What a year it’s been for University of Scranton athletics!

The Royals picked up numerous individual and team accomplishments on the conference and national level, adding yet another chapter to the university’s rich history in intercollegiate athletics.

Our teams continue to make their marks in the Landmark Conference, where this past year the women’s soccer and women’s tennis teams repeated as champions, bringing our total to 17 titles since the league began operations just six years ago.  Those two teams, along with women’s basketball and men’s soccer, also competed on the national level—participating in the NCAA Division III Tournament as a reward for their hard work and dedication. 

As an alumnus of the men’s soccer program, I’d be remiss if I didn’t tip my cap to head coach Matt Pivirotto and his players for their incredible run in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Elite Eight and finishing the season ranked ninth by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). 

It’s also worth noting that the baseball, women’s swimming & diving, and the men’s tennis teams joined men’s soccer and women’s basketball as runners-up in their respective Landmark Conference sports.  The men’s golf team also capped off an outstanding season by winning their third straight Glenmaura National Collegiate Invitational title and finishing second at the Empire 8 Conference championships.

And as proud as I am of the above accomplishments, I’m even more amazed at what our student-athletes have done in the classroom. 

This past year, Emily Farrell (women’s soccer), Bill McGuiness (men’s soccer), and Tim McGurrin (men’s tennis) were named Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), as well as being named the Landmark Conference Senior Scholar-Athlete in their respective sports, along with Gretchen Kempf (field hockey) and Bobby Della Polla (baseball).  McGurrin also garnered another prestigious honor, becoming the 16th student-athlete in Scranton history to earn an NCAA postgraduate scholarship.

And finally, 136 Royals were named to the Landmark Conference’s Academic Honor Roll, which honors student-athletes who are at least a sophomore and who have maintained a 3.2-or-higher cumulative grade point average.

As we prepare for the upcoming 2013-2014 academic year, we will continue our pursuit to make the intercollegiate athletic experience one in which our students grow emotionally, socially, and intellectually, making them people, in the words of St. Ignatius of Loyola, who “will set the world on fire.”

Sincerely,

Toby Lovecchio ‘85
Director of Athletics