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MCCC
Athlete of the Week
Week
of Mar. 8-14
Co-Athletes: Men's and Women's Basketball
Uros
Kovacevic
Sophomore
Montenegro
Ivan Uskokovic
High Sch. |
Alexis
Sweet
Freshman
Trenton,
N.J.
Trenton
High School
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The excellent seasons of the Mercer County Community College basketball
teams are reflected in individual all-star honors, led by freshman
forward Alexis Sweet (Trenton, N.J.) being named to both the Region
19 and Garden State Athletic Conference first teams. The 5-foot-8
Sweet averaged a double-double of points and rebounds for the 21-9
Lady Vikings and ranks in the Top 10 in scoring in NJCAA Division
II.
On the men's side, Uros Kovacevic (Montenegro)
earned GSAC first team and
Region19 second team honors.The sophomore
guard/forward leads the Vikings in scoring and is tied for the lead
in assists. He will play a pivotal role in this week's NJCAA
Division II Championships in Danville, Ill. |
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Alexis
Sweet
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Uros
Kovacevic
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Week
of Mar. 1-7
Quentin Loftin
Men's Basketball
Sophomore
Florence, NJ
Florence High School
Earning its first Region 19 title since 1998 on Mar. 2, the men's
basketball team has benefited greatly from the strong performance
of sophomore guard Quentin Loftin, a starter for all 32 games. Known
as a defensive specialist, Loftin came up big on the offensive end
last Tuesday when he poured in 12 points to help a balanced scoring
attack that featured all five starters scoring in double figures.
Loftin's tough, gritty play on both ends of the floor will be key
during the National Tournament.
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Week of Feb. 22-28
Isaiah Andrews
Men's Basketball
Freshman
Florence, NJ
Burlington Twp. High School
The men's basketball team is one win away from advancing to the
Division II National Tournament, thanks in part to the solid play
of freshman forward Isaiah Andrews. Andrews had 17 points and 4
rebounds in MCCC's Region 19 quarterfinal win over Essex Feb. 23,
followed by 13 points and 4 rebounds in their semi-final victory
over Del Tech Stanton Feb. 28. Heading into the title game, Andrews
is averaging 11.8 points and 6.9 rebounds. He has been a powerful
presence in the post for the Vikings, who will need his consistent
play on both ends of the floor to help lead them to the Nationals.
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Week of Feb. 14-20
Jenn Casper
Women's Basketball
Ivyland, PA
Council Rock North High School
An ACL injury in the Lady Vikes' first game cut short a promising
season for sophomore forward Jenn Casper. Still, Jenn attends every
practice and game, cheering on teammates and rehabbing daily to get
ready for basketball at a four-year college next year. Her dedication
on and off the court sets an example about her work ethic and commitment
as an athlete and student. The Liberal Arts major hopes to continue
to strengthen her knee so she can build on the 7.1 points per game
and 7.8 rebounds she averaged in her first season at Mercer.
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Week of Feb. 7-13
Derek Williams
Men's Basketball
Sophomore
Willingboro, N.J.
Willingboro High School
Derek Williams'
play at point guard has led Mercer on a seven-game winning streak
that has included wins over Raritan, Ocean, Burlington and Del Tech
in the last two weeks. The sophomore has averaged double figures
in scoring (14 points per game) and dished out 24 assists over these
four games. His leadership and steady play over the next few weeks
are key as the Vikings look to advance in the Region 19 Tournament,
which begins next week.
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Week of Jan. 30-Feb. 6
Co-Athletes: Men's Soccer
Amit
Aburmad
Tel Aviv, Israel |
Ido
Ligety
Tevan, Israel
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Midfielders
Amit Aburmad (Tel Aviv, Israel) and Ido Ligety (Tevan, Israel) have
accepted full scholarships to contine their academic and soccer
careers at Div. I colleges in fall 2010. Aburmad will attend Boston
College of the Atlantic Coast Conference, while Ligety will play
soccer for St. John's of the Big East.
Ligety
was named a National Soccer Coaches Association of America second-team
All-American in 2009. Aburmad was a first-team National Junior College
Athletic Association All-American in 2008 and led MCCC with 13 goals
and eight assists in 2009. Both players were All-Region 19 first-team
selections.
Ligety
and Aburmad are Dean's List students studying Business Administration.
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Amit
Aburmad, left, and Ido Ligety
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Week of Jan. 18-24
Samantha Cobbs
Women's Basketball
Sophomore
Bordentown, N.J.
Bordentown High School
Team captain
Samantha Cobbs has been a solid leader, even as she grapples with
a nagging hamstring problem. She contributes in all the small ways
that add up to team success. In the Lady Vikes' last two wins, "Cobbie"
scored 12 pts. in an 81-79 victory over Union CC on Jan. 21 and
hit 9 pts. against Camden on Jan. 23.
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Week of Jan. 11-17
Paco Boussougou
Men's Basketball
Sophomore
Gabon
Laurinberg
Paco Boussougou
has come on strong for MCCC as its leading rebounder and second-highest
scorer. The 6-foot-4 big man had a pair of double-doubles while
the Vikings split a pair of games in New England earlier this month.
He had a double-double in the 73-65 win over Middlesex on Saturday.
The prior week, he had 19 points and 13 rebounds in a 73-59 victory
over Massassoit, and 13 points and 11 boards in a 71-65 loss to
the Community College of Rhode Island. The Vikings have a 9-9 record.
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Week of Jan. 4-10
Azaria Crews
Women's Basketball
Freshman
Ewing, N.J.
Ewing High School
Azaria Crews
proved pivotal in the Vikings' last three games, earning 21 points
and 11 rebounds in a win against Manor on Jan. 5; 8 points and 7
rebounds vs. Community College of Rhode Island on Jan. 9; and 20
points and 8 rebounds against UConn Avery Point on Jan. 10. She
was named Player of the Year in the CVC as a senior in high school
and was recently selected to the all-decade third team by the Trenton
Times.
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Week of Dec. 14-20
Uros Kovacevic
Men's Basketball
Sophomore
Montenegro
Ivan Uskokovic
High School
What MCCC men’s
basketball coach Howard Levy especially likes about Uros Kovacevic
is that he can play any position, making him a valuable all-round
contributor. The 6-foot-4 forward collected 18 points, five assists
and three rebounds in the Dec. 18 game against FIT. He is averaging
14 points, 4.5 assists and four rebounds for the Vikings (5-8),
who are on a mid-season break until Jan. 5.
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Week of Nov.
30-Dec. 6
Co-Athletes
of the Week: Baseball
James Page
Sophomore
Lawrenceville, N.J.
Cherry Hill High School West
Russell Stupienski
Sophomore
Columbus, N.J.
Northern Burlington Regional High School
It’s always
a thrill for a two-year college when a student-athlete earns a scholarship
to a four-year program. MCCC’s baseball program has doubled
that achievement in recent weeks and will send both James Page and
Russ Stupienski to the same four-year school next year after both
signed national letters of intent with Saint Peter’s College
of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Page is a 6’4”,
210-pound right-handed pitcher, while the 5’8”, 180-pound
Stupienski is a catcher, first baseman and pitcher. Both players
will be key members of this coming spring’s squad, which hopes
to build on the Vikings’ 27-15 season in 2009.
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James
Page
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Russ
Stupienski
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Week of Nov. 30-Dec. 6
Frank Tweneboa
Men's Soccer
Sophomore
Pennsauken, N.J.
Pennsauken High School
Recognition
for MCCC’s outstanding forward has reached far beyond Region
19 and the Garden State Athletic Conference. Frank Tweneboa has
been named to the National Junior College Athletic Association All-American
first team. The versatile Tweneboa had three goals and seven assists
for the Vikings’ 14-2 squad and helped the program win 33 games
during his two seasons.
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Week of Nov. 23-29
Alexis Sweet
Women's Basketball
Freshman
Trenton,
N.J.
Trenton
High School
Alexis Sweet
posted back-to-back double-doubles to lead MCCC to a pair of victories
at its Holiday Classic: 21 points and 12 rebounds against the CCRI,
and 20 points and 13 rebounds against CCBC-Dundalk. For the week,
the 5’8” forward averaged 19.7 points and 11 rebounds
in three games. Head coach Mike Tenaglia says Sweet attacks the
basket better than any player in his 20 seasons at MCCC.
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Week of Nov. 16-22
Samantha Foley
Women's Basketball
Sophomore
Hamilton, N.J.
Nottingham High School
The Vikings' tallest player came up big in an 81-73 loss to Harcum
College. The versatile, 6-foot forward scored 16 points while shooting
7-for-9 from the floor. She picked up a double-double by grabbing
10 rebounds and added two assists and two blocked shots. Foley is
a two-year starter for the Vikings (1-2), who play three times this
week.
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Week of Nov. 9-15
Marcus Jimenez
Men's Basketball
Sophomore
Vineland, N.J.
Vineland High School
Marcus Jimenez
helped MCCC to a split of two games. An excellent outside shooter,
the 5-foot-8 guard has been contributing in many ways already this
season. One of his better all-around games occurred this past week
against Harford Community College, when he had 12 points, four rebounds
and one steal. The Vikings are 2-2 overall.
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Week of Nov. 2-8
Frank Tweneboa
Men's Soccer
Sophomore
Pennsauken, N.J.
Pennsauken High School
The two-year
standout at forward made the All-Region 19 and All-Garden State
Athletic Conference first team and has been nominated for National
Junior College Athletic Association All-American honors. Tweneboa
had three goals and seven assists for the Vikings’ 14-2 squad.
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Week of Oct. 26-Nov. 1
Carolyn Walters
Women’s
Soccer
Sophomore
Hamilton, N.J.
Nottingham High School
As MCCC repeated
as the Region 19 Division I champs, forward Carolyn Walters scored
two goals in a 3-1 victory over Burlington County College in the
final on Oct 31. The Liberal Arts major also scored in the Vikings’
5-1 semifinal-round win over Sussex County College on Oct. 28. The
Vikings next play in the National Junior College Athletic Association
District G tournament, which will be played Nov. 6-8 in Monroe,
NY.
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Week of Oct.
19-25
Co-Athletes of the Week:
Women’s Tennis
Maria
Eldridge
Sophomore
Lawrenceville, N.J.
Lawrence High School |
Sachiko
Nishida
Freshman
Princeton, N.J.
Kudan High School (Tokyo)
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Maria Eldridge
and Sachiko Nishida were both singles runners-up at the Region 19
Championships, held Oct. 23-24. MCCC finished third as a team behind
champion Gloucester County College and second-place Brookdale Community
College. Eldridge reached the No. 4 final with a 6-0, 6-1 win in
the semifinals. With an 11-8 record, she led the Vikings in singles
wins this season.
Nishida, playing at her first regional championships, also won in
straight sets in the semifinals en route to the No. 6 final.
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Maria
Eldridge
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Sachiko
Nishida
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Week
of Oct. 12-18
Rebecca
Wolf
Women’s
Tennis
Sophomore
Pennington,
N.J.
Hopewell
Valley High School
Women’s
tennis coach Marc Vecchiolla lauds Rebecca Wolf for her leadership
qualities. Her tennis ability isn’t bad, either. The sophomore
posted an impressive 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 2 singles against powerful
Gloucester County College on Oct. 13. Wolf is a baseliner who finishes
off points with her forehand. This weekend, the Liberal Arts student
majoring in Psychology will try to repeat as the No. 2 singles champion
and No. 1 doubles champ (with partner Kristina Holsman) at the Region
19 Championships, hosted by Gloucester.
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Week of Oct.
5-11
Ido Ligety
Men's Soccer
Sophomore
Tivan, Israel
Ort Tivon
Sophomore Ido
Ligety continues to anchor the midfield for Mercer's men's soccer
team as the Vikings look to qualify for their ninth straight National
Tournament. On the season, Ligety has 2 goals and 4 assists and
has helped MCCC to a 11-1 record. Ido's dominance in the midfield
has drawn the attention of some top Division I programs, where he
hopes to transfer next year. Ligety's strong offensive and defensive
play helped Mercer to a 3-1 victory over Union Oct. 5 and 3-0 win
at Essex Oct. 9.
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Week of Sept.
28-Oct. 4
Kasey Kenny
Women’s Soccer
Sophomore
Staten Island, N.Y.
Tottenville High School
Kasey Kenny
is making a bid for National Junior College Athletic Association
Division I All-American honors for the second straight year. The
high-scoring forward pumped in seven goals as MCCC won three games
by a combined 14-0 last week, including a hat trick in the Vikings’
7-0 victory over Bucks County Community College. One season after
scoring 29 goals as a freshman, Kenny has 17 goals during the Vikings’
9-3 start.
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Week of Sept.
21-27
Emily Dow
Women’s
Tennis
Sophomore
Princeton
Junction, N.J.
West
Windsor-Plainsboro North
Emily Dow advanced
to the quarterfinals of ‘A’ flight singles and semifinals
of ‘A’ flight doubles with partner Rebecca Wolf at the
Second Women’s Northeast Regional ITA/Wilson Tennis Championship,
hosted by MCCC at Mercer County Park. Dow, a key returnee from last
year’s NJCAA Division III Championship qualifying squad, won
two matches in each flight.
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Week
of Sept. 14-20
Carolyn Walters
Women’s Soccer
Sophomore
Hamilton, N.J.
Nottingham High School
With some MCCC
forwards battling through injuries, Carolyn Walters has increased
her leadership role and continues to produce offensively. She scored
a goal in a 2-0 win over Ocean County College and had a goal and
an assist in a 3-2 win over Dean College. Her four goals tie for
the team lead.
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Week
of Sept. 7-13
Amit Aburmad
Men’s Soccer
Sophomore
Tel Aviv, Israel
Berl Katenelson HS of Education
Amit Aburmad
is dictating play this season as he did in 2008 en route to NJCAA
Division I All-American honors and the Vikings' third place national
finish. The midfielder scored twice and delivered three assists
as MCCC won its first two games by a combined 10-2 goal total.
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