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Being a college athlete, at any level, is something to be proud of.
Whether playing in Division I, DII or DIII, athletes spend hours each week training and competing to earn their college degree. But what’s the big difference between athletes who play in Division I programs and those who don’t? They do. Often their exploits fly under the radar of local sports conversations. This is especially the case for women’s programs.
Example: Here in New Jersey, we have eight Division I athletic programs, with a total of 19 programs at the DII and DII levels. It’s a lot of programs with lots of untold stories.
In a recent column, we focused on the top-ranked NYU women’s basketball programs. The program is on an 11-game winning streak thanks to some New Jersey talent on its roster. In response, we heard from Rutherford’s basketball mom about her daughter Gina Gaccione, a 19-year-old who now plays for her college in St. Anselm, New Hampshire, and is a longtime teammate. Harmony is back in Rutherford for the first time with her Marquez. All of her friends, family and teammates attended Thursday’s game.
It was a fun story to tell, but I thought: Short answer: too many. A small first step to change that? With the goal of sharing these stories more often, here’s a quick rundown of recent college victories across New Jersey women’s college sports.
There are many stories worth highlighting in the last three months alone.
In October Felician University Women’s Cross Country Team For the first time in program history, the team made history by winning the Central Atlantic Collegiate Eight Conference Championship at Philadelphia’s Belmont Plateau.The university is also in the process of adding another Division II women’s program, Acrobatics and Tumbling, by 2023-2024.th program for women.
Also in autumn Fairleigh Dickinson University Women’s Soccer Team For the first time since 2005, the Division III Florham Campus was named champion of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Tournament. As an alumnus of this team, I cannot express how exciting it was to cheer for them from afar.
over the weekend, Keene University Women’s Swimming Club After defeating the University of New Jersey 150-112, they won the first-ever New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship. In his NJAC swimming record history dating back to 1986, only TCNJ and Rowan University have won the title. This also comes after a 14-year hiatus in Keane’s Division III swimming program, which resumed in 2017.
There is also a current hot streak by Drew University Women’s Basketball TeamThe Rangers are on a 10-game winning streak after defeating the University of Moravia 59-51 at Palestra in Philadelphia. The venue is often referred to as the cathedral of college basketball.
These are just a few examples and this list is not exhaustive. As always, if you have any ideas or clues that programs or athletes should focus on, please send them to me.
For me, a former Division III footballer, playing college was not the admiration and accolades that come from being a college athlete. I did it for my love of gaming. Soccer was a part of my life, so I wasn’t ready to give it up. And considering I still play several times a week, I probably will never let it go.
I also know that when my high school’s soccer team was featured in the local newspaper, the ratings were highly praised. By sharing your story, we hope these athletes know what it’s like too.
Women & Sport is a NorthJersey.com column for female athletes from rec league level to college and professional. If any athlete from North Jersey should be featured in this column, regardless of age or age, please contact [email protected].
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