2022-23 Points of Pride - Rutgers University Athletics

R YEAR IN REVIEW

TEAM NOTABLES

BASEBALL

BASEBALL registered their second straight winning season with a record of 33-23 and a 14-10 record in the Big Ten, good for a fifth-place finish and second straight appearance in the Big Ten Tournament. The program's 77 wins over the last two seasons are the most in a two-year span since 2000-01 and the back-to-back 30-win seasons are the first since 2004-05. Steve Owens recorded his 1,000th career victory, becoming just the ninth active Division-I head coach to reach the milestone and recorded his 100th career win at Rutgers. Third baseman Chris Brito etched his name in Rutgers history, setting program records with his 46 career home runs and 200 career RBIs. He is also the only player in program history to reach 200 career RBIs. Brito recorded his 200th career hit against Northwestern, becoming the 19th player in RU history to reach the milestone and also joined Ryan Lasko as the first players in program history with three consecutive seasons of double-digit home runs. Outfielder Ryan Lasko would also record his 200th career hit, becoming the 20th Scarlet Knight to reach the mark. Lasko also joined Brito as the first players in program history with three connective seasons of double-digit home runs. The postseason awards gave the program a pair of firsts, as Lasko became the first player to be named All-Big Ten First Team twice and pitcher Christian Coppola became the first freshman at Rutgers to be named All-Big Ten First Team.

BASKETBALL

MEN'S BASKETBALL closed out its fourth-consecutive winning season in 2022-23 with an overall record of 19-15, including double-digit wins in the Big Ten Conference for the fourth-straight time with 10 league victories. The Scarlet Knights also defeated the No. 1 team in the country in back-to-back seasons. Head coach Steve Pikiell received his 100th career victory at Rutgers and 300th career victory during the 2022-23 season. Clifford Omoruyi had a highly decorated season in 2022-23. Omoruyi became the first player in Rutgers basketball history to be selected Preseason First-Team All-Big Ten in 2022-23. At the completion of the season, the Benin City, Nigeria native was selected to First Team All-Big Ten Defensive Team and to the Second Team All-Big Ten (media). Caleb McConnell became the first player in Rutgers history to win the Lefty Driesell Award and became the first RU player to win a national defensive player of the year award twice this past season. He also beat out all the defenders in the nation for the 2022-23 ESPN College Gameday National Defensive Player of the Year Award earlier this month. McConnell was awarded the best defensive player in the Big Ten Conference with his consecutive Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Award alongside Northwestern's Chase Audige. Paul Mulcahy was a 2022-23 Big Ten Honorable Mention and received the Paul Robeson Renaissance Award for his work off the court. Cam Spencer was a Big Ten Honorable Mention.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL enjoyed its first season under head coach Coquese Washington. The team picked up its 1,000th program win to become the 22nd Division I program and the third active Big Ten school to reach the milestone. Washington also enjoyed individual success, securing her 100th Big Ten win as well as being selected as the 2023 WBCA Carol Eckman Integrity in Coaching Award recipient. She is the first coach to win the award while coaching at RU and the fifth Big Ten coach. The program’s first three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Kaylene Smikle became Rutgers’ all-time freshman leading scorer, ending the season with 573 points. She also rounded out her first year pacing the team with 17.9 points per game in addition to 15 games with 20+ points, 27 double-digit scoring contests, 56 three-pointers and 69 steals. Smikle was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team (media & coaches) as well as the All-Big Ten Second Team (media & coaches), becoming just the second player in program history to earn both awards in the same season. Chyna Cornwell was selected as an Honorable Mention (media).

CROSS COUNTRY

CROSS COUNTRY made strides during the 2022 season, capped by the women’s program earning its highest finish at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional. The team placed eighth overall behind the performance of three top-50 finishers in Alex Carlson, Kassidy Johnson and Sofia Condron. It was the best team finish since 2014 when RU placed 10th in the women’s standings. Carlson finished 20th overall in a field of more than 190 runners to pace Rutgers and earn All-Mid Atlantic Region honors. It was the Scarlet Knights' first all-region selection since 2015. The sophomore also posted the program’s second-best individual finish on the women’s side at the Big Ten Championships. Carlson finished 17th overall, shaving more than a minute off her freshman time at the 2021 Big Ten Championships. On the men’s side, Rutgers recorded a top-50 finish at the Big Ten Championships from Justin Cornetta. He also paced the Scarlet Knights at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals where he placed 34th overall and guided the program to a 17th-place finish out of 26 teams.

FIELD HOCKEY

FIELD HOCKEY entered 2022 with a host of new players in new roles following the graduation of 10 seniors from the historic 2021 Big Ten Tournament champion team. RU came away with eight wins and three Big Ten wins and collected five ranked wins during the 2022 season. The signature victory of the campaign came against the defending national champions, who would return to the NCAA Championship game again in 2022, as RU downed No. 3 Northwestern by a 2-1 final score. The Scarlet Knights also defeated No. 15 UConn, No. 19 James Madison, No. 23 Ohio State and No. 25 Monmouth.

FOOTBALL

FOOTBALL started 3-0 for the second straight season, the first time that had been done since 2007 and 2008. The victory over Temple marked the 79th victory for head coach Greg Schiano to pass the legendary Frank Burns as the program’s all-time wins leader. Rutgers also set a new average home attendance record as interest in the program continues to rise. One of eight players to collect All-Big Ten honors, three-time captain, punter Adam Korsak, earned First Team All-America status and won the Ray Guy Award as the nation's best punter. It marked the first on-field national award won by a Rutgers football player in program history. The defense was highlighted by Third Team All-Big Ten pick defensive lineman Aaron Lewis, as the unit improved by nearly 50 yards per game in total defense. The Scarlet Knights continue to develop players for the NFL, with defensive back Christian Braswell drafted by the Jaguars and six others signing contracts.

GYMNASTICS

GYMNASTICS concluded the 2023 regular season in spectacular fashion, winning a tri-meet against UPenn and No. 35 West Virginia with a new program-record score of 196.875, powered by a school-record 49.400 on beam and a school-record-tying 49.275 on vault. Emily Leese led the vault effort with a career-high and school-record-tying 9.925. The Scarlet Knights notched multiple 196+ scores for the first time in program history and posted four of the top five scores in school history during the 2023 season. The team also recorded 11 top-10 apparatus scores in 2023, including school-record marks on vault, beam, and floor. RU sent three gymnasts (Hannah Joyner, Emily Leese, and Stephanie Zannella) to the NCAA Regional Championships for the third straight year, extending the Rutgers regional representation steak to 13 consecutive years dating back to 2011. Joyner concluded her historic collegiate career with a fourth consecutive mention on the All-Big Ten First Team after scoring the top three all-around scores in school history in 2023, including the new record of 39.575.

GOLF

MEN'S GOLF was named the Northeast Team of the Year by golfstat.com for the first time in program history. Head coach Rob Shutte was named the 2023 Golf Pride Grips Region Division 1 Northeast Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. The season ended with the school hosting the first-ever Big Ten Tournament in New Jersey at Galloway National. Three players were honored last week on the All-Northwest PING Team in Xavier Marcoux, Luke Wells and Noah Kumar. Marcoux, a recipient of the Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship, was the Big Ten Golfer of the Week in the fall of 2022.

WOMEN'S GOLF won the team title at the Rocket Classic in the fall and Leigha Devine (Badger Invitational) and Rikke Nordvik (Rocket Classic) each won individual titles. Devine's score at the Badger Invitational also set an event record. The season saw numerous program records set both as a team and as individuals including the team's 54-hole total of 3-under 861 setting a program record by four strokes and the first 54-hole score under par. RU also set program marks with 293 birdies a 4.2806 scoring average on par fours. Leigha Devine set single-season records for scoring average (+1.67), birdies (86), par-5 scoring (4.9083). She also set the RU record for career rounds of par or better with 18. Maeve Rossi set a trio of program records with career birdies (265), rounds (135) and counting scores (122).

LACROSSE

MEN'S LACROSSE finished its season with an 8-6 record with the Scarlet Knights nationally ranked for the entire season, peaking at No. 6, and finishing at No. 15 in the RPI. RU claimed four wins over NCAA Tournament teams, three wins over teams in the top 15 of the selection RPI, and its three ranked wins during the year including a win over then-No. 5 Loyola. Three Scarlet Knights were named All-Americans by the USILA (Ethan Rall - First Team; Shane Knobloch - Second Team; Ross Scott - Honorable Mention) and the trio were all also named Second Team All-Big Ten.

WOMEN'S LACROSSE played one of the toughest schedules in the country and finished with eight victories and its third consecutive Big Ten Tournament Semifinal appearance. The Scarlet Knights picked up wins against three ranked opponents – No. 6 Stony Brook, No. 16 Johns Hopkins, and No. 19 Jacksonville – and closed the season ranked No. 24 in the IWLCA Coaches Poll. Four individuals - Meghan Ball, Ashley Campo, Marin Hartshorn and Cassidy Spilis - earned All-Big Ten recognition, with Ball being named Big Ten Defender of the Year. Ball and Spilis were also added to multiple All-America lists, while Ball, Hartshorn and Spilis finished as IWLCA All-Region picks for the third consecutive season.

SOCCER

MEN'S SOCCER made history in the fall, bringing home the first Big Ten Tournament Championship in program history and the first for any men's sport at Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights earned the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, the highest in program history. The team in turn hosted all three rounds of the tournament, bringing in over 4,000 fans to Yurcak Field for the title game. The 3-1 win over Indiana in the championship match punched Rutgers' ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. RU also pulled in a program-best eight Big Ten All-Conference Awards in 2022. MD Myers led the pack as the unanimous Big Ten Player of the Year as well as an All-Big Ten First Team selection. Cole Cruthers was selected as the first Co-Freshman of the Year in the Big Ten era, as well as to the All-Freshman Team. This marks the first time in program history the Scarlet Knights have had two major award winners in the same season. Head coach Jim McElderry and his staff were also named as the United Soccer Coaches North Region Staff of the Year for the first time in program history.

WOMEN'S SOCCER started the season with historic momentum as the team started a campaign with three matches away from home and won them all for the first time in program history, leading to the team's best start to a season at 9-0-0 and a program record, 20-match regular season winning streak dating back to 2021. The program continued a longstanding tradition of NCAA Tournament soccer, making the national bracket for the 11th year in a row, 13th time in the last 15 years, and 17th time overall. Sophomore back Emily Mason earned Third Team All-America, while Mason, Riley Tiernan, Sara Brocious, and Sam Kroeger received All-Region accolades. Those four, along with Allison Lowrey and Emma Misal, all earned All-Big Ten awards from the conference.

SOFTBALL

SOFTBALL picked up a 30-win season for the first time since 1994 ending the year at 32-25 overall with its best start since 1980, its first top 25 victory since 2012 and a school record 288 runs. The Scarlet Knights opened the year at 8-0 for the first time in 43 seasons and finished the nonconference schedule at 23-11. RU returned to the Big Ten Tournament behind a victory over No. 18/19 and Big Ten champion Northwestern, along with a series sweep of Illinois and Maryland. The Scarlet Knights earned five conference post-season honors with three named Second Team All-Big along with nods to the all-defense and all-freshman team. Outfielder/pitcher Morgan Smith and Kyleigh Sand were also named All-Region honorees, while third baseman Payton Lincavage was bestowed the prestigious Rawlings Golden Glove Award as the nation's top third baseman having committed only one error the season.

TRACK & FIELD

INDOOR TRACK & FIELD achieved a historic milestone at the conclusion of the Big Ten Championships, earning five individual gold medals and the highest team finish on the women’s side. The squad capped off the year with three NCAA Indoor Championship qualifiers and a total of 12 school records. The Scarlet Knights captured a combined eight medals at the 2023 Big Ten Indoor Championships, led by three golds on the women’s side and a pair for the men. Chloe Timberg captured the pole vault championship, while Kristina Tossas and Sincere Robinson swept the women’s and men’s long jump, respectively. Timberg set the Big Ten meet and school records with her height of 4.46m/14’ 7.5”. Nadale Buntin added a gold medal in the 200-meter and Alex Carlson won the 3,000-meter. Carlson also posted a second-place finish to earn silver in the mile run. For their efforts, the group each earned First Team All-Big Ten honors. The two other individual medalists included a pair of third-place finishes by Kassidy Johnson in the 800-meter and Chris Serrao in the 60-meter hurdles. The women’s squad posted its highest point total at the conference championships since Rutgers joined the Big Ten. Rutgers sent three qualifiers to the NCAA Indoor Championships as Timberg, Carlson and Robinson each earned a trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Robinson advanced to his second-consecutive indoor championships after qualifying as a freshman, while Timberg and Carlson made their first appearances. It also marked the first time in program history on the women’s side that two individual competitors qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships. Robinson, Timberg and Carlson earned Second Team All-America honors for their performances. Additionally, Corey Crawford was the recipient of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year. Leading off the list of a dozen school records was Carlson, who posted three top marks with the fastest Rutgers times in the 1,000-meter, mile and 3,000-meter. Buntin earned a pair of records on the men’s side with the best 60-meter and 200-meter sprints. Chris Serrao added the men’s 60-meter hurdles, while Adam Hunt posted the best distance in the weight. Rounding out the women’s records was Dennisha Page in the 60-meter, Claudine Smith in the triple jump, Jasmine Van Note in the shot put, Johnson in the 800-meter and Timberg in the pole vault.

OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD was highlighted by a successful title defense at the Big Ten Championships, a school record 19 NCAA East Preliminary qualifiers and five school records. Chloe Timberg was victorious in the pole vault, becoming a back-to-back Big Ten Champion. Sincere Robinson added a medal for the Scarlet Knights as he took silver in the long jump. Rutgers posted 19 podium finishes as the women’s squad totaled its highest scoring output at the outdoor meet. For the second consecutive year, Rutgers matched a program record with 19 Scarlet Knights qualifying for the NCAA East Preliminary Round. A pair of competitors emerged from that meet with Timberg and Robinson advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas. Robinson earned Second Team All-America honors following his debut performance at the outdoor championships, while Timberg received honorable mention. Nadale Buntin claimed sole possession of the school record in the 100-meter, while Robinson captured the record in the outdoor long jump. On the women’s side, Dennisha Page took the top spot in the 100-meter and Kassidy Johnson secured school records in the 800 and 1,500-meter, while Jasmine Van Note became the school record holder in the shot put.

ROWING

WOMEN'S ROWING finished the season 15th in the country with all three boats racing to second-place finishes in the C finals (14th overall) at the NCAA Championships, the fourth consecutive appearance for the Scarlet Knights at the national regatta. The Scarlet Knights entered the national championships with just nine returners from last season's NCAA boats, with the strong depth of NCAA newcomers keeping the trend of Rutgers outracing its seeding heading into the NCAA Championships. All three 14th-place boats finished ahead of their seed (V8 - 17th, 2V8 - 15th, V4 - 16th). Rutgers placed fourth at the 2023 Big Ten Championship winning four medals at the conference regatta and claiming Big Ten gold for a second-straight year after the 3rd Varsity 4 won its championship race. The Varsity 8 placed fourth, while the 2nd Varsity 8 and Varsity 4 raced to bronze medals, matching their best results at the Big Ten Championships. Two Varsity 8 boat members were named All-Big Ten with Hannah Heideveld taking First Team honors for a second consecutive season and Emma Waters earning a Second Team distinction.

SWIMMING & DIVING

WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING captured its highest point total at the Big Ten Championships since joining the Big Ten nine years ago and sent NCAA Zone A platform champion Giulia Vittorioso to the NCAA Championships. Altogether the Scarlet Knights produced six podium finishes at the conference championships along with 11 B final competitors and five C final appearances. RU set three new school records in the 100 breast and 200 and 400 medley relays, along with a trio of Rutgers Aquatics Center Pool records in the 50 free, 200 free relay and 200 medley relay. The Scarlet Knights achieved 99 personal bests during the season, 65 event victories, 25 times/scores among the all-time top 10 along with 24 NCAA B cuts/zone scores.

TENNIS

WOMEN'S TENNIS came out hot in the spring, starting off with a perfect 4-0 record for their first and best undefeated start since 2018. The Scarlet Knights faced nine Top 75 opponents in a very challenging Big Ten schedule. However, the team found success in the nonconference portion of the schedule, picking up nine victories including five shutout wins. In the second to last match of the regular season, the pair of Tara Chilton/Amira Badawi defeated the then-No. 28 ranked pair from Ohio State in a dominating 6-1 decision. The team kept it rolling in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament as Rutgers defeated Michigan State for the first tournament win in program history.

VOLLEYBALL

VOLLEYBALL opened the year at 3-0 for the first time since 1998 and battled eight Top 25 teams during Big Ten play and eight teams that advanced to the 2022 NCAA Tournament. During the nonconference schedule four Scarlet Knights were named to all-tournament squads. Altogether Rutgers had 11 entries among the rally-era season leaders list including Megan Vernon who wrapped up her career ranked second in the rally era in solo blocks (18) and junior Kristina Grkovic who was third serving up 34 aces on the year. RU also had 11 entries among the rally-era career leaders list with returnees junior Madyson Chitty fourth in career digs per set and sixth in career digs, Grkovic ninth in career solo blocks and 10th in career blocks per set, Alyssa Nayar eighth in career assists per set, Taylor Humphrey and Alissa Kinkela fifth and sixth respectively in career kills per set. Also among the record book entries was freshman Taylor Humphrey who tied for the most kills in a rally-era three-set match with 18 kills against the College of Charleston.

WRESTLING

WRESTLING finished No. 22 in the final 2022-23 NWCA Coaches Poll, the 10th final top-25 finish for the Scarlet Knights under head coach Scott Goodale. RU produced seven NCAA qualifiers for the second consecutive season and qualified five or more student-athletes to the national tournament for the ninth consecutive season. Rutgers finished fourth in the country in home attendance average with 5,018 fans per home match at Jersey Mike's Arena this past season. Its 7,848 fans in attendance against No. 1 Penn State on Feb. 10 marked the second-largest home crowd for a wrestling match at the arena in school history.