St. John's University Athletics
Benedetti Earns NCAS Academic Momentum Award
11/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Nov. 18, 2009
QUEENS, N.Y. - Danny Benedetti, a 2009 St. John's graduate, has been named the winner of the National Academic Momentum Award in the Northeast region, as announced by The Scholar-Baller Program in conjunction with the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS).
A total of 22 student-athletes were honored throughout the ten NCAS regions. Seventy-nine nominations were received from 50 different colleges and universities throughout the country.
A two-time All-BIG EAST selection, Benedetti appeared in 45 games for the Red Storm in 2009 and batted .321 with 31 RBI. The catcher also scored 23 runs, led the team with seven sacrifice bunts and threw out 37.0 percent (10-of-27) of attempted base stealers.
Off the field, Benedetti raised his GPA from a 2.2 to a 2.97 in two years at St. John's and was instrumental in organizing community service events for the baseball team. The catcher also served as an orientation leader.
The NCAS is an organization of colleges and universities that provide opportunities for current and former student-athletes to continue their pursuit of higher education, while working in the community with children to address social issues.
Established in 1995, the Scholar-Baller movement evolved in response to concerns that the athletic role of a student-athlete increasingly superseded the student role. The scholar-Baller program was developed to bridge the gap between education and sport and has produced unprecedented outcomes in student retention and academic achievement.
