PITMAN, N.J. — In a year that was anything but conventional, New Jersey City University athletics persevered to the tune of six championships — five team titles and one NCAA Division III Community Service crown. And today, Thursday, July 1, NJCU student-athletes have once again made history as a record-45 Gothic Knights were selected to the 2020-21 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) All-Academic Teams. That group was headlined by First Team selections, senior Genesis Torres (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) of the women's soccer team and sophomore Daniel Esteva (Union, N.J./Union) of men's volleyball, as well as Second Team honorees sophomore Polina Agutina (Evaptoria, Ukraine/Number 6) of women's track & field and junior Paul Tannucilli (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge) of the baseball squad.

In order to be eligible for the Academic All-NJAC teams, a student-athlete must be a sophomore, junior or senior who has competed in a conference-sponsored sport while earning a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.20 over 24 credits at their respective institution. Freshmen and first-year transfers — with the exception of those from other NJAC schools — are not eligible. Each of the conference's 10 member institutions receive two First Team and two Second Team selections, as well.

The baseball and men's cross country/track & field teams led the way for NJCU, each nabbing 10 individual selections overall. Right behind them was women's cross country/track & field with seven honorees and women's soccer with five selections. Both men's volleyball and softball had four student-athletes recognized, while men's soccer came in next with three honorees. Women's volleyball (2) came next, while the first-year men's and women's tennis programs each had one selection apiece due to the restrictions of freshmen and first-year transfers being ineligible.

Torres adds this honor to her title as 2020-21 NJCU Female Presidential Academic Achievement Award Winner, while this is the first honor of Esteva's career. Tannucilli, NJCU's 2020-21 Male Presidential Academic Achievement Award Winner, is now a two-time Academic All-NJAC honoree, having earned Honorable Mention accolades as a sophomore. Agutina — a Second Team All-NJAC selection in the long jump this year — was a finalist for several NJCU year-end awards this season. This is the first Academic All-NJAC honor of her career.
 

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All of NJCU's 2020-21 Academic All-NJAC selections are listed below:

Baseball (10)
Paul Tannucilli (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge) — Junior — Second Team
Chris Bergalowski (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) — Senior — Honorable Mention
Leo Colon (Carteret, N.J./St. Anthony (Jersey City)) — Senior — Honorable Mention
Gavin Niland (Paramus, N.J./Paramus Catholic) — Senior — Honorable Mention
Bryan Pagan (Jersey City, N.J./Hudson Catholic) — Senior — Honorable Mention
Tom Paul (Point Pleasant, N.J./Point Pleasant Boro) — Senior — Honorable Mention
John Pudder (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan) — Junior — Honorable Mention
Jon Taylor (Englewood, N.J./Dwight Morrow) — Sophomore — Honorable Mention
Jimmy Vizzoni (Hamilton, N.J./Trenton Catholic) — Sophomore — Honorable Mention
Ricky Voss (Eatontown, N.J./Monmouth Regional) — Junior — Honorable Mention

Men's Cross Country/Track & Field (10)
Emmanuel Chinonso Abarah (Irvington, N.J./Irvington) — Sophomore — Honorable Mention
Roger Campbell (Jersey City, N.J./Dickinson) — Junior — Honorable Mention
Matthew Davis (Jersey City, N.J./Dickinson) — Senior — Honorable Mention
Aliezer Ferrer (Lyndhurst, N.J./University Academy Charter) — Sophomore — Honorable Mention
Tyshon Johnson (Newark, N.J./People's Prep Charter) — Senior — Honorable Mention
Adnan Kpodo (Irvington, N.J./Irvington) — Sophomore — Honorable Mention
Denilson Lopez (Elizabeth, N.J./Elizabeth) — Sophomore — Honorable Mention
Donald Luxama (Woodbridge, N.J./Woodbridge) — Sophomore — Honorable Mention
Jose Recinos (Union City, N.J./Union City) — Junior — Honorable Mention
Jaime Tlatelpa (Jersey City, N.J./University Academy Charter) — Sophomore — Honorable Mention

Women's Cross Country/Track & Field (7)
Polina Agutina (Evaptoria, Ukraine/Number 6) — Sophomore — Second Team
Arame Diouf (Weehawken, N.J./Memorial) — Sophomore — Honorable Mention
April Gutierrez (Jersey City, N.J./Dickinson) — Senior — Honorable Mention
Annaliza Lagman (Jersey City, N.J./Ferris) — Senior — Honorable Mention
Zahria Thomas (Jersey City, N.J./Dickinson) — Sophomore — Honorable Mention
Shantel Worrell (Jersey City, N.J./Snyder) — Sophomore — Honorable Mention
Lamya Young (Audubon, N.J./Audubon) — Sophomore — Honorable Mention

Women's Soccer (5)
Genesis Torres (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) — Senior — First Team
Verenice Bonilla (Union City, N.J./Union City) — Sophomore — Honorable Mention
Arame Diouf (Weehawken, N.J./Memorial) — Sophomore — Honorable Mention
Kathy Gutierrez (Jersey City, N.J./McNair Academic) — Junior — Honorable Mention
Tiana Ulloa (New Brunswick, N.J./East Brunswick) — Junior — Honorable Mention

Men's Volleyball (4)
Daniel Esteva (Union, N.J./Union) — Sophomore — First Team
James Bajor (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) — Sophomore — Honorable Mention
Hanel Collado (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen) — Sophomore — Honorable Mention
Aaron Mantilla (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) — Junior — Honorable Mention

Softball (4)
Dulce Almonte (Jersey City, N.J./Snyder via County Prep) — Senior — Honorable Mention
Katherine Ayala (Jersey City, N.J./University Academy Charter) — Junior — Honorable Mention
Emma Herrick (Sayreville, N.J./Sayreville War Memorial) — Junior — Honorable Mention
Brianna Loughlin (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge) — Junior — Honorable Mention

Men's Soccer (3)
Samuel Ansah (East Orange, N.J./Newark Tech) — Junior — Honorable Mention
Nick Linebaugh (Linden, N.J./St. Benedict's Prep) — Junior — Honorable Mention
Peter Rosenthal (Montclair, N.J./Montclair) — Junior — Honorable Mention

Women's Volleyball (2)
Krista Bartko (Edison, N.J./Edison) — Junior — Honorable Mention
Madeline Lopez (Elizabeth, N.J./Hudson Catholic) — Junior — Honorable Mention

Men's Tennis (1)
Alex Platonov (Weehawken, N.J./Weehawken) — Junior — Honorable Mention

Women's Tennis (1)
Annaliza Lagman (Jersey City, N.J./Ferris) — Senior — Honorable Mention