Berkeley College Men's Basketball Players and Coach Emeritus Recognized at USCAA Banquet
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Assistant Director, Athletics
973-278-5400 ext.4394
Stephen-Spagnoli@BerkeleyCollege.edu
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Photo Caption: The Berkeley College Men’s Basketball team and coaches enjoyed the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Division II National Tournament Banquet held at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Champion, PA, on March 7, 2020. Berkeley College student-athletes Daquan Jackson of the Bronx, NY, and Tristan Polnitz of Mount Laurel, NJ, earned recognition as a Second Team All-American, and Academic All-American, respectively.
The United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) announced its Division II Men’s Basketball All-Americans at the 2020 USCAA Basketball National Tournament Banquet held at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Champion, PA, on March 7, 2020. Berkeley College student-athletes Daquan Jackson of the Bronx, NY, and Tristan Polnitz of Mount Laurel, NJ, earned recognition as a Second Team All-American, and Academic All-American, respectively. Following the announcement of the awards, Head Coach Jonathan Pena spoke about how proud he was of these two players.
“Daquan is such a tireless worker – it is truly gratifying to see him be recognized on a National level,” Coach Pena said. “He is a tremendous presence on both sides of the court, consistently making plays offensively, as well as coming up big on the defensive side. As for Tristan, he works diligently in the classroom, and it is evident in his GPA. He is very dedicated to his studies. I couldn’t be more proud of Daquan and Tristan.”
Daquan Jackson has been a dominant force for the Knights this season. Going into the Tournament he led the team in scoring with 14.2 points per game, and was 16th in Division II in rebounds, with 8.7 rebounds per game. The forward is second in the nation with 40 blocked shots, fifth in offensive caroms with 3.9 per evening, and ninth in field goal percentage (56.6). In addition, the freshman scored more than 20 points on seven occasions, and registered six double-doubles during the 2019-2020 campaign.
Tristan Polnitz, a Criminal Justice – Justice Studies major with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5, earned Academic All-American status.
Matthew Simms, USCAA Executive Director, saluted Penn State Fayette for 12 years of hosting the USCAA National Basketball Tournament. Next season, the basketball championships will move to Richmond, VA. Berkeley College Head Coach Emeritus, Professor Chris Christiansen, Management, Larry L. Luing School of Business®, addressed the audience as well, with comments that reflected his perspective, advice, personal experience and humor.
For the Women’s Basketball team, Berkeley College student-athlete Kaina Martinez of the Bronx, NY (above), earned USCAA Division II Honorable Mention All-American status for her performance for Berkeley during the 2019-2020 season.
Ms. Martinez played in 15 games for Berkeley College this past season, and started in 13 of those. A two-time Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) Player of the Week, the guard served as one of the team’s primary all-around spark plugs, averaging 15.4 points and 4.1 steals per game, both of which were highest among the players who appeared in 10 or more games. Additionally, her six assists per game were a team-best, and her rebounding average was an impressive 6.3 per game. In Berkeley College’s HVIAC semifinal round victory over Vaughn College on February 15, 2020, Ms. Martinez registered a quadruple double, netting 17 points, posting game-highs of 17 assists and 11 steals, and snatching 13 rebounds.
For the latest news and stats visit www.berkeleycollegeknights.com.
About Berkeley College
Berkeley College, founded in 1931, is a career-focused institution accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education that offers students Master’s, Bachelor’s, and Associate’s degree and Certificate programs in more than 20 career fields. The College has campuses in Midtown Manhattan and White Plains, NY, as well as in Newark, Paramus, Woodbridge and Woodland Park, NJ, with more than 5,700 students enrolled. In addition, Berkeley College Online® serves a global population. U.S. News & World Report has named Berkeley College among the Best Colleges for Online Bachelor’s Programs and among the Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans, for seven consecutive years. The website address is www.BerkeleyCollege.edu
The mission of Berkeley College is to empower students to achieve lifelong success in dynamic careers.
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