From September to June, Rutgers Athletics proved that it belonged in the Big Ten Conference so many others said it couldn't compete in.
The Scarlet Knights finished at No. 48 in the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings. In simple terms, it is a measure of the most successful college athletics programs in a given academic year.
Originated in 1993, points for the Directors' Cup are based on order of finish in various championships or media polls for football. A first-place finish in a sport earns 100 points, second place 90 points, third place 85 points. You also get points based on a lower value for fourth place and on.
This past year, Rutgers won Big Ten regular season and tournament championships, secured NCAA Tournament berths, and captured new milestones.
Rutgers finished at No. 60 in the standings in 2020-21, and its previous high was No. 54 in 2006-07.
"This is a proud moment for Rutgers Athletics," said Athletic Director Pat Hobbs. "Our student-athletes, coaches and staff have worked tremendously hard in the pursuit of excellence in all areas. This has been one of the most rewarding seasons for everyone connected to Rutgers Athletics. To watch what our programs have accomplished is remarkable. They continue to represent our university with great pride, excelling both in competition and in the classroom."
Rutgers had nine teams make appearances in the national rankings, the most in one year all-time. The Scarlet Knights also had five Big Ten Championship game finalists, including women's soccer, which won the school's initial regular season league title, and field hockey, which earned the university's first Big Ten Tournament title.
Nine programs plays at the NCAA Championships. Wrestling, swimming and diving, and men's track and field had individual qualifiers, and football made its first bowl game berth since 2014 in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, albeit by backing in.
Women's soccer advanced into its 10 NCAA Tournament in a row. It was the No. 1 seed and it made the College Cup for the second time and first since 2015. Rutgers went 10-0 during the regular season, winning the Big Ten regular season crown. Rutgers sent new program records for wins (19), goals (64), assists (62), points (19), winning streak (13 games), conference wins (10), Yurcak Field attendance (5,103), highest ranking (No. 3), NCAA seed (No. 1), and a couple others. Rutgers also had three All-Americans and three Big Ten player of the year honorees at their respective positions. Mike O'Neill was also named Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Field hockey won three games in four days on its home field to win the Big Ten Tournament crown. Kerrie Burns was named tournament MVP. Rutgers then made the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Along the way it captured its first NCAA victory since 1986. Gianna Glatz and Katie Larmoour were both named All-Americans, and Glatz, Larmour, Burns, and Milenan Redlingshoefer were given All-Big Ten honors. Glatz was the co-player of the year. Meredith Civico was also named Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Men's basketball played in the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row, the first time that's happened since 1975-76. Rutgers was also the first unranked team during the season to knock-off four-consecutive ranked foes. Rutgers finished fourth in the Big Ten standings, and took Notre Dame into triple-overtime in the First Four game in Dayton. Ron Harper Jr., who won the Haggerty Award, signed a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors this summer. Rutgers had the most wins in Big Ten play in team history with 12, and it had its third-straight winning season, something that didn't happen in over 30 years.
Men's lacrosse won its way into the NCAA Final Four for the time. It became the first Rutgers men's team to do so since men's soccer in 1994. Rutgers broke records for the most wins in a season with 15 and six wins over ranked opponents including three top 10 wins. Rutgers won two NCAA Tournament games for the first time as well, and it had seven All-Americans in Colin Kirst, Ethan Rall, Brennan Kamish, Ross Scott, Jaryd Jean-Felix, Ronan Jacoby, and Shane Knobloch. Kirst, Knobloch, Rall, Jacoby, Jean-Felix, and Scott were also named All-Big Ten, and Bobby Russo captured the Big Ten Sportsmanship award.
Men's soccer went 9-6-2 in the fall and saw Jackson Temple, Vincent Borden, Matthew Acosta, and Joey Zalinsky pick up All-Big Ten honors. It was the first time Rutgers had multiple all-conference honors (first or second team) since 2015 and it was the second time since 2014 it had more than one selection for the all-freshmen team. In the regular season finale, Rutgers blanked Ohio State, 4-0, which was the most lopsided win in B1G play for the Scarlet Knights.
On the baseball field, Rutgers went 44-15 and 17-7 in conference play. The 44 wins are a new record. Ryan Lasko, Nick Cimillo, and Danny DiGeorgio were all named All-Americans for the 202 season. Despite not being picked in the top six in the preseason, Rutgers finished in a close second in the Big Ten's regular season, and several players got All-Big Ten honors. Lasko was also a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. Rutgers set new records in addition to wins in runs, home runs, RBI, total bases, and pitching strikeouts. Rutgers led all power five programs in road wins, too. The Scarlet Knights were at or near the top of the country in runs per game on average and total, batting average, doubles, hits, and fielding percentage.
Women's lacrosse also made its second-straight NCAA Tournament, and advanced into the Big Ten Tournament championship game for the very first time. The Scarlet Knights achieved a program-high 16 wins, six over ranked team as well. TT Naslonski received the Big Ten Medal of Honor. Naslonski, an All-American, set new RU records for career points (226) and goals (187). During the 2022 season, she obtained new records for for points with 90 as Rutgers finished ranked at No. 10 in the nation. Meghan Ball, Cassidy Spilis, and Marin Hartshorn were also named All-Americans. Spilis was the Big Ten's Midfielder of the Year wihle Melissa Lehman was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Rowing also competed in its third-straight NCAA Tournament, finishing in 13th, and six medals were earned -- a program best -- at the Big Ten Championships. Rowing also won its first gold medal at the conference meet. Before the three trips to NCAAs in a row, Rutgers hadn't made the tournament in 18 years. Rowing also came in third at the Big Ten Championships.
Wrestling finished top five in national attendance for the sixth consecutive season. Rutgers averaged 3,712 fans this past home dual season which was fifth in the country and third in the Big Ten behind Iowa and Penn State. In total, 33,409 fans were accounted for at Jersey Mike's Arena including a season-best 6,365 against Army. Rutgers closed the dual campaign with the most wins (16) since 2012-13 and finished No. 14 in the NWCA Coaches Poll. Seven Scarlet Knights qualified for the NCAA Championships, and Greg Bulsak and Sebastian Rivera were named All-Americans. Rivera took third at 141 pounds.
Gymnastics recorded a program high team score of 195.750 at the Big Ten Championships. Hannah Joyner was named to the All-Championship team as she finished in seventh in the all-around. In the regular season finale, Rutgers posted a 196.400 for its best overall score in a meet all-time. Joyner, Belle Huang, and Emily Leese represented Rutgers at the NCAA Regionals.
Track and field earned three podium finished at the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships in a year that saw 17 school records broken combined by the men and women.
Women's golf set program record for low tournament row with a nine-under-par 279 in the second round of the Jackrabbit Invitational in addition to the third-lowest 54-hole score at the event. Rutgers finished fourth place at two tournaments, won against Indiana and Iowa in Big Ten Match Play, and took sixth in the conference championships. It's 302.72 average was the fourth lowest in team history.
Men's golf took 11th as a team at the Big Ten Championships. Cade Anderson, a freshman, led Rutgers with a 1-under-par 71 for ninth place. Xavier Marcoux hit a hole in one. Marcoux and Lucas Wells were named to the NCAA Division-I All-Northeast PING Team.
Swimming and diving made strides by notching its highest Big Ten Championship finish, and it also came in 26th at the NCAA Championships, the highest mark since 2006. Ten Scarlet Knights produced podium finishes at the championships, seven new school records were established, and 28 times/scores were recorded that were in the all-time top 10. Six divers advanced to NCAA Zones, and two divers went to the NCAA Championships including Abigail Knapton, who was an All-American as a finalist on platform and consolation finalist on 3-meter.
Women's basketball had some struggles on the court, but the arrow is pointing back up with new head coach Coquese Washington and her staff in the fold. Tess Fisher and Minchae Kim together finished the tennis season ranked No. 9 in the regional rankings at doubles. Fisher, a former New Jersey state singles tournament champion, also earned the Big Ten's Sportsmanship Award.
Shealyn McNamara also received the Big Ten's Sportsmanship Award in women's volleyball, and and six others, seven total including herself, notched high marks in season and career statistics.
Softball's Gabrielle Callaway and Kyleigh Sand were named First Team All-Big Ten, marking the first time the team has had members on the top list for conference accolades. As a team, Rutgers pitchers accounted for the most strikeouts in a season with 305. At the plate, the Scarlet Knights also had the fifth most doubles with 73 and scored 238 runs for eighth most, and had 212 RBI for ninth most.
For cross country, Olympia Martin had the second-highest individual finish at Big Tens for Rutgers since joining the conference in 2014. As a team, Rutgers also tied the second-best finish on the women's side. Martin placed 36th out of 193 at NCAAs, which was the best finish someone from Rutgers ever had. Patrick Walsh was the top runner for the men's side at the Big Ten Championships (79th).
A'nan Bridgett in track and field posted a personal best in the long jump at the USATF Championships last month. He jumped 26-4.25 to place fifth overall. Bridgett also came in sixth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Bridgett and Chloe Timberg (pole vault) were both named All-Americans. Timberg won gold in the event at the Big Ten Championships while Joshua Mather (javelin) and Bridgett did the same. In both indoor and out door, track won seven Big Ten medals and had five NCAA Championships qualifiers. Bridgett was an All-American during both seasons.
Bo Melton and Isaih Pacheco were each selected in the NFL Draft in April. Rutgers won multiple Big Ten games in consecutive seasons for the time since joining the league. Punter Adam Korsak was a Ray Guy Award finalist and All-American. Olakunle Fatukasi, Julius Turner, and Christian Izien also were given Big Ten honors.
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.
--------------------------------------------------------------
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
