We Are Family
Red Hawks siblings help propel teams to success
Danielle Butrico had made her decision official: she would attend Montclair State, just like her older sister Joelle, to play field hockey. Their mother listened to her daughters talk about their college plans until, finally, she had to interrupt.
"Are you sure about that?" she asked. And, well, she had reason to be skeptical. The sisters weren't exactly the best teammates while playing together at South Brunswick High.
Joelle Butrico and sister Danielle Butrico helped the field hockey to team to success
"We fought all the time, even on the field," Joelle says, and Danielle adds with a laugh, "We used to always curse each other out." Why should the experience at Montclair State be any different?
It was clear from the very start, however, that the Butrico sisters would get along just fine on their new team. Maybe it had to do with maturing a bit with age. Or maybe there's something about Montclair State athletics that brings out the best in siblings.
The latter theory is certainly worth exploring, because for whatever reason, if one member of a family joins a sports team at Montclair State, it's likely that another will follow. There were nine sets of siblings, including the Butrico sisters, playing for seven Red Hawk teams during the past year.
A Quick Rundown
Soccerplaying sisters Melanie and Daniella Greco, helped the team to a championship.
Melanie and Daniella Greco helped the women's soccer team go 19-2-2, with Melanie earning all NJAC honors and Daniella being named a conference rookie of the week during the season.
Brothers Ryan (#17) and Matt (#26) Long
Ryan and Matt Long played key roles on the baseball team as freshmen, with Ryan batting .278 and scoring a team-best 33 runs to be named one of the top rookies by the New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association.
Sisters Melissa and Kate Tobie are powerful on the basketball court
Melissa, a senior, and Kate Tobie, a freshman, were starters on the women's basketball team, with Melissa – an established starter – collecting a myriad of honors including NJAC player of the year and Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division III All-American.
Brothers Justin and Jason Avedissian contribute much to both the football and baseball programs
Jason and Justin Avedissian, fraternal twin brothers from Wayne Hills, not only played baseball for the Red Hawks, but joined Joe and Jon Koonce and Matt and Richard Biagi as bands of brothers on the football team.
Sisters Kim and Courtney Matlock are both assets to volleyball
Courtney and Kim Matlock, another set of twins, were valuable members of the volleyball team that completed one of its best seasons in program history.
Michael Schreck and brother Zach promise to continue to be key players on the Red Hawks’ lacrosse team
Michael and Zach Schreck competed together on the men's lacrosse team, with Michael named to the Skyland Conference's first team and Zach earning its rookie of the year award after an impressive 16-2 season.
So why do so many brother/sister combos come to Montclair State together? In some cases, the younger siblings will see the positive experience their older counterparts had and decide it's a good fit for them, too. In other examples, the siblings decide they want to share the college experience and make the decision together.
Or, in the case of the Avedissian brothers, it's both. Jason and Justin always played on the same dominant football teams at Wayne Hills High School and wanted to continue that partnership in college, and their older brother Christian was already on the team at Montclair State.
"He had a good experience and everything worked out well for him," Justin says. "And both of our parents went to Montclair State, too, so it was an easy decision."
Brothers Jon and Joe Koonce are strong players the football team
"[Christian] said, 'I'm here, you're coming here, that's it,'" Jason says.
They are practically attached at the hip in football – together they anchor the right side of the team's offensive line – and play first and third base on the baseball team. That's a year-round partnership, and it's not just limited to athletics, either. They have the same friends, and while they're fraternal twins, they look enough alike that professors and even coaches have mistaken one for the other.
"Knowing my sister was there and that she felt comfortable with the team and the coach and loved the program, it just made me that much more comfortable going there."
- Danielle Butrico
Jason says they never considered separating from each other for college, but the decision isn't always so easy for siblings. Daniella Greco wasn't sure she wanted to follow her older sister, Melanie, to college but eventually decided that having some family at home – in the classroom and on the women's soccer team – would help her.
In the case of the Tobie family, who wouldn't want to play with Melissa? She's one of the best players in Division III women's basketball and a leader of the basketball program's recent renaissance, and while she didn't put any pressure on Kate to follow in her footsteps, the younger sister said after she announced her decision, "I'm sure she quietly wanted me to pick Montclair State."
So now the Tobies are to women's basketball what the Schrecks are to men's lacrosse.
The Butrico sisters have used their friendly sibling rivalry to their advantage
It isn't unusual to see a headline like this during lacrosse season: "Schreck Brothers Lead Men's Lacrosse Past Muhlenberg in Season Opener, 11-7." Michael had three goals in that game, while Zach had two goals and an assist – no surprise, because they scored a combined 41 times in 2014. The Butrico sisters have had a similar impact on the field hockey team, with Danielle the second-leading scorer last season and Joelle anchoring the defense. And to think: Their family thought it would be a good idea if the sisters, just 15 months apart, took different paths. Luckily for Montclair State, they didn't agree. The older sister became a recruiting force for the younger sister, and guilt was her weapon of choice.
"[Danielle] would be like, 'I'm looking at this school or that school,'" Joelle says, "and I would say, 'Oh, we play that school. I don't think you want to go there. Do you really want to lose to me? And what about Mom and Dad? They'd have to divide their loyalties."
Eventually, Danielle made it official, and the sisters who once bickered and fought on the field hockey field became ideal teammates. With Joelle to show her the ropes, Danielle became an impact player soon after stepping on campus.
"A big part of it was being able to feel comfortable with Montclair State," Danielle says. "Knowing my sister was there and that she felt comfortable with the team and the coach and loved the program, it just made me that much more comfortable going there."
That's hardly unusual at Montclair State, a place that just seems to bring out the best in sibling athletes.