St. John’s Athletics Year-in-Review: 2018-19

6/3/2019 4:07:00 PM | Baseball, Fencing, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Golf, Men's Lacrosse, Men's Soccer, Men's Tennis, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Women's Soccer, Women's Tennis, Women's Track and Field, Women's Volleyball, Men's Fencing, Women's Fencing

QUEENS, N.Y. (June 3, 2019) – Highlighted by three NCAA appearances, a pair of BIG EAST regular-season conference titles and an individual national champion, St. John's 17 varsity programs put forth a successful campaign in 2018-19.

St. John's tallied 59 All-BIG EAST selections with 18 student-athletes earning first team nods. Additionally, seven student-athletes were named All-Americans. The Red Storm compiled 13 major end-of-season awards including four BIG EAST freshmen of the year and three coaching staffs of the year.

In March, fencer Karolina Cieslar became the program's first-ever NCAA Champion in women's saber by defeating Penn State's Zara Moss, 15-13. The native of Bedzin, Poland, received All-America First Team recognition after capturing the Red Storm's third individual national title since 2017. Along with Cieslar, Katarzyna Lachman and Andrea Vittoria Rizzi also earned First Team All-America honors for their runner-up and semifinal finishes in the foil and epee, respectively. Dominique Tannous also picked up a Third Team All-America selection for her 10th place finish in the epee.

The St. John's men's basketball team went dancing for the first time since 2015, making the NCAA Tournament for the 29th time in school history, a total that is tied for 23rd among Division I programs. Led by All-BIG EAST First Team selection Shamorie Ponds and conference Defensive Player of the Year Justin Simon, the Red Storm boasted 21 victories, the most by any Red Storm team since 2000.

The Red Storm men's tennis program claimed the BIG EAST regular-season title before taking home its fourth conference tournament crown in the past six years. In his first season at the helm, Head Coach Dillon Pottish led the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year and guided his team to a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Andrei Crapcenco paced the Red Storm lineup with 11-6 record, earning BIG EAST Player of the Year recognition and the opportunity to play at the Oracle ITA Masters Tournament this coming fall. The Romanian also earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST First Team alongside senior Alan Nunez Aguilera, as the duo combined for an unblemished 5-0 record in the league championship.

Leah Anderson represented the women's track & field team at the NCAA East Preliminary held in Jacksonville, Fla., racing in the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes two weeks after being named the BIG EAST's Most Outstanding Female Track Athlete. The Mount Vernon, N.Y., native and her teammates posted great success throughout the 2018-19 campaign, highlighted by their second-straight Metropolitan Outdoor Championship in April and a combined 27 medals at the BIG EAST Championships. Anderson collected seven all-conference honors for her four golds, two silvers and one bronze at the conference championship meets.

The St. John's softball team captured its third-straight BIG EAST regular-season crown in the last five seasons. First-year Head Coach Bob Guerriero and his 2019 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year guided the Red Storm to the top seed in the conference tournament while mentoring the league's unanimously-selected BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year Madison Morris and Co-Freshman of the Year Peyton Cody. Morris and Cody joined Gretchen Bowie, Marissa Rizzi, Laura Delgado and Christina Melendez on the All-BIG EAST First Team, tying the program-record for the most selections in a single season with six (2015). Junior Kaitlin Mattera also earned a spot on the conference's second team.

Volleyball Head Coach Joanne Persico led the Red Storm to a 23-win season, the program's highest win total since 2007, and guided the Red Storm to a postseason bid to the NIVC Tournament. For their efforts, Persico and her staff earned BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors. Efrosini Alexakou and Amanda Sanabia captured BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and Libero of the Year accolades, respectively, and found spots on the All-BIG EAST First Team. Junior setter Erica Di Maulo also landed on the conference's top squad.

Four members of the Red Storm baseball team earned spots on the All-BIG EAST First Team, as Head Coach Ed Blankmeyer secured his 23^rd winning season in 24 tries at the helm of the program. Mike Antico and Wyatt Mascarella were unanimously selected to the conference's top squad and were joined by pitchers Gavin Hollowell and Joe LaSorsa. The Red Storm's season culminated with a league-record 16th-consecutive trip to the BIG EAST Baseball Championship.

Tiana England and Kadaja Bailey of the women's basketball team also received recognition from the BIG EAST, earning a place on the league's second team and all-freshman squad, respectively. England, who also garnered a spot on the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association First Team, racked up 20 points in 40 minutes of action when the Red Storm upset No. 8/7 Marquette, 81-74, at Carnesecca Arena in February for the program's first win over a top 10 team since 2012. Rising junior Qadashah Hoppie was also recognized by the MBWA, landing a spot on the organization's third team.

Women's soccer forward Zsani Kajan registered All-BIG EAST First Team honors after a tremendous season for the Red Storm that saw the striker put 11 balls in the back of the net. Christina Bellero and Claudia Cagnina were also recognized by the conference, landing on the second team. Senior defender Mecara Bruce garnered a spot on the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Second Team for her outstanding efforts on the team's backline and in the classroom.

The most decorated player in the history of St. John's Women's Tennis, Jessica Livianu continued to dominate the BIG EAST, earning her third-straight conference Player of the Year award. The junior won all 17 of her singles matches at the No. 1 position, while remaining undefeated all-time against league opponents, improving to 24-0.

Fares Ferjani, Ben Natanzon and Ivan Zagoruiko of the men's fencing team received All-American recognition for their runs in the NCAA Championships. Ferjani reached the semifinals of the men's saber to garner first team honors while Natanzon finished in eight place to land on the second team. Zagoruiko captured a spot on the All-American Third Team for his 12th place finish in the epee competition.

Women's golfer and rookie sensation Jessie Kweon wrapped up her first season with the Red Storm by capturing the BIG EAST's Freshman of the Year award. The Little Neck, N.Y., native was the highest rated freshman in the BIG EAST according to GolfStat, posting a 77.20 stroke average this season to lead all rookies in the conference.

Freshman standout Skage Simonsen became the first St. John's men's soccer player in 22 seasons to earn BIG EAST Freshman of the Year accolades after a tremendous rookie campaign. The 6-foot-3 midfielder also garnered an All-BIG EAST Second Team honor and a unanimous selection to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team after pacing the Johnnies in goals (6), assists (4) and points (16). Fellow first-year Johnnie Tani Oluwaseyi also earned a BIG EAST All-Freshman Team nod from the league's coaches after registering the squad's third highest point total (10).

A trio of Johnnies from the lacrosse team was selected to the all-league second squad. Brothers Joe and Mike Madsen, who combined for six goals in the Red Storm's upset of No. 11/13 High Point in February, led the Johnnies' offensive unit with 58 tallies and 87 points overall in 2019. Defender Aidan Marron, who recently competed in the USILA Senior All-Star Game, anchored the Red Storm's close defense for four years.

            Men's golfer Gerald Mackedon shined for the Head Coach Mal Galletta's squad in his junior season, earning three top-five finishes in the fall campaign. The rising senior was victorious at the Patriot Intercollegiate in September 2018 with a two-round effort 138 (-4) just two weeks after finishing second at the Doc Gimmler Invitational.

            After an outstanding senior cross country campaign with the Red Storm, runner Antonia Howard earned an All-BIG EAST selection for her 19th place finish at the conference championships in October. The Australia native also claimed All-ECAC Honors for her winning performance in the organization's Coaches' Race.