Ikeda recognized during year-end award ceremonies
Niki Ikeda of Lawrence received a Wade W. Watkins Award when the Fairleigh Dickinson University Florham Campus hosted its 45th annual athletic awards banquet at the Wyndham Hamilton Park Hotel in Florham Park.
The former Lawrence High standout was selected to receive the award that is presented to the athlete who best exemplifies the qualities of Wade W. Watkins, such as enthusiasm and a selfless willingness to give.
Ikeda was an all-star in field hockey for all four years at FDU-Florham. She evolved from Freedom Conference Rookie of the Year as a freshman to Freedom Conference Player of the Year as a senior.
Also excelling in the classroom—she was named to the Middle Atlantic Conference All-Academic Team—she appears on numerous lists in the field hockey record books at FDU, including offense (game-winning goals) and defense (saves).
Benedetti honored for academic excellence
Ten members of the Rider University softball team—including Morgan Benedetti of Ewing—earned Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference All-Academic honors. As a sophomore, Benedetti posted a grade-point average of 3.29. The Ewing High graduate is majoring in biology as she pursues a career goal of becoming a trauma surgeon. She is a two-year member of the Broncs’ softball team as a catcher/outfielder.
Roemer caps collegiate track career among best
Former Ewing High standout Brigit Roemer concluded a banner career at The College of New Jersey by competing in the 2015 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field National Championships.
She placed 11th overall in the high jump event, clearing 1.66 meters (5’-5.25”). She returned to take 21st place in the triple jump with a top distance of 10.73 meters.
Roemer is a two-time All-American, placing third in the high jump at the 2011 indoor nationals and eighth in the high jump at the 2013 outdoor national championships.
Grzenda readying for chance at gold at Delaware
Scott Grzenda is preparing for his 26th season as women’s soccer coach at the University of Delaware. Grzenda, formerly of Hamilton, is the only head coach in UD women’s soccer history. The Steinert High School alumnus has compiled a career record of 229-193-42, led his teams to three second-place finishes in America East Tournament play (1994-96), and been named league Coach of the Year three times. His teams have posted 16 winning seasons and won 10 or more games 11 times. Grzenda was inducted into the SHS Athletic Hall of Fame in April 2012 and into the Mercer County Soccer Hall of Fame last April.
He has coached seven all-region players, 15 first-team all-conference selections, and seven CoSIDA District 2 All-Academic recipients during his tenure at Delaware. Grzenda has led 12 of his teams to league post-season play, including a streak of three straight seasons in which the Hens have advanced to the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament in 2011-13. His teams made three straight America East Tournament championship game appearances in 1994-96 and have advanced to the league tournament semifinals eight times.
He earned consecutive America East Conference Coach of the Year honors in 1993, when his Blue Hens finished 11-6-1 overall with 10 freshmen on the roster, including six in the starting lineup, and in 1994 when Delaware made an appearance in the inaugural America East championship game and had a school-best 16-2-1 record.
A 1987 graduate of the University of Delaware, Grzenda was a three-time All-East Coast Conference selection at midfield from 1984-86 and earn regional All-American honors during his playing days for the Blue Hens. He finished his four-year career with 23 goals and seven assists and was the Hens’ leading scorer his senior year in 1986 with eight goals and two assists in leading the team to the ECC championship game. He was a team captain in 1985 and 1986 and still ranks in Delaware’s all-time top 10 lists for goals scored and points. In addition to his duties at Delaware, Grzenda assists with the Olympic Development Program.
Fearnbach adds to UDel’s Mercer roots
Pennington native Kim Fearnbach is entering her fouth season as a volunteer assistant coach with UD’s women’s soccer program. She earned her degree in physical education with a minor in psychology and coaching from Wesley in 2012.
She currently teaches physical education in the Christina School District.
Fearnbach was a four-year standout at Wesley, playing goalkeeper as a freshman in 2008 and forward her final three seasons. She served as team captain as a senior in 2011 when she ranked second in scoring in the league and was named the team Most Valuable Player. She finished her career ranked in the Top 10 at Wesley for goals and points. She was also a Dean’s List student and was selected to the CAC All-Academic team.
Prior to Wesley, she attended Hopewell Valley High School where she was an all-conference and all-area selection and competed for the softball and basketball teams. She was also a member of the Jersey Knights Lady Lancers Premier Soccer club team.
Fearnbach also has experience with the Olympic Development among other youth soccer programs.
Donigan has eye on postseason
Entering his sixth season at the helm of the Rutgers University men’s soccer program, Dan Donigan and his Scarlet Knights are ready to face another challenging schedule. Donigan, the former Steinert High and UConn standout, has again put together one of the toughest schedules, not shying away from the country’s top teams. As RU begins its second season in the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights will be taking on eight teams that advanced to the NCAA tournament, including a pair of quarterfinalists.
After nine successful seasons at Saint Louis University, Donigan returned to the Garden State to coach at Rutgers in 2009. Donigan led the Billikens to seven NCAA appearances, including a second-round showing at the 2009 tournament. He posted a 118-42-23 overall record at Saint Louis. He was a three-time conference and a two-time NSCAA Regional Coach of the Year while at Saint Louis, guiding the Billikens to a pair of trips to the quarterfinals in seven NCAA tournament appearances.
Success in the classroom is also important to Donigan. The Scarlet Knights have been recipients of the NSCAA College Team Academic Award for achieving a 3.0 or higher grade-point average in three of the last four seasons. During his tenure, Donigan has had four NSCAA Scholar All-Americans, four CoSIDA Academic All-Americans and 14 student-athletes named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. During the fall of 2013, 15 members of the Scarlet Knights recorded a grade-point average over a 3.0, including six making the Dean’s List with over a 3.5, and collectively, the team earned a cumulative GPA of 3.207. Following the 2014 season, six Scarlet Knights landed on the All-Big Ten Academic Team with two earning the Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award for over a 3.7 GPA for the academic year.
At the University of Connecticut from 1985-88, Donigan was a three-time All-American and First Team All-New England forward. He also was selected as the Big East Conference Northern Division Player of the Year in his final two seasons. Donigan was further honored by his selection as the Big East Player of the Decade. Donigan received the Adidas Adi Dassler Award as the nation’s “Most Outstanding Senior Soccer Player” in 1988. He also was one of 11 players selected as a 1988 Soccer America MVP, registering team highs of 11 goals and 11 assists while leading UConn to its third NCAA tournament berth in four seasons. An All-America pick his final three seasons, Donigan was a finalist for Missouri Athletic Club Player of the Year honors as a junior and senior. He finished his career at Connecticut with 35 goals and 40 assists for 110 points. He ranks sixth in all-time scoring, third in career assists and tied for ninth in career goals.
At Steinert, he scored 34 goals in his senior year, leading the Spartans to the Group III state championship. In 1999, he was named by the Star-Ledger as one of the top 10 New Jersey high school soccer players of the 1980s.
HERE AND THERE … Shannon Maher of Hamilton recently received recognition at William Paterson University. The Steinert High alumna was a recipient of a Student-Athlete Academic Excellence Award for maintaining a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or better as a four-year member of the women’s soccer team. In other news from WPU, Jeremy Oiler of Hamilton was named honorable-mention New Jersey Athletic Conference All-Academic. The Nottingham High alumnus is a member of the Pioneers’ swimming program … Delaware Valley University placed 19 of its student-athletes—including Jessica Oszvart of Robbinsville—onto the 2015 Middle Atlantic Conference Spring Academic Honor Roll. The Notre Dame High alumna is a member of the Aggies’ tennis program.
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