RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Felician University will induct three all-region student-athletes, including its only alumnus to play Major League Baseball, into the Felician Athletics Hall of Fame on Thursday, September 29, 2022. The Hall of Fame will honor its ninth class of inductees as part of the University's Homecoming Weekend.
James Vander Wiele '12 excelled for the Golden Falcon men's cross-country team during the tail end of its Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference championship dynasty. He will be inducted alongside two of the most prolific members of the baseball program's battery – catcher Marcos Torres '10 and pitcher Gerard J. "Jerry" Vasto '14. The 2022 class swells membership in the Felician Athletics Hall of Fame to 31 individuals (25 athletes, four contributors, two coaches) and four teams.
"This year we honor three student-athletes who were instrumental in beginning or sustaining the excellence of two of our most successful programs," said Felician Interim Director of Athletics Andrew Toriello. "James Vander Wiele helped cap the one true dynasty in Golden Falcon history. Marcos Torres and Jerry Vasto lifted the baseball team to new heights. I am proud that they represent the Hall of Fame class of my first year as Felician's Director of Athletics."
A four-year starter behind the plate for coach Chris Langan's baseball team, Torres was a three-time All-CACC selection (twice First Team) and a Daktronics Second-Team All-East Region choice as a junior in 2009. He graduated as the program's all-time hits leader with 214, still good for fifth in school annals. Torres, who was raised and still lives in Miami, Fla., was a .331 career hitter. In 186 games as a Golden Falcon, he stroked 44 doubles and 12 home runs while scoring 106 runs. His 136 runs batted in are tied for fifth in team history. After graduating, Torres played briefly in the Tampa Bay Rays' organization.
Vander Wiele, a Pequannock Township High School graduate now living in Westtown, N.Y., burst onto the collegiate running scene as a freshman in 2008. He won that year's CACC Championship race to claim conference Runner of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors and lead Felician to the team championship. Vander Wiele attained all-conference honors during all four of his Golden Falcon seasons and helped guide Felician to their final three (of seven) CACC titles under Hall-of-Fame coach John Brennan. He capped his career by finishing 23rd at the 2011 NCAA Division II East Regional Championship, joining teammate Rob Albano as the program's initial all-region performers. He was the 2011-12 Felician Senior Male Student-Athlete of the Year.
Left-hander Vasto's ascendance on the pitching staff coincided with the Felician baseball team's emergence as a CACC and regional power. He started five games for the 2012 squad that claimed the league's regular-season title. Two years later, the Henry Hudson Regional product headed the rotation as the Golden Falcons earned their first CACC crown and made their first NCAA Regional appearance. Vasto was named the 2014 CACC Pitcher of the Year, consensus First Team All-Region and an NCBWA Honorable-Mention All-American after posting a 6-3 record, 1.84 earned-run average, .214 opponent batting average and 79 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings.
Vasto was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 24th round of the 2014 MLB First-Year Player Draft. On June 10, 2018, four years to the day of signing his first professional contract, he made his major-league debut in relief for the Rockies. Following a trade, he pitched in five more games for the Kansas City Royals later that year. Vasto, who now lives in Red Bank, was a two-time CACC All-Tournament and two-time CACC All-Academic selection while a Golden Falcon. His 159 career strikeouts are still sixth at Felician, and his 9.23 strikeouts per nine innings are second.
The Ninth Annual Felician University Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony will be held at The Fiesta in Wood-Ridge at 6 p.m. on September 29. Tickets are $80 each and can be purchased at https://felician.charityproud.org/EventRegistration/Index/9732. Program book advertisements and other sponsorship opportunities are also available. For more information, contact Athletics Hall of Fame Chairman Brendan Bonacum at BonacumB@felician.edu or 201.559.3527.
The Hall of Fame Banquet will kick off Felician's 2022 Homecoming Weekend. Several activities are scheduled on Felician's Rutherford campus on Friday and Saturday, September 30 and October 1, to celebrate all alumni classes. On Saturday, the women's volleyball team hosts Georgian Court University, while the women's and men's soccer teams entertain Chestnut Hill College.
Questions about Homecoming Weekend should be directed to Scott Koskoski, Vice President for University Advancement, KoskoskiS@felician.edu.
Felician University inspires and engages more than 2,300 undergraduate, graduate, and adult education students through programs in its schools of Arts & Sciences, Business, Nursing, and Education. In the past three years, Felician has ranked third in New Jersey in "Best Return on Investment for Private Colleges" in the PayScale.com College ROI Report and as the "Safest College Campus in New Jersey" by niche.com. With campuses in Rutherford and Lodi, New Jersey, the Franciscan values of social justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity serve as an inclusive foundation for transforming the lives of tomorrow's leaders. Felician also sponsors 16 varsity intercollegiate sports that compete at the NCAA Division II level. To learn more about Felician University please visit www.felician.edu.
