July 26, 2012

Queens, N.Y. - The BIG EAST Conference has announced that a pair of St. John’s teams are among the 24 squads that have earned 2011-12 Team Academic Excellence Awards as the baseball team, which earns the honor for the second-straight season, and the men’s lacrosse team were recognized for posting the highest collective grade point averages in their respective conference sports.

Twelve BIG EAST schools had at least one team honored as DePaul led the way with a conference-best five teams recognized. Notre Dame and Villanova added three apiece, while St. John’s, Georgetown, Providence and Seton Hall each added a pair of teams.

The winners were chosen based on the 2010-11 grade point averages of each student-athlete who appeared on an institution's roster as of the last contest of the championship segment in each conference-sponsored sport.

The baseball team, which finished 40-23 and advanced to its first-ever NCAA Super Regional after winning its first NCAA Regional since 1980, posted a 3.17 team GPA. The squad won its conference-record seventh BIG EAST Tournament crown and also earned a conference-record seventh BIG EAST regular season title, capturing both championships in the same season for the first time in program history. Jeremy Baltz earned first team Capital One Academic All-District honors for the second-straight season to give St. John’s at least one Academic All-District honoree in each of the past seven seasons.

St. John’s lacrosse achieved its most successful season since the program’s reinstatement in 2005 as the Red Storm finished with an 8-7 record and a berth in the inaugural BIG EAST Lacrosse Championship game. The on-field accomplishments were matched by the squad’s academic success as the team earned a 3.14 team GPA. The season was highlighted by an 8-7 victory over then-No. 2 and eventual NCAA semifinalist Notre Dame. Kieran McArdle was named Honorable Mention USILA All-American making him the first St. John’s player to be honored since 1986.

2011-12 BIG EAST Team Excellence Award Winners
Sport                                                 School

Baseball                                        St. John’s
Men’s Basketball                            Louisville
Women’s Basketball                        DePaul
Men’s Cross Country                       Villanova
Women’s Cross Country               West Virginia
Field Hockey                                Georgetown
Football                                          Rutgers
Men’s Golf                                       DePaul
Women’s Golf                                Notre Dame
Men’s Lacrosse                            St. John’s
Women’s Lacrosse                          Cincinnati
Women’s Rowing                           Georgetown
Men’s Soccer                                    DePaul
Women’s Soccer                             Marquette
Softball                                         Seton Hall
Men’s Swimming & Diving                 Villanova
Women’s Swimming & Diving            Villanova
Men’s Tennis                                   DePaul
Women’s Tennis                              DePaul
Men’s Indoor Track & Field             Notre Dame
Women’s Indoor Track & Field        Providence
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field           Notre Dame
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field      Providence
Women’s Volleyball                       Seton Hall