PRINCETON—TCNJ cross country/track & field senior Natalie Cooper and NJCU basketball junior Sam Toney have been named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Female and Male Athletes of the Year respectively for the 2018-19 academic year. Their selections highlighted the 20th Annual NJAC Awards Brunch which was held at the Hyatt Regency in Princeton on June 9.

The New Jersey Athletic Conference is the only collegiate conference in the nation that presents all of its special league awards at one single event. Each of the conference's major award winners from the year, along with the First and Second Team All-Academic Team honorees, Athletes of the Year, and the NJAC Cup winning institution are recognized. This year's brunch was attended by nearly 300 total guests.

Cooper was selected the NJAC Female Athlete of the Year following a vote of the league’s 20-member Board of Athletic Administrators. She graduates as a three-time NJAC Women's Cross Country individual champion and three-time Runner of the Year. This year, she was TCNJ's highest finisher at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 20 years, placing eighth overall in the nation to earn All-America honors. She was also an All-American in the indoor 3,000 meters after winning the NJAC title in that event; she was also the NJAC runner-up in the indoor mile. She wrapped up her career this spring as the NJAC outdoor 5,000 meter champion and finished 13th in the nation in that event after qualifying for nationals.

Toney was selected the NJAC Male Athlete of the Year after collecting numerous accolades for his play on the basketball court this year. He was named First Team All-America by two different organizations (NABC and D3Hoops.com). The two-time NJAC Men's Basketball Player of the Year also earned Player of the Year honors by three different organizations, including the NABC, D3Hoops.com, and the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association. He led NJCU to the regular season NJAC title and the Gothic Knights' third consecutive NCAA appearance. Toney finished his junior season with 1,362 career points, which is 11th in school history and the most by a three-year player.

Rowan also captured its third NJAC Cup, the conference's annual all-sport trophy awarded to the top athletic department of the year based on regular season conference standings. The Profs have now garnered three of the four NJAC Cups since it was instituted in the 2015-16 academic year. In the year long competition, each full-member institution is scored based on its finish in the final regular season standings or in the conference championship meet in the 19 sports that are sponsored by the NJAC. Associate Athletic Director Penny Kempf accepted the NJAC Cup on behalf of the Rowan athletic department.