College Indoor Track: Raptor of the Week: Mike Fox Monday, February 5, 2007 By Mike Ballard RutgersCamden Sports Correspondent RAPTOR OF THE WEEK Mike Fox (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley) Junior Mike Fox contributed to 20 points with a pair of first-place, program-record finishes to help the Scarlet Raptors' indoor track team place eighth out of 21 scoring teams at the Frank Colden Invitational Feb. 3 at Ursinus College. Fox won the 1,000-meter run with a record time of 2:35.34, then anchored the record-setting 4x800 relay team, which won its event in a time of 8:08.94. WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (8-13 overall//2-8 NJAC) January Mon. 29 Rutgers-Camden 53, Brooklyn College 47 Wed. 31 Richard Stockton College 60, Rutgers-Camden 47 February Sat. 3 New Jersey City University 63, Rutgers-Camden 53 Upcoming Games Wed. 7 Rowan University 6 p.m. Mon. 12 at Gwynedd-Mercy College 7 p.m. Wed. 14 at The College of New Jersey 6 p.m. Sat. 17 Kean University 1 p.m. The Rutgers-Camden women’s basketball team posted a non-conference win over Brooklyn College to start the week (53-47 in Camden, Jan. 29), then lost a pair of New Jersey Athletic Conference road games at Richard Stockton (60-47, Jan. 31) and at New Jersey City University (63-53, Feb. 3). Rutgers-Camden opened the week with a hard-fought 53-47 non-conference win over Brooklyn College Jan. 29 in Camden. Junior guard Amber Parker (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) scored all seven of her points in the second half, including five straight to break a 36-36 tie and give Rutgers-Camden the lead for good. After the teams were tied at 30-30, 32-32, 34-34 and 36-36, Parker put the Raptors ahead to stay on a three-point play with 11:47 remaining in the game. She nailed a jumper and tacked on a foul shot. Moments later, she added a layup as Rutgers-Camden took a 41-36 lead. The Bridges managed to slice the gap to 43-41 with 3:34 remaining on a foul shot by sophomore forward Ryane Hecker before the Raptors hung on for their second straight win. After Brooklyn scored the first point of the game on a foul shot, the Lady Raptors rattled off 12 consecutive points to grab an early 12-1 lead. The Bridges, however, worked their way back into the game, aided by seven first-half points from senior guard/forward Brittany Natiello, and trailed by only 27-24 at halftime. Junior forward Carmen Oyola (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) and Jankowski each had six points in the opening 20 minutes for the Lady Raptors. Brooklyn forged back to tie the game at 30-30 on a jumper by Natiello just 2:15 into the second half, setting the stage for a hard-fought contest the rest of the way. Rutgers-Camden produced a balanced attack in which no Raptor collected double figures in scoring. Junior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) led the team with nine points, while adding a game-high 15 rebounds. The nine points raised her career total to 501. Oyola finished with eight points, while Parker added seven to tie her career high, set at Kean University Jan. 24. The Bridges received a double-double from junior guard Jaclyn Cavalcante, who notched a game-high 16 points and added 10 rebounds. She scored 11 of Brooklyn’s 23 points in the second half. Natiello led the Bridges with 13 rebounds, while chipping in with nine points. Hecker added 11 rebounds for Brooklyn, which held a 58-45 advantage off the boards. The two teams shot a combined 38-for-135 (28.1 percent) from the floor as Brooklyn went 15-for-66 (22.7) and Rutgers-Camden was 23-for-69 (33.3). Brooklyn went 4-for-23 (17.4) from three-point range, while Rutgers-Camden was 2-for-12 (16.7). Hafiz notched game-high totals of five assists and five steals for the Scarlet Raptors before fouling out in the second half. In their 60-47 NJAC loss at Richard Stockton Jan. 31, the Raptors watched Osprey senior guard Jenna Shenk score a game-high 21 points, including four three-pointers. Richard Stockton overcame early Raptor leads of 4-0 and 6-2 to take a 24-22 halftime lead. The Ospreys never trailed in the second half as Shenk scored 15 of her points in the final 20 minutes. Stockton also received 10 points from junior guard Michele Auerbacher, while senior forward Alicia Morris had a game-high 11 rebounds. Rutgers-Camden received 16 points, eight rebounds and a game-high four assists from junior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional). Senior forward Karen Carter (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) added 10 points and seven rebounds. Jankowski collected three assists to raise her career total to 202, becoming one of only six players in program history to reach 200 career assists. In the Raptors’ final game of the week, senior guard Latrese McNair scored a game-high 19 points, including a layup to spark a decisive 15-point second-half run and lead the Gothic Knights over the Scarlet Raptors. Junior center Tiffany Boyd added 14 points for NJCU, which never trailed in the game. The Lady Raptors managed only a 6-6 tie in the opening half. A short time later, trailing 9-8, the Raptors watched the Gothic Knights rattle off 11 straight points to open up a 20-8 lead. Rutgers-Camden rallied to close the gap, however, as freshman guard Alexis Culbreath (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township) and Oyola each scored nine points in the opening half. Carter added six first-half rebounds to help Rutgers-Camden cut the gap to 31-29 at the half. For NJCU, McNair had 10 points to lead all scorers in the opening half. NJCU maintained that lead in the second half until Rutgers-Camden fought back to tie the game at 41-41. Moments later, McNair gave NJCU the lead for good with her layup, which sparked a 15-point run. In addition to her 19 points, McNair added a game-high four steals and blocked two shots. Boyd had seven rebounds and a game-high three blocked shots for NJCU. Rutgers-Camden received 12 points, nine rebounds and three steals from junior Hafiz. She now has 99 steals on the season, making her one shy of becoming the lone player in program history with a pair of 100-steal seasons. She also passed the 600-point plateau for her career, raising her total to 609. Oyola finished with 11 points, while Carter notched 10 points and nine rebounds. Culbreath, who scored all nine of her points in the first half, set a career high in scoring, passing the six points she notched on three occasions earlier this season. Jankowski had a game-high 12 rebounds for Rutgers-Camden. Both Jankowski and Hafiz fouled out in the second half. The Gothic Knights shot 26-for-58 (45 percent), while the Raptors were 21-for-64 (33 percent). MEN’S BASKETBALL (5-16 overall/ 1-9 NJAC) January Wed. 31 Richard Stockton College 80, Rutgers-Camden 50 February Sat. 3 New Jersey City University 69, Rutgers-Camden 46 Upcoming Games Mon. 5 at Eastern University 8 p.m. Wed. 7 Rowan University 8 p.m. Wed. 14 at The College of New Jersey 8 p.m. Sat. 17 Kean University 3 p.m. Rutgers-Camden played a pair of New Jersey Athletic Conference road games during the week against two of its toughest opponents. The Raptors lost at Richard Stockton College Jan. 31 by an 80-50 score, before falling at New Jersey City University Feb. 3, 69-46. Despite the two losses, Scarlet Raptor seniors Dane Nicholson (Pleasantville, NJ/Holy Spirit) and Sydney Francis (Camden, NJ/Woodrow Wilson) posted big weeks. Nicholson hiked his career total of steals to 158, setting a program record, while Francis notched a double-double in both games. In their Feb. 3 loss at Jersey City, the Raptors saw New Jersey City University sophomore swingman Dana John score a game-high 23 points, including 6-for-12 shooting from three-point range, to power the Gothic Knights to their NJAC win. In that game, Nicholson set the career record for steals. With one steal, he raised his career total to 158, one more than the mark set by Marvin Young from 1977-81. He also added a team-high 15 points for the Raptors. Offensively, John raised his single-season output to 67 three-pointers, breaking the old NJCU mark of 65 set by Ed Baum in 1991. John also increased his career total to 113, fourth on NJCU’s career list. The Gothic Knights took a 30-26 halftime lead after the teams were tied on four occasions. NJCU took the lead for good with 10:15 remaining and scored 11 of the first 14 points in the second half to open up a double-digit lead. The Gothic Knights’ biggest second-half margin came with 1:05 remaining when they led 69-42. In addition to John, NJCU received 10 points apiece from junior forward Marques Hill and junior guard Shy Martinez. Hill added a team-high eight rebounds, while sophomore guard Kevin Tucker had eight points and game-high totals of eight assists and eight steals. The Scarlet Raptors received a double-double from Francis, who scored 12 points and added a game-high 13 rebounds. Freshman guard Joshua Askew (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township) added 11 points for the Raptors. The Gothic Knights held a 41-36 advantage off the boards and forced the Scarlet Raptors into 24 turnovers. Against Richard Stockton, Nicholson had one steal and tied Young’s Rutgers-Camden career record for steals, but the biggest milestone of the night belonged to Stockton Head Coach Gerry Matthews, who won the 400th game of his career. In his 21st season, Matthews raised his record to 400-176 at Stockton, including a 41-0 record against Rutgers-Camden. The Ospreys have won the last 45 games against the Raptors to lead the all-time series, 53-7. Stockton never trailed in the game and was only tied once, at 2-2. The Ospreys led by as many as 23 points in the first half (40-17) on their way to a 40-21 halftime lead. Richard Stockton received a game-high 18 points from junior forward Jon Greene, while junior guards Mario Lancioni and Fran Kelly added 14 and 12 points, respectively. Francis had a double-double for the Raptors with 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Askew added 10 points. Rutgers-Camden held a 39-31 advantage off the boards, but the Ospreys shot 56.6 percent (30-for-53) from the floor, including 42.9 percent (12-for-28) from three-point range. The Raptors shot only 32.2 percent (19-for-59) overall and 14.3 (1-for-7) from three-point range. INDOOR TRACK February Sat. 3 Frank Colden Invitational Men: 1. Ursinus, 72.5; 2. Delaware, 72; 3. Johns Hopkins, 65.5; 4. Gettysburg, 55.5; 5. Dickinson, 44.5; 6. Frostburg State, 44; 7. Rowan, 43; 8. Rutgers-Camden, 35.5; 9. Temple, 31; 10. Franklin & Marshall, 27; 11. (tie) La Salle and Howard Community College, 19; 13. Haverford, 18; 14. Salisbury, 17.5; 15. Swarthmore, 17; 16. Catholic, 16; 17. (tie) St. Francis (NY) and Mary Washington, 6; 19. Community College of Philadelphia, 5; 20. (tie) Albright and Cumberland Community College, 2. Women: 1. Towson, 165; 2. Temple, 83; 3. Johns Hopkins, 59; 4. Gettysburg, 43.5; 5. Dickinson, 35.5; 6. Delaware, 31; 7. St. Francis (NY), 26; 8. Franklin & Marshall, 23; 9. Mary Washington, 21; 10. Frostburg State, 17; 11. Bryn Mawr, 15; 12. Haverford, 14; 13. Community College of Philadelphia, 12; 14. Salisbury, 11; 15. (tie) Catholic and Rowan, 8; 17. Swarthmore, 7; 18. (tie) Ursinus and Goucher, 6; 20. La Salle, 4. Did not compete: Rutgers-Camden Rutgers-Camden Winners: * 1,000 M, Mike Fox, 2:35.34 * Men’s 4x800, 8:08.94 (Jonaathan Salamon, Frank Iwanicki, Akeem Lloyd, Mike Fox) Rutgers-Camden School Records: * 200 M, Stefon Coleman, 24.23 (Old: Patrick Eigbe, 24.86, Jan. 19, 2007 at Collegeville Indoor Classic) * 400 M, Akeem Lloyd, 53.10 (Old: Stefon Coleman, 54.12, Jan. 19, 2007 at Collegeville Indoor Classic) * 1,000 M, Mike Fox, 2:35.34 (Old: Jonathan Salamon, 2:41.31, Jan. 19, 2007 at Collegeville Indoor Classic) * 3,000 M, Travis Stewart, 9:12.65 (Old: Stewart, 9:30.64, Feb. 4, 2006 at Frank Colden Invitational) * Triple Jump, Michael McClain, 35-8.74 (Old: McClain, 33-7, Jan. 27, 2007 at Lebanon Valley College) * Shot Put, Mark Smith, 45-2.52 (Old: Smith, 40-5.04, Jan. 19, 2007 at Collegeville Indoor lassic) * 4x400, 3:34.08 (Salamon, Lloyd, Coleman, Iwanicki). Old: 3:35.17 (Salamon, Lloyd, Coleman, Iwanicki), Dec. 9, 2006 at Winter Invitational * 4x800, 8:08.94 (Salamon, Iwanicki, Lloyd, Fox). Old: 8:23.02 (Iwanicki, Lloyd, Stewart, Salamon), Dec. 9, 2006 at Winter Invitational Upcoming Meets February Mon. 19 at NJAC Championships (John Bennett Indoor Athletic Center, Toms River) 4 p.m. March Fri. 2-Sat. 3 at ECAC Championships @ Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT) Fri. 9-Sat. 10 at NCAA Championships @ Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Terre Haute, IN) Junior Mike Fox (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley) finished first with a pair of Rutgers University-Camden indoor track records at 1,000 meters and on the 4x800 relay team to spark the Scarlet Raptors at the Frank Colden Invitational Feb. 3 in Collegeville, Penn. Rutgers-Camden collected 35.5 points to finish eighth out of 21 scoring teams in the men’s competition, which was won by host Ursinus College (72.5). Rutgers-Camden did not compete in the women’s invitational, which was won by Towson University (165). Overall, the Scarlet Raptors set eight team records on the day, led by Fox, who had a hand in 20 of his team’s points. His first-place time of 2:35.34 at 1,000 meters broke the time of 2:41.31 set Jan. 19 by sophomore teammate Jonathan Salamon (Bridgewater, NJ/St. Joseph-Metuchen). Fox also anchored the winning 4x800 relay team, running an 8:08.94 to break the school mark of 8:23.02 set Dec. 9. Joining Fox on the team were Salamon and freshmen Frank Iwanicki (Edgewater Park, NJ/Holy Cross) and Akeem Lloyd (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City). The Raptors’ 4x400 team tied for fourth place to earn 4.5 points, setting a program record of 3:34.08 in the process. That team of Salamon, Lloyd, sophomore Stefon Coleman (Penns Grove, NJ/Penns Grove) and Iwanicki broke the mark of 3:35.17, which also was set Dec. 9. Scoring four points apiece for the Raptors, with fifth-place finishes and program records, were freshman Mark Smith (Vineland, NJ/Vineland) in the shot put and sophomore Travis Stewart (Runnemede, NJ/Triton Regional) in the 3,000-meter run. Smith’s shot put of 13.78 meters (45-2.52) broke his own mark of 40-5 set Jan. 19. Stewart ran a 9:12.65 to break his own mark of 9:30.64 set at the Frank Colden Invitational last season (Feb. 4, 2006). Coleman set a program mark of 24.23 while finishing 15th in the 200-meter dash. The old mark of 24.86 was held by sophomore teammate Patrick Eigbe (Galloway, NJ/Absegami), set Jan. 19. Another old mark from Jan. 19, a 54.12 clocking by Coleman in the 400-meter dash, was erased by Lloyd, who ran a 53.10 to finish 13th. The Raptors’ final program record came in the triple jump, where sophomore Michael McClain (Sewell, NJ/Bishop Eustace) recorded a distance of 10.89 meters (35-8.74) to finish 15th. He broke his old mark of 33-7 set Jan. 27. McClain also finished 21st with a long jump of 16-3.28. The Raptors’ final three points came from a sixth-place finish by Iwanicki at 800 meters (a personal best of 2:02.88).