersey, has over 30 years of expe-rience as a college professor and ad-ministrator in both the public and pri-vate sectors. Dr. Gitenstein began hercareer in higher education as an assis-tant professor of English at Central Mis-souri State University. She is the firstwoman President of TCNJ in its 153-year history.

Born in Florala, Alabama, Dr. Gitensteinreceived a BA with honors in Englishfrom Duke University and a PhD in En-glish and American Literature from theUniversity of North Carolina, ChapelHill.

Dan Herr is a member of The College of New Jersey wrestling team. He was an NCAA qualifier in2011 and finished the season with a 32-7 overall record. Herr also was a Metropolitcan Confer-ence champion at 133 pounds after finishing runner-up his freshman year. He talks about thequality time spent with teammates both inside and outside of the wrestling room.

“When you're an athlete at TCNJ, school always comes first. At times it can get tough to handle classand school work with a varsity sport on top of it all. That is where time management comes in. If youmanage your time well between school work and extra-curricular activities, you have plenty of time toindulge in your new found freedom from home. This new found freedom can mean a lot of things, butpartying or missing school is not one of them!

Throughout the year at school, wrestlers have to adjust to the up and down demands of our sport.From August all the way to the end of February we have to commit ourselves to getting into great shapeand staying on top of school. Throughout this time, we spend countless hours together. Many are filledwith silly jargon and jokes amongst ourselves to pass the time.

Throughout the season, the team is constantly traveling to compete in tournaments and matches. All ofthis traveling means van rides. The van rides are some of the most memorable times during the season.The team will talk about everything. There is one game which is played chronically on every trip, Wouldyou Rather. Would you Rather begins with someone proposing a question, and everyone MUSTanswer. They can be questions of personal taste, opinions, or ethics. Even though most questions endup being completely ridiculous, you get to know a lot about each other.

Besides going to tournaments and matches together, the team spends 95 % of winter break here, whilethe entire population of students is gone from campus and Ewing. Throughout this time period, there is

CLASS of 2013MAJOR

Rockaway, NJMorris Knolls

DanHerr

Wrestling

TIME WITH TEAMMATES

THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY TIME WITH TEAMMATES

nothing else to do besides sleep, wrestle, and hangout. So for those 20 days or more, we arere witheach other 24/7, making fun of each other, pullingpranks on each other, and beating each other up inthe Lions' Den (wrestling room).

Sometimes wrestling can be demanding; you'rehungry, thirsty, and exhausted. But we all still sticktogether through the tough times because we knowif we all work hard together on the mat, we willenjoy the rewards off the mat. We go out and haveour fun, live the college life, and mingle with the rest of the world, but for those five months, school andwrestling come first. We don't need to join a Frat because our team is a fraternity in itself.”

- Dan Herr

TCNJ WRESTLING: The wres-tling program was the first sport everto win a national championship at theCollege. In 1979, head coach DaveIcenhower led the Lions to a nationaltitle. The program also won titles in1981, 1984, 1985, and 1987, all un-der Icenhower who remains the headcoach today with over 500 career wins.

Since 1971, TCNJ’s wrestling programhas produced at least one All-Ameri-can in 40 out of 41 seasons. A grandtotal of 139 Lions have earned All-American honors in the that timeframe. On 20 occasions, TCNJ wrestlershave won individual national titles.

The Lions have had at least one NCAAqualifier every year since the tourna-ment inception in 1972.

Student Health Plans: The College of

New Jersey offers the Student HealthInsurance Plan (SHIP). This is an illnessand accident plan with prescription($300 per year max), mental health andwellness benefits. The Plan is adminis-tered by Bollinger Insurance Solutionsand is unique to The College of New Jer-sey. It was designed specifically tomeet the general health care needs ofTCNJ students. The cost is $128.00 persemester. The policy periods are August15 – January 15 and January 15 – Au-gust 15, thus providing year-round cov-erage for students enrolled in the planfor the Fall and Spring semesters.

Cori Davis is a sprinter and hurdler for The College of New Jersey women’s indoor and outdoortrack and field team. She earned conference honorable mention honors in the triple jump event inher first season of competitoin. Davis spent the summer of 2010 working as an intern for BraccoDiagnostics and has also done chariy work for the Special Olympics. Her chief ambition to is to usea marketing degree to pursue a career in sports management.

“During my time here at The College of New Jersey, I have worked for two internship programs. Myfirst internship was with Bracco Diagnostics, a pharmaceutical company located in Princeton, NewJersey. During the summer this company looks to hire college students, so my mom suggested thiswould be a good opportunity to gain work experience. I think my mom just wanted me to be closer toher but I took her advice. I spent two summers working in the marketing department learning how tocreate marketing plans and print ads.

My second internship was with Bank of America Merrill Lynch located in Hopewell, New Jersey. I hadintroduced myself to one of their representatives at the TCNJ Career Fair and submitted my resume. Iunderstand these representatives receive tons of resumes each day, so I doubted that the organizationwould call me back. Luckily, one my Track and Field teammates had earned an internship with thecompany and she came across my resume I submitted. She recommended me to her supervisor andassured him that I would be a good candidate, and I was called in for an interview.

I interned with their Internal Sales Desk this past Fall Semester. At this internship, they paired you witha mentor and expected you to give an oral presentation on one of their products at the end of theinternship.

Throughout my internship experiences I have learned how to communicate and interact with businessprofessionals, have a better understanding of business etiquette, and how to present myself to

CLASS of 2012MARKETING

East Windsor, NJHightstown

CoriDavis

Track andField

Sprints/Hurdles

INTERNSHIPS

THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY INTERNSHIPS

potential clients and managers. Most importantly, I have learned how tomanage my time. Balancing school, track, and an internship is a lot tohandle, but if you communicate with your coach and professors, priori-tize your time, and stay focused, it is definitely all possible and wellworth it.

I definitely have a better understanding of what I want to do with mymarketing degree when I graduate based on what I learned during myinternships. During my internships I had a lot of exposure to marketresearch and advertising. Being an athlete, I also have a strong interestin health and exercise, so I hope to find a career that blends the two.”

- Cori Davis

TCNJ TRACK: The College of NewJersey women’s indoor and outdoortrack and field program is one of themost dominant in the northest. The Li-ons have won every New Jersey AthleticConference indoor track title since itbegan in 1998. In outdoor competition,the women have reeled off 18 straightNJAC titles.

TCNJ has also had its share of individualstandouts throughout its program his-tory. In May of 2010, Miriam Khan wonthe national championship in the 100-meter dash, running the third-fastesttime in the history of the event. JillWatts was the Lions first national cham-pion in 1981 winning the javelin event.

During the winter of 2011, seven TCNJathletes earned All-American citationsat the Indoor Track and Field nationals.

CAREER PURSUIT: The Career Cen-

ter provides professional skills devel-opment training to assist students inmarketing themselves to employersand graduate schools. Networking op-portunities are provided through on-campus recruiting, a Career and In-ternship Fair each semester, and spe-cial events. With over 400 employersrecruiting on campus, LionsLink,TCNJ’s online recruitment program al-lows students to submit resumes topotential employers. The Career Cen-ter also holds weekly workshops, openhours for resume critiques, and inter-view preparation seminars.

Scott Lisa is a member of The College of New Jersey men’s indoor and outdoor track and fieldteam. He competes in jumping events for the Lions. In his freshman season indoors, Lisa is a FirstTeam All Conference performer in the high jump. He was also named New Jersey Athletic Confer-ence Rookie of the Week six times during the 2010-2011 indoor track season.

“Track and field practices weren't quite what I expected them to be and definitely were a lot differentthan what I was used to in high school. By the time midsummer rolled around, I was already receivingweekly emails from my coach with workouts for us to do. They weren't anything that I couldn't handle,but I was just always used to waiting until the season started and spending the first month getting intoshape.

Within a month of school starting, I received another email from a teammate saying that those whowanted to practice could meet at the track to practice with other people on the team. I decided to goand was amazed by the number of people that were there. This was a new type of dedication to a teamthat I had never seen before in high school, which really shows why TCNJ athletics is able to competeat such a high level of competition.

At this point, the practices slowly began to escalate in difficulty, but the fact that we were out practicingso long before the season started made the actual preseason much easier. What I enjoyed the mostabout practicing before the season started was that we would often play ultimate frisbee once a weekinstead of doing our running workout.

We practiced on the track or turf field up until the ground was covered with snow. Then we started tohave practices twice a week at an indoor track at 6:30 in the morning. When I first heard this, I thoughtit was going to be the worst experience of my life, but I can honestly say that I really enjoyed thesepractices and I improved a lot in my individual events from these practices. The rest of the week, we

CLASS of 2014BIOMEDICALENGINEERING

Highland Lakes, NJVernon

ScottLisa

Track and FieldJumper/Sprints

PRACTICE

Freshman Year Program: The First Year

Experience (FYE) is a comprehensive pro-gram of academic and co-curricular ac-tivities promoting the successful transi-tion of entering students to college lifeat TCNJ. Faculty, staff and students work-ing together cultivate the intellectual, so-cial and civic development that creates achallenging, yet supportive environ-ment. Major FYE program componentsinclude Freshman Orientation, SummerReadings, Welcome Week, First Seminar,Residential Life Learning Communities,and Civic Engagement.

THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY PRACTICE

would practice in the Student Rec Center, or ourcoach would get us into the Princeton indoor facility,which was an awesome place to work out. Ourpractices were usually the same time every week,which made planning your schedule around practicesmuch easier. We mostly practiced at 3:30pm, liftedafterward, and then most of the people from theteam would go and eat dinner at Eickhoff.

This semester, one of my classes was at the sametime as practice, but all I do on these days is eitherpractice before or after class, which shows me thatacademics truly do come before athletics at TCNJ.Although the practices were harder than high school, they definitely paid off and helped me to improve alot in my individual events.”

- Scott Lisa

TCNJ TRACK & FIELD: Themen’s indoor track and field programwon its 14th consecutive New JerseyAthletic Confrence title in 2011. Theoutdoor team won its 13th straighttitle that same spring.

Practice times can be spread outamongst team members depending ontheir area of expertise. There are dayswhere the team is divided into five dif-ferent practice sessions so coaches canfocus on specific skills. Sprinters, dis-tance runners, hurdlers, and throwersdon’t train together each day. Split-ting up times allows for greater indi-vidual attention.

The track complex at TCNJ is locatedon campus. It was recently resurfacedin the early spring of 2011.

Sabrina Lucchesi is a member of The College of New Jersey women’s swimming and diving team.Lucchesi had a phenomenal season as a freshman diver for the Lions earning New Jersey AthleticConference Diver of the Week honors five times. She went on to compete at the 2011 NCAA cham-pionships and placed ninth and 14th in the 1- and 3-meter events to earn All-American honorablemention honors. Lucchesi lived in Wolfe dormatory and recently completed her freshman year.

“The Freshman Year Experience at TCNJ was a whole new world for me. After the first few weeks ofthe semester I began to realize that although there were so many new things for me to experience, therewere even more responsibilities for me to take on, such as learning time management skills, doing myown laundry, keeping track of money, and limiting myself to a certain curfew.

If I could give any advice to an incoming freshman it would be if you have the time to do it, do it rightaway. Putting things off until the last minute was one of the worst mistakes I've made. Learning how tomanage your time is extremely important when adjusting from high school to college life, especiallywhen you are a student-athlete.

The coaches at TCNJ are very understanding when it comes to schoolwork. They make sure weunderstand that school comes first and encourage us to go to them for advice if we're ever having anyproblems.

Something really unique about TCNJ is the freshman year housing experience. Because most of thefreshmen live in either Travers or Wolfe you really get to know your classmates. One thing that I didn'texpect was to get as close as I did with my floor. I met some of my closest friends on my floor and myroommate ended up becoming my best friend here at TCNJ.

CLASS of 2014History/Education

Columbus, NJNotre Dame

SabrinaLucchesi

Swimmingand Diving

Diver

FRESHMAN YEAR EXPERIENCE

THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY FRESHMAN YEAR

Being a freshman student-athlete at TCNJ is sucha great experience. Because you're an athlete youare one step ahead in finding where you belong atthis school.

Through your sport you will meet so many peopleand start a lot of great friendships. Even for asport as small as diving, your teammates becomeyour family, people you can always count on andtalk to about everything.

My experience at TCNJ exceeded all of my expectations, and I couldn't picture myself being anywhereelse. It’s been a great freshman year.”

- Sabrina Lucchesi

TCNJ SWIMMING & DIVING:The women’s swimming and diving teamis led by head coach Jennifer Harnett.She was an All-American swimmer at theCollege and is a member of the LionsAthletic Hall of Fame.

TCNJ had its best-ever finish at the 2011NCAA tournament finishing fifth as ateam. Lions diver, Danica Roskos won apair of national titles at that competi-tion in the 1- and 3-meter dives.

Entering the 2011-2012 season, TCNJhas won three consecutive New JerseyAthletic Conference titles and fourstraight Metropolitan Conference titles.

Practices and events are held right oncampus at TCNJ’s Aquatic Center lo-cated in Packer Hall.

CAMPUS HOUSING: TCNJ offers 14 on-

campus residential facilities and 12 housesalong Pennington and Carlton Road. TheDepartment of Residential Education andHousing guarantees housing for the fresh-man and sophomore year. Eligible stu-dents must be full-time first year studentswho are entering housing in the fall semes-ter or current residential freshman who arereturning for the sophomore year. BecauseTCNJ guarantees housing for entering firstyear and returning second year students,nearly all freshmen and sophomores re-side on campus. A total of 95% of fresh-men reside on campus, a factor which leadsto the 95% freshman-to-sophomore re-tention rate.

About TCNJThe College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a highly selective institution that has earned national recognition for its commitment toexcellence. Founded in 1855, TCNJ has become an exemplar of the best in public higher education and is consistently acknowl-edged as one of the top comprehensive colleges in the nation. TCNJ currently is ranked as one of the 75 "Most Competitive"schools in the nation by Barron's Profiles of American Colleges and is rated the No. 1 public institution in the northern regionof the country by U.S. News & World Report. TCNJ was also awarded, in 2006, a Phi Beta Kappa chapter-an honor shared byless than 10 percent of colleges and universities nationally.

Academic ProgramsA strong liberal arts core forms the foundation for a wealth of degree programs offered through TCNJ's seven schools-Arts &Communication; Business; Culture and Society; Education; Science; Nursing, Health, and Exercise Science; and Engineering.The College is enriched by an honors program and extensive opportunities to study abroad, and its award-winning First-YearExperience and freshman orientation programs have helped make its retention and graduation rates among the highest in thecountry.

CampusKnown for its natural beauty, the College's campus is set on 289 tree-lined acres in suburban Ewing Township. The Collegehas 39 major buildings, including a state-of-the-art library; 14 residence halls that accommodate 3,600 students; an award-winning student center; more than 20 academic computer laboratories; a full range of laboratories for nursing, microscopy,science, and technology; a music building with a 300-seat concert hall; and a collegiate recreation and athletic facilitiescomplex. TCNJ has a full-time undergraduate enrollment of approximately 5,900 students (95 percent from New Jersey).

Student LifeThe College of New Jersey encourages students to expand their talents and skills through more than 150 organizations that areopen to students. These groups range from performing ensembles and professional and honor societies to student publica-tions, Greek organizations, as well as intramural and club sports. The College also offers numerous leadership opportunitiesthrough the Student Finance Board, Student Government Association, and Residence Hall Government to name a few.

Quick FactsAddress: PO Box 7718

Ewing, NJ 08628-0718President: R. Barbara GitensteinVice President for Student Affairs: James M. NorfleetDirector of Athletics: John CastaldoSenior Woman Administrator: Dawn HendersonFounded: 1855 (as New Jersey State Normal School)Enrollment: 6,000Nickname: LionsColors: Blue and GoldAffiliations: NCAA Division IIIConference: New Jersey Athletic Conference

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TCNJ ATHLETIC FIELDS

TCNJ Track & Field Complex Lions’ Park

LIONS’ STADIUM

TCNJ Soccer ComplexGeorge Ackerman Park

CAMPUS ACADEMIC BUILDINGS