Flushing, N.Y. – For the month of November, Baruch College’s Alyssa Lubrino has been recognized by the City University of New York Athletic Conference as the CUNYAC/ Hospital for Special Surgery Scholar Athlete of the Month.
In the three swim meets she competed in for the month, Lubrino finished with top times in the 200 meter freestyle relay and twice in the 200 meter medley relay. On the November 3rd meet against the Fashion Institute Technology, Lubrino won the 200 meter freestyle relay with a time of 2:15.22 and also finished first in the 100 meter freestyle (1.07.62).
The junior from Staten Island finished on top against two conference opponents, College of Staten Island and Brooklyn, in the 200 meter medley relay, with times of 2.00.30 and 2:15.2, respectively. Lubrino also finished the 100 yard butterfly (1:11.40) right behind her teammate placing her second in the 11-92 team win for the Bearcats. Lubrino had a similar performance in the 102-76 victory over Brooklyn.
The St. Joseph Hill Academy alum was unable to compete in Baruch’s remaining match for the November as she flew to the NCAA offices in Indianapolis to represent CUNYAC as the national representative of the NCAA Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
“It is a great honor to win for both academic and athletic reasons,” said Lubrino. “It has been a great November for me in not only being a part of an undefeated team in the CUNYAC standings, but also to be representing our conference at the national Division III SAAC Meetings in Indianapolis, Indiana. I want to thank my teammates and coaches for all their support.”
With a GPA of 3.86, the team captain is currently on Baruch’s Dean’s List as well as part of the Macaulay Honors College at CUNY. In her previous seasons with the Bearcats Women’s Swimming team, Lubrino was part of the back-to-back wins in the CUNYAC Finals (2009-10, 2010-11) and won the Baruch Women’s Swimming Coaches Award in 2011. She was also amongst the selected athletes to take part in the CUNYAC Goodwill Tour, which took place in New Orleans in the summer of 2011.
Honorable Mentions
Wendell Appleton, Hostos
Brooklyn, NY
Wendell Appleton, the 6'6'' forward from the up and coming Hostos Caimans Basketball squad, sets the example for his teammates with his academic prowess. A Liberal Arts major with a 3.43 overall GPA in his sophomore year, Appleton is a member of the ASAP (Accelerated Study in Associate Programs) Program, as well as a member of HALO, the Hostos Athletic Leaders Organization. Appleton provides a steady presence for the Caimans on the court as well, helping the team earn the #2 spot in the conference and #5 spot in Region XV of the NJCAA Division III.
"Mr. Appleton's progression and development truly embodies that of a successful student-athlete,” said Dr. Jody King, head coach of the Caimans basketball squad. His learned approach towards successful classroom habits has paid off dividends not only in academia, but athletics, and life."
Catherine Chan, Brooklyn
Flushing, NY/ Townsend Harris
Catherine Chan, Biology major with minors in Anthropology and Archaeology, sports a 3.906 GPA. The senior is enrolled in both the Macaulay Honors and BA/MD Programs at Brooklyn College and will be entering SUNY Downstate College of Medicine in the Fall of 2012 after graduating in the Spring of 2012.
Entering her second season on the Brooklyn Women’s Swimming and Diving team, Chan had a solid month of November, participating in four of the Bulldogs’ five meets in the month. On November 11th against CUNYAC rival Baruch, Chan recorded a first place finish in the Women’s 100 SC Meter Breaststroke with a time of 1:42.84. On November 19th against SUNY Old Westbury, the Flushing, NY native was a member of the Women’s 200-Yard Medley Relay that took first with a time of 2:17.29. In BC’s final meet of the month on November 30th against conference foe
Hunter College, Chan took first in the Women’s 100-Yard Breaststroke with a time of 1:29.55.
Mark Courtien, Hunter
Pelham, NY/ Pelham Memorial
In addition to boasting a 3.599 GPA as a Psychology major, Mark Courtien has shined for the Hunter Hawks men’s basketball team thus far and especially in the month of November. Starting in all five games played in November, Courtien currently leads his team with 71 points and is tied for three-point shots at 13. The Pelham native had 15 boards for the month, as well as nine total steals and seven assists.
Head Coach Shay Berry stated, “Mark is a classic captain, a great teammate, a leader both on and off the floor but most importantly, a strong student.”
Donika Rexhepi, City College of New York
White Plains, NY/White Plains
Donika Rexhepi is an Advertising and Public Relations major, with a minor in Journalism with a 3.6 GPA. She is heavily involved with the organizations on campus, and is in the Kaye Scholarship Program, and has been for the last three years. The Kaye Scholarship provides funds for a program to attract and support promising City College students who are considering a major in the Humanities and Arts. In addition, Donika also handles Public Relations at two New York City Restaurants, including a steakhouse and a seafood joint. She also serves as the President of the MCA workshop group that leads an HPV Awareness campaign. The sole purpose of that campaign is to increase awareness and educate students to make smart decisions when it comes to their personal interactions with others.
On the court, Donika is a prototypical difference maker, and a quintessential game-changer. For the month of November, she nearly averaged a double-double in CCNY's five games, scoring 16.2 points per game while grabbing 9.6 rebounds per contest, including 17 on the offensive glass. She also averaged three steals per contest and connected on 74.2 percent of her shots from the charity stripe (23-31). Donika very rarely gets a breather on the court, as she played 182 out of a possible 200 minutes during November.
Vanessa Rivera, York College
Queens, NY/ Grover Cleveland
Rivera has been busy this semester as she has managed to balance participating on both the Women's Soccer and Women's Basketball teams, while still managing to maintain a 3.8 GPA as a Physical Education major at York College. In the month of November, Rivera has been a key member off the bench for the basketball team, scoring five points per game, while being a threat from long-range.
Vasiliki Stergiuola, College of Staten Island
Athens, Greece/ Dimosthenio
Vasiliki Stergiuola has been determined, since falling in love with swimming at her arrival at CSI, to improve. The Athens native had not swam competitively before coming onto the Dolphin’s Women’s Swimming team a year ago. In the month of November, the sophomore had two top finishes, one of which was against conference opponent John Jay College. In the 200 yard freestyle event, Stergioula finished in the top spot with a time of 2:31.20. Against Baruch in the 200 yard medley relay she placed third with a time of 2:28.17, and second in both the 200 yard freestyle (2:34.88) and 100 yard freestyle 1:06.90). The sophomore ended her November matches with a top place finish in the 100 yard freestyle against Maritime College with a time of 1:04.24.
Out of the pool, the Biology major has a 3.7 GPA and has been on the Dean’s list since the Spring 2011 semester. She is currently on a CSI International Scholarship and spends time volunteering for the Environmentally Friendly Organization which fixes up homes and planting trees.
Eric Troche, Kingsborough
Brooklyn, NY/ FDNY
With a 3.276 GPA, Eric Trouche has shown himself to be on his game when it comes to his academics in relation to his role as a student-athlete. Majoring in Liberal Arts, he always seems to get in there, get his work done and come out passing all courses with outstanding grades. On the court, the 5’8” guard totaled ten points, ten boards, seven assists, and four steals for the month of November.