The 2025 R.P. ESPYs Event Program

SPORTS AWARDS CELEBRATION May 16, 2025

RUTGERS PREP INSPIRING OUTCOMES

Dellapietro Field

Upper Gym

Softball and Baseball Fields

THE R.P.ESPYS MAY 16, 2025

WELCOME Ryan Klipstein Director of Athletic and Community Programming

HALL OF FAME Anthony Brocoto ‘14 Nan Blecker P ‘99

DINNER AWARDS Team Honors MVP and Coaches Awards Scholar Athletes

JUNIOR COACHES’ CUP AWARDS CLOSING Steve Loy Head of School

RUTGERS PREP GREETING

It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to The Third Annual R.P.ESPYS. We are very pleased to take this opportunity to celebrate the achievements of all our dedicated 2024-2025 student-athletes.

Thank you all!

This Celebration marks 73 years of honoring our student-athletes which began with The Sports Dinner, a tradition that was started by our late Athletic Director Richard “Oke” O’Connell, who invited athletes and their fathers to his fraternity house for a celebration.

The tradition continues with this Sports Awards Celebration which honors every Upper School student-athlete who has represented Rutgers Prep during the Fall, Winter, and Spring seasons.

We hope that you enjoy today’s celebration as we honor our current student-athletes and induct 1 special alumnus and 1 special RPS athletics supporter into the Rutgers Preparatory School Athletic Hall of Fame.

Go Argonauts!

WELCOME TO RUTGERS PREPARATORY SCHOOL’S SPORTS AWARDS CELEBRATION: Steven A. Loy Head of School

Joseph E. Chodl Upper School Principal

Jennifer Bautista-Burk Graig Domanski Upper School Assistant Principals

Ryan Klipstein Director of Athletic and Community Programming

Larry Santowasso Director of Athletics

Mary Coyle Klinger Director of Complaince

Michael Lamb

Assistant Director of Athletics

Susan Paterson Tim Seminerio Athletic Trainers

Distinguished Coaches Upper School Athletes

PAVER CAMPAIGN

ARGONAUT LEGACY PATH Join alumni, parents, faculty and friends in supporting Rutgers Prep athletics by personalizing a paver in the Argonaut Legacy Path. Your inscription will forever connect you to the athletic community at Rutgers Prep.

The Path and Ramallo Pavilion is a gathering place and welcoming entrance to the Dellapietro Field. The renovation of this space created a landscaped plaza, a sheltered area for relief from rain and sun, restroom facilities, and a pleasant environment for campus enjoyment.

Our paver campaign provides a unique opportunity to support the enhancement and additions to Rutgers Prep athletic facilities while dedicating an inscription:

• Honor your favorite Argonaut athlete • Memorialize a loved one • Recognize a coach or team member • Pay tribute to a special athletic event • Celebrate a specific team • Share an inspirational quote

LARGE PAVER DEDICATION ~ $5,000 MEDIUM PAVER DEDICATION ~ $2,500

Reserve your paver by contacting Susan Gantz at 732-545-5600, extension 222 – via email at gantz@rutgersprep.org – or by visiting the Rutgers Prep website.

SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARDS

RUTGERS PREPARATORY SCHOOL IS A PROUD MEMBER OF • National Girls and Women in Sports – NGAWS • New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association – NJSIAA • Somerset County Interscholastic Athletic Association – SCIAA • Skyland Conference

• New Jersey Independent School Athletic Association – NJISAA

RUTGERS PREP IS HONORED TO HAVE THE FOLLOWING STUDENT-ATHLETES RECOGNIZED AS SCHOLAR-ATHLETES FOR THEIR WORK IN THE CLASSROOM, IN THE ATHLETIC ARENA, AND BEYOND. NGAWS Scholar Athlete ELLIE ROBERTSON

NJSIAA Scholar Athlete ZACHARY MORRISON

SCIAA Scholar Athletes ADDISON HALPERN CHRIS PATEL

Skyland Scholar Athletes MYLES PARKER ARIANNA PEART

NJISAA Scholar Athlete Nominees MACLAINE PRIESING BRIELLE BAKER

Go Argonauts!

RUTGERS PREP ANNUAL AWARDS RON JACKOWITZ SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD In 1956-1957, Dick O’Connell coached a great basketball player at Rutgers Prep, Ron Jackowitz. He went on to star at Upsala College where he had a great college career and met his future wife Jackie Christiansen. While at Upsala, Jackowitz found working with young players on their basketball skills in the recreation leagues and at O’Connell’s summer camp very rewarding.

Six months after graduating from Upsala in June 1961, Jackowitz was drafted into the army and sent to Fort Dix in New Jersey where he played on the base’s Armed Forces League basketball team. He was then sent to Fort Hood in Texas as a recreation specialist to work with young drafted soldiers and the children of army personnel, where he also enjoyed working with young people in basketball, at the swimming pool, and other recreational areas.

After his time in the army, Jackowitz visited O’Connell at Rutgers Prep. O’Connell remembered Jackowitz’s playing days at Rutgers Prep - getting RPS the lead in the first half and then scoring less in the second half while passing to his teammates for them to score. Jackowitz wound up the top scorer in Middlesex County and the leader in assists. He truly was a sportsman and a good teammate which were very important to him. Now, the Ron Jackowitz Sportsmanship Award is presented annually to a member of the boys basketball team who displays those great traits.

PEGEEN O’CONNELL SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD Some years ago, Pegeen O’Connell was asked if she had been an athlete when she was young. She replied that there were no sports for girls at Atlantic City High School, but that no one had cheered at as many games as she had at Rutgers Prep. Retired athletic director Dick O’Connell related that his late wife Pegeen attended more than half the games that he coached at Rutgers Prep and most of the home games of their four children, all graduates of Rutgers Preparatory School.

Some years ago Ron Jackowitz suggested to O’Connell that Rutgers Prep needed a sportsmanship award whose recipient would be a member of the Rutgers Prep girls basketball team.

He agreed to fund the award if it was presented in honor of Pegeen.

The Pegeen O’Connell Sportsmanship Award is now presented annually at the Sports Awards Celebration.

JACK MORTON AWARD This award, given to the most improved swimmer, was started in 1970 by Jack Morton, father of Mac Morton, who held the 50 free record at Rutgers Prep from 1970 until a couple of years ago when it was broken by Kevin Hong. Mac was the most valuable player each of his four years on the RPS swimming team.

ROBERT DOUGHERTY IRONMAN AWARD The Robert Dougherty Ironman Award is given in memory of Robert Dougherty, a teacher, a coach, and a friend of Rutgers Preparatory School, who died in 2002 after a courageous battle with cancer. The Ironman recipient is a member of the wrestling team who demonstrates courage, toughness, determination, and honor – all qualities that Bob instilled in all of his wrestlers.

JUNIOR COACHES’ CUP AWARDS The Junior Coaches’ Cup Awards are presented annually to a male and a female student-athlete in the junior class who have had a significant positive impact on the overall athletic program at Rutgers Preparatory School. The recipients of the Coaches' Cup, as selected by the varsity head coaches, have demonstrated distinguished athletic achievement, leadership, and sportsmanship in their chosen sports at Rutgers Prep.

12-LETTER AWARDS Twelve-Letter Awards are presented annually to those student-athletes in the Rutgers Prep senior class who have earned a varsity letter during the fall, winter, and spring seasons of each of his/her four years at Rutgers Preparatory School.

THE RAYMOND HAYES McGOVERN PRIZE The Raymond Hayes McGovern Prize is awarded annually to the outstanding scholar athlete, who embodies the highest standards of leadership and character. It celebrates success in academics and athletics. This prize is presented at Honors Convocation.

RUTGERS PREP TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS CONGRATULATIONS TO:

FALL SEASON GIRLS SOCCER NJISAA State Championship Skyland Conference Division Champions Somerset County Champions Non-Public B South Sectional Champions Non-Public B State Champions

VOLLEYBALL Non-Public B South Sectional Champions

WINTER SEASON GIRLS BASKETBALL Skyland Conference Division Champions

SPRING SEASON BASEBALL Skyland Conference Division

BOYS TENNIS Skyland Conference Division

MORE CHAMPIONSHIPS COMING SOON!

Go Argonauts!

COACHES

FALL

WINTER

SPRING

CROSS COUNTRY

BASKETBALL

BASEBALL

BOYS

Larry Santowasso

Matt Bloom

Mark Nastus Dave Hameier Phil Biondolillo Pete D’Agostino

Philomena Loy Dave Wise Mark Nastus Liz Mulvey Alyssa Applebaum Ben Hawkins

Will Abrams Hamzah Ghani

Dante Walker

GIRLS

SOCCER

Mary Klinger

BOYS

Michelle Sharp Daa’iyah Harris

Joe Laureti Roger Krikorian Greg Taggart Nick Cruz

GIRLS Jim Buchanan David Byrne Eric Halpern Matt Beaglehole

Geoff Loose Rob Kuchar Mark Tyree

SWIMMING Brogan Lee Kevin Hong Patria Sullivan Charlie Dragon

GIRLS TENNIS

LACROSSE BOYS Ryan Klipstein David Klipstein Jason Kokoszka Bill Tharp

GIRLS

Courtney Smith Gary Miller Jon Dungo

GOLF

Liz Mulvey

WRESTLING

Emily Hopkins

Mike Lamb

Julianna Lupo

Elliot Simon Derrick Laurion

VOLLEYBALL Gary Preston Leah Hansford

SOFTBALL Carli Perruso Derrick Laurion Sherree Hoskins

Katerina Culhane Daa’iyah Harris

BOYS TENNIS Courtney Smith Gary Miller Jon Dungo