Athletics Highlights: 2006-07

Saint Joseph's University was awarded recertification as a Division I athletics program by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The recertification process, which universities must complete once every 10 years, finalized a year-long self-study and peer review. The self-study showed Saint Joseph's significant commitment to academic support for student-athletes, reporting an 87.1 percent graduation rate for students who received athletics-based aid.

• Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse will be renamed the Michael J. Hagan Arena at the conclusion of a multi-year expansion and renovation project, which will include a dedicated center for men's and women's basketball, the most comprehensive enhancement of athletic facilities in Saint Joseph's history.

Excellence in the Classroom:

• A total of 238 student-athletes were named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll (3.0 GPA or above) and 99 received Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll (3.5 GPA or above) recognition.

• Eight Hawks earned spots on Academic All-Conference teams, while four received Academic All-Area honors.

• Rebecca Cunfer was recognized as the A-10 field hockey Student-Athlete of the Year, while Debbie Bateman was cited as the Philadelphia Inquirer women's rowing Academic Performer of the Year.

• Three athletic teams - women's soccer, softball, and women's tennis - earned a Public Recognition Award from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for earning high scores in the latest Academic Progress Rate (APR) compilation. The three SJU teams all had 100 percent retention, eligibility and graduation rates in 2005-06.

Excellence in Competition:

• Nicole Antonini (field hockey) and Teddy Meyers (track/cross country) were the recipients of the Class of 1950 Award presented to the top senior athletes.

• Sophomore Ben Wendle became the first Saint Joseph's baseball player to earn Atlantic 10 All-Conference honors since 2005 as the outfielder earned Second Team accolades. Wendle led the team in hits (58), runs scored (31), doubles (17), home runs (seven), RBIs (39), and slugging percentage (.536). Also earning individual accolades were junior outfielder Jeremy Jakubowski and freshman infielder David Valesente, who were named to the All-Big 5 team, while senior first baseman Mike Gentile was named to the organization's All-Academic team. Junior pitcher Jason Hessler became the 20th Hawk in program history to be drafted in the 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Hessler was chosen with the 947th overall pick in the draft.

• Despite fielding one of its youngest squads in years, the men's basketball team posted an 18-14 record. Sophomore Ahmad Nivins and junior Pat Calathes garnered Atlantic 10 All-Conference honors. Nivins had a breakout year, averaging 16.6 points and 7.6 rebounds and setting the school record for field goal percentage (.631) while earning A-10 All-Conference First Team honors. Calathes was second on the team with 13.9 points and 7.1 rebounds while getting a nod to the All-Conference Third Team.

• A historic run to the Atlantic 10 title game, the program's first win over a top-10 team in over a decade and the team's fifth postseason berth in six years highlighted a special season for women's basketball. Senior Ayahna Cornish captured First Team All-Big Five and Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honors after averaging 16.5 points per game. Her 546 points during teh seaosn were teh seventh most in SJU single season history.

• The Saint Joseph's men's cross country squad had an impressive season in 2006, finishing in the top 10 in all but one of their meets. Graduate student Mike DiDio and senior co-captain Teddy Meyers were named to the All-Conference Team after their sixth and seventh-place finishes at the 2006 Atlantic 10 Cross Country Championships. DiDio would go on to place 13th at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals and second at the IC4A Championships.

• Sophomore Andrea Florida earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference Cross Country honors for the second straight year, placing 13th in the 5K race with a time of 18:32.60, while senior captain Suzie McHenry just missed the All-Conference team finishing 21st. As a team, the Hawks cultivated a crop of young runners to build a foundation for future success while also being competitive in every event, placing in the top 10 in four of five meets, including a seventh-place result at the Atlantic 10 Championships.

• Senior Nicole Antonini earned All-Mid-Atlantic Region First Team and Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team honors as the Hawks field hockey team advanced to the A-10 title game for only the second time in team history. Seniors Maureen Casserly and Lauren Luft were selected to the All-Mid-Atlantic Region and Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Teams, while junior Katie Young was selected to the All-Conference Second Team. Rebecca Cunfer was honored for her accomplishments on and off the field as the junior was named 2006 Atlantic 10 Student Athlete of the Year and was one of nine Hawks named to the NFHCA National Academic Squad.

• Senior Phil Arouca earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference honors as he tied for seventh at the 2007 A-10 Golf Championship. As a team, the Hawks finished in sixth place in the conference title match, with seven top-10 finishes on the year. Captain Chris Reedman posted his best year as a senior, and earned A-10 Performer of the Week honors after a third place finish at the Navy Fall Invitational and a tie for eighth the following week at the Towson Invitational.

• The Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse team persevered through injuries and some hard loses to make it to the MAAC Championship game for the third time in program history. Posting a 5-3 conference record, the Hawks downed Canisius 10-9 in the semifinals. In the championship match, SJU got a pair of goals from junior Steve Varga, but it wasn't enough as Providence came out on top. Despite the loss, Saint Joseph's Zach Charles, Alex McColough and Mike O'Neill each were selected to the MAAC All-Tournament Team for their standout performances during the conference playoffs.

• Saint Joseph's freshman Jenna Martino earned Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Women's Lacrosse Team honors after leading the Hawks with 31 goals and 37 points. Sophomore Jessica Westlake, the team's second-leading scorer (34 points), along with senior defender Jen Fletcher, were honored for their efforts on and off the field as the two were selected to the A-10 All-Academic Team.

• The Freshman 8 boat stood out for the men's rowing team this year, finishing no worse than third place in the regattas/invitationals that it participated in. That boat took the bronze medal at the Dad Vail Regatta, while the Lighweight 8 won silver. In Saint Joseph's first-ever trip to the SIRA Championships in Tennessee, the Hawks had one of their best weekends of the season. The Freshman 8 bested a very competitive field to win gold, while the Lightweight 8 posted a strong second-place finish. The Varsity 8 finished a solid fourth in the Petit Final, and the JV 8 advanced to the Grand Final to take fourth, both in very competitive races.

• Despite graduating eight seniors from the Hawks' history-making squad in 2006, the Saint Joseph's women's rowing team kept its pace in 2007 and showed great promise for next season. This was most evident in the Hawks' performance at the Dad Vail Regatta. Saint Joseph's placed all of its Eights (Varsity 8, Junior Varsity 8, Freshman 8) in the Grand Finals for the first time since 2004. The Varsity 8, comprised of Liz Sauter, Debbie Bateman, Kaitie Reehill, Kelly McKinley, Meaghan Stanton, Alicia Easby-Smith, Emma Harmon, Colleen Greway and cox Kristen Bonnici, brought home the silver while the JV 8 took fourth place with the Freshman boat coming in fifth.

• For the second year in a row, Michael McInaw led the men's soccer team in scoring (4 goals) and also earned his second selection to the Soccer Seven All-Star Team. As a squad, the Hawks fielded one of its most experienced squads in 2006 (with 10 returning starters) and had a talented group of young players. Freshmen Travis Gast and Jason Lewis served notice with their stellar play, as both were named to the Philadelphia Soccer Classic All-Tournament Team.

• A single-season record 14 goals, 33 points and the program's first Atlantic 10 Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Year accolades were among the many highlights for SJU senior forward Ali Wean. Joining Wean with A-10 All-Conference honors was senior Kimmy Leigh. Setting a career-high with eight points, Leigh finished her Hawk career fifth in assists with 12. Senior Nancy Cook capped her career fourth all-time in goals (17) and ninth in points (36), while classmate Megan Schutt finished her Crimson and Gray career third all-time in goals (20), tied for second in assists (14) and third in points (54). Senior Kaiti McCaffery also etched her name among the SJU all-time leaders as the defender finished her career fourth all-time in assists with 13.

• Having a perfect game on her resume junior pitcher Lauren Cognigni added to her Saint Joseph's accolades this season, throwing two no-hitters. The only pitcher in program history to record to have more than one no-hitter to her credit, Cognigni struck out seven, while allowing one walk in the Hawks' 7-0 victory over Robert Morris in March, then posted her second no-hitter of the season in an error-filled 2-1 win over Rhode Island in April. Even thought Saint Joseph's fell short of a postseason berth, the Hawks still have plenty to look forward to under the guidance of Coach Terri Adams. Returning nine of 10 starters, the youthful Hawks will be back next season ready to earn a spot as one of the A-10's elite.

• Newcomers to Hawk Hill, brothers Jarrett and Chris Chirico each made an immediate impact on the Saint Joseph's men's tennis team as a young group developed into a successful core of players who will continue to command the program for the next few years. A junior transfer from Virginia, Jarrett posted a 21-8 record at No. 1 singles, the second-best single-season win mark in program history. Having won the No. 1 flight at the West Point Open, Jarrett ended the spring season winning three-out-of-four of his singles matches in the Atlantic 10 Championship and earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team honors. Having a stellar spring at No. 3 singles, Chris Chirico went 10-6 and earned the program's first All-Atlantic 10 Most Outstanding Rookie Performer accolades.

• Junior transfer Stephania Velazquez became only the second Saint Joseph's women's tennis player to earn Atlantic 10 All-Conference honors as the team's top-seeded player helped the Hawks to a single-season record 12 victories. Additionally, freshman Jennifer Kedzierski set the single-season mark for wins (16), while senior Erika Guers moved into the top-10 for all-time singles victories with 25. Junior Gina DiGiacomo tied for fourth in single-season wins at No. 4 singles with eight and sophomore Krysta Contino became the all-time leader at No. 5 singles with 10 wins for her career in that flight.

• The 2006-07 men's track season at Saint Joseph's saw a good deal of team success in addition to a number of individual standouts turning in impressive times. Graduate student Mike DiDio and senior Teddy Meyers led the Hawks throughout the year, turning in IC4A and NCAA Regional qualifying times on multiple occasions as SJU placed sixth in the conference at the indoor championships and seventh at the outdoor meet. Didio won three races on the season and earned earned All-Atlantic 10 Second Team honors by placing second in the 800m and the 1,500m at the 2007 A-10 Outdoor Championships. Meyers successfully defended the 5,000m crown at the A-10 Championships, while sophomore Brendan Kearney took first in the 1,000m. Both were named to the All-Atlantic 10 First Team for their efforts. Junior Bobby Staten twice set the SJU record in the 60m, setting a record time of 6.84 at Yale's Giegengack Invitational.

• The Saint Joseph's women's track team relied on a group of talented seniors to guide the Hawks to a ninth-place finish at the Atlantic 10 Indoor Championships and an eighth-place mark at the conference's outdoor meet. Seniors Erin Kelly, Julie Lentz, and Valerie Ramirez led coach Kevin Quinn's charges throughout the year as SJU took its first team title in over three seasons at Ursinus. Kelly had a breakout performance at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championships, earning All-Conference Second Team honors after a second place in the 800m. Two Hawk relays broke school records at the Championships. In the 4x400, Caitlin McGrath, Amanda Guthridge, Nicole McMullen , and Lentz set a new SJU record, placing second with a 3:49.30. The foursome also earned Second Team All-Conference accolades. The 4x100 squad (Ramirez, Jordan Teuber , Lentz, McMullen) broke a school record as well, turning in a time of 47.33 to end the season on a high note.

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