Honors Awards for MCCC Student Athletes

 

 

Eight graduating MCCC student athletes were recipients of awards at Mercer’s Honor Convocation, held on May 15^th, the morning of the 2025 Commencement.

 

Four graduating student athletes received the Art Forman Athletic Memorial Scholarship Award: Joey Socorro, Joe Lemly, Angelina Guida and  Makenna Spak.  The award is given to student athletes who display the highest level of sportsmanship and demonstrate success in academicas and athletics.

 

Baseball player Joey Socorro (West Deptford, NJ/West Deptford HS) hit .319 this spring with 41 RBIs and 46 hits.  Socorro had a .528 slugging percentage and had eleven doubles and five home runs.  Socorro earned Second Team All-Region 19 honors this spring.

 

Men’s basketball player Joe Lemly (Hamilton, NJ/Nottingham) averaged 7.2 points per game and 2.9 rebounds per game in the 2024-25 season. Lemly shot 43% from the field and made 40% of his three point attempts.  Lemly helped Mercer men’s basketball to qualify for the Region playoffs in back to back seasons.

 

Softball player Angelina Guida (Monroe, NJ/Monroe Twp.) hit .374 this spring and had 58 hits.  Guida also scored 64 runs, had 29 RBIs and 12 doubles.  Guida earned First Team All GSAC (Garden State Athletic Conference) honors this spring.

 

Softball player Makenna Spak (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) was also an Art Forman Scholarship Winner and NJ Stars Award Winner.   NJ Stars is a program for NJ  community college studentswho graduate in the top 15 percent of their high school class. Spak hit .364 with 48 hits and 33 RBIs and 47 runs.  Spak earned First Team All-Region 19 and GSAC honors this spring.  Spak was also Mercer Softball’s Women in Sports selection for her athletic and academic accomplishments as well as the leadership and teamwork she demonstrated.

 

Guida and Spak were members of the 2025 MCCC Region 19 and Atlantic A Championship teams that advanced to the NJCAA Division II World Series.

 

Women’s tennis player Ema Budaite (Kaunus, Lithuania/The Grier School) was the Forman & Sloshberg Memorial Scholarship Winner. This award is given to a student who has excelled in Social Science. Budiate also won the Liberal Arts Outstanding Achievement Award and received Highest Honors.  Highest Honors are given to students with a GPA of 3.95 or higher. 

 

Budiate was a Three Star Phi Theta Kappa Award Winner and a Scholar Award Winner from the Mercer Honors Program. Phi Theta Kappa Award is an international college honors society.  Mercer Honors Program Award Scholar Awards are given to graduates who complete multiple Mercer honors courses and demonstrate excellent work and commitment.  Budaite went 3-0 in Singles matches and 3-0 in Doubles matches this spring.

 

Men’s soccer player Philip Owczarek (Landshut, Germany/Hans-Carossa Gymnasium) was a Four Star Phi Theta Kappa Award Winner.  Owczarek had two goals and two assists in twelve games in 2024.

 

Men’s soccer player Diego Orquiz (Chihuahua, Mexico/Valle de Mexico) was a Scholar Award Winner from the Mercer Honors Program.  Orquiz started all 18 games for Mercer in 2024 and had five goals and one assist.

 

Orquiz and Owczarek were members of the 2024 Region 19 and Northeast District Champion team that advanced to the NJCAA Division II National Championship.

 

Women’s soccer player Sarah Kircher (Celle, Germany/Hermann Billung Gymnasium) won the Psychology Outstanding Achievement Award. Kircher was a member of the 2024 Region 19 Champion women’s soccer team and had one goal and two assists in the 2024 season.

 

Congratulations to these student athletes on their outstanding academic and athletic achievements!

 

For more on the success of Mercer's student athletes visit: https://www.mccc.edu/athletics_home.shtml