Stockton's 50 Greatest Moments, Part 3

Stockton Athletics has a rich history that dates back practically to the inception of Stockton University. Osprey teams and student-athletes have achieved success at the highest levels of NCAA Division III, winning national championships and earning All-American honors. Thousands of student-athletes have worn a Stockton uniform as the intercollegiate athletics program has grown to its current plateau of 19 sports.

In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Stockton University, Stockton Athletics has chosen its 50 greatest moments. Here is part three, with the events listed chronologically.

1997 - Carl Cochran becomes the first Stockton men’s basketball player to score 2,000 career points

Cochran reached the 2,000-point mark during his senior season and finished his career with 2,124 points. In 1997, he was voted NABC First Team All-American and became a two-time NABC All-District First Team and two-time NJAC Player of the Year.

1999 - Women’s Volleyball earns the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth

The Ospreys earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the NJAC championship with a 3-0 sweep of Kean University in the conference title match. Stockton finished the year with 27 victories, which at that time tied the school record for wins in a season.

1999 - Men’s Soccer advances to the program’s first NCAA Final Four

After defeating Vassar 4-0 and Rowan University 2-1 in first and second round games at Rowan, the Ospreys knocked off #2 Williams College (Mass.) 1-0 in an NCAA quarterfinal game at Stockton to reach the Final Four for the first time. Jason Kufta scored the game-winning goal on a corner kick.

2000 - Women’s Basketball wins the program’s first NJAC Championship

The Ospreys entered the NJAC Tournament as the No. 4 seed and upset No. 1 seed Rowan University 71-69 in the semifinals and then No. 2 seed William Paterson 64-53 in the championship game. Kelli Bakanowsky scored 20 points in the title game and Stockton earned an automatic NCAA Tournament berth.

2000 - Men’s Soccer wins the program’s first ECAC Championship

Between their 1999 NCAA Final Four appearance and 2001 NCAA championship, the Ospreys won the ECAC regional tournament for the first time with shutouts of Rutgers-Camden, Kean and Montclair State. Mark Dodson scored the title-winning goal in the fourth overtime for a 1-0 triumph.

2000 - Randy Wetzel becomes the first Stockton runner to qualify for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships

Wetzel qualified for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships by finishing 13th at the Atlantic Regional meet with a time of 25:46.0. Wetzel then finished 127th out of 215 runners at the NCAA Championships in Spokane, Wash. He qualified for the NCAA Championships again in 2002.

2001 - Women’s Basketball wins the program’s first ECAC Championship

The Ospreys defeated St. Joseph’s (N.Y.) 90-79 in overtime, Montclair State 71-54 and Rutgers-Camden 70-60 to win their first ECAC regional championship. Rosina Rachuba was chosen MVP of the ECAC Tournament and Stockton finished the season with a 19-10 record.

2001 - Men’s Soccer wins Stockton’s first NCAA National Championship in any sport

The Ospreys defeated University of Redlands 3-2 in the NCAA championship game, setting an NCAA all-division record for wins in a season (25).  Also, marked the first team National Championship in school history. Mike McAlarnen scored the game-winning goal as Stockton capped a 22-game unbeaten streak (21-0-1).

2002 - Men’s Lacrosse wins the program’s first ECAC Championship

The Ospreys won home games over Centenary 12-6 and FDU-Madison 13-9 to capture the program’s first ECAC regional title. Goalkeeper Doug Mineur was chosen MVP of the ECAC Tournament and Stockton finished 12-2, setting a school record for wins that stood for 12 years.

2003 - Kim Marino wins the NCAA National Championship in the Indoor Pole Vault

In the first year that the women’s pole vault was offered at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships, Marino won the event with a vault of 3.93 meters (12’10.75”). With the victory, Marino became Stockton’s first female NCAA champion.