AKHTAR AND DUARTE COLLECT NJAC WEEKLY AWARDS

Abad Akhtar

Rafael Duarte

Richard Stockton junior Abad Akhtar (Brigantine/Atlantic City) was named the NJAC Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week for the fourth time this season. Stockton junior forward Rafael Duarte (Ocean City/Ocean City) was chosen the NJAC Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this year.

Akhtar qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships by finishing 16th out of 264 runners in the NCAA Atlantic Regional meet at SUNY Geneseo on Saturday. He posted an 8K time of 25:36.50 and earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors with the performance. Akhtar, the first Stockton runner to qualify for the NCAA meet since Randy Wetzel in 2002, will compete in the NCAA Championship at Baldwin-Wallace (OH) on Saturday, November 21.

Duarte concluded the season with a pair of goals in Stockton’s 3-2 overtime loss to Drew in the ECAC Metro semifinals on Saturday. He scored both goals in the second half, first giving the Ospreys a 1-0 lead and later tying the game at 2-2 with 4:58 remaining, but Stockton fell in overtime. Duarte, the 2009 NJAC Offensive Player of the Year, finished with team highs of 12 goals, 27 points and four game-winning goals.