The College of Staten Island Office of Intercollegiate Athletics together with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has now unveiled its Athletic Director Honor Roll citations for the fall 2011 semester, recognizing a staggering 85 student-athletes who had achieved a 3.0 grade point average or better during the fall semester. The students, along with those highlighted in the spring of 2011 will be honored in a special Student-Athlete Day ceremony on April 5 at the College, when the Dolphins host Student-Athlete Day in cooperation with the same national initiative brought forward by the National Consortium of Academics in Sport.

The Honor Roll, unique to the Athletics program originating in the spring of 2011at CSI was the brainchild of the CSI Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and CSI Athletic Director Vernon Mummert, who both wanted to draw attention to the tremendous academic achievements of its student-athletes at the exclusive commuter campus, as scholar athletes account for over 43% of the overall student-athlete body.  Many student-athletes are familiar faces to the Honor Roll each semester, but all tolled the merit has been bestowed on 252 athletes over the last three semesters.

“I am very excited to see that our CSI student-athletes are continuing to excel in both the academic and athletic classroom,” said Mummert.  “Our number of scholar-athletes truly shows that more of our student athletes are achieving academic excellence while at the same time making the commitment to excellence in the intercollegiate athletic arena. At CSI the SAAC has helped us set the bar for academic excellence.”

The 85 total athletes are a cross section of CSI’s 13 intercollegiate sports and cheerleading program. CSI boast 194 total student-athletes so far in 2011-12, meaning that 43.8% of the student-athlete body is being honored, a staggering number. Of the 85 honored, 72 are carrying overall GPA’s over a 3.0 (37%), while a select 30 have an overall GPA of over a 3.5 GPA.  Both of those overall GPA numbers are the best-ever at CSI.

The College of Staten Island Office of Intercollegiate Athletics does its part in aiding the cause. Working primarily through Katie Arcuri, Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Services, student-athletes are awarded priority registration, which allows them to manage their class schedule with their rigorous practice, personal workout, and intercollegiate schedule routines, and are offered academic advisement within Athletics offices to guide their academic path. Along the way, the office solicits mid-semester checks on student-athletes and offer counseling and peer tutor opportunities for at-risk students.

“Since the AD/SAAC Honor Roll was established the student-athletes at the College have responded with outstanding numbers each semester,” said Arcuri.  “Their dedication in the classroom is a true reflection of how hard they work and now they can be honored each semester.”

Women’s Soccer sees the most honorees on the Honor Roll list, boasting 12 student-athletes to the ledger. Women’s Swimming follows with 10 honorees, followed by eight each from Men’s Soccer and  Women’s Softball. CSI also awards a Team GPA Award given at its annual awards banquet, won in 2011 by Men’s Cross-Country with a 3.43 collective GPA.

Six special student-athletes boasted perfect 4.0 GPA’s last semester, including: Ilona Stoyko (Tennis), Daniel Ursomanno (Tennis),  Ursula Pachas (Swimming), Olivia Tierno (Basketball), Lauren Neglia (Soccer), Olivia Tierno (Basketball), and Masaki Kubo (Soccer).  The complete list of scholar-athletes is available here.

The full lot of 85 honorees will be welcomed back on April 5, 2012, for a Student-Athlete Day ceremony at CSI’s Sports & Recreation Center at 2:30pm.  Sponsored by the National Consortium for Academics in Sports (NCAS), National Student-Athlete Day is celebrated nation-wide, commending scholastic achievement by student-athletes. The student-athletes will be awarded commemorative certificates during the ceremony, which will tentatively feature words from CSI President Dr. Tomas Morales and Vice-President for Student-Affairs Dr. Ramona Brown.