Herkimer, NY— Several Herkimer County Community College student-athletes were recently named National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Distinguished Academic All-Americans and Academic All-Americans.

To be nominated as a Distinguished Academic All-American, athletes must have completed 45 semesters hours and maintain a minimum of 3.8 GPA. The 2010 honorees are:

George Hajjar (Utica, NY/Whitesboro), Baseball

Jack Pilkinton (Bourne End, England/Wye Valley School), Men’s Soccer

Lindsay Roth (Frankfort, NY/Ilion), Women’s Tennis

Brittany Varin (Ellenburg Depot, NY/North Adirondack Central School), Women’s Soccer

To be nominated as an Academic All-American, athletes must have completed 45 semesters hours and maintain a minimum of 3.6 GPA. The 2010 honorees are:

Erin Bentley (Gloversville, NY/Gloversville), Women’s Soccer

Joseph Bono (Frankfort, NY/Frankfort-Schuyler), Men’s Soccer

Sarah Dorosz (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), Women’s Lacrosse

Melissa Tundo (Watertown, NY/General Brown), Women’s Lacrosse

Director of Athletics Donald Dutcher said, “I am very pleased to have these student-athletes honored for their academic and athletic accomplishments. These individuals represent the true meaning of student-athlete and are superb role models for young people.”

Herkimer, NY— Herkimer County Community College’s Athletic Summer Camps include Baseball Showcase (ages 15 to 18-years-old) on July 17 and Boys Baseball Camp (ages 7 to 13-years-old) offered July 19-22. Both camps are led by HCCC’s head baseball coach Jason Rathbun.

The Baseball Showcase is from 8 am – 2 pm on July 17 (rain date July 18). The fee is $75 per person. The showcase is an opportunity for high school baseball players to meet with college coaches and learn about the recruitment process. More than 20 coaches from throughout New York State have been invited.

Boys Baseball Camp will meet from 9 am – 3 pm and includes a swimming component. The fee is $99 per camper. The camp will focus on the fundamentals of baseball including hitting, bunting, fielding, throwing and base running techniques. Simulated games will be played to put the learned techniques to use.

To register, contact the Athletic Department at (315) 866-0300, ext. 8255.

Akeem Ellis (Brooklyn, NY) was honored as HCCC’s Male Athlete of the Year. Ellis, a two-year starter for the men’s basketball team, racked up numerous accolades. He is a Business: Sports and Recreation Management major.

Amber Swanston (Burke, NY) was honored as HCCC’s Female Athlete of the Year for being a leader on both the women’s soccer and softball teams. Swanston is a Liberal Arts and Science: Physical Education major.

George Hajjar (Utica, NY) was honored as HCCC’s Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. A member of the 2010 Region III championship baseball team, Hajjar graduated in May with a degree in criminal justice.     Baseball coach Jason Rathbun said, “I am proud of George for enrolling in the honors program at HCCC. Maintaining a high GPA while in that program is a great accomplishment. I have no doubt that he will be successful at his next academic institution, as well as in the workforce once he completes his bachelor’s degree.” Hajjar plans to attend Felician College in the fall where he will play baseball.

Melissa Tundo (Watertown, NY) was recognized for being selected for the SUNY Chancellor’s Scholar Athlete Award and HCCC’s Female Scholar Athlete of the Year. The SUNY Chancellor’s Scholar Athlete Award is the highest award given to a student-athlete in the State University.

The award recognizes a combination of outstanding academic excellence and superior athletic achievement. Student-athletes must be nominated by their athletic directors to be considered for this award; nominees are then reviewed by athletic directors from across the SUNY system.

Women’s lacrosse coach Dianna Ste-Marie said, “Melissa is truly one of the hardest working athletes I have had the privilege to coach. She led the team this year by example both on the field and off by encouraging her teammates to always work hard to achieve their highest goals. Her intelligence in the classroom is reflected in her play on the field. Melissa was our key defender that could always be depended on to keep the defense working together. I am so proud of all her accomplishments.”

Hajjar and Tundo

Ellis and Swanston

Tundo graduated in May with an associate in arts degree in Art Studies.

Erin Bentley (Gloversville, NY/Gloversville), Women’s Soccer

Joseph Bono (Frankfort, NY/Frankfort-Schuyler), Men’s Soccer

Sarah Dorosz (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), Women’s Lacrosse

Shoko Fukuhara (Hyogo, Japan/Ikawadani), Women’s Volleyball

Megan Graham (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa), Women’s Lacrosse

George Hajjar (Utica, NY/Whitesboro), Baseball

Chelsey Muscatello (Clifton Park, NY/Ravena-Coeymans Selkirk), Softball

Jack Pilkinton (Bourne, England/Wye Valley), Men’s Soccer

Melissa Tundo (Watertown, NY/General Brown), Women’s Lacrosse

Herkimer, NY—Herkimer County Community College softball player Kayla Ladd (Fonda, NY/Fonda-Fultonville Central) was recently named a First Team All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). She received the honor as the Utility/DH representative on the First Team.

A freshman, Ladd was the only member of the 2010 HCCC softball team who started and played in all 37 games. She saw action in the outfield, at first base, as DH and behind the plate. She led the team in doubles (12), runs (41), RBIs (53) and hits (53) while hitting two home runs and swiping 15 bags. She was second on the team in batting average, hitting .449.

Head Coach PJ Anadio said “Kayla was one of those players that you just couldn’t take out of the lineup. As the season went on, it was evident that she was a player and a force. It seemed like every time we needed a big hit, she was standing in the batter’s box and she always seemed to come through. Without Kayla on our side, I’m not sure we would have even finished .500 this year.”

Ladd has prepared herself to be successful in game situations, especially focusing on the mental aspect of the game. Her development as a player was directly associated with her development off the field. Anadio, who was active in Ladd’s development off the field, explains “Kayla has grown so much in the past year as a student-athlete, player and human being. She has evolved before my very eyes into an extremely positive role model for young kids and is a terrific young lady. Kayla made a commitment to improve at everything that’s important outside of softball – grades, community service, family and just her overall wellness. This ultimately rolled over onto the field as well.” Despite her successful season, Anadio expects her to come back even stronger next season.

The Generals ended the season with an overall record of 21-14.

Jones was named First Team All-American. He hit .463 on the season with 14 doubles, four triples and a school record nine homeruns. He also racked up 55 runs batted in and 19 stolen bases. Foxton was named Second Team All-American. He hit .400 on the season with 16 doubles, four homeruns and 47 runs batted in.

Both Jones and Foxton played a huge part of Herkimer’s run to a third place finish in the 2010 NJCAA Division III World Series. Head coach Jason Rathbun said, “I am so proud of these very deserving student-athletes. They both worked so hard to be impact players for us this year and to have them achieve such a high honor is a great learning tool for future student athletes in our program.”

This annual event supports student scholarships and academic excellence at Herkimer County Community College.

This year’s tournament sponsor is Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Major sponsors include Adirondack Bank; Beebe Construction Services; Haylor, Freyer and Coon Insurance and National Grid.
Human Technologies Corporation, Remington Arms, Siemens Building Technologies and Whiter-Hendrix Funeral Home are gold sponsors. Silver sponsors include Bank of America/Merrill Lynch and The Crocker Agency.

The Generals began national tournament play by defeating Waubonsee Community College (Sugar Grove, IL) 5-2 in 12 innings and Nassau Community College (Garden City, NY) 6-2. The team suffered their first loss of the tournament to Gloucester County College (Sewell, NJ), losing 9-1 in 7 innings, followed by a loss to Tyler Junior College (Tyler, TX), ending their World Series run. Seniors Jeff Sergott (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany) and Alex Ferenti (Deerfield, NY/Whitesboro) were named to the All-Tournament Team.

The team ended the season with an overall record of 35-14.

Herkimer Generals – 6
Nassau Lions – 2
Final
Herkimer will face Gloucester CC tomorrow at 8pm EST

(Herkimer, NY – May 11, 2010) Herkimer County Community College’s baseball team won the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region III Division III Tournament last weekend by defeating Mohawk Valley Community College and Hudson Valley Community College. The Generals will advance to the NJCAA Division III World Series May 22 – 27

Senior Brett Hauber (Deposit, NY/Deposit Central) was named Tournament MVP. Seniors Brandon Jones (Sacramento, CA/Martin County), Kris Barone (Gloversville, NY/Gloversville) and Al Ferenti (Deerfield, NY/Whitesboro) were named to the All Tournament Team.

Several other honors have been announced this season, including the All Region III Team and the All Mountain Valley Collegiate Conference All Star Team. Jones, senior George Hajjar (Utica, NY/Whitesboro) and senior Lee Foxton (Clinton, NY/Clinton) were named First Team All Region. Ferenti, Barone and senior Amar Lewis were named Second Team All Region. Jones was also named Region III Player of the Year. Jones, Foxton, Hajjar and Barone were named to the All Mountain Valley Collegiate Conference All Star Team. Head coach Jason Rathbun was recognized as a Mountain Valley Collegiate Conference Co-Coach of the Year.

The Generals will begin World Series play on Saturday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. CST (6:00 p.m. EST) against the District B winner at Mike Carter Field in Tyler, TX. For more information and for a link to follow the tournament live visit www.apacheathletics.com/f/NJCAA_D3_Baseball_National_Tournament_Home.php.