Brookdale’s Ray Mulhern Named Region 19 Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Brookdale’s Ray Mulhern Named Region 19 Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Brookdale Community College baseball standout Ray Mulhern has been named the 2025-2026 Region 19 Robert Zifchak Scholar-Athlete of the Year, one of the region’s most prestigious honors for male student-athletes.

The award recognizes student-athletes who distinguish themselves through academic achievement, athletic excellence, and service to their communities. It is named in honor of Robert Zifchak, a longtime leader in collegiate athletics who served for 34 years as athletic director and chairman of the Health and Physical Education Department at Middlesex County College. Zifchak was particularly dedicated to track and field and also served for four years as Track Commissioner for the Public School Athletic League in New York City. In recognition of his contributions to the sport, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award in Track and Field from the state of New Jersey in 2014. The Region 19 award bearing his name honors student-athletes who embody that same commitment to achievement, leadership, and service.

Mulhern, a graduate of Southern Regional High School, earned the distinction following an exceptional sophomore season with the Jersey Blues.

In the classroom, Mulhern maintained a 3.83 GPA while earning All-Region Academic Team and All-GSAC Academic Team honors. He was named to the Dean’s List and inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, recognizing his strong academic performance throughout his time at Brookdale.

His accomplishments on the baseball field were equally impressive. Mulhern was selected to the 2026 NJCAA Division III Baseball ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Awards Team and named to the 2026 NJCAA Division III Baseball All-America Second Team. He also earned First Team All-Region and First Team All-GSAC honors and was recognized as a GSAC Player of the Week.

Mulhern finished the season with a .449 batting average, collecting 105 hits in 234 at-bats. He recorded 53 RBIs, 39 stolen bases, 10 doubles, seven triples and an on-base percentage of .532. Most notably, he led the nation with 102 runs scored over 58 games.

Away from the field, Mulhern demonstrated the same commitment to his community. As a member of Brookdale’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), he helped organize a sports equipment drive benefiting the Boys & Girls Club of Red Bank, supported food donation efforts for Brookdale’s Nutrition Hub, and participated in a Toys for Tots ping pong fundraiser.

Candidates for the Robert Zifchak Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award must participate in a sanctioned NJCAA sport, maintain at least a 3.5 GPA while completing a minimum of 36 credits, earn All-Conference, All-Region and/or All-American recognition, and demonstrate meaningful involvement in their college or community.

Mulhern joins a select group of Brookdale student-athletes to receive the honor. Maclane Smoke earned the award in 2013-2014, followed by Bryan Viegas in 2020-2021.