Rutgers-Camden Athletics

The first Rutgers-Camden team ever to qualify for the NCAA Division III national tournament, the Lady Raptors’ magical season included the first New Jersey Athletic Conference championship and the first NCAA post-season win in school history.

The Raptors’ 22-7 season started with a pair of victories to win the championship of the Betty Abgott Invitational at Buffalo State College (Nov. 23-24). After building a 14-6 record, the Lady Raptors went on a terrific late-season roll with eight consecutive victories, including an 88-71 triumph at top-seeded Kean University in the opening round of the NJAC playoffs (Feb. 27). The Raptors followed that victory with a 62-46 win at the College of New Jersey (March 1) to capture the school’s first NJAC title. Four days later, Rutgers-Camden won the first NCAA tournament game in school history, rallying from a halftime deficit for a 63-48 victory at Gwynedd-Mercy College. The dream season finally ended in the second round of the NCAA tournament with an 83-80 loss at perennial power Marymount University (March 8).

The team was sparked by the play of all-everything senior guard Cheryl Kulesa, whose numerous honors included d3hoops.com All-America Second Team, Women’s DIII News All-America Third Team and Division III Kodak/WBCA All-America Honorable Mention. She was recognized as both the NJAC and the ECAC Division III Metro Player of the Year, was named to the Verizon College Division Academic All-District II First Team and was a Jostens Trophy Top 10 finalist as the top student-athlete in Division III basketball. Kulesa added many weekly honors to a season which saw her place among the NCAA Division III leaders in each of the four major categories: scoring (11th, 21.2 points per game), rebounding (8th, 12.1 rpg), assists (fifth, 5.6 apg) and steals (fourth, 5.1 spg). She collected a single-season school record of 142 steals, while adding 157 assists (second on the single-season Rutgers-Camden charts), 340 rebounds (fourth) and 593 points (fourth).

Kulesa had plenty of support. Three other leaders ended their Rutgers-Camden career in style: Allison Cooney, Amy Dick and Joy Silver. Silver closed her career with 1,643 points (third all-time) and a program-record 1,067 rebounds, Cooney (5.4 rpg) became the first athlete in school history to captain her team into the NCAA playoffs and Dick (5.4 points and tenacious defense) was the team’s invaluable sixth man.

That senior quartet combined with major contributions from junior Erin James, sophomore Crystal Lucas and freshmen Megan Rulon, Dolores Hiller and Carmen Zimmitt. James finished second on the team with 100 assists, while Rulon’s team-high 55 blocked shots included eight in the win at Gwynedd-Mercy. She ended up leading the NJAC in blocked shots per game (2.12).

Another trio of freshman – Karen Carter, Lisa Geiger and Tanishia Greene -- added to the team’s success in the first season of their long and successful Lady Raptor careers. Rutgers-Camden also received contributions from senior Molly Anne Light (8.8 ppg in 15 early-season games) and sophomore Rachel Goldfarb-Hersz (six games).

The banner season also earned Head Coach Jackie Trakimas her second Rutgers-Camden Coach of the Year honor in three seasons. Her staff included former Raptor great Maureen McGovern and first-year assistants Joe Baker Jr. and Leo Mahon.