{"id":3652,"date":"2014-07-01T16:32:19","date_gmt":"2014-07-01T20:32:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/?p=3652"},"modified":"2014-07-01T16:32:19","modified_gmt":"2014-07-01T20:32:19","slug":"student-athletes-excel-on-and-off-the-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2014\/07\/01\/student-athletes-excel-on-and-off-the-field\/","title":{"rendered":"Student-Athletes Excel On and Off the Field"},"content":{"rendered":"
Nineteen teams. Two-hundred and thirty-four student-athletes. One goal: Win. At Saint Peter’s, the Department of Athletics has always made it clear that winning in the classroom is just as important as on the field. Winning championships, as the golf team (2014), women’s indoor track & field (2011, 2012, 2013), women\u2019s outdoor track & field (2011, 2012) and the men’s basketball team (2011) have done recently are not achieved at the expense of academics. Today’s media has reported often of late on alleged academic improprieties at some Division 1 institutions. That is not the case at Saint Peter’s.<\/p>\n
“We take our position as a Division I institution very seriously,” said Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., president of Saint Peter’s University. “It is a privilege. We have a responsibility to compete aggressively in and out of the classroom.”<\/p>\n
Saint Peter’s student-athletes have earned an average GPA of 3.18 and have an 85 percent graduation rate. There are numerous examples of the steadfast commitment to athletics and academics. For example, each year at the Michaelmas Convocation, 10 senior students are inducted into the oldest scholarship society at Saint Peter\u2019s, the Most Noble Order of the Peacock (MNOP), for attaining the highest scholastic average in all courses throughout their first three years at the University. This year\u2019s inductees included five student-athletes who not only graduated cum laude<\/em>, but also played or participated in athletics during their entire collegiate career. These students include Laura Reinhart \u201914 (volleyball), Aimee Schnecker \u201914 (softball), Vanessa Vogel \u201914 (women’s tennis), Sunita Kumar \u201914 (women’s track and field) and Kevin Croucher \u201914 (baseball). Vogel was also named the 2014 Saint Peter’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.<\/p>\n \u201cI am extremely proud of the on-field accomplishments of our student-athletes, but we also strive for our students to excel in the classroom and be strong leaders in the community,\u201d said Director of Athletics Joseph Quinlan.<\/p>\n Student-athletes continued their commitment to academic excellence well into the school year, up until the very end. Seven Saint Peter\u2019s University senior student-athletes presented honors thesis defenses, including Schnecker, Stefanny Laureano \u201914, Vogel, Shona Potrzuski \u201914, Ivana Grbelja \u201914, Sunita Kumar \u201914 and Reinhart.<\/p>\n In addition, Adam Purcilly \u201914 (baseball) was one of four valedictorians during this year\u2019s commencement exercises. He was also inducted into the MNOP in 2011 and was named the 2014 Saint Peter’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.<\/p>\n Another standout senior student-athlete during this academic year was Reinhart. In addition to her numerous academic awards and distinctions, Reinhart was also named to the Capital One Academic All-District II first team. To be eligible for the Capital One Academic All-America program, student-athletes must have at least a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average and be nominated by a member of College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).<\/p>\n For a full listing of all of this year\u2019s academic honors of Saint Peter\u2019s student-athletes, please see below.<\/p>\n