Rockford University

The Honors Day Ceremony at Rockford University recognizes the extraordinary academic and co-curricular achievements of its students and faculty. Scholarships were awarded to more than 30 students in spring 2020.

Senior right-handed pitcher Zack Jones added yet another accolade to his decorated career on Tuesday morning when he was named the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Pitcher of the Week. This marks the second time in his career that Jones has been named the conference's pitcher of the week, with the other coming back in March of last season. It is also the second weekly award for Jones this year, after being named to the D3baseball.com Team of the Week two weeks ago. Senior Zack Jones made one start and had one relief appearances over Rockford's final two days of the season. Jones threw 10 shutout innings and struck out 10 batters in his final start of the year against the United States Merchant Marine Academy. He then tossed the final inning of the season against Carroll University, where he struck out the last batter of the year, to secure a 7-3 win. For the week, Jones threw 11 innings, striking out 11 and posting a 0.82 earned run average. Zack Jones will once again finish the season at or near the top of the NACC in nearly every major statistical category. Jones led the NACC in both strikeouts (36) and earned run average (0.78) amongst pitchers who threw at least 20 innings this year. He is second in the conference in strikeouts per nine innings (14.09) and starts (3), third in innings pitched (23.0) and tied for fourth in wins (2) and appearances (4).

Senior outfielder and pitcher Mikalya Seay has been named Regent of the Week for the week ending Sunday, March 15, 2020. Seay was outstanding both at the plate and inside the circle for Rockford last week. She tallied a hit in all six of Rockford's games, including five multi-hit performances and posted a .545 batting average and a .864 slugging percentage. Three of Seay's best games at the plate came against SUNY Oneonta, Elms and Alfred State. She went 2-for-4 with a triple, a run scored and three runs batted in against the Red Dragons. Seay then went 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs batted in and two runs scored in Rockford's 12-3 victory over Elms. She followed that up with a 3-for-4 performance, which included a double and two runs scored in the Regents' 14-0 win against Alfred State. For the week, Seay tallied twelve hits, ten runs scored, eight runs batted in, two doubles, a triple and a home run. Seay also posted a 1-0 record inside the circle in her two appearances this week. She tossed a complete game in her lone start of the week against Elms. Seay went all five innings, allowing no earned runs and striking out four. For the week, Seay pitched eight innings, allowing just one earned run and striking out five with a 0.88 earned run average.

Senior pitcher Zack Jones has been named Regent of the Week for the week ending Sunday, March 8, 2020. Jones moved to 2-0 on the season with another outstanding performance in Rockford's 4-2 win over Bluffton. He struck out a career-high 16 batters and walked none, while allowing just two hits and one earned run over his seven innings of work. Jones had the Bluffton hitters guessing all day long, striking out the final four batters he faced and holding the Beaver hitters to a measly .080 batting average against him during the game.

Rockford University junior guard Brandon Emerick was named First Team All-Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference on Wednesday afternoon to cap off an excellent season. This is the first postseason award Emerick has earned in his collegiate career, and it marks the fifth straight season Rockford has had at least one First Team All-NACC selection. Brandon Emerick had an incredible junior season and led the Regents to within a single game of making their second straight trip to Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament. Emerick set career-highs in nearly every major statistical category and was amongst the best in both the NACC and NCAA Division III in multiple areas. The Elkhart native led the NACC in both steals (3.2/game) and made three-pointers (3.6/game), while finishing seventh in the conference in assists (3.5/game), ninth three-point field goal percentage (41.1%) and tenth in points (16.0/game). Additionally, Emerick set career-highs in field goal attempts (13.0/game), made field goals (5.6/game) and tied his career high in rebounds (3.0/game). Nationally, Emerick currently ranks in the top 26 amongst all NCAA Division III men's basketball players in five categories. He is fourth in both total steals (79) and steals per game (3.2), 17th in made three-point field goals per game (3.6), 20th in made three-point field goals (90) and 26th in three-point field goal attempts (219). Emerick also had multiple outstanding individual performances throughout the season. He was one of only nine men's basketball players in the conference to be voted NACC Player of the Week. Emerick also made two game-tying shots in the closing seconds of regulation, one of which came as time expired. The Regents went on to win both of those games in overtime.

The awards continue to roll in for the Rockford University baseball program this week, as the Regents had a pair of players named to the D3baseball.com Team of the Week. Troy Tucci was selected as the designated hitter, while Zack Jones was chosen as a starting pitcher. This marks the first time in school history that Rockford has had two players in the same week named to any D3sports.com Team of the Week. Zack Jones was nearly perfect in his season debut against Central College this past Saturday. Jones picked up the win and did not allow a hit over his five shutout innings of work. He finished the game with nine strikeouts, including striking out five of the first six batters he faced. Troy Tucci had a monster weekend at the plate and was a key piece to Rockford starting the season 4-0. Tucci opened with a 4-for-4 performance that included a home run, a double, three runs scored and two runs batted in. Later in the week, Tucci had a key two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the eighth to jump-start Rockford's 5-4 comeback win over Central College. Tucci then finished his week by going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, two stolen bases, two runs batted in and three runs scored. For the week, Tucci hit .615 with a 1.154 slugging percentage, while tallying eight hits, four doubles, a home run, six runs batted in and two stolen bases. The Rockford University baseball team returns to the diamond on Saturday, March 7 to face Bluffton University. First pitch is set for 10 AM central time in Fort Myers, Florida.

The awards continue to roll in for the Rockford University baseball program this week, as the Regents had a pair of players named to the D3baseball.com Team of the Week. Troy Tucci was selected as the designated hitter, while Zack Jones was chosen as a starting pitcher. This marks the first time in school history that Rockford has had two players in the same week named to any D3sports.com Team of the Week. Troy Tucci had a monster weekend at the plate and was a key piece to Rockford starting the season 4-0. Tucci opened with a 4-for-4 performance that included a home run, a double, three runs scored and two runs batted in. Later in the week, Tucci had a key two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the eighth to jump-start Rockford's 5-4 comeback win over Central College. Tucci then finished his week by going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, two stolen bases, two runs batted in and three runs scored. For the week, Tucci hit .615 with a 1.154 slugging percentage, while tallying eight hits, four doubles, a home run, six runs batted in and two stolen bases. Zack Jones was nearly perfect in his season debut against Central College this past Saturday. Jones picked up the win and did not allow a hit over his five shutout innings of work. He finished the game with nine strikeouts, including striking out five of the first six batters he faced. The Rockford University baseball team returns to the diamond on Saturday, March 7 to face Bluffton University. First pitch is set for 10 AM central time in Fort Myers, Florida.

Rockford University junior catcher Christian Garcia was named the NACC Baseball Position Player of the Week Tuesday morning when the conference released its first set of baseball awards for the 2020 season. This marks the first time Garcia has been honored by the NACC with a weekly award during his collegiate career. Christian Garcia had an incredible opening weekend to help lead Rockford to a 4-0 start to the season. Garcia hit .615, with a .688 on-base percentage and a 1.385 slugging percentage. He opened the weekend with four-hit performance that included two home runs, three runs scored and four runs driven in. He then concluded the weekend by going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, a run scored and three runs driven in. For the week, Garcia tallied eight hits, three home runs, one double, five runs scored, eight runs driven in and three walks. The Rockford University baseball team returns to the diamond on Saturday, March 7 to face Bluffton University. First pitch is set for 10 AM central time in Fort Myers, Florida.

Junior catcher Christian Garcia has been named Regent of the Week for the week ending Sunday, March 1, 2020. Garcia had an incredible opening weekend and helped lead Rockford to a 4-0 start to the season. He hit .615 with a .688 on-base percentage and a 1.385 slugging percentage. Garcia opened the weekend with four-hit performance that included two home runs, three runs scored and four runs driven in. He then concluded the weekend by going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, a run scored and three runs driven in. For the week, Garcia tallied eight hits, three home runs, one double, five runs scored, eight runs driven in and three walks.

Senior guard Emily Cox has been named Regent of the Week for the week ending Sunday, February 23, 2020. Cox concluded her collegiate career on Saturday with a career-high 38 points on 57.7% shooting in Rockford's 84-56 win over Illinois Tech. She also drained five triples to break Rockford's single-season made three-pointer record (48). Cox rounded out her day with a career-high 8 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal.

Junior guard Nathaniel Shead has been named Regent of the Week for the week ending Sunday, February 9, 2020. Shead turned in a pair of brilliant performances off the bench to help keep the Regents in the thick of the race for one of the six spots in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament. The junior opened with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 block in Rockford's 88-77 road win over Marian University. He concluded his week with a team-high 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting, 6 rebounds and 1 assist against first-place Benedictine University. For the week, Shead averaged 19.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.5 blocks and shot 59.3% from the floor.

The following students attending Rockford University were named Distinguished Scholars for the fall 2019 semester, earning at least a 3.75 GPA with no grades below "C" and having completed all requirements for the semester.

The following students attending Rockford University were named to the Dean's List for the fall 2019 semester, earning at least a 3.5 GPA with no grades below "C" and having completed all requirements for the semester.

The following students in the Adult Degree Completion in Management Studies program attending Rockford University were named Distinguished Scholars for the fall 2019 semester, earning at least a 3.75 GPA with no grades below "C" and having completed all requirements for the semester.

The following students in the Adult Degree Completion in Management Studies program attending Rockford University were named to the Dean's List for the fall 2019 semester, earning at least a 3.5 GPA with no grades below "C" and having completed all requirements for the semester.

Senior forward Jamar Rivera has been named Regent of the Week for the week ending Sunday, February 2, 2020. Rivera averaged 21.5 points on 79.2 shooting, 7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks for the Regents last week. He opened with 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting, 8 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block against MSOE. Rivera then finished his week with a season-high 26 points on a blistering 85.7% shooting, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks against Concordia Wisconsin.

Rockford University's dance company, Orchesis, was originally founded by the late Professor Jayne Poor, who is remembered for her passionate dedication to dance as an artist and educator at our institution and in the Rockford community. This concert, produced in collaboration with various local artists and under the direction of our new Assistant Professor of Dance, Lindsay Hawkins, took the stage on January 23- 25, 2020.

Senior guard Linzy Keller has been named Regent of the Week for the week ending Sunday, January 26, 2020. Keller recorded her first double-double of the season and led Rockford to a double-overtime win in its only game of the week. She finished with a career-high 29 points, including going 14-of-15 at the free throw line, a season-high 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.

Junior guard Brandon Emerick has been named Regent of the Week for the week ending Sunday, January 19, 2020. Emerick averaged 19.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 3.0 assists last week for the Regents. His best performance came in Rockford's 90-84 overtime win against Dominican, where he helped lead Rockford back from a nine-point deficit with less than 2:30 left in regulation. Emerick scored eight points over the final 1:44, including the game-tying three-pointer with 4.2 seconds remaining to force overtime. He then added eight more points in the overtime period to finish with a game-high 28 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists.

Junior guard Brandon Emerick has been named Regent of the Week for the week ending Sunday, January 12, 2020. Emerick scored over 20 points in both of Rockford's NACC road games this past week. He opened with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 6 steals and 2 assists in Rockford's first win at Lakeland since January 21, 2010. Emerick followed that up with 23 points, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 rebound at Aurora. For the week, Emerick averaged 22.5 points on 48.3% shooting from the floor, including 42.1% from three-point range. He also added 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.5 assists to his totals.

Senior guard Linzy Keller has been named Regent of the Week for the week ending Sunday, January 5, 2020. Keller led the Regents to a 63-54 win over Mount Mary in their lone game of the week. She poured in a game-high 21 points on an incredible 71.4% shooting from the floor and went a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line. Keller also added 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists to her totals.

Junior guard Brandon Emerick has been named Regent of the Week for the week ending Sunday, December 22, 2019. Emerick led all scorer's in Rockford's 71-69 win at North Park University last Wednesday. Emerick poured in a game-high 26 points on 47.4% shooting and drained a career-high 8 three-pointers. He also added a career-high 7 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals.

Junior guard Kivontay Shaw has been named Regent of the Week for the week ending Sunday, December 15, 2019. Shaw shot 47.6% (10-of-21) from the field, 50.0% (5-of-10) from three-point range and was perfect at the charity stripe, to average 14.5 points per game last week. He opened with 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal at Knox. Shaw then concluded his week by nearly recording his first double-double of the season. He finished with 11 points, a season-high 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block at Edgewood.

Rockford University junior guard Brandon Emerick has been voted the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week. Emerick becomes the first RU men's basketball player to receive a NACC weekly award this season, and it is also the first time in his career that he has been named the conference's player of the week. Brandon Emerick helped lead the Regents to a perfect 2-0 record in NACC play last week. He opened with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and a career-high 8 steals in Rockford's 87-80 win over Marian. Emerick followed that up with a career-high 29 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including making a career-high 7 triples, 6 assists, 4 steals and 3 rebounds in a 101-93 victory over Aurora. For the week, Emerick averaged 23.5 points on 65.4% shooting from the floor and 68.8% shooting from three-point range. He also averaged 6.0 steals, 5.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds. The RU men's basketball team will put its three-game winning streak on the line Wednesday, December 11 at Knox College. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM.

Junior guard Brandon Emerick has been named Regent of the Week for the week ending Sunday, December 8, 2019. Emerick helped lead the Regents to a perfect 2-0 record in NACC play last week. He opened with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and a career-high 8 steals in Rockford's 87-80 win over Marian. Emerick followed that up with a career-high 29 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including making a career-high 7 triples, 6 assists, 4 steals and 3 rebounds in a 101-93 victory over Aurora. For the week, Emerick averaged 23.5 points on 65.4% shooting from the floor and 68.8% shooting from three-point range. He also averaged 6.0 steals, 5.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds.

Sophomore guard Vincent Eugene has been named Regent of the Week for the week ending Sunday, December 1, 2019. Eugene was a force off the bench last week for the Regents. He opened with 12 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists on the road against Beloit. He then capped off the week with his best performance of the season thus far in a thrilling win at Dominican. Eugene poured in a season-high 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while adding 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal. For the week, he averaged 16.0 points on 61.1% shooting, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 0.5 steals.

Junior Kivontay Shaw has been named Regent of the Week for the week ending Sunday, November 24, 2019. Shaw got off to a hot start in NACC play at MSOE with his best statistical game so far this season. He poured in a season-high 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, grabbed 6 rebounds and had 1 steal.

The Rockford University football program had seven players recognized by the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference on Friday morning when the NACC released its 2019 all-conference teams. Wide receiver Kalan Miller and linebacker Jallen Bashford highlighted the group with their Second Team All-NACC selections, while LaVar Johnson Jr., Adam Ambrogio, Gerardo Zamudio, Jermaine Johnson and Joey Owens all received NACC Honorable Mention status. This marks the second time in the past three seasons that Rockford has had seven players earn postseason recognition from the NACC. Freshman Jermaine Johnson received NACC Honorable Mention status as a returner. Johnson led the NACC with 456 kick return yards and was second averaging 24.0 yards per kick return. In addition to his return duties, Johnson also played a key role on the RU defense down the stretch run of the season. Over the Regents' final three games, Johnson tallied 11 total tackles, two interceptions and one pass breakup.

The Rockford University football program had seven players recognized by the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference on Friday morning when the NACC released its 2019 all-conference teams. Wide receiver Kalan Miller and linebacker Jallen Bashford highlighted the group with their Second Team All-NACC selections, while LaVar Johnson Jr., Adam Ambrogio, Gerardo Zamudio, Jermaine Johnson and Joey Owens all received NACC Honorable Mention status. This marks the second time in the past three seasons that Rockford has had seven players earn postseason recognition from the NACC. Sophomore wide receiver Joey Owens was selected NACC Honorable Mention. Owens made a splash in his first full season as a starting wide receiver. He finished the regular season fourth in the NACC in both receiving yards (636) and receptions (45), while adding a pair of receiving touchdowns. Additionally, Owens' 45 receptions are tied for fifth most in a season in school history and his 636 receiving yards are sixth all-time in a season.

The Rockford University football program had seven players recognized by the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference on Friday morning when the NACC released its 2019 all-conference teams. Wide receiver Kalan Miller and linebacker Jallen Bashford highlighted the group with their Second Team All-NACC selections, while LaVar Johnson Jr., Adam Ambrogio, Gerardo Zamudio, Jermaine Johnson and Joey Owens all received NACC Honorable Mention status. This marks the second time in the past three seasons that Rockford has had seven players earn postseason recognition from the NACC. Freshman punter and kicker Gerardo Zamudio was also named NACC Honorable Mention. Zamudio led the NACC in three different punting categories. He finished the year with a NACC best 35.5 yards per punt, 14 punts inside the 20-yard line and 56 total punts. His 35.5 yards per punt was also sixth best in program history. As a kicker, Zamudio connected on 19 extra points and one field goal, for a total of 22 points.