Hall of Fame
Ann DeGennaro was an All-American softball player for the Lions, playing from 1980-1983. A speedy outfielder and leadoff hitter, she was the catalyst for a team that set the standard for greatness in the TSC/TCNJ softball program.
Winning was a consistent theme for DeGennar during her tenure at Trenton State. It took until her senior season to reach the pinnacle of collegiate athletics, making the ultimate prize that much sweeter.
In her freshman season, the Lions flirted with national supremacy in 1980. Under Dr. June Walker, TSC advanced to the AIWA national championship game, but fell just short to finish runner-up. As a junior in 1982, DeGennaro helped lead a team that had a chance to not only win the first-ever national title in program history, but the first National Collegiate Athletic Association title. The NCAA sponsored its first national tournament for women’s softball that year. The Lions, once again, fell just short as they were defeated by Eastern Connecticut State University, 2-0 in the championship game.
As a senior captain, DeGennaro and TSC and only one goal in mind, which was to win it all. The Lions were dominant in the regular season, posting a 19-game winning streak and 41-7 overall record. In the NCAA tournament, they faced a familiar opponent in ESCU and knocked off the defending national championship by a score of 7-0. TSC advanced to the championship round, needing to defeat Buena Vista once in a potential two-game set. After being shut out 1-0 in the first game, it set up a winnertake-all championship match-up. The Lions would not be denied, posting a 6-0 win in the championship final to claim their first NCAA national title. DeGennaro was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team and was tabbed an All-American outfielder for Trenton State after leading all of NCAA Division III softball with 57 hits.
Fitness and discipline were topics that DeGennaro received an “outside the classroom” education from legendary coach, Dr. June Walker. A small sample, Dr. Walker insisted that her players swam for conditioning purposes. When DeGennaro alerted coach Walker that she couldn’t swim, her coach made her swim anyway, asking that teammate Cindy Cohen help her figure it out. While DeGennaro smoothed out some of the teaching methods moving forward, Dr. Walker had a tremendous impact on her future career.
DeGennaro earned her bachelor’s degree in art therapy. She continued her education at Trenton State, and following her playing career, served as an assistant coach to Dr. Walker from 1986-88. She helped direct the Lions to another national championship in 1987. DeGennaro earned her master’s degree in counseling in 1988 and became the Director for the Center for Campus Wellness at TSC/TCNJ.
Ann moved on from the college in 2010 to pursue a career as a substance abuse counselor for middle and high schools. She coached youth softball teams for many years in Ewing Township and currently coaches the Lawrence High School softball team.
