Loyola honored its student athletes April 26 with its 6th annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Ceremony.
The award ceremony and banquet was held in the St. Charles room and awarded all students on Wolfpack sponsored sports teams that received a 3.0 or higher in the past semester. Students with GPAs between 3.0-3.49 were recognized as being part of the bronze team, students with GPAs between 3.0-3.49 as part of the silver team with GPAs from 3.5-3.99 and the gold team awarded students with a 4.0.
One of the only five student athletes to receive the gold honor was biochemistry major and Wolfpack pitcher Justin Romaire. “When you have a lot of things on your plate you have a limited amount of time to do your school work,” said Romaire. “…there is no time for procrastination.”
Freshmen guard and Biology major Jeffrey Coote also said his free time has been limited by his pursuit of both scholastic and athletic achievements. “I don’t get to go out quite as much and I don’t sleep as much,” said Coote. “I just study and go to practice and make the most out of the time I have.” Coote’s teammate and marketing junior Darrinton Moncrieffe said a lot of his free time is spent in the library. “I know that if I don’t stay in the library I’m not going to get my work done, so I try to stay in there as much as possible.”
Dr. Kendra Reed, associate professor in the College of Business, applauded extra efforts like this, saying “They really do have to go above and beyond to achieve what they achieve and it shows in their GPA.” She went on to say that though Loyola’s athletic programs might not be as big as the programs at other schools, athletes could also serve as an example to other students. “The athletes at Loyola aren’t big revenue generators like at other schools, but it’s a good role model for other students who take pride in who they are,” she said.
Director of Athletics and Wellness Dr. Michael Giorlando the master of ceremonies for the evening, had high praises for the players on his basketball team saying “They accept challenges in the classroom and they accept challenges on the court,” he said. “It’s been an honor to coach them.”
In all more than 70 student athletes, representing all varsity sports were honored. Included in Loyola’s honors, were eight student athletes from baseball, men’s basketball, cross country and volleyball who were also named NAIA scholar athletes.
Hasani Grayson can be reached at [email protected]
