April 7, 2018
Men’s Basketball Wraps a Season Marked by Highlights
In a basketball season marked by highs and lows, one postgame impromptu and celebratory gathering displayed the true character of St. John’s students and the school spirit they embrace. In the early hours of the morning on February 8, more than 150 students gathered in the cold outside of Carnesecca Arena to greet the St. John’s University Men’s Basketball team as they returned to the Queens, NY, campus following their historic 79–75 road win over top-ranked Villanova.
The crowd of students came together after a call went out on social media from RedZone, the official student fan group, to meet and greet the team that defeated two, top-five ranked teams within five days. “What a game! What a night!” exclaimed Andrew M. Pappadia, a senior majoring in Sport Management.
It was the first time in 33 years that the St. John’s Men’s Basketball team defeated the nation’s top-ranked team. “I am proud of the players because they keep coming back, working, and staying positive through basketball adversity,” said Men’s Head Basketball Coach Chris Mullin. “Their perseverance has paid off.”
While the Johnnies struggled throughout the season in conference play, it was the third straight year under Coach Mullin that the St. John’s Men’s Basketball team increased its win total by posting 16 victories in 2017–18. On March 7, the Johnnies advanced in the BIG EAST Tournament for the second time since 2011 by knocking off Georgetown, 88–77, on opening night at Madison Square Garden.
Sport Management major and sophomore guard Shamorie Ponds was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team, after leading the league in scoring during the regular season with 21.6 points per game. He recorded six 30-point efforts, which tied for the most by a St. John’s player in a single season since Marcus Hatten accomplished the feat six times in 2002–03. Shamorie received BIG EAST Player of the Week honors twice and was selected to the conference’s weekly Honor Roll seven times this season.
St. John’s went 11–2 (.846) in nonconference play, matching the program’s best out-of-conference mark since going 10–1 (.909) in 1990–91. The Johnnies also earned a signature win over No. 4/5 Duke, 81–77, on February 3 at Madison Square Garden, thanks in part to a 33-point effort from Shamorie.
The Red Storm went 5–2 in February and won six of the final 10 games of the 2017–18 campaign. Transfers Justin Simon and Marvin Clark II shined in their first season competing for the Red Storm. Justin is majoring in Television and Film, and Marvin is majoring in Sport Management.
Justin was the only player in the BIG EAST to rank in the top-five of the conference in rebounds, assists, and steals. The redshirt sophomore finished with 82 steals, the fifth-most for a single season in program history.
Marvin was one of the BIG EAST’s top three-point shooters, as the redshirt junior finished the season in the conference’s top-10, shooting 41.1 percent from behind the arc while his 65 three-point shots are the eighth-most on St. John’s single season chart.
Women’s Basketball Appears in the Postseason
For the 11th consecutive year and the 13th time in the last 14 seasons, the St. John's Women's Basketball team made an appearance in the postseason, as the Red Storm received a bid to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). The Red Storm advanced to the WNIT Quarterfinals for the first time in program history.
St. John's has now made a trip to the postseason every year under the guidance of Head Coach Joe Tartamella ’04MBA, who just completed his sixth regular season as the Red Storm's sideline leader. “Making the postseason is a great accomplishment for our team,” said Coach Tartamella. “Our players are a talented group and when they play together with the passion and chemistry they have demonstrated, they can play with anybody.”
The Johnnies saw three players receive BIG EAST honors at the end of regular season play. Qadashah Hoppie was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year after leading all rookies with 11.1 points per game during conference play, and became the first St. John’s player to win the award since current Assistant Coach Da’Shena Stevens ’12TCB earned the honor in 2008–09. Qadashah is a Sport Management major who will graduate in 2020.
Further accolades went to Tiana England, a Management major, who was recognized as one of the league’s top rookies, earning unanimous selection to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team. Senior Maya Singleton, who is pursuing a degree in Communication Arts, earned a place on the All-BIG EAST Second Team. At the conclusion of the regular season, St. John’s finished with the 14th-toughest schedule in the nation according to NCAA statistical rankings.
Track and Field Garners Medals and Awards
St. John’s concluded its indoor season with a trio of top-10 finishes in three championship meets. The Red Storm finished second at the 2018 Metropolitan Indoor Championships, third at the 2018 BIG EAST Indoor Championships, and eighth at the 2018 ECAC Championships (Eastern College Athletic Conference).
The season was marked by excellence from key student-athletes. Senior and Communication Arts major Maya Stephens was a force during the indoor portion of the schedule for the Johnnies, winning titles at the Metropolitan and BIG EAST championships. Maya won the 400-meter dash at the two meets while also finishing third at the ECACs.
Maya’s performance at the BIG EAST earned her the honor as the Women’s Most Outstanding Co-Performer in Track Events for her wins in the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes. In addition, she was a member of the second-place 4x400-meter team. The win in the 400-meter marked the fourth-consecutive season a St. John’s student-athlete has won the event and the 200-meter victory was the second-straight year Maya has earned this victory.
Sociology major and junior Nyla Woods also represented the Johnnies with multiple podium visits during the indoor season. The senior collected her third-consecutive BIG EAST title in the weight throw, claimed another title in the event at the Metropolitan Championships, and finished third at the ECACs.
In her first year, Antonia Frazier burst onto the scene, collecting a pair of titles and earning All-East Honors at the ECACs. She won the women’s pentathlon title at the Metropolitan and BIG EAST meets, becoming the first Red Storm competitor to win the pentathlon at the conference level. Antonia also finished sixth at the ECACs in the pentathlon. The freshman is pursuing a degree within St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and is currently deciding on a major field of study.
“Our student-athletes continue to make their mark in the conference and beyond,” said Jim Hurt ’89G, Head Coach of the Indoor and Outdoor Cross Country and Track and Field teams. “Their individual awards are only matched by their allegiance to one another and to the University.”
Fencers Excel this Season
The Red Storm took home six medals at the NCAA Northeast Regional, including two gold medals by junior Karolina Cieslar, a Biology major, and senior Sean White, who is majoring in Computer Science. Karolina brought home the gold for the second-straight year, while Sean opened the postseason with his first ever first-place finish at the NCAA Northeast Regional.
Junior Ben Natanzon leads the men’s team, which currently ranks number nine in the country, with 45 victories this season. Ben has competed in multiple Junior World Cups and the World University Games over the past year. He is pursuing a degree in Risk Management and Insurance.
Senior Veronika Zuikova, a Finance major, tops the women’s team in wins this season and recently claimed silver at the NCAA Northeast Regional to qualify for her fourth-straight NCAA Championship.
Red Storm Baseball Lives Up to Preseason Predictions
The Red Storm won its first eight games of the season for the second-straight year, clinching the best start for the program in consecutive campaigns since 1962–63. For the second-consecutive spring, the Johnnies earned a marquee early-season victory in Chapel Hill, NC, downing the then-No. 6 Tar Heels, 5–2, on February 21.
The Red Storm was ranked in a majority of national polls in the beginning part of the season, rising as high as number 20 in the Collegiate Baseball newspaper rankings. The St. John’s pitching staff ranks among the nation’s best, sitting in the top 20 in Division I with an ERA (earned run average) of 2.66 through games played as of March 11.
Playing on the World Stage
A trio of St. John’s women’s soccer players will have the opportunity to appear on the international stage this year. Redshirt freshman Zsani Kajan, who already has an impressive résumé with the Hungarian National Team, will suit up in international play once again when she takes part in a pair of World Cup qualifiers in early April. Zsani is a Sport Management major.
Junior Claudia Cagnina, who is studying Criminal Justice, will also participate in World Cup qualifying next month, lacing up her cleats for the Peruvian National Team as it attempts to qualify for the world’s premier soccer tournament.
Communication Arts major and freshman Maia Cabrera is also gaining international experience with the Israeli U-19 National Team, which will play a series of exhibition contests against other national squads.
“We aim to provide all of our student-athletes with top-of-the-line resources and a support system to excel in their sports, as well as experience personal development during their time at St. John's,” said Athletic Director Anton Goff. “These recent successes are a direct outcome of our student-athletes’ commitment to embracing excellence in all that they do.”