Stockton's 50 Greatest Moments, Part 4

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 four, with the events listed chronologically.

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

A little over two months after winning the NCAA championship in the indoor pole vault, Marino captured her second NCAA title by becoming the inaugural Division III national champion in the outdoor women’s pole vault. Marino vaulted 4.01 meters (13’1.75”) to top 19 competitors in the event.

2004 - Men’s Soccer advances to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament

After a first-round bye, the Ospreys rallied with two goals in the last two minutes of regulation to tie North Carolina Wesleyan and then won the second-round matchup 3-2 in overtime. Next, Stockton edged Stevens Tech 2-1 in overtime to reach the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.

2005 - Baseball wins the program’s first ECAC Championship

The Ospreys defeated New Jersey City 12-2 and St. Joseph's (N.Y.) 12-6 to win the program’s first ECAC regional championship. Stockton also reached the 20-win mark for the first time, finishing the season with a 20-16 record. Travis LaFerriere was selected MVP of the ECAC Tournament.

2005 - Tiffany Masuhr wins the NCAA National Championship in the Javelin

Masuhr won in a field of 19 competitors with a best throw of 45.37 meters (148’10”), topping the second-place finisher by over four feet and breaking the stadium record at Wartburg College (Iowa) by nearly four feet. Masuhr earned her second straight All-American accolade in the javelin.

2005 - Paul Klemic wins the NCAA National Championship in the Outdoor Long Jump.

Klemic won the NCAA crown with a jump of 7.67 meters (25’2’) to set a school record that stands to this day and a new stadium record at Wartburg College (Iowa). Klemic topped 18 other competitors to become Stockton’s first male NCAA champion since Greg Foster in 1988.

2006 - Paul Klemic wins the NCAA National Championship in the Outdoor Long Jump

Klemic repeated as the NCAA champion in the outdoor long jump with a leap of 7.56 meters (24’9.75”) that shattered the stadium record at Benedictine University (Ill.) by over two feet. Klemic also became the first Stockton male with two NCAA individual titles since Greg Foster in 1988.

2009 - Men’s Basketball advances to the NCAA National Championship Game

The Ospreys downed Rensselaer 79-65, Gwynedd Mercy 95-88, St. Lawrence 71-68 and Farmingdale State 103-60 to reach the NCAA Final Four for the first time since 1987. Stockton edged Franklin & Marshall 62-58 in the NCAA semifinals to reach the 30-win mark for the season before falling to Washington University 61-52 and finishing as the national runner-up.

2010 - Abad Akhtar becomes the first Stockton cross country runner to win the NJAC individual championship

Akhtar ran 25:37.34 for eight kilometers to head a field of 99 runners in the NJAC Championship, which was held on the Stockton campus. He won the race by three seconds to become the first Osprey, male or female, to win the conference individual title. Akhtar later qualified for the NCAA Championship.

2012 - Gerry Matthews becomes the winningest New Jersey college men’s basketball coach

Matthews became the winningest coach in New Jersey men's college basketball history with a 78-58 triumph over Farmingdale State on November 17, 2012 that gave him 515 wins, one more than longtime Princeton head coach Pete Carril. Matthews finished his career with 603 victories, which remains the New Jersey record.

2015 - Volleyball hosts the NCAA Tournament regional and advances to the third round for the first time 

Stockton was chosen as a host site for one of the eight-team NCAA Tournament regional brackets. Playing on their home court, the Ospreys swept Gallaudet 3-0 in the first round and then rallied from a 2-1 deficit by winning the last two sets 25-20 and 15-13 to upset #16 Eastern University in the second round. With the victory, Stockton tied the school record of 32 wins in a season.