NJCU Athletics | May 22, 2020

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Junior third baseman Dulce Almonte (Jersey City, NJ/Snyder via County Prep) of the softball team has been named the 2020 recipient of the New Jersey City University The Rising Knight Award. The NJCU Athletics Department announced the award on day 15 of The 2020 Gothics on May 22, during the Gothic Knights' virtual month-long awards series.
 
This award from the Rising Knight Institute is given to the individual that has best exemplified the meaning of being a true Division III student athlete in five distinct areas: Academics, Leadership, Career Planning, Personal Enrichment, and Community Service. 
 
The 2019-20 year is the second in which the honor has been bestowed in its current form. The award was originally combined with The True Grit Award from 2014-18 before being presented in its current form in 2018-19 upon the launch of the RKI Program.
 


"Dulce Almonte (Jersey City, NJ/Snyder via County Prep) was chosen as the 2020 recipient for the Rising Knight Award because of her commitment to bettering herself, her team, the department and the community," said Danielle Beam, Associate Director of Athletics for Student Development and the Director of the Rising Knight Institute (RKI). "She is a constant attendee in RKI workshops, logging 12 hours for the 2019-20 year, and is first in line for community service opportunities. She does a great job of not only motivating herself but the people around her. She works tirelessly to improve on her softball skill, on her academics in the classroom and on her personal growth. She is the essence of a Rising Knight and we hope to have many more athletes with the heart and the mentality that Dulce possesses."
 
A Criminal Justice major with a minor in National Security Studies with a 3.65 grade point average, Almonte will be a Second-Team Academic All-NJAC selection in 2020 after being an Honorable Mention Academic All-NJAC honoree in 2018-19. She has been named to the NJCU Dean's List in each of her first five semesters as a college student. She is also a member of the NJCU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
 
On the field, Almonte, NJCU's starting third baseman this year and shortstop in 2019, is a two-time NJCU Athlete of the Week selection in her career who has played in all 79 games since she joined the program in 2018. Almonte was selected for the 2020 Softball Most Improved Award.
 
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic shuttering spring sports across the nation, she was hitting .519 with 14 hits in 27 at bats with 12 runs and five RBIs in seven games. She had a .630 slugging rate with a double and triple. She owned a .935 fielding percentage with just two errors at the hot corner.
 
In three abbreviated seasons she is a career .291 hitter in 79 games (77 starts) with 55 hits, 31 runs, 20 walks and 12 RBIs. She has improved each year in all aspects of her game, demonstrating hard work. After batting .169 as a freshman in 2018, her batting average jumped an incredible 140 points to .309 as a sophomore and another 210 points as a junior (.519).
 
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PAST RECIPIENTS
YEAR	WINNER	SPORT
2018-19	Nina L. Carbonaro	Women's Soccer
2019-20	Dulce M. Almonte-Batista	Softball