WARRIOR SPIRIT

ATHLETIC UPDATES

FIELD HOCKEY ADVANCES TO SIXTH CONSECUTIVE NCAA TOURNAMENT

ESU’s field hockey program continued its sustained success this fall, reaching the NCAA Tournament for the sixth consecutive time and advancing to the semifinal game for the fourth straight tournament under 37th-year head coach Sandy Miller. Miller, who ranks fourth in Division II history with 459 career victories, led the Warriors to a 16-5 record before falling 2-1 to eventual national champion Shippensburg in the national semifinals.

ESU’s Field Hockey Team celebrates their advancement to the NCAA Tournament.

VOLLEYBALL MAKES SECOND STRAIGHT NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

Under the direction of PSAC Coach of the Year Tricia Melfy, the Warriors finished the regular season on a nine-match winning-streak to secure the No. 1 seed in the PSAC East and ultimately earn the right to host the conference final four. During that stretch, ESU recorded six consecutive sweeps, eight in total and dropped only one set. The Warriors ultimately fell to PSAC champion Clarion in the semifinals but punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. The Warriors were led by senior setter Ali Finch, who was named the PSAC East Athlete of the Year, was an All-Region selection, and was ESU’s first women’s volleyball student-athlete named Academic All-America. Finch put together one of the most impressive seasons in program history by leading the Warriors in kills and assists while also ranking second on the team in digs and blocks. The senior recorded five tripledoubles, the second-most during a career at ESU, and was fifth in DII in triple-doubles this fall. Seniors Kenzie Guimont and Emily Meredith were both named to the All-PSAC second team. Meredith ranks third all-time at ESU in career ESU had two NFHCA All-America first team selections in seniors Hannah Barbush and Celeste Veenstra. Three others also earned All-PSAC accolades, senior Morgan Mesenbrink and junior Lia Parker on the second team and junior Nicole Krozser on the third team. Veenstra had a team-high 12 goals and scored 41 in her three seasons at ESU, while Barbush notched three goals and eight assists. During the regular season, ESU had winning streaks of seven and eight games, and turned in a five-game shutout streak that matched a program record. Sophomore goalkeeper Amy Supey was honored twice as the PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Week and NFHCA Defensive Player of the Week after not allowing an opponent to score for 286:54 minutes over six games. Barbush earned a pair of prestigious academic awards. The senior was honored as the PSAC Champion Scholar and earned the Elite 90 award at the NCAA Championships as the student-athlete with the highest gradepoint average at the championship site of both tournaments. She has compiled a 3.9 GPA while serving as secretary on ESU’s 2021-22 StudentAthlete Advisory Committee.

digs, and is one of five to eclipse the 1,500-dig mark. At the conference tournament, junior outside hitter Jessica Irwin became the program’s first student-athlete to earn PSAC Champion Scholar honors, recording a 4.0 GPA as an exercise science major.

ESU’s Volleyball Team was led by senior Ali Finch.

WARRIOR SPIRIT

WARRIORS SOCCER COMBINES FOR 7 ALL-PSAC HONORS

Goalkeeper Mauri Jackson was named to the All-PSAC East first team, and Mirthe Bos and Haley Skove earned second team honors for ESU women’s soccer. Jackson, who was also first team All-Region, has one year of eligibility remaining and currently ranks fourth at ESU in saves (284), third in goals against average (0.85) and third in shutouts (25). Skove is just the fifth Warrior to earn All-PSAC honors in all four seasons of her career. She is tied for ninth in school history with 22 career goals, and her 84 career starts rank third. She helped lead the Warriors to a 53-25-6 record since 2017, scoring the game’s only goal to win the PSAC championship as a freshman, and advanced to three NCAA Tournament appearances. On the men’s side, Juan Carlos, Lucas Marques and Colby Raymond were named All-PSAC first team, with Bradley Turocy on the second team. The four Warriors accounted for 23 goals and 17 assists in 2021. Carlos and Raymond were also named to the NCAA DII CoSIDA Academic All-District team for their accomplishments in the classroom. Since 2017, ESU has boasted a 40-25-8 record, with a PSAC Championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance. ESU has posted the top grade point average among all men’s soccer teams in the PSAC the last two years. Both teams are coached by Rob Berkowitz, who completed his 14th season as women’s head coach and 10th as men’s head coach. He has 173 wins, a .648 winning percentage, four PSAC championships and seven NCAA Tournament appearances in women’s soccer, and 70 wins and a PSAC title with the men’s program, taking home both PSAC trophies in 2017.

ESU Women’s Soccer

WOMEN’S WRESTLING HOSTS FIRST EVER DUAL MEET AT KOEHLER FIELDHOUSE

The nationally-ranked ESU women’s wrestling team defeated Elmira College 30-18 in the program’s first-ever dual meet at Koehler Fieldhouse on November 3. Natalie Dunn recorded a tech fall for the first win for the Warriors in a dual meet in the Poconos. Avery Meyers also pinned her opponent to highlight the dual. The Warriors also hosted the second annual ESU Freestyle Open on November 7, with Emily Klein and Haley Delia placing in the event which featured wrestlers from some of the top programs in the sport.

Haley Skove was a four-time All-PSAC selection.

The ESU Men’s Soccer Team

ZARDET ’20 RETURNS AS WOMEN’S TENNIS HEAD COACH

Marina Zardet ’20 was named the head coach of the ESU women’s tennis program in November. Zardet returns to the Poconos after serving as a graduate assistant coach for the men’s and women’s tennis teams at DeSales University since July 2020. As a student-athlete for the Warriors from 2016-20, Zardet went 27-21 in singles matches and posted a record of 22-27 in doubles. She was named All-PSAC East second team in singles in 2017 after advancing to the Round of 16 at the PSAC Individual Championships. In his 11th season, Al McCormick ’77 remains in his role as head coach of the women’s golf program.

WARRIORS HONOR ESU FACULTY, STAFF WITH SHIRTS OFF THEIR BACKS

Prior to the Shippensburg game on October 30, the ESU football team presented jerseys, representing “shirts off their back” to ESU staff and faculty members that have made a powerful impact during their time at ESU.

NINE WARRIORS NAMED TO ALL-PSAC FOOTBALL TEAMS

Nine members of the ESU football team were named All-PSAC, as ESU closed the 2021 season with a 5-6 record. Tailback Gunner Anglovich, wide receiver Rece Bender, defensive end Deshawn McCarthy and safety Tyler Watson earned spots on the AllPSAC East first team, while kicker Devin Bartholomew, guard Anthony Capitini, defensive tackle Andre Eldridge and punter Nate Reed were honored on the all-conference second team. Deshawn McCarthy, named AFCA All-America first team, put together one of the best seasons in program history in terms of rushing the quarterback, with 13 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss in 11 games. He led the conference and ranked second in the nation in sacks, and was just two sacks shy of tying the program record of 15 held by Des Hussey (1991) and Joe Ruedt (1992). Anglovich, a product of Liberty High School in Bethlehem, ranked fourth in the conference in rushing, gaining 962 yards (87.5 yards per game) and scoring eight touchdowns. He also had 28 receptions for 210 yards. Bender closed his impressive season with 795 receiving yards, ranking second in the league. He averaged over 19 yards per catch, including six receptions of 45-plus yards, highlighted by a 96-yard reception from Jake Cirillo on Homecoming vs. Millersville – tied for the longest reception in Division II this fall and ESU’s longest play from scrimmage since 2013. He also broke the school record for the longest kickoff with a 99-yard touchdown against Lock Haven. Watson did it all for ESU as a safety. He ranked third on the team in tackles (54) and was ranked in the top 10 in the PSAC in pass breakups, interceptions and forced fumbles. Additionally, Bender was named to the Academic All-America team, and defensive tackle Daryn Blackwell joined him on the Academic AllDistrict team, for their impressive accomplishments on the field and in the classroom.

Rece Bender Gunner Anglovich All-America selection Deshawn McCarthy

Tyler Watson

WARRIORS ARE RIDING IN STYLE IN TWO NEW MARTZ BUSES

Coming to a highway near you, the ESU athletic department unveiled two new buses co-branded with ESU Warriors branding and Martz Group logos on October 27. ESU and Martz recently agreed to a three-plus year contact, continuing as the official ground transportation provider for the Warriors. When not in use by ESU, the new co-branded buses will act as a traveling billboard for the University with regular passenger bus route services to New York City and Philadelphia. The bus launch event featured remarks from ESU Interim President Kenneth Long and ESU Director of Athletics Dr. Gary R. Gray. “We are very excited to continue our partnership with Martz. Our studentathletes are thrilled to travel to competitions on buses that represent them,” Long said. “The added value of having these buses regularly travel to and from New York and Philadelphia with ESU branding is a tremendous opportunity for the University as we spread the message that ESU is Where Warriors Belong!” After students and media had a first look at the new rides, the buses got their first taste of the area, with a “tour” through Crystal Street in East Stroudsburg and Main Street in Stroudsburg.

performances by student-athletes in men’s wrestling and men’s and women’s track and field. Additionally, ESU placed in the top 15 percent in the Learfield Directors’ Cup national standings in NCAA Division II and had a fourth-place ranking (of 18 member institutions) in the PSAC’s Dixon Trophy competition. Many facility enhancements have also occurred under Dr. Gray’s watch, including: Creekview Park baseball and softball fields; new artificial turf at Eiler-Martin Stadium and Whitenight Field; new sound systems at Eiler-Martin Stadium, Whitenight Field, and Koehler Fieldhouse; three new locker rooms in Koehler Fieldhouse and one at Whitenight Field; refurbishing and rebranding of the floor in Koehler Fieldhouse; new four-sided digital scoreboard in Koehler Fieldhouse; new heating and air conditioning system in Koehler Fieldhouse arena; long-awaited painting of bleacher seating at Eiler-Martin Stadium; two new batting cages in Koehler Fieldhouse; new shot clocks at Koehler Fieldhouse and Whitenight Field; improved strength training areas and equipment in Koehler Fieldhouse; new furniture in Koehler Fieldhouse conference room and all coaches’ offices; and new football offices.

DR. GARY GRAY ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

Dr. Gary R. Gray, director of athletics, announced his retirement in late November, which will be effective January 28, 2022. Dr. Gray came to ESU four years ago and brought with him more than 22 years of experience as a director of athletics and more than four decades of insight into athletics and education – as an administrator, coach, tenured faculty member and primary and secondary educator. He previously served as Director of Athletics at Alaska Fairbanks from 2012 through 2017, and he hit the ground running, leading ESU’s athletic department to attain many accomplishments during his tenure. “It is with very mixed emotions that I announce today my retirement from the world of NCAA Division II athletics, effective January 28, 2022,” said Dr. Gray. “My past four years have been spent at one of the top Division II programs in the entire country. I will definitely miss all of the wonderful coaches, staff, and student-athletes that make up the Warriors Athletics program. They excel at the very highest level of Division II, and it has been a joy to be a small part of this program, the largest program in the largest conference in Division II.” Dr. Gray was instrumental in: expanding the athletics scholarship budgets at the University and Foundation levels in each of the past four years; managing to balance the athletics budget each year; expanding ESU’s camps and clinics model; adding two emerging sports for women at ESU (wrestling and acrobatics & tumbling); adding several new graduate assistant positions to the department; expanding the roster sizes in most sports; developing ESU’s athletics speaker series, “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in College Athletics: A Call to Action;” and helping ESU athletics to achieve the highest total of community service hours in the PSAC during fiscal year 2019 with 8,704 hours. Under his leadership, a full-time coaching position was developed for men’s and women’s cross country, and women’s lacrosse gained a fulltime assistant coach position. Several ESU teams advanced to the NCAA Division II final sites in their respective sports including field hockey (3 times), women’s lacrosse (2 times) and men’s basketball; as well as NCAA postseason appearances by several other sports, and national qualifying 30 the alumni herald

Within the span of a month this fall, Kristina “Krikit” Gulics was named as the head coach of both the acrobatics & tumbling and cheerleading programs at ESU. Gulics brought over 15 years of cheerleading coaching experience to the Poconos. A veteran of the United States Navy, Gulics currently serves as competitive cheer and competitive dance teams coach at Woodbridge High School in Woodbridge, N.J., along with teaching US History, Facing History and African American Studies at the school. She has guided Woodbridge to numerous Greater Middlesex Conference titles, New Jersey state titles and a National Cheerleaders Association National Championship in 2016. Prior to joining the Warrior family, Gulics was an assistant cheerleading coach at Montclair State. She is an executive board member for the N.J. State Cheer and Dance Coaches Association. She is also a coach and representative for Cheer Hawaii USA, which hosts a college preparatory summer program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa each summer. The Warriors will compete in their first-ever A&T TriMeet on Feb. 5, 2022.

RYAN SMITH HONORED WITH BONE MARROW DRIVE

The ESU athletic department partnered with “Be The Match” and the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation for the first annual #RelentlesS “Get In The Game” Marrow Drive in memory of late ESU men’s basketball student-athlete Ryan Smith on Sept. 2, 2021. The drive was successful, with 498 potential donors added to the “Be The Match” registry. The inaugural event is named in honor of Ryan Smith, who passed away after a 19-month battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in March 2021. While Smith was highly successful on the court as a Warrior - being named the 2018-19 PSAC East Freshman of the Year - his relentless spirit and inspiration to the ESU community through his battle with leukemia will be his long-lasting legacy. “Ryan’s impact on the ESU community was clear,” said ESU men’s basketball head coach Jeff Wilson ’86 M’92. “The goal is to be able to find a match and save a life and this enormously successful drive will hopefully find one or more donors. Thank you to the athletic programs, coaches and student-athletes for volunteering to work the event. We would not have had the success we did without the efforts of everyone within the ESU Athletic Department!” 100-plus ESU student-athletes volunteered from over 10 Warrior teams, helping take donor information and administering swab kits on campus in the University Center. It was the first athletic department-wide initiative event that the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation has partnered with. An average drive usually nets around 100 potential donors.

Ryan Smith’s number 5 is a lasting symbol of his impact on ESU’s campus.

The ESU football team has hosted donor drives for three years, adding 482 new registry members in that span. The National Marrow Donor Program offers a potential cure through blood stem cell and marrow transplants for the thousands of people diagnosed every year with blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma and life-threatening blood diseases like sickle cell and aplastic anemia. The ESU women’s lacrosse team had previously hosted a “Be The Match” registry marrow drive in support of ESU women’s lacrosse student athlete Alyssa Oxenford, who passed away in 2015 after battling leukemia.