Cedar Rapids, Iowa…The long list of All-American wrestlers at The College of New Jersey grew by two on Saturday as junior Greg Osgoodby (Waldwick, NJ/Waldwick) and freshman Justin Bonitatis (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) each earned that distinction by placing in the top eight of their respective weight classes at the 2008 NCAA Division III Championships.

 Osgoodby placed seventh at 174 pounds, while Bonitatis finished eighth at 165. The two Lions increased the program’s overall number of All-Americans to 138

In the consolation bracket at 174, Osgoodby opened the second day of competition falling to Kyle Kehrli from Cornell College by the score of 6-1. He capped the tournament on a winning note as he defeated eighth-seeded Jerome Owens from Johnson & Wales University, 13-7 to claim seventh place.

 Bonitatis also dropped his first match on Saturday as third-seeded Gino Russo from Baldwin Wallace pulled out a 12-10 decision over the Lion freshman. He then faced Wartburg’s Justin Hanson in the seventh-place bout and fell by the count of 12-7.

 Both wrestlers finished the season with identical 36-7 records.

 One long streak did come to an end for TCNJ as they failed to finish in the top 20 at the national event for the first time since the tournament began in 1974. The Lions finished with 14 team points.

 The NCAA Championships were held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with Coe College, Cornell College and the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference serving as the hosts.

 

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Photos by Steve Skipton

Saturday 6 PM Wind custs of 45 mph to 60 mph caused numerous trees to fall in Gloucester City and throughout the South Jersey area. Above a tree fell across the 200 block of Market Street blocking off traffic. Wires down, the people in two homes had to be evacuated.

In the photo on the left taken in the area of the railroad and the 800 block of Middlesex Street a tree broke in half landing on a parked car and a section of the garage and house. There were no injuries reported.

Also in Gloucester City there were numerous calls to the police/fire departments about utility poles being damaged in the 200 block of Jersey Avenue, and along Water Street.

The Department of Transportation is reporting that the left lane on I-76/NJ-42 Southbound between Exit 1C: US 130 Southbound/Brooklawn/Westville and Exit 14: Creek Road/CR-753 is being shut down due to flooding.

According to Accu-Weather the last and most potent blast of the current complex winter storm will continue to slam the Northeast into tonight. The storm will bring a wide variety of adverse weather, ranging from flooding rain to strong thunderstorms to a dangerous blizzard.

The wide variety of adverse weather has created numerous problems for weekend travelers. The AccuWeather.com Traffic Report center and the FAA Flight Delay map will have the latest travel information for motorists and airline passengers.

On Friday, at least 15 tornadoes were sighted as severe storms slammed the Southeast from northern Florida to southern South Carolina.

Two people were killed in north Florida when a tornado touched down near Lake City. Columbia County Emergency Management spokesman Harvey Campbell reported to the AP that a woman was killed when a tree fell on her mobile home and a man was electrocuted when he tried to connect a generator after a power outage.

 

Media Release

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Rutgers used a late-inning rally with five runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth and closer Jason Downey (Ballston Lake, N.J.) shut the door with five strikeouts as the Scarlet Knights took down No. 21 Texas A&M, 10-8, in the series opener Friday night in front of 3,304 fans at Olsen Field.

The win improved the Scarlet Knights to 3-4 on the season and gave them their third victory over a nationally-ranked team (also beat No. 25 Old Dominion and No. 22 Georgia Tech) in the young season. Texas A&M fell to 9-3.

Facing a 5-1 deficit early on, Rutgers chipped away at Texas A&M\’s lead with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings. A leadoff double from Dan Betteridge (Sewell, N.J.) set the stage for a run-producing groundout to first base by Donny Callahan (Sparta, N.J.) two plays later for RU\’s second run and a two-out RBI single to right field from Luis Feliz (New Brunswick, N.J.) plated the Scarlet Knights\’ third score of the game.

Rutgers then continued its momentum and surged into the lead with a five-run seventh inning to make it 8-5. The frame started with a pinch-hit double to the gap in right-center field from Joey Ianiero (Bloomsburg, Pa.) and ended with an Ianiero pop out as the Scarlet Knights batted around in the inning. The damage had already been done as Ianiero stepped to the plate for the second time in the inning as the Scarlet Knights scored five runs all with two outs. A bases-loaded double from Jon Gossard (Harrington Park, N.J.) scored the first two runs of the frame. Matthews followed with a sharp grounder up the middle to score a third run. RU then capitalized from three wild pitches from Aggie hurler Kevin Cravey – Texas A&M\’s third pitcher of the frame – to plate two additional runs for the 8-5 lead.

With Holt out of the game, RU turned to Kevin Lillis (Fair Haven, N.J.) in the bottom half of the seventh. He worked to three batters getting one out before lefty Matt Patterson (Passaic, N.J.) came out of the bullpen. Texas A&M countered with a righty pinch hitter and the move paid off as the Aggies got a run across on a fielder\’s choice. They turned to a pinch hitter again and newly-inserted Caleb Shofner found the gap in right field to score one run before a miscue in the Scarlet Knight outfield allowed the tying run to cross the plate to knot it up at 8-8.

Rutgers came right back in the eighth. New Aggie hurler Kyle Thebeau issued a leadoff walk to Callahan and Brett Garlick\’s (Livingston, N.J.) sacrifice bunt was fielded by the third baseman, who attempted to get the Callahann out at second but his throw sailed into the outfield to put runners on the corners. A well-executed bunt from Vic Cegles (Phoenix, Ariz.) scored Callahan for the eventual game-winning run and Rutgers added an insurance run on an RBI groundout from Gossard.

A double by Texas A&M\’s Blake Stouffer put runners on second and third with one out in the home half of the eighth and chased Patterson out of the game. Downey came in with the tying run on second and shut the door on the Aggies with a pair of big strikeouts to end the threat. Downey continued his dominance with three more strikeouts in the ninth for his first save of the season. He nearly struckout the side in order before giving up a single on a 2-2 count to the second batter of the inning.

Rutgers starter Steve Holt (Toms River, N.J.) settled down from five runs in the first three innings to work a solid six-innings with four strikeouts and only one walk.

Patterson (1-0) got the win in an inning of scoreless relief, while Aggie reliever Kyle Thebeau (0-1) took the loss after surrendering the pair of runs in the eighth.

Rutgers\’ 10 runs are the most scored by a Texas A&M opponent this season. The previous high run total was seven.

Rutgers and Texas A&M continue their series Saturday night with a 7:30 p.m. game. Sophomore righty Casey Gaynor (Toms River, N.J.) will be on the mound for the Scarlet Knights against freshman lefty Brooks Raley for the Aggies.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

 

Box Score

GLASSBORO, NJ – Sixth ranked The College of New Jersey defeated 16th ranked Rowan University, 5-2 in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) game on Friday.

TCNJ improves to 13-2 overall and 2-0 in the conference. Rowan has a 13-4 record and a 1-1 NJAC mark.

 

Left hander Bob Buskett (PHOTO…..sr. Trenton, NJ/Notre Dame) pitched a complete game for the win. Buskett (3-0) scattered eight hits and gave up two earned runs, while striking out four batters. Lefty Joe Cichy (sr. Vineland, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) took the loss for the Profs. Cichy (1-2) went 7.1 innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs.

Lions\’ catcher Rich Gawlak (sr. Plainsboro, NJ/W.Windsor-Plainsboro S.) was one for two with one RBI, one run scored and a double. Shortstop Jeff Toth (jr. Parlin, NJ/Sayreville War Mem.) had one hit (four at bats), one RBI and one run scored. Left fielder Chris Esperon (so. Union, NJ/Union Catholic) recorded a double and one RBI. First baseman Bill Kropp (sr. Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts), third baseman Vince Mazzaccaro (jr. Gloucester, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) and center fielder Dave Mebs (sr. Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) each scored once.

For Rowan, second baseman Roland Rodriguez (so. Miami, FL/Miami Killian) was two for three with two runs scored. First baseman Tom Ready (jr. Blenheim, NJ/Triton Reg.) had two hits (four at bats) and one RBI. Right fielder John McMullin (jr. Woodbury, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) added two hits in four trips to the plate.

Rowan went ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning. Ready singled in Rodriguez, who reach base on a walk. TCNJ tied the game in the top of the third. Toth singled to center field, scoring Mebs. Rowan went up 2-1 with one run in the bottom half. Rodriguez singled and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. He went to third and scored on two wild pitches. The Lions took the lead for good in the top of the fourth. Gawlak led off with a double to left field and Kropp followed with a single to right. Gawlak came home on a balk and Kropp moved to second. Kropp scored from second on an error. In the fifth, Gawlak drove in Toth with a sacrifice fly. TCNJ added an insurance run in the eighth when Esperon doubled to left field, plating Mazzaccaro.

Rowan travels to Kean University for a NJAC doubleheader on Saturday, March 29 at noon. TCNJ plays a conference doubleheader at Rutgers-Newark on Saturday starting at 11:30 a.m.

Ewing, NJ…The start of the 2008 season for The College of New Jersey women’s lacrosse team was put on hold as the opener at Fairleigh-Dickinson University-Florham was postponed on Saturday due to inclement weather.

The Lions, ranked fourth in the latest Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Division III poll, will now face the Red Devils in Madison on Monday, March 10 in a 4 p.m. start.

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Boston, MA…Senior Brian Donatelli (Whitehouse Station, NJ/Hunterdon Central) and junior Martine McGrath (West Long Branch, NJ/Shore Regional) each met NCAA provisional standards in their respective events on the opening day of the ECAC Championships hosted by Harvard University on Friday.

McGrath was second overall in the 5,000 meters with a personal-best time of 17:16.60, while Donatelli was third in the shot put with a heave of 15.92 meters.

Junior Kirsten Gerbehy (Califon, NJ/Voorhees) also had a strong first day at the championship meet as she placed sixth in the pentathlon with 2,606 points.

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Fredericksburg, VA… The College of New Jersey women’s basketball team opened the 2008 NCAA Division III Championships in impressive fashion as the Lions got past Bridgewater (VA) State 65-52 in the first round on Friday.

The Lions (22-6) advance to face fourth-ranked University of Mary Washington (27-2) on Saturday at 5 p.m. Mary Washington will have the home-court-advantage as the Eagles are hosting the first two rounds of the tournament. Mary Washington advanced beating Baruch College, 73-58.

The win was the first in the NCAA Tournament for the Lions since a 60-52 victory over Hunter College in 2004.

TCNJ led from the start scoring the game’s first seven points and led by as many as 12 on several occasions. The Lions did a lot of their damage from behind the 3-point arc as junior Alyssa Michella (Washington Twp., NJ/Immaculate Heart Academy) connected three times from long range as TCNJ carried a 31-23 advantage into the half.

In the second half, the Lions built the lead to 43-27, but the Eagles closed the margin to 48-41 with 8:32 remaining. That was as close as Bridgewater would get as TCNJ responded with a quick 5-0 run to regain control en route to the victory.

Senior Sara Best (High Bridge, NJ/Voorhees) poured in a career high 19 points for the Lions, shooting 8-for-11 from the floor. She also added eight rebounds. Junior center Hillary Klimowicz (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) contributed with 16 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots, while Michella was the third Lion to each double figures with 11. Freshman Kelsey Kutch (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) added to the win with eight points and 10 rebounds.

Bridgewater capped its season at 15-14.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Conference champions meet this weekend as 2007 BIG EAST Champion Rutgers heads to College Station, Texas for a three-game series with 2007 Big 12 Champion and No. 21 Texas A&M. The Scarlet Knights and Aggies open the series with a pair of night games with first pitch set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, followed by a 1:00 p.m. game on Sunday at Olsen Field. Game times are listed in eastern standard time.

Rutgers (2-4) continues the challenging early portion of its schedule with its third nationally-ranked opponent in as many weekends. The Scarlet Knights lost a 9-5, daylight-shortened game to Temple on Wednesday in their home opener. After splitting a doubleheader with then No. 25 Old Dominion on the road, RU took one of three at then No. 22 Georgia Tech last weekend.

Junior preseason All-BIG EAST selection Tom Edwards (West Caldwell, N.J.) leads Rutgers offensively. The Scarlet Knights\’ No. 3 hitter owns a .435 average (10-for-23) with seven RBI in six games this season. He was a perfect 4-for-4 last time out against Temple.

The Rutgers weekend rotation consists of senior righty Steve Holt (Toms River, N.J.) on Friday, sophomore righty Casey Gaynor (Toms River, N.J.) on Saturday and junior righty Matt Giannini (Millington, N.J.) on Sunday. In his first game in nearly two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery last season, Holt pitched seven strong innings last Friday in a no-decision at Georgia Tech. He registered three strikeouts and allowed just one earned run. Gaynor pitched into the eighth inning against the Yellow Jackets and posted a career-high nine strikeouts in a one-run loss last Saturday. Giannini struck out five in 5.2 innings last Sunday at Georgia Tech. He didn\’t surrender a run until the sixth inning and retired seven-straight at one point against the Yellow Jackets.

Texas A&M is 9-2 on the season and enters the series on an eight-game winning streak. Last weekend, Texas A&M captured the Aggie Baseball Classic with victories over Ohio State, Arkansas and Louisiana Tech. The Aggies defeated Nicholls State twice during the week. Senior third baseman Dane Carter is hitting .465 with four doubles, four triples and three home runs. Texas A&M\’s only losses came in the season\’s opening weekend as the Aggies dropped a pair to Northern Colorado.

The Aggies will go with freshman righty Barret Loux (0-0, 5.14 ERA) on Friday, freshman lefty Brooks Raley (1-0, 3.68 ERA) on Saturday and sophomore righty Scott Migl (1-0, 2.31 ERA) on Sunday. Reliever Travis Starling has not allowed a run in six appearances, spanning six innings and has three saves on the season.

This weekend marks the first meeting between Rutgers and Texas A&M on the diamond. Rutgers will be playing in the state of Texas for the first time since 1999 when the Scarlet Knights traveled to Lubbock, Texas for an NCAA Regional, hosted by Texas Tech. RU dropped a pair of games in the regional, falling to the host Red Raiders, 5-2, and Rice, 6-1.

On March 6, 2008. Age 80. Of Gloucester City. Loving wife of 52 years to the late John \”Jack\” Kelley. Beloved mother of Thomas M. (Marsha) Kelley of Gloucester City and Christopher J. Kelley of Naples, FL. Loving and caring grandmother of Christopher M., Katje (Dualmaine), Heather (Koray), and Jonathan. Loving great-grandmother of Brianna, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Elijah. Dear sister of Joan Miller of Las Vegas, NV and the late Marie Heitzman.

Bernice is also survived by many nieces, nephews and her dear friends and fellow members of the Gloucester Catholic Sorority. Bernice was a faithful and devoted parishioner of St. Mary\’s R.C. Church. She was a graduate of Gloucester Catholic class of 1946 and was also a member of the Gloucester City Seniors Association. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend her viewing on Monday evening from 7 to 9 PM and again on Tuesday morning from 8:15 to 9:15 AM at the HEALEY FUNERAL HOME: 9 White Horse Pike, Haddon Heights.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday morning at 10 AM at Saint Mary\’s R.C. Church: 426 Monmouth Street, Gloucester City. Interment New Saint Mary\’s Cemetery, Bellmawr. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations in Bernice\’s memory to: Aid to Aging c/o St. Mary\’s R.C. Church, 426 Monmouth St., Gloucester City, NJ 08030 or to Sister Lucy Beal: 210 Penn Ave. Haddon Township, NJ 08108.

Please write Theresa \”Bernice\” Kelley. Expressions of sympathy can be e-mailed to the family through our funeral home website www.mccannhealey.com under online obituaries of Theresa \”Bernice\” Kelley. Funeral Arrangements and Inquiries may be made through: McCANN-HEALEY FUNERAL HOME: 851 Monmouth Street, Gloucester City. Phone: 856-456-1142