Galloway, NJ – Five Stockton University student-athletes from five different Osprey teams were recognized as 2018 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars by the publication
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. Men's track & field standout
Jared Lewis (Westville/Deptford) received the honor for the third straight year and was joined by four first-time qualifiers.
Isabel Barsch (Barnegat/Southern Regional) of the women's track & field team, women's tennis player
Maria Ibarra (Egg Harbor Twp./EHT), men's basketball player
Darius Jerkins (Somers Point/Mainland) and women's basketball player
Najha Treadwell (Cinnaminson/Cinnaminson) joined Lewis as Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars
To qualify, student-athletes must be persons of color with a minimum 3.20 grade point average after at least one year of college. The awards are inspired by tennis legend Arthur Ashe Jr.'s commitment to education, and they celebrate the accomplishments of hundreds of student-athletes nationwide.
Lewis is the most decorated student-athlete in Stockton history, winning two NCAA championships in the indoor triple jump (2017-18) and earning nine All-American honors (seven triple jump, two long jump). He qualified for the NCAA Championships in all eight of his seasons (four indoor, four outdoor) and was the NCAA runner-up in the triple jump twice in addition to his two national titles
Lewis was voted NJAC Most Outstanding Athlete for men's track & field and NJAC Outstanding Field Athlete twice each. In addition, Lewis was the 2016 NJAC Male Athlete of the Year for all sports and a 2018 Google Cloud Academic Division III Men's Track & Field/Cross Country All-America Second Team selection.
Barsch is a five-time NJAC Honorable Mention performer in the throwing events, earning those accolades in the shot put three times (2016 indoor, 2016 outdoor, 2017 indoor) and hammer throw twice (2016 outdoor, 2018 outdoor). Last year, she established new personal bests in the weight throw (14.71m), hammer throw (44.92m) and discus (30.92m).
Ibarra is in her third season on the Stockton team and boasts career records of 21-8 in singles and 12-11 in doubles. She was chosen NJAC all-conference in doubles in 2017, and Last year she tied for second on the Ospreys with 10 singles wins and added six victories in doubles.
Jerkins was a four-year letter winner and three-year starter who scored 555 points and grabbed 453 rebounds in 110 games in a Stockton uniform. He shot 53.2 percent from the field last year and finished his career fourth in school history with 77 blocked shots.
Treadwell was selected to the NJAC First Team, All-ECAC Second Team and D3hoops.com Atlantic Region Third Team last year after leading the conference in field goal percentage for the fourth straight year and finishing third in NCAA Division III. She also grabbed her 1,000th career rebound late in the season.
Treadwell was a four-time NJAC all-conference player (2018 First Team, 2017 Second Team, 2015-16 Honorable Mention) as well as the 2016 NJAC Rookie of the Year. She played at Kean University as a freshman before transferring to Stockton. In four college seasons, Treadwell totaled 1,503 points and 1,028 rebounds.
