TCNJ Athletics is proud to announce that it will host a 'Night of Champions' to induct a host of national champion individuals, teams, and coaches into the storied ranks of its Hall of Fame.
 
The star-studded showcase will take place Saturday, December 19 at CURE Arena in Trenton, a fitting venue for a celebration of Trenton State College and TCNJ's singular pedigree of success in Division III.
 
"The goal of the Hall of Fame is to preserve the legacy of TCNJ Athletics and honor the people who built the tradition of excellence we have today," said Director of Athletics Liz Shatkus. "We have been incredibly fortunate to capture so many national championships throughout our history, but with that success comes a responsibility to make sure those champions are celebrated."
 
The College has captured a remarkable 44 team titles in its storied history (40 under the auspices of the NCAA). Thirty-four of those NCAA trophies were won by women's sports, the most of any Division III school.
 
For a variety of reasons, 24 championship teams and 41 individual and relay national champions still awaited their call to the hallowed Hall. No longer.
 
With the 'Night of Champions,' TCNJ Athletics endeavors to end their wait and elevate them all to their rightful place among its hallowed halls.
 
"This ceremony is about honoring those who earned their place in our history, ensuring their accomplishments remain part of our TCNJ Athletics story," Shatkus said. "By inducting all of these national champions together in a historic Hall of Fame ceremony we are making sure their legacy continues to inspire the next generation of Lions to reach the pinnacle of their sport."
 
The 'Night of Champions' will officially induct the following national championships teams into the Hall of Fame:

• Field Hockey: 1983, 1988, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2011, 2014
• Lacrosse: 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2005, 2006
• Men's Soccer: 1965 (NAIA)
• Women's Soccer: 1994
• Softball: 1992, 1994, 1996
• Wrestling: 1985, 1987

Remarkably, 17 of those teams were coached by the legendary Sharon Pfluger, who still leads the field hockey and lacrosse programs at her alma mater. Additionally, longtime softball coach Sally Miller guided the Lions to an NCAA crown in her first season at the helm in 1996.
 
"I am beyond excited and happy for every national championship team and individual national champion at TCNJ," Pfluger said. "To have this tremendous group recognized by the College is so well deserved and truly special, and it will be a spectacular event.

I am – and have always been – incredibly honored, grateful, and fortunate to have been the coach of these tremendous field hockey and lacrosse teams. My admiration, appreciation, and respect for every member of those teams will always remain embedded in my heart. Our journeys together have created the most phenomenal moments that are frozen in time. What an incredible legacy every team has created, and I am so proud to have been a part of it."
 
The following individual national champions and relay national champions are also set to be inducted into the TCNJ Athletics Hall of Fame:

• Men's Swimming & Diving: Joe Dunn, Ryan Gajdisz, Stephen Gibson, Jason Ivins, Brett Pedersen, Brian Perez, Steve Swenson, Matt Swoll, Stephen Tarnowski, Scott Vitabile
• Women's Swimming & Diving: Diane Maise, Danica Roskos
• Women's Tennis: Debbie Daniel, Jackie Schtemberg
• Wrestling: Mike Denver, Larry DeSimone, Steve Fernandes, Dave Ilaria, Greg MacDonald, Chris Potter, Vic Pozsonyi, Steve Rivera, Glen Sandull, Justin Totten
• Men's Track & Field: Jeff Zodda, Nick Ricco
• Women's Track & Field: Tonya Anderson, Jessica Bonelli, Brittny Boyd, Margaret Brent, Tiffany Clark, Helene Duffield, Carolyn Gray, Sandy Humphrey, Judy Hunt, Miriam Khan, Khristelle Manuyang, Kate Powell, Angela Tecco, Jill Watts, Melissa Wenczel

Former head coaches Brian Bishop (men's swimming and diving), Rick Dell (men's soccer, baseball), Steve Dolan (men's and women's cross country and track and field), and Joe Russo (women's soccer) will also be enshrined alongside many of their former charges.
 
Bishop spent nearly three decades as head coach of the men's swimming and diving program, racking up 232 dual meet victories, 18 Metropolitan Conference titles, and eight NJAC team trophies during his career. Bishop led the Lions to 23 top-20 finishes at the NCAA Championships, twice placing as high as sixth in the team standings, and coached two individual and four relay national champions. He was the NCAA's national Coach of the Year in 2015.
 
Dell spent 25 years as head baseball coach and another 14 as head men's soccer coach, piling up a combined 890 career victories between the two programs. In 1991, he guided both teams to the NCAA championship game, and still ranks as the College's all-time leader in coaching wins for both baseball and men's soccer. Dell is currently Major League Baseball's general manager for operations in Asia, the post for which he left TCNJ in 2007.
 
Dolan led the cross country and track and field programs from 1993 to 2004, coaching 66 All-America award winners who combined to earn 126 All-America citations. That group featured five NCAA champions, including a pair of relays at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Dolan was honored as the NCAA Division III Regional Coach of the Year 12 times.
 
Russo is a legend in women's soccer, having started the TCNJ program in 1990 and quickly establishing it as the best in Division III. Russo took the Lions to the NCAA Tournament in all but the first of his 31 seasons at the helm, which included 13 Final Four appearances and a trio of national championships (1993, 1994, 2000). The 1993 Division III Coach of the Year, Russo compiled 20 NJAC titles and 556 victories during his career.  
 
The late Al Bridges '69 will also be enshrined in the Hall of Fame as part of this ceremony. Bridges served his alma mater for many years as vice president to the Dean of Admissions and later as vice president for government and community affairs before retiring in 2002. During his last year at the College, "Bridges worked in government relations because he had wonderful contacts throughout the state," former TCNJ president R. Barbara Gitenstein said at the time. "He knew everyone and was kind to everyone."
 
Bridges played basketball at Trenton State, and was part of the 1967 team that won the New Jersey State Conference championship and earned an appearance in the NAIA Tournament, the first TSC men's basketball team to compete in a national postseason tournament.  
 
Bridges was also part of the Ewing Township Committee and in 1994 became the town's first directly elected mayor when the township changed to a mayor-council form of government. Bridges served two terms in this role after earning re-election in 1998.
 
Following the 'Night of Champions,' every national champion in the history of TSC and TCNJ athletics – with the exception of a handful of individuals who captured their titles too recently for inclusion – will permanently reside in the Athletics Hall of Fame.
 
More information about the event will be provided in the coming weeks, and TCNJ Athletics will also spotlight its soon-to-be inductees on the website and social media channels leading up to the 'Night of Champions.'
 
The TCNJ Athletics Hall of Fame Committee has also announced a new set of updated bylaws to oversee the nomination process. Those updated bylaws can be found here.
 
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
 
Finally, TCNJ Athletics wants to ensure that it has the most up-to-date contact information for each of its Hall of Fame inductees. Please complete this form to provide us with your information so that we can streamline the process of disseminating information.