Galloway, N.J. – Ten Stockton University student-athletes were recognized as 2020 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars by the publication
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. The total is double Stockton's previous high of five honorees in 2018.
The five male selections were soccer player
Joel Burgos (Eatontown/Monmouth), track & field competitors
Cedric Cook (Toms River/TR North) and
Qudratullah Qadiri (Ocean Twp./Ocean Twp.), cross country and track & field runner
Daniel Do (Galloway/Absegami), and lacrosse player
Will Pellicier (Monrovia, Md./Linganore).
Stockton's five female recipients were rower
Catelyn Andrews (Old Bridge/Old Bridge), field hockey goalie
Niya Calloway (Matawan/Matawan), basketball player
Raquel Harris-Scott (Pine Hill/Overbrook), softball player
Meg Murzello (Maple Shade/Holy Cross) and track & field competitor
Lauren Preston (Wernersville, Pa./Conrad Weiser).
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.
Murzello and Qadiri received recognition as Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars for the second straight year. Murzello also was chosen as the national sport winner for softball a year ago.
Burgos is a sophomore who has scored two goals in 24 career games for the Stockton men's soccer team. He potted the game-winner in a 2-1 victory over Oswego State (N.Y.) last season, snapping a 1-1 tie with his marker late in the first half.
Cook is a senior who competed at Stockton for two indoor seasons and one outdoor season. He ran in the sprints and relays, helping the Ospreys to two victories in the 4x100 and one runner-up finish in the 4x200. Cook also ran legs of the 4x100 and 4x400 for Stockton at the 2019 Penn Relays.
Do is a junior who is two-time NJAC First Team runner in cross country. He has recorded two wins and 11 top-10 finishes, and he has been Stockton's top finisher in 15 of the 20 career meets in which he has raced. On the track, Do holds school records in the indoor 3000m run and outdoor 5000m run. He was a 2020 CoSIDA Academic All-District 2 selection.
Qadiri, a senior who competed primarily in the pole vault, hurdles and decathlon, earned four career NJAC Second Team honors and was voted NJAC Rookie of the Year for the 2017 indoor season. He was selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 2 Team twice and was chosen as the student speaker for Stockton's 2020 commencement.
Pellicier is a junior who has played in 35 games and helped Stockton to a 35-8 record in his three seasons on the Osprey men's lacrosse team. A defensive midfielder, he has 19 ground balls and nine caused turnovers to go along with a goal and five assists at the offensive end.
Andrews is a three-year letter winner for the Stockton women's rowing team. Last spring, she was part of the Stockton second varsity eight that had its best-ever finish at the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference Championships by placing second. Andrews also rowed in the varsity four at the 2019 Dad Vail Regatta.
Calloway played four seasons as the backup goaltender for the Stockton field hockey team. She appeared in 18 career games, recorded 25 saves and participated in six combined shutouts for the Ospreys. Calloway attended the 2019 NCAA Convention in Orlando as part of the Division III Student Immersion Program.
Harris-Scott spent two years at Stockton after transferring from Rowan College-Gloucester County, where she started her college career. The forward saw action in 45 games and started 15 contests for the Ospreys, averaging 5.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Harris-Scott also contributed defensively with 32 steals and 10 blocks.
Murzello started all 87 games that she played in three seasons on the Stockton softball team after playing at St. Francis University (Pa.) as a freshman. A 2018 NFCA East Region First Team and NJAC Second Team selection, she ranks seventh in Stockton history in stolen bases, tied for seventh in batting average and 10th in runs. Murzello was Stockton's 2019-20 NJAIAW Woman of the Year.
Preston has competed in the pole vault at 16 meets during her two years on the Stockton track & field team. She earned an NJAC Honorable Mention spot by finishing third in the pole vault at the 2019 NJAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Preston has a personal best of 3.20 meters in the vault, which came at the 2019 Osprey Open and resulted in a career-best finish of second place.
