Category: Arts & Culture

Only 14 days removed from his 14th-round Major League Baseball Amateur Draft selection by the Cincinnati Reds, former Nova Southeastern baseball catcher Garrett Wolforth has been announced as the nation’s top defensive catcher among the members of the 2019 ABCA/Rawlings Division II Gold Glove Team.

The NSU Sharks have notched a Gold Glove winner in consecutive years, with 2018 Seattle Mariners seventh-round pick Jake Anchia winning last year’s award. Wolforth is now the second catcher in the program’s history to win the award and fourth player overall.

After transferring to NSU for his senior season following three solid seasons at Dallas Baptist, Wolforth (Spring, Texas) thrived in all facets under ninth-year Sharks head coach Greg Brown – a former professional catcher in the Miami Marlins system.

In his lone season with the Sharks, Wolforth held a .992 fielding percentage as a catcher as a dominant backstop for NSU, committing only two errors in 254 chances behind the dish. Wolforth shut down 41.7 percent of attempted steals, throwing out 15 would-be base thieves. He also proved to be a powerhouse swinging the bat for the Sharks, pacing NSU in hits (63), RBI (55), runs (54), home runs (12) triples (5), slugging percentage (.585) and total bases (120), while ranking second in doubles (11) and batting .307 overall on the year. Wolforth ranked among the top three in four statistical categories in the formidable Sunshine State Conference – ranking second in the league in homers.

Wolforth recorded 17 multi-hit games, 16 multi-RBI games and closed his career on a 23-game reached base streak.

Chosen as NSU’s highest draft pick in 2019, Wolforth led the Sharks to tie for the best league record in the SSC and their fifth-consecutive NCAA DII postseason – NSU reached the NCAA Regional Final in Tampa.

The Rawlings Gold Glove winners have been selected since 2007 in the collegiate and high school ranks, featuring many future Major League Baseball players. The ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Awards are selected by ABCA coaches committees at each level: NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA Divisions I, II and III, Pacific Association Division, and High School.

The ABCA/Rawlings Award Program is one of the most comprehensive in all of sports, awarding All-America Teams and Gold Glove Teams in nine divisions of amateur baseball as well as All-Region Teams in five divisions.

The ABCA/Rawlings All-America teams date back to 1949 starting with one collegiate All-America Team. Other divisions subsequently added until the current total of nine was reached. The first ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove teams were recognized in 2007, making this the 13th year the Rawlings Gold Glove Awards have been presented in the collegiate and high school ranks.

The ABCA, founded in 1945, is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 11,000 members represent all 50 states and 23 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include eight divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School and Youth. The 76th annual ABCA Convention will be held Jan. 2-5, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee.

For a complete list of all the 2019 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Teams, click here.

Adding another boost to a very successful year in Sharks Athletics, NSU Director of Athletics Michael Mominey was selected to serve on the Division 2 Athletics Directors Association (D2 ADA) Board of Directors in 2019-2020.

As the representative of the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) on the Board, Mominey joins 23 other athletic directors – including incoming president Chris Ratcliff from Rogers State – to provide leadership for the for divisional association.

Heading into his 19th academic year in 2019-20, Mominey was elevated to Director of Athletics in 2002 while serving as the program’s head baseball coach. He has overseen NSU’s move from the NAIA to NCAA Division II status, as well pushing the program’s mascot from Knights to the modern-day Sharks. Under his leadership, the Sharks have garnered eight NCAA Division II National Championships, 15 South Regional Championships and 36 SSC titles. Ranking in the top-100 nationally for the 13th consecutive year, the NSU program was ranked 26th in the 2018-19 NACDA/Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cup standings. In addition, the Sharks are a proven threat in the classroom under Mominey’s leadership – recently completing the 17th consecutive year with a departmental GPA in excess of 3.00 and seventh straight year with the department over 3.15.

Joining Mominey, the following directors of athletics will serve on the Board of Directors for the 2019-20 membership year: Kirby Garry, Cal State Monterey Bay (CCAA); David Hicks, King University (CC); Sheila Wooten, Bloomfield College (CACC); Clyde Doughty, Bowie State University (CIAA); Matt Kilcullen, Mercy College (ECC); Shawn Jones, Henderson State University (GAC); Andrew Gavin, University of Wisconsin – Parkside (GLIAC); Chuck Brueggemann, McKendree University (GLVC); Brandi Laurita, University of Findlay (GMAC); Dennis Francois, University of Central Washington (GNAC); Brian Summers, Christian Brothers University (GSC); Michael McBroom, West Texas A&M University (LSC); Josh Looney, Missouri Western State University (MIAA); Scott Swain, Notre Dame College (MEC); Dean O’Keefe, Stonehill College (NE10C); Mike Powicki, Wayne State College (NSIC); Amy Henkelman, Dominican University of California (PWC); Brian Reese, Lander University (PBC); Mike McFarland, Bloomsburg University (PSAC); Jhett Albers, Black Hills State University (RMAC); Cherie Swarthout, Queens University of Charlotte (SAC); and Etienne Thomas, Kentucky State University (SIAC).

ABOUT D2 ADA: The D2 ADA is the first organization of its kind to provide educational and networking opportunities; enhancement of acceptable operating standards and ethics; and establishment of the overall prestige and understanding of the profession of Division II athletics directors. For more information about the D2 ADA, please visit www.div2ada.com. The D2 ADA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 54th year. For more information on NACDA and the 17 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.

Riding a huge winter tide that saw a national top-four women’s swimming finish and NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearances in both men’s and women’s basketball, the Nova Southeastern University athletic department posted its highest finish in the NCAA Division II Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cup standings since the 2015-16 season. Accumulating 475 points throughout the 2018-19 season, the Sharks finish 26th out of 300 Division II institutions, 268 of which appeared in the final rankings.

“The Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cup is certainly one of the most prestigious traditions to measure athletic success in our business,” NSU Director of Athletics Michael Mominey said. “Of course, we have several other means by which we measure our accomplishments, but this national and very public athletic metric is very important to us, as it is to many other athletic departments around the country. Our coaches, staff and student-athletes continue to achieve greatness on and off the field of play. We have sustained a high level of this success because of our great people who have created this culture of success, as we continue to focus on building champions. We do this by providing a first-class student-centered experience to education through athletics.”

With their appearance at 26th, the Sharks exceeded each of the previous two years and have maintained their position in the upper tier of the Directors’ Cup standings after only sitting outside of the top 100 during the first four years following NSU’s NCAA transition – In 2018-19, the Sharks produced their 13th consecutive top-100 finish and sixth of 26th or higher.

NSU garnered 280 of its points in the winter, 170 in the spring and 25 in the fall – scoring in all three seasons for the seventh consecutive year.