General | 5/8/2025 10:15:00 AM

NEWARK, NJ | The Rutgers University-Newark athletics program celebrated another season with some program first achievements at the Golden Dome in Newark, NJ. The yearly event honors the student athlete's achievements throughout the season with our top awards, Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, going to Paul and Eric Recchia of the baseball team and Madison Umlauf of softball. 

The evening began with a welcome from the voice of Raidervision, John Heffernan, followed by a recap of the seasons by Director of Athletics, Mark Griffin. 

Paul and Eric Recchia made frequent trips to the podium, but the biggest award came towards the end of the night when they were named Rutgers-Newark Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Madison Umlauf of softball was awarded Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row. 

The Massenburg award is given to the student-athlete who demonstrates athletic achievement, service in the community and scholastic achievement. This year track & field sprinter, Daniel Cortez met all the criteria to win the award. 
Bryan Rodriguez picked up the Most Outstanding Student-Athlete from Essex County. 

This year, a new award was instituted in memory of Mike Alvarez, former Assistant Director of Athletics. One of Mike's responsibilities was to hire and supervise the student-worker game management staff. Mike was well-loved by his student-workers and formed strong bonds with many of them. In his honor, we now have the Mike Alvarez Outstanding Student-Worker Award, given to the student-worker who has made exceptional contributions to the department. Mike's daughter presented the award to Alex Salgado. 

Nominees for Male Rookie of the Year (Winner Highlighted)
Tommy Ruth, Baseball
Massimo Roco, Men's Volleyball
Edgar Silva, Men's Soccer 
 
Nominees for Female Rookie of the Year (Winner Highlighted)
Kristen Kloss, Softball
Jaedyn Simba-Malasarte, Women's Volleyball 
J'nyyah Young Women's Soccer

Nominees for Male Athlete of the Year
Levi Holton, Men's Basketball
Derek Au, Men's Volleyball
Erick Cortes, Men's Soccer

Nominees for Female Athlete of the Year
Shanil Auguste, Track & Field
Leila Ettayebi, Women's Soccer 
Zrreyah Moore, Track & Field
Leila Ettayebi, Women's Soccer

Highest GPA in the Business School
Eric Recchia, Baseball

Highest GPA in Criminal Justice
Marissa Houseknecht, Softball

Highest GPA in the School of Arts & Sciences
Paul Recchia, Baseball

Highest GPA in SPAA
Gabrielle Negvesky, Women's Soccer 

Rutgers-Newark All-Academic Team
Eric Recchia (4.0) – Baseball
Paul Recchia (4.0) – Baseball
David Kema (3.53) – Men's Basketball
Jaielyn Alston (3.46)– Women's Basketball
Pablo Moreno (3.85) – Men's Soccer
Izzy Deltoro (3.96) – Women's Soccer
Madison Umlauf (3.97)– Softball
Gavin Walker-Mason (3.91 GPA) – Men's Volleyball
Sabrina Suquinagua (3.74) – Women's Volleyball 
Daniel Cortez (3.79) – Men's Track & Field
Morgan Mackres (3.37) – Women's Track & Field
Kevana Dupree – Cheer 
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on Rutgers-Newark sports, visit rutgersnewarkathletics.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Scarlet Raiders news by following Rutgers-Newark Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.