1. Free admission to all regular season home athletic contests.

2. Green & Gold Club Membership Card.

3. Open invitation to participate in Green & Gold Club gatherings and special events.

4. A listing in all future NJCU media guides in the club promotional section.

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Single Membership $35

Double Membership $50 (Member & Guest)

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A NEW SEASON, NEW REASONS TO ROOT FOR THE GOTHIC KNIGHTS

 Another anticipated sports season begins at New Jersey City University this September, and 15 teams will strive to give Gothic Knight fans a reason to cheer.

The Gothic Knight men’s soccer team has won 40 games over the last three seasons, and another 10-win season will make head coach Kevin East the winningest head coach in school history in just his sixth year on the job. He enters the 2003 go-around with 59 victories; the late-Robert McNulty, whose legacy remains as the NJCU soccer field bears his name, is the all-time leader with 68 wins. NJCU has reached the post-season in each of the last four seasons, and with such standouts as Jose Blackburn , Baba Guisse, Johan Gonzalez , and Adrian Ruiz returning, along with a nice group of recruits, there’s no reason NJCU doesn’t return to the playoffs again.

Ted Flogaites was the winningest first-year women’s soccer coach in the program’s history in 2001, and now needs just four wins himself to become the winningest coach in that club’s history. Fortunately, most of a young, promising roster returns as the team continues to grow. Marie Merilus , who became the all-time leader in goals and points in women’s soccer history in 2002, is back for her senior campaign, as is junior Yolanda LeTang , who likely will finish her career as NJCU’s all-time leading scorer. That’s if Merilus doesn’t have something to say about it. The dynamic duo combined to score all but one of NJCU’s goals last season, and both earned All-WIAC honors. Also back is 2001 rookie standout Carine Carvalheiro,  who is returning after a year off, All-WIAC sophomore keeper Gina Sgroi, and defender Megan Collins, who had the highest GPA of all student-athletes last season at 3.81.

Women’s volleyball is coming off a historic 22-win season, as the Knights hosted an NJAC playoff game for the first time. Ofelia Pancarician is in her second season. The 2002 WIAC Champions lose Cara Strzelczyk , one of the greatest players in the history of the conference, but return senior middle hitter Melissa Pablos , the 2001 WIAC Player of the Year, and junior setter Leydi Zuluaga .

Rounding out the fall season is women’s cross-country, who will compete in an array of meets in September and October, gearing up for the track season, which begins in December. New as a sport this year is men’s cross-country, which returns after a lengthy hiatus, and makes sport No. 15 at the University.

The indoor and outdoor men’s and women’s track and field programs are always competitive, and have emerged nationally under head coach Mark Griffin . The spotlight of the entire program falls on senior Diana Lawson , and for good reason. The two-time NCAA Division III Indoor 55-meter dash National Champion is seeking a third title before she graduates. She already has earned First-Team All-America honors seven times during her first three indoor and outdoor seasons, including three straight years in the 55-meter indoor dash, and the 2001 and 2002 national titles. Denay Caldwell also burst onto the scene as a main event athlete in track, and took home First-Team All- America in the 2003 outdoor season in the 400-meter hurdles. A host of other outstanding athletes among the men and women also return. The NJCU women finished second in both the NJAC indoor and outdoor championships, and Griffin was named the 2003 Women’s Outdoor NJAC Coach of the Year for the first time.

When you think of the greatest basketball programs in college hoops history, the names UCLA, Kentucky , and North Carolina come to mind. However, what many people don’t realize is NJCU is on the same list with these Division I powers when it comes to consistency. NJCU has enjoyed 33 consecutive non-losing seasons since 1970, and 28 straight winning years in the books since 1975. The Gothic Knights are seventh all-time and third in Division III for each streak. That standard of excellence has allowed NJCU to remain one of the winningest programs ever to don uniforms in Division III.

Legendary coach Charles Brown won his 400^th game last season. NJCU has never missed the playoffs in Brown’s career, and that trend continued last season as the Knights advanced to the ECAC Semifinals as the third seed, the 21^st time in Brown’s 21-year career that his teams have reached the post-season. The next NJCU star with a shot at 1,000 points is senior forward Samar Battle, who enters the 2003-04 season with 909 points, a mere 91 away from becoming the 23^rd player to reach the milestone. The star of the future was discovered when freshman Mark Washington exploded onto the scene after he was inserted into the starting lineup for the year’s final 10 games, and earned NJAC Rookie of the Week honors in four of the final five weeks of the season. NJCU plays one of the hardest schedules in America this season, including games against two of last year’s Final Four teams in less than a week, highlighted by the Williams College (MA) national title club. As always, men’s basketball will be worth the wait.

                The women’s team will feature several new faces, as the Knights strive for success in the NJAC. Alice DeFazio , the head coach of the women’s basketball team enters the 10^th season of her second stint at the University. Returning for the Knights are junior forward Erin Raccioppi , junior guard Erika Cubile , and senior guard Melody Kushi, among others. NJCU’s women play a 25-game schedule with nine home games at the AFC, as NJCU celebrates the 10^th season of is state-of-the-art arena in 2003-04.

        For the first time, the sport if women’s bowling will have an NCAA Women’s National Champion in 2003-04, and the NJCU keglers, a Division III team competing against mostly Division I schools, were among America’s best in 2002-03. Guided by Frank Parisi, and ranked as high as 13^th in the nation among all schools in one poll last year the Knights have many bowling stars in Eryn Cully, Jen Viens, Lisa Melchior, Kathleen Weissman, and Christine Zsilavetz ready to roll. NJCU won two championships last year, and left a Division III pinmark when they shocked several Division I powers by winning the Penn State Nittany Lion tournament. This is the fourth year of the program.

Men’s volleyball needs to rebuild, after graduating four starters, including Chris Feliciano, who finished his career second all-time in kills. He joins the club as an assistant, and Pancarician, entering her third season with the men, will look to make the most out of lower than average expectations. However, don’t be surprised if a solid group of recruits does just that—surprise. The men’s volleyball team has always been a consistent winner.

In the spring, former Division II star Bridgette Quimpo assumes head coaching duties of the softball program, and will look to return the Knights to the form they enjoyed from 1998-2001, when NJCU won 110 games in four years, and registered 20 or more victories in each season. Among the players who will seek to make this a reality is Division I pitching transfer Ayana Abdul Raheem of Trenton, NJ. Also back are veterans Meagan Tullock, Jennifer Zielinski, and Tanya McCann.

Ken Heaton enters his 15^th season coaching baseball at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex. Nearly all starters return, including Jonathan Thomas, one of the leading hitters in school history, outfielders Pat Moore and Rich Boyer, catcher Steve Stiller, and fireballer Darlyn Pena to make this the year that the Knights hope to return to the post-season.

With top-flight student-athletes, coaches and facilities, NJCU has more reason than ever to be proud of its intercollegiate athletic program.

The support of loyal fans is important to any successful program.  You can help! Join the Green & Gold Club, today.

Tony DeBenedictis

Tony DeBenedictis

Green & Gold Club President

For more information, please contact Tony DeBenedictis at (201) 200-3317.