The St. Mary’s College of Maryland Department of Athletics and Recreation inducted its fourth class into the National College Athlete Honor Society, Chi Alpha Sigma, on Monday, April 23. The ceremony was held in the Athletics and Recreation Center group fitness room.
Chi Alpha Sigma is a nonprofit organization established to recognize collegiate student-athletes who earned a varsity letter in at least one sport while maintaining a 3.4 or higher cumulative GPA throughout their junior and senior years.
“Chi Alpha Sigma truly celebrates the intersection of their scholarly and athletic careers,” said Dr. Jeffrey Byrd, Faculty Athletics Representative and chair of the Biology department at St. Mary’s. “As athletes, they have a unique set of challenges outside of the classroom and I am always impressed at their ability to manage both tracks with such excellence.”
The National College Athlete Honor Society was founded at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana on May 17, 1996, by DePauw head football coach and professor of kinesiology, Nick Mourouzis. Mourouzis recognized that there were many organizations that honored students for outstanding academic or athletic achievements, but none that did both. Chi Alpha Sigma hopes to bring honor and recognition to deserving student-athletes, their families, teams, athletic departments, and colleges in much the same way as Phi Beta Kappa honors scholastics.
The twelve new members are as follows: Mike Broccolino (Jr., baseball), Jessica Dunckel (Jr., women’s swimming), Ali Femi (Jr., field hockey), Katherine Garlock (Jr., women’s tennis), Travis Horrom (Jr., men’s tennis), MaryLyle Jeanes (Jr., field hockey), Caitlin Moore (Jr., women’s swimming), Halley Pack (Jr., field hockey), Jessica Peterson (Jr., women’s tennis), Jesse Roche (Jr., baseball), Michael Rohrs (Jr., men’s soccer), and Marianne Wood (Jr., field hockey).