Bergen Community College

(From left) Managing Director of Athletics Jorge Hernandez, scholar-athlete Nadia Vaso, coach Don Bozzone, scholar-athlete Frank Paparozzi and Vice President of Student Affairs Naydeen Gonzalez-DeJesus, Ph.D.

PARAMUS, N.J. – Bergen Community College recently recognized the achievements of three Bulldogs: former track and field and cross-country coach Don Bozzone and scholar-athletes Frank Paparozzi and Nadia Vaso. Bozzone earned enshrinement into the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Hall of Fame, while Paparozzi and Vaso each earned the NJCAA Pinnacle Academic Achievement award for maintaining 4.0 GPAs.

“We are very proud to celebrate the accomplishments of Don Bozzone, Frank Paparozzi and Nadia Vaso, whose awards capped a very successful 2015-16 season for Bergen athletics,” Vice President of Student Affairs Naydeen Gonzalez DeJesus, Ph.D., said. “They have each left a legacy of excellence for future Bulldogs to aspire.”

Bozzone, of Paramus, coached the Bergen men’s and women’s track and field team from 1978 to 1995, directing the efforts of four Region XIX and Garden State Athletic Conference championship teams. Under his leadership, six student-athletes notched All-American honors; Bozzone also coached a 5K national champion. In 1982, as the men’s coach, Bozzone earned both the region and conference coach of the year awards. He would later win conference coach of the year awards in 1990 and 1991 as the women’s coach. Additionally, Bozzone led Bergen’s cross-country teams from 1977 to 1995, winning 15 region and conference titles and 15 coach of the year awards. A ceremony recognizing Bozzone’s enshrinement will take place Oct. 20 in the College’s gymnasium. For more information on the event, please contact [email protected].

Paparozzi, of Lodi, graduated from Bergen in May, posting a 4.0 GPA. He will attend Ramapo College of New Jersey in the fall and major in business administration with a concentration in management. On the diamond at Bergen, Paparozzi served as a “super-sub,” playing both middle infield positions and catcher. He notched seven hits in 14 games this year. He will play with Ramapo in the fall while seeking to earn a spot on the spring squad.

Vaso, of Fort Lee, has starred in both the classroom and the gymnasium. In addition to a 4.0 GPA, she participated on a team of Bergen business students that won the inaugural New Jersey County College Case Competition sponsored by Rutgers Business School-Newark in April. On the court, a setter, Vaso earned back-to-back region and conference first-team honors in 2014 and 2015, leading the Bulldogs to the region tournament finals this year. She ranked 34^th in the country for assists per set (6.65). She will return to Bergen in the fall and graduate in May 2017.

The NJCAA also recognized an additional 11 Bergen scholar-athletes who earned GPAs between 3.6 and 3.99: Alexandria Raffa, of Northvale; Aneudy Nunez-Coronado, of Hackensack; Camille Calupad, of Paramus; Elmer Fajardo, of Orange; Erik Elias, of Closter; Garrett Pynn, of Edgewater; John Calabrese, of Lodi; Kristin Forsstrom, of Monroe, New York; Sofia Galindo-Mendoza, of Hillsdale; Thomas Concannon, of Rutherford; and Tyler Olivieri, of Ridgefield Park.

Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls 15,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields. More students graduate from Bergen than any other community college in the state.

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