PITMAN, NJ – A total of six Rowan student-athletes –
Tess Herman (field hockey),
Sydney Kowalczyk (field hockey),
Julianna Giordano (women's soccer),
Vanessa Hutchinson (volleyball),
Matthew Conway (cross country),
Dan Cota (cross country) and
Gabriella Pagano (cross country) – received weekly honors from the New Jersey Athletic Conference for the week ending October 5.
Herman earns her second consecutive NJAC Field Hockey Defensive Player of the Week award as she had a hand in two victories for #20 Rowan. The senior co-captain had two assists from her spot in the backfield. She assisted on Rowan's first goal in the 5-1 win at Messiah and then assisted on the goal that tied the score at 2-2 in the 4-3 overtime win over #20 Lynchburg.
Kowalczyk also picks up her second straight Rookie of the Week honor in field hockey by recording three goals and an assist in two games. The freshman scored two goals in the win at Messiah, marking her third multiple-goal game of the year. She then added a goal in the 4-3 overtime win over #20 Lynchburg, scoring the goal that tied the game at 2-2. Kowalczyk tops the team in scoring with 11 goals and 2 assists.
Hutchinson, a junior, was chosen as the Defensive Player of the Week as she totaled 54 digs in 13 sets in Rowan's 4-0 week, while adding eight assists and five aces. In a win over Immaculata, Hutchinson collected 13 digs and four assists and then had 18 digs against DeSales.
Giordano, the women's soccer Defensive Player of the Week, helped anchor a Prof defense that recorded two clean sheets over NJAC opponents last week. In the home win over Rutgers-Camden, the senior scored a goal and assisted on another in the #18 Profs' 3-0 victory.
Rowan swept the men's cross country honors with Conway picking up the Runner of the Week award. He ran the fastest NJAC time in all the races at Lehigh's Paul Short Run, finishing 44th (25:13.90) in the White race.
Teammate Cota was the Rookie of the Week after he emerged as the top NJAC freshman at the Paul Short Run. He clocked a time of 26:48 in the 8K open race to lead all first-year conference runners in the meet.
Pagano was the NJAC women's cross country Runner of the Week for the third time this season and second week in a row. She placed eighth (21:14.10) in the Women's White 6k race at Lehigh's Paul Short Run and was the top finisher in the NJAC while Rowan was 20th overall with 666 points.
