WOMEN’S TENNIS
The Kean University women’s tennis team took third place in the NJAC
– its best conference finish since 2000 when the league contained just
five schools – and posted an 8-4 overall record during the 2016 season.
The .667 winning percentage is the best by the Cougars since 2010.
Kean posted a 4-2 record in the NJAC conference and lost only to
Stockton University and perennial powerhouse The College of New
Jersey in league play. Exciting 5-4 victories over rivals Ramapo College,
Rutgers-Newark and William Paterson University all helped to boost
the Cougars in the NJAC standings.
Rose Hughes led the team individually with a 9-5 record, mostly at third
singles. Naylah Hinton played first singles in every match for the
Cougars and won two matches at the highest level. Anna Chan, Emily
Kopp and Alyssa Peterson all posted records of .500 or better during
the year.
The doubles team of Hughes and Michelle Luis was a perfect 4-0 on the
season, while Chan and Peterson racked up six total doubles victories
to lead the team.
Under fourth-year coach Jodi Valenti, the Cougars have now improved
their win records in three of the four seasons she has been at the helm.
MEN’S SOCCER
Under interim head coach John Velasco, the Kean University men’s
soccer team posted a 14-5-1 record, the best winning percentage for
the program since 2002. The Cougars had six players named All-NJAC
team and BradWatkins became the first Kean Player to earn First-Team
Academic All-District honors.
Kean’s season included an eight-game winning streak, and the Cougars
posted a 4-4-1 record in the New Jersey Athletic Conference that put
them in a tie for fourth place.
Watkins’ selection by the College Sports Information Directors of
America to the Academic All-District First-Teammeans he will advance
CoSIDA Academic All-America® Team ballot, where first-, second- and
third-team All-America honorees will be selected later next month.
On the field, Kazari Trought was a member of the All-NJAC First-Team,
Kenny Rocha, Robert Barrera, Mateo Castro Arias and Steven Osores were
Second-Team selections and Nicholas Sica was honorable mention.
The Cougars were among the Top-10 nationally in goals scored,
points, assists, shots and shots on goal. Kean’s .725 winning percentage
this season was the best for the program since the 2002 squad
went 16-5 (.762).
Some highlights from the year include the 4-3 victory over Montclair
State University, the Cougars’ archrival and Velasco’s alma mater.
Kean also won the Cialella Soccer Classic held at Rutgers-Camden
and finished second in the Flower City Tournament to open the
season. The Cougars posted 10 shutout wins and were blanked
themselves only twice all year. Kean more than doubled its opponents’
goal total for the season: 61-23.
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go cougars
