PITMAN, N.J. — For the first time since 1989 and just the second time in the program's 53-year history, New Jersey City University women's basketball has one of its own earn the title of New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Player of the Year. The conference released its annual women's basketball All-NJAC teams today, Tuesday, Feb. 21, and a pair of Gothic Knights were represented, led by First Team honoree and Player of the Year, junior guard Damaris Rodriguez (Secaucus, N.J./Secaucus). Senior guard Jada Camacho (Jersey City, N.J./Dickinson) was also selected as a Honorable Mention honoree.

Rodriguez joins NJCU's all-time leading scorer Monique Hemingway as the only two Gothic Knights to earn NJAC Player of the Year honors, as the latter did it back in 1989. Rodriguez is now a three-time First Team All-NJAC selection and has won two major annual awards, including Rookie of the Year in 2020-21. She currently leads all of NCAA Division III in scoring (25.0 points/game) and made field goals (227) and is sixth in assists per game (6.0). In the NJAC, she also leads in minutes per game (37.5), is second in free-throw percentage (85.3), third in three-pointers made (57) and fourth in steals per game (2.7) and three-point percentage (33.7). She has scored in double figures in all 23 of her games played, including at least 20 on 21 occasions and at least 30 six times, including a career-high 34 once.

Camacho earns her first-career NJAC honor as NJCU's second-leading scorer and ended the regular season averaging 9.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 blocks in 27.8 minutes per game over 24 games and starts. She ranks 19th in the NJAC in scoring and is 11th in the conference and second on Jersey City in three-pointers per game (1.3). A defensive standout — as a guard — Camacho ranks 10th in the NJAC and second on the Gothic Knights in blocks per game (1.0). A transfer to NJCU prior to the 2021-22 championship season, Camacho has played and started in all 47 possible games since she put on the Jersey City uniform. Prior to joining the Green and Gold, she was a standout guard at Passaic County Community College from 2018-20 and played in 51 games, including 48 starts for the Panthers' NJCAA program — she averaged 14.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.8 blocks over 32.8 minutes per game with them. Camacho also played and started in every game of the abridged 2020-21 season with NAIA University of Saint Katherine.

Up Next:
Jersey City, which recently claimed the first NJAC Regular-Season Championship in program history, enjoyed a quarterfinal bye in the 2022-23 NJAC Championship Tournament. The top-seeded Gothic Knights return to action this Wednesday night, Feb. 22, for a 7:00 p.m. semifinal round meeting with #4-seed The College of New Jersey on Coach Charlie Brown Court at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC) in Jersey City. Doors to the JMAC open at 6:00 p.m. and tickets are avaulable for purchase at the door — $5 for adults and $2 for students, children and seniors. The first 100 NJCU students receive free entry and there will also be discounted parking of $5 available to all fans in the lot next to the Gilligan Student Union Building (GSUB).