MIDDLESEX COLLEGE CELEBRATES STUDENTS AND COACHES AT ANNUAL COLTS ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Middlesex College Athletics held its annual Colts Achievement Awards ceremony and honored the fantastic accomplishments of the department's student-athletes and coaches from the 2023-2024 school year.
"I have been so impressed by the accomplishments of our students and teams in the three years I have been here at Middlesex College," said Director of Athletics Rocco Constantino, who served as the host for the evening. "I never know how we're going to top the previous year, but our athletes and coaches always seem to rise to the occasion. I am very proud of what they've been able to do."
The evening started with a welcome from College President, Dr. Mark McCormick and then went into a slideshow presentation of highlights and honors from the past school year.
Before moving into the recognitions and awards portion of the evening, Constantino led a remembrance of Head Softball Coach Jim Muldowney, who passed away on Monday after leading the Colts to a 24-7 record and #7 NJCAA National Ranking this season.
Among the accomplishments lauded were the fact that six Colts teams qualified for the NJCAA Region 19 playoffs with four teams finishing in the top four in their respective tournaments. They also recognized five student-athletes who received 1st Team All-Region 19 honors this year, 17 students who met the qualifications for the NJCAA All-Academic Team and one student, Makenzie Marsh, who was named National Player of the Week by the NJCAA for D3 Softball this year.
Women's Basketball Head Coach was also recognized for her 400th career coaching win (133 at Essex CC and 267 at Middlesex) and Men's Head Basketball Coach Winston Smith was presented with his Garden State Athletic Conference Championship plaque and GSAC Coach of the Year Award.
The Colts wrestling team was recognized for sending six wrestlers to nationals in Iowa and the softball team was honored for tying with RCSJ-Gloucester atop the D3 Region 19 softball standings with a 14-2 Region 19 record.
After the team honors portion of the evening, Constantino presented the five major departmental awards. The awards presented were as follows:
VINCENT DeSARIO AWARD
Named for Middlesex College golf student-athlete Vincent DeSario who passed away in 2010, the award is presented to a student-athlete for academic and athletic excellence. This year's recipient is Julia Milevoi, from the women's volleyball team. Milevoi is a two-year member of the team and has been a leader since she arrived to Middlesex as a freshmen. She is a dedicated player and someone who had a tremendous amount of Colts Spirit. Out of season, Milevoi could usually be found at our men's volleyball games too, rooting on her fellow Colts. In addition, she is an outstanding student who reached the academic qualifications for the NJCAA All-Academic Team.
SHANNON WILLIAMS COLTS SPIRIT AWARD
Named in honor of longtime Middlesex College Equipment Aide who passed away suddenly in 2022, this year's recipient was Ashley Knuth from the women's basketball team. All of the candidates were truly deserving, but Knuth stood out in a number of areas. A two-year member of the women's basketball team, Knuth was a dedicated team player and leader for head coach Michel Powell. Despite being a dedicated student and hard-working athlete, Ashley still found the time to attend Middlesex College games and events for just about every single one of our teams. But most importantly for this award, Ashley embodied the same enthusiasm for Middlesex College Athletics that Shannon Williams did. No matter what you asked of Ashley, on the court, in the classroom or in the department, she just said, "OK" and figured out a way to get it done at a high level. Ashley was a 4.0 student who was accepted to Columbia University, but ultimately chose to attend Rutgers University.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Voted on by the department's coaches and staff, this year's winner was Winston Smith the Middlesex College Men's Basketball Head Coach. Smith led the Colts to a 20-9 record, the D2 GSAC regular season title and a berth in the Region 19 playoffs in their first year as a D2 program. Middlesex started the season winning seven straight games and was ranked as high as #21 in the NJCAA D2 MBB national poll. The Colts also had a separate ten-game winning streak during the season. They also beat three teams that were nationally ranked (Dutchess, Raritan, Morris). Smith was named GSAC Coach of the Year. In addition, Smith is a leader in the department in the area of community service and campus engagement, often organizing his players in volunteer efforts.
MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Voted on by the department's coaches and staff, this year's winner was Michael Wansaw from the baseball team. Wansaw was the Colts top pitcher, hitter and baserunner this season. On the mound, Wansaw went 6-2 with 108 strikeouts in 70 innings. His 108 Ks were 3rd in the country among D3 pitchers. He hit .433 at the plate this season and was 11th in the country with 84 hits, which set a new Middlesex College record. His 43 stolen bases were 5th in the country for Division III. Wansaw had 31 multi-hit games this season. Wansaw had a knack for coming up clutch and that was best seen when he delivered the biggest hit for the Colts this season, a walk-off double to beat Cumberland in a wild extra-inning game in the first round of the playoffs. Wansaw was also an NJCAA All-Academic Team Member.
FEMALE ATHLETE
Voted on by the department's coaches and staff, this year's winner is Makenzie Marsh from the softball team. Marsh was the only freshman to receive one of the Colts major awards this year. Middlesex College softball had one of the top offensive teams in the country and as the leadoff hitter, Makenzie was the player who got the engine started. A 1st Team All Region player and National Player of the Week, Makenzie hit safely in 28 of the Colts 30 games this season. Her .489 batting average and .567 on base percentage were both 12th in the nation among qualified hitters. She batted a team-high .490 among Region 19 games. She was a key reason the Colts went 24-7 and gained a share of the 2024 Region 19 softball regular season title. Marsh also played a stellar second base and was also an NJCAA All-Academic Team Member.