by Mike "Mex" Carey
St. John's University senior men's soccer player Matt Groenwald
(Mt. Prospect, IL) was named the ESPN the Magazine Academic
All-America of the Year, as selected by the College Sports
Information Directors of America. Groenwald earned the AAA of
the Year honor for the university division, while senior Patrick
McGinnis of Colorado College won the college division award.
Groenwald becomes the second-straight St. John's player to earn
Academic All-America of the Year honors in the university division,
following in the footsteps of 2003 honoree Chris Wingert.
Groenwald has helped guide the Red Storm to a 12-5-4 overall
record this season and to the program's 13th straight NCAA
Tournament appearance. St. John's beat UCLA on Saturday night, 2-1,
and advances to the NCAA Quarterfinals, where they will play at
third-seeded Maryland on Saturday at 1 p.m.
This is also the second-straight year that Groenwald earned
first-team Academic All-American honors.
The senior, who carries a 3.79 grade-point average in biology,
is also one of 15 finalists for the Missouri Athletic Club's
Hermann Trophy, which is presented to the top men's soccer player
in the country. Wingert, who stars for the Columbus Crew of Major
League Soccer now, won that award last year.
Groenwald has been one of the keys to the Red Storm's success
this season, which saw the team advance to the Sweet Sixteen for
the ninth-straight year, and to the Elite Eight for the third time
in the last four seasons. He is fourth on the team in scoring
with three goals and six assists for 12 points. His six
assists rank second on the team.
He earned first-team All-BIG EAST honors this year, the
second-straight year he earned league honors. A member of the
University's prestigious President's Society, Groenwald has been
very active in the community, serving as an active member of the
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Groenwald earned first-team Academic All-American honors in
2003, when he helped lead St. John's to the national championship
game and a 17-6-3 overall record. He scored five goals and
tallied a team-high nine assists for 19 points and earned
first-team All-BIG EAST honors.
Groenwald and his teammates returned from Los Angeles on Sunday
afternoon and began preparations for a rematch with Maryland - this
will be the third meeting between the teams in the last year - on
Monday morning. The teams will kick off at Ludwig Field on
Maryland's campus on Saturday at 1 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information and statistics on St. John's
Athletics, please visit www.RedStormSports.com, or
call our hotline at 1-888-GO-STORM.