September 24, 2019
Men’s Tennis Claims BIG EAST Conference Title
For the first time since 2016, the St. John's Men's Tennis team was the best in the conference—winning the 2019 BIG EAST Men's Tennis Championship. The squad, under the leadership of Head Coach Dillon Pottish, defeated No. 3-seed Marquette University in come-from-behind fashion.
“Our team has so much heart,” said Coach Pottish, whose coaching staff earned BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors. “To come back from a 3–0 deficit, it is unbelievable. These guys deserve it.”
Andrei Crapcenco, who compiled an 11–6 record, earned BIG EAST Player of the Year recognition and earned a place on the conference’s First Team, alongside Alan Nunez Aguilera. Aditya Vashistha and Dusan Vukicevic both earned second team honors in the conference.
Softball is BIG EAST Regular Season Champions
Under the direction of first-year Head Coach Bob Guerriero, the St. John's Softball team captured its third BIG EAST regular-season championship in five years.
Coach Guerriero, along with the 2019 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, guided the Red Storm to the top seed in the conference tournament while mentoring the league's unanimously selected BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year Madison Morris and Co-Freshman of the Year Peyton Cody.
Madison and Peyton joined Gretchen Bowie, Laura Delgado, Christina Melendez, and Marissa Rizzi on the All-BIG EAST First Team, tying the program record for the most selections in a single season with six (2015). Junior Kaitlin Mattera also earned a spot on the conference's second team.
Another Winning Season for Blankmeyer
With an overall record of 31–23, the Red Storm's season culminated with a league-record 16th-consecutive trip to the BIG EAST Baseball Championship, where the team ultimately fell to Xavier. This year marked 23 winning seasons in 24 years for Head Coach Ed Blankmeyer.
Four Johnnies earned spots on the All-BIG EAST First Team: Outfielder, Mike Antico; Pitcher, Gavin Hollowell; Pitcher, Joe LaSorsa; and Catcher, Wyatt Mascarella.
A quartet of players heard their names called during the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. Gavin Hollowell was taken by the Colorado Rockies in the sixth round; Sean Mooney went to the Minnesota Twins in the 12th round; and Joe LaSorsa and Jeff Belge were selected three picks apart in the 18th round by the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively. Two weeks following the draft, Wyatt Mascarella signed a free agent contract with the Kansas City Royals.
Rachel Daly ’16CPS Plays on a World Stage
Former St. John's standout Rachel Daly was selected to England's roster for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Ms. Daly is one of the most prolific players to play for the Red Storm, setting school records for career goals (50) and points (111), in just three seasons.
“Everyone involved with the St. John's University Women's Soccer program is very proud of Rachel,” St. John's Women's Soccer Coach Ian Stone said. “I know how badly she wanted to achieve the goal of making this World Cup squad. She is a fantastic example to us all in setting a goal and then doing whatever it takes in order to achieve it.”
With Ms. Daly on the roster, England made it to the semifinal round of the tournament, where they lost to the eventual FIFA Women’s World Cup Champions, the US National Women’s Team.
Student-Athletes Honored for Academic Success
BIG EAST All-Academic Team
Red Storm student-athletes again proved that they can excel on the field of play and in the classroom with a St. John’s-record 222 being selected to the 2018–19 BIG EAST All-Academic Team.
“This is a great achievement by our student-athletes, with great support by our academic team and coaches,” said Mike Cragg, Director of Athletics. “I am very proud of this group.”
The lacrosse team had the most names on the list with 35, with the Track & Field/Cross Country team placing second with 34. To be eligible for the honor, a nominee must have competed in a BIG EAST-sponsored sport, attained a minimum grade point average GPA of 3.00 for the preceding academic year, and completed a minimum of two consecutive semesters or three consecutive quarters of academic work.
BIG EAST Team Academic Excellence Awards
St. John’s baseball, lacrosse, women's golf, and women's soccer programs were recognized by the BIG EAST with 2018–19 Team Academic Excellence Awards, which are bestowed upon the teams with the highest grade point average in the conference in their respective sport.
The women's soccer program achieved the highest GPA among all sports in the BIG EAST during the 2018–19 academic season—an impressive 3.79. St. John's tied with Butler University with a conference-leading four recipients.
A Perfect Score in the Classroom
Thirteen student-athletes earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average for both the Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 semesters. Women’s Soccer fielded the most players in this elite group, with four players earning perfect GPAs. The full list includes:
- Andrea Vittoria Rizzi–Fencing
- Arianna Pappone–Fencing
- Luis-Henrique Amaral–Men’s Soccer
- David Targett–Men’s Soccer
- Jessica Bryant–Softball
- Angela Saric–Softball
- Katherine Bessey–Track and Field
- Stephanie Gerland–Track and Field
- Sofie Huseby–Women’s Golf
- Alexa Dolgos–Women’s Soccer
- Naya Lipkens–Women’s Soccer
- Ingibjorg Oladottir–Women’s Soccer
- Lucy Whipp–Women’s Soccer