PERSPECTIVES
The Daily Targum takes a close look at the top stories that happened this year on campus, New Brunswick, the state and the country.
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Three months in office define Garden State’s future BY COLLEEN ROACHE ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
The state of New Jersey changed on Nov. 3 when then Gov.-elect Chris Christie spoke six little words — “Hey New Jersey, we did it.” With a pledge to end corruption, stimulate growth and lower taxes in New Jersey through bipartisan efforts, the former federal attorney began his first term as the state’s 55th governor, after defeating the incumbent candidate, Democrat Jon S. Corzine. Republican students at the University, like Christie Coalition organizer Alex Cohen, were glad to see the roots of the change they worked for in Christie’s election. “The state of New Jersey has spoken,” said Cohen, a School of Arts and Sciences junior. “They’ve responded to all the troubles of the state of New Jersey, such as corruption and high property taxes.” Still, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy first-year student Rich Burrell, who did not vote on Election Day, criticized Christie’s failure to attack corporate crime during his time as federal attorney. “I think that it’s not good to have a person in office who spent eight years not trying to hunt down people who are taking in [bribes] … while being an attorney for New Jersey, I don’t like that at all,” he said. Regardless of whether New Jerseyans supported their policies on the issues, the economy was key in Christie’s election and something that he, Corzine and independent candidate Chris Daggett discussed in three debates held prior to the election. Meir Goldberg, a rabbi with the Rutgers Jewish Xperience on campus, supported Christie because of his stance on the economy. “Christie seemed to be more fiscally responsible,” Goldberg said.
In the weeks following the election, 47 percent of voters said taxes — including property taxes and general taxes — should be the governor’s top concern, according to an Eagleton Institute of Politics poll. University College senior Jeffrey Guarneri said no matter what the governor does about taxes, he will never be able to please everyone. “When you cut taxes, you cut programs, and when you raise taxes, you piss people off,” he said. Upon signing an executive order in February, Christie froze state spending in several areas, including unspent funds for updated energy systems in state facilities and many long-term projects, in an effort to balance the state budget. The budget for fiscal year 2010 has a gap of just over $2 billion, reflecting a 5.5 percent drop in sales tax revenue and an 8 percent decrease in corporate business taxes, Christie said. “The facts are that revenues are coming in $1.2 billion below what was projected last year, and [more than] $800 million in additional spending was done by the previous administration on their way out the door,” he said. The governor has proposed cuts and reforms to NJ Transit, pension systems and school aid. “School aid is a large proportion of New Jersey’s budget — especially of the amount which has not yet been spent in fiscal year 2010,” Christie said. “So we cannot put our budget in balance without putting some school aid in reser ve.” Still, Christie said he would ensure ever y school district receives the resources it needs for instruction, and no teachers would be laid off due to the budget cuts. School of Arts and Sciences senior Alex Delgado expressed concern about the budget at the University.
MARIELLE BALISALISA / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Gov. Chris Christie’s approval ratings remain at about 50 percent according to a recent poll conducted by the Eagleton Institute of Politics, although controversy continues to follow some of his decisions.
“We need to stop getting cuts to Rutgers,” he said. Higher education faces cuts of $62.1 million, according to the proposed budget. The University will share $18.5 million of the burden, President Richard L. McCormick said. The figure represents about 1 percent of the school’s overall budget. “Enrollments are at an all-time high, so there are more students requiring ser vices,” Vice President for University Budgeting Nancy S. Winterbauer said. “We do not yet have a sense of the effects of this cut, but it certainly will strain already taxed programs and services and will require that needed expenditures be delayed.” Nat Bender, executive vice president of Union of Rutgers Administrators-American Federation of Teachers, believes the University will be able to sustain the cuts. “Tuition went up 3 percent. Enrollment rose as well. Rutgers has been bringing in hundreds of
millions for research from the federal stimulus,” he said. “State funding is a fraction of the overall Rutgers budget, so it is only one factor to consider.” The governor’s budget cuts funding to the Educational Opportunity Fund, which issues academic, personal and financial assistance to low-income students, by 8.7 percent, reducing it to $37.6 million from $41.2 million, according to statistics provided by the University’s Budget and Resource Studies. “[EOF is] a program that is so critical in providing access to students who might otherwise not budget season progresses, Trenton policymakers will realize that EOF funding is a wise investment in access to higher education,” Winterbauer said via e-mail correspondence. According to an Eagleton poll conducted March 31 to April 3, 57 percent of the 953 New Jersey adults are not in favor of the governor’s plans to reduce school aid.
“We shouldn’t take away from our children’s education,” New Brunswick resident Janelle Clarke said. “It will hurt us in the future.” Gay marriage has also been a divisive issue in Trenton during Christie’s time in office. Christie refused to sign a bill legalizing gay marriage in New Jersey and said he favors the current law that permits civil unions. New Jerseyans in civil unions receive almost all the same rights as married couples, as per the Civil Union Act, which went into effect in 2007. As of March, nearly half of those surveyed in an Eagleton poll said they approved of the governor’s job, while 26 percent said they disapproved, and 26 percent were indifferent. “[Christie]’s been really visible in saying, ‘I’m going to do something about the mess in New Jersey,’” said David Redlawsk, political science professor and Rutgers-Eagleton Poll director.
JEFF LAZARO
Christie comes into office in January facing an economic downturn in the state. Christie’s proposed budget will result in various cuts to different areas, including higher education.
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Activists mobilize efforts for local, global reform BY JOVELLE TAMAYO PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
The University’s Jersey roots spanned a global reach this year as students sacrificed meal swipes, challenged their physical limits and rallied together in attempt to improve the lives of people locally and internationally. Student groups stepped up humanitarian efforts this year in response to devastating natural disasters around the world and continued to offer services to the local causes that needed it. After a destructive ear thquake struck Haiti mid-January, University organizations such as the Haitian Association at Rutgers University, the Black Student Union, the Latin American Student Organization and a number of fraternities and sororities did not hesitate to plan events in support of the relief fund. “We’re going to make it,” School of Environmental and Biological Sciences junior Stephanie Blaise said, expressing optimism about the country her family calls home. Whether they were of Haitian descent, students worked to help ensure Haiti would recover. University groups planned events to contribute to the relief ef for t throughout the semester, including various candlelight vigils and Pi Kappa Alpha’s “Hansel for Haiti” block par ty in April, which raised about $450 for the Yele Haiti earthquake fund. The New York Blood Center donated $1 towards a UNICEFsponsored Haiti relief fund for each of the 66 pints of blood students raised in January during a blood drive organized by the
Rutgers University Student Assembly and the University Queer Caucus. The “Ever y Drop Counts” blood drive, held in protest of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration ban that prohibits men who have had sexual contact with other men from donating, collected more than double what a normal blood drive on Busch campus receives, according to RUSA. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this year, about 175 volunteers — composed mostly of University students — joined the annual effort to clean up the Raritan River, Weston’s Mill Pond and Mile Run Stream. Rutgers Against Hunger launched its first Adopt-A-Family campaign in October, where student organizations, fraternities, sororities, administration, academic departments and alumni had the opportunity to collect food and clothes for local families in need. Proceeds from “Run for RAH,” a 5K r un during the fall homecoming weekend, helped RAH fill food pantries, sponsor programs and increase hunger awareness. Sisters of five sororities in the National Panhellenic Council and brothers of the Iota Psi Chapter of the Sigma Chi fraternity par ticipated in the 22nd annual Derby Days in October. The weeklong fundraising event raised $34,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network, Huntsman Cancer Foundation and other charities. The second annual Mr. Engineer pageant, hosted by the fraternity Sigma Phi Delta and the sorority Phi Sigma Rho, worked to demolish stereo-
types and raised about $5,500 for New Brunswick’s Embrace Kids Foundation. The foundation aids the families of children with cancer and blood disorders with their financial and medical needs. The 12th annual Rutgers University Dance Marathon raised about $378,000 in March for the Embrace Kids Foundation, about $55,000 more than last year’s recordbreaking total. The state’s largest studentrun fundraiser also broke a record in participation with 714 registered dancers — about 100 more than last year — agreeing to stay engaged in the 32-hour weekend event without breaks. “Dance Marathon is all of the most passionate people around one cause coming together,” Assistant Director of Volunteer Management Julia Crimi said. “College students have such a bad stereotype, that they just drink and party and don’t go to class, but here you have 1,000 people in this gym for these kids.” More than 4,000 runners and 300 volunteers participated in the University’s first Unite Half Marathon in April, through which about 10 charities raised more than $40,000 for their specific efforts. “It takes a lot more work than what people realize for an event like this to come together,” participant Jennifer Buccigrossi said. “Without the help of volunteers, it would not be possible.” The Rutgers Cantonese Club collected 42 dresses and $700 in March at the Miss Hong Kong Pageant, where six girls representing different Asian-American organizations competed.
Proceeds, including the winner’s crown, were for warded to Becca’s Closet, an organization that provides formal attire for high school students’ proms. Though it faced some opposition, “Operation Robin Hood,” University alumnus Charlie Kratovil’s meal-swipe initiative raised nearly $2,500 in donations for Elijah’s Promise soup kitchen in New Brunswick. Students donated about $10,000 in meal swipes to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund in March, and Engineers
Without Borders par ticipated in a meal sign-away program in April to raise money for PlayPumps International, a nonprofit organization that installs water pumps in South Africa. “I think people can donate their time to Elijah’s Promise [Soup Kitchen], they can’t donate their time to a water pump in Africa … as easily,” Livingston College senior Laura Tobin said in March. “It’s a way for Rutgers students to have global reach because they can’t give their physical time.”
DAN BRACAGLIA / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
University alumnus Charlie Kratovil organizes a fundraising event in December for Elijah’s Promise Soup Kitchen in New Brunswick.
Livingston gains new vision, look with fresh facilities BY NEIL P. KYPERS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The new Livingston residence halls may not be complete until 2012, but this past year a number of changes have already been made to the campus. The Livingston Student Center officially opened, and a new center for Social Justice
Education premiered at Tillet Hall — just a few tangible improvements to the campus now in a renaissance period. “The Livingston development project will transform Livingston into a new professional and business campus for Rutgers University,” said Antonio Calcado, vice president of University Facilities and Capital Planning.
The student center features new technology, eateries and a game room with a soda bar. Numerous interactive games, like virtual putt-putt, as well as classics like Skeeball fill the room. “Hopefully, lots of people will hold their events here,” said Adam Helgeson, a School of Arts and Sciences first-year student. “It’s such a cool hangout
NICHOLAS BRASOWSKI / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
University President Richard L. McCormick snips a bright red ribbon in April, signifying the opening of the new Livingston Student Center. The center includes various components, such as a game room.
place. Once they’re done with class on Livingston campus, students can come here to play pool or just sit at the bar for a soda or two.” Construction of a new dining hall, which will be annexed to the student center, has already begun on the campus. The new Social Justice Education center now provides a place for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and questioning groups to hold events, as well as provide a comfortable place to relax. “As we move more deeply into the 21st century, vigilance is evermore crucial as we struggle toward liberation,” Livingston Dean of Students Cheryl Clarke said. “We need to know that having a center requires that we move beyond the safe space mentality … to allow ourselves to be on the edge, to continue to challenge institutional heterosexism and homophobia.” Though unfinished, the largest endeavor on the campus is a new residence hall slotted to provide 1,500 more beds for University students and consist of multiple mid-rise apartment complexes. Each apartment will have four single bedrooms along with a kitchen, living room and two bathrooms. The housing project will cost $215 million, which will be paid through a bond sale repayable through student fees. The new residence hall will also offer retail and support serv-
ices to the campus community and visitors through street-level stores. Outdoor areas, courtyards and walkways will also be created to help promote pedestrian activity and student socialization. “The vision that administrators have is good in theor y,” said Josh David, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore. “The new residence hall along with the combination of new professional schools, like a business school, will make a vibrant campus community for students who live here.” One of the most anticipated improvements is a potential movie theater on the campus. “It would have to be something that really … fulfills the mission of the University and is multi-functional,” Calcado said. “If we can link those two up in a way that it is economically feasible, then certainly, it will be out there.” This new theater could offer students a place to take film classes during the day and transform into a cinema in the evenings. Overall, the improvements seek to further the experience of students at the University. “What you’ll see is a continuum of first-year students to professional studies,” Calcado said. “Part of the education at Rutgers University is not just what you learn in a classroom, but par t of the process is learning from others around you. It will be beneficial for ever yone.”
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Health care bill makes history, affects millions BY DEVIN SIKORSKI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
When President Barack Obama signed the new health care reform into law this March, millions of uninsured Americans were given the oppor tunity to enhance their health coverage. “The bill I’m signing will set in motion reforms that generations of Americans have fought for and march for and hungered to see,” Obama said in a speech before signing. Although Obama’s signature sealed groundbreaking reform for the U.S. health care system, the weeks and months leading up to that day were long and arduous. The controversy over whether health care should be reformed captured headlines for months before U.S. Congress passed the bill on Mar. 22 without a single Republican vote. Obama said he knew the vote would be subject to criticism, analysis and predictions. “But long after the debate fades away … what will remain standing is not the governmentrun system some feared, or the status quo that serves the interests of the insurance industry, but
a health care system that incorporates ideas from both parties — a system that works better for the American people,” he said. Although the vote itself proved to be controversial, the same could be said for the months before the bill was presented to Congress. The struggle between Republicans and Democrats to agree upon health care reform gained notoriety, leaving many at odds on both sides as to what to do with the bill. “We have to start by taking the current bill and putting it on the shelf and starting from a clean sheet of paper,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. “Our view, with all respect, is that this is a car that can’t be recalled and fixed and that we ought to start over. But we’d like to start over.” Obama said although the agreement upon health care reform terms could not be achieved overnight, it was still a necessary piece for the puzzle of passing the reform. “Part of the goal … is to figure out what are the areas that we do agree on, what are the areas where we don’t agree, and at the end of that process then make an honest assessment as to whether we can bridge these differences,” Obama said. “I don’t know yet
whether we can. My hope is that we can.” The controversy over health care was not isolated to members of the government officials, with University students also weighing in on the issue. Rutgers University College Republicans President Ron Holden said health is a significant topic for the government to tackle, but would like a different way of going about it.
“Americans aged 18 to 24 are the most likely people in the country to lack health insurance.” SOPHIA FISHBANE NJPIRG intern
“I think that health is one of the most important things,” Holden said. “Without your health, you’re nothing, but I just don’t agree at all with the way this administration is going about things.” Though he said he does believe Obama is passionate about improving health care and does care about the American
people, Holden said the law would do more to cause problems than solve them. “I see him bringing Chicagostyle politics to Washington, I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the change we we’re supposed to be believing in,” said Holden, a Rutgers College senior. On the other hand, Rutgers Democrats President Alex Holodak was pleased with the new law, passed over what he described as a “historic” weekend. “It’s a huge step in the right direction for the countr y,” said Holodak, a School of Arts and Sciences senior. “A lot of the provisions that are in the bill are going to immediately help a lot of people.” Holden and Holodak were not the only University students pushing for reform, with students from the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group providing opinion as well. “The current health care system is failing America’s youth,” said NJPIRG intern Sophia Fishbane, a School of Arts and Sciences student. “Americans aged 18 to 24 are the most likely people in the country to lack health insurance.” With an array of students providing input on the impor-
tance of passing health care reform, other University members tried to show the benefits for such students. Director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics Ruth Mandel said both immediate and long-term effects are difficult to predict due to the economy and other outside forces, but college students can directly benefit from some aspects of the bill. “The most important one I think for students at this stage is that they can stay on their parents’ health insurance until [the age of] 26,” Mandel said. “That will have a personal impact on them.” Despite the controversial arguments between government officials and University students, health care reform is now a law and many are optimistic about its passing. “Many, many men and women are going to feel the pride that I feel in watching you sign this bill … ,” Vice President Joseph Biden said in a statement prior to the president signing the bill. “But Mr. President, you’re the guy that made it happen … You’ve done what generations of not just ordinar y, but great men and women have attempted to do.”
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Sprinter overcomes career of injuries BY TYLER BARTO STAFF WRITER
A Comeback Player of the Year award recipient usually has to surpass once-high expectations, overcome a grueling injury or reemerge during a given season. Rutgers men’s track and field sprinter Aaron Younger, The Daily Targum’s 2010 Comeback honoree, qualifies in all three categories. The junior from Franklinville, N.J., came to Rutgers touted as the school’s eventual record-holder in the 500-meter dash, a distinction held by fifth-year senior teammate Steve Swern. “It’s great because ever since my freshman year it’s been me and Steve Swern and he had the record in the 500,” Younger said. “The coaches were like, ‘You should get that. There’s no reason you shouldn’t have it.’ That was always in my mind.” During the 2010 indoor season Younger took a renewed focus and confidence to Navy’s Wesley A. Brown Field House, where he set a facility record in the 500-meter with a time of 1:02.95. Later at the indoor Big East Championships, Younger finally surpassed the record he was destined to reach — a school-best time of 1:01.44 in the 500-meter, good for a Big East individual title. Accounting for high expectations: Accomplished. To truly appreciate how far Younger came during the 2010 indoor and outdoor seasons, all anyone needs to do is ask the junior sprinter about his health care plan. What starts out as a simple question turns into a full-fledged biopic. “Ever since seventh grade when I started running track I’ve always had shin problems,” Younger said. “They’ve never gone away. During the season, they hurt. During the offseason, they don’t hurt. It’s a completely different situation coming from high school to college. High school practices weren’t nearly as hard as they are now. Now I can barely pick myself up off the track sometimes.” Younger’s shin splits were so bad at one point that he was forced to do something he vowed he would never do — go see the
THE DAILY TARGUM’S COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR 1) Aaron Younger, Track 2) Jack Barrett, Wrestling 3) Prishani Seebadri, Gymnastics 4) Natalie Clickett, Discus 5) Scott Vallone, Football
athletic trainers. The results were disheartening. “It got to a point where I would wake up in the morning and have trouble walking,” he said. “I finally went to the trainer and they sent me to get a bone scan. They realized I had stress fractures in both my shins. I couldn’t really do anything. The only way for them to heal is to sit out. I missed a lot of meets, period.” Younger was forced to redshirt his first indoor season with the Scarlet Knights, and his rehabilitation began to set him back for the 2008 outdoor season.
AARON YOUNGER After finally getting back in shape for the Penn Relays, Younger noticed something strange on the side of his knee. It turned out to be MRSA, a bacterial infection that caused doctors to remove by drilling a hole in Younger’s knee. The surgery required him to again redshirt and avoid contact with his teammates. Younger’s sophomore campaign fared only slightly better. During the trials for the 500-meter at the indoor Big East Championships, he pulled a hamstring but continued to run after the event in the 4x400meter hurdles. “I ran great considering, but that kind of messed me up,” Younger said. “I couldn’t compete after that. My hamstring was
just kind of mangled up. I had to redshirt the spring season.” Suffering disheartening injuries: Completed — unfortunately. This year Younger returned to the track with his onslaught of injuries absent from his memor y, and the results showed. After maintaining an open, honest relationship with the coaching and medical staff, Younger provided the Knights a marked boost with his first full seasons on the Banks. “I just talk to the trainers, do everything I need to do, and try not to have one of these self-fulfilling prophecies,” he said. “I left it out of my mind and I’ve been serious injury-free — knock on wood. I’ve got a couple meets left. I’ve had little tweaks here and there but I’ve been able to come back in no more than a week in half or two weeks.” Often talked about as a sprinter with limitless potential, Younger is no longer a prospect that has not found a way to put the pieces together. Along with his facility record at Navy and Big East indoor title in the 500-meter, the junior set a meet record at the Penn State Northeast Challenge in the winter and captured first at the Colonial Relays in Williamsburg, Va. He also finished third in the 500-meter dash at the 2010 Big East Championships after finishing with the best time in the event’s time trials. Reemerging onto the national scene: Consider it done. With all of his success and accolades this season, Younger is far from finished. With his mounting redshirts and his plan to stay at Rutgers for five years, the Knights’ record-holder in the 500-meter still has a lot of to dos to check off before calling it a career. “What could I have done if I didn’t [get injured]? It just feels really good,” Younger said. “It definitely makes me wish I wasn’t hurt before, but now that I’m not it’s just great to go out there and do what I’m supposed to do to win.”
Sophomore’s production skyrockets BY SAM HELLMAN CORRESPONDENT
Through her first two seasons with the Rutgers softball team, Brittney Lindley started every single game at the hot corner. In her first 56 games, playing from day one as a freshman, Lindley was eighth on the team in hitting with her .239 average, third on the team with 22 RBI and third on the team in runs with 20 to go along one home run. In her last 50 games, as a sophomore, Lindley’s average shot up to a team-best .338, she has a teambest 33 RBI, a team-best 32 runs and a team-best 11 home runs — earning her The Daily Targum’s Most Improved Player of 2009-10. “I just wanted to keep getting better,” Lindley said. “It’s really hard as a freshman just to adjust and improve when you’re going through so many new experiences outside of softball.” Lindley’s 11 home runs this season are good for second best in school history with at least four more games to tie the record of 12 set in 2004. Though she is the first to say she isn’t trying to hit the ball out of the RU Softball Complex, she
THE DAILY TARGUM’S MOST IMPROVED ATHLETE OF THE YEAR 1) Brittney Lindley, Softball 2) Chelsey Lee, Basketball 3) Pat Biserta, Baseball 4) Damaso Munoz, Football 5) Ibrahim Kamara, Soccer
went from one home run as a freshman to 11 as a sophomore with at least four more games to play. She even smacked three in the same day against Connecticut. With two years left, Lindley is 11 home runs shy of the school record, something easily shattered if she continues her pace. “Ever since we were little, she had a big bat,” said senior pitcher Nicole Lindley, her older sister. “It was just a matter of time before she started seeing pitches and driving them. She’s done a good job.” Not only did Brittney Lindley emerge as a better hitter, but she became the Scarlet Knights’ best impact hitter, moving from sixth or seventh in the batting order to third. “I think a lot of the girls on the team this year really helped out,” Brittney Lindley said. “It’s a lot different because I’m a lot more comfortable on the team and I feel like
I play a bigger role and I’m being more of myself this year.” Playing with one’s sibling can often turn ugly, making everything a family competition, but not for the Lindley sisters. When Brittney Lindley arrived at Rutgers from Cicero, N.Y., her older sister was already a junior and the ace of the Scarlet Knights’ pitching staff. That made her transition easier. “I’m used to playing with Nicole,” Brittney Lindley said. “I push her. She pushes me and we can be really honest with each other.” Nicole Lindley, who plays her last home series as a Scarlet Knight this weekend when Pittsburgh comes to Piscataway, said she enjoyed seeing her sister evolve into another leader of the ballclub. She expects even bigger things next year. “I thought she was a good player last year, but I think this year she’s just more comfortable and that comes with experience,” said Nicole Lindley. “Britt’s really stepped up and tried to be a leader on the field and I think that’s great to show that a younger underclassman can have that role too.”
ANDREW HOWARD/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Head coach Glen Crooks guided his team to a 14-4-4 record and the second round of the NCAA Tournament despite a number of injuries.
Crooks leads Knights through adversity BY KYLE FRANKO CORRESPONDENT
There are so many reasons why Glenn Crooks could pat himself on the back after the 2009 season. Adversity? You bet. Injuries? Too many to count. Success? Highest ranking in program history. But Crooks refuses to acknowledge his 10th season in charge of the Rutgers women’s soccer team as one of his best coaching jobs. Instead, Crooks points to his fifth year as a collegiate head coach. Back then, Long Island University tabbed Crooks, then the coach at St. Peter’s, as the first boss in program history. So when Crooks talked about his toughest coaching job, he couldn’t help but recall that first season when he had to start softball players at right and left back. Times changed for Crooks. He is a long way from his days at the small Northeast Conference school and comes off a season where he guided the Scarlet Knights to a 144-4 record and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. “The reward of this year is how the group dealt with adversity,” said Crooks, The Daily Targum’s Coach of the Year. “As adults, whether you’re the youngest player on the team or the oldest person in the program, you always learn from these experiences.” The odds started to stack up against the Scarlet Knights four games into the season when senior Caycie Gusman tore her ACL. Three games later senior captain Gina DeMaio did the same. Rutgers lost starting right back Rheanne Sleiman to an ankle injury one game later in its Big East opener and leading-scorer Ashley Jones to a horror leg break Oct. 11 against DePaul. In total, five starters were lost for a combined 82 games in 2009. Still, Crooks rallied his troops to a 14-win season, tied for secondmost in program history. The Scarlet Knights won 16 in 2006. “He had to game plan with a lot less players and that’s something that’s not easy to deal with,” said goalkeeper Erin Guthrie. “He dealt with that awesome and the way we ended up showed how well he was able to pull through what we dealt with.” Crooks likes to deflect the credit for the team’s success
THE DAILY TARGUM’S COACH OF THE YEAR 1) Glen Crooks, Women’s Soccer 2) Scott Goodale, Wrestling 3) Fred Hill Sr., Baseball 4) Greg Schiano, Football 5) C.J. Werneke, Volleyball
away from himself. He gave most of the dues to a stingy backline anchored by Guthrie and senior center back Jen Anzivino. The Scarlet Knights kept 12 clean sheets and conceded just 11 goals in 22 games. Anzivino, DeMaio, Gusman, Guthrie, Kristie Lang and Becky Wise are part of Crooks’ 2006 recruiting class that produced one of the most successful four year runs in school histor y. Rutgers reached the NCAA Tournament three of the last four seasons. This season the Knights were ranked as high as No. 9 and found themselves shipped South to Columbia, S.C., for the opening two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. They knocked off Duke 2-0 in the first round before falling to host South Carolina 1-0. NCAA appearances are becoming the trend in Piscataway. That is no mistake — Crooks expects his teams to be there year in and year out. “It would be hard for me to consider any year successful — in terms of our soccer goals — if we didn’t qualify for the NCAA Tournament,” said Crooks, who is 113-74-26 in his career at Rutgers. “Those are our expectations.” Maybe Crooks is right. Maybe this adversity-filled and injury-riddled season wasn’t his best coaching job. Maybe it was that first season where he won just one of 18 games and was lucky to keep his sanity. Crooks did turn that LIU team into a conference champion two years later. He moved on to Rutgers and so did the results. He may want to redirect any praise headed his way but not even Crooks would be able to deny the common denominator of all those teams. “I think in general he just loves soccer,” Guthrie said. “He loves Rutgers and it’s awesome for him that he’s finally recognized for all his hard work. He had to deal with all this adversity too and he did it so well.”
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McCourty embodies leadership with all-around performance BY SAM HELLMAN
THE DAILY TARGUM’S SENIOR OF THE YEAR
CORRESPONDENT
From Knight to Patriot, cornerback Devin McCour ty is already making a name for himself at the NFL level doing the same things he did for the Rutgers football team. McCour ty, The Daily Targum’s Senior Athlete of the Year recipient for 2009-10, is all over the Boston newspapers as one of the great character guys in the draft and best picks by the New England Patriots in recent years. The Targum’s Senior Athlete of the Year award goes to a senior that displays great leadership, perseverance and embodies what it means to be a Scarlet Knight. Talk to anyone that knew McCourty and he represents all of the above. “Forget the physical talent,” said his coach, Greg Schiano, on what McCourty brings to the next level. “There are a lot of guys in that league that have physical talent. The way Devin is committed to preparation, both physically and mentally for the game of football, I think that’s going to take him a long way in that league.”
1) Devin McCourty, Football 2) Hamady N’Diaye, Basketball 3) Tim Brown, Football 4) Erin Guthrie, Soccer 5) Brittany Ray, Basketball
As a senior team captain last season, McCourty evolved into a stronger leader in the secondary, with his twin brother Jason moving on to the NFL after he did not redshirt during their freshman season. McCourty also emerged as an impact player on special teams, both in the return game and kick and punt coverage. In the dramatic 28-24 come-from-behind win over Connecticut in East Hartford, McCourty played a total of 111 plays and took a kick back for a touchdown. “I’m just a guy that comes to play every day,” McCourty said after being drafted. “Last year at Rutgers, I was able to play cornerback and help on special teams. “I feel like I’m a guy that’s going to compete every chance that I get, whether that’s playing on defense at corner or on special teams. I think it’s just been my ethic, ever since I got into college as a redshirt freshman; that’s just working hard to build my way into the lineup.”
When his brother went as a sixth-round pick to the Tennessee Titans last year, most experts wrote McCourty off as a mid-round guy. Then they started to watch tape, and listen to the things McCourty said and watched him blow up at the NFL Combine — something his brother was not invited to. “It’s just been exciting to watch him through this whole process,” said Jason McCourty. “It’s been different than mine because his stock is higher and he’s doing the Combine and stuff, but it’s great to see him going out there and making a name for himself.” The Targum’s Senior Athlete of the Year award, however, is not solely about athletic accomplishment. The award is more based on leadership and character. The Rutgers football team will never be without character, but replacing a leader like McCourty isn’t going to be easy for a young secondary next season. “Devin was a great leader here and I definitely learned a lot from him and from Jason when he was here,” said sophomore cornerback Brandon Jones. “He’s going to be great for the NFL and we’ll definitely miss him around here, but we have other guys ready to step up too.”
ANDREW HOWARD/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Cornerback Devin McCourty, 21, played 110 plays against UConn this season, impressing with his play on special teams and defense.
Duo takes offensive reins in first season on Banks BY STEVEN MILLER
THE DAILY TARGUM’S ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
SPORTS EDITOR
Tom Savage was the marquee name. Mohamed Sanu was the 20-year-old who was not eligible to play his senior year of high school football. Savage was the kid who made the hour-and-a-half drive from Springfield, Pa., to Piscataway for every spring practice. Sanu was the local boy who enrolled early and made a quick impression. Both were on the recruiting circuit since their early years, both were early commitments to the Rutgers football team and both earned the distinction as The Daily Targum’s Rookie of the Year. “I’ve known him since sophomore year of high school,” Savage said of Sanu. “We were both getting recruited early and we were
1) Tom Savage and Mohamed Sanu, Football 2) Dane Miller, Basketball 3) Joe Langel, Wrestling 4) Steve Nyisztor, Baseball 5) Lily Kalata, Lacrosse
talking and met each other at a couple of camps and we’ve been in contact since then.” Thirty minutes into their Scarlet Knights careers, Seven to Six emerged. Savage hit Sanu on an out route for the first of seven completions between the two in the season-opening loss to Cincinnati. But as much as that first game ended the Knights’ Big East chances before they even
DAN BRACAGLIA/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Mohamed Sanu expanded his role with Rutgers with the Wild Knight, which peaked with 148 yards and two scores at Louisville.
really started, it also ushered in a new era of Rutgers football: The Seven to Six era, when the success of the team will rely heavily on the development of its heralded 2009 recruiting class and the two headliners on offense. In their first seasons, both proved they are up to the task. It is no coincidence that both were around for practices in the spring before their freshmen campaigns, although they had largely different roles. Sanu spent 13 of the 15 practices at safety, before moving to wide receiver out of necessity, but still felt the benefit of being on a collegiate football field. “It helped me get the speed of the game down, the physicality of the players and just the terminology of the players — details you have to understand to get the feel of the game,” the South Brunswick High School product said. Savage spent his spring on the sideline, where he only stood for one-and-a-half games during the season — one due to a concussion suffered against Florida International. But the Cardinal O’Hara product took the opportunity to begin learning the offense while he was not yet eligible to practice. “I just think the fact that I was able to learn from the offense and learn how the practices work, so I didn’t get thrown out there cold turkey when I could play,” Savage said. “It was unfortunate that I couldn’t practice, but still watching the checks, watching the plays helped a lot for me.” Head coach Greg Schiano said the coaching staf f only asked Savage to master about 60 percent of the offense during the season. The quar terback who threw for 2,211 yards and 14 touchdowns had the challenge of handling games, not winning them. But on a Halloween afternoon with the Knights trailing by three with 33 seconds left and 81 yards to go at
ANDREW HOWARD/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Tom Savage became the second true freshman quarterback in school history to win his first career start, which came against Howard.
Connecticut, Savage took the snap and held the game in his hand. He stepped up. The rest is history. It was the same way with Sanu — who saved his best performances for the big-time, nationally televised games. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound wideout pulled in 639 receiving yards during the season, but on a Friday night af fair with Pittsburgh, Sanu broke out the Wild Knight — the power running formation that accounted for 346 yards and five touchdowns. In four ESPN games at Rutgers Stadium, Sanu averaged 24.5 rushing yards and 93.5 receiving. He ran for 148 yards, two touchdowns and one massive stiff-arm on a Friday
morning against Louisville and he had a pretty good game earning Most Valuable Player honors at the St. Petersburg Bowl. Both had their best performances in St. Petersburg — Sanu ran for two touchdowns and caught another one for 138 all-purpose yards and Savage threw for 294 yards and two touchdowns — and both remembered the game as their season’s favorite. But neither is satisfied. “Winning the bowl game — that’s what ever yone wants to do is win bowl games,” Savage said. “Of course we didn’t win the Big East, so we’re not satisfied with that. We’re back and we’re hungr y.” The Big East should consider that fair warning.
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Russo’s individual pursuits create success on mats BY A.J. JANKOWSKI ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
As a fifth grader growing up in Netcong, N.J., Dominick Russo III was sick of losing. A gifted athlete playing football, baseball and basketball, no matter how hard he tried, the team always fell short. So Russo and his family decided it was best to take matters into his own hands. “I played team sports, but our teams were always terrible,” the junior heavyweight of the Rutgers wrestling team said. “My mom was worried that my self esteem might take
THE DAILY TARGUM’S MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR 1) D.J. Russo, Wrestling 2) Devin McCourty, Football 3) Hamady N’Diaye, Basketball 4) Adam Bergo, Track 5) Pat Biserta, Baseball
a hit. So she suggested that I tr y an individual sport. So I tried wrestling.” Since that decision over a decade ago, Russo and wrestling worked in per fect harmony. He was county champ his first year on the mat, albeit in the novice divi-
sion. However, Russo continued to win throughout middle school and high school, being named county champ again in eighth grade. “I guess I had a knack for it,” he said. “I always had success in it and I was never falling behind.” But Russo never let this success get to his head. “There are always better people,” he said. “When I’d go into [wrestling] clubs, I went up against people who had been wrestling their entire lives. So I’d get my ass kicked, but it made me want to work harder.” Entering his final season in a scarlet singlet, the heavyweight
ANDREW HOWARD/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Junior heavyweight D.J. Russo reached the 30-win plateau for the first time in his career, taking 32 matches and earning 100 points in dual meets, while yielding only nine points.
from Lenape Valley High School holds a 65-31 record in collegiate wrestling. In his junior year this past season, Russo broke the 30-win plateau en route to a 32-8 overall record. In dual meets, he went 20-2 and scored 100 points for the team while only yielding nine. For his efforts, Russo is the Targum’s Male Athlete of the Year. He is also a two-time recipient of the Ted Petty Award, which recognizes the team’s Most Valuable Wrestler. “With the rise of the football program there are some great athletes that come through here. To see a wrestler get rewarded for what he has done is special,” said head coach Scott Goodale of the distinction. “I’m excited for him. He put a lot of time into it and he deserves it.” In his first year on the Banks, Goodale watched Russo struggle and finish the year 7-12. Since then, his results have skyrocketed and this year Russo was ranked in the top-10 nationally throughout the season. “I just think that D.J. has this thought going on in his mind that he can out-wrestle most heavyweights,” Goodale said. “He has an idea and a game plan of what to do before he goes out which is good. And he can wrestle a little bit different from your typical heavyweight. He knows going in certain maneuvers and holds he can hit. He does a good job sticking to the game plan.” Looking toward the future, there is no doubt that 2011 is going to be a signature year not only for Russo, but also for the entire wrestling program at Rutgers. The staff circled this year as its target year for everything to come together. No matter what the outcome of next year’s season has in store, Russo is just glad to hold his own destiny.
“In a team sport you could lose because someone else didn’t do something right,” he said. “With wrestling it takes a lot of the B.S. out of it. It is completely on you and you can’t blame anyone else.” But the same lesson Russo learned when he first started wrestling still applies: You can always get better. Russo’s season ended in the All-American round of the NCAA National Tournament when he lost to Mark Ellis of Missouri in overtime. The loss not only closed the book on the season for the Scarlet Knights, it also extended the team’s streak of not having an All-American to eight years. “D.J. is the type of kid that knows when he should win a match and when he shouldn’t win a match. And that’s what we are tr ying to get over,” Goodale said. “We are tr ying to get him to believe he should win all the time. There’s still some doubt though, when he wrestles the top-tier kids. And that’s with ever ybody. And for him to be a national champion, he has got to take that next step. “Him becoming an AllAmerican would have been great for Rutgers, would have been great for him and would have been great for the program. But now a month out of it, maybe it’s a good thing it didn’t happen. Because now he will be unbelievably hungry.” With his national tournament experience, the heavyweight who sealed the deal on so many Rutgers victories in the past will be looked to as one of the leaders on this team as it continues its ascension in the national rankings. For Russo, the pressure is just fine. He can take matters into his own hands once again.
Guthrie’s record-setting career integral to team’s progress BY KYLE FRANKO CORRESPONDENT
Erin Guthrie has never been one to talk about her records. But
now that she’s moved on from the Rutgers women’s soccer team and had time to reflect on her career, she can’t help but smile when she thinks about her accomplishments.
ANDREW HOWARD/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Goalkeeper Erin Guthrie won the Female Athlete of the Year award for the second consecutive year after recording 11 clean sheets.
Guthrie, a goalkeeper, finished her senior season for the Scarlet Knights in November and left Piscataway with a career record of 52-23-12. She is the school’s all-time leader in clean sheets (44) after passing Saskia Webber in a 1-0 win over Towson Sept. 4 and appearances (87), passing United States international Carli Lloyd. “While you’re doing it, it’s not something that you think about,” said Guthrie, The Daily Targum’s Female Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year. “I was always hoping we could just come out with a win because we work all year long to play in tournament games. But looking back now, it’s definitely a reflection of the entire team more than just one player. A shutout may have my have my name on it, but it’s more a reflection of the people who were there all four years and it’s something that ever ybody should be proud of.” Guthrie was penciled into head coach Glen Crooks’ lineup since the day she stepped on campus as a freshman. After four years, Crooks is going to have to replace one of the best players in Rutgers history. “Even in recruiting Erin the one thing we noticed is that she came up big in the big matches, and that’s held true throughout her career,” Crooks said. “Erin was a great leader, a great team-
THE DAILY TARGUM’S FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR 1) Erin Guthrie, Soccer 2) Brittany Ray, Basketball 3) Brooke Cantwell, Lacrosse 4) Amy Zhang, Tennis 5) Ashley Jones, Soccer
mate and one of the most popular between her peers that has ever been at Rutgers.” Guthrie’s leadership was certainly tested in the 2009 season. The Scarlet Knights finished 144-4 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but it did not come without adversity. Five starters, including two seniors and the team’s leading scorer, missed a combined 82 matches. “It takes a toll on the entire team mentally and physically,” Guthrie said. “You’re put into situations that you don’t prepare for in preseason and you don’t expect that. There were some rough parts of the season, but to turn around and play the way we did is definitely a reflection on the entire team and coaching staff.” With adversity staring the team in the face Guthrie was unflappable. She had careerbest 0.47 goals against average and .885 save percentage. The Spar ta, N.J., native allowed just 10 goals the entire season.
Crooks expected that. “I’ve written her name in the lineup for four years without even thinking about it,” he said. “You just can’t replace an Erin Guthrie and having her back there is where it started.” The reward for a record-setting career at Rutgers for Guthrie is a spot with Women’s Professional Soccer league side FC Gold Pride which selected the goalkeeper in the fourth round of the 2010 draft. Guthrie made Gold Pride’s opening-day roster and is listed as its third-choice goalkeeper. On the team’s website, Guthrie’s profile appears right above Mar ta’s, the Brazilian who is widely considered the best female player in the world. “I was extremely excited,” said Guthrie, recalling the day she found out where she was headed. “The level of play is a lot faster and the speed of the shots that come at me are nothing I’ve ever seen before so it was a big adjustment. But it has been an awesome experience because I get to play with some of the best players in the world.” Someday Guthrie may get her chance to play in a professional match. If she does, Crooks will be watching because there is one thing he is sure of: “There just aren’t a lot of Erin Guthrie’s out there.”
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ANDREW HOWARD/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Senior Lamar Brown pins Virginia wrestler Brent Jones in the fourth overtime of the Knights’ 25-12 victory in their lone match at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. After stringing together a 19-5-1 record, Rutgers finished the year ranked No. 21, its highest ranking in school history. Head coach Scott Goodale welcomes the 17th best recruiting class in the country next year.
Budding program’s season shows unlimited potential BY A.J. JANKOWSKI ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
It’s not a sport that shines in the mainstream. The participants don’t have agents or sign contracts. You can’t buy your favorite athlete’s jersey. But to members of the Rutgers wresting team who sacrifice their bodies day in and
day out, their dedication to the sport is a lifestyle. And to head coach Scott Goodale, that sacrifice is worth something. “I think it can be a revenuemaking sport here at Rutgers,” the coach of The Daily Targum’s Team of the Year said. “[Other head coaches around the countr y
ANDREW HOWARD/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Head coach Scott Goodale holds a 50-19-1 record since arriving at Rutgers three years ago. The Knights finished last season 19-5-1.
and I] talk about this at conventions, it’s not about wins and losses sometimes. It’s about marketing the program, putting it in the public eye and like I said I think we do a good job of that at Rutgers.” At a university that emphasizes athletics, the team has an opportunity to tap into fan bases from other sports as well as the strong and dedicated wrestling community within the state of New Jersey, Goodale said. “We need to do a better job — and this is what we are tr ying to do at Rutgers — of getting it out in the mainstream and out to ever ybody, to the football fans, to the basketball fans,” he said. “As a whole, the sport needs to do a better job of promoting it. The only thing on ESPN is the national finals. It’s a popular sport, but it’s a popular sport amongst its people. It needs to be popular around the countr y and around sports fans.” On campus, people are starting to take notice of the team that went 19-5-1, the highest winning percentage of any Rutgers sport this year. “I have people come up to me, who I don’t know, but who know me and start to talk to me,” said junior heavyweight D.J. Russo. “So we certainly have a following. I wouldn’t compare it to football or basketball, but it’s growing.” The popularity of the sport is on the rise and not something that was noticed in the past.
THE DAILY TARGUM’S TEAM OF THE YEAR 1) Wrestling (19-5-1) 2) Women’s Soccer (14-4-4) 3) Football (9-4) 4) Baseball (21-20) 5) Tennis (14-8)
“When I first came here we weren’t well known,” Russo said. “But now, when people meet us, we are a likeable group of guys. We are more personable then other teams on campus. And of course, ever yone likes winners.” Winning has been the mantra ever since Goodale and his staff stepped onto the Banks. In the three years since they took over the program, the Knights are 5019-1 against some of the top wrestling talent in the countr y. This past season, Rutgers rode a 15-match unbeaten streak to its highest national ranking in school histor y. After receiving votes all year long, the Knights broke through at No. 22 after a weekend that saw them defeat then-No. 23 Virginia at the Louis Brown Athletic Center and then take down highly touted Navy the ver y next night at the College Avenue Gymnasium. The team advanced to No. 21 later in the season and that’s where it would close out the year. The squad looks to go even higher in the rankings next year and has the lineup to do so.
“We are going to be top-10 quality next year,” said Russo of the team that returns nine of its 10 starters as well as bringing in the 17th-best recruiting class in the countr y. “Whether or not we perform like one is a different story. But we are going to have guys in the top 20 in their weight class in every spot and we have the chance to have multiple All-Americans. We are a solid team that is going to take next year very seriously.” The approaching year is also when Goodale wants to see his grapplers’ success turn into a profit for the school. “I think next year we need to take that step and make it a revenue-making sport,” he said. “That’s always been my vision and what I see in the future.” One way to reel in more fans is to wrestle more matches at the RAC. The Knights have only competed there twice — last year against Rider and this season against Virginia. However, both times the team drew more than 1,500 fans. That amount does not even fit into the College Avenue Gymnasium, where the team normally competes. “Not that we don’t like the Barn, but [the RAC] should be a wrestling venue,” Goodale said. “I think administration and our athletic department wants [to have more matches at the RAC]. We certainly want that, and we need to keep doing that. Plus we are 2-0 there.”