Published: May 05, 2006
Queens, NY
The 13 freshmen earned a grade point
average of 3.5 or better during their first semester of
college.
Last week the St. John's Student Development for Athletes unit,
in conjunction with the University Freshman Center, inducted 13
first-year student-athletes into the University's chapter of Phi
Eta Sigma national freshman honor society. The freshmen received
the honor after earning a grade point average of 3.5 or better in
their first semester at St. John's.
"These freshmen represent the model of the student-athlete that
pursues academic achievement while competing as Division I
athletes," St. John's athletic director
Chris Monasch said. "We are all proud of their accomplishments
and this well deserved honor."
The Phi Eta Sigma members include men's basketball's
Tomas Jasiulionis (Richmond, Va.), softball's
Melissa Pilley (Phoenix, Ariz.), men's soccer's
Petar Rakovic (Kragvjevac, Serbia) and women's soccer's
Julianna Cohen (Merrick, N.Y.).
Four members of the lacrosse team also earned the distinction:
Liam Flynn (Buffalo, N.Y.),
Matthew Viscusi (Floral Park, N.Y.),
Michael Luyster (Hicksville, N.Y.) and
Thomas Manes (Philadelphia, Pa.). Baseball's
Daniel Rose (Coto de Caza, Calif.) and
Tommy Wasilowski (Downers Grove, Ill.), women's track's
Rakibat Abiola (Staten Island, N.Y.), men's tennis'
Jordan Talbot (Toronto, Canada) and women's tennis'
Nataly Tumsevica (Riga, Latvia) also were inducted into the
honor society.
Last semester, 120 student-athletes were named to the Athletic
Director's Honor Roll for earning a grade point average of 3.0 or
higher, while 10 teams produced a GPA over 3.0. Also in the fall,
nine St. John's student-athletes earned a perfect 4.0 grade point
average, including inductee Cohen. Red Storm athletes have also
earned individual and team academic accolades. Matt Groenwald of
the men's soccer team was named to ESPN The Magazine's First Team
Academic All-American and the National Soccer Coaches Association
of America (NSCAA) Third Team Academic All-America, while the
women's soccer team earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award.
About the Honor Society
Phi Eta Sigma was founded by three distinguished Phi Beta Kappa
members, professors and administrators at the University of
Illinois in 1923. The honor society was established to encourage
and recognize high scholastic achievement among members of the
freshman classes. Phi Eta Sigma is the third most senior member of
the Association of College Honor Societies.
All freshmen who have a cumulative grade-point average of a
least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale at the end of any full-time curricular
period are automatically eligible for membership, provided they
have carried a normal academic load toward a bachelor's degree.
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.