Cheryl Stetz Bamert / Volleyball and Softball
Graduation Year: 1991
Majors: Mathematics and Secondary Education (cum laude)
Hometown: Wallington, N.J.
 
Inducted into the William Paterson Alumni Association Athletic Hall of Fame, Cheryl (1986-90) was a three-time all-conference selection in volleyball (1987, 1988, 1989) as well as a two-time member of the All-NJAC Softball Team.
 
What have you been up to since you graduated from William Paterson?
I have been teaching for 31 years. I have taught high school and middle school math at Wallington High School and Frelinghuysen Middle School in Morristown, N.J. I have loved my time teaching and influencing so many young students. I am not liking teaching in this virtual world and hope we get back to normal soon. I have coached softball and volleyball for many of the years I taught and now I help coach the baseball team at my middle school. We have won the county tournament five out of the six years since I have been working with them.  
 
I played softball on the NJ Blue Jays for many years following college and in 1992 we won the ASA National Championship in Oregon. I still play softball on a team in Fair Lawn and just recently joined a team that competes in the Senior Olympics. It is for athletes over 50 and I never knew it existed but it is awesome to still compete. We went to New Mexico last year to play against teams from all around the country.  It was a blast.  
 
I am happily married for 26 years to my best friend, Bill, and we have raised two boys. I helped coach all the sports they participated in. I am proud to say they are both Eagle Scouts and Alex graduated from NJIT as an Applied Physics major and Dan graduated from Rowan with a History degree.  
 
Do you have a favorite memory from your time on campus?
My favorite times were probably the van rides to our games. Yes, I said van rides. We did not have buses then. The first trip we took, all the vans were used, so we had to take a maintenance van and there were no seats in it, we actually sat on milk crates. We had so many episodes like that, imagine that happening today? Never.  
 
What have you taken from your time at WP that has helped you be successful, personally and professionally?
The coaches and professors at WPC really taught me to expect the best out of myself. The math department was very small and close knit and I felt a sense of family and security. My coaches, Sandy Ferrarella and Cyndi Covello, taught me so much about sports and playing, but they taught me so much more than that.  I appreciate all that they did for me during my years at WPC and especially after that. I coached with both of them for years after I graduated and I am still friends with both of them today. 
 
Are you still in contact with your former Pioneer teammates and coaches?
I have a core group of teammates that I still am friends with. Especially Patty Inglese, Age Patterson and Chez Poggi, along with Sandy Ferrarella. We get together a few times a year and just reminisce about the good old times. We usually come back to catch a game or two each season as well. There are others I am still friends with as well and keep up with through Christmas cards and such. I am on the WPUNJ Athletic Hall of Fame Committee with Erin Monahan as well.
 
What do you miss about being a student and an athlete at WP?
When you are in college, you think you are so busy and so stressed. But when you get out you realize how much time you really had. I miss the camaraderie of my teammates and classmates. I miss just hanging out in the student center and relaxing with friends, waiting for our practices or games.
 
If a student is considering attending William Paterson, what would you tell them?
I would tell them that it is a wonderful place. A place that cared about me as a person and not just as a student. A place where they accept each person for who they are and helps build up each one to be the best you can be.  
 
If you could give one piece of advice to a current Pioneer student-athlete, what would it be?
Enjoy your time there as much as you can. Do not let little things side track you. Keep your eye on the main goal at the end and you can do anything you put your mind to.