Paige Angelus and Dawn Foglein are ready to become part of history for Roadrunner Athletics as they begin their collegiate careers.
Angelus and Foglein will be among the incoming student-athletes who will help launch RCGC's first-ever women's golf team in the Spring of 2019. The formation of the program was announced recently by Brian Rowan, Executive Director of Athletics, following the Roadrunners' successful formation of a co-ed program this past spring.
Starting in Spring 2019, RCGC will sponsor intercollegiate teams for both a men and women. Both teams will be coached by Mr. Jim Clarke, who began the co-ed program as a club team this past season. Interest and participation soared with the formation of the co-ed program, which led the college to transition into a full NJCAA Division III teams this coming spring.
Clarke hopes the women's program will experience the same level of success in its first season.
"We're off to a great start with Paige (Angelus) and Dawn (Foglein) joining the program," said Clarke, a former golf coach at Gloucester County Institute of Technology. "We're receiving more interest every day as the word gets out."
Paige Angelus played golf at Delsea Regional High School and was a multi-sport athlete, also taking part in basketball and softball. In golf she was a top finisher in the Tri-County Conference Showcase at Wild Oaks Country Club.
"Coach Clarke is very knowledgeable and I'm looking forward to improving my game at the college level," said Angelus."
Dawn Foglein played golf all four years at Clayton High School before graduating last spring. She also competed in cheerleading and soccer for the Clippers.
As a student at RCGC, she is a health science major who hopes to enter the nursing profession following college.
She is excited to be a member of the Roadrunners' first-ever women's golf team.
"I'm excited and honored," she said. "Coming from a small school like Clayton, playing college sports is a big deal. To be a member of the first women's golf team here will be an amazing experience. "
The two first-year students have also begun experiencing other aspects of campus life. Both recently pitched in to assist with the Unified Sports Program which is hosting a two-week camp this summer in collaboration with New Jersey Special Olympics.
Dedicated to pro moting social inclusion through shared sports training an d competition experiences, Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding.
"It's fun and life-changing," said Angelus. "These students are enthusiastic and are hungry to learn all the things they don't know. In fact they never seem to stop wanting to learn. This is a remarkable program, and I'm happy to participate."
The Roadrunners are actively seeking additional female golfers for the team. If you are interested, please contact Head Coach Jim Clarke at jclarke5@rcgc.edu.