PRINCETON, N.J. – Last week, five female student-athletes from The College of New Jersey had the opportunity to attend an athletics reception of Gov. Phil Murphy at his residence, Drumthwacket.
Recent graduates
Elizabeth Morrison,
Christina Fabiano, and
Elizabeth Thoresen as well as sophomores
Nicole Tampone and
Jen Byrne met with the governor and first lady as well as cabinet and legislative members.
The guest of honor for the evening was Carla Williams, the first female African-American Athletic Director at a power five institution when she was selected to run the department at the University of Virginia in October of 2017. Williams was previously the deputy director of athletics at the University of Georgia. Other guests included four-time track-and-field Olympian Joetta Clark Diggs, former track-and-field athlete Carol Lewis, Rutgers women's basketball coach Vivian Stringer and Carol Blazejowski, former president and general manager of the WNBA's New York Liberty.
"It was inspiring to hear how athletics played such an important role in the lives of the honored guests," Thoresen said.
The three-time First-Team All-Conference and Two-Time All-Region forward for the women's soccer team scored eight goals and dished out four assists in her senior season, helping to lead the team to a final four appearance for the first time since 2009.
Morrison, a two sport standout on the Lions field hockey and lacrosse teams, helped lead both squads to the Final Four during the past season. With the field hockey team, Morrison earned Second-Team All-America honors after leading TCNJ in points during the past season scoring 16 goals and dishing out nine assists. Switching to the defensive side of the ball for lacrosse, the three-time First-Team All-America and 2016 National Defensive Player of the Year concluded her storied career second in NCAA Division III history in career caused turnovers.
Fabiano graduates after bookending her career on the field hockey team with final four runs, winning a national title as a freshman in 2014. Recording six shutouts and posting a goals against average on 0.94, Fabiano earned First-Team All-America honors as a senior. Fabiano ended her career with a 28-5 record between the pipes.
Byrne was dominant for the Lions on the basketball court tying the program record for points in a game with 35 in the season opener. The First-Team All-NJAC and Second-Team All-Region forward led the Lions to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2008-09 season advancing to the second round.
Tampone competed in the 400-hurdles for the Lions track & field teams, finishing in eighth place at the NJAC Championships. As a freshman, Tampone earned a trio of All-Conference honors as a member of the Lions relay teams.
