Donna Del Rosso was the pivotal player in the first two New Jersey Athletic Conference championships in women’s volleyball for Rutgers-Newark. She capped her four-year career by being named the NJAC Player of the Year.
The versatile three-sport student-athlete, Del Rosso started in softball as a sophomore and junior while walking on to earn a spot on the basketball team as a sophomore. As a junior, she hit .362 in softball.
After the Scarlet Raiders finished second in the league during her sophomore season in 1987, Del Rosso was the captain on teams which notched the first two NJAC championships in any sport in Rutgers-Newark history.
In the 1988 NJAC championship match, she helped rally Rutgers-Newark to a 9-15, 13-15, 15-13, 15-11, 15-6 win over William Paterson.
When Rutgers-Newark defended its title in 1989, Del Rosso became the first NJAC Women’s Volleyball Player of the Year from Newark as well as a member of the All-NJAC first team.
She played all three frontline positions in volleyball during her career while displaying solid defensive and passing skills.
A three-time Dean’s List student at Rutgers-Newark, Del Rosso completed her bachelor of arts in sociology in 1990. She added an MBA from Florida Atlantic University in 2010.
The Delray Beach, Florida, resident has enjoyed a career in supply chain, operations and corporate management.
