Verona and Cedar Grove Students Win 2017 Investors Bank Best Teammate Award @ Yogi Berra Museum

For immediate release

Contact: Eve Schaenen (973) 655-6688 or eve.yogi@montclair.edu

YBMLC/SEC 2017 INVESTORS BANK BEST TEAMMATE AWARDS

Shown in the photo from left to right:

Beth Gottung, guest speaker at the event and
former MSU field hockey coach; Eve Schaenen, Yogi Berra Museum &
Learning Center Executive Director; Meghan Yeates, Best Teammate Award
Recipient from Verona High School; Robert Zajac, Investors Bank
V.P. & Regional Manager; Razie Dauti, Investors Bank Market Manager

Shown in the photo from left to right:

Beth Gottung, guest speaker at the event and
former MSU field hockey coach; Eve Schaenen, Yogi Berra Museum &
Learning Center Executive Director; Alyssa Mega, Best Teammate Award
Recipient from Cedar Grove High School; Robert Zajac, Investors Bank
V.P. & Regional Manager; Razie Dauti, Investors Bank Market Manager

Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center and the Super Essex Conference Recognize 38 High School Athletes Keeping Yogi’s Legacy of Sportsmanship Alive

Little Falls, NJ– May 24 For the fifth consecutive year, the
Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center hosted student athletes from
each of the 38 member schools of the Super Essex Conference along with
their families for a celebration of the qualities that made Yogi a
national treasure. Recipients of the Investors Bank Best Teammate Award
exemplify the strength of character, sportsmanship and supportive spirit
that, though often unheralded, are vital to a team’s success.

“The recipients of the Best Teammate Award display the supportive,
respectful dedication to team and sport that defined Yogi Berra as an
athlete and a person,” said Eve Schaenen, Executive Director of the Yogi
Berra Museum. “The Museum is all about sustaining Yogi’s legacy and the
ideals he lived by his entire life, both on and off the field. We’re
thrilled to recognize young people who are living up to the high
standards he set for us all. And we’re very grateful to Investors Bank
for helping make the experience possible for these exceptional student
athletes.”

The winners, selected by their respective athletic departments,
enjoyed a celebratory banquet before hearing from special guest speaker
Beth Gottung and receiving their awards. Gottung served as Montclair
State University’s field hockey coach starting in 2002, before stepping
down in 2015 after 13 seasons to become the Director of Development for
Athletics in University Advancement. When Gottung took over in 2002,
Montclair State had a career program record that was 27 games under the
.500 mark with four postseason appearances. When she stepped down,
Montclair State was 112 games over the .500 mark (a 139-game swing) with
14 postseason trips, including the only five NCAA Division III
Tournament appearances in program history. A graduate of American
International College in Springfield, MA, Gottung earned Northeast-10
All-Conference honors in field hockey in 1999, and was selected as an
Academic All-American following the 1997 and 1999 field hockey seasons
and the 1999 lacrosse campaign. Gottung’s remarks proved inspirational
to the young athletes, who were equally enthusiastic about the awards
themselves.

The evening closed with remarks from Maria DaSilva, Best Teammate
Award recipient from ECTV North 13th Street in Newark. “It is not easy
to be a student-athlete and spend a countless amount of late nights
trying to finish homework and other mandates after a long game or meet,”
DaSilva said. “To make sure that not only academics are on point but
also to attend every practice. And on top of that to be considered the
best teammate.”

Investors Bank President and CEO Kevin Cummings explained his support
of the event: “We are grateful to honor the student athletes in the
Super Essex Conference who unselfishly make an extra effort each day to
help their sports team and teammates achieve their potential,” said
Cummings. “The Best Teammate Award is closely linked to our corporate
culture and mission, which is clearly expressed in Investors Bank’s 4Cs –
Cooperation, Character, Community and Commitment. Our Bank’s team
salutes each of the student athletes who are recognized for the many
valuable ways they serve their team, coaches and high school.”

Shown in the photo from left to right: Beth
Gottung, guest speaker at the event and former MSU field hockey coach;
Eve Schaenen,Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center Executive Director;
Maria DaSilva, Best Teammate Award Recipient from ECVT North 13th
Street; Robert Zajac, Investors Bank Sr. V.P. & Regional Manager;
and Betty Spiropoulos, Investors Bank Market Manager

About The Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center:

The Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center is a nonprofit sports
education organization on the campus of Montclair State (NJ) University.
The Museum’s mission is to preserve and promote the values of
perseverance, respect, sportsmanship and excellence through inclusive,
culturally diverse, sports-based educational exhibits and programs.

For additional information about the Museum, please visit www.yogiberramuseum.org or call 973.655.2378

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