The Rutgers football team was ranked No. 22 in Athlon Magazine’s Preseason Top 25 poll, which was released today on AthlonSports.com. The Scarlet Knights return 15 starters from last season’s 8-5 squad that won the program’s second consecutive bowl with a 52-30 victory vs. Ball State in the International Bowl.
Senior wide receiver Tiquan Underwood is featured on the cover of the Eastern edition of Athlon’s PreviewMagazine, which hits newsstands June 6.
Nine players collected Preseason All- Big East honors according to Athlon. Underwood and senior free safety Courtney Greene earned First TeamAll-Conference accolades.
The Scarlet Knights open the 2008 season Monday, Sept. 1, on Labor Day vs. Fresno State.
The game will be televised to a national audience on ESPN.
The Rutgers Student-AthleteAdvisory Committee (SAAC) put on its annual fund raiser to help benefit Special Olympics New Jersey. The SAAC presented Special Olympics with a check for $1,430 at its annual Color Games event on May 6.
“The Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) has been dedicated to not only working as an organization to better the quality of the student-athlete experience but has also made it a goal to support the works of local outreach programs in an effort to help enrich those organizations,” said Maisha Palmer, Rutgers Athletic Academic Advisor/Life Skills Coordinator.
Members of the 24 intercollegiate sports at Rutgers donated team apparel which, along with tickets to football, and men’s and women’s basketball games, were raffled at the Rutgers men’s and women’s lacrosse doubleheaders against Syracuse on April 12.
“There is a long standing relationship with Special Olympics New Jersey (SONJ),” Palmer added. “Each year the SAAC works diligently to raise funds for SONJ. This year we had an overwhelming response from teams and SAAC representatives. It is a credit to the leadership within the student-athlete community that Rutgers Athletics has taken progressive steps to be involved and actively support the surrounding communities.”
Sophomore pitcher Nicole Lindley was named the Most Valuable Player at the Rutgers softball team’s annual postseason banquet on Saturday,May 3. Lindley led the Scarlet Knight rotation in a number of categories, including a teamlow ERA of 3.56 and a record of 9-7 on the season.
Lindley led the Scarlet Knight rotation in a number of categories, including a team-low ERA of 3.56 and a record of 9-7 on the season. She also registered a save and posted a team-best 81 strikeouts. In addition to her pitching duties, Lindley made appearances in the middle infield and as a designated player.
Freshman Mandy Craig was selected as the Rookie of the Year after batting a team-high .299 in her first season. It was Craig’s second honor on the afternoon, as she shared the Most RBI Award with junior Kate Valiante. The pair each recorded 28 runs batted in, while Valiante tied for the team lead in home runs with four. Valiante also set the all-time record at Rutgers with 30 career hit by pitches, with 15 occurring in 2008.
The Most Improved Player Award was presented to junior Kim Hodges. Since arriving in 2006, Hodges has increased her batting average in each of her three seasons, hitting .265 this year with 20 RBI. As the Scarlet Knights’ starting catcher, she was a force behind the plate, throwing out 15 would-be base stealers.
Senior Mallory Miller was the recipient of the Coaches Award, while junior Carissa Conroy earned the Regina E. Seggern Softball Loyalty Award. One of the squad’s tri-captains, Miller was second on the team in hits (47), third in batting average (.288), on-base percentage (.372) and runs batted in (23). Conroy was unable to see action this season, after battling through a nagging injury but her contributions were felt heavily in the locker room and in the dugout.
The Sudfield Academic Achievement Award was given to freshman pitcher Katye Hamlin while the 2007 ScholarAthlete Award was presented to junior Amanda Heller. Hamlin finished with a 7- 7 record in her rookie season. Heller was the only player on the squad this season to start all 55 games in left field. Heller was second on the team with a .293 batting average and a .421 slugging percentage. She led the squad in doubles (nine) and on-base percentage (.458, sixth-best in Big East). Heller also posted a team high with 36 walks, which ranked second in the conference.
The Scarlet Knights completed the regular season with an overall record of 23-32 and a 7-15 mark in Big East play, under second-year head coach Jay Nelson.