Athletics
Varsity Eight Wins Gold at Knecht Cup; Wins Second Place at MARC Championships
The women's rowing team continued its strong start to the spring season by winning gold in the varsity eight at the Knecht Cup last April for the first time since 1999. The Ospreys posted a time of 7:30.85 on the Cooper River and crossed the finish line first in the Women's Varsity Eight-DIII by a dominant 21 seconds in the field of six teams.
Lorelei Hendricks was the coxswain for the varsity eight. The rowers were Emily Latshaw, Amber Hartzell, Megan Baldwin, Madelynn Schina, Marissa Martinelli, Ashley Timm, Gabriella Bates and Izabelle DelRoss.
"Today was a great challenge for both the varsity eight and second varsity eight," said head coach Chris O'Brien. "I'm proud of our crews for executing solid race plans. They are starting to believe in their speed and potential. We know we have to be at top speed for the conference championships and we are excited for that opportunity."
Coming off the win, the Ospreys were ranked second in the Mid-Atlantic Region by the NCAA in rankings released on April 19. The second varsity eight was named MARC Crew of the Week by the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference for its performance at the Knecht Cup.
Bolstered by the program's first-ever gold medal in the varsity eight at the MARC regatta, Stockton finished as the runner-up in the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference Championships. The performance equaled Stockton's best ever at the MARC Championships, which came in 2021.
The Ospreys narrowly missed out on their first MARC title and NCAA Championship berth as they registered a team score of 35, which was just a single point behind conference champion Washington College (Md.), who earned an automatic bid to the NCAA regatta.
Hoenisch Voted NJAC Rookie of the Year; McCombs First Team
Two Stockton University men's soccer teammates were rewarded for their play with NJAC postseason honors. Freshman Aiden Hoenisch was voted NJAC Rookie of the Year.
Senior James McCombs was selected NJAC First Team and Hoenisch added an NJAC Second Team accolade to go with his rookie award. Hoenisch and McCombs helped Stockton to a 10-6-3 record during the 2022 season.
Hoenisch was one of three Ospreys to start all 19 games this year, and the only freshman among the 41 players who received all-conference kudos. The forward led the Ospreys in scoring with 15 points on a team-high five goals plus five assists, which was second on the squad.
Hoenisch tied for the team lead with two game-winning goals and went a perfect 2-2 on penalty kicks. He ranks among the NJAC scoring leaders, standing tied for fourth in assists, tied for sixth in points and tied for eighth in goals. Hoenisch became the 10th Osprey to be voted NJAC Rookie of the Year and first since Anthony Colofranson in 2013.
McCombs earned his third straight NJAC First Team nod (2020-22) to go with one NJAC Second Team accolade (2019). He also was chosen NJAC Defensive Player of the Year last season. McCombs started all 18 games in which he played this fall.
Abraham Competes in Weight Throw at NCAA Championships
Stockton University senior Shahyan Abraham competed in the weight throw at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships March 10-11 at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
Abraham, who competed in the NCAA Championships for the first time in her career, finished 19th with a best throw of 15.35 meters. The distance came of the first of Abraham's three throws. Her second and third attempts landed at 14.42 meters and 15.33 meters, respectively.
Abraham's appearance at the NCAA Championships capped an outstanding indoor season. She also received Metro Region Field Athlete of the Year and All-Region honors in the weight throw and shot put from the United States Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association. Abraham became the first Osprey ever, male or female, to be chosen as the regional Athlete of the Year.
Season Accolades
- Metro Region Field Athlete of the Year - United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA)
- All-Region Honors (shot put and weight throw) - USTFCCCA
- Outstanding Field Athlete - New Jersey Athletic Conference
- First Team (weight throw and shot put) - New Jersey Athletic Conference
- 4x Field Athlete of the Week - New Jersey Athletic Conference
- Stockton's honoree for NJAIAW Woman of the Year
Stockton Falls to Nichols in NCAA Sectionals
The men's basketball season saw its 2022-23 season come to an end last March with an 86-68 defeat to Nichols College in the sectional round (Sweet 16) of the NCAA Tournament. The Ospreys suffered their second-worst shooting game of the season at an inopportune time, hitting just 28.6 percent from the field.
DJ Campbell led Stockton with a team-high 25 points, followed by Kyion Flanders with 20 markers plus eight rebounds in his final game as an Osprey. Flanders hit five three-pointers.
Kadian Dawkins ended his career with eight points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Rynell Lawrence grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and scored seven points.
Despite the outcome, the season was an outstanding one for a Stockton team that played to honor the memory of long-time assistant coach Bob Hutchings, who suffered a heart attack in November and passed away in January.
The Ospreys won 24 games, fifth most in school history, reached the NJAC championship game for the fourth straight year and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.
Louer Voted NJAC Rookie of the Year; Five Ospreys All-Conference
Five Stockton University volleyball players were selected for NJAC postseason honors after a 2022 campaign during which the Ospreys went 20-9. Freshman Kate Louer was voted NJAC Rookie of the Year and NJAC First Team. Senior Haley Green joined Louer on the NJAC First Team.
Junior Emma Capriglione earned her second straight NJAC Second Team spot. Junior setter Aubrey Rentzel and freshman Camille De La Torre collected NJAC Honorable Mention nods.
Green was selected to the NJAC First Team for the second time in her career (2020, 2022). Louer, De La Torre and Rentzel each received all-conference recognition for the first time. Stockton earned the No. 2 seed for the NJAC Tournament and a No. 3 ranking in NCAA Region IV.
Green was steady all season, leading the team after missing much of 2021 due to injury. The outside hitter topped the Ospreys and leads the NJAC in kills (367; 3.71/set). Green ranks second in the league in points (3.96/set) and third in hitting percentage (.280). She also tallied 112 digs and 25 blocks defensively.
Louer, a six-time NJAC Rookie of the Week, ranks sixth in the NJAC in kills (2.93/set) and eighth in points (3.42/set). The freshman showed her all-around game by placing second on the team in kills (306), points (356) and digs (264) while also contributing 31 blocks and 30 aces.
Louer is the eighth Osprey overall and first since Emily Sullivan (2017) to be named NJAC Rookie of the Year. The outside hitter registered seven double-doubles and reached double digits in kills in 19 of Stockton's 29 matches.
Swedlund Named CLC Scholar-Athlete; Five Ospreys All Conference
Five Stockton University men's lacrosse players received postseason honors from the Coastal Lacrosse Conference (CLC) in the inaugural season for the league. Graduate student Luc Swedlund garnered CLC First Team honors and was named CLC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Seniors Dante Poli and Ryan Anderson, along with juniors Reegan Capozzoli and Brenden McSorley, were selected as CLC Second Team.
The five players led the Ospreys to a 12-6 record for the program's 10th straight season with a winning record and eighth straight full season, not counting the COVID years, with a double-digit win total.
Starting all 18 games this season, Swedlund scored 75 goals with 13 assists for 88 points. He leads the CLC and ranks fifth in NCAA Division III in goals per game (4.17 gpg). Swedlund also stands fifth in the CLC in points per game (4.89 ppg). He was the CLC Offensive Player of the Week once this season.